Bandista

Hi there and congratulations on your surgery -- such a big thing, the lead-up, all the nervousness and excitement then the actual surgery itself and recovering from that......To be hit with a major disaster just then must have been really something. You are going to have some PTSD. Please be gentle with yourself. And don't worry about the scale -- this is the learning time, when you're learning how to listen to your band and interpret signals, learning how to chew and to eat slowly. For some us that behavioral modification takes time. I am some one who needed several fills. Keep all your appointments and work with your surgeon to get to the green zone.

I gave it a year and, oh, what a year. Now into second year and still so excited and happy.....best wishes to you!

My surgeon does not share the amount of fluid in my band. I could insist but I do not.

Hi there and happy new year to the whole menagerie! You are such a success -- way to go giving up the ciggies and the food.

My husband is Celiac so we keep a GF house. Since bread, pasta, etc. are not really band-friendly foods I am just as glad not to have them in my life.

Congratulations all -- pre-op isn't easy but I loved it that those pounds I lost were ones that for the first time were never coming back. And being really healthy for the surgery was a big motivation. New chapter ahead!

25 to go! You're doing beautifully.....happy 2015!

Hi there, the first few days can be difficult. For me the walking really helped -- walking, napping, drinking water. Or tea in my case. And I sure loved my Popsicles during this time. I didn't use pain medication, but if you are be sure to look out for constipation -- or just not being fully in your body. You will have your turnaround day soon. In electing weight loss surgery you have done a powerful thing -- saddle up for an amazing 2015!

Hi there and congratulations on your surgery! Don't despair -- you are doing beautifully. I am a bander but we are all the same, really. Just stay present and remember to pat yourself on the back for choosing yourself and your healthy future first. That scale will budge but don't be overly concerned -- you've done the hardest part already. Rock on!

Me, too, on loving both of those foods -- can't wait to try this. Side note: I recall that avocado and mango together have all 16 amino acids. That was when I was a vegetarian, many years ago. Maybe I will try some kind of mango/garbanzo/avocado salsa variation. Avocados are such a healthy food for so many reasons. Thanks for your post -- hard for me to read italicized text on the screen and glad I persevered. Happy new year!

Work with your surgeon -- they are there for you. If the fill isn't right, get another. Just don't get too tight.

Yes, liberated!

Joe......what a great post. I'm so glad we've all ended up together here. Very sorry about your brother-in-law's death and the ramifications of that accident for your sister and kids, and for all the extended family. You and your wife are testaments to how lives can be changed around despite all the stresses -- truly inspirational.

Hi Verna, good luck with your appointment tomorrow. I am going for a fill next week -- feeling like I am hungrier sooner and that my capacity is off, I'm not feeling satiety as soon as I had in previous months. It's a careful balance. For me the key is listening for that "enough" signal and stopping, then not going back. The old grazing behavior is still there and I'm working hard to obliterate that. And of course the holidays are a difficult time as there's so much extra around. Here's to the New Year and new habits. Best wishes!

Congratulations! I remember how nervous and excited I was -- had never been an overnight patient in a hospital before. It was all so much easier than I thought it would be. And the excitement has never worn off -- all these months later I still feel that thrill of having made this decision for myself. A year later I am so much healthier and happier. Getting that appetite monster off of my back was an amazing thing. Good luck to you -- so glad you're here on the forum. And you, too, Professor -- congratulations on being two weeks out. You are really on your way.

Just Watch Me, this is for you! https://www.google.com/search?q=george+harrison+just+for+today&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Hi there, I hear you on the worrying -- I am really trying to learn how not to bank anxiety for the future and just to live in this day only (there's a beautiful George Harrison song about that, by the way). food is complicated. I used to use it as an anchor but also at other times to transport myself and escape. Now I need to staple myself to the moment in other ways. I still have much work to do on old habits and of course the holidays put all of that into sharp relief. So many get-togethers, so much food, alcohol and people, people, people. Stress is stress, whether it's good stress or bad stress, and my initial reaction to stress is still to turn to food. I don't have to turn far because it's always there but never more so than at this time of year. My old dieter's mentality gets turned up high and I have to fight off thoughts of being "on" or "off" of a diet and just keep meeting myself where I am. Meanwhile, for the last couple of months I've wondered if I need a fill. I've had sinus issues, though, and that can make me tighter so I've been waiting it out. But I feel like I'm losing ground, that I haven't made as much progress as I'd like. I'm up a few pounds when I'd like to be down a few more. This worries me and I don't want to fall into complacency. I don't want to go back to old habits, like nibbling, grazing, etc. I called the other day and made an appointment for next Monday -- the soonest I could make work. It will be good for me to re-boot. I need to go back to having a full meal with dense Protein then counting four-five hours before having more food. Let's not forget to pat ourselves on the back for all we've accomplished this last year. And now on to the next. Another thing that comes to mind is the HALT -- never letting myself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. When life is a swirl of activity and there's so much going on I really have to watch out for that. Especially the Tired part. Best wishes, every one -- for a great day.

