Bandista

Gorgeous! So happy and healthy -- beaming. Thanks for all the inspiration!

So sorry you're going through all of this. Hope the injection gets the swelling down so that disc material goes back where it belongs. Keep visualizing yourself strong on your bike, peddling away, hair blowing in the breeze......sending lots of positive thoughts your way!

I'm planning a spring cleanse -- fresh juices (beet, carrot, ginger), maybe the shake I used for my pre-op which is intended for liver cleansing....need to start getting my head wrapped around the idea and target number of days, etc. then keep our calendar free for that time. A few years ago I did a 21-day juice fast and that was amazing. Of course I lost a bunch of weight but gained back even more on the predictable pre-band rebound. I'd like to do a shorter version now with the help of the band to keep me from regaining. It wouldn't be about weight loss this time but more about the liver and just general health. There are people who do periodic fasting, like once a week. Sometimes I wonder if that would be a good model for me. Happy spring every one -- it's definitely on the way!

Of course it's not too late -- it's a new day and here we all are starting from where each of us is at this moment in time. Don't look back, don't beat yourself up -- and don't project. Be in this day doing what you can do to choose yourself and your health first and foremost. Sending best wishes your way!

I just took two ibuprofen and two acetaminophen -- arthritis pain just getting too high on my scale today. I try not to take this stuff frequently but when I need it I need it. And my surgeon has no prohibition on NSAIDS. Obviously sensitive stomach issues or GERD would be a big issue for some one with a band so I am very careful about watching for any symptoms, plus I do liver cleansing from time to time. Every one is different. I don't take any other drugs but occasional NSAIDS get me through the tough times. Eight joint replacements between two biological parents -- genetics are genetics.

My surgeon doesn't share fill amounts because it can become obsessive and it doesn't really matter because each person is different. The goal is to find the "sweet spot" -- that place where the band is dimming your appetite. You will get there! I had to have six fills. When I was first banded, I had no appetite and thought maybe I was some one who wouldn't ever even need a fill. That was right before the appetite returned and prior to my first fill (I didn't have any Fluid in my band at placement). I had read so much about this on the forum that I wasn't worried -- I just tried to eat well and I focused on exercise. Plus all the behavior modification issues -- eating very slowly (I practiced with the oven timer), using tiny utensils and actually putting them down between bites -- very hard for me for some reason. Noticing, noticing, noticing all those times when I want to go for food just because I am anxious about something. Figuring out my triggers. Basically working the program prior to the real dimming of the appetite, which as I said did not happen for me until I got that sixth fill. But each consecutive one gave me the opportunity to learn more about what works well for me food-wise. How very well I have to chew my food, how slippery or rubbery foods are not good for me. I needed to learn that before I had too much restriction. You are getting there! Of course this is a terrible time of year, at least where I live. It is bleak and icy and muddy and we're expecting another storm. Easy to be down in the dumps for every reason but know that spring is coming. You have made this choice for your healthy new life. Celebrate!

I know what you mean about the roller coaster. For so many years I quelled this whirring of anxiety inside of me with food. I had to really examine all those go-to behaviors which had become so automatic. Now it's interesting to me that when I just allow the feelings they are not actually so bad. I have a look at them, acknowledge the stress or whatever emotional thing is going on, and then it dissipates. All without the help of Cookies (or a block of cheese, etc.!). If I'm really wound up, there's nothing like exercise to relieve my troubles. And I write in my journal quite a bit -- that seems to help. I knew that food and other substances were not making anything better but I couldn't reign it in until I got my band. It's such a relief to me. I feel like I am out of food jail. Hang in there -- you are going to do beautifully! You are choosing yourself and that is a very powerful thing. Best wishes!

Very exciting!

Calm down and take some deep breaths. I think you're doing fine. If you're really worried call your surgeon's office as you're not the first to stumble and recover. You have a whole week now to go and you are committed to this big new healthy change in your life. Don't forget to pat yourself on the back. Way to go on the exercising, too! Best wishes to you!

Great article! I've never understood the candy in the workplace thing -- bowls of M&Ms that some people pass right by but are torture for others. It's like setting up lines of coke or shots of whiskey. Just wrong! Or the way people try to feed kids candy. Hello? As for our homes, we have complete control over what we have in our fridges and pantries. Getting junk food in for others in the family is just a mechanism for perpetuating addiction plus encouraging it in a new generation. Why would we do that? Sorry. I'm cranky because of another incoming storm. No one needs high fructose corn syrup or all the other crap. We are not denying people we love their pleasures; we are helping save their lives.

Can you be my personal shopper? Please, please, please? I hate it so, we live in the sticks....go for it, have FUN! And whatever it is, you are so worth it.

Go! Find your gym and your peeps will show up over time. Motivate Them! You are already motivating me -- you've got it going!

WOWIE-ZOWIE!

Sending good wishes your way! And so happy to have you as a role model. You rock!

Biscuit Belt, ouch!

Glided, now that's a beautiful verb! So happy for you, JBro! And you, too, Toodlelooz. What a great time to be banded -- here's to spring and all the renewal and healing we all deserve. I am just four months out and SO happy.

Hi Julie, way to go pulling it together -- you are worth it! It's such a big thing to choose our health and happiness in front of everything else. Choose Julie First!

Yippee! So happy for you!

Wow, congratulations to both of you -- big day nearly here! Best wishes for smooth sailing and speedy recoveries. It was all so much better than I thought it would be. I was just elated and to tell the truth at four months out I still am!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/opinion/sunday/the-fat-drug.html?_r=0

Hey there, you are doing beautifully during a difficult time. All that excitement over the surgery, initial weight loss, etc. has dissipated and yet the band is still not adjusted. You will get there! Maybe let your surgeon's office know that you are very hungry and don't want to wait four weeks before the next fill -- maybe they can bump it up as they don't want you to lose traction? Meanwhile this is a good time to be really noticing everything. The hunger, thirst, what is going on in your body. Locate stress and emotion, get your exercise in -- celebrate the reconnection with your body that this band us giving you and know that once you have the proper fill it will all be so much easier. Good luck to you!

Congratulations on your weight loss, wow! I am finding the temperatures of different liquids to make such a difference. I really need the warm tea in the AM when my band is tighter vs. cold water or juice, etc.

If you are experiencing severe pain you should call your doctor -- they will want to know! Are you on painkillers that could be making you nauseous? The walking is so important to release trapped gas. There is also the Happy Baby yoga pose -- basically laying on your back and rocking around, arms and legs in the air like a baby. Try rolling on to your left side. Hope you feel better very soon!

I'm a little hesitant to chime in here, but I think the American obsession with protein may not be the right thing for me. I do love protein, don't get me wrong, but I think it's better for me to listen to my body and respond rather than shooting for a specific amount. Last night, for example, I was hungry so I had a little smoked salmon. Often I find if I am hungry it is protein that I want (need) but I'm not able to get in the amount that others do and I'm not stressing over it.

How about one gorgeous truffle instead, with a sparkler in it......you are very sparkly! Happy, happy birthday tomorrow. I hope you get the gift of some serious downtime and relaxation. You deserve it!