Phranp

Well ... kind of ... I hated to cook before banding. But, because 1) I hate wasting money buying fast food that I cannot eat (and don't want the leftovers); 2) It is important to me now to have "clean" food ... food that isn't full of fat and preservatives; 3) I LOVE the Foodnetwork and Bravo for their cooking contest shows; and 4) I really want to lose the weight and the best way for me to do that is to eat healthier. So, I cook virtually ALL my meals. I love to bake (thanks to "Top Chef Just Desserts"). I give the things I bake to family and friends mostly -- I do have a cookie or cupcake, won't lie about that. But I really love experimenting with the recipes. I now make THE BEST red velvet cupcakes! Ask my family! LOLLL! But, yes, I do cook a lot more now than I ever did. When I eat chicken it MUST be boneless and skinless ... NEVER imagined THAT would happen. I eat more veggies than I ever have. And, the kicker is that I am enjoying it! Who knew! YAY BAND! Happy Holidays! ~Fran

Unless your doc put Fluid in the band during surgery, you are the same as you were before it was installed. You can eat anything you like -- although, that would defeat the purpose of getting the band, don't you think? Anyway, you need to do more reading about the lapband. It is a "TOOL" not a magic wand. It works as hard as you do -- and ONLY if YOU work. The thing is that without restriction (or, pressure on the vagus nerve) YOU are doing ALL the work toward losing the weight. So, now that the swelling from the surgery is gone you are back to normal. The idea is that as you gain more restriction with each fill. It is a good idea to put into practice the changes in your diet. If you do this, not only will you likely lose weight before hitting your "sweet spot", but you will have a smoother transition when you REALLy can't eat much more that a cup of food. Your doctor probably has you on a post-surgery diet -- follow it. Read, read, read! This forum is a well spring of information. Take what you can use and leave the rest behind (including anything I say that you don't like... LOL). Be sure to get your Protein in, take your Vitamin supplements, STAY HYDRATED and EXERCISE. I take a blood pressure med that has a diurectic so, if I don't get my fluids in during the day my legs and feet cramp at night -- and sometimes during the day. STAY HYDRATED! More than a few people have gone to the hospital for dehydration after this surgery, all because they did not drink enough Water. Take care of yourself. Remember, this is not a race ... it is definitely a marathon. And a "walking" marathon for some of us. LOL Relax, you are going to be fine. Learn more about the band and if you have questions ask them here AND prepare questions for your next visit to your doctor. You are well on your way to a new life. Enjoy the scenery while your body heals because once this ride gets going, you will be laughing all the way to the stores to buy NEW, SMALLER SIZED CLOTHES! All the best to you on your journey. Happy Holidays! ~Fran

So glad to hear you are better! And, for sure it's TOM gain ... for sure. Now, am I crazy? I've been continuing my walks in the rain. The track is closed when it rains so I google the distance to a spot near my home that will equal a mile or so round trip, and head out the front door. I put on rain gear and voila! This morning was great. Monday morning ... not so much. Monday I walked in the opposite direction and when I was almost home, I stopped at the store and bought new shoes. In my defense, they were on sale. Then I stopped at the grocery store for a few items. It was POURING when I came out of the grocery store! Oh well, I made it home without melting. LOL I just didn't want to get off track with my exercise, and I'm not good about exercising at home. I hope to buy a treadmill in January or February. Again, so glad you are feeling better! Happy Holidays! ~Fran

First, and most importantly ... you are NOT, let me repeat that NOT ... a failure!!! You are less than two months out and you haven't had a fill so you are the same as you were before surgery (provided your doc did not put Fluid in during surgery, did he?). So, stop it, stop it now! You are healing. Give yourself a break, ok? This is a difficult time of year to start a "weight loss" anything. Seriously, as it has been written on the forum (and is so true), even thin people eat a lot during this season! But, I digress. Please remember that the band is a "tool" and at this moment your "tool" isn't even turned on. LOL While it is a really good idea to make efforts to change your eating habits before you reach proper restriction, not everyone is good at it. But, you should keep trying. When you miss the mark and fall down, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start again. You are not expected to be perfect, but for your own sake you should try your best. Do more reading about the band and how it works. Did someone really tell you that you wouldn't be hungry anymore right after surgery, without a fill? Hmmmm, not true for most (but for a rare few, yes). Apparently, you -and I - are in that "not true for most" group. Remember, when you don't do what is best for YOU, you only let yourself down. No one else matters when it comes to weight loss. It's your health, it's your life, it's your future. Take a breath and give yourself credit for having lost 11 lbs without a fill. There is a wealth of information on this forum. Take what you can use and leave the rest. You can do this!!! All the best to you on your journey. ~Fran

