Search the Community

Lori, keeping fingers crossed for your DD...sorry she's not feeling well, but geeze she's got that baby in there and it's got to be pushing on stuff everywhere. I wish her the best. Linda, I have a step son too and I do understand. DH does most of the stuff for him, but I still have to watch what I say on some stuff. Step son will turn 18 in May and then it doesn't matter because most of the problem was with his mother. She would keep Robbie away from DH and I wouldn't allow that. Robbie's Mom is bi-polar and is on and off her meds so you never know what's going on. The poor kid has some issues too but for now it's not drug or alcohol abuse. He's seen the negative sides of that and doesn't want any part of it. Yipee for that. Had a dentist appointment this morning...regular cleaning. Not my favorite thing, but necessary. We watched a cute movie in Spanish class called Valentin. I really enjoyed it, but needed the sub titles. Working at my job a little. They're finally send me stuff to do. Not much else exciting. Hope everyone is good! Eva

A happy and healthy New Year to all! As someone said, we get to do a do-over. Keep sending in all those good results; I plan to join you! Jewel, you must be excited about your surgery. The healing is minimal and soon you will be on your way. I wish there was surgery for the head.... My sister, who weighs 100, but has an eating disorder, does not eat any sugar. Period. Hasn't for years. I just don't seem to be able to entirely eliminate any one thing. Why can't I look at potato chips (for example) as an alcoholic looks at liquor? To know that I just cannot eat that. Can't..won't....well, maybe just a little.... Isn't it funny how someone can be so strong in some areas and the one thing that we DO have total control over (what we put in our mouths) is my weakness. I have a change of attitude coming. I think with more exercise and better meal choices, I will feel better physically and ...emotionally. Is there anyone that is starting over again, like me? judy--hugs to all

Thanks for the congrats guys. I'll probably be going up and down for the next week before the new weight settles in. Thats what usually happens. Jessica, as a Christian who went to Christian schools and sent my kids there and as one who teaches in a Christian school, I gotta say your SIL is nuts. She'd rather do the most unChristian thing I've heard of than get the child the help he needs from a public school? He's probably ADHD with a learning disability and now the hormones are kicking in. And she's too busy and tired trying to raise and homeschool the rest of them to give him the extra help and attention he needs. So she'd rather get rid of him than send him where he can get the help he needs and admit that she's failing him. What misplaced pride. The most generous interpretation I have is that she's having pregnancy psychosis. What a message she's sending to the other children. Screw up, don't measure up to our "Christian" standards and we will get rid of you. Where is her DH in all this? Why isn't he getting her the help she needs? Including psychiatric. I would have the boy thoroughly evaluated before fostering or adopting him. He may be very damaged already from his first home life as well as the second. He may need special placement in a therapeutic setting, particularly if he has bonding issues and PTSD as well as academic and behavioral issues. Reactive Attachment Disorder can make adopting an absolute nightmare. Some of these children are too damaged to be placed in a regular family. If that is the case with your nephew, then we may be judging your sister too harshly. Sometimes these children are actually a danger to their parents and siblings. But like most sociopaths they can present really well to outsiders who don't see them on a daily basis. They can be very charming but never actually bond and feel no remorse over doing wrong or hurting others, only over getting caught. They can be highly manipulative and you end up feeling crazy and not knowing why. I think what you are offering is tremendous and I truly hope it works out. Make sure you have state funding and medical care for this child and payment for any therapy and extra tutoring he might need. I would initially go foster care with him because once adopted you might not have access to funding to provide for his needs. My brother and his wife had to give a young child back to the province because the local social services refused to diagnose the child as having rad and provide them with the support services they needed. They had the child privately evaluated and found out she not only had RAD and PTSD, she was ADHD and had Fetal Alcohol Sysndrome. It killed them to do it but they did not have the training or the access to funds to provide the child with the care she needed and this was the only way they could force the province and social services to provide for her. The two or three years they went through all that were some of the worst times of their life and they felt like total failures. Cheri

