willowcat

When I was a little girl, the doctor told my grandfather that he would have to give up salt. My grandfather got sad/mad, threw a fit and said he'd rather be dead than give up his salt. He was dead within six months; he was 51 years old. My grandmother on the other hand, had to have her gallbladder removed and was told by her doctor that she'd have to give up fried food (my grandmother's specialty was fried chicken every Sunday for dinner). The rest of her life she'd say, "I can't eat that" when presented with anything greasy. She lived to be 91. When I was getting ready to have the band, I decided that I was going to choose to be like my grandmother. No drama. Just, "I can't eat that."

Where did the June Journeys (June 2009) social group go? Is it no more?

Yep--love it! I make my own vegetable soup from scratch so it's full of great vitamins. Since raw veggies and I don't seem to get along, this soup is one of the best ways for me to get my veggies. I find it quite filling. It may not last quite as long as some other foods, but like Humming Bird said, if it's a bit "chunky" it lasts longer. Though, I do try to eat the broth first and eat the veggies last (so they don't get washed away too quickly). Works for me.

Our bodies are interesting beings--no two are exactly alike! I've been banded almost 18 months and I still get left-shoulder pain--but only when I've eaten too much. Actually, I've come to recognize that when I "hear" that little twinge of pain, that it is now TIME to stop eating (or there will be unwelcome consequences). I totally get where you're coming from. I, too, read and researched and asked as much as I could before I got banded. I think that that's a smart thing to do--better safe than sorry. Still, sometimes you have to just hold your breath, take the plunge and hope for the best. I do hope for the best for you. Good luck!

Yes, I can see my port--standing, lying down, bending over... But I don't mind. It's a little lump--my husband says it looks like a little alien growing inside. Ha ha! I actually think it's kind of cool--in a wierd way, I know--I can move it around in different ways when I tighten/loosen different ab muscles. But, even at my highest weight, I never really had any fat on my upper abdomen (I'm quite pear-shaped), so now I really don't have any weight on my upper abdomen! No one can see it under clothes--even under a one-piece swimsuit it's not visible (but it is with a bikini). If you carry weight on your upper abdomen, you probably will never see your port (if they only could have buried my port somewhere in my a**!) I wouldn't let the possibility of seeing your port stop you from getting the band. Seeing the port's really not worth a second thought. Plus fills and unfills are really easy for my doctor! Good luck!

Numbers are just numbers. You have done amazingly well and have so much to be up-beat about. "Obese", "Overweight"--those are just labels. Ignore them. If your doctor is trying to motivate you to lose more weight, and you don't want to go below 215, then don't. It's YOUR body...not your doctor's. You are not beholden to him, and you don't have to live up to anyone's expectations except your own. Congrats on getting your life back! Good luck!

Hmm...I eat all kinds of things. I'm assuming you're not too tight? Oatmeal with peanut butter in it, toast with peanut butter and sliced fruit on it, shredded carrot salad, cucumber salad, lots of things rolled up in romain lettuce leaves (refried beans, chicken chunks, tuna, cottage cheese), mozerella stick with sliced turkey rolled around it, scrambeled eggs with sliced turkey and cheese melted in it, cereal and banana or other fruit...good luck...

Four summers ago I was told by the "lady" sitting next to me on an international flight from Germany that "People like you should have to buy two seats because you're so fat" (don't worry, I had some choice words for her, too!). So, my NSV this summer was a real delight: flying coach and having PLENTY of room! :smile:

Bravo! Congratulations on your scale and non-scale victories! Happy for you! :smile:

I'm a little over one year post op. I've lost 100 lbs (with 50 more to go). I like the way I feel, move, and look. The lapband was a lifesaver! But sometimes I feel shame about having 1. been so fat and 2. not having been able to do this without the band. I think the feeling of SHAME is so uncomfortable for me, that I don't even entertain it long enough to examine it and see what it's all about. Losing with the band hasn't really been that hard, it seems as if I should have been able to have done this myself. When people comment on my weight loss (100 lbs doesn't go unnoticed that's for sure!), I always tell them I've had surgery--I don't want them thinking I've done this by myself. BUT I feel like I should have done this by myself, and I feel like there's something wrong with me because I had to resort to surgery. Sorry for the rambling. Sometimes I just need to see things in print. Have you dealt with feelings of shame around needing to have the band in order to be successful? I think I need to hear that this is "normal" stinking thinking so I can put this silly idea to rest.