Hi Rebecca! Happy Holidays! I think you said it best with : I just wanted to get my thoughts out of my head…thinking about nixing the scale, but maybe I just need to find a way to accept what numbers I’m given and practice loving myself and my progress even more. Whatever you decide to do, just make sure it uplifts you. If the scale makes you crazy and doesn't contribute to you loving yourself ... maybe you should stay off of it for a while. You are doing a WONDERFUL job. I hear the last pounds are the hardest to get off, so keep doing the right things, take a deep breath and let your body do it's thing! YAY REBECCA! Happy Holidays to all! ~Fran

I've already started kicking it into high gear - holiday season or not! So I am with you! 2011 is going to see a new me. I am building up to do a 5K (walking - I've had back surgery and can no longer run) cancer walk in May with friends. I am currently walking 1+ miles M-F and will increase as I continue. I have had a really hard time getting the weight off my torso. My legs and hips are shrinking just fine, but oooohhhh my stomach! It's holding on for dear life! LOL We can do this, count me in!!! ~Fran

Yep, that was me too. My problems with my weight were never about hunger ... at least not physical hunger. My problem has always been head hunger, eating over emotion, just about ANY emotion. So, eight months before my surgery I started seeing a therapist, an obesity therapist. Had a session today, it was great!! Journaling works for some, others keep a food diary ... my therapist has had me do both. I won't tell you that things are always smooth sailing, but the head hunger is soooo much better than before. Now, when I want to eat but I know I am not hungry, I take a moment to think about what I am feeling and why I think food will make things better. Usually I am able to "talk myself down from the ledge" LOL But, I've been at this so long now that I just take the short cut: I ask myself if it's time to eat and if the answer is "no" then I think about how eating over an emotion will make my journey to my goal weight that much longer ... so I skip it. It took a while to get to the "short cut" point, but I got there. I have an example tonight. I thought about having a glass of wine or two. I don't drink often, but hey, it's Saturday night and I have a bottle in the fridge. Well, alcohol is just wasted calories and will wipe out much of the exercise I did this week so, I'm skipping it ... just not worth it. Today, it's not a big deal ... that wasn't always the case, denying myself something was just not an option in the past. Hang in there, find ways to break the old habits. You can get a lot of good advice on this forum. Take what you can use and leave the rest behind. All the best to you on your journey.

I tried the adult chewables by Centrum and ... well, let's just say the bottle is still full. YUCK! There is a very good liquid viatamin by Balanced Essentials ... pricey and doesn't taste good. I would take it as soon as I got out of bed ... I would stumble to the refrigerator and down it before I could wake up and taste it. LOL But now, I take Vitafusion multiple Vitamins for adults ... they're delicious! And VERY reasonable at Target. Hope you find something that works.

Ok, well ... old age will get you everytime, my birthday is Thursday the 16th, not tomorrow! LOL Guess I am anxious!

Thanks and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you too!!

Yay Mikki!!! Congratulations! Wooooo whooooo! Yeah, I bought a pair of 14/16 jeggings about 2 weeks ago ... they are no longer "hugging" like they are meant to (I have increased my exercise like crazy lately). And the new slacks that I bought that were snug are now fitting a little loose. YAY! This is the best Christmas ever!!! Yes Virginia, there IS a Santa Clause! LOL!