Okay so I confronted my husband last night needless to say we talked slashed argued. I used the examples everyone gave me like bringing booze home to an alcoholic. He said he has put up with my dieting since we were dating so for over 10 years and I guess he is over it. I said if you bring the candy home put it in another place than in his desk where I can get it. I explained sugar and carbs are my drugs of choice. He asked why was I trying to kill myself ? I could not give him an answer except I said I can't control alot of things in my life right now except what I put in my mouth. Which is so stupid cause what I eat make me feel worse. I don't smoke I have a drink sometimes but eating is my drug like so many of us. When I was getting my tattoos the pain hurt but made me felt better like I deserved it. So when I could not use my birthday money to get more work done on my tattoo I was upset and ate. I want to be one of those people who use exercise instead of food to make myself feel better, but even though I live close to work my husband does not like the idea of me walking to work. I am so tired of being told what to do by him. He really is not horrible person I know it sounds like he is but you have to meet him to know how much he gives of himself to his family and friends. I told he yesterday to lay off about my job I like it, I know we have to pay cobra but stop stress over it we can't change it; however in the mean time I have contacted someone I used to work with at my old job who left that company and went somewhere else. I gave him my resume and he said to expect a call in a couple of days because he really liked my work ethic when we worked together and he thought them letting me go was a bad thing they did to me. Okay so I c my shrink on Tuesday can't wait. Right now as I am typing this I want more than anything to be back to the way I was exercising, taking care of myself. I have the tools I need but my dam head gets in the way okay the carb monster. I bring good stuff to eat for lunch at work I eat that but still have room for a snack. Vending machine crap. Does this mean I need a fill or is that just head stuff getting in the way. I only ask cause I am supposed to go c my LB Dr on Monday and don't know if I should push my appt back talk to the shrink get my head back in order give myself a chance to use my tools before spending the $100 I really don't have. Even though he might give me a fill. Opinions about the LB Dr anyone? I hope this answer alot of questions everyone had. I Love you all and you are all such wonderful friends. Maybe the next big adventure could be you all come to Ga and we can meet. I would so Love that.

Caught up again. Whew! Such prolific writers. Feel like my cold is letting up. It never got bad. Just felt weighed down and draggy and medicine made me loggy. Maltitol and other sugar alcohols can cause gas. Wish more high Protein low carb products used splenda. Hadn't had an Atkins shake for a few days. Had one this afternoon and had terrible gas a few hours later. Sometimes it hits me, sometimes it doesn't. TMI LOL. Watching It's Complicated. Love Merrill Streep. Gonna get to it now. Cheri

Jessica, your Dr. sounds like some of the extremely controlling rigid food Nazi's who took over OA around these parts. I do believe we use carbs to take the edge off our emotions; I certainly use carbs to medicate my ADHD. I used them so much I gained 80 extra lbs just so I could sit still and stay in one place. LOL. However, many carbs are low glycemic and fruits and veggies contain flavenoids and micronutrients that are very good for us, and even white potatoes have potassium (if not much else). Unlike alcoholics and drug addicts, we can't just eliminate food from our lives, not even carbs. Frankly, I can eat turkey, one mouthful after the other, until I'm "stuffed." And its not a carb. We do have to be vigilant because we are never "cured" of this disease. But with the help of the band, I can stay on top of it. Knowing my trigger foods I can stay away from them most of the time. And when my food is threatening to get out of control and the weight is coming back I go to the tool that helped me lose weight, which was several days of almost no carb eating followed by a few days of maintenance low carb eating. And guess what! Exercise takes the edge off our emotions and helps us deal with them. So is that something we shouldn't do in order to fully feel our emotions? Going to church and participating in activities and participating in a community are all supposed to help us stay positive and fight depression and live longer. So should we stop doing that in order to fully feel our feelings? Psychotropic(?) drugs have enabled many people to live much more meaningful lives rather than staying stuck in manic or depressive or paranoid or aggressive or obsessive thinking and feeling. So should we take everyone off those drugs so they can fully feel their feelings? Balderdash! (Great word isn't it?) Oprah has had every food, lifestyle, and feel your feelings guru on her show and emotes frequently in front of national audiences. She can pay people to manage her food and train her body. Guess what? She still has an eating disorder that keeps her fat. Let me tell you, most of those food nazi's in OA could have used a little more chocolate in their lives. Maybe they wouldn't have been so nasty. Nasty nazi's. LOL. Some of the most judgemental, controlling, paranoid people I've ever met. They weighed and measured and counted everything, carbs, calories, fat grams. They decided they were allergic to this and to that food and that everyone else must be too. And if you weren't doing things exactly like them then you weren't "sober." You had to have a food sponsor to whom you reported your food, preferably twice a day, and they frequently had spiritual sponsors and program (12 step) sponsors to help them work the steps. Balderdash! Anyway, your Dr. sounds like he's fallen amongst these theives of common sense and proponants of fuzzy logic. So, that's my rant for the day. LOL. Felt good. Cheri

