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this is great today i had my preop my surgery is on tuesday yay! im excited no longer scared thank God. I have to say this diet is great i have already lost 5 pounds. cant wait till i lose more weight. God is good !:wub::biggrin:

Eating has been good, exercise on the other hand, not so good. I don't know what in the world is my problem, just seems I have lost my mojo! I gotta get my mind right, make no more excuses and get my butt moving! Weighed in at weight watchers and lost another .8 lbs. Thats a total of 9.8 lbs since joing weight watchers. It has taken my 3 months to lose it, but hey, I'm losing right? I know its slow, but I'll take anything right now. My weight keeps bouncing around from 158 to 162, I wish it would dip down into the 150's and stay. Maybe if I would exercise it would! I really gotta get to the gym! Menu today: Bfast 1/4 cantelop (1 pt) 1 ww yogurt (1 pt) Dark chocolate (organic) - (2 pts) Lunch talapia, 3 oz (3 pts) Broccoli (steamed) 2/3 cup (1 pt) Snack few almonds, humus (4 pts) Dinner 3 oz grilled chicken - (3 pts) green beans - ( zero pts) WW sugar free ice cream bar (2 pts) Wt - AM - 161.1

Very inspiring to read about your success...and the best part is that you made the changes to maintain your weight loss! Well done!

As you lose weight, the port position will change. My doc tells me exactly which way he can get into it and for me to tell him next time. This helps a lot. I'm tight right now too and have been teetering on having a small unfill. But I think I will see how I do. Other people say you swell when you get a fill and this makes it harder for several days. My doc also told me the restriction comes from how much they put in your band at one time. He gave me 2 cc once and it was too much of a restriction, so he took one out. The next fill, he only put in 1 cc and I felt no restriction, then 1.5 the next time and I barely felt anything. Like you, I have been able to eat anything, but trying to use a bit of self control and not eat bad things. Also discovered if I don't exercise, I don't lose. I had a fill yesterday and this time the doc bumped it up again on the amount, and I feel soooo tight. I couldn't even keep down Water last night, but that's better this morning, so I guess a little swelling went down overnight. I'm going to play it by ear and try to enjoy my new restriction. Restriction is what we want, right? If it's a little uncomfortable and slows us down, that's a good thing, I hope. Talk to you doc about this issue.

Sorry forgot to add the link to the book....http://www.amazon.com/Recipes-Weight-Loss-Surgery-Revised-ebook/dp/B006GO6F9O

I visited with my nut today Margaret Furtado.....I can't say enough great things about her. But I got to view her latest book out of recipes for weight loss and wow I love it. I wish that I would have had this 5 weeks ago but hey I just ordered it on Amazon and can't wait to cook some of the recipes. The recipes are catorgized by post op stages which is wonderful......I'll let you know how good they are in a couple of days!

The scar tissue MAY be all you need, if it is well-formed.I would seriously consider working with what you have right now. You can always have a sleeve later. There have been people that have had their bands removed before, and have been able to maintain their weight loss. It IS doable. If your experience with the band has "taught" you and you have changed your eating habits enough, then you might be ok. Just continue eating as you have with the band. Do NOT use your band loss as an excuse to change your eating habits. You have to be vigilant about it. Just move forward, and eat as though you have the band and see what happens.