Well Nicole, remembering that everyone is different ... I think I hit my sweet spot at my 7th fill. I was banded on June 15, 2010 and hit my sweet spot somewhere around April of this year ... maybe March. I haven't been back to see my doc since. LOL I am a slow loser and haven't been on a scale in more than 7 months. I was obsessed with the scale and would become discouraged when I didn't like the numbers; so when my batteries died, I threw away my scale. I only know that I am losing weight because I have had to buy new clothes. I have stepped up my exercise recently and the new clothes I bought a few weeks ago (I bought them just a tiny bit snug) are now loose. The good news is I've lost weight, the GOOD news is I get to go shopping again, YAY!!! LOL Okay, yeah, maybe I should wait a few before buying more new clothes - money doesn't grow on trees. LOL But, we'll see. Take a deep breath, Nicole, you are going on an "E-ticket" ride (showing my age) and you can stay on it for as long as you are willing to do the work. When you start to get discouraged just remember that as much as we would all like to wave a magic wand and have the weight fall off -- it ain't gonna happen that way. The band is a tool and it works as hard as we are willing to work. If you find yourself overeating during the holidays remind yourself that it really is a choice what we put into our mouths. It is true that when you get to your sweet spot, making that choice will be easier, but it's good to get into the habit of knowing that YOU are in control of what happens to your body. Nicole, you are young and beautiful and YOUR FUTURE'S SO BRIGHT, YOU'LL HAVE TO WEAR SHADES! LOL Just be patient, better days are ahead! I am having a great time with my band and I'm going to be 55 tomorrow! Wish I had done it when I was your age, but glad I did it at all!

Randomran ... nice to know I am not alone. I used to be a nighttime eater. I am better now, but still have to "fight the feeling" sometimes (like last night, but I made it) It is a mind blow and almost creepy how rarely I feel hunger. When I need calories, I feel it, but no more night eating at all and it's really easy. Same here, I rarely feel hunger - physically, just the need for calories - Protein I suppose. I still battle head hunger if I stay up to late. I eat dinner about 6:30pm and am not hungry the rest of the night. SOOOO not how I have EVER been. Ditto. I feel like a new person sometimes. Couldn't be happier about the "new me". It's a hard transition, but you may want to give it a try if you want to. It certainly wasn't a "walk in the park", but now that I am here ... a walk in the park every morning at 6 a.m. is just what I do! Another thing I do at night when I think I (or may actually be) hungry is drink a cup of hot herbal tea. Helps me feel satiated and lulls me off to sleep. Hope the hungries go away soon, Fluffy Girl. ~F

Yep, been there, done that ... hated it! I guess it was aroung the 4 or 5 month, probably my 4th or 5th fill. I thought I was THERE, sweet spot heaven ... NOT! So, I called my doc and made an appointment for another fill. Hang in there, you're on your way. Remember, this is not a race, and depending on your doc (mine was very liberal with the fills) you only have so much control over when/how much fill you get. Don't let the frustration get the better of you, it will only make you eat more (or least that was true for me --before restriction). This can be a difficult time of year. A time when even thin people overeat. Give yourself a break. Do the best you can and be kind to yourself. You will get there! ~F

seknj, when I read your post it was just about time for me to go to lunch. I started thinking about a hamburger. LOL I thought about the burger that I wanted but had to think smaller because I knew it would be too much. When I thought about the smaller burger I knew that even it would be too much. Since I didn't bring my lunch to work today I knew I was going to have to think of something. Took me about 30 minutes ... I went downstairs and got a salad with chicken. Oh well, it's not a juicy, tasty cheeseburger ... but it's much more likely to get me to my goal. All in all, I am glad I made the healthier choice ... but I certainly know how you feel!

You are liquids because usually after a fill there is swelling. If you eat food while swollen it can cause irritation and the swelling doesn't go down. Docs can be different, how long does your doc want you to do liquids? After a fill my doc had me on liquids for 24 hours. Sounds like your doc is keeping secrets from you (i.e., you didn't know you would be on liquids after a fill). LOL The next time you go in for a fill you might want to take a list of questions about being banded so you won't have anymore "unpleasant" surprises. One more thing ... just in case you haven't heard ... a large number of people (myself included) do NOT have restriction after their first fill. Hang in there Sdart, things will get better. All the best to you on your journey.

