arkansasbandster

Wow - I LOVE your attitude! You remind us all that life is for living! I'm not to the point your at ... YET ... but it's where I ultimately want to end up. At about 10 weeks out and not much restriction, I watch my intake pretty closely most days. But reading posts like yours gives me something to aim at. Thank you!!

I think it's so great that every single day that we wake up, we have a chance to begin again. Plan your strategy, make it happen. Good luck to you!

Is that good??!! Girl, you're down 21 pounds in 4 weeks. That's over 5 pounds per week. When have you ever lost so much weight before, AND with the confidence that it's gone for good, not just until the eventual bingeing that certainly always follows severe food restriction. So yeah, I'd say you're doing FANTASTIC!!! As far as when you start eating -- follow your doctor's recommendations as far as protein and caloric requirements. Follow those recommendations like your life depends on it (oh, yeah - it does!!). You'll do great. Congratulations!

How wonderful of you to share your mom's touching eulogy with us. I enjoyed seeing a little glimpse of who your mother was -- I know her memory will one day bring such a peace to you and a smile to your face, rather than tears to your eyes. Thanks for sharing with us.

Make sure that you're diligently tracking your liquid and mushie calories. These add up REALLY fast, so you could be consuming a lot more calories than you even realize. Not saying that's the case with you, cuz I don't know .... just saying to double check that. Good luck to you!

WOO HOOO!!! That's just great - BIG congratulations to you!!

My first fill was like you described -- a lot of trying to find it! But my doctor made good notes about location and which way it was pointing, and this time, it was so fast, I didn't even know he was in yet! Hopefully yours will be so easy next time, too.

How fun! Life is just a circle, isn't it? Never throw out anything, cuz it'll be in style before we know it! And I love the new haircut! It's nostalgic, but somehow brand new at the same time! : )

Congratulations!! I'm glad the surgery went good for you. Be sure to keep us updated over the next few days and let us know how it's going. Welcome to the banditos!

Hi ConB - Yes, people do eat popcorn again. I've had it several times, but I know that's one of the things that is hard to tolerate for some. Just because you read some people do or don't tolerate a certain food doesn't mean you will or won't. You'll experiment and find your best foods. Best of luck to you on your doctor's appointment tomorrow. Listen to your heart, your gut, and your head. If it's right to continue with the surgery, you'll feel it if you listen closely to yourself. It's not for everybody, but so far, I'm lovin' it.

Yay!! Congratulations on reaching YOUR sweet spot. Great blog. You absolutely said exactly what I feel. I will NOT tolerate never being able to eat bread, puking up most of my meals, eating one teaspoon at each meal. No way. Not ever. I'm only 9 weeks out today (going in for my second fill in about half an hour), have lost 32 pounds, and my eating is under control. I'm in Onederland again, and my jeans are comfortable. I'M COMFORTABLE! Can't wait to continue on with the weight loss, but I'll not sacrifice my sense of normalcy for accelerated weight loss. As we always say - the band is a "tool". Meaning I've got to do my part. And if I've got to strangulate myself so much that I can't eat anything, well, that's just not what I will accept. Thanks for sharing your sweet spot story with us! Awesome!!!!!

When I saw that you'd just posted, I was so excited. He's back!! I came to this place after you were long gone, but through random clicks on miscellaneous blogs, had come across one of yours. It touched me so much, that I then went back and read each and every one of them, amazed at your prowess with words, amazed at how I could relate to so much of your emotion. You have a succinct way of exposing your underbelly in such a shoot-from-the-hip manner. Then as I got to the end of your posts, and you said you had nothing else to say and was leaving, I felt saddened -- because you, like no other, get to the absolute heart of things for us all. I was hoping as I began reading your latest post that it would be filled with the halleluiah's and whoops and whistles from your most recent victory over the hunger demons -- but, of course, that wasn't what I found. Once again, I found a straightforward heartfelt post that we can all relate to in one way or another. I can very much relate to your relationship with alcohol. It's all so familiar to me - "Am I an alcoholic, am I not -- maybe I can just drink more like a lady if I try harder, maybe if I just switch to beer and lay off the hard stuff." All of that internal dialogue I was intimately familiar with for about 25 years. Five and a half years ago, I realized that the label didn't matter, it all boiled down to one thing: alcohol was prohibiting me from being the person I wanted to be -- somebody that I could be proud of -- and I quit. Yep, have not had a drink since. I was sick of it all, and finally found some internal source of power that told me to stop all the messing around and get to the task at hand -- changing my life and stop all the crap feelings telling me I had no choice in the matter. I found an online sponsor to help me with some of the AA stuff, and got on with discovering who I was without alcohol. I can tell you that it is all TOTALLY relevant and runs concurrently with our food issues. I know that many of us will spend our lifetime digging down there to find out the root of it all. The whole point of it is -- when you decide, really decide, that you want to make a change in your life, whether it be alcohol, overeating or other poor life choices -- you most certainly have the fortitude to do it. Just take the steps to make these changes, and they will happen. What I've discovered for myself is that life goes by so quickly. As friends and family members die, this realization is solidified for me. And I, for one, have decided that I'm not going to let another day, month, year, DECADE go by being somebody I don't want to be and feeling like I'm the victim. A very wise man (okay, my oldest brother) once told me years ago, "You're in a deep hole, waiting for somebody to throw you a rope, and you can't even see that there's a ladder right there next to you." May you find your ladder. And please keep posting -- you add such texture to this site. Cindy

