I'm here to help...

[boos02 0]

Count me in for Vegas! I could probably swing a long weekend. It would be fun to meet all of you.

Janet - sorry about your comuter woes. It can be so frustrating!

Off to the gym. Really want to go home and eat (lol)!

Kathy

[IndioGirl55 32]

Indio Girl,

MANY THANKS TO YOU! Your advice to Bea is right on point! Like you, I'm a big time emotional eater be it celebration happy time or sad mopey depressed times. too try to find something else when hungry. If when I'm done, I still have the pangs then I must be hungry and it's time to eat. More times than not though, it was an emotional thing bothering me that needed an outlet, or boredom or something else. Use of this new approach to food has helped me to lose 14lbs so far.

But I did have a boo boo today . . .

I just got banded last Tuesday (11/4/08) and am having SERIOUS cravings for something sweet. Probably because I've been denied sugar for so long. :thumbdown:

Anyways, my 3rd day into soft foods and I have what I call a slip up. Someone brought in cupcakes to work and I didn't have the strength to say no even though I knew all the reasons to do so. Good thing is I couldn't eat more than the crown part but I still feel REALLY GUILTY and am starting to freak myself out. I hear the voice in my head already saying this isn't gonna work for me. I'm at the beginning and already screwing up, what's to keep me from doing it again. I've been enjoying the prospect of losing my excess weight since March and now that I have what I think I need to change my habits, I'm TERRIFIED of going back.

What can I do to curb cravings? I know they are now but are treats complete no no's down the line? What did you do to help yourself with it?

rennaisance_woman;

Congrats on being banded.... Lucky you soft foods already I was on full liquids for the 1st 10 days then 10 days of mushies - then 10 days on soft then finally regular food

Remember this isn't a diet it's a change in our eating style - your focus should be on eating healthy not dieting... As the saying goes diets don't work and eating regular for us is what got us fat in the 1st place.

Ok ya you shouldn't have eaten the top of the cup cake - but it's not the end of the world - just pull up those boot straps and move forward.

NO HEALTHY TREATS AREN'T OFF LIMITS - even an occasional real sugar treat isn't off limits either - we have to live life - and that does include a treat every now and then - it's not that one piece of cake that got us fat - it's cuz we ate 3 or 4 piece if not the whole damn cake

I eat sweets almost every day.. But now they are the sugar free kind or very low in sugar.

I am allowed 3 meals and 2 or 3 healthy snacks... So this is how I handled it..

Breakfast - 200 Calories - lunch 230 Calories - dinner 250 Calories - after dinner is when I want to eat - so this is when I had my Snacks - 1 or 2 sf fudgecicles (80 calories per) calories - 1 or 2 sf choc puddings (60 calories per)

1 or 2 sf dannon lite & fit yogurts. - I also found some oatmeal Cookies 3 small ones 130 calories..

Like I said - I am the most hungry at nite - (don't get me wrong - I can get hungry between Breakfast & lunch and between Lunch and dinner - but I can ignore these hungry pangs as long as I am busy plus at work I don't have the junk to eat - - but at night - I can't - so the way I have dealt with them is to feed them within my daily calorie budget.

Even today on maintenance I have a 1/2 c of sherbet in cone most nights (130 calories)..

I eat healthy 98% of the time and allow for treats 2% and if I do over indulge - I kick up my exercise and just eat a little less the next day - this is how what we call skinny girls do..

Ya they might eat a pint of ice cream one nite - but they aren't going to do it every night all week long - it's once in a great while.. The have cake - candy etc.. just not 24/7 like we do..

Also I do find that if I stay away from real sugar I don't crave it as much as when I do indulge in it.. Sugar is like heroin to me - once I start I have a hard time stopping...

