Bandista

Moi. Aussi.

Congratulations! So happy for you. New chapter has begun!

I intend to up my exercise game considerably as soon as this nasty winter takes it's leave, but meanwhile I feel like in the last year I've turned into a "Real" exerciser. That is the accomplishment I'm thinking about today. My attitude has really shifted and that feels good. Goals -- still on the hydration needs, and Protein. It's too early in the day to get more specific. Have a great Saturday, all.

@@MzEboni912 so very sorry for your loss. Your sister would love it that you are taking care of yourself despite the sadness. Please know you are not alone -- sending best wishes your way.

Hey, way to go on the fifty -- I would probably be fifty UP before long if I hadn't had weight loss surgery. Getting some therapy really helped me examine what was underlying my eating issues. My only advice for you is not to beat yourself up -- to know that you are worthy and deserving, that you are showing up for YOU!

Ha, so funny! A year and a half ago I could have put in a good fight for the right sandwich, held up my end anyway -- sure wouldn't have wanted anyone to come between me and my bread & cheese! Now, meh. EnjoyTheTime, sure wish I lived in your gardening zone......remind me, what is nice weather? Sorry, Lisa and I are having a pity party because white stuff is falling from the sky. Shannon, meatballs -- yum! We are headed out to a friend's 60th birthday party tonight in a neighboring town. I hate driving in weather but looks like that's the way it's going to be. Had fun redoing the recent AARP Magazine cover which, seriously, has Bob Dylan on the cover, as a gag gift, and my husband rewrote the lyrics of a Beatles song to sing. Should be a blast. I am excited about my outfit -- a departure from my all-black "hide me" ensembles of the last ten years. Still a lot of black, lol, but a sassy little skirt, tights and a blue sweater that I just picked up off a sale rack. Matches the tights. Oh, and boots -- have I mentioned that I have these great boots? My feet feel so much better now that I have lost weight.

Congratulations on choosing yourself and your healthy future -- weight loss surgery is all about that. Only you can decide what's best for you with the help of your medical professionals. The band has worked beautifully for me and I'm very happy with it but we are all different. I didn't want something too drastic surgically. I'm some one who ate a very healthy diet before, just way too much. It's been great to have my appetite dimmed so I can make good choices. It helped me to see a therapist to help sort out pre-surgery options and the process as well as to identify my triggers and address food issues. I was a restricter and a professional dieter. Very happy to not be on a diet now! I eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not hungry. The links below in my signature may be helpful.

I forgot to take my machine with me on a trip so had a forced trial without for four nights. Really want to ditch this thing but not sure if I will still need it even as a thin person. My plan is to lose the next 20-30 and request sleep study at that time. Unfortunately my sleep issues preceded being overweight. Sometimes I attempt a short nap without the machine just as an experiment or retraining. Oh, I tried a jaw strap thing to keep my mouth closed one night and my teeth wouldn't meet the next day. So that's not going to work. Good luck every one with the zzzzsss!

I lost seventy in my first year (I'm sixteen months out). Your post makes me realize that I may be going a bit slowly now because I am very private and don't like to be noticed or commented on -- in that way slower is definitely better but I am ready to go for the next chunk. Also I don't have loose skin and have just generally enjoyed being banded without working really hard on it -- having the appetite monster off my back is a marvellous thing. Good luck with all! I love my band and the fact that all of my stomach is still there (but not the Winnie-the-Pooh belly!).

Sorry I can't edit the typos above on my iPad -- getting in to see your doctor and getting the fill right will be very helpful....best wishes.

@@carleycatz I'm so glad you found this forum. There is so much support here. Please don't beat yourself up; I think you've done really well under the circumstances. I am some one who really benefitted from seeing a therapist to get at my food issues once and for all. If we are using food to shove feelings down, then we need to understand what's underneath all of that. For me it was anxiety -- well, lots of things, but that was primary. Now I recognize the feeling when it's coming along and I don't tamp it down. It turns out the feelings themselves are okay; I don't need to try to make them go away with food, which didn't really work anyway. It really helped me to learn to identify my triggers (my mother, the phone, conference calls, going to meetings, etc.). Try not to beat yourself up. It sounds like getting in to see the doctors I'll be very helpful -- as we know,mots about the right fill but also recognizing the signals. The links below in my signature really help me understand how my band works and I like to review theme rom time to time. I didn't use Dr. Simpson but he has great info on his site, and those Eight Golden Rules are great. You are a beautiful twenty year old with your healthy future in front of you. Know that you deserve all good things.

@@lisacaron nice post, Lisa. I have to believe that spring will come -- really need all of that renewal you describe.

@@lapgal40 you will find some great NY peeps but also great support here on the forum where we all chime in together....congratulations on your surgery and all that is ahead. Be sure to keep all your appointments -- it really is about the followup.