Thanks ladies! I know it's been stinking thinking. I "should" on myself sometimes too much. You're right about not being able to do this by myself--and keep it off for very long--if diets really worked, I would have been thin--god knows I worked hard at it! Your thoughts and support have been helpful. I will remember them the next time feelings of shame surface. Thank you.

Magic Bullet

Jackslapband, I think that of course, depending on your height, that your stomach is bigger than a woman's. Feet, hands, noses, heads all come in different sizes--stomachs must too--it only makes sense. IMO, nutritionists who show you those little cups are just trying to get you to think smaller when it comes to portions. My nutritionist said that my meals should be no more than 1/2 cup of food (4oz) because that's all my pouch could hold. I looked at her and said that 1/2 cup of food on my plate was not the same thing as 1/2 cup of well-chewed food. She agreed with me. Measuring or even eyeballing my food doesn't help me. I start out with small portions and then try really hard to listen for the "full" signal. I'm finding out that what I can actually eat is about 1/2 of what I think I can eat! I think you're probably fine, but start thinking smaller (sounds like you already are) when it comes to portions. Good luck.

Kdee inspired me to post B&A pics (plus I finally got my husband to take a current photo of me)! My anniversary was June 4th and I'm down 100+ lbs. This has truly been a life-saving, life-changing year for me. Blessing sent out for my gp doctor who continued to bring up wls to me! Willowcat Ps. Next year's goal is "GOAL." :devil_smile:

Kdee, Awesome! Congrats on your anniversary and the 88 lbs! You look great! :devil_smile: I'm so glad you posted pics! Willowcat

I totally know what you're talking about! I also had excruciating pain at night between my shoulder blades. Funny thing is, very few here seem to have had that problem. I don't know the reason for the pain (though I suspect it has something to do with the nerves from the stomach to the spine), but I do know that it was very, very real. I would wake up in the middle of the night from the pain, and eventually I noticed that I was also quite hungry. I started keeping a low-fat, mozerella cheese stick on my nightstand. When the pain between my shoulder blades would wake me up, I would eat the cheese stick, the pain would subside, and I could fall back to sleep. Sometimes, putting the heating pad directly under that spot would help with the pain, too (though not as much as eating would help). Since you're on mushies right now, maybe some yogurt or a protien drink would help? I'm not a medical professional, but I've postulated that the stomach contractions from being hungry activated the nerves to that area of my back (just as the pressure on your diaphragm from the operative gas can cause pain in your left shoulder). I do see a chiropractor who later told me that the nerves for your stomach originate in that part of your spine. My chiropractor is one of those "hands on" kind of adjusters. For at least the first six months, that part of my spine was always out of alignment. I've also read on this board that someone constantly had pain between her shoulder blades and eventually discovered that she had scarring adhesions from the band. I think she eventually had her band removed. You might want to do a search for "pain between shoulder blades" and see if you can find her thread. I certainly don't mean to scare you, but I know when I complained to my surgeon about the horrible pain, he was at a loss and had never heard about anyone having that problem after banding. I'm a year post-op and haven't had that pain for probably four months now (but I also don't wake up hungry in the middle of the night anymore either--I usually have a cup of milk everynight before I go to bed now). I haven't seen my chiropractor in probably six months. I'd say listen to YOUR body and see what works for you. Good luck!

Sorry, Hal, but I believe you are at a LOSS for words (but then maybe you were being ironic?). =) The problem with using "loose" for "lose" and "your" for "you're" is that it trips the reader up for just a little bit--the reader has to make a quick double-back and reread to get your meaning correct. But as others have said, this forum is such a great place to get information, support, and encouragement, that a few mistakes in grammar and/or spelling are not really such a big deal. Thnx 2 evry1 4 riting & sharing!