Lori/Great -- you DD's MIL is simply a control freak and is being ridiculous. You should e-mail her and tell her neither you or your DD are the hostesses and you do not feel you have the right to ask the hostess to change the date/place. Tell her she is welcome to attend, but if she must send her regrets, YOU will forgive her. What is wrong with people??? I feel so sorry for your DD to have to put up with this woman. Is she an alcoholic or a drug addict? With people like her you must be very direct and don't beat around the bush - if she can't forgive you /your daughter than that's her problem and her problem only. I know it's tough but you gotta hold your own now or it'll only get worse - especially after the baby is born. Your DD needs to take hold of the lasso and rope this woman into reality. She is the one that's nuts, not your dd. Hugs, Linda

Hello everyone! I'm back from my trip and happy to see all of you are doing well. Long, congratulations on another great accomplishment -- I think you already deserve the gold medal, but if Janet is making you do another 10 pounds for the gold, I know you will do it. Such a great inspiration! Julie, hope you have other people helping out making pies and ice cream as it sounds like a lot for just you to do! I'm sure it will be a great time. Sounds like fun. Wish I could be there too. Meredith, just another week! That will go by fast! You're doing great, and I know you'll do great after your surgery too. I loved that you "cheated" with olives. LOL. I too love olives and pickles and crave them sometimes, so I completely understand. I was like you when I did my 2 week liquid diet -- I felt great and was so sick of food by that time that I too was happy to get started with my new life. Pam, so happy that you are feeling better. I also love that your boys said "wow" at last. I think it's true that when we're with people everyday, it is harder to notice the changes. I'm sure you'll get lots and lots of compliments at your reunion. Have a great time. Laura, what a nice experience you had with that woman. It's nice to talk in person to another bandster, isn't it? I have one friend that I met on LBT that had the same surgeon as me and we try to get together after the support group meetings to talk and we e-mail several times a week. I guess we're "lap band sisters." Janet, all I can say is "Wowzeeee!" You look fantastic and soooo skinny -- I'd never ever guess you were ever a fat chick. Love that color of your blouse on you -- so pretty with your skin and hair. Laura, so sorry you are still bothered with TOM. Oh my goodness, that's the ONE advantage of getting old. I don't miss that at all. Charlene, so sorry about your hubby's surgery being postponed, but have faith that it will happen before summer is over. Glad they are so careful so your DH is not in danger. Love your Dr. Garth -- saw some new shows recently - he and his dad are great with their patients. Well, I went to the Lake of Ozarks and behaved pretty well, had a delish margarita one night and a couple of other frozen drinks (someone brought one of those tubs you mix with vodka) and they tasted really great (considering I've had no alcohol since probably Nov. or Dec. LOL. I only had two meals that were not strictly on my plan. One was a chopped salad at an Italian restaurant that has a famous parmesean salad dressing and we went there ESPECIALLY for that salad. But I ordered a small and didn't touch the roll or butter, so that was a victory for me. That same night we met some other friends at a pizza place and the only thing I could order was some pasta with a pink sauce with shrimp, so I ate the shrimp and had a few bites of the pasta and then I offered it to another girl who ate some and so I wouldn't eat the rest I opened the salt shaker and dumped enough in it that would make me not want it. But I was bad and didn't get any exercise in (four days). But the good new is, is that my shoulder which has been bothering me for almost 2 months didn't hurt today when I went back to the gym, so I think that 4 days rest was what it needed to finish healing. So, that's a good thing. I won't weigh until my regular day on Tues., so I hope I did okay. But I had several NSV which I want to share. One of my friends I've always thought of as "thin" gave me an outfit to try on. She said, "it's a little snug on me, but I think it will fit you, so try it on. If you like it you can have it." I said, "oh, I don't think that will fit ME." But OMG, it DID! I couldn't believe it. However, like everyone else, when I look in the mirror, I still see the old me, not the new me when I look in the mirror. Well, after that, there was no stopping me. One of the girls had set up a fashion show at the Dress Barn at the outlet mall and I was shocked at what cute clothes Dress Barn has! Well, to say the least, I spent the most money (by a large margin). I was so busy trying on clothes that I could probably have counted it as exercise (only kidding). But too many cute things and I made it into a size 16 without elastic!! Oh what a thrill! It's been over 10 years since I've had on any pants without elastic. So I'm happy happy now. LOL. And, I was able to wear Large tops and even some mediums. That's a big difference from 3X and 4X I was wearing in January. Just had to share all this good news with my friends here on LBT. Thanks to you all for your support every day. I love you all. Linda

