Bandista

Hi there, so glad you found this forum as we all kind of support each other here....I got on to the site two years ago this June and have found so much information. I started that June -- reading all the posts and asking questions, etc. -- then had my surgery in November. I'm almost a year and a half out and can't believe it. Good luck to you. You will be looking back on this time later thinking the same things, like how quickly it all goes by in the long run. Best wishes!

You are on your way! I must have called my insurance company ten times just to make sure I had it all down correctly. For me there was only one "hoop" and that was a BMI of 40. It was a bit stressful to manage that as I was borderline, but I got there. All of that seems so long ago and now it's less than two years later and I've reinvented my life minus 75 pounds. So grateful. I love my band and my new life!

Thanks, Irene! I'm going to be 54 in September. Female married to a guy (how traditional!) and we have one kid who is 19. They love food, too, but they can both get away with it. I live in New Hampshire and we are greeting brown ground with glee. Still quite a bit of snow in some places but we have had a few really nice warm days and have even sat outside. Amazing. I am a writer for a living, I like to make art, love gardening. I'm sort of new to being an exerciser -- major walker now and so glad for spring in that regard. Bought a bike last year, etc. So grateful for WLS and my new life.

and a too-tight band in the Red Zone will make it harder to lose weight.......it's not about restriction, it's about dimming the appetite......BEST WISHES! Let us know how you're doing.

I have gotten a lot out of the sources below in my signature -- it has helped me to reread and rewatch from time to time so I get the information in my head. Almonds work for me as a snack. I get the 100 cal pack and limit myself, chew each one a very long time, etc. And I eat when I'm hungry don't eat when not hungry -- no sliders. I benefitted from seeing a therapist to break down my triggers. It was tedious but I'm really glad to have gotten down to the nitty gritty of very specific things that caused me to reach for food so automatically. I had to know what those things were in order to retrain myself. Best wishes to both of you as you recommit to your health. Don't give up!

Can't you get in sooner? This sounds like the red zone! The links below in my signature really helped me understand how the band works. It's not about restriction. Good luck to you -- I hope you get relief soon.

What a poignant post and lovely birthday message to yourself. Here's to the coming year and all that is ahead. I wish I could sneak and put post-it notes on each flight of the stairs you climb at work: amazing, beautiful, smart, strong.........

Don't let the scale get you down. It's a number. I try to go by the way I feel, the way my clothes are fitting, etc. Sometimes I weigh myself multiple times. I'll get up with the dog at 5:30 AM and weigh in, then go back to sleep. I weight myself again and I'm a pound and a half down. From what? It's just a number. My rule for myself is to eat when I'm hungry and not eat if I'm not hungry. Good luck with all and here's to spring!

I consider myself very lucky. I'd never advise any one to have surgery because I guess you never really know what is going to transpire. For me getting the band was the perfect decision but we are all different. I am so sorry for everything you have gone through. And you, too, Shel. There is still so much we are learning about the vagus nerve and about our bodies in general. Last year a new tendon was discovered in the human knee. What? How many hundreds of years of cadaver anatomy and knee replacements, etc., and they just discovered a new tendon now? It's small but still. Geez. We have a long way to go in many respects. Hopefully science and medicine will provide new options for weight loss but meanwhile I count my lucky stars for my band. So happy with my experience so far, although I'm only a year and a half out. I don't do tight, though, and won't.

Have fun, Debbie -- I can tell you are having fun! Thanks for the pictures. All is good here because yesterday spring suddenly arrived in NH. It is gorgeous. It is why we live here. There is still snow in Patches but the sun is warm and we have been able to sit outside for the first time in months. I've resumed my four-mile walks at the lake and am pretty sure that is going to be my secret to getting the next 20 pounds off. Can't wait to be able to get out into the garden. Meanwhile I have many seedlings going -- all kinds of flowers, some veggies, etc.

It's wonderful being moderate and a dainty eater. Why not have yummy treats? I love to cook and I enjoy food, just in small amounts now. And I indulge in alcohol -- I even had a tiny piece of a chocolate flourless cake last night after an Indian meal. I spent days cooking that food and hardly ate any of it, but I had a good time. And I love not being on a diet! This morning a four mile walk. The exercise is where it's at for me.

Hi there, I used to do fasting from time to time -- as a liver cleanse but of course I was always hoping to lose weight (was a professional dieter but no more!). Since being banded I haven't done anything like that but as spring arrives I'm thinking I could benefit from some cleansing. It was a long winter. And I'd like to notch myself down into the next drop in weight -- maybe a fast woukd trigger that. Any banders out there who have done this? I used to kick off with the whole Epsom then grapefruit olive oil thing then go into juices. I would not be hungry now so that's not a worry. I'm thinking it could reboot my system a bit -- sort of like the five-day pouch test. Thoughts?