Check your insurance policy. It will say whether weight loss/bariatric surgery is covered or not, and if it is what it will cost you out of pocket. For example, in my policy is it listed under Surgical Procedures in Section 5b. You can also call customer service at the number on the back of your card and ask them what your policy says about weight loss surgery. Schedule an appointment with your Primary Care Physician (PCP). Ask them to please refer you to Nutrition Services to be considered for for weight loss surgery. They will probably mail you some forms to fill out and return. Then they will send you a letter. If you qualify you will be on the program waitlist. Unless they pick up the pace you will wait 6+ months to get into the pre-surgery program. You will have 8 weeks of classes plus blood work, program specialist and psych visits, etc. If you pass the classes you will be scheduled to meet for final checkoffs with psych, pre-op bloodwork/physical, and finally to meet with your surgeon of choice. You'll also have to do either a 3-day or 14-day pre-surgery diet. I'd recommend the 3-day, so lose some weight before and/or during the 8-week program, that way you're more likely, but not guaranteed, to get the 3-day diet vs. the 14-day diet. You will get to choose from one of two surgeons: Dr. Husain or Dr. Chae. I chose Dr. Chae, but I have heard good things about both surgeons. The differences: one is female, the other male. One is younger, the other a little older and probably has more bariatric surgeries under his belt. One doesn't use a post-surgery drain tube (from what I've heard), the other does (from what I experienced). Ask for details so you can make an informed decision that you are comfortable with. Maybe you feel comfortable with a surgeon of the same gender as you. The choice is yours. My surgery was at Saint Joseph Hosptial in Denver. Yours probably will be as well. NOTE: When they discharge you, make sure they send you home with prescriptions for pain (probably liquid Lortab), nausea, acid reduction (acid reducer/PPI), and blood thinners (if you need them after you are discharged, I didn't. This seems to vary based on your condition, medical history, etc.). Have your family or friend fill them before you are discharged so you don't have to stop on the way home. You might not need the pain meds to mask unbearable pain, but they are great for a couple/few days after discharge if for nothing else than to ween off the morphine drip and to help you get some sleep. If all goes well, you'll get your surgery. My plan covers sleeve. Apparently some don't, but most people I was in groups with had the option. Depends on what your policy covers, I guess. The bottom line is, the wait and process is long but well worth it. It took me almost a year to get through the entire waitlist and pre-surgery stuff. Be patient, but if four or five months passes on the waitlist and you don't get a call, be proactive and call Nutrition Services to ask where you are on the waitlist. If you need to contact Nutrition Services directly: Kaiser Permanente offers gastric bypass, vertical sleeve gastrectomy and adjustable gastric banding (also know as the Lap Band) procedures. Not all benefit plans cover weight loss surgery. Please call 303-788-1154 for more information. http://www.kphealthy...for-adults.aspx

I will be 5 weeks out tomorrow. I am thirsty all the time. So trying to wait 30 minutes to eat gets to be really hard. Then when I do eat it is really, really small amounts. I have been losing weight consistently but this can't be healthy. I'm down 27 pounds so far. And to make matters worst the Protein shakes make me gag. HELP!!!! How are you guys getting it all in for the newbies? For the more experienced sleevers, how far along were you before you were able to get in all your liquids and protein? Thanks in Advance!

I have started the process of getting a sleeve. I have 6 months of physician monitored weight loss, and since I'm a teacher, I'll probably wait until Christmas break to get this done- so I have a bit of time to go. I have a lot of questions, but they are questions my doctor at least treated quite superficially. (I'm going to meet other surgeons because of what seemed to be a very short-term mindset). Here are my big important questions. I'd love to hear what others who are further along in their journey and hopefully some people who are 2 or more years out from surgery. Big Important Question 1: I feel like surgery is the most extreme and kind of like a last chance at taking care of my weight problem. There really isn't anything else to try if I can't make a weight loss stick with surgery. I've lost weight before (sometimes a lot of weight) but it ALWAYS comes back with extra. I'm 28 and maintaining for life is a serious commitment- I've been lucky in the past if I can maintain a weight loss for more than 6 months. Can the sleeve help me when it comes to maintenance? For those of you who have had long-term success with any weight loss surgery, what was it that worked to help you stay healthy long-term? Big Important Question 2: I don't only eat when I'm hungry. I eat sometimes out of habit (when watching tv or because its 'dinner time'). I also eat when I get stressed out or emotional (especially when I'm disappointed or frustrated). With those kinds of triggers for eating, will having surgery still be able to help me? Is that something that I have to stop completely before I would be likely to have a good long-term outcome? Does the process leading up to surgery or the surgery itself help you to really change so that you will still have the weight off 2 or 5 or 10 years down the road? Please share what you felt like going into surgery and what you've learned along the way. Thank you!