I am sure you would never say anything to a stranger, but I don't think it is odd that, because of your success with WLS, you would want others to be as happy as you are. Lately, I have had a lot of lessons about "perspective". An example would be this morning as I did my mile at the track. I saw 2 new women walking the track, rather slowly. They were very heavy and yes, the thought did cross my mind that perhaps WLS could be life changing for them as it has been for me. But, then perspective popped into my mind. First, it may be a major success for them that they are even out walking. Second, although I have gone from a size 26 to a size 14/16, I am by no means thin -- I feel great, and at 5'8" I look pretty good in my clothes (my legs are long and slender -- I carry my weight on top -- uggghhh), but next to my thin-all-her-life sister who is 5'6" and weighs 119 lbs, I look pretty big. It's all relative, you know? My best friend (since we were 5 yrs old) has been heavy like me all our lives. Last week I asked her if she wanted to walk with me in the morning, she immediately said "absolutely not!" and gave me a flimsy excuse about not tying her exercise to another person. Mind you, she's been "talking" about exercising for 2 years now -- hasn't started yet. It kind of stung when she was so abrupt about not going because I was thinking in terms of having time with my best friend, but I know she wasn't trying to hurt me. So, as much as I would like to see her get healthier and lose the weight, I have to respect her choice to do it her way -- no matter what the result. I understand how you feel. When we are happy we want to share our happiness with everyone! But, as we all know from experience, weight loss is a touchy subject. All the best to you as you continue your journey! ~F

Jessica, I bought my Vitafusion Fiber Gummies at Target. They weren't with the vitatmins, they were on the aisle with the Benefiber, Metamucil, etc.

I recently started taking Vitafusion Fiber Gummies. They taste great too! They were slow to start working, but after a few days I have become more regular. The constipation was killing me! LOL I also take the Vitafusion adult vitatmins, like I said, great taste. I have tried other things in the past like Metamucil and Benefiber but it seemed they just got stuck. So I am now sold on the Vitafusion. That's my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

Allison, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Yes, you have been a big help. You are to be commended for losing 150 lbs at such a young age! That is fantastic! Your explanation sounds sooo reasonable to me. I can see myself doing the same thing for the same reasons. If it is any help to you, continue to come to this forum for support. Our issues/ages/weights, etc. may not all be the same, but I think we all understand the journey and want to help and support each other. You have been a tremendous help to me and you remain a success story as far as I am concerned. It's not over till the fat lady sings ... and around here we are ever-shrinking, so the fat lady won't be singing. LOL Keep your head up. We can do this! ~Fran

Please hang in there, I am sure that someone on this forum will have great advice for you. I, on the other hand, have a question. You lost 150 lbs with the lap band, had to have some Fluid taken out and gained almost 50 lbs, right? I totally commend you on losing the weight. As a bandster myself I know that it takes a lot of work to get the weight off. Some people think we have "taken the easy way out" by having WLS, but we both know better than that. My question has to do with the mind and changes in the way we feel about food. After having the band for 4 years your feelings/attitude/thinking about food didn't change? This scares me because after being banded for 18 months and struggling with the "mind" or "emotional" part of my food issues even now -- although I am much, much, MUCH better than before banding -- your story makes me think that maybe I will never get a handle on this. What do you think happened? Do you feel that your attitude about food is the same as before, similar or completely different? Sorry that I am "asking" rather than giving advice. I really do think you can shed some light on how the band works long term. Thanks. All the best to you on your journey. Don't lose hope ... we are all here for you. You can start again with us and lose those pounds in no time. ~F

My change isn't fish, it's chicken ... boneless, skinless chicken to be exact. Never in a million years would I have believed that I would opt for skinless chicken! I buy NOTHING else when buying chicken. I love it! I sautee it with a little pressed garlic, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and lemon pepper. Delicious! Who knew?!?! I have acquired a few new fish grilling/baking recipes that I plan to try soon too. All the best to you on your journey. ~F

Angela, I am so sorry for the loss of so many in your family. I applaud you for taking steps to ensure that your life is not only different, but long and healthy. You are very brave. I say that because it can't be easy to be the "maverick" in your family and take a different route. Upsetting the status quo in any family has its challenges. KUDOS to you! While your story is a sad one, it is truly a reminder to all to count our blessings -- big and small. You make me so glad I had this surgery. Thank you for sharing. All the best to you on your journey. ~Fran