Fabulous!

Hi there and happy Boxing Day. I'm in the midst of a major office re-org -- throwing lots of stuff away, rearranging files, and right now I'm at my new stand-up desk. Kept the other just in case but hoping to convert over to more standing. This positions me nicely for the core, which I tend to let slip in an office chair. So far, so good! Loved hearing about every one's celebrations as well as our day-to-day lives here. Joe, what a cutie-pie down in front -- looks like you had a lovely gathering even if every one could not be there this year. And Skinny Liz -- yes, he was just calling it! How about that. Hope you're enjoying the Florida sunshine. NH is just plain weird right now -- so warm and kind of English out there, like being on the moors (or so I imagine). We had a nice holiday celebration yesterday. I served a beautiful beef stew which was very band-compatible and my husband made GF cornbread. Very easy meal and yummy. I have regifted quite a bit of chocolates and other sugary things I feel nervous about having in the house right now. Just don't want any stumbling blocks around unnecessarily. Funny how some stuff is fine -- bar chocolate, for example, I'll have a teeny piece if I want but it's no big deal having it in the cupboard. Those little Peanut Butter dark chocolate cups from Trader Joe's -- yikes. Get thee from me, Satan! In the past cheese has been a major trigger for me and I am amazed at how we can have so much and I'm not tempted to gorge. Enjoying a bit of this and that. My son's presents for me this year were very telling. He sees me as an athlete now (me?). I received stretchie band thingies for working out and ankle weights for walking. It's so sweet that he has noticed how his Mom is an exerciser. I also got a nice gift certificate for a massage from my parents. They don't know I'm banded but apparently my self-care is apparent to those around me. Love that. My husband came through with a nice selection of gifties, including some wild pajamas (blue with black spots) that fit me perfectly. He was nervous about shopping for me and not knowing what size to get, etc. Score! I am hoping, however, that these jammies will not fit me next Christmas -- that I will have lost my last chunk. Best wishes to all as New Year's approaches and we consider our accomplishments and goals. It's going to be a great year -- I know it.

Wow, fantastic! Way to go.....

Hi there, I love my band and would do it all over again. Like others I was nervous about giving up my crutch. Turns out I didn't really have to give anything up -- I just have much smaller amounts of food at appropriate intervals. The band allows me to do that. I make healthy choices. It was a very powerful thing for me to choose myself and my healthy future -- to be willing. To be worthy. You deserve all good things. You deserve health and happiness. I am 53 and had never been an overnight patient in a hospital before. It was a piece of cake. And getting the appetite monster off my back changed my life so much -- it's like my brain has been rewired. Good luck to you. I know we are going to be reading your success story.

Great piece -- thanks so much and congratulations on turning your life around. I'm looking forward to making my list for 2015. Prior to surgery I wrote myself a letter to be opened at goal. I look forward to reading that.

Congratulations both of you -- and best wishes for an amazing new year.

We had our big Solstice party last night -- about 35 people and lots of food, food, food. I sent as many leftovers home with people as possible. Three cakes and did not want to cope with any head hunger cravings today. Plus we could open a cheese shop at this point. Cheese, olives, wine are a trifecta for me. I am not denying myself but enjoying little bits of everything. One of the highlights last night was a pear and blue cheese quiche brought by friends. Absolutely delicious. It is made with Greek yogurt and very creamy. Band-friendly. It is GF and I ate the crust but am thinking of experimenting with making something similar in ramekins. Noticing my party behavior -- in the past I would always deny myself throughout an event then eat too much while cleaning up. That is an instilled pattern that I am noticing and wanting to address now. I think I didn't want people to see me having any food (oh, if she'd just skip dessert she wouldn't be so fat, or I can't believe some one her weight is eating brie, etc. -- and probably all in my head!).

You are one successful team!