Thank you all for sharing Lots went on this week, so I'm sorry haven't responded til now. I was reading as you all posted. @PdxMan- Congratulations on your 3 year anniversary! Do you still feel like you have to think about it (the steps you've taken to loose the weight) all the time or do the new habits become a new normal? Whenever I get with the 'fitness program' it feels like a very deliberate effort and it kind of takes over my thinking. Does it still feel like a struggle to make the better choices with food and exercise? I don't think I could be in that struggle mode with the lifestyle indefinitely (aka for the rest of my life), so it would be a help to know if it eventually becomes kind of automatic. Does the sleeve help with that somehow? @my2bys9799- I hope everything went great with your surgery! I'd love to hear how it went. @Terribj- Thanks for all the suggestions! The youtube video was awesome! I hadn't heard about that before, but it makes sense. I've been steadily been starting to be more and more conscious about how much/little I chew and trying not to drink with my meals. How long after a meal would you wait before drinking again? I quit sodas a while back-which was tough, so I'm glad I had one check off the list before beginning this process I'm hoping that I won't feel hungry after surgery too. It would make it a lot easier to sort out the emotional "hunger" from the real thing and maybe help to clear up what those triggers are and find better ways to deal with them. @hrhlaurie- when I went in, I'd already talked to my insurance company and they never mentioned that I had to do a supervised diet or anything and I had asked them about weight history. I had it all planned out that I was going to get this done over my summer break (i'm a teacher) and I'd get all healthy over summer- get used to my sleeve and how to eat, etc. It was all planned out in my head. Then I went in and they said 6 months of supervised- UGH! That didn't work in with the plan at all. Now I'm actually happy about having the time. I'm going to hold off until Christmas break. It is a super extreme thing to do, so I'm glad I'll have some time to start practicing for my post-surgery lifestyle (and hopefully make it stick). I've done some more reading about how to deal with emotions by ways other than eating- and been trying some of them out. Are there any that any of you would suggest? Another question for anyone- my doctor was saying i'll feel great in 5 days and can go back to work, but I'm not so sure- I will have only been drinking liquids for 2 weeks preop and I'll still be on liquids for at least a week after surgery- how on earth will I have enough energy to teach? (I'm not a teach-from-your-seat kind of teacher, and it's far from a desk job anyway.) I'm nervous about that part of it. I'll have 2 weeks to recover over break, but it's still making me nervous.

Had the same experience at work today too, I simply said I'm trying to lose weight so no thanks. They were all supportive and left it at that

It has been too hot to walk like I was walking and it has slowed down my weight loss.I really need to be down another 15 pounds by the last week of July for my Vegas trip, self imposed goal. Anyway I will continue on and I am not discouraged, I know it will continue to come off if I don't cheat and work my band like my company works me (not a complaint, glad to have a job). The 4th of July will be different, instead of me grilling, drinking and eating. I will be chill-in. I did buy a brisket for a friend to cook for me, don't know if I can eat it, but will give it a try. Chopped up in the food processor a quarter cup at a time. I have just now begun to get a little solid food down since my tragic chicken episode last week. I also bought another chicken today, took it off the bone and chopped it to shreds, then shredded it with a fork. Maybe and just maybe I will be able to eat some of it. No worries if I don't eat no big deal. I also think my lack of food has stalled my weight loss. Happy 4th of July to everyone.

What a wonderful post! I just recently had the surgery, and I want to let others know that I've had the procedure. Some many judge me, but I know that my success and personality will draw more in than turn them away. I know that one day when I reach a healthier weight, I'll not only be smoking hot but I'll still have my intellect and outgoing personality.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 Christians and Closets Surgery is tomorrow, Thursday. I have to be at the hospital at 8:30. I had confirmation today that I'm having this surgery in the nick of time. My pre-op blood tests came back and showed I'd moved from borderline diabetic to diabetic. That makes 3 co-morbidities. Lord I am tired of this disease! It is amazing to me that Christians don't talk about food addiction and obesity. It's not like we can't see it. We may be in the closet about it but our stomach's are sticking right out of the closet for all the world to see. Some of the highest rates of obesity (as well as depression) among women exist in the Bible Belt of the South. Shame, I'm sure, is the biggest reason we don't talk about it. We confuse food addiction with gluttony. But most of us who are food addicts have been battling it all our lives. We don't want this addiction. Nobody says when they're little, "I wanna be a fat food addict when I grow up." But we continue to eat even when we know its killing us. We stop for a while, lose some weight, and then the cravings and compulsions return more powerful than ever. And shame over our lack of control, shame over what we perceive as a lack of faith, or of obedience to the Word, drives us even deeper into the food. Pastors don't preach about it because they'd lose some of their very best workers. We, the food addicts, help everyone else as "good" Christians, frequently negating ourselves, and then help ourselves to more food because it makes us feel better. We eat to medicate depression, and in my case, to medicate ADHD as well. It satisfies something in our brains and that enables us to keep functioning and keep from falling apart. We don't seek medical help for what we now know is a medical condition because somehow that would make us bad Christians. So we stay in our closets and keep our mouths closed. This blog is my way of coming out of the closet about my food addiction and the terrible toll its taken on me and on my family. Come out of the closet people and lets talk.

