Bandista

Good luck Monday, Mr. Slim Build! You are interviewing them.

Grocery cashiers are notorious for inappropriate questions -- I experienced so much asking about the brown child with the white lady. Is he yours, where is he "from" and even more intrusive, didn't you want one of your own......ack! I think you handled yourself beautifully. And alone but not alone cause, hey, there are all of us here with you!

Hi there and welcome! I was banded 11/05 -- seemed like the day would never arrive and now I'm four and a half weeks out and feeling so happy with my body. Love my band and finding banded life easy. Best wishes to both you new Bandits to be!

Hi Lu and congratulations on your upcoming date. I am four and a half weeks banded and very happy. Have picked up so much great info here from compassionate and knowledgable people. Best wishes -- glad you found the forum! Great place to be.

Fabulous post -- thank you so much!

So happy for you! I really get the coat thing. Currently wearing a men's XL parka and so looking forward to a women's coat that fits next year; long enough arms hard to find anyway but throw in the huge belly and it's been impossible to find anything for years. Changing that!

Thank you! Off to a party and a tad nervous. It's a fancy affair -- catered. I'd rather be in the kitchen at this kind of thing. Anyway, I found a sparkly top in my closet that I haven't really worn over the years and clearly this is the only event it will see as it's almost too big. So, my goal for the party is to relax. Breathe. Meet new people and ask them questions -- enjoy the elegance. Have it be not about the food but about the people.

Hi there, congratulations on being on the other side! You are very newly banded and may still be shrugging off the anesthesia, etc. Are you on pain killers? You may want to talk with the doctors' office about any side effects you may be experiencing (nausea?). It seems universal that walking is the single most helpful thing after banding. Even just a little then a little more every time you get up. And maybe there is a kind of Popsicle you would find soothing -- whatever your post-op protocol allows. I was not hungry (fullness) for days following the surgery and then a few weeks of no real appetite. I used Tylenol and Ibuprofen liquid and both made me feel nauseous. Something like that could be going on. Hope you feel better today and that you have a nice quiet weekend with all the movies you want to watch, sips of liquid and lots of walking, walking, walking. Best wishes -- keep us posted!

Hi there, you are absolutely not a failure -- a) you are here, and you're seeing your doctor regularly. You have only been banded six months and there are many people who take this long to find the green zone and discover what works well for them in terms of behavior modification. We all got banded because we could not control our appetites. We need the band to assist with that and you are getting there. Really! Don't beat yourself up. We are in this for the long run. Good luck on Tuesday. And maybe reread the Dr. Simpson piece on the band not being about restriction - I can't get it here or I'll lose my post but a few people (Missy, Jim) have it in their signature and I often reread that to get my head in the right place. I've also been really working on my eating triggers -- started seeing a therapist to try to go deeper into specifics, like I automatically want to prep myself with food prior to business meetings or a conference call, or I'm looking for a reward. Or the old screw this attitude after too much deprivation, the eating from boredom or to Celebrate. When those impulses come I try to break them down so I am mindful. May still want whatever it is but I have introduced a thought process and that makes something into a choice rather than a given. That's what I'm changing, the way I think. Keep us posted! You are going to get this fill and find that place of peace, I know it!

Evenings are my tough time, too. Really trying to increase protein so I'm going to try this. I know I'm not in the green zone because while I have never even tasted a Ho Ho or Twinkie the thought of peanut butter in the house makes me salivate!

Hi Nancy, I just got my first fill, too (Wednesday) and will go back next week to assess for another. I get full on a small amount but am hungry again after a couple or few hours -- I am looking for the 4-5 hour range. It's definitely a process determining whether hunger is real or it's old habit, etc. I'm just happy to be snacking on something like 4 almonds when in the old days I'd have so much more. Then go back for more. Immediately post-band I did not think about food. Looking for that feeling as well. A real dimming of the appetite to the point where the brain chatter is gone.

Wow! Way to go.......

Stressful way to discover you fit into those jeans! Happy for you and that your husband is okay -- good luck with all, and it sounds like you're going to need another pair of even smaller ones hanging in your closet soon.

Hi there, sorry for this setback -- great you will get the correction so soon, and a fill at that. And now the port will be just right for future fills. I have read about this happening to others. Keep us posted on your recovery, now you're feeling post fill, etc. I just got my first one and going back next week. We are going to rock our bands!

So glad! Hope you have a nice quiet weekend...isn't it great to finally be banded?! Yippee!

You've been through a lot -- sending best wishes. I imagine your body is still adjusting. Glad you're here on the forum! Snapi GOT this!

Yippee! Happy for you and what fun you'll have wearing it ("I'm in an 8!, an 8!!!!). I so look forward to enjoying a dress or shopping or anything remotely connected with clothes. There was a time, long ago...... Maybe this spring/summer!

Hi there! I was banded 11/5, too -- just had my first fill a couple of days ago and will go back next week for another (no fluid in band at surgery). I had no hunger for quite a while but then started getting hungry and hungrier sooner -- still seems to be a few hours and I need food again rather than the 4-5 hours my doctor is looking for. I know I'm not having enough protein so today I began having a shake each morning. I have had one stuck episode when I just ate too fast and probably too much (steamed veg -- was craving beets). I have been exercising a lot. My weight loss was good but plateaued recently -- gained a few back just before fill. Had alcohol around Thanksgiving and a trip we took -- doctor good with that but I think it stalled weight loss or just a coincidence. May be time for my body to regroup -- 20 down, rest, now for 20 more! I am down one jean size and just so happy to be less obsessed with food.

Congratulations -- so happy for you!

Congratulations! What a great way to start 2014!

Can't wait to try this!

Hi there, same as Carolina -- cannot feel it inside me but I can feel the port under my skin. Sometimes I put my hand there to remind myself of this amazing step I've taken toward good health and happiness. Feeling a lot of both those things and I'm only a month banded! Best wishes to you!

December 1st~ 227 December 7th- 230. Deep breathing then going to make protein shake.

So inspiring! You look terrific!

A forty pound weight loss is great -- and now you're on your way to getting off the next chunk. Way to stop yourself before you regained anything significant, and to get in to the doctor for a fill. Best wishes for a healthy holiday season!