Understanding the before and after

[medicgipson 0]

Hi All, I am just in the beginning stages of this world. And while contemplating the pros and cons of this life changing procedure....one thing I am so curious about... All of us that will be or have taken the step to have this procedure are doing so because we have been unsuccessful with dieting in the past. But when I read the posts on here of all the veterans, you all sound llike health nuts! I am wondering what changes in you that gives you the willpower that you never had before? And the disclipine that it takes to keep it up. I know some of you may say that it is the benefits of feeling better or looking better...but why didn't that keep you sticking to it in the past? Please be patient with me and help me understand.

[shellyshellybyebyebelly 1]

Hi All, I am just in the beginning stages of this world. And while contemplating the pros and cons of this life changing procedure....one thing I am so curious about... All of us that will be or have taken the step to have this procedure are doing so because we have been unsuccessful with dieting in the past. But when I read the posts on here of all the veterans, you all sound llike health nuts! I am wondering what changes in you that gives you the willpower that you never had before? And the disclipine that it takes to keep it up. I know some of you may say that it is the benefits of feeling better or looking better...but why didn't that keep you sticking to it in the past? Please be patient with me and help me understand.

I am glad you asked that! I have been wondering the same thing without really understadning what I was thinking- I guess my concern is that I have always failed at "diets"- I know the band is just a tool-I am starting to get nervous that I will still fail- I mean I am a grazer...I ALWAYS feel hungry (or at least like I want to eat...not the same thing I know)- I am trying to get my mind frame ready for the liquid diet- I am reading Siddhartha and trying to think of it as a fast/cleansing before a new beginning- All the while I am also wondering if I will even be able to make it a single day through the liquid preop?? If I can't does that mean I will fail post-op? Is that the litmus test? I know it is hard to understand how I will feel post-op but i am really wondering if I will have the will power that I have never had in the past- I just know it is my best chance...Did anyone else have all this self duobt? Please share

[B-52 7,113]

No, everyone is not a "Health Nut".

BUT when you start to loose all those pounds, and really start feeling good about yourself for the first time in a long time, you find you can start doing all those things that other people talk about.

You will start exercising regularly because YOU CAN and it actually FEELS GOOD.

You start to eat the right foods because for the first time YOU CAN and feel the difference and be satisfied without over eating.

These things will happen to you normally as your self image begins to change for the positive.

And with every compliment you get from others, the more motivated you will be to do more!

[kll724 3,055]

Oh, I agree with B-52. I am not a "health nut". But believe me, when you can walk around the block without pain in your knees and do 30mins to 1 hr on the tread mill and be okay, then it all seems like normal life to you. Yes, there are some folks that run marathons, and perhaps if I was younger I would. But, just feeling better about myself, and being healthy for my family and grandkids is a great motivator. Good luck, and best wishes for your healthier future. Karen

[SageTracey 608]

It's the thin woman in me finally get the chance to shine! I haven't become a health nut but I am loving the changes and the fact that I can do more than ever before - so I am doing as much as I can.

I'm not sure what the difference is except that I have made a major investment financially, physically and emotionally in getting the band. If I want to live with any quality of life, I have to make this succeed for me.

[byrd 28]

I agree with the others... Once you see that first 10-15lbs fall off without exercising you just so great until in your mind you want more.. it's hard to explain but it seems like once they banded my stomach, they banded my mind. I felt like if i had to go to the extreme and be put to sleep for 60-90 minutes to lose weight, then i need to do ALL I CAN to make it work.

[bromo 17]

Yes, definitely a mindset change. I went from eating a box of little Debbie's for a snack to a low carb yogurt or a babybel cheese and am much more satisfied with the healthier choice. And it is not even hard to choose. Going through all it took to decide on the band, get through the process and then actually doing it gave me the mindset that this is the time I am going to succeed and with the band on my stomach, I am succeeding. It is a great feeling to watch the scales go down and know that I have the ability this time to keep it off! And I actually feel so much better eating healthy that I don't think I could ever go back to feeling like I did when I was eating lots of junk and fast food. You just feel so bad physically afterwards and now after eating I am sated and still feel good. It is a win win situation for me.

[Pats Fan in MA 1]

Yes, definitely a mindset change. I went from eating a box of little Debbie's for a snack to a low carb yogurt or a babybel cheese and am much more satisfied with the healthier choice.

Yes, this is definitely a big part of it. It's so important to educate yourself on the proper food choices. My nutritionist and surgeon are psyched I'm keeping a food journal and have a daily calorie intake goal- they say it helps so much in lap band patients being successful with losing weight as opposed to those who don't really pay a lot of attention to their nutrition. They see patients who expect to eat whatever and have the band "tell" them they've had enough, and it just doesn't work that way. Essentially, you are changing your diet for the better, just as you presumably would with a diet without the band, but you are (when acheiving the right restriction) a.) able to eat smaller portions of good foods and be full b.) be full for longer periods of time and not constantly fighting hunger (this is why I always ended up bailing on diets) and c.) you have a lot more invested-going through major surgery and going back to old habits is just not an option!