I am only one month post op and I hear that this can happen to people and it scares me. I know getting this surgery is no quick fix its actually the hardest thing I have ever done and still know it is going to take will power and discipline to reach your goal and stay there. Just think back to how you felt the day you came out of surgery and all the pain you went through don't let that go to waste after what you endured. You lost so much weight already and just a little to go. You can do it find something that really motivates you and focus on it. Find a work out that is fun say bike riding or Zumba something that doesn't feel like exercise but will melt those pounds you can do it!

Hi Janine and welcome back! I think its never to late to lose weight. I'm only 2 months out, however I have read lots of posts here about a "boot camp" or "5 day pouch test" to help you get back into the groove. If you google it, there is one specific to sleeve. Also, exercising and logging your food into something like myfitnesspal to track your Protein, cals, etc. would help. http://www.5daypouchtest.com/ Here is a link, but its for rny. I don't know if it helps for sleeve, but you can check it out. There may be posts on this vst site as well for the boot camp. LilMissDiva posted a boot camp somewhere on here. Good luck and let us know how you do! :-)

I had my surgery about year ago and have lost 50+ pounds and have almost that much more to go. I've sailed through with slow, steady, nearly effortless weight loss. But for the past few weeks I can hardly eat anything. It's like my stomach closes and any little bite gets stuck and comes up. Very uncomfortable. My last fill was about 5 months ago and went well. This didn't start until a few weeks ago. I've been under more that the usual amount of stress at work. Has anyone had stress related issues with their band? Could this be an explanation?

