♕ajtexas♕

Its not hard to follow the rules. You will slip up, make mistakes, every now and then. We all do, we are human. You don't have to be perfect in order to succeed. But you do have to be determined to succeed. The hardest part of this whole journey is the head. The band doesn't stop the head games.... That has to come from you. Good luck.

So happy to here this! Remember we are here for you whenever you need us! Take care of yourself. You can rock this!

You look amazing! Congrats on your success & thanks foe sharing.

Ok CG dinner tonight isn't as yummy. Linguini & clam sauce with a green salad. Dinner is at 7, don't be late!

Tonight’s dinner did not come from a grocery store. I made a venison roast from a deer that was shot on my uncles ranch and roasted veggies (butternut squash, turnips, yellow was beans & snap peas) that where grown on our land. My husband pointed out that nothing on our plate came from the grocery store. This made me think, ok the seasonings I put on the roast and the corn starch to thicken the drippings for gravy are the only items from the grocery store. That is pretty cool! (Just had to brag) Oh and by the way, it was delicious!!!!

My Lap-band is a great tool for my weight loss journey, if only I could band my head. How many times have we thought that? I read it on threads all the time. Well, we can band our head. In fact I have a Banded Brain Tool and it’s called SUPPORT. It comes in all different shapes and sizes. My Banded Brain Tool consists of five things: Cheerleaders – these are my family and friends who from the sidelines are cheering me on. It’s my hubby seeing me struggle and walking up to me whispering in my ear, “You are doing so incredible on this journey, I’m so proud of you.” Or my friends saying, “You look great!” Support Group – My support group meets once a month. Seeing fellow bandster, exchanging stories and ideas gets me from month to month. LapBandTalk – I log on every day, check in with my friends, help and support other bandsters as well as get help and support. MyFItnessPal – Keeps me honest with my food intake and my friends offer help and ideas here too. FitBit – My pedometer on steroids! I never though one little electronic devise would get me climbing stairs every day. It sends me emails when I earn a new badge (never forget the first day I climbed 50 flights – I was a dancing fool). I compete with my friends to see who can walk the most steps and we encourage each other one. Between my Lap-band and Banded Brain Tool I have been able to succeed with my weight loss.

If your doctors office or hospital doesn't offer one you might start your own, meet at a coffee shop. In the mean time this forum is great support. Check in daily, I do. We will support you!

Yes you can physically eat bread. I assume they is your doctor and therefore I suggest following their orders. You should focus on Protein first, then veggies, then carbs (if still hungry). No more than 1 cup with 3-4 ozs of protein. Good luck to you

Yes it's hard, it's also very easy. If you commit to the change in lifestyle and follow the rules it's easy. What was harder was the road i was on before my band.....I was killing myself.

Congratulations on your success.

That is a great loss. Slow and steady is the best. You are doing fantastic!

Do you have a back up plan?

Line dancer I think you missed the pount that CG is saying. It takes time for the head to catch up to the body. When we look in the mirror we see ourselves as the fat person, even after loosing 80 pounds. In time this image will adjust. CG is very committed to her journey and very aware of her emotions. If anything she could counsel others on the emotional challenges of this journey. CG is someone I look to for guidance and support. Thanks CG!

Line dancer I think you missed the pount that CG is saying. It takes time for the head to catch up to the body. When we look in the mirror we see ourselves as the fat person, even after loosing 80 pounds. In time this image will adjust. CG is very committed to her journey and very aware of her emotions. If anything she could counsel others on the emotional challenges of this journey. CG is someone I look to for guidance and support. Thanks CG!

MsAnn, You are not alone. We are all here for you. Reach out to any one of us and we wil listen. We love you.

My venison tastes like beef. No game taste. Its good!!!

Yesterday my husband & I rented a craft booth at out town’s Market Days. We make several things (wood bowls & trays, bags, napkins, placemats & coasters) and we wanted to try selling them. The day started early, we were up at 6:00am. As my husband loaded the truck I packed food for the day. We would be at our booth all day (9am to 4pm) so I needed both breakfast and lunch for both of us. Now my band had been tight the day before, probably due to stress and excitement for the upcoming event. So I wanted to bring smart food for myself…. I knew there would be lots of tempting food vendors there with not so healthy choices. I made a protein shake to take with me for breakfast; I knew this would be safer than trying to eat something. For lunch I took 3ozs of chicken salad and a Greek yogurt, for a snack an apple cut into slices. I also packed a pre-made protein shake just in case I had problems eating and needed fuel…. I also packed 4 water bottles for myself so that I would get my water in for the day (course this meant I had to locate the closest bathroom, lol) As it turned out our booth was downwind from the kettle popcorn vendor…..yep smelled popcorn ALL DAY LONG…. & watched people walking by with big bags of the stuff. My created husband started asking people, “Need a bowl for that popcorn?” It was a great day. Business wise we sold a few things did some networking with the local vendors and made some good business connections. Personally it was a great success; I managed a challenging situation by planning ahead and sticking to my plan.

By the way... do you see the girl walking along with the big bag of popcorn in the top picture?????