♕ajtexas♕

Yes this is normal. This is how band life should be. You are doing great, don't change a thing.

My office is always cold. It's 100 outside and here I am with my wooly socks and fleece jacket on. Such a fashion statement. Best part of the day is getting in my hot car at 5. Lol

You look great. Congrats!

Wow two different people. Congrats you look great.

Dr. McDreamy did my band back in February 2012. Not only is he good for the eyes he is a great surgeon. Sounds like you go to True Results, if so hope to see you at the next support group meeting.

You are in good hands with True Results. I go to TR in Austin. They have a nutritionist on staff if you have questions, call them & make a appointment with the nutritionist. You can meet with him/her anytime (separate from your fill appointment). Also, the nurse practitioners (who will be doing your fill) are very knowledgeable about nutrition and can answer most of your questions. The other thing I recommend is attending the monthly support meetings, you will get a lot of great suggestions and advise from the other patients. Good luck to you.

Congrats on reaching goal! You are an inspiration!

I love my fitbit. I'm addicted to it! Best investment for me!

Life always tries to trip us up. You overcame it and that is awesome. Thanks for sharing your story. You are an inspiration to us all. And I'm so very glad that you are on the fast track to recovery. Take care of yourself.

Wow, sorry you are having such a bad experience with True Results. The True Results here in Austin, Texas is awesome. Never wait long and the staff are amazing. I hope your experience improves, good luck to you!

You are so right on this. When I first got my band I kept a food journal. I recorded everything I ate, how I felt when I ate it, what was going on in my life, etc... From that journal I figured out my trigger points/foods and It has helped me manage my eating since.

Stephanie - you are on track with 4oz protein, 1/2 cup of veggies & 1/4 cup of starch. That is about what I eat each meal, actually I often don't do the carbs because I am full.

My band feels like a part of me, I call her my yellow rose. Some days she is a beautiful yellow rose (my favorite flower) and other days she shows her thorns (tight, not wanting to cooperate with me....) I have learned to listen to her, she tells me when to stop and not push it. She helped me loose 80 pounds in 10 months and is helping me maintain that loss. You say that you already eat healthy, that will help you greatly. Changing your eating habits is one part of this process that the band can't do. We have to make good health choices of food, then the band steps in and helps keep us from feeling physically hunger for 3-4 hours. Congratulations on making the decision to make yourself healthy.

Everyone has a different idea as to what the ‘Green Zone’ should be like, how it should feel. How tight do you need to be in order to be in the zone? Some like to be really tight where as other like their band a little looser. I have experienced my band being ‘nice and tight’ so to speak. I never felt physical hunger, but there was food I couldn’t eat like chicken breasts and vegetables. I would cook a wonderful meal for the family and then find I couldn’t eat it. I also found that it would take me over 30 minutes to eat. I hated meals; I would get frustrated and found myself turning to slider foods like cheese and crackers or peanuts. I struggled to maintain my weight from week to week and I was miserable. This was not the lifestyle I wanted so I had my doctor take out half a cc of fluid from my band. The result is I can eat any and all foods without problems, I go 3-4 hours without feeling physical hunger and most important is being able to enjoy mealtime with my family. This is my ‘Green Zone’. This experience makes me understand why so many posts say they are gaining weight and they might be too tight. It is very easy to gain weight when the foods you eat slides right down (they can be healthy foods too – mine was cheese & peanuts). I cannot manage my band when it is too tight, I would rather manage my lifestyle and use my band to complement that style. I am a loosey goosey! (Yep I made up a new term)

Congrats Donna. You are doing great!