So I do the sugar free stuff mostly - the Jello sf dark choc puddings are great along with the choc/banana ones.. Healthy Choice fudgecicles are only 80 calories and even have 3 grms of pt I think - I got sorta burned out on them as I ate them for the 1st yr - Now I have sf pudding and add a few almonds and raisians.. Since I am on maintanance - my calorie budget is higher than weight loss phase (800-1200)

Are you exercising - it's key IMHO... During Xmas last yr when I did allow myself a few of the Cookies I made w/my grandaughters - I just kicked up my exercise and you know what - I still lost weight during the holidays...

Remember this isn't a diet - I can't stress that enought - it's about learning to eat healthy - not deprivation - you just gotta learn how to feed your hunger within your calorie limits - plan and be creative....

You can do it !!!! Congrats on your 14 lbs.

If you do the work (and yes it's work even with proper restriction) - you will be rewarded in the end - I hate the saying that nothing taste as good as thin feels.

But I do have to say that all that food I use to eat and had me at 250 which was limiting the quality of my life - wasn't worth it - now adays - I look at that piece of cheesecake and just say "Oh hell no" I feel to damn good now a days - to ever go back to being fat.

Being healthy feels better than the taste of food

My health is for a lifetime - and that taste of food was only for a moment in time ...

[IndioGirl55 32]

My vote is June.. Rates should be cheaper then too - and it's not too hot - heck that's what pools and a/c are for..

I think once we get a date I may tell my July ladies and the 50's ladies - I think it would be cool to have a big group and us July pple where going to get together again anyway so I could kill 2 birds with one stone... We are all banders - so we are all family... More the merrier !!!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Count me in for Vegas! I could probably swing a long weekend. It would be fun to meet all of you.

Janet - sorry about your comuter woes. It can be so frustrating!

Off to the gym. Really want to go home and eat (lol)!

Kathy

Kathy Thanks - I just want to shoot it.. GS just called there went $274 for tires... --- I know $$ is made of paper but heck it doesn't grow on any tree in my yard.

You will feel so proud of yourself after you are done at the gym - and you will think - ah that wasn't so bad...

Hugs - Janet

[Apples2 19]

My vote is June.. Rates should be cheaper then too - and it's not too hot - heck that's what pools and a/c are for..

I think once we get a date I may tell my July ladies and the 50's ladies - I think it would be cool to have a big group and us July pple where going to get together again anyway so I could kill 2 birds with one stone... We are all banders - so we are all family... More the merrier !!!

It would be great to include other groups! We might even get a cut rate on a block of rooms!:thumbdown:

[bochs 0]

Hi to all tonight (Thurs). Well I was friggen pissed off today also. I drove hour and half to my drs office. Appt was 10:45am. Got there Dr in surgery today, they forgot to call me and change my appt. Said I could wait until 1:00 for other surgeon and could get a fill. Went and had lunch, came back and other dr would not give me fill since I wasn't his patient.Made the whole trip for nothing. BUT, while i was there I asked his nurse questions that have not been answered to me. She told me that my band holds 5cc's total which surprised me!. She said by third fill I would start getting restriction. I did this last time. She also said that now is the time where they look for that sweet spot and I probably would not need much more. I have a total of 2.2cc so far. She also said that yes, they do draw it all out and put it back in again. So I must have a smaller band ? She said that it is normal band.? Give me some input girls!!!!

Beckyo:tt1:

[bochs 0]

Oh and I forgot, now I have to go back to the Dr again this coming Tuesday. I sure hope I get a fill then. I know I am having restriction now but this week I was a little hungry The good news is that I have lost 7 lbs in the last 4 weeks. YIPPEE!!!! Nurse said that was right on target!. Oh and by the way, this VEGAS thing is sounding better and better

Beckyo:biggrin:

[teacherica 0]

Indiogirl55,

My home town is Indio, California.

I wanted to ask if you would consider being my Buddy. I am going to be banded on Wednesday, November 19th. I am having some anxiety about missing the food after surgery - even though I have been doing great the last 2 months on my preop food plan. I've already lost 15 lbs.