Good Evening Gang I was way to busy at work to ck in today - will be that way all week... It was very hectic - just catching up on email - my desk and my gf Diane's - didn't really get much accomplished just pushing paper from one pile to another.. Then I have this $20 charge on Valentine's day on my debit card - I didn't go anywhere that day - so I called bank - as well 1/2 hr later transfered to 3 pple - I was very frustrated - now I have to go to the bank and get a new debit card - they say it was swiped at 6;40 p.m in Rancho Mirage - I have card and I wasn't in Rancho Mirage at 6:40 p..m. Monday had gym got home around 6:20 - So just a icky day.. Didn't want to go to gym - but did... Rhabdomyolysis is the rapid breakdown (lysis) of skeletal muscle (rhabdomyo) due to damage to muscle tissue. The muscle damage may be caused by physical (e.g. crush injury), chemical, or biological factors. The destruction of the muscle leads to the release of the breakdown products of damaged muscle cells into the bloodstream; some of these, such as myoglobin (a protein), are harmful to the kidney and may lead to acute kidney failure. The severity of the symptoms (which may include muscle pains, vomiting and confusion) depends on the extent of the muscle damage, and whether kidney failure develops. Treatment is with intravenous fluids, and dialysis or hemofiltration if necessary.[1][2] Non-physical causes Non-physical causes reported to cause rhabdomyolysis include:[1][2] Drugs of abuse, including: alcohol, amphetamine, cocaine, heroin, ketamine, LSD Linda - Yep being a step parent is really hard - Hugs Hugs Hugs.. Lori - Hope the baby hurries up and comes, those last few weeks are always tough Charlene - I thought fillers only lasted about a yr - we will see ;0) Well gang - I'm pooped - Ttyl

Morning...interesting conversation. Let's just home none of us discover we only have 24 hours left....if I do, then I don't want to know. We need to resume this conversation for Las Vegas. Laura, I found a "duffle on wheels" type suitcase at the Samsonite outlet store in Phoenix. I love it. It isn't particularly lightweight, but I can sure pack a lot of stuff in it and it has a lot of handles so I can grab it many different ways. I took it to Costa Rica and DH and I use it when we need to check a bag and we just need one extra bag that we share. Cheri....getting plastered is fun at the moment, but the after affects aren't really worth it to me. Ug! But I guess you really need to do it at least once to know what it's all about. I have an automatic shut off valve, I drink too much, I throw up. It's sort of like PBing with alcohol. LOL. Off to work again this morning. I know I'm wishing my life away, but geez, I'm not going to miss the weekly grind of getting up, going to work, not having enough time to do what I want to do. Okay, talk to you all later. Eva

Thanks for the recipes, Apples. I will do the asparagus for sure and will do the roast if I don't find a good prime rib. This will help a lot. I will have to use everyday dishes as that's all I really have except for possibly my mom's set of the blue and white Currier and Ives dishes everyone had in her day. We are really boring when it comes to beverages, DH & I have diet coke or water. We don't drink much alcohol, or tea or coffee just because we don't like it not because we have any issue with it. What should i have to drink??? Is instant coffee a bad thing? I do have a really old coffee maker my kids complain about when they visit (tends to get a lot of grounds in the coffee somehow). Wine? what kind??

I dont usually reply to posts but you sound so blue and some how you touched my heart. being in New Zealand my comments seems of so little help as I feel so far away but here goes. We carry so much emotional baggage with our weight and it makes the whole food addicition thing much harder for us to accept. We should equate it more to alcoholism but much worse because we HAVE to eat to stay alive. I have been struggling with a rice pudding which I made as I had left over milk....why I did this I have not idea...but I have just taken it out and fed it to the chickens. It is so depressing and I try to remember what my alcoholic daughter says to me 'mother if I have one drink I will die' and i suppose if we hadnt had the LB and went on putting on weight we would die too. So what I am trying to say is that at least we have the tools to be able to lose but it is a struggle. In NZ we have to have regular check-ins with a psycologist to aid us with the baggage that we carry and it is a help, sometimes.