Part II... Nothing to be done, but to move on…I started prepping for the party…by Wednesday I had the garage tables all covered, skirted and set up and DS2 had all the decorations and streamers up. Oh, and being a ‘visual’ person I had all the chafing dishes out with sticky notes everywhere showing where each item would be (OK, I say ‘visual’, you say ‘anal’…just remember, I now knew I had to get as ready as possible as the quilt was still waiting). I bought all the food I could early and then Thursday I cut and pinned as many pieces for the quilt as I could. Sis arrived Friday at lunchtime and we got started on our “Quilting Bee”. Thank God for her as we always have a fun time and can get each other laughing in the midst of a crisis (OK, not life and death, but I’ve set the bar people…a quilt is expected!). I sewed, she unpinned and kept me sane (translation = make sure none of the T-shirt were upside down...whe was amazed at all the math involved and how I figured this out without a pattern...math is not my subject). By Friday night we had all the T-shirts and white canvas together. We even took a break to prep some of the food and watch the Weather Channel…Oh yeah, Mr. Murphy (Murphy's Law) was messing with me again….(or you can skip this part and just know I’m doubly cursed and I’m a huge klutz) - We’d of course been watching the weather all week and it went from bad to worse… ‘60% chance of pm thunderstorms’. - DH was trying to make more room in the fridge for all the food, so he poured me an enormous glass of red wine to finish off the bottle. I took it in to work on the quilt (on the Dining Room table) while he and Sis went to rent a movie. I was sewing along when the doorbell rang and startled me, so I quickly got up to get the door….as I was leaving I caught a pin on my clothing and the quilt followed me…at the edge of the table…yep, the red wine! It fell and hit the seat of a wooden chair from the kitchen Sis had been using and broke. My poor neighbor at the front door (he was bringing me tables for the party) must have thought I was nuts as I answered the door in hysterical laughter (what else can you do but laugh). Luckily, the only fabric that got wine on it was a bit of the black framing and backing, so no harm done when I washed it off, but there was wine all over the Dining Room and up the walls. - Sis laughed until she couldn’t breathe when she got back and heard the story and scolded me for putting the wine on the table with the quilt ‘What were you thinking?’…at that point I had no brain left ‘I wasn’t!’ We called it a night. - Saturday morning broke and it was the day of the party. I awoke at 4am with a migraine (stress and lack of sleep are a deadly combination). I couldn’t even move until about 6am and by then DH was up and helped me out…I was able to choke down a piece of bread and took my medicine (can’t take it on an empty stomach). Then I was violently vomiting, well, make that heaving hard with nothing coming up (one of my least favorite side effects of the LB, but it kept the medicine down so it was a positive). I went back up to lie in a dark room. Two hours later I was able to move again, but barely. - The weather forecast had gotten even worse as they added ‘Gale force winds and damaging hail possible.’ to the thunderstorm forecast. We watched as the red Doppler was headed straight for us. We watched the 'local on the 8's' so many times we were soon reciting it with them...everyone now...'60% chance of pm thunderstorms with GALE FORCE WINDS AND DAMAGING HAIL POSSIBLE!' - We got whatever setup and food prepped that we could and then went to frame and back the quilt. That’s when I stepped on a piece of wine glass I’d missed the night before and cut my big toe. There were blood droplets all over the carpet and we couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. I finally stuck my foot up on the table to raise it as I was still sewing… ‘Quite the picture of determination! There’s blood, sweat and tears in this quilt!’ Sis said (I’m sending her a nice restaurant gift certificate as I would have thrown it away long ago without her). - I got the framing done, batting in, and the back on. The opening on the back was only pinned together and the actual quilting stitching wasn’t done, but no one knew the difference. I was just so relieved when we hung it on the garage wall. - Our families started arriving around 1pm with the pouring rain and winds. At 5pm (party started at 6pm) we had a break in the rain and I decided to chance it and made the decision to set up outside (against the judgement of others in my family who thought I was doomed for a big storm...hey, I'm the eternal optimist remember...and I was figuring we could always ask people to grab a chair to bring in if it rained). Our families were great help in that last hour and we got all the food set up on heat or ice in the garage and everything else done outside.. The party was great. We had neighbors, family and lots of DS1’s friends. I had balloons, decorations, the DVD going in the garage where the quilt was also hung. The buffet was huge (too much food as usual, please come over for leftovers or we’ll be eating it for a month). DS1 has a sweet tooth and so besides my two tables of food we had a third table with the cake, a chocolate fountain with lots of things to dip and an ice cream sundae/cone bar. Outside we had lots of balloons and covered tables/chairs on our big drive and on the patio. We setup volleyball, baggo sets, and the football toss (that new string/rungs game). DS1’s one request was for a cotton candy machine so we had one of those too. It was all worth it when I saw DS1 watching the DVD with a group of his friends and caught him later in the evening reading all the messages his friends had been writing for him on the quilt. We were all amazed at what a hit the cotton candy machine was…he manned it many times during the night and the kids would line up for their cone of ‘candy floss’ (my 6 year old godson had 8)…DS1 was covered in sugar by the time he was done. As night fell we lit the tiki torches, candles everywhere even floating on the pone and the fire pit for s'mores. We only had a few sprinkles all night that lasted a few minutes each time, but not even bad enough to move inside, so the weather (and Murphy) was finally smiling on us and I got really lucky…it wasn’t even windy…it was the perfect evening. I didn't have time to take a single pic, but I made sure others were doing this for me, so hopefully I can post a few soon. My party outfit... I’m exhausted, but DH and I got almost everything back to normal yesterday. I have survived and am victorious! Well, everything but the stupid weight…yep, still not in Onederland…I’ve been up and down the same two or three pounds for weeks now (201.5 today...grrr). Third fill tomorrow!!!!