I currently weigh 260 lbs and I am 5'7. I wear a size 20/22. My heaviest weight was 275 lbs. I have been replacing 1 to 2 meals with Protein shakes and eating sensibly for the past 2 months waiting for my insurance to approve the surgery. Good news is last week they approved it. Bad news is I am suddenly full of anxiety over missing food. Even though I haven't been bad, I have had the comfort of knowing I can be bad, but with lapband, I lose my security blanket. When I get stressed, or upset, I tend to go to food, so what do I do once I'm banded if I can't eat?

Thanks for listening, if you already have too many buddies, I understand, but please refer me to someone. I KNOW I will be much more successful if I have a buddy.

teacherica

[rennaisance_woman 0]

Thank you! You perspective and suggestions are very helpful! I didn't even think about going sugar free on treats when I'm cleared to have them. Guess I have more than I thought in the changing the way I view eating and food habits! :tongue2: And yes. I do exercise. I'm 5' 1'' and 334lbs. so I do tire easily but what I've done to combat that is since I'm at work for most of the daylight hours/warm parts of the day, I take my 15 minute breaks walking around the building. By the time I go home for the evening, I've gotten in 30 to 45 minutes of walking in intervals that don't leave me huffing and puffing.

[boos02 0]

Wouldn't that be great to have a group get together for some networking, sharing, bonding. Let's keep this idea moving.

Janet - you're right. It felt great when the workout was over!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Hi to all tonight (Thurs). Well I was friggen pissed off today also. I drove hour and half to my drs office. Appt was 10:45am. Got there Dr in surgery today, they forgot to call me and change my appt. Said I could wait until 1:00 for other surgeon and could get a fill. Went and had lunch, came back and other dr would not give me fill since I wasn't his patient.Made the whole trip for nothing. BUT, while i was there I asked his nurse questions that have not been answered to me. She told me that my band holds 5cc's total which surprised me!. She said by third fill I would start getting restriction. I did this last time. She also said that now is the time where they look for that sweet spot and I probably would not need much more. I have a total of 2.2cc so far. She also said that yes, they do draw it all out and put it back in again. So I must have a smaller band ? She said that it is normal band.? Give me some input girls!!!!

Beckyo:tt1:

Oh and I forgot, now I have to go back to the Dr again this coming Tuesday. I sure hope I get a fill then. I know I am having restriction now but this week I was a little hungry The good news is that I have lost 7 lbs in the last 4 weeks. YIPPEE!!!! Nurse said that was right on target!. Oh and by the way, this VEGAS thing is sounding better and better

Beckyo:biggrin:

Becky - I would have been pissed too - VERY PISSED!!!

Congrats on your 7 lbs

As to what our bands hold - I never really concerned myself with all that junk - who cares - all I care about is that it works. Each of us is fitted with diff size bands depending on the size of our tummies.. Each of us get restriction at diff amounts - heck there are pple who don't need a fill for 6 months from being banded and then there are those who get to their sweet spot fast and others who take longer. So who cares how many cc's you have - Imho it doesn't matter cuz you can't use that as a comparision to anyone else cuz we are all diff.. Heck I really got to my sweet spot on my 2nd fill - the one I had in January ended up being like .01 so that was a tweek really not a fill.

Again - my band doesn't take away my hunger - I don't like that pple think that's the case - I think that's setting yourself up for failure. For me it keeps me full when I eat hard protiens - but again as I have said a million times before - I still want to eat even when I am full... Last night was a perfect example of that - I was full - but omw I wanted to eat ...

Indiogirl55,

My home town is Indio, California.

I wanted to ask if you would consider being my Buddy. I am going to be banded on Wednesday, November 19th. I am having some anxiety about missing the food after surgery - even though I have been doing great the last 2 months on my preop food plan. I've already lost 15 lbs.

