Bandista

So happy for you!

Hi Sue, welcome! Like you I am waiting for a date -- in process. I've learned so much on this site -- very knowledgable and compassionate people happy to answer questions and offer support. I am feeling so ready and thats really thanks to this community. Glad you are here!

Thank you for posting! Pre-band here and so excited for all you new bandters. Hope you are healing well, sleeping, walking and recovering beautifully. Best wishes for this new chapter -- yippee!

I am pre pre-op diet but I love to cook, too -- cauliflower is amazing whirred up with a stick blender, Cuisineart, etc. I steam it then pulverize, adding organic chicken stock to get the consistency I'm looking for. Cumin very nice, ground coriander -- and I have made a kind of "pesto" with cilantro, garlic and steamed cauliflower -- needs a little salt & pepper. Also the Indonesian squash soups -- yum. Sautéed onion, garlic, ginger then spices: cumin, coriander, etc., many recipes call for several almonds ground up for a nutty flavor, add can of coconut milk if that is ok for your food plan, then the steamed squash of any kind and stock (can be veggie or chicken). Cook down then pulverize -- very savory and satisfying. Everyone is crazy about this soup. Freezes beautifully.

Yippee! Congratulations on all the hard work that got you to this far -- you're going to be seeing that 2## soon!

Good for you -- you are well on your way!

Dear Chaqwela, This is a long game and you are way ahead of it! So glad the surgery went smoothly and you are healing up quickly. You have months ahead of you learning how to use the band properly -- getting your fills and sticking to the plan is critical at this point and you will be off to an excellent start for your new healthy life. I have learned so much by reading people's posts on this forum. Many people do not lose in the beginning -- it's just too soon to think about that in the first month or so!

I am pre-band and fascinated by this -- look forward to making friends with my body again and being able to interpret signals. Thanks for posting!

Congratulations on your surgery date -- I am waiting to get mine and getting impatient for the new chapter to begin. Yours is just about to start! Good luck with all the good decisions you are making for yourself. Love the Big Picture comment above. How about a quick letter to yourself about what you want -- the things you look forward to doing when you are healthier. I have a big list and like to look it over for encouragement. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Thanks! Just sent this to my morning exercise partner. Time to regroup and step it up -- too many mornings when one or the other of us can't go that day for one reason or another. I find that laying out my togs the night before is enormously helpful.

Thank you! Much-needed encouragement for those of us waiting to begin. Congratulations on all -- so happy for you. Best wishes for all the continued success coming your way. Love it that you are working it and it's working, and that you're feeling good about yourself. Here's to it!

Hi Deb, I'm in my fifties, too -- BP issues, arthritis and sleep apnea. I stumbled on this forum over the summer and have learned so much over the last couple of months. There is a lot of knowledge here and people are very compassionate and happy to offer up support. I've learned more here than through the hospital program where I hope to be banded in the next month or two. Now I can really sense what some of the issues are -- sometimes people aren't quite ready to do the head work to deal with the reasons behind all the overeating that got us where we are. For those who are ready, the band is a tool which turns the appetite down so all the hard work of consuming small meals and increasing exercise results in real weight loss. I know it's not going to be easy but it's not easy now. I want to have a happy, healthy next few decades and be in excellent shape. Can't wait to get my band!

Yippee -- on the other side now. Glad to hear you are both recovering well. Have a nice healing weekend!

Wow, congratulations on all the hard work that brought you to this place. You are an inspiration! I loved seeing your age, that you've made this big change in the course of your life now when it is all ahead of you. Best wishes for continued success and all the amazing things you will do with your life.

First of the month -- very auspicious for a great new beginning. Congratulations!

Hi there, I am pre-band but I've been on here a lot reading people's stories to get my head in the right place and learn as much as I can while I wait for a surgery date. Some people actually gain in the first month post-op so eight pounds lost is great. Your body is healing up and adjusting to this big change and you just got your very first fill. For some it takes subsequent fills to find that green zone. You are doing beautifully! You are going to be gorgeous in your wedding gown, don't you worry -- and you've given yourself the best present possible, this band which is going to help you reach your goals. Try not to fret. Sometimes our parents well-meant "help" is not what we need and a wedding may be bringing up extra stress. You may need to let them know you are right on track and comments right now are not helpful.

Thanks so much for the inspiration! I'm going to get on that, the measurements and the (gasp) before photos. Yikes! Enjoy those jeans and thanks again.

Congratulations to both of you -- a beautiful day to begin Banded Life. Best wishes and all good thoughts for an easy time of it over the weekend. Me next, me next -- I so want this. You are both in my thoughts.

Congratulations on a fresh start. I am pre-band so don't have any words of wisdom, but as for being in the same boat -- here we all are. Sorting out the head hunger is key as of course it's possible to override the band. I am working on identifying my triggers. Conference calls, for example, send me right to the refrigerator five minutes ahead of time to somehow "prep" myself for something I don't want to do. Then there's boredom, of course, and reward. I know I need to give up these behaviors and I know I have to want to be thinner and healthy more than I want whatever it is I think I'm craving. I want to get to the place where I can trust my body, where I'm in sync. And craving exercise instead of a nibble of something yummy. I sought professional help as well, and I think it's been good for me to talk all of this over with some one. And tracking, that is key. Good for you! Keep us posted -- I will go friend you so your stuff comes up on my notifications. Best wishes for this new phase!

Congratulations! So happy for you. Fall seems like such a perfect time for a whole new chapter of life to begin. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

My figure resembles more of a Winnie-the-Pooh figurine right now. The hourglass, you GO! So happy for you!

Yippee!

Congratulations and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Thanks -- I'm going to get my little photo opp together. My husband always says there won't be any pictures of ME in the family albums as I usually have the camera and then I am so brutal with destroying the evidence. When people try to take my picture I often joke, "I don't want to be documented at this weight." That shuts them up fast and of course it is not funny at all, it's painful. I want the embarrassment to be over!

So inspiring! That settles it, I'm going to figure out how to get some decent Before pix so ill be able to look back and mark the success. You look fantastic and I love it that you are hooked on exercise now. I am really hoping for that. Good luck going forward -- you have given yourself a wonderful gift of health in this last year. Wow!