♥LovetheNewMe♥

Wana be thin, sorry for your gain, you know this is the biggest fear all of us WLS patients have. You may not want to hear my thoughts so I will say I am sorry before I start. The band can not do all the work, we all have our ups and downs, fluid in and fluid out. Good restriction, no restriction. The one thing we have to work on daily is changing how we view food and develop some positive coping skills. Yes it is easier if we have total restriction and the band stops us from eating but when we don't have restriction we need to put our forks down and remember why we had the surgery. Look at what an amazing job you have done since surgey, you have lost over 100 lbs and I am sure you did not get there by eating just anything because you could. I had surgery one year ago and I am not at my goal yet but there are days that I could eat my way through the refrigerator but I don't. I have no idea why I have good restriction somedays and some days I don't. I have constantly work at this, I have not been able to exercise since August either due to an injury and I have only lost 5 lbs in 3 months, very frustrating. I feel your pain, and i do understand but you need to remember why you wanted this so bad and go back to using the tools and fooling the plan. At this point in my journey, I know this is a life style for me and I know I can not lose site of my goal. I know you can refocus and get this under control. Start a food dairy, write down what you eat and add up your daily intake as you are eating it. it may be labot intensive but it works and it lets you know real quick where your issues are. Again, sorry if I overstepped myself but I know you can be successful if you just focus. Good luck.

Erin sounds like a plan. The pounds will come off if you stick with it and learn to work with your band. Exercise does help you build muscle and tone you as you lose. I have lost a lot of inches during this past year, along with 76 lbs. Most people think I weigh a lot less than I actually do but I am still 5'1"" and weigh in at 172. I do record all of my calories and I lose best when i stay at the high side of my goal and get in 90gms of protein. Good luck with your goal and just stay focused.

Awe! He's a keeper.

Way to go NJ Girl, you must feel awesome and look smashing in some of your new clothes. I do hope you have treated yourself with something new? If not get out there and get something because you deserve a reward for all you efforts.

Your looking great! Vey inspiring.

Lack of a support group does make it hard, especially when you are trying so hard to stay focused and on track. I think it would be nice if LB had the same sort of system as AA or NA. In the beginning I think I could have attended a group several tmes a week, just to know that what I was feeling and doing was right. I knew some people at work who had the surgery and I suppose I drove them nuts, asking question after question. I had gas, I was bloated, I wasn't losing, my hair was falling out, I hated the protein drinks, my port hurt, my doctor advanced my diet faster than most and I worried about that. I think I goggled everythink under the sun on the internet. I read the blogs for hours at a time looking for someone or something that was experiencing what I was. I picked and read a lot of the postiive stories and stayed away from the blogs and comments that were struggling. I read the stories about people who had been successful, 6 months, 1 year 2years plus and I e-mailed them and said how did you do it. How did you stay focused. You will be surprised how many people are willing to communicate and help you. It may not be the same as a group but this way it allows you to have the postiive when you need and learn from the negative. Good Luck fabulous@fifty and with determination and postiive thinking you can do this, yes it is hard but you like me are old enough to know that anything worth having is worth working for. Here are a few things that helped me in the beginning, they may sound silly but I needed positive reinforcement along the journey. Take a fat picture and post it on your frige, I also tapped one inside my frig. Put one on your bathroom mirror and write beside it a positive affrimation. Pick a pair of pants or a skirt that is a goal, I tried them on weekly until one day when I pulled them on they fit. As your cloths get baggy, GET RID of THEM! When you are losing weight, you need to get in the smaller sizes to make your self feel better about your self and your journey. (I find it amazing that when losing weight tight jeans make you feel good, because when your gaining weight they make you feel sad). If you have not done it already, do not allow others to bring food into your house that may be your trigger. I know everyone says, but I have kids my husband loves that, well for a short period of time until I can get myself in check they can learn to eat healthy with me. It was months before I would allow potato chips or snack foods in the house. If anyone wanted them they could go out an buy them. I was not going to allow anything or any food to get in my way. I know me all to well and it would have been so easy just to have a little bite that turned into the whole pie. I once even told my husband that I would not sit in the room with him if he was going to snack every few minutes. We were watching TV and everytime I turned around he was eating something, I thought to my self how rude. I also stayed away from the cafeteria and work and resturants in the beginning, I became easily over whelmed with large quanities of food and big plates. If I saw a spread of food it actually made me feel physically ill. I eat off of a salad plate and even at 1 year out I still weigh and measure my food. I take my breakfast and lunch to work everyday and it I know I have to eat out I eat off the appetizer menu. I stay way from salad bars and I don't do fast food resturants except Chick Fil A, (I eat a kids meal with 4 nuggets and fruit cup. I call this cheating) If my husband or friends go out to dinner, I share a meal with someone or do the appetizer thing. Honestly the hardest thing for all of us is learning to break old habits and learning to live a healthy life. Yes you can still lose weight by eating unhealthy but by changing your whole outlook on food and food choices makes you successful for life. Good luck , Iknow you can do this.

