F_it

I usually wake up not hungry, and try to drink 2-3 cups of water within half an hour of waking up, but I make sure Ive had a little something to eat 2-3 hours before lunch. Usually its something like: Hot milk with a sprinkle of cardamom or cinnamon, or plain or strawberry yoghurt, or cottage cheese on a few crackers, or a couple crackers and half a cup of baked beans, or Chickpea Hummus and a cucumber (grated on top for tighter mornings), or A slice of homemade banana/date bread, or A banana with a spoon of nut butter spread on top. Yum :-)

Im using these after workouts too, not exactly the best tasting stuff but at such a small amount, i just gulp [edit: (half of)] it and imagine its medicine so that my brain isnt expecting anything pleasant lol and there its done! Does anyone know if these "new whey liquid protein" shots are suitable for vegetarians? I havent found any details on their website about that but dont want to suggest it to vegetarian friends before Im sure. Thanks :-)

Yes!! :-)

I was happy using childrens chewable or gummy bear multivitamins, and used the effervescent kind of tablets in a cup of water for extra vitamin c, calcium and magnesium. Now I take tiny tablets of vitamin d and another tiny fella for B complex, i literally ask the pharmacist for the smallest (or breakable, or effervescent) options available for the vitamins I want. I still get the kiddy chewies and share with the kids on occasion just because I like them lol :-) Good luck!

Congrats! After all the hard work youve done and all the workouts youre zoning into you sure deserve a bunch of awesome victories! Yay girl power bring on the hotness! :-) Thanks for the inspiration too!

I totally say Feck you! to all negativity, including when its coming at me from my own darn head! LOL and if I ever catch myself mumbling one little whiny insecure thing again ohhh no you DONT! Feck that! blocking that voice out for good hehee :-) Seriously though, some peoples nasty dumb-bum comments can get under you skin, but as hurtful as they can be, it almost makes me want to sympathize and wonder what awful pathetic misery that person must have gone through and come back out with such an ugly outlook on life that they just spew their toxins all over the place. Feck you dear, please dont contaminate my inner peace and outer loveliness with your germy toxins, I do wish you a speedy recovery :-D

Hi JojoNYC! I hope everything goes well for you, somehow despite feeling defeated, youve found that courage to take such a big step towards the life you want and deserve. Hold on to that inner strength with confidence it'll keep you moving forward! Good luck! :-)

Hi and welcome! The mobile version of the website displays things differently, and the BP app is also in a stage where not all features are available. So if you wanna use more features but stay on your handheld, you can by going to the bottom of the page and tap the "full version" link/button. That will change the layout of the page and you'll see that you can tap your name at the top of the page for a list of options/settings. Good luck! :-)

@@catfish87 thats some admirable commitment right there. Up until last year Id been working days and studying evenings and when I got home the only workouts I had in mind were the lunges through a shower and the crawling into bed lol!

Years ago I complained to a trainer that I was getting awful charley horse cramps at night after workouts, she told me to eat a banana, and sure enough they stopped. Due to high potassium I believe.

thats a great workout @@chefkelly :-) but yea you gotta get some protein in after all that action. This is what I usually like: a cup of yoghurt with or without some cucumber or a couple dates, or a half cup of hummus with a cucumber or a couple saltine crackers, or a half cup of baked beans with or without a couple saltine crackers, or a whey protein shot/shake and lots and lots of water! :-)

Hi! congrats on your terrific weightloss, I was only 35lbs down with the band when I got pregnant with twins, I had an unfill and was super careful with what I ate and gained a total of 15lbs, within two months post-delivery I lost the 15lbs (I had a miscarriage along the way and only one baby survived but thats another story). I honestly think at that moment if I had gone to get my fills back in and refound my green zone things would have gone smoothly but I had several other issues pop up that took my eyes off the target for quite a while. So I think with your focused attitude you will do just fine! My main advice would be that if you have an unfill to go get it back in as soon as youve recovered from giving birth. Good luck! :-)

