JustWatchMe

I didn't know what carb cycling was so I googled it. Sounds interesting.

The lower my caloric intake, the lower my threshold for a$5#o/3$. And on top of that I was crabby and had no patience. I realized this pretty early. I am now feeling feelings instead of eating them. And boy do I have feelings. I'm in OA and CODA. It helps immensely.

No regrets here! Good luck!!!

Hurray!!!

That seems like a fast pre op protocol. I had my first appointment with my surgeon in September and had my surgery in March. Lots of hoops to jump through. Good luck though. I went back to work four days after surgery.

Well it's a process. One thing I notice from that menu is little protein besides the peanut butter. Lots of carbs and sugars. Can you try starting with solid protein and try not to have carbs except for maybe some veggies? Solid protein holds me longer and satisfies me faster. I tend to not eat so much at the meal and trigger that upchuck you had. Some examples are cheese sticks , almonds, Buddig lunch meat, etc. good luck!

Reminding me about my weight. Yep. "Oh, thanks so much ! I had actually forgotten I was fat."

Tuesday one year ago I met with my surgeon for the first time. What a wonderful year I have had for health and rediscovering me. For those of you just starting out, you may feel like I did that your surgery is too far in the future and waiting all those months will be unbearable. When I first started to research WLS in September, I thought I might be able to have surgery before Christmas. Ha ha ha. Not only was it not before Christmas, but it didn't actually happen until March. And you know what? I needed every single day of that time period between September and March to prepare myself for this enormous life change. First, I met with my clearing psychologist. And I didn't get cleared! Nope. I needed to change my habit of eating in front of the TV. Until I did that, the psychologist was not going to clear me for surgery. He told me that I needed to make lifestyle changes. When I first heard that, of course I said, sure! Everybody knows you need to make lifestyle changes! But when I went back to him the following month for clearance, and I told him I had not been exactly able to give up TV eating, he told me point blank that he didn't think I was ready for WLS. He told me that unless I actually made the lifestyle changes, I was not likely to succeed with the LapBand. Of course, he was right. I'm glad that my little wake up call was so minor, and not a bigger deal, like if I had been denied surgery at the last minute. His denial made me face facts. How was I going to live in a new way, if I wasn't even willing to change a little bit? After I gave up TV eating, the next hurdle was the holidays. I grieved my way through Thanksgiving. I was very sad that in my mind, it was going to be my last enjoyable holiday. I sat in the kitchen the night before Thanksgiving, after having roasted the turkey, and binged on the crispy turkey skin. It was the weirdest experience I'd had in a long time. I knew what I was doing, and simultaneously I knew it was the last time I was going to do it. I knew that Thanksgiving 2014 was going to be different. I was going to have lap band surgery and I was going to be eating like a normal person. I was working toward that goal with excitement. So why was I so sad? I was getting ready to pay somebody thousands of dollars to help me recover from binge eating. And I was grieving not being able to binge eat anymore. Fast forward to February 2014. My personal life took a terrible plunge. My marriage, which was in bad shape before my WLS process began, took a terrible blow. Constant stress became my normal everyday life. I had one anchor in my life. My upcoming surgery. I was banded mid March 2014. I complied with all of the doctor's orders. My surgery was a breeze, and my weight began to come off right away. You can see by my ticker that I have had a lot of success this year. I am almost 2/3 of the way to my goal weight. I have not been the weight I am right now since my second child was born 19 years ago. Through it all, I have received immeasurable help and support from this website. I do not have a supportive spouse. I do have two very supportive daughters. But when it comes right down to it, we must do this for ourselves. Nobody can do this for us. And more importantly, nobody, nobody, nobody can prevent us from doing this for ourselves once we are ready to reclaim our power. I'll save my long list of NSV's and great experiences for when I write my 100 pounds lost post soon. And it's almost here. This post is just a reflection back to that first week when I walked into a WLS orientation meeting, followed by a meeting with my surgeon. The fearful, beaten-down person that I was one year ago no longer exists. In her place is a strong, confident woman who knows that she is worth it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This is about so much more than weight. Nothing changes until everything changes.

You're on your way! Be patient. We got an adjustable tool for a reason. The green zone is found slowly. Yay for you!

Try to change and maintain one habit change per week. Give up soda. Then add walking around the block once a day. Then add putting your fork down between bites. You get the idea. Treat this as a project. You'll make lifestyle changes now that you'll need later anyway. First thing I had to do as required by the psychologist was give up tv eating. I also find Overeaters Anonymous helps me process the feelings.

Sizzling hot! Just beautiful.

Fills 0.25 fourth fill 07.50 0.25 third fill 07.25 2.50 second fill 07.00 4.50 first fill 04.50

For me popcorn is a slider. I was treating myself weekly and it was slowing my weight loss. So I had to give it up. I will admit I was eating a lot at one sitting.

Great progress! Woo hoo!

Good luck!

Hoping for a yes!

Head hunger isn't cured by WLS. But it's a process. I find if I HAVE to eat, I take a few bites of something healthy like watermelon and then interrupt the process for five minutes and then most times I don't need the rest.

I guess I think of my band differently. Or maybe I had really good screening. Or maybe it was the support group meetings I went to all over the suburbs before going under the knife. Or maybe it was Alex's book. Or maybe it was BariatricPal. Whatever it was, I knew from day one I would have to change my habits. I also didn't expect miracle weight loss. What I did expect and still do is not to gain the weight back after I lose it, and to feel fuller on less food. It does make you wonder because so many people have to fight insurance nightmares to get lifesaving WLS, and others just.... Well. Enough said.

I read somewhere or maybe it was a nurse who told me that when you sleep at night, the effect of gravity that we see with swollen feet at the end of the day reverses. The blood that would normally be in our lower bodies redistributes. This means everything above my feet is a little more swelled when my feet are a little less swelled. Sounds weird but it explains why my band feels tighter in the morning.

What @@Bandista said.

@@Bandista, be careful. I've been told Tylenol and alcohol are dangerous together. It's hard for me since I usually take Tylenol daily in the morning and if I have a drink in the evening I basically hope it's out of my system. We can't win. Nsaids harm your kidneys and acetaminophen harms your liver. Pick your poison. Interestingly this week I have less joint pain. Even in my hands and elbows. Weird since I had such horrific flares this summer. I know it's due to stress levels but I'm thinking it has to do with diet too. I've eaten way less processed food the last few weeks. Maybe it's had a positive effect on my inflammation. Hmm.

Alex the best part is you reclaimed your thirties, forties and beyond with great health! Thanks for all you do. Have a wonderful day!

Great picture cg!

ROFL!

@@F_it don't apologize. I learn about a lot of things from fellow BPal members and I appreciate the info. My mother almost died in 1990 from oral Voltaren that she took for arthritis. It burned an ulcer in her stomach. She dropped on the bathroom floor and was rushed to the ER. They tried and failed to cauterize it laproscopically. She had emergency open surgery. She can't take another nsaid for the rest of her life. She had no symptoms except for fatigue the day she fell. So I for one appreciate first hand information.