I currently weigh 260 lbs and I am 5'7. I wear a size 20/22. My heaviest weight was 275 lbs. I have been replacing 1 to 2 meals with Protein shakes and eating sensibly for the past 2 months waiting for my insurance to approve the surgery. Good news is last week they approved it. Bad news is I am suddenly full of anxiety over missing food. Even though I haven't been bad, I have had the comfort of knowing I can be bad, but with lapband, I lose my security blanket. When I get stressed, or upset, I tend to go to food, so what do I do once I'm banded if I can't eat?

Thanks for listening, if you already have too many buddies, I understand, but please refer me to someone. I KNOW I will be much more successful if I have a buddy.

teacherica

Teachgerica - Of course you are welcome!! - how can I say no to a person from my home town :0) - I have lived here all my life and this mentor site is open to anyone who wants to join... There is no limit on participants.. If I don't get back to you then one of the others here will - in fact you will get replies from all of us most likely :0) - Everyone here is doing great and they are learning their new lifestyles..

Yep giving up your best friend (food) is scary - we have had a love affair with food for most of our lives - to say good by to our lover is hard - but that lover has done nothing but hurt us - it's killing us - so it's really not our lover/best friend.

Anyway - you are still going to be able to eat - that's not going anywhere - you can still have treats - you are just going to trade in this friend for a better one - you new best freind is going to be Healthy Eating & exercise,

What to do when you can't eat - well, all the things that you have been told before - go clean out a sock drawer - get up and do something to distract yourself. Go for a walk most of us come here to LBT - You will be part of this group and your Nov 08 group - LBT is open 24/7 - you can post and you will always get a reply - it's what I do most nights (execpt for right now at home my internet is down hope to get it fixed this weekend).

Any you can still eat - just low fat low sugar & sugar free items. And also what you need to really do is when that hunger strikes - think about it are you truly hungry or is it mental hunger - and let me tell you - what we think of as true hunger is mostly mental hunger - we don't know the diff.

From reading my post - you will have heard me say this a million times - I will be full from dinner but still want to eat and my stomach is full.. My mental hunger feels like real physical hunger to me... It really does and I am what like what 16 months out...

Your nerves are normal - we have all been there - It will be ok.. It really will - it will be hard at times but nothing in life that is worth anything comes easy.. You are going to be hungry at times - you are going to want more that Soup at times while you are on liquids - but I gotta tell you - we all felt that way - but you must follow your doctors order while you are healing - that's the most important part of being banded - you want it to heal properly..

We are here for you - Welcome and feel free to ask anything you want - feel free to speak your mind and it doesn't have to be just about the band - we all rant and rave about our lives in general - cuz those things are factors in our jounery to get healthy and how we deal with them

Hugs - Janet...

Thank you! You perspective and suggestions are very helpful! I didn't even think about going sugar free on treats when I'm cleared to have them. Guess I have more than I thought in the changing the way I view eating and food habits! And yes. I do exercise. I'm 5' 1'' and 334lbs. so I do tire easily but what I've done to combat that is since I'm at work for most of the daylight hours/warm parts of the day, I take my 15 minute breaks walking around the building. By the time I go home for the evening, I've gotten in 30 to 45 minutes of walking in intervals that don't leave me huffing and puffing.

rennaisance_woman

Yep exercise is hard at first - but just start slowly and each week or so increase your distant/intensity - and each week as the lbs comes of it will get easier - you won't hate it so much and you will feel such an accomplishment for doing it

Yes there are a million things out there that taste just as good as what we ate before and that are better for you. In fact when you try to eat something that you just loved before the band - when you eat it again after being banded for a while you will say - oh that didn't taste as good as I remembered it.. :tongue2:

Wouldn't that be great to have a group get together for some networking, sharing, bonding. Let's keep this idea moving.

Janet - you're right. It felt great when the workout was over!

Kathy

Each time I fight myself to go to the gym - I know that I will feel better once I just do it... It's the whole getting there that can be the issue and once there - it's not that bad..