I feel for everyone who has been hurt by so much insensitivity. Especially when it comes from someone you love, or even like, it stings and obvsiously haunts so many of us for years. I couldnt help notice that a lot of the memories mentioned here happened long before the weight gain was as serious as it became later on, and I cant help wonder how the mean comments actually factored into a downward spiral. My mother would constantly joke with her friends in front of me about how her teenage daughter was bigger than her. a lot of times she would say it and puff up her chest to imply she was talking about my bust. I remember always wearing huge baggy mens shirts when I was a teenager because I always felt so ashamed of my body. when I started college I fell in love with swimming and was a toned size 10-12 and was finally brave enough to wear clothes that werent always several sizes too big, she would stare me down and say things like "dont worry, guys who like big girls (again with the chest puffing) will chase after you now". Id usually have some sarcastic reply and say things like "ohhh well i better perk up in case mister charming is around for a hunt today" like many I used humor to cover up the other feelings. My dad always made me feel self conscious too. He and my mother got divorced when I was ten (I wont get into how that contributed to a lot of negative self esteem) and as I got bigger (as in size 12-14) he would sometimes point out attractive women on tv and say "see how ladylike she looks, try looking more like that". on my wedding day I felt so feminine and beautiful in a strapless gown.. right after the ceremony (the photographer was still taking pics of us) he glanced at my arms and said, youd look better if you slimmed those down a little more. I said dont worry now that I have a man in my life you wont have to worry about me putting these huge arms around you. Ive had random people say things like "with such a pretty face its a shame you dont lose weight". or even worse "you are quite pretty for someone your size". well golly, thanks ive resisted saying "thanks, you look quite pretty for someone with your attitude" lol. but, I was always prepared for the rude people who have said things like hey youve gotten bigger since the last time we met, I switch to a very (fake) sincere expression and say oh yes, sorry hun, I see this room wasnt big enough for my size AND you manners. zing! lol the cutest hurtful comment I ever got was from a little 3 year old girl sitting in a doctors waiting room with a cold. she was with her dad and suddenly wiggled off her chair, pointed her little finger at me and simply declared: "FAT!" I couldnt help but smile at her but my face was totally red as her dad yanked her back to her chair.. he looked just as embarrassed as me lol! bottom line is.. we are all here today DESPITE the hurtful comments, and people who make others the butt of their jokes really have their own issues that they arent strong enough to acknowlege, so they do a half-assed job of overcompensating by pointing at "flaws" in others.

Woohooo! Thats so awesome great job! And now youve motivated me too! :-)

So sorry for your loss, it is a heartbreaking experience at any phase of pregnancy, its still a part of you that you bonded with. I thought i couldnt get pregnant because I had a traumatic delivery with my second daughter and never needed BC since.. Until I got the band, we had the most amazing surprise when we discovered we were expecting twins. Needless to say we were devastated when I miscarried one at 14 weeks, We cried and held each other rushing to the hospital.. Then we cried a whole lot more when we heard a single heartbeat and realized one had survived. I had a healthy baby daughter and over a year later there are still days we look at her and mourn for her lost twin but we take comfort in knowing it was a blessing to have that angel even for a short time and we bonded over that love. If anything I think you can take hope from your own experience and know that through the pain of loss you also gained love and I hope you get to pass that love on to a little one soon, in the meantime love yourself! :-)

Hi jasmajo! Congrats on your little newcomer, I hope your pregnancy and delivery went well. I can imagine it was an overwhelming experience to have WLS only to become pregnant so soon after. Apparently its not uncommon for ladies to get pregnant soon after surgery even when it was difficult before, since our hormones get totally wacky for a while. The first weeks and months postop are such a major phase for most bandsters where we are discovering life with our bands and working out and losing weight.. You may feel like you missed out in that epic adventure since you were probably more concerned with fetal heartbeats, eating right for baby, getting nursery ready and waddling around your other two kids hehe. I was convinced that after seven years of not getting pregnant without BC that I was done but soon after getting banded I got a surprise, pregnant with twins. We were completely in awe with that miracle when I suddenly miscarried one at 14 weeks (unrelated to the band) tragic for all the family, but we were blessed with a survivor and my two older daughters (7 and 11) now have a little 15mo sister :-) Youve just had your baby 3 months ago so the stresses of settling into baby's routine with another two kids is an exhausting challenge. You barely have time to take care of yourself and you might be putting everyones needs before your own. My advice is dont feel guilty asking for help, and dont ignore what you want because you certainly deserve it, and its true what they say, you can give more to those you love when you are loving yourself. The other thing, and this is what Ive done, is to imagine that you have just had the band surgery, go back to basics and start at square one. Work on eating what helps the band work for you, getting in the nutrition you need (especially if breastfeeding) and achieving appropriate restriction with fills. You will feel so empowered when you do, and Im sure it will start feeling like you are getting back on track with personal goals again. Feel free to get in touch whenever, band or baby talk :-) wish you the best!

Trashing double post

I took a cuddly blanket I love to the hospital with me. Couldnt sleep the night before surgery but I spent most of my stay at hospital postop sleeping with my face buried happily in my blanket lol. I mustve been a little high on painkillers because now that I think of it, its funny just how blissfully relaxing it was to me! Good luck!

That was a main concern of mine before I got the band too. I remember worrying that it would make things awkward if it was poking my husband in the chest when we hugged etc rofl. Anyway Im noticing that the more weight I lose the more I can feel the port, especially after a good session of crunches, I was a little cautious of touching it at first thinking it would be fragile but after a while it just starts to feel like a part of you.. A special knob to turn on your life :-D When I got pregnant with twins It really made me realize just how much the port can handle being shoved around, so now I never worry about it! Good luck!

