gowalking

Just want to add my two cents here. I am also a food addict so I know what it's like to eat because it's there..not because one is hungry. I was not in the right frame of mind when I had this surgery. I picked the lapband because I expected it to fail so I could just have it removed and finish eating myself to death. Can anyone say depression here? Well..to my surprise, the food demon was put to rest just enough for me to find success and lose around 150 lbs. I'm not saying this is the way to approach WLS, but I just wanted to let folks know that even if you're not in the right frame of mind, you can still manage to be successful. I've told my sister this many many times as she is convinced that I lost the weight because of will power alone. Not true. I'm fortunate enough to have had the tool work and then make the good choices needed when head hunger comes into play.

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Having a wonderful time. Just got back from Harrod's and spent a fortune. Been to tower of London, Westminster, Buckingham palace, St Paul, Kensington gardens, just to name a few. Can't post pictures thru the phone app but will upload once I'm back home. Enjoying the food as well but cosuming it in moderation. What a nice way to eat for a change....

Only have a week so just London. Can't see everything but doing as much as possible. Hampton Court and Windsor castle tomorrow.

Glad to see you here again as well. Let's do brunch or dinner sometime soon!

Went to a baby shower on Saturday for the daughter of a dear friend of mine. We've been friends for more than 40 years so I know her family well. The last time I saw many of them was for the wedding of the mom to be when she was a bride two years ago. I got lots of comments on how good I looked. I was ready for them and was very gracious. Then cousin Ettie comes over and tells me that she didn't recognize me and that (in a stage whisper) I lost alot of weight. Twice she said it. I know it took everything she had to not ask how I did it, which I appreciated but it was still unnerving the way she swooped in on me and got up into my face. I have relatives just like this so I was able to not let it bother me once she moved on to someone else but I was really glad to have gotten that over with...lol. I'm at the point now where I have started crossing these 'experiences' off my list. Yet another group of people who have seen me thin and hopefully will not think about it twice the next time I am in their midst. Sounds silly but that's what I'm looking forward to now.

So..most of you know I'm headed on my dream trip to London shortly. This is miraculous to me as only 2 1/2 years ago, I was barely able to walk a block and was only weeks away from going into a wheelchair. In preparation for a bike tour through St. James and Hyde Parks that I signed up for, my friend and I rented bikes and will ride in Central Park this afternoon. I've been practicing at the Y but I need to make sure I can ride a real bike and not just a stationary one. So...for those who focus too much on the scale and the numbers, think of me and others like me who note success as not just a number but in how we've regained our lives. In fact, I've climbed above 115 lbs. this week and while I'm not thrilled, I'm not obsessing. I've been eating out alot recently and this is likely the cause. I'll be a little more aware of how much I'm eating and the few pounds I've gained will come off. Or they may not come off. As long as I don't put on more, I'm OK with it. I'm way more focused on the bike ride today than what I weighed this morning. Think about that when you get pissed or depressed because you didn't lose enough weight this week. Or why didn't I lose weight if I'm starving myself? Don't starve yourself. The body doesn't like it. Have a great day today and a great holiday weekend. Eat well and eat smart. Enjoy all your non scale victories and enjoy your friends and family. I want to hear about all the holiday NSVs after the weekend. I hope to see lots and lots of them. Liz

I never stalled so when the weight loss would slow, I'd just keep plugging along and the scale would move again. Just know that I only lost more than 3 lbs. once in the more than two years I was losing weight. Usually I lost 1-2 lbs. a week. That's it. But over time, those pounds added up. I hit the original 150 goal but never changed my eating plan and I continued to lose. Now I bounce between 112 to as much as 118. I want to stay under 120 which gives me enough of a spread to not go crazy and worry about every pound.

@Sajijoma....if you don't want the cottage cheese, toss it. I never touched the stuff. My go to for soft foods was and still is hummus. I prefer it and it's full of protein. I eat it now with torn pieces of wrap bread (very thin so it goes down well) or with baby carrots or red or yellow pepper. I'm sure there are lots of other choices out there as well. Good luck and welcome to BP!

Hi friends. I went for a bone density scan on Saturday morning. Like alot of small white women, I have bone loss and the start of osteoperosis. So I take supplements and get a bone scan every year to keep an eye on everything. This year they wanted the spine along with the forearm so I got my spine scanned and the tech said they may not be able to read it all because of the band being in the way. I looked at the monitor and there it was....clear as a bell just floating there in my midsection. This is the first time I've really seen it. When I get the fluoroscopy, I don't see the band very well..it just looks like a Rorschach test to me. But this bone scan showed it clear as day. I must admit I'm still ashamed that I had to go to these lengths to get my eating under control but still...I looked at that band and thought this was what made the reclaiming of my life possible.

Agree 100% with you on this. After more than two years on this site, I am also horrified by some of the ignorance I see. I blame the surgeons mostly for allowing their patients to undergo a WLS without truly understanding what it entails.

