julie.ann

Keep the protein up to keep the hunger and cravings away. Eat if you are hungery (really hungery..listen to your stomach, not your head. Wait I see you just had surgery. You just had surgery! Post op is about HEALING. NOT weightloss. Put the weightloss out of your head, or at least back behind healing. What is more important right now. What if you lost weight, but didn't heal right and had problems. First thing first. Heal. Protein helps with healing too. Keep your calorie intake up so your body can heal. One week out you should be getting more than 500 cal. Use protein shakes if you have to since you might still be on liquids. Take care of your self and in a few weeks we can talk strategy.

Well okay. I need to review how I am doing since I started back to blogging. I haven't done so well keeping track of what I ate. Actually I only did it one day because of the sweets I have eaten which is exactly why I need to do it. I'm going to work on that! I did go to the gym three times with week and I went to the doctor yesterday to get an inhaler so I can get back to cardio. I walked/ran to the gym. 1 1/2 miles to get there.....worked out..... 1 1/2 miles home. I am very happy. I got my cardio in and I wasn't completely bored. It will also help me to improve because I will work on running more than walking. Eat only when I am hungry???? Pretty good except for the sweets. We had a bunch of stuff at work this week. Subway cookies were given away all week. That will get better as I record what I eat on SparkPeople.com. The weekend will be hard. My last two night shifts until at least the end of the summer. (Hopefully) Eating healthy is all about making good choices while I pack my meals to go to work. So let's review. Okay...better than before, not as good as the first 9 months post-op. Room for improvement and a desire to improve. I

Hello all, It has been so long that I'm sure no one knows me or remembers me. That is okay. I need to be here. Hello...my name is Julie and I have a problem. Now that you know my name I need to share more about me. It isn't that I want to be here (althought I love this place!) it is that I need to be here! I was banded in October of 2008. I weighed 285.5 starting my pre-op. I lost 14 lbs the 2 weeks prior to surgery and I lost 115 total in the year after I started this journey. In January we put our daughter in a Christian based residential program and I had to get another (week-end night) job to pay for it. Being the emotional eater that I am I gained 20 lbs. Wow! That sounds like a huge amount doesn't it? I guess it is. In the past few weeks I have lost about 5 lbs so that puts me up 15 from my lowest, down 100# from my highest and 30# away from my goal that I want to get to before I get a tummy tuck. I can't afford a tummy tuck right now, but I have to get down to that weight and should be there a year before the surgery so I better get started now. I have started a new ticker....one that starts today and shows that I need to lose 30.5# to get to my P.S. goal. I have done better getting back to the gym. I don't have to work my weedend night job through the summer. I got a new job working from home and traveling so it will be a whole different set of challenges. It's got to be better than trying not to each when you are awake for 24 hrs straight! 3 goals for me to start with: 1. KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I EAT ON SPARK PEOPLE!!! (I think this is my best tool with the exception of the band!) 2. Cardio 3 times a week for 30 minutes. ( I have been lifting weights and I can't seem to lose # when I lift, only inches) 3. Eat only when I am hungry. Solid protein first. The good eating habits will fall into line if I can just get back to the basics. I have to keep my eye on the goal. I am VERY goal oriented. So here I go. I hope to be back often. High /Surgery/Current/Goal 285.5/ 271 / 185.5/142.5 Banded - 10/29/08 Five fills - 5.9 cc/10cc 1 Unfil 5.65cc/10cc Read My Blog: My Secret Journey