Exciting, :bananadoggywow: October the 28th will be my one year anniversary. Hope you have cleaned your cabnets and frig of all the junk food. Better to take all temptation out of the way. Do you have your protein drink picked out, some soups, a nice blender to mush everything up. I have a Ninja I bought at walmart and love it, crushes ice and I could make anything into a soup I could get down. You realize the first few weeks are going to be the hardest, I sort of relate it to having a baby. You are pregnant for 9 months and you are so excited and can't wait, than the baby comes out and you have all of these new rules and feelings you are not sure what to do with or about. I lived on the blogs my first few months, just checking that what I was feeling was normal and I wasn't going nuts. I experienced some remorse for the loss of food, it was like experiencing the death of some old friends. I honestly wondered if I would ever be able to eat a full meal ever again. I struggled to get 400-500 calories in a day and also struggled to get my protein in. But I did it and so will you, once you learn to live the rules, the band begins to work for you and the pounds start to melt. I know you read the blogs and read the negative along with the positive take with you what is helpful and leave the rest behind. I find that I can learn from peoples successes as well as their failures. I know you will do well and let us know what we can do to help. Good Luck!

Milk, Banana, Peanut Butter powder(it has less fat and calories than jar peanut butter). I prefer the vanilla powder, you can do more with it and add different fruits and sugarfree syrups. You could add some coconut and almond favors to chocolate (SF of course and make a mounds)

We are all here to listen and offer support, where else can you go and get 100's of peoples opinions for free. Sometimes it is not about changing the situation but about learning to cope with issues you have not control over. I have the serenity prayer on my desk at work and read it every morning. It helps me to realize that the only thing I truely have control over is me and sometimes I can be my biggest road block. Soooo... Vent away, we all do from time to time.

Good Post Kelly, your way will be successful for the long haul of weight loss. I am losing slowly now but have increased my calories, and monitor my carbs and fat intake. I eat between 90-100 grams of protein a day and honestly lose better when my protein is higher. I also agree with having a (treat day) I hate the word cheat ;-0 My thought is if i plan I can eat anything I want! Great weight loss good luck reaching goal.

I have had gas off and on since surgery and sometimes it is bad and I feel very bloated. I swear by Gas-x I carry it with me everywhere. There are sometimes I may take it several times a day and I can go weeks and never need it. I prefer the strips that are mint or cinnamin that you place under your tongue and I also take Prilocex daily. I tried to stop taking the Prilocex but had to add it back. I also notice if I eat protein bars with sugar alcohols or just protein drinks that sometimes I have more gas. I honestly think it is due to the size of our stomachs and the slower rate that the food passes through but have nothing to back that up. Good luck and I wish I could say the gas went away but I am 1 year out (almost) and it is still there.

Well................... Honestly years ago I used to be your sister-in-law in my ways of thinking. When I did my first post on this blog I admitted I used to be one of THOSE people who thought if you just tried really hard you could lose weight. Honestly losing weight is really none of our problems it is the long haul and maintaining our weight. Negative thinking is all around us and some of it is due to ignorance and some due to jealously and some due to just being down right mean, that being said. I am sorry she was so mean and non-supportive, we do expect more from family but sadly they can be our worst critics sometimes. I must admit I am a total convert, this surgery is the hardest Diet I have ever been in because if I cheat I get physically sick. IDEA! I chose not to deal with negative people, family or friends. This is my life and I chose this journey and they can all, well you know what they can do. Sorry she was so mean, and hurt you not sure what she hoped to gain. Keep up the good work.

Unfortunatly everyone is different, I had restriction after my first fill. My surgeon put in 5 cc first time I had a fill, I really struggled after my first fill, food got stuck a lot for about a month until I learned to eat and chew. I had a second fill, in Feb of this year, 1 1/2 cc's and had to have 1 cc removed within the first 24 hours because I could not even swallow water. I pretty much stay in my green zone now, I am losing slowly. I do occassional have a stuck episode but it is usually when I am stressed and trying to eat on the run or make a choice that is not the best for me. It may take you a while to get to the green zone but just a caution that you still have to follow the rules even if you don't have restriction. Good Luck!

It is hard to break old habits and we all learn what happens when we break the rules. I have found that if I carry some nuts, jerky or a mini protein bar with me I don;t skip meals. I try hard not to have snacks and stick to 3 meals a day. I think new habits are harder to develop than old habits are to break. Keep it up you are doing good.