Although I made my decision months ago and my surgery is two weeks from today, I just got my copy of the book Bandwagon from Amazon. It is a fantastic book and would help anyone considering lap bad surgery or who is already on the journey understand the process better.

[Jachut 487]

For me, I never truly believed dieting or exercise worked. I mean, I'd do one or the other, interestingly I never hauled my ass into gear to do both together, and I'd lose a few lbs but never enough to actually go down a size, or look any different. I was still fat. So I never really gave it my all, thinking it was doomed from the start. That was never conscious, but I think that was how I felt.

Once I was banded, the diet side took care of itself. I was one of the lucky ones who got restriction from the very start (I have a 4cc band) and within two months, I began to exercise in earnest (I'd walked all along). I took up running. I lost so much weight so quickly at first (well, quick for me!) and when I saw the results of diet and exercise together, I was soon hooked.

I'm certainly not a health nut. I like healthy foods and I'm pretty enthusiastic about REALLY healthy stuff like chick peas and wholegrains and such, but in truth, I'm a disordered eater with an addiction to sugar and white carbs and I use food inappopriately to mark my day, delinieate between work and relaxing, ease boredom, etc. When I'm good, I'm really really good and when I'm bad I'm horrid, lol. I love love love my running though and my fitness is a joy to me, its something I would never want to give up, I ran through cancer diagnosis, surgery and chemotherapy, I have a real passion for it. For me the outcome of hard exercise - which is more to do with self esteem, empowerment, achievement than it is to do with how my body looks - makes the blood, sweat and tears an enjoyable process.

dietwise, I havent really changed all that much. I eat way less, due to the restriction of the band and I held it together for nine months with no fill, but I'm still the same person I was on that score.

[Turbo101 0]

My good friend Phil had the Lap band surgery last December, and he has lost 100 pounds so far. He reminds me that it is not a cure, but a tool to use to help you control what you eat. He started off right after the surgery being able to eat minimal amounts of food, eating them very slowly becasue the band restricts how much food you can take in at a time. Over a few weeks he was gradually able to eat normal food again, however he states that it was always much less food than before the band, and that it made him eat much slower at each meal. By the time he was feeling full, he was ready to stop eating, although he states that he learned right away to eat until just satisfied and not full-full, becasue the gas pains if you get really full are bad. He has only had two adjustments over the last year and has made tremendous progress. I am getting ready to have my surgery and hope to have good results also.

[Mimilou2004 13]

I love these posted responses....It is empowering to become healthy and all the changes do not happen overnight but over time. It does take a committment, though and exercise and journalling is key. I started with a personal trainer for 6 weeks and now we have been together for > 3 years.....I see her more than my regular friends and family, LOL, and hope I can continue to afford this important part of my life. Don't get me wrong, I fall off and gain a few pounds periodically, but now I never lie to myself about my calories in and exercise out to balance things. I was never physically fit and now at 60 I can do 2.5 chin ups and that is huge!!!

I hope all of these posts motivate and encourage you.

Mimi

[LB4Me 35]

Some of it also boils down to dollars and cents. If you buy a second hand car to get to and from work, you treat it as such. You fill it with the least expensive gas you can find, you only wash it when absoultely necessary, you never offer to drive on nights out... When you buy a Mercedes you put money into it. You keep it tuned, it is kept in a garage and you feed it regularly with the best gas you can. And you show it off.

If you are putting the time and expense into being banded, you're gonna treat your body like a Mercedes, not a Pinto.

[abqann 3]

medicgipson, I LOVE your post and question. I am in the 3 month supervised diet phase of my journey and hope to have my banding party in late December or early January. I have had the same feeling reading these boards, about people trading one compulsion for another. I have lost and gained the same 75 lbs at least 4 times. My issue has been that even the motivation of how great I looked, what size I was, how great I felt, how much energy I had I never learned how to maintain the eating habits required to keep the weight off. I am a food addict, I am a happy-mad-sad-bored-tired-eater. These are mental hungries. They will still be there after I get my band. However, I am confident that once I reach the "sweet spot" and have good restriction the band will assist me in not overeating. I am not a fan of throwing up, gas pain, productive burping etc. and see this negative reinforcement as a very good thing. It will be my job to concentrate on learning new behaviors to deal with the mental hungries. I do have an advantage in that I actually like healthy food. So what I eat will not be a problem. What I need is help with Portion Control (I have a tendency to eat waaay past being full) which I am confident the band will do for me. I asked my surgeon if it was possible to be a regular person who eats only when hungry and stops when satisfied, she said yes and gave me a time line of about 2 years to get there. I can live with that. What I cannot live with is having to continue to add medication for blood pressure, high cholesterol. and eventually diabetes to my list of pills. ...Good luck with your journey and decision! Ann

[medicgipson 0]

Oh thanks for the info! Im gonna go straight to Amazon right now and look for that book!

[medicgipson 0]

Thank you all soo very much! I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone with the "health nut" comment. I meant it as a complement! What you all say really makes sense! And have eased some of my concerns. I can't thank you enough. And....thank you in advance for all the future support I know I will be getting from all of you!