It is time to blog. I have been away far too long. Let talk about my band. My band is perfect. I have restriction (or whatever you want to call the perfect adjustment) I get full quickly. My hunger is controled. So now you get to hear about what happens if you don't do your part. You gain weight! I have gained. I don't know how much. I don't want to step on my Wii Fit to find out. So here is the perfect example of why you have to work the band. It doesn't do all the work for you. I have only been hitting the gym about twice a week. I have been eating unhealthy food and I have been eating when I am not hungry. I haven't been keeping track on what I am eating. I know that I can come here and no one will judge me, but I also know that I need to start blogging again and getting back to the rules. -Keep track of what I eat (on sparkpeople) -Cardio at least 3 times a week -Don't eat unless I am hungry -Solid protien first then a health side until I am full I have heard plenty of storied of people that say that the band doesn't work. Well I lost 115 lbs in one year. The band works for me, but I know if I don't work at it I will fail. The band helps. It makes it easier, but if I don't want it bad enough I will gain the weight back. I can lose more weight and all I have to do is follow the rules. I have found that since I have given up almost all bread, pasta, rice and potatoes that I have developed a killer sweet tooth. I have to get that stuff out of my system. I am really looking forward to the New Year to jump start my loss, but I am starting right now! I also have to admit and face the fact that I am an emotional eater. I have been banded over a year and lost over 100 lbs and I am STILL and emotional eater. We are looking at putting our 16 year old daughter in a Christian based residential program because of her bad choices and everytime I think about it and have to deal iwth it I want to eat. I feel it like an alcoholic looking for a drink. I am looking to pick up a part time job to make an extra $2000 a month to put her in this 15 month program. I work Monday through Friday days and now I may have to work Friday and Saturday nights (RN). I worry about working more and working out less and emotional eating. I guess every day is a new set of challenges. I know blogging with help and I am so glad that I have this place to come!

1-27-08 Okay I know that I should be flattered with all of the attention. I am happy that people can tell that I have lost weight. But I find myself getting a little pissy about some of the comments. I know they all mean well. There is this lady at work that compliments me, “You are looking so skinny…now promise me you won’t gain it back.” Like I ever lost weight and PLANNED to put it back on. It wasn’t bad until about the 10th time she said it in two weeks. Then there is this other guy that just kept going on today about how good I looked and how skinny I am getting and how dedicated I am. Sure, I know I shouldn’t complain, but he just kept going on about how he just couldn’t BELIEVE how skinny I am. Okay let’s clear the air here. I am NOT SKINNY!!! I am not even half way to goal. I weigh 226.9 and that is the weight some people are when they are banded. My butt is still plenty big and I have big ‘ol fat rolls. I am happy how well things are going and I know that people who weigh what I did when I started or more may be wondering what I am complaining about. I guess it seems like people are saying “WOW your fat butt looks skinny compared to how crappy you looked before! ….So as fat as you are now you know how huge you used to look!” I know this might sound stupid, but a “Hey you look good!” is a big enough compliment for me. Friends are different. I don’t mind that so much, but co-workers that you don’t see outside of work….It might be different if I was skinny. You know another 70 pounds from now. (ok maybe even 50 pounds) I was very nice and tell them thank you, but today it just kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Sorry, I needed to vent. It happens every once in a while. :cheatfree:

Hi guys. So long since I have been here. I have gained a little and then held steady there. I am kind of in the middle of a personal crisis so I think that if I can hold steady I will be SO HAPPY! We put our 16 yo daughter in a residential Christian private school/counseling program. That also put me working a second job on the weekends at night. We have to drive 4 hrs away for counseling and classes every other week so I have to work late every day to make up for the and try to take off early on Friday to get a nap before I work all night Friday and sleep all day Saturday and work all night saturday. ...oh don't forget the boys we still have at home. THe gym is missed very much. When I get back there it is like an old friend that gives me comfort. I am still a stress eater and I am SO THANKFUL for the band. I just wanted to check in. I know this year will be hard but I know I still have the tool I desperately need. Take care. I hope all is well for all of you!

