gowalking

This is a great thread for those folks way too focused on the numbers. It's all about quality of life, not what you weigh, or what size your jeans are.

OK...my favorite thing is the shaker bottle for the protein powder. Until I found out about that handy little gadget, I would stir and stir and stir and still have to break up the clumps.

It's so good to see such support when someone is struggling. I can't say it enough times how lucky I am to have found this site and to have gotten to know so many wonderful people.

Same here. It was the best tasting soup ever after all that horrible plain broth.

It was so amazingly beautiful yesterday in NYC that people were going in and out of my apartment building all day. So I wasn't surprised to see a woman who lives in my building for the first time in at least several months. She was overwhelmed with my transformation...but I've actually sort of gotten used to that. But what was different was that she wasn't focused so much on my weight loss as the whole package..especially no more cane. She told me I should write a book about my journey and that she would be the first to read it. I laughed and said something about not doing anything that was book worthy and she disagreed and said I didn't give up. That I faced my issues and did something about all of them and the results are outstanding. She then quietly said that I could have just as quickly given up same as her husband had. All I know is that he is dead, but I never knew any details. I still don't but I do have some insight now. I've had people say this to me before, that I could have just as easily gone the other way when I'd say that I had no choice but to do something drastic before I wound up in a wheelchair. Funny how we dismiss our own achievements but can see them in others. There are so many people on this forum who I admire tremendously for turning their lives around yet I don't often see myself in that same way. I have to keep thinking about what my life was like a year ago...bed ridden and in so much pain that I was on oxycodone around the clock while waiting for my hip replacement surgery in early October. This year, I'll be in Myrtle Beach on the anniversary of my surgery with my kids and granddaughter. I'll be able to keep up with her just fine..walking along the beach and swimming in the pool, and whatever else she wants me to do with her. I owe this new life of mine to the lapband and for anyone who is as desperate as I was to change their lives, just know it can be done.

I just love reading these kinds of posts and I'm so happy for you. Congratulations!

I know just what you mean sleepingarby. I'm one of the very successful folks on this forum and it's still not second nature to me and likely never will be. I went food shopping yesterday and found myself looking way to longingly at foods I know I should not eat. I haven't been tempted like that in a long time but it was a good lesson for me. Do not assume you are cured. Food is an addiction for me, of that I am convinced. And like any other addiction, the craving can sneak up on you no matter how successful you've been. I do believe that the only thing one can do at these times, is to fight the urge however we need to until that craving or feeling goes away. If you give in to that 'I've been good and deserve a reward' mentality, you will find the weight creeping on. Maybe try to find another way to reward yourself for good behavior? That's what I did last night. I'm an avid reader so I bought a few books on Amazon. I still have a half dozen that I haven't read yet, but there was one in particular I wanted to read, so I bought it along with a couple others. It could also be something as inexpensive as a manicure. This was a good idea as well...coming onto the forum. If you find it keeps you accountable, good. Keep coming here and we'll help to support you.

Don't sweat it. Meeting with the surgeon is no big deal. You'll get more overwhelmed with the paperwork and process than meeting with the doctor. Just make sure you write down all your questions so you don't forget to ask everything you want to know about.

That's terrific. Sounds like you're doing just great!

I've flown many many times since being banded and I've never had any issue going through the scanner. My metal hips will set off some scanners but my band has never set anything off. I'll have to get some kind of note in case this ever does happen to me. Thanks for the heads up.

In a heartbeat. I don't know that I'd wish that I had done it earlier though because I do believe I had to hit rock bottom first. I'm coming up on my one year anniversary for the hip replacement surgery and I'm reminded of how much has changed this year and how grateful I am to have gotten my life back.

I think it was easier for me to tell people I had WLS because I had so many physical issues and my friends and family were so encouraging. As B-52 notes, if you are successful long enough, people embrace the new you as the 'normal' you. I've met several business associates recently who did not know me when I was obese. I like that they only know the thin me I think even more than those who knew me when and shower me with compliments. It tends to remind me of what I used to look like and I do prefer obviously what I look like now. Once you are feeling better about yourself, you may find that you are more open about undergoing the surgery. Just do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. There is no right or wrong with this decision.

I just wanted to go home relax and sit on the couch and eat something I was really hungry but my older step son stopped by for a visit and I couldn't very well eat in front of him and I did not have enough chicken to say hey are you hungry. He's a BIG boy he would laugh at my tiny bits of chicken strips...so I didn't eat I entertained him till I had to eventually throw him out at 9:30 b/c I have to get the pups and myself to bed we are up at 5 AM! I was still hungry and I know better then to eat right before bed...but I ate the chicken and about 5 minutes later it all came back up, and I didn't feel or sleep well the rest of the night..hence today's bad mood and cranky band. I just commented on your status regarding the above. Read it!