I have thought about writing this blog all day long. Part of me says don’t write it, you are a success and you don’t want people thinking you slip up and fail. The other part of me says write this, maybe this will tell others that this journey is not easy and even after reaching goal & being declared a success you still struggle… ‘The other part’ won, so here goes…. I have always been called strong, never showing my weakness or emotions. It is a skill I learned early in life, build a protective barrier around you so no one can know how you feel or hurt you. The way I coped with this barrier was with food, it got me to 250 pounds…. When I started my weight loss journey I recognized this habit. That being said doesn’t mean that the habit went away or that it doesn’t get the best of me still. Over the last couple of weeks I have experienced events in my life that caused me to retreat to my protected barrier and to comfort myself with junk food (ice cream, etc…). Now, those closest to me know me well enough to see through the barrier and last night my husband did just that. He asked what was going on and I caved, I told him everything that was causing my stress, my work, my friends, and the whole lot. I had a good cry and we talked about how I could try and cope with things. I also confessed the eating that I had done and do you know what he did? He said, “Well trash is picked up tomorrow morning” and went into the kitchen, threw away all the trigger foods that I had mentioned. When he came back in he said to me, “You are worth so much more than any of that junk food. From now on there will be no junk in this house.” God, I love this man. I am so lucky to have such great family support. Then, this morning one of my most dear friends asked me what was up. And again I caved and told her everything. Know what she said? “Done now….back on track” and then she said, “It is what it is; pull up those panties, put on those heels and work it!” Thanks princess, I needed to hear that. I am so lucky to have such great friends supporting me. I know I can do this and I will do this for the rest of my life. I will have days and times where I stumble and fall. But, I will get myself up, brush myself off and keep going. Because I WANT this! I guess what I am trying to say is that even the success stories (the veterans) make mistakes, have bad days, and go backwards. The important thing is to identify the problem and find a solution. Then get your ass back on track. Thant is exactly what I am doing.

First, thank you to you & your husband for your service. Bless you! The fact that you have not given up on yourself & your band is something to be proud of. You found your way here and this wonderful site will give you support, recommendations & ideas to help you get back on track. I follow a 1200 calorie diet, I measure all my food, log everything on the MyFitnessPal app, drink 80 oz of Water a day and walk/climb stairs at least 30 minutes a day (I also garden on the weekends). If you have a nutritionist, I would recommend you seeing them to help you map out a good meal plan for you.I tend to eat high Protein (about 70 grams a day) and low-carbs. Again, thank you to both you and your husband. I truly appreciate you both.

I work in an office. I take my lunch every day and never eat out or head to the vending machines. The other day a co-worker asked me “What’s in your desk draw?” (I have one draw in my desk just for snacks) This is what is in my desk draw: 1. Protein Bars 2. Single serving packs of pistachio nuts 3. Instant oatmeal package (low-sugar) 4. Skinny Cow chocolate clusters (for the occasional chocolate cravings) 5. sugar free hard candies (keeps my mouth busy in the afternoon) 6. A premix Protein shake (just in case my band is acting up and lunch is an issue) 7. Crystal light powder drink mixes 8. Tea bags 9. Splenda So what’s in your desk draw?

Missy is right. It is very frustrating but worth it in the long run. You said "if I only eat a half cup of food, I'll be hungry in like two hours", don't let your mind manipulate what will happen. If you think that then yes you will be hungry in two hours. When I was going through 'bandster hell" I focused on changing the type of foods I ate as well as the amount. In between meals I drank a bunch of Water and kept myself busy so I wouldn't think about food. I still drink a lot of water (about 80 ozs a day) and I keep myself busy (I'm a boredom eater). The frustration will be worth it in the end.

Welcome, Tammy. PBing is "Productive Burping" it is when you eat too big a bit, don't chew it enough or it gets stuck. Your mouth salivates a lot and then you spit up (just like a baby does) the food. Are you thinking about getting the band, in pre op or post op? (Your profile is empty). Doesn't matter, you will find a lot of great information here, lots of great people. Keep asking questions. Good luck to you.

I have an appetite, I don't obsess over food like I did before my band. I also have changed to foods that I enjoy. I no longer enjoy greasy burgers, fries, chips & dips, etc... They don't appeal to me. I get excited about a nicely grilled chicken breast with sauteed veggies. Yummy!