I've lost 100 of the 150 I had to lose! Now for the last 50!

Not quite an "after" picture, but an "I'm getting closer and closer" picture. 100 lbs gone. 50 more to go.

I had a revelation today about why it's so hard for me to drink more than even a minimal amount of water. It all comes down to which is more pleasurable. The band rules from my doctor (I think they're pretty universal) say no water/liquids one-half hour before eating and no water/liquids one hour after eating. Since I eat either a meal or a snack just about every three hours, it feels like there's never any time to drink water (actually, I just figured it out on paper and in any given day there's at least 5 hours "available" for drinking water). So...given the choice between eating or drinking, I pick eating--of course! Instead of thinking "I can't drink because I'm going to be eating," I need to change my thinking to "I can't eat because I'm going to be drinking." Just thought I'd pass along that ah-ha for me.

You look great! Way to go!

Since the band is adjustable, if you feel like the restriction you're getting with the band is too much, you can always have the band unfilled and go back to normal eating. I think that's part of the beauty of the band--it isn't one-size-fits-all. Some people keep their bands really tight, some keep them loose, and most keep them somewhere in between. You'll get to decide what's right for you. There's no "forced restriction" except for whatever level you're comfortable with. Binging in my experience is more about satisfying mental/emotional needs than it is about satisfying physical hunger. The band won't help with that part of overeating. I'm never "really hungry" anymore--hunger for me actually HURTS, and I can't tough it out for very long. The way I understand the mechanics of what makes the band work is two-fold: 1. It makes a smaller stomach--less food is eaten. 2. The satiety nerves (the ones that tell your brain that you're full and feel satisfied because you've had enough to eat) are at the bottom of your esophagus/top of your stomach. So that when this smaller portion of food fills up your tiny tummy, it hits the satiety nerves so much faster than before, and you've basically "tricked" your brain into believing that that small amount of food is plenty. And it works! I don't feel hungry. My cravings for most foods (chocolate cravings at pms time are still strong) has all but diminished. Food does not have the Iron grip on me that it had before. My husband and I still like to go out and eat. I do have to be careful about what I eat, but that's because that's the way I'm choosing to live. I love being 100 lbs thinner and wouldn't trade that for anything. The band is the best thing I've ever done for myself (except for getting a college degree and also except for marrying my best friend). It's good that you're thinking and asking questions about what is concerning you. That's how you'll end up knowing if the band is the right tool for you (for some people it isn't the right tool). Good luck to you!

Sadie, Thanks for posting this. I've read all of Geneen Roth's books (except her new one) and would have to say that she was instrumental in helping me realize the twisted role food has had in my life. I'm so thankful she shared her story with the world, but I never could get her strategy to work for me (the food savoring and the "permission" to eat as much of a "forbidden" food as your body/psyche wanted until you were full all sounded wonderful, but while I grew away from being a "good/bad" person based on what I ate, I was also growing in size!). I tried another author's approach called Intuitive Eating. Same thing. I think I made some sort of peace with food and really got in touch with my body's physical response to hunger and satiety, but I just kept gaining weight. I'm very interested in reading Eating Less. I've also been considering getting a bit of an unfill. I've been having problems eating healthy foods--blueberries, nectarines, tuna, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, etc!--and can't believe that having the band means I have to be limited to a small collection of foods that don't cause me to pb. Thanks again for posting. Looking forward to new insight and strategies! :frown:

I don't know, but it sure seems that way. I know that when I get in a rut and eat the same things all the time, I start feeling like I'm "hunting" for food--even though I'm not hungry, I still want to eat. I've decided that's my body's way of saying it's not getting enough nutrients. When you eat the same things over and over, you limit the variety that is the hallmark of healthy eating--because by having a lot of variety you get a whole "soup" of micronutrients that the body needs--that's the way I understand it from my nutritionist anyway. I struggle with getting in a rut--for all the reasons you mentioned--but I'm really trying to have more variety, because I think a healthy body is better able to do the work of losing weight. Sorry, I stink at recipes. Try allrecipes.com or another online recipe source maybe. Good luck.