Meredith, I was going to OA for a while then all my job crap got in the way i was looking to going back cause it help to be around people who had eating issues. I would say I am a compulsive eater as well. I forgot who it was but someone on this board was talking to me about it. You can go online and get information about meetings and they will send you information as well. I think it is hard for people like our group because our addiction is food and we need food to live unlike people who are in NA or AA who can just put themselves in an enviroment that does not contain the Drugs or Alcohol. I know in OA that is a book and a workbook basically it is the same 12 steps like AA. I did find it informative and like I said once I get settle into my new job I going to get myself back together with a plan of attack to get myself under control and losing again. I have a couple of more days of orientation and then I start working in my dept most likely Thurs so then I will know more of what is expected of me.

Hello my friends and welcome to the new friends! Yeah, baby, on the steel oats! Can't live without 'em! I am IN on the BFL!! Just hope I can complete the whole 12 weeks~~ still reading the book. What type of tracking system do you personally use? I'm getting my plan together now! When is our start date? Who all is down for the BFL? Mini & Marcy-- Confession time: Hello, my name is ShelbiCallie and I get yeast in my belly button. It is stinky and gross. There I said it for all of the interwebs. I put alcohol in there, but I'm going to try Marcy's suggestion! Hey homey, I saw on the news where your area had 5" of rain and some power outages. Hope you're ok. We only got some minor wind and rain -- nothing major. Looks like Ike is taking the Andrew route this time, lucky us, but I'm worried for our FL peeps. Were you around for the Floyd/Fran double whammy a few years back? My Barkley became homeless (we think) during that time and was a stray for about a year in the Rocky Mount area that was hit so hard with floods. He was rescued and then fostered by the NC Lab Rescue until we were approved for his adoption. I wish he could tell me what happened to him. The only mental scar I can see is that he is afraid of riding in a boat. Strange for a lab, eh? my fellow lab folks?? Hope you're feeling better, Denver! I thought I had a 10cc band, too! What's up with that? Mini & Hotmomma -- I'm there with ya. The bad stuff is so easy. The "good for ya" stuff is time consuming! Hotmomma, keep working on those protein shakes ~~ sounds like you need the protein AND the fluids if you're thirsty. Joining in on the crushing meds discussion -- I crush everything that's not chewable, except my Pristiq because it's an extended release and small. Dr. K never told me to, but I learned from Dee and she's my hero, so I follow her advice. (I am serious about this Dee!) Need a Munchkin update! Need a Deb/Tucker update! Happy Saturday peeps, I'm scraping 3 layers of wallpaper today! (I removed crappy paneling and a dropped ceiling yesterday)Care to join me?? My motivation is the beautiful original wood I found underneath!!

:hippie:Yep - I'm back from the land of sun,:sun: surf and mosquitoes. I had a fabulous time, forgot all the sh_t around here, and just kicked back. I didn't eat awful, but drinking :beer:is another story. I promise myself not to weigh for a week, because I will be disappointed, and I am not a number.:violin: I walked at least two miles everyday in the sandy beach, went snorkeling, shopping and in general really enjoyed being "just me". I had several PB's when I'd forget about the choke collar around the neck and the "whatever" didn't go down. Torilla chips were something that I really had to chew. I can relate to the restaurant thing and Pb'ing. It is really uncomfortable, b:mad:ut what the f_ck, I doubt if anyone is really listening. However, third world bathrooms are a great deterent. I haven't figured out what to do when I am really hungry,:hungry: because I'm so used to shoveling it in to satisfy hunger, that I do and am sorry quickly. Thank God for alcohol. But I don't do that at home. :eyebrows: Sorry, no cabana boys, but this gorgeous gentleman came up and asked me if we had met before. I said no, but maybe I had a double and he said, "what a lucky world we live in, if that were true.":bounce: I about fell off my chair. Then he walked back to his wife. So, I think RR is a great idea when Lap is here. You guys figure out the date. I am subbing for the next two and a half weeks.:faint: Hugs, Michelle