Today's accomplishment I am proud of is about my new perception of a stumble. I'm putting together a box of birthday gifts to mail to my brother-in-law and acquired some Trader Joe's caramels to include. Peanut Butter dark chocolate salted caramels, what? That was nuts. I already know peanut butter, for me, is the devil. I can't have it in the house. Last night I opened them and had a few. So now not only do I need stuff for the birthday box to fill it up but I have "slipped." I was just starting that berate myself kind of thinking when I realized that in the old days I would have eaten the whole package. I was a finisher. It turns out that having a few pieces of candy satisfied whatever urge that was and because of my band and new approach to life I felt no compulsion to finish off those caramels and then go look for more food. The reason I did that on my former life is that I was so restrictive. On a diet -- rigidly so -- or off a diet (better scarf up what I can as I will be back on tomorrow). Every one is different but for a restricter eating a few pieces of candy turns out to be an accomplishment I'm proud of rather than something to beat myself up about. Sorry for all the psycho-babble. Today's goal three of my cranberry aloe Water bottles and big Protein lunch. Salmon. We are going out this evening and that could be a little graze-y (a friend's sixtieth birthday, yikes). I will take a fourth bottle of cranberry aloe with me to drink there. Happy Friday everyone!

Ugh, just lost my long post. @@bacon you probably needed some protein about then, fuel for moving fuel around. Fun window into another world. @@ParaGirl sounds like you may be a teacher. If so, hat's off to you. It is not an easy time of year. I hear you on the poor sleep, energy and decision-making. I've had some insomnia lately and trouble functioning. A lot of emotional stuff going on just now but the work stuff has to be done, too. Find myself freezing up at the keyboard at just the wrong times. @JusWatchMe, I did a 5k last summer and walked it along with a lot of others. Met some nice people and we had fun. Thanks for the reminder I want to do that again and find some others to fast walk. Metric is such a bonus here -- 5k is just a few miles, lol.

@@laizaone1 you are in the right place for connection and motivation! So glad you are here. Sometimes the Cosmic Clock is off a little bit -- readiness can be an issue. You are so ready now and I'm so happy for you. Choose yourself first; you are worth it.

I love my band and consider it a permanent part of my life. I know that if anything goes wrong and I can't get another one I could do something more drastic, but I am of the opinion that this has gone very well for me and will continue to do so.

@@s_suther BOOM!

My surgeon described a goal of being satisfied on a tennis ball sized portion (his lingo) for 4-5 hours. I'd have one but not the other. Glad we kept going and you, too, as it sounds like its's working!

Hi there, I had epic farting for months after surgery (also had hernia repair) -- thought this was a new feature of my life but then one day it just stopped.

Yippee! So happy for you. You're doing great.

Thinking of you, Lisa. Ice is pretty amazing in terms of quieting a nerve. I have to count to twenty - it's cold! - but then it settles in and then relief. I am not up on the whole challenge but one part of it is to each day come up with something you are proud of -- a positive change in your life. Here's mine for today: Hunger is not something to panic about and I don't have to respond to it immediately, I can wait. Ideally when I'm hungry I eat but yesterday was a funny day. We went to a larger town to shop and I hadn't had anything but a Protein shake. Those are rare treats these days -- for me bars and shakes are just sliders and a Protein shake doesn't hold me. So there we were at 5:30 with a car full of food but nothing to grab -- plus we were meeting friends for dinner. So for the ride back home -- about an hour -- I took the time to really notice my hunger. Needless to say in the old days I was so messed up that I couldn't even identify hunger. Really! At the first sign of anything I was quelling it. It felt good yesterday to have a clear sensation and also to be able to wait. I no longer believe in starvation mode, etc. My body has plenty of stored fat to turn to -- that's the whole idea! And I only waited an hour or so then had some delicious Brussels sprouts in duck fat and braised short rib, a bite or two of mashed potato. A dainty portion and I was satisfied. It's amazing and I am so grateful.

Nice one, Just Watch! I am proud to be a dainty eater now. I don't wolf my food down or shovel, shovel, shovel. Gone are the days of huge servings and going back for more. Yippee!

Happy Shrinking Shamrock Day -- seven years and 75-80 pounds is a lot to Celebrate. And way to go regrouping for your next goals. I'm pretty sure exercising is the magic ingredient. Looking forward to better weather so I can resume walking outdoors as that really worked for me. Big plans for my body this spring, lol! Thanks for posting -- so inspirational when long-term banders chime in here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day every one! I am thinking about an accomplishment to share for this Tuesday and am interested in just how hard this feels. (Well hello there, low self-esteem, and so we meet again!). Here we go. Yesterday was a hard day for me, emotionally. lunch (AKA breakfast as I usually don't eat until I'm hungry mid-day) was on the run out with two people at one of those gourmet deli places where you go through a line with a tray. I went with lentil Soup and when we were at the Desserts I offered to split a brownie with some one. This gets the attention off of how little I am having. I was stressed and knew there was no way I could have anything more than a little soup. When it came time for the brownie (chocolate espresso brownie, no less), I had a tiny piece. It was delicious and I was done. So I did not deprive myself but nor was I set off by that bit of indulgence. Thank you Band. Is this the long sought after Moderation of which I've heard tales? Yes. I was moderate yesterday and that, for me, is a huge accomplishment. I am not on a diet, not off a diet. I'm just living and being and eating when I'm hungry and not eating when I'm not hungry. Mostly. I am wrung-out today and very tired. Going to pay attention to the HALT which stands for never getting too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Need some self-care and some decent sleep. Not coffee, not drama. Avoiding those two things today, which will not be a walk in the park as I'll be seeing my mother. Going to pack my 100 calorie yogurt and a little jar of mix-ins as I have to make yogurt "chewy" or for me it is a slider (I use chia, a little gluten-free Cereal and a few walnuts). Later I'm going to have a fried egg. Need to focus on Protein today. Have a good one, all!