Maddy, I also think it is important that we help one another on this journey. My best friend had the gastric sleeve, 9 months after my lap band surgery. She struggled a little more than she thought she would, but was glad she chose the sleeve becasue she had been by my side as I struggled to learn how to use my band. She was a great support to me, encouraging me when I was frustrated with my lose and was always there to tell me how good I was doing. Paying that back to her and anyone else is so worth it because unless you have experieinced this you really have no idea. Thanks for sharing!

I really don't know statistically what the odds are but mine is tilted a little and difficult to access except under xray. I know it can happen but only the doctor can tell if it is flipped when he goes to access to fill. I am pretty sure the pain you are filling around the port site is normal from what I have read on the blogs and experieinced my self. Good luck and make sure you talk to the doctor about your concerns at your next appointment.

I guess your current reality is a fear for all of us. Our behavior has more to do with our success unfortunaltely than the band. That in it self is scary, I know this doesn't help your current situation but I for one appreciate your wilingness to share your frustration. I am almost at my one year anniversary and have reached a plateau. I notice at times it is much easier to make unhealthy choices vs healthy choices because they are so readily avalible and all of us would like to think we can have just one bite, one hour or one day of eating like our friends. But unfortunately I think for all of us that eating healthy has to be hard wired and we have to constantly keep what we eat in the forefront of our minds. My suggestions are simple but tuff, take inventory of your frig and your cupboards and get rid of anything that may not be the healthy foods. I would also be curious to know if you have been keeping appointments on a regular basis with your physician. We all think we can do this on our own but if we could we would never had to have the surgery in the first place. The one thing I know you don;t need is for anyone to beat you up because we do a good job of that without any help from anyone. Know one needs to tell us what we already know. So for healthy choices, increase your protein intake to 80-90 grms per day. If you want to eat between meals, have some jerky, a cheese stick if you need carbs have two crackers with so peanut butter. It is going to be hard especially if you have little restriction from your band but you have made the first good choice, you asked for help. So don;t think of this as a dIET think of it as a lIVIT. Start to live the life you deserve and wanted 2 years ago, you were successful because you used the tools they way it was intended. I wish you luck and just know you can do this with a little restraint and motivation. Take it one day at a time and I know you can be successful again. Good Luck!

Awesome, your doing great! I took a picture of my self with my 24 pants and boy it does make you realize how big we once were. You should be so proud. Good luck and keep up the good work.

Glenda, Going back to work is tuff. I am a nurse also and I know how easy it is for us to take the time to eat. I have a couple of questions. How many grams of protein are you getting a day? I can tell you that the hungry pains do get better if you are getting somewhere between 70-90 gms of protein. In the beginning it is almost impossible to get this much protein without some type of supplement. I also know how hard it is not to lose in the beginning but honestly the first 4-6 weeks your healing and that is why they don't always fill you until 6 weeks. For the first 3 months after surgery I drank my protein shakes at least twice a day to supplement my self because I could not get the protein in. That being said, I did do low carb shakes so they were only around 100-125 calories and about 24-30gms of protein. I really hated the shakes and struggled to find something I liked. My taste changed so much after surgery and I could not stand anything to sweet and the premixed drinks and some of the powders were yuck to me. I ordered mine from a bariatric web site, everyones tastes are different. I liked mine because I could mix them in 4ozs of water or milk and I figured I could tolerate that small amount. I also ate a lot of SF pop cycles, cheese sticks, and jerky. That being said I can hardly stand pop cycles, or SF jello to this day.If you are hungry between meals now, eat some protein or add a shake. If you can tolerate protein bars, Clifs makes a nice 100cal bar that is small and is 4 gms protein. Zone bars are good and also Supreme Protein low carb peanut butter and jelly is one of my favorites. Just make sure if you feel the need to snack you always reach for protein because it will keep you full longer. It does get better and honestly it does work. I realize failure is what we all fear, in the beginning I spent a lot of time searching the web and reading everything I could about this surgery. I went through a lot of emotional feelings about food and adjusting to the new me. I am almost at my one year point and about 20-25 lbs from my goal. I wish I could say it has been easy, but instead I will say it has been a journey but one I do not regret. I look totally different from how I did 12 to 24 months ago and am half the size I used to be. Honestly I like me and do feel comfortable in my new body. You won't fail, you will have good days, bad days, you will lose and you will gain but you won't fail once you learn to use the band as the tool it was intended to be. Good luck Kentucky, I;m a WV girl my self and we are made of some tuff stuff. Good Luck and if you need any support just e-mail me. I don't have all the answers but willing to help.

I am honest with everyone. When people ask, how did you lose so much weight. I say, I had WLS. I tried for years to lose my weight and keep it off and failed