Well, I need to get my butt in gear... So Will cbl :tt2:

[bochs 0]

Hi Teach, I am not Indio but she is my friend. She will answer you soon. I am here to tell you that I too was afraid of loosing the food. This is part of the pre surgery jitters. It is fear of the unknown. I was anxious for a whole month before and I am here to tell you that you will be able to eat pretty much anything you want. Its not like you think. It is not the dreaded end like everyone thinks it is. You will just not be able to eat as much and you really will not want to. If you are not hungry you wont want the food. You do have to be in control of what you eat. Believe me, I felt the same way as you do right now and I just had mine in June. IT IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE AND I AM THRILLED! Food is kind of a comfort thing and we all hate giving that up, especially if we are overweight and think that is all we have to comfort us since we have no self esteem. Hope this helps a little. Indio will explain it to you much better than I, but wanted to let you know, don't be afraid at all.

Beckyo:tt1:

[IndioGirl55 32]

Hi Teach, I am not Indio but she is my friend. She will answer you soon. I am here to tell you that I too was afraid of loosing the food. This is part of the pre surgery jitters. It is fear of the unknown. I was anxious for a whole month before and I am here to tell you that you will be able to eat pretty much anything you want. Its not like you think. It is not the dreaded end like everyone thinks it is. You will just not be able to eat as much and you really will not want to. If you are not hungry you wont want the food. You do have to be in control of what you eat. Believe me, I felt the same way as you do right now and I just had mine in June. IT IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE AND I AM THRILLED! Food is kind of a comfort thing and we all hate giving that up, especially if we are overweight and think that is all we have to comfort us since we have no self esteem. Hope this helps a little. Indio will explain it to you much better than I, but wanted to let you know, don't be afraid at all.

Beckyo:tt1:

Becky you are so sweet.... Yes we are one big happy family here and welcome anyone who wants to join

I don't think I explained it any better than you... It good for everyone to reply so that she can see that by all our experience - our jouneries may be a little diff - but we are all basically the same..

[Charlene K 1]

Janet, .....just checking in. My daughter and grandbaby are going home today. I think I pulled a muscle in my back or maybe near the port area. It hurts at the port site and my shoulder blade. Anyway, I won't be lifting this weekend so I should have time to heal. I haven't been able to keep a daily journal, so I have paid the price by only losing a couple of lbs in the last three weeks. I go for another fill next week. I need it. It seems like two weeks after a fill I start eating too much. How are you holding up? I am still praying for you.

Vegas sounds like a cool idea. I would love to go , but we are planning the Hawaiian cruise next April.

Congrats to all of you! Maybe I will get in the biggest loser circle soon.

[IndioGirl55 32]

Janet, .....just checking in. My daughter and grandbaby are going home today. I think I pulled a muscle in my back or maybe near the port area. It hurts at the port site and my shoulder blade. Anyway, I won't be lifting this weekend so I should have time to heal. I haven't been able to keep a daily journal, so I have paid the price by only losing a couple of lbs in the last three weeks. I go for another fill next week. I need it. It seems like two weeks after a fill I start eating too much. How are you holding up? I am still praying for you.

Vegas sounds like a cool idea. I would love to go , but we are planning the Hawaiian cruise next April.

Congrats to all of you! Maybe I will get in the biggest loser circle soon.

Charlene

I am hanging in there- yesterday was 1 month - I know that as each month passes the pain will ease some - it will always be in my heart but as time goes by it will lessen some..

Heck you still are losing and that's what counts - you could be having gas pains too - I know that I still get them every now and then

I know that you will miss your girls - but be glad to get back to your routine... It's so funny how as we get older it's all about our routine - I use to laugh at my parents and their schedule/routines - and now here I am all about my schedule/rountine and watch out if it's interrupted..

Heck we are only talking about a 3 day weekend in June..

Rates should be cheap - fly in friday and out sunday..

put every $5 bill you get in a jar - that's your lbt vacation fun..