You know I want to start out by saying that I am going to get a little whiney and for those of you who cannot sympathize with Goal Limbo then you are going to hate this post. But I come here to voice my NSV, my SV and so I will post my whining too. I will attach a couple of pictures here. These are my 1 year full body pictures. I have my pre-op pics on my profile page if you want to see. I'm not at my home comptuer or I would upload those. I am so very not happy with my body. I'm not talking about the drooping girls in front. I have to expect that after losing 115 lbs. I am talking about my "big" tummy and the fact that from the side I have no waiste. AT ALL! How depressing is that? When I see myself in the mirror and in pictures (which is the real test) I am actually pretty happy with my front view. I have never had to worry about hips like one of my sisters. I am broad acrose the back, but that has gotten more propotionate lately and with my "sucker-inner" as I call my cami-body hugger I don't have a lot of loose looking skin and it help keeps the girls up. (without the sucker-inner it isn't quite as pretty ) From the side I have absolutely no waste. Infact I think my belt in is direct allignment to the girls up top. People at work call me skinny, which doesn't tick me off like it used to when I thought they were kind of making fun of me. I had a girl at work that thought I weighed 130 lbs. Okay that made me wonder if she was making fun of me again, but I don't think she was. I weigh 170 and I told her so, but I am pretty fit and wear a size 11/12. I would LOVE to go down one more size and hit a 9/10 comfortablly. But I digress..... What is wrong with me? What is wrong with my body. I am a short little thing. Only 5'4". I know that makes a big difference in the way I carry my weight. I know that one year ago when I was wearing a size 22/24 I would have swore when I fit into a size 11/12 that I would be estatic with my body. Now all I see is fat when I look at my profile in the mirror. Oh another thing on these pictures is that I still have a !@#$% double chin! WHAT? I thought I got rid of that. I will have to walk around with my nose in the air so that thing isn't as noticable! Oh I know what some of you are thinking....."What is she complaining about? If I could lose that weight I would be so happy I would never complain" Yeah, I hope that is true because it is what I thought a year ago. Maybe this is good. I have been so happy with my weight and my body that I have gone into maintaince mode. I guess maybe I needed to get to point where I am not happy to get my weight loss moving again. I am so frustrated, but on the bright side it makes me want to go to the gym. It is funny when I first hit this weight and this size I thought I looked good. I am starting to see how skinny girls can actually with a straight face say they think they are fat. I always kind of thought that it was a ploy to get attention, but they actually look in the mirror and don't see a nice figure. Oh this sucks. I guess I will ride the rollercoaster, hopefully get a few more pounds off of my body and hope for a waist line. I have to wait another 4 years before my surgery is paid off and I can get a tummy tuck/ lipo and a breast lift. I hope the next four years seem to go as fast as the last one!

One day during the summer of 2008 I was talking to a friend that has RnY surgery. I told her if I could have surgery then it would be LAP-BAND®®. I had researched options and decided that it would be the best for me. She told me that only thing she ever regretted was that she didn't do it sooner. I hate regrets and that was when I decided that I didn't want to look back and say that I should have done this when I was in my 30's. It was months later that talked to my husband about LAP-BAND®® again. Other times he had brushed off the idea. He has always told me that he thinks I am beautiful. He would never comment against my weight. One night after being intimate...and embarrassed about how I felt I opened up to him. I told him about how I felt moving in bed to get comfortable with pillows. I told him how it is for me to fly and how I am always worried that the seat belt won't buckle or that people are worried they will have to sit next to me. I told him that I hate to sit on the bleachers and watch the kids because I feel like a lump on a log. I feel like no one wants to talk to me because of my weight. I hate the way I feel. I can't cross my legs or walk up the stairs without becoming winded. After bearing my soul he agreed to supporting me in getting the surgery. I didn't realize that within 3 months I would have that opportunity. I had a phone consult in September and was scheduled for surgery on October 29th, 2008. I lost 14 lbs on my pre-op diet. Dr. K said something that just clicked. If you aren't hungry don't eat. That sounds simple, but it is the one lesson that has helped me more than any other. Within weeks I could start wearing clothes that had been too small for me. In a couple of weeks I was more comfortable with my husband. It took months for people to notice my weight loss because I had to lose 40 lbs before it was obvious. Six months after surgery I walked onto an airplane, walked down the isle without turning sideways sat down and crossed my legs. I almost cried. I have learned where to shop for good clothes that you only wear 2 months. Where am I one year later? I have lost 115 pounds. It is completely unreal to be a person that can say something like that! I am no different than you are. I follow the guidelines. I work hard. It is not an easy way out. The band dims your appetite. It helps you get full faster. I can tell you if I can do it then you can do it too. I hope you will take the time to read my blog. If you want to know how I did it...that will tell you all about my journey. I am still working hard. I love life. I love to dress up and dress down to go to my kids ballgames. I love to travel. I love to see myself in pictures with my family. It is all possible. If I can do this then you can too! Much love!

