WLSResources/ClothingExch

The subject of what to do upon reaching goal weight comes up often enough. This easy read from SparkPeople.com may answer some of the questions on the mental and behavioral nuts & bolts rather than what to eat. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1064

@@mb5282, got it. There's a good deal to learn. Much of it comes along after surgery when you're really living it. If some things made you scratch your head earlier, you'll laugh to see in time that they weren't so complicated after all. When I attended band support group before my surgery and right after the intro info seminar, I was almost in tears thinking I was too dumb ever to understand what people were talking about. Look at me now -- No hands!

@@kimini, do people really believe that? I certainly disagree.

"Large-boned" is the oldest excuse for being fat. Large bones are the exception. Most people are "medium-boned," for lack of a better term. Your family has its collective head in the sand. Ignore them and don't you apply adjectives to yourself either. Make losing weight your goal. When you get to that place that you really want to go, you'll walk in the sun... You'll know you've arrived.

There's a difference between speaking one's mind and being inappropriate or nasty or humorless or whatever else. Not that I'm pointing a finger at you, @@Bald Mike. I'm don't know in which direction your changes are taking you. Some asses are cute.

My bariatric practice RD told me not to go below 800. When she saw my food trackers and that I aimed for 1000-1150, she was pleased. That I have lapband rather than sleeve is irrelevant: The body needs what it needs to function well. Why not ask your own RD?

The flowers are fine with me, but I didn't know that some in the photos in BP are cartoonie things. What makes me wonder are the photos of pre-surgery women who put effort into showing cleavage that's 8" deep. What are they trying to say?

@@kendra01, yes, you can. It's possible to regain after any of the procedures. There's no magic. Losing weight and maintaining the weight loss require awareness and diligence ever after. @@LipstickLady, that blue business makes me stamp my tiny foot. When I forget to use triple vowels or consonants, I sometimes go back in to edit. But it isn't worth the effort. A few years back sparkpeople had the blue going. There were enough complaints that it was dismantled.

You're eager and looking forward, but a "lifetime/" Really? Did we get fat during someone else's lifetime? Did we blink? You can see change before you have surgery. Instead of thinking in terms of "struggling" to stay on track now, think of staying on track as part of the entire process. It's just a part of what you do, like brushing your teeth. Sending best wishes. You'll be great.

@@Travelher, with all due respect for our esteemed colleagues, their brand suggestions are subjective. You might find all the products named as pukey as Optifast. You could end up spending a king's ransom for no good reason. Before doing that, it may help if you try adding flavorings to the Optifast, e.g., vanilla extract; unsweetened cocoa; cinnamon and/or other sweet spices; almond extract or any flavor you like; If you're not forbidden coffee, instant coffee powder; etc., et al., etc. There also are the sugar-free (sweetened w/Splenda) 'syrups' by Torani, DaVinci and one or two others.

My favorite, white bourbon.

You've lost 45 pounds and arrive at the conclusion that your sleeve is "not working." Mad science.

@@Inner Surfer Girl, I hate to tell you this, but the object in the upper right of the thumbnail looks like a mouse's head and face. Is that why I haven't bought Brussels sprouts in years? @@Julie norton, a number of years ago at my local farmers' market, a grower brought in some of his Brussels sprouts on the stalk for the novelty. It was so exciting. Something from outer space. I felt the same the first time I saw broccoli still in the ground. The only little asparagus patch I've known made me feel amorous for the way it swayed and danced. Many vegetables in their natural state thrill me. I'm that simple or complex, whichever it may be.

Let me make a guess here: You're a male? For the first few days or so, brace yourself when you cough, sneeze or laugh by firmly pressing a bed pillow against your midsection (i.e., incisions).

From SparkPeople.com -- http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=898 .

Too bad that you're self-pay, because it occurs to me that you may be due for an esophagram. I hope i's not the case and that your doctor thinks it isn't necessary right now.

The co-worker was way out of line..a social ape. He actually spoke to your husband that way about you? You have nothing to feel ashamed about. You have no reason to make excuses for yourself by defensively listing past triumphs. Life happened to you, good, bad and neutral. You're about to embark on a course that's nothing but positive. Let that be a source of pride. You have plenty of triumphs ahead. Screw the apes. (I'm sure your husband is a great guy and crazy about you. Ask him not to repeat ape-talk if it ever comes up again.)

If the calcium is a scored tablet (regardless of shape), you can cut along the score with a pill cutter (it's worth buying instead of fighting with a knife). If not scored and the package says nothing about crushing, I'd contact the mfr with the question.

You're describing reflux or GERD, nothing that you want. Acids aren't supposed to back up and, if left unchecked, may conceivably do some damage over time. You're also describing what sounds like a too-tight band in general. If it were I, I'd make an appointment to have a little saline taken out. I've never felt as though food or liquid was stuck in the pouch, but I know the discomfort of being stuck in the esophagus. Again, nothing you want and nothing that's good. In a perfect world you're able to eat and drink comfortably and get a signal when you've reached satiety. It's well short of feeling stuffed or even full. If you no longer have the band manufacturer's "owner's manual" that you should have been given around surgery time, ask for it at your practice. Reread to reacquaint yourself with what it means for a band to be a good, working partner.

Because we have to eat to live. We don't have to smoke. I find it helpful to put time into meal-planning. Not lots and lots of it, but enough to give myself a sense of control and purpose. If you don't already, use a formal food/nutrition tracker (My Fitness Pal is popular and, I understand, easy to use). I use sparkpeople.com's tracker, probably more cumbersome, but I've been using it from the start. I plan my meals a few days ahead and often amend as I go along. The little bit of structure doing so adds to my day often helps me conquer spinning out. When it doesn't, I aim to plan for Snacks to fit into the day's plan; into the tracker they go.

@@Lindairene, are you saying that you had surgery or reached goal 16 years ago? In any case, if you've been gaining steadily for however long, you may want to pull out your old post-surgery instructions/food plan. Starting from scratch will enable you to fill in what you've forgotten for meal-planning and the rest. If you don't have the papers, ask the practice RD. Also figure out and journal about what sent you in a bad direction. Getting a firm understanding, if you don't already have it, goes a long way. You're already down on yourself for gaining. It seems to me that doing a weirdo "diet" -- popsicles (?), as you say -- will feel like a form of punishment, the last thing anyone needs. Make good choices, eat real food and plan. Taking charge in this way will restore your sense of power and yield the results you want. Take credit for posting. It's the first step.

So-o-o, you've stopped brushing your teeth and going to work or school? All what work? A few phone calls, a couple of appointments? I know: Anxiety ain't no romp in a meadow. That sounds as though your medical plan doesn't require it. Read through your plan literature and verify with the practice's insurance coordinator. Your assignment for the evening is to do something that makes you giggly.

It is for you to be serious. If you are serious about losing weight, you will begin now. If you want to play, go ahead and gain weight. The choice is yours. Your question implies that you think surgery is a magic cure. There is no magic. Surgery is grown-up stuff.

Click for the full notice... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/376248-greater-new-york-bariatric-surgery-clothing-exchange-sept-2016/