Cleo - Don't be discouraged yet. It takes just a bit of healing time, and then it should get better almost every day. I took my doctor's words of advice to heart, and walked. And walked and walked and walked. The first 12 hours out of surgery, I'd walked four miles, but just in little increments. Everytime it hurt, I walked. My recovery time was REALLY short, and I contribute that to the walking. Plus, it'll start setting the stage for good exercise habits to come. Try to stay positive, and remember, we're all in this same boat together. You can do this!!

You sound so much like me with the "cheating" mentality, and I've made it a major goal to try to change this for myself. My whole life, I've either been "on" a diet, or "off" a diet - translation: I've either been GOOD or I've been BAD. This crazy relationship with food has just got to change, and now we have the tool to do it. Try not to think of it as cheating -- just track your calories and stay within a range that you and/or your doctor has set for optimal weight loss. Try to keep good nutrition first and foremost on your mind, but that doesn't mean you have to live the life of a food nun! I know for me, if I rule something out, that's the thing I'm going to want! So hang in there, you sound like you've got a great attitude. Progress, not perfection! : ) Best of luck to you.

I know what you're going through. There have been a couple of times that I just became so sad and a bit anxious about the changes in my eating. When we come to rely upon food for comfort and relaxation, it's a big shock when we change what food means to us. It's a process, and it really does get easier, like the others have said. I'm only 8 weeks post-op now, but am feeling much more strong and centered. I know that there will be times when I feel anxious, even sad and missing my "best" (yeah, right!) friend, the big comforting pig out. I remind myself that the "friend" has really caused me a lot of damage. I'm finding other ways to deal with feeling down, and I know you will, too. Progress, not perfection -- remember, we're just learning this whole new relationship with food. It'll keep getting easier, I'm sure of it. Good luck to you, and keep up that great walking. It really helps!

Thank you for a great boost tonight! I'm only five weeks out, but I feel like so much has changed for me already. Oddly, my moods have really leveled out since being banded. Maybe the lack of sugar highs and carb overloads are keeping me on a more even-keel. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I always enjoy reading your posts -- thanks!!

Wow!!! You should be so proud of yourself! Thanks for being such a motivation to all of us!!

I loved your to-the-point post! I was banded only five weeks ago, so I don't have a lot of band history under my belt. I find it really interesting, and a bit confusing, as to the vast differences in doctors' recommendations about what to eat vs. what not to eat. My doctor is ADAMANT about returning to eating a very balanced diet -- he highly encourages us to eat good, whole wheat bread and other complex carbs (after the protein allotment, of course). So far, all that's been working great for me, losing a good amount of weight while doing it. Just have to make sure I take my time. But it sounds like you're fine with an only-protein diet, it's working for you, and that is absolutely what counts! Thanks for sharing your experience.

I'm down about 25 pounds, and haven't dropped a size yet. BUT, I also realize that I was squeezing myself into this size, and now, they're fitting much more comfortably. So really, in essence, I have dropped a size if I would have not been wearing my clothes so tight! Maybe your clothes are fitting much looser, too! :blushing:

Hi - I was banded by Dr. Wellborn on August 11, 2009, and I'm four weeks out of surgery now. I've had the same experience as the previous posters -- I appreciate how they take all the time you need. I've not ever felt like the doctor or his staff weren't willing to take the time to answer my questions thoroughly (definitely WAY different than my PCP or other docs I've been to). I'm thrilled with the band so far. Started out at 232, and am down to 209 -- in just four weeks. I'm already starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin. Just moving around seems easier. The key for me has been exercising. I have walked EVERY day since my surgery (including the day OF my surgery, when I walked three miles in about 1/4 mile increments to help with the gas pains), in addition to my other strenuous exercise (karate four times per week). Also, he recommended 800 calories per day, and that is exactly what I stick to. I don't want to stay at 800 calories forever, for sure, but I weigh, measure, and count. For now, that's what I'll continue to do. All in all, I'd highly recommend Dr. Wellborn. He comes across as just a guy off the street, kind of, but I've come to understand that he is a very talented surgeon and I've grown to trust him.

Thank -- I'll look there!

Hi - I'm fairly new to lapbandtalk (had my surgery 3 weeks ago). You had mentioned in your post about the thread "I'm here to help." I'll be danged if I can find it! I've searched the blog list, I've searched the forum list. Can you please tell me how to locate it? Thanks a million!