kippers

I'm glad you are feeling better. I love that this board is here where people are going through the same thing and understand the valleys as well as the peaks. Best wishes.

Hi! I'm a newbie to this board, and a relative newbie to the band, but I'm not new to any of those feelings you wrote about. Ever since I started the journey to get the band, I've experienced peaks and valleys in my motivation and feelings about myself. Stop and remember why you chose to go through this major surgery. Think about how you want to feel, what you want to do, in the long term- not today- not this month- but one year and five years from now. Are the current stresses you are experiencing worth sabotaging those goals? Is there any way you can eliminate some of these stresses? Right now, I'm battling myself in how I face these stresses- I've used food for the past decade to "reward" myself for those hard days. If you're experiencing depression that is affecting your daily life, would you consider talking to your doctor about an antidepressant? One plus with many of these is also that it curbs appetite. I'm on Prozac now and that has helped me remain on an even emotional keel as I have mild depression. Does this help at all? Life is going to lead us through ups and downs with or without this crazy band. How we choose to let them affect us is a conscious choice we emotional eaters will have to face. I've been beating myself up a lot lately, and I have to keep that big picture in mind- I see myself feeling strong and capable and able to hike up a mountain- and it helps me keep going and close the chip bag or ice cream carton. HUGS

Hi! I've been struggling with head hunger for the past few weeks. I was banded 6/14 and had my first fill a few weeks ago. I only feel modest restriction. Right now, I'm battling old habits and need to fight back hard! It's that 5-11 p.m. block of time when, in retrospect, I realize I must have been eating pretty much non-stop. I find myself grazing, eating and mad at myself for it. I'm a teacher, and do great with eating during the day (protein shakes, Water, string cheese), but come home exhausted and sometimes famished. How have you successfully battled your old eating habit demons? I need to start a basic plan of exercise and literally lay out what I can eat for Snacks. I'd love to hear what has worked for you- I have 15 years of bad habits to undo and relearn good habits. Thanks!

Thank you everyone for the friendly welcomes! I should have clarified that I was 243 when I started the process, and came in somewhere around 233 when I had surgery- so the loss isn't as dramatic as I first made it sound. It is exciting to feel restriction. One thing that is helping with the urge to eat is adding sugar-free flavorings to ice cold Water bottles (it's super hot here right now). I've discovered Wylers light singles to go in raspberry and (for the moment) they are delicious! I've never been big on exercise, but now is the time to really jump in. My 9 year old wants to do Wii Fit with me every night, and that may just be the ticket during this busy season, and a bonding time, too! Thank you for the words of encouragement. I can't even imagine making it to a size 4! Gail

Hi! Ive come to this site for encouragement during low moments and I want to join in. I'm Gail, 44, in California and had lap band surgery mid-June of this year. My first fill was last week. I started the process last November and had the surgery June 14. According to the home scale, (which is painfully close to the doctor's scale) I've dropped from 243 in May to 209.5 this morning. I'm 5'4" and my goal is to drop back down into the 130s, where I was for most of my 20s. I've been seriously battling my weight for 14 years and am eager for these pounds and bulges and bags to let loose! Right now, what I'm struggling with most, is battling old habits. I'm a spec. ed. teacher, mom and grad. student and now that school is back in session, I see how much time I spent actually eating every evening. I'm also struggling with exercise right now, too, working it into my schedule and seriously committing to it. I'm also struggling with redefining myself and finding comfort in something more than food. I'm fine during the day, downing Water mixed with Crystal Light and Protein shakes, but it's those hours from 5-11 that may do me in if I don't turn it around. I'd love any advice that anyone may wish to share. I've got 5 CCs in a 10 CC band and feel some restriction. My doctor is conservative and does fills only every eight weeks max. I'm happy to have lost this much, and today had a mild NSV when I realized that a pair of capris I couldn't even get over my butt pre-op were getting a little too loose today, but I'm feeling just a little blue right now, especially as I face my old high caloric habits square in the face. Thanks everyone! I have been soooo inspired by all of you!