JustWatchMe

I eat shrimp. Chewed well.

Divorcing here too. It's tough. I can: Cross my legs Eat a normal size meal Stop eating before "full" Walk a LOT sleep much better Wear the same clothes a year later Fit in an airplane seat without a belt extender Ride a horse Ride a bike Climb stairs easily Shave my legs Dress up for Halloween without wearing a robe-type costume Happily pose for pictures

I was driving to work last week and found myself staring into the face of my surgeon on a bus advertisement for LapBand! I was very happy to see he is still actively promoting the band. I've been very happy with my experience.

My weight loss has stopped. I am going through a divorce as well. I'm taking it a day at a time and finding ways to soothe myself without food. Support groups are very important.

I was inexperienced at dating when I entered college. My equally inexperienced roommate and I read the campus newspaper and saw an ad for what was then called "computer dating". This was 1979. Between the two of us, I was the troublemaker and convinced her that this was a good idea. So, we wrote to the address, and a few days later we each received a long questionnaire in the mail. We were scared but excited. We spent a lot of time filling out the answers. Then we took the plunge and mailed them off. A few days after that, our phone rang in the dorm room. Lo and behold, we had been matched to two young gentlemen who also attended U of I. Let's call them Dave and Joe. Joe was interested in a date with my roommate Mary, and Dave was interested in a date with me. How about a double date? So we went. We met them at a local bar. Here we were, two 18-year-old girls with almost zero dating experience. Joe was super shy and barely opened his mouth the entire evening. Just like my roommate Mary. Dave was a chatterbox, and I tried to keep up with him. A few beers in, and everybody relaxed a little bit. So much so, that Dave decided to make a small confession. Turns out that the computer dating service that we mailed our questionnaire to was simply Dave and Joe. Two computer science students looking for dates. Mary and I were the first ones to reply, and their business was off and running. We all got a good laugh out of that. I actually enjoyed myself, and they were both gentlemen, and acted like they would call again. Although Mary said she enjoyed herself, she said she probably wouldn't go out with them again. Joe was way too quiet, and paired up with Mary, they barely spoke to each other. A few days later, our dorm room phone rang. Mary answered it. "Oh hi, Dave! Nice of you to call!" I was so excited. Way too loudly I shouted, "I'll be right there!" But, alas. Dave was not calling for me. He was more interested in Mary. Boy, did I put my foot in my mouth! Dave asked Mary out. I can't remember if she actually went out with him or not. I think she did, but it didn't lead to anything. So that's my exciting dating story!

Beautiful!

How did it go?

Gorgeous!

This is definitely food for thought. I'm having trouble losing my last fifty pounds even though I'm not overeating by any measure, especially compared to how I ate pre surgery. I do eat lots of tomatoes and have relied on large salads with balsamic vinegar. Maybe specific foods like these are sabotaging me and I don't even know it.

I get stuck on certain foods. I just had trouble last night with browned ground beef. I can't eat pork roast or chops anymore. chicken breast is dicey. I can eat anything deep fried, which is a slider for me and stopped me losing weight. I am working hard to eliminate fried food this month. Popeye's chicken tenders were a lunch staple and I sure miss them. My band is probably optimally filled right now. So from here out it's all about the choices. Sliders for me are salads and popcorn and Italian bread dipped in oil. And my downfall, Thai rice noodles. I can get stuck on a sandwich (bread) but not always. Eliminating the carbs and staying away from my sliders is what I need to drop this last fifty pounds.

I was never diagnosed as a binge eater but that's how I ate my whole life. I am now 20 months post LapBand and WLS was the right choice for me. I have not binged since pre op. I did decide to change everything and commit to this new life.

My experience is that if I eat correctly (a BIG if) I can stop before full. Correctly means slowly and chewed thoroughly and tiny bites of Protein. Not carbs. Protein. Slow. Chewed well. Tiny. Slow. Chewed well. If I don't eat correctly and I'm eating protein, I get stuck. If I do eat correctly, I can then feel a soft stop. A soft stop is a signal that I've had enough. Eating more would be eating too much. My soft stops are: a sigh or deep breath, burp or a hiccup. Other people report that their nose starts to run. I have had good hunger satiety since surgery. Hungry at mealtime. I haven't felt full in 20 months. I sure don't miss that full feeling. I've eaten too much (always carbs) but not to the point of being full. Eating too much or eating carbs has stopped my weight loss. Removing those from my diet will return me to weight loss. I'm working on it.

Congratulations!!!!

Get back on that horse, right? ????

CG, come back! We love you and miss you.

Such a good topic.

Beautiful!

Crossing my legs. Kale. Balsamic vinegar. Water. Blouses that button in front and stay closed when I sit down. Walking my dog. Sitting between people in the back seat of a car. Food as fuel (sometimes). Being satisfied with one Hershey's Kiss and having no desire for a second one. Or even the first one, really. Shaving my legs with ease. Reading about NSVs!!!

Infuriating. I'm sorry you had this disappointment. I hope the someone else works out.

This post makes me happy.

You got this Liz!

Good luck tomorrow, Liz. Lisa, it's adorable.

Going to the movies. Eating in the dark. Sums it all up.

I knew nobody in real life who had WLS. I knew our insurance would cover it. I googled and started looking at surgeon websites. One of the first I found was a center of excellence. I checked and he was covered in my insurance plan. I went to an orientation seminar and the team impressed me a lot, although the surgeon wasn't there that night. I booked an appointment for a few days later, met him, asked a ton of questions, and decided it felt right. Six months later I was banded. I'm happy with my experience and haven't had any complications. I will say that I haven't seen my surgeon since my six week post op. My NP does all my fills under fluoroscopy. She's wonderful and actually sent me away without a ninth fill two weeks ago with gentle advice to change up my diet and exercise instead. I think I've been fortunate, but I'd probably do it the same way if I had it to do over again. Matter of fact, I had a minor unrelated (not bariatric) surgery last January, and chose that doctor in a similar fashion.

I recently went for a fill and came away without one. Because I get stuck a few times a month, we decided my band is filled enough. My hunger stays away for about four hours, sometimes longer. My stall - a YEAR -- is due to food choices and lack of exercise. So two weeks ago I gave up fried food (mostly. I indulge in fried Thai noodles about once a week). I haven't upped my exercise yet mostly because my knee hurts like hell and I'm waiting to get my cortisone shot. One hundred pounds down is all the band will "give" me without more effort on my part. This last fifty is going to take stricter food choices and lots more movement. We are complex creatures with complicated bodies. I'm grateful I've kept off the hundred, but bouncing in and out of Onederland is getting frustrating. Thank God the band is doing all that it does. I've never been the same size in clothes for twelve months in a row. It's new territory for me. Be gentle with yourself, and as odd as it may sound to you, you may need a few fills to get to green. Most of us have needed several. I needed 8. Take your time, go slowly, and cut yourself a break. It's okay. It's part of how we take care of ourselves now. One more thought. My body's idea of normal is morbidly obese, where I've spent most of my life. I've pulled it out of that world and dragged it kicking and screaming into Onederland. It tugs back. I pull again. It's war, I tell you!! You got this!