TheCurvyMermaid

Hi All, I've had an account here for a while, but haven't ever really been active. I was banded in June of '08 and had a serious rollercoaster ride with my band, almost from the start. About six months after surgery, I started having problems finding the proverbial "sweet spot." I either had too little restriction and wouldn't lose weight, or I had too much, and would start upon a horrible cycle of sliming, throwing up, and eventually being so swollen that I couldn't eat or drink. I had difficulty eating meat, and most fruits and vegetables. salad was a total no-go. This was often the case even when I didn't seem to be too tight and had no problem eating other foods. I couldn't eat carrot sticks or chicken, but had no problem scarfing down ice cream or a bag of cheetos. In fact, at one point that's *all* I could get down, and I would eat them just to get SOMETHING in my system and get my blood sugar off the floor. (Oops... yeah, I'll own that I made some bad eating choices!) I even had trouble sleeping. After three years, I'd lost almost 50 lbs, but I was so miserable that I couldn't take it anymore. My band was too tight, I had constant heartburn, and I could barely get liquids down. I didn't want to give up (especially after financing my surgery out of pocket.) but I just couldn't do it any longer. By the time I was unfilled, I couldn't get down broth, much less any of my daily medications. (Which in my case is BAD.) I had my band completely unfilled, and haven't been back to the clinic since. Every once in a while when I eat the wrong thing or eat too fast, I'll get a stab to the chest and remember that the old girl is still in there, but otherwise it's been pre-surgery eating as usual, with both good and bad choices, and everything in between. Now, a year and a half of yo-yo-ing later, I've regained most of the weight I'd lost, and I've decided to try it again. I'm hoping for a better result, but I'm afraid I'll end up facing the same issues. I feel like I have to completely re-acquaint myself with proper band eating, and after my history I really don't know what to expect. I'm nervous and uncertain of what's ahead. Has anybody else been in the same boat?

Do you ever get overwhelmed by how far you have to go? In my case, I've lost 40 lbs in six months (which is great, don't get me wrong!) but I still have about 75 lbs to go to get to the top of my healthy BMI range. It seems like an awfully big mountain to climb, and I'm prone to self doubt. I'm not talking about quitting or giving up, but I frequently ask myself if I can really pull this off... I've lost and regained this same 40-50 pounds so many times before, and I've never been able to crack 230. The last time I was under 230 was my sophomore year of high school, 17 years ago. Also, I just had to have a little bit of fluid taken out of my band because I was having heartburn and reflux issues, along with getting stuck. I have less restriction now, and I can certainly eat more if I want to, and I'm afraid I'll self sabotage. Have you been there? How do you beat back your self doubt and the enormity of the task ahead?

I do! I'll totally own that I gave in last night, and stood in the dark kitchen eating Nutella out of the jar with a spoon, hoping my roommates wouldn't "catch" me. I can eat almost anything as long as I take it slow. I can usually keep myself on track with will power, but I falter some days. The head-food issues don't go away just because you're banded, that's for sure!

Add me too, please! JustSing

If you're on the desktop site, click on the "community" tab. Once you've done that, one of the menu options is "find members" . Then search by username, and click "add friend" once you're on their profile.

Hi Renee, I don't have anything that small (yet) but have you tried checking second hand stores? Goodwill, Savers, Deseret Industries, or whatever is in your area? I understand trying to shop for clothes on a tight budget. I buy the majority of my clothes second hand. Good luck to you!

I have a hard time getting enough fiber, myself. I'm drinking more water, eating bran cereal and Fiber One bars, and adding chia seeds to my water. They are high in fiber, protein, and Omega-3s. The texture is a little odd, but they work well in crystal light, or ice tea. They plump up in water, and have kind of a tapioca/gel texture, but they go down really easy with the band. You can also add them to soups and stuff. My band nutritionist turned me on to them.

I'm "JustSing"