It's SLEEVELESS. Oh. My. God. Me, in a sleeveless dress? Well, yes! I put this under Fitness & Exercise, because, lol, this is the most motivation I've had in months for getting down to the basement and working out on the BowFlex. Here's to it.

Well now it's friday night so you may be in for a weekend of seeing what's right for you. If it's too tight get a little unfill, no big deal!

So happy for you! Nothing like getting new underthings........make everything fit properly and also make us feel good getting dressed (and undressed!). I, too, was a shopping hater who feels herself coming around. I just put a post up about getting a dress today (sleeveless, eek!). It was in a consignment store and I felt so free and happy wandering around looking at things in all the various sizes rather than having to seek out the plus section. This is one sassy dress, too. Kind of old fashioned, linen, deep V and a black and white pattern that I love. Yippee!

So happy for you -- you will do beautifully. You're old enough to know what you don't know and to take advantage of all that is available to you. Don't forget to look for scholarships for returning women students! So happy for you -- you will do beautifully. You're old enough to know what you don't know and to take advantage of all that is available to you. Don't forget to look for scholarships for returning women students!

Seems to be about four days for me before a fill settles in -- and I don't have any post-fill protocol like liquids, etc., so I just eat if I'm hungry, fill or no. What was new to me was the actual sensation of hunger vs. just wanting food.

I remember looking like I had been in a knife fight and now, less than a year and a half later, I can hardly find the scars. A couple have completely disappeared. All the anasthesia and any medication you may be taking can bring up a lot of feelings -- hard to process them when you're in discomfort from the surgery. Take it easy, be gentle with yourself and walk as much as you can -- hope you feel better soon!

Sounds like you're doing beautifully in terms of listening in to your body's signals -- so happy for you!

This is timely for me as I have just purchased some. Thanks for the response and explanation.......consumers are educated now and need to have the level of detail provided. I'm not a scientist and can only go on how my body is responding. I'll keep you posted.

Hi there, the links in my signature below are sources that helped me as I was trying to "learn my band." I'm sorry you haven't felt well. Every one reacts differently to surgery and to medication. Both can leave a person feeling very fatigued. Are you able to get out walking at all? Even across the parking lot or down the hallway and a little further each time can make a really big difference. You want to kick your body into healing mode. As far as what to eat, early on I enjoyed steaming up a cauliflower and then using a stick blender to mix in stock until I got a pudding-like consistency. I had difficulty (and still do sometimes) with super cold beverages, the smoothie world, etc. Those were difficult to swallow and I'd feel unwell. That was just me. I drank a lot of tea and savory broths. I loved the potato leek Soup that comes in a carton in the health food section of the regular grocery store. That was perfect for me. Teas, etc. Keep experimenting and keep practicing the listening in to your body. That is what it's all about. Best wishes to you! Remember whatever you're going through is temporary -- you chose this surgery because you want to change your health profile for the future and even if it seems like it's slow, it's still happening.

I wrote a post my iPad deleted so I'm trying again but it will be brief. As above, get a new doctor. You have gone through a lot and are back on track but you need a partner in this process. You are in charge of your body and you know what you need. Only you will know what the green zone is for you and whether you're there or whether you need therapy, etc. On this last one, I am some one who benefited from seeing a counselor during the process of choosing a lapband and getting through the initial phases. I needed some one to help me sort through my issues around food and also provide a sounding board for any concerns I had. My surgeon's office was not the place for that. But of course every place is different, every doctor is different. So sorry this visit back there went south but now you know you need another avenue. We are in the boonies here but recently I saw a different LB doctor because mine wasn't available. I always liked my surgeon alright but this other guy, I really like him. It's good to mix it up so maybe this jerk actually did you a big favor. Keep in touch, keep us posted -- you are on your way. Choose yourself, choose YOU and your healthy future.

Thanks, everyone! Love it that spring is coming and I can work this new body of mine -- feel like a horse that needs exercise.

Hilarious! My husband is Celiac, and while he is gluten-free he's definitely not glutton-free. I used to be just like that, a big bowl then going back for more. He can get away with it; I couldn't. Sometimes I can't stand it, this "sport eating" as some one else here calls it. It's kind of disgusting from the spectator's viewpoint. I never feel jealous or like I'm missing out. I don't want to eat that way and am so grateful that WLS has helped me learn to (mostly) override those old compulsions. I am a dainty eater now, lol.

Hi Butterly, way to go on this last year -- isn't it great?! I love it that I can still indulge here and there and that I am not a dieter anymore. Also, like you I gave myself a year when I began but then gave myself the gift of a second year to reach goal. The pacing of that feels right to me. I need this spring and summer to strenghthen and tone while getting off the next chunk. Here's to that!