Used to wear an 8 1/2 wide shoe and now I'm in a 7 regular. And forget about rings. They all twirl on my finger now. I can't make them any smaller or they won't go past the knuckle. I pretty much stopped wearing them except when I'm looking to dress up my hand a bit when going out on a social function.

It's all about your attitude. I'm seeing someone now who is very proud of the challenges I've faced and all I've done to improve myself and my situation. He calls me spunky because I want to try just about everything. He doesn't care about the loose skin or the chronic back issues. He cares that I try and every day is a gift in my new appreciation for a normal life. And he is more than patient in terms of an intimate and exclusive relationship. I'm driving this thing for sure and he knows that's the way it is. He doesn't get into my bed till I'm ready..and only when/if I'm ready. As CowGirlJane says, if he wants me, he's got to work for it. And so far, he is.

A fat surgeon... Sorry...just couldn't resist..lol.

Interesting topic and responses Alex. I actually don't have an issue with restaurants where you know you are eating waaayy too many calories. What bothers me is when you think you are ordering healthy and come to find out that you may not be. People are getting smarter about asking for dressing and sauces on the side as they know many are calorie laden but I recall early on in my weight loss journey and thinking if I ordered crab legs at Red Lobster, I'd be fine. When I went online to check the menu, I saw to my surprise that the sodium count for that meal was in excess of 1800 grams. I've no idea why it's so high but had I eaten those crab legs, I'd have gained Water weight for sure and would have presumed a weight gain for some unknown reason which would have been very frustrating. I know a great number of people rely on chain restaurants and they are the worst offenders as the above poster noted about the meal at Cheesecake Factory. Am glad that I live in a city where there are so many restaurant options that don't include the chains. One of my go to type of foods is Greek/Mediterranean/Middle Eastern. The fish especially is usually very fresh and simply grilled. Plus they have an awful lot of non-meat items to choose from. Ever have the lemon artichokes? Yum.

I know I sound like a broken record but friends..here is what success looks like. Just so happens I'm up a few pounds from my lowest weight but so what. Who cares? I was almost wheelchair bound before surgery and now I'm riding a bike. I have my life back and that's what success is all about. So please stop worrying about the number on the scale. It's just one indicator...and not nearly as important as getting back quality of life. Have a great day everyone.

Ask Alex to create one. If there's enough interest, he will.

Maybe a little off topic but I am very aware that my drinking has increased since I've been banded...and I know why. I wasn't able to drink wine when I was heavy because it gave me awful heartburn. Now that my hernia has been repaired and I've lost 150+ pounds, I can drink white or red with no issues. I also know that folks can replace one addiction with another and while I don't have an alcohol problem, I am aware that it's a possibility so I make sure to keep my wine consumption to no more than two glasses while out to dinner and only an occasional glass at home.

My second husband was a CO at a medium security facility in Orange County NY. I have a pretty good idea of what you are facing. We drove up near the Canadian border once and we were near one of the upstate prisons and he told me that if we lived up in that area, we could live like royalty on his salary. I told him over my dead body. Bars, barns, and rusting cars in the front yards was all I saw. Oh and trees, trees, and more trees. My suggestion for you is to move closer to civilization. I belong to the Y and that's really what you need. Good luck and let us know if you find a solution to your problem.

Me too @@LipstickLady!! I'm always in the squeezy seat now. I even started to do it myself rather than wait for someone to point me there. That's a big deal because it means I know I'll fit. What a difference after so many years of worrying about not being able to fit somewhere. I never tire of reading about NSV experiences @Daveo. Keep 'em coming!

thank you @@The Candidate. That was a lovely post and I am so glad to know that I can be of some help.

That's your port you're feeling...not the band. My port also sticks out like B-52's does. It won't after September though. I'm revising to a lower profile port and the surgeon is stitching it to the muscle to tuck it in further. It shows when I wear certain items of clothing and it bothers me when I wear a belt. Good luck @WoodenHearts. You'll do fine..it's early in your journey and you still have to get a handle on living the banded life. Once you do, all will be well.

Thank you sweetheart! If it's a good book, you'll have to mail it to me so I can read it when I get back. Running errands tomorrow to pick up a raincoat that fits better than the one I currently have, and also need a converter for my cell phone charger. It's getting closer. I'm scared because I'm heading over there by myself and taking the underground to get to the hotel but once I'm there and meet up with my sister, I'll be good to go. Still can't believe it sometimes...how lucky I am to have found this forum and all my BP friends.

Sometimes I wish I could somehow give you newbies a glimpse into your futures so you can see how wonderful things will be a year or two from now. Since I can't do that, I post positive threads to give you an idea of what is in store. I was a scared newbie less than three years ago wondering what the hell I was doing letting some doctor put a rubber band around my stomach and hating myself for getting so fat that I needed this kind of intervention. Here I am now living the life I should have been living all along. All I can say is that while I am sad that I sat on the sidelines for such a long time, I am beyond grateful for the second chance I've gotten and am doing my darndest to make up for lost time.