This has not been my experience but I do know from what others have written that throwing up is not normal. Maybe you should discuss this with your doctor?

Mine didn't work right either. And I also got the warning in red that I wasn't eating enough calories. It had me set at 1310 daily calories even though my personal goal was no more than 1200. I didn't bother with the projection and just used it to calculate my calorie, protein, and sodium input. I tried not to project anyway....I thought it would just set me up for failure if I didn't meet the goal. I actually stopped using the app quite a while ago. I know what most foods cost me now in terms of calories so I don't plug in anymore. I used to use it faithfully on a daily basis though and I absolutely feel that it was a huge help for me to be able to calculate my meals and have a really good healthy food foundation.

Raw mushrooms are easier to eat. Not as rubbery. I always put some in my salad.

This is some journey we're on, right? I had so many food funerals before being banded that I well and truly made myself sick. I wish I could have told the morbidly obese me that walking away from the food is easy once we see how much better we look and feel. Great job my friend. So proud of you!

Are you throwing up regularly? That's not normal and can mean you are too tight. Is your doctor aware of this?

I suspect you don't have enough restriction yet. I absolutely feel less hunger. Not no hunger though. What the band does is tamp down the hunger enough for you to make good food choices both in what you eat, and how much you eat. It's not a 'set it and forget it' type of tool. I can screw this up whenever I feel like it. I choose not to because the band helps me to control my appetite. You have to follow the rules though...eat slowly and chew well. It not only helps you from getting stuck, but by the time you are done, the hunger should be satisfied. Don't expect to feel full either. I have been full only a handful of times, and you can go from full to uncomfortable in a split second so I do my best to stop before then. Please try to be patient. Talk to the doctor about ways to help you be successful with the band and keep reading posts on this forum for advice and inspiration. This is not a linear journey...most of us have had our ups and downs so know that you're not alone in feeling this way. Good luck and keep us posted on what your doctor and/or NUT says.

Forget full sweetie. Full means you've gone too far. What you want is satiety. Meaning, not hungry but not full. You are in bandster hell. It can take months and multiple fills before you are in the green. Being in the green means you can go 4-5 hours between meals without being hungry. It also means that the appetite is tamped down just enough to allow you to make good food choices. Just keep doing what you are doing...it's a diet right now and you just have to get through this part. Don't get discouraged. There are a number of vets on this forum who have been very successful even though they gained weight during bandster hell. You have to remember that none of us gained the weight overnight, and we won't lose it that way either. This is a lifetime change....regardless of how long it takes to lose the weight. Good luck...come see us when you are feeling low. We'll help you stay on track.

Hi Carmen. As Jack notes, there are often psychological aspects to weight loss. I've been seeing a therapist for several months now because I was losing weight, getting tons of compliments, and hated what I saw in the mirror. Or if I didn't hate it, I certainly didn't recognize it. I would look in the mirror and a stranger was looking back at me. It's unlikely that you will wake up one day and love the reflection in the mirror. Alot of it has to do, at least with me, with the fact that I have to learn to love who I am and then will hopefully love the package I'm in. Losing weight seems to bring up all these issues that we've often buried beneath our size for so very many years. I recognize some of your worries and that's why I've written to you. If you need to talk to a professional to help you on your journey, do so. This is about being the best you can be and that means more than the physical self. Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you want to 'talk'.

Hooray Hooray Hooray!!

Oh I hope so. Everything well?

I went on a blind date Wednesday night and saw that the gentleman was overweight. It didn't matter to me at all because he was very nice and we got along well, but it turns out that we did discuss the fact that he's lost more than 80 lbs. and wants to lose another 40. He needed to lose weight because of a knee replacement and I went ahead and told him about my hip replacement surgery and that I too had to lose weight so I would have an optimal outcome. He looked at me like I had two heads. I assured him that I struggled with my weight and even laughingly said that if we got along well enough, I'd think about showing him some less flattering pictures of me in the future. Amazing right? Here's this man who presumes because I'm a small person, that I don't struggle with weight. It just goes to show that you can never EVER presume anything by what you see on the outside. This is what makes an eating disorder so insidious. If you are involved in any other type of negative behavior, no one need know. But a food addiction?? We can't hide it... and it's there for all to see and judge. I find that I feel like I'm hiding the real me behind this small body. I always thought I was hiding the real me behind my big body but now I see that I'm just hiding period. I think I need to discuss this with my therapist so I make sure not to sabotage my success. This process really is two steps forward, one step back.