Weight loss has been slow and steady at the ol' ranch. Officially down 62 pounds as of my five month post-op mark. Pretty darn happy with that. My body feels so different! I even started bowling again, after 20 years!!! I can get down on my knee without it collapsing under my weight! I am having a blast!! The last time I saw my surgeon, he took out about .2 cc's from my band. I was way too tight, unable to eat much of anything. Since then, as long as I eat reaaaaally slow, and take itty bitty bites, I've been doing pretty good. On the down side, I had to visit my primary care physician for the regular check up. He was busy that day, so I had to see his partner, whom I can't stand! First she feels my neck, and tells me I have a goiter. WHAT? So she sends me off for labs and an ultrasound on my thyroid. Whatever. When I get my labs done, she calls me and tells me my liver enzymes are abnormal, go have an ultrasound on IT. Okie dokie. I go have my neck and belly ultrasound-ed. Few days later, she calls asking if I am having stomach pain. Ummm, no, why, I ask. She says my liver ultrasound was abnormal. I ask what the problem is and she says we will discuss it at my next appt. FIVE weeks from now. Real nice. :thumbup: So the next day, I happen to have my appt with my bariatric surgeon. I tell him about the sitch and he can't believe she called and worried me, without giving me any information. So, he hops up, goes to his office and accesses my results. He is sooo my hero. Anyway, he comes back and tells me I have friggin gallstones! WHAT? Since I have had no symptoms he tells me he isn't worried, lots of people live with gallstones, with no problems. COOL! I decide I will be one of THOSE people! So, Murphy's Law being what it is, a few days later, I have the most God-awful pain I have experienced since being in labor with my children. The next day I google, and viola..... gallbladder attack. I have had four attacks so far. Sigh. I know I need to tell my doc, but I really do not want another surgery. I went forty years without a single surgery and now, I'll have two within five months. Major bummer!!

Wow, its been a month since I posted? I should be ashamed of myself. Whats new, well, shoulder is still not healed, and really struggling these days to even get any exercise in. Well, to be honest, I haven't exercised in awhile, and I finally made it back to the gym last night. I am not lifting weight since I have an injury but I am doing cardio. Eating has been on and off. We went on vacation July 4th week and that started me down the bad path. It took 3 weeks for me to quit eating bad and get back on track. I am finally back on track and trying to get back to exercising. I guess I just a break from everything, eating right, exercising and blogging. I'm refocussed again and will start blogging again. It holds me accountable. Bfast - protein shake Lunch - FF tuna salad with 4 crackers Snack - grapes (red seedless) Dinner - roasted chicken and fresh tomatoes snack - Skinny Cow ice cream bar Exercise - 30 min on elliptical machine. wt - this morning 162.9 grrrrrrr

Two things have about trashed my month of July - as well as my fragile lap-band routine. At the risk of sounding like making excuses, we've hosted three teenage grandsons for the last three weeks - nice kids, but very hard to manage everything with house guests. Eating out a lot, no down time, no organization time. This was not a good event, starting just days after my first fill. Also, have been working early and late on a big project (many 12-14 hour days). In combination with above, did not do a good job of bringing healthy lunches / dinners. That being said, have managed to manage my weight - about 235 (down 32 total since starting program in Nov 08). But so disappointed, wanted to have made more progress by now, almost 2 months post-surgery. Also, am just plain overwhelmed. Made a list of all the things I'm stress over, and it is very long. DH isn't a worrier, and can't figure out why I worry about things I can't control. We have a strict policy: I worry about everything, he worries about nothing. No wonder I tend to overeat. Visited the "Struggling" section tonight. I'm not feeling like a failure, but I can see one could fall off the grid very quickly - especially after the tremendously long build-up to surgery. I think my other problem is I need a fill. I have 3 ccs in a 10 cc band. Virtually no restriction. Was going to wait until Sep, but will call and go asap in Aug - why wait. Got to jump restart. Hope FitDay is fixed by now on this site, need to drink the water religiously, get back to walking more. Well, signing off for now. Be back tomorrow, I know that helps a lot, too.

I THINK you guys were right, it was water weight! I woke up this morning and lost 4 lbs! I guess I didn't do too bad. I definatly didn't eat 3500 caleries. I'm still kinda pissed at the nurse, but what do you expect from the beampole! They can't think fat! ARB and I were talking today. I find it really interesting what different docs call "mushies". Our mushies, we both go to the same doc, is actually soft foods. We can have deli meat, tuna, soft and moist chicken, veggies that are super soft. I find this stage is much easier because we have lots of choices. I hate the no choices like the pre-diet. I've been doing a lot of soul searching after this weekend. (that's all I've thought about)I have lived most of my life on bad choices. This weekend, I did eat too much, but they were good choices, for the most part. I have also learned that I need to listen to my body, that is the hardest part! I've never done this before. This isn't like a diet that you screw up and your done! I'm making my life better along with my family. I want to see my kids when they get old. I want to see my grandkids, when they come. Thanks to friends, I think, no I know I can do it! There are people on here who are mean and cruel, but for the most part every person I've met here are amazing and funny. The funniest thing I've heard is from Stacy. She said one day that her brother rubbed ehr belly. I was like shit your a budda! She laughed and said maybe she should not have the surgery and charge for people to rub her belly for goodluck! LMAO! It's great attitudes like this that I need! I'm changing my life!!!!!!:thumbup:

I mentioned how desperate I was right…. Well, yesterday I drank two cups of a laxative tea called Smooth Move (one in the morning and one on my way home from work). My husband, bless his soul, also went to the store and bought me a drink called Simply Apple (amazing what an apple can do!). Now I don’t know which one did it or if it was a combo of the two but things got moving! Now I am all better. I knew there would be some difficulty going since I wasn’t putting all that much in my system to begin with, especially the weekend after my surgery. I knew I was slightly dehydrated and that would slow things down. But the bloating and pressure was getting way too uncomfortable. 10 days is a VERY long time to go without having a BM. Now I can get back to my diet plan and hopefully stay moving. I’m thinking of adding some Activia yogurt to my daily diet plan to stop this from happening again. But a little fiber in my protein shake every morning sounds like a plan too and cheaper I’m sure. I can’t tell you all how much I love this place. Everyone is so wonderful and helpful. And yes, for sure we are all a family! I wish I would have found this site sooner… Thanks to all! You guys rock! P.S. I don’t know if I’d ever recommend the above combo to anyone for relief. Even though I feel much better now, it was a desperate measure and it was painful. For me it was worth it as I finally feel normal. Plus now I can feel that I lost weight - NO MORE BLOATED TUMMY! I’m going to be sure to add something to my daily diet so that I never have to go through that again! XOXO -D :sneaky:

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 Saboteur-Perfectionism Perfectionism can sabotage compulsive overeaters very quickly. As I read the posts of other bandsters I can see people sabotaging themselves, beating themselves up, setting themselves up for failure, because they were less than perfect in their adherance to a food protocol. Many bandsters are able to relax with their bands and trust the bands. But not those going through band or bandster hell--that time when their bands have not yet been filled enough to create the restriction they need, and they're trying desperately to maintain the food protocol and lose weight using all the tricks that never worked for them in the past--at least not for long. I've been losing weight while I wait for my first fill on August 11, but it's slowed way down. I told myself that it was good enough not to gain during this time. I've also given myself the accountability of writing in this blog every night and I think that really helps. I'm very aware of the trap of perfectionism and am trying to avoid it. There are some posts from people in bandster hell that are almost despairing. They were so excited by the weight loss they experienced while on the liquid portion of the food protocol and are now utterly dismayed that as their eating returned to normal their weight loss has stopped. I particularly feel sorry for those who've had several fills and are not yet experiencing restriction. I also see the addiction to weighing every day on the scale and how a normal variation in weight that causes a temporary small gain can sabotage them. Most times its just water weight from PMS or traveling in a car, but it sends them into a tizzy. One bandster unexpectedly reached goal when her Dr. looked at her and told her to not pay attention to the BMI guidelines. She hadn't lost in a couple of months and was despairing of reaching a healthy BMI. Fortunately her Dr. looked at her and not at the charts. The woman is 175 lbs but wears a size 8 or 10. She has to be a beanpole and very tall or very muscular to weigh that much and wear that small a size. Or maybe she has thick legs. But she went from a size 26 to a size 8 and she was beating herself up for not being able to lose the last 7 or 8 lbs to reach a "normal" BMI. Various people were posting about their BMI's (Body Mass Index) and whether they wanted to go for the "normal" BMI or the BMI Weight Watchers has said is the "healthiest." Thank God my Dr. never mentioned my BMI. He just eyeballed me and said, "Based on your age and your height you probably ought to go for about 170 lbs." I was so relieved. That'll put me in a size 14 or 12 which I am perfectly happy to wear. I feel great at that weight and look fine. I have no desire to be skinny. Trying to look perfect was what got me started dieting when I wasn't even fat and led to the cycle of binge/purge(diet) that screwed up my metabolism and got me fat in the first place. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. There was only ever one human being that did life perfectly and I'm not he. I'm me. And I'm loved for the Cheri I've been, the Cheri I'm becoming, and the Cheri I will be when all my warts and peccadillos and struggles aren't eliminated, but are transformed into something beautiful when he comes for me. None of this nonsense about food and weight and being perfect is going to amount to a hill of beans when he gathers me up in his arms and holds me and calls me his precious child.