OK people, I'm not doing so well this week. No weight loss. I'm eating badly and can't really fathom why -- why would I stop at McDonalds and get a $1 sausage biscuit for Breakfast? There's nothing healthy about it, I was doing so well, etc. I'm having a hard time motivating myself to exercise as much. I started immediately thinking...OMG I need a fill right now! But my fill doc wanted me to wait 3 months after my last fill, which would put it at mid-August. He said it was fine to come back earlier but if I'm losing weight & doing everything I'm supposed to be doing, then I should not need one. So I started thinking. Someone gave me this link (I will copy & paste some of it here): How to Tell When You Are Perfectly Adjusted You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of Protein a day 2. Are you eating 25 grams of Fiber 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories a. Soup can be sign of soft food syndrome b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories -- 7 calories per gram (1) It is also a stomach irritant c. fruit juice is just sugar Water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You cant just eat what's easy c. cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals 6. Are you eating too much junk a. chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, Cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But dont avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of Calcium daily 8. Do you always eat the protein first 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. meat or fish (1) 3 ounces the size of a deck of cards b. Vegetables (1) ½ cup the size of your fist c. Starch (1) If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you dont need much (2) Avoid: rice, potatoes, Pasta 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who dont 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (1) Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine (2) The body has no way to break down artificial fats a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body B. You may need a behavior adjustment 1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If youre not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait. 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small Snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You wont be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes its a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry C. You may need an activity adjustment 1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids D. You may need an attitude adjustment 1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive compulsive thoughts (1) Obsess about something else b. Perfectionism (1) All or none, black and white thinking c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as good and bad e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place? E. You may need a band adjustment 1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set. And I realized...I don't need a band adjustment. I need an eating, behavior, activity & attitude adjustment. I am eating unhealthy stuff, not tracking every day, not eating consciously. I am not exercising as much or for as long. I am obsessing, eating because others are, & weighing myself daily. So...I am going to spend the next two weeks getting back on track. I forgot for a bit that I have to work with the band, it can't do it all. If I am certain that I have everything in place & I am still not losing, then and only then do I need a fill! I am so glad that AdorKable & Brandy posted -- we were worried about you guys!

Are you kidding? An alcohol shot? Wow, totally keep us up to date on this. I have it in both feet and I would be soooo happy if something like that would work. BTW, I CERTAINLY hope that you're not implying that I am somewhat off kilter. I view myself as a staid and serious academic professional who always behaves with great decorum. I'm sure you must have been referring to OTHER members of the group.

Food was on plan yesterday. I had more alcohol than I planned. Today going to the movies after lunch with a friend. I commit to no crapcorn and I'll bring a bottle of water. Also plan to walk the dog.

Would like some input about an upcoming trip... It is s Business Convention and I am trying to figure out a non carbonated, sugarfree, alcoholic beverage to sip on (a weeks worth of business dinners). Prior it would be Bacardi diet or Mike's lite hard lemonade, neither of which will work now. Doc gave me ok to have alcohol but I have no clue what other types of drinks to have. Thanks!

I am a food addict. There are soooo many emotions that go along with realizing it, fighting it, and relapsing. I saw a show where the guy compared being a food addict to being an alcoholic who has to have a drink 4 to 6 times a day but not too much. I was able to quit drugs and cigs because I completely stopped having them. You just can't quit eating. It's a constant struggle. I have not found a psych in my area that specializes in food addiction but I am still looking. Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you need support.

My surgeon said don't drink w hile eating as this can wash food through the band too quick seems to make sense so why r people here drinking with meal ? Also alcohol makes me real hungry!!!

No desire for alcohol what so ever. No rant here, but I'm sure it was part of the constellation of compulsive consumption of all things caloric that lead to my morbid obesity.

Hi, my name is Megan and I am 24 years old. I am in recovery from drugs and alcohol and have been clean for going on 6 years. Last year I decided it was time to work on the other problems I have, in a serious way, and I decided to get the lap-band surgery. I have been in a relationship with my wonderful boyfriend (David) for 4 years and he is very helpful and supportive. I had the surgery on 10/22/07 with no complications or problems. The only problem I did have was with the insurance company (surprise surprise) trying not to hold up their end of the bargain Luckily the company I work for is also wonderful and they have made sure that the insurance company doesn't screw me I have lost 26 pounds and I go to the gym 3-4 days a week for 1 hr +. I am very happy that I had the surgery and look forward to the weight coming off and staying off!

Thank you for sharing. Sadly I am in the same position and today is my 3rd day without alcohol and the withdrawals have been so bad that I needed medication from the doctor to get through it. My blood pressure raised at such high levels it was dangerous. All this is such a shock to me and before my bypass back in December 2017 I was never really interested in alcohol but over the last few years my drinking has increased so much so it had taken over my life…I seemed to look forward to the joy it gave me and the quick fix that food no longer could give me. I am hoping I can keep going and start to feel better soon. I hope to learn to live my life without alcohol and the extra weight gain from the late night snacks and start to enjoy eating healthy and to feel alive again! 🙏🏽

But of course it's nothing at all to do with alcohol per se.