Sounds great! Thanks so much :-)

Hi! Am I right in understanding the app doesnt support all features of the full website? Things like viewing peoples (complete) profiles, signatures, adding friends etc? Or is it just that I havent looked hard enough yet? Thanks! :-)

@@Bandista thanks for the kind words! when I read your post I was like yes yes yes! Thats the spirit! Haha Im loving the energy Ive noticed in your posts too, you give off positive vibes and have some killer girl power attitude! Heres to shutting up that paranoid mental chatter and shaking off the hesitation for good! :-)

Hi everyone, Im a 32 y/o mom of 3 girls, 5'7" currently in a size 16 US at 232 pounds. Ive recently started over after a two year "hiatus". Ive overcome some major life changing events in that time period, but Im no stranger to survival mode. So I finally got back on track with my life priorities, and this time Im leaving my baggage of fears behind. I read through the forums here and find inspiration in most bandsters, so Im grateful for having an online supportive community. For anyone who has stalled, stopped, fallen off the bandwagon etc, I just want to say dont despair and yes its hard to go face your doc feeling defeated but its better than giving in to the defeat, you deserve more than to give up on yourself! For more curious peeps, heres a lil more (longwinded) background,copy-pasted from my profile: Fear is my biggest obstacle. It really does its very best to tie me down. And Ive submitted too often, for too long. Afraid of the nos, afraid of the yeses, afraid of endings, afraid of beginnings, afraid of being unwanted and afraid of wanting , afraid of the past and the future, afraid of failures and successes that might lead to unknown pain. I dont mind pain. But Im still afraid of it. I had a spark of courage in 2012 when I hit rock bottom at my highest weight ever. 275 and I suddenly realized Id just thrown away my twenties. So for my 30th birthday I wanted to give myself my life back. Started losing weight slowly and steadily.. Then at around 35lbs loss a series of events took my focus off weightloss.. I got pregnant with twins, an amazing experience that ended with a loss of one heartbeat (we were blessed with a little sole surviver). My mother moved to another country, and I received news that my estranged grandfather was dying. I was hit with a severe form of bells palsy, which took months of meds physiotherapy and e-stimulation to overcome the paralysis. Meanwhile I managed to keep the 35 off, but Id lost confidence and felt intimidated, although all I had needed was a little fill to pick myself back up from where Id left off, almost two years ago. And here I am now.. Starting over, and Ive had enough of the fear. So Im saying get to your green zone already! Get out of your head and up on the elliptical dammit! Stop hesitating and own those heels! Ive changed my workout playlist, and Ive changed my mantra. Im trying fierce on for a change, and so far its looking hot. And whenever that fear starts creeping into my head, I say: F*** It! And Effing it seems to be working so far! :-) Thanks for reading :-)

My biggest goof ups were definitely in the form of "salads".. Ahh what an optical illusion of a word that is! Rofl! Before I got the band I was convinced that I ate "healthy and nutritious food" because whener we ate out I was all over the salad menu.. Oh, no steak for me thank you I'll just have a Salad, I'd say with an almost smug look on my face. Of course when a salad is loaded with breaded chicken/hard boiled eggs/potatoes/sauteed mushrooms/fried cauliflower/cheeeese or a combination of the above.. Not to mention the sinful dressings.. Holy honey mustard youre better off with a huge steak lmao!! Of course now I am banded and aware of that silliness I avoid THOSE species of salads and stick to actual salads lol, homemade and elegant little portions of clean leafiness and a sprinkle of lime juice, spices and herbs for pops of refreshing zing. Yoghurt is my friend when I want a thicker saucy dressing. And tuna or a few thin slices of smoked salmon to make it a properly satisfying meal. I dont really count calories but aim for good choices and I stay aware in the back of my head of what choices are not worth the calories, and which choices ARE occasionally worth the calories. Everyone deserves a little treat now and then.. I do have a small piece of dark chocolate when I miss chocolate, but stay away from the calorie loaded mess that you get in say a snickers bar etc. and when Im craving ice cream, I make a very luxurious home made version.. That way I know the ingredients are top notch and by the time its done I'll have given my craving time to be sensible & satisfied with one little scoop :-)

Hi tpierce! Lots of wonderful suggestions from everyone, ill second rest, vitamins, enough calories not to feel like a sleepwalker :-) the hormones definitely take time to settle down too.. Ill also suggest you look into juicing, its a great way for us to get in extra vitamins and minerals without worrying about difficult foods. Loads of info online about what to juice for what benefit etc.. And a site called food matters that is pretty informative too. Good luck! :-)