Well I will have my bandiversary this week. Hard to believe. I keep thinking about what I was doing a year ago and how I felt and how hopeful and excited and scared I was. I was so afraid that this wouldn't work. Would I spend this money and not do what I had to do. I knew it would be hard, but what if I failed? I wouldn't have anything to hide behind. I would have pulled out all the stops and still weighed 285 lbs and stood at only 5'4". Okay I am still 5'4", but now am about 170-175 lbs. My lightest has been 168 and I need to get back on program. I have been maintaining, but I would like to lose more....and I will. I know I will because I know I can. I am starting to not be happy with what I see in the mirror. I want to get down another size, but at a size 11/12 I never would have thought 1 year ago that I would have wanted to lose more than that. I am happy with my progress. I have had 4 fills and 1 very recent unfill. I am really perfect now. (you know what I mean) I am thankful every day! Money has gotten tight and I know that the $263 monthly surgery loan payment is the biggest part of that, but I can't help but think that it is still worth it. I look at pictures of myself from before and my kids and husband say they don't even remember me looking like that. I am used to people I know looking right past me. I have even found myself not striking up a conversation when I am in a hurry (like in line at Walmart) because it takes people a few seconds to even figure out who I am and then they want to hear all about how I lost my weight. I still haven't told EVERYBODY, but I have told a lot of people. For all of those wondering if you should get banded....know that it is hard work. It is a high protein diet for me and you HAVE to learn the difference between stomach hunger and head hunger, but if you are willing to work hard and want a tool that will help you get there.....this is it. I love my band! [/url]

Thanks and good luck to all of you in the new year. I just got back from the gym. I plan to be back on track for a long time.

That is great. I was disappointed that my family didn't want to jump on the "Band-wagon" when I surprized them with my 100+ weight loss. I have had 1 unfill. I didn't realize how miserable I was until I got my unfill!

That is amazing and btw...you look awesome! Merry Christmas!

It is time to blog. I have been away far too long. Let talk about my band. My band is perfect. I have restriction (or whatever you want to call the perfect adjustment) I get full quickly. My hunger is controled. So now you get to hear about what happens if you don't do your part. You gain weight! I have gained. I don't know how much. I don't want to step on my Wii Fit to find out. So here is the perfect example of why you have to work the band. It doesn't do all the work for you. I have only been hitting the gym about twice a week. I have been eating unhealthy food and I have been eating when I am not hungry. I haven't been keeping track on what I am eating. I know that I can come here and no one will judge me, but I also know that I need to start blogging again and getting back to the rules. -Keep track of what I eat (on sparkpeople) -Cardio at least 3 times a week -Don't eat unless I am hungry -Solid protien first then a health side until I am full I have heard plenty of storied of people that say that the band doesn't work. Well I lost 115 lbs in one year. The band works for me, but I know if I don't work at it I will fail. The band helps. It makes it easier, but if I don't want it bad enough I will gain the weight back. I can lose more weight and all I have to do is follow the rules. I have found that since I have given up almost all bread, pasta, rice and potatoes that I have developed a killer sweet tooth. I have to get that stuff out of my system. I am really looking forward to the New Year to jump start my loss, but I am starting right now! I also have to admit and face the fact that I am an emotional eater. I have been banded over a year and lost over 100 lbs and I am STILL and emotional eater. We are looking at putting our 16 year old daughter in a Christian based residential program because of her bad choices and everytime I think about it and have to deal iwth it I want to eat. I feel it like an alcoholic looking for a drink. I am looking to pick up a part time job to make an extra $2000 a month to put her in this 15 month program. I work Monday through Friday days and now I may have to work Friday and Saturday nights (RN). I worry about working more and working out less and emotional eating. I guess every day is a new set of challenges. I know blogging with help and I am so glad that I have this place to come!

Well I just weighed for the first time in 2 weeks and I put on 1 pound. I am pretty happy with that considering how I have been eating and drinking (parties and such) gives me hope again! I hit the gym again yesterday and had a great day following the bandster guidelines. I know if I get back on track I could lose the 6.5 lbs that I have gain in the past few months. My problem???? Not following the guidelines!!! Back in the saddle......

Just catching up. I wasn't part of the social thread either, but it would be nice to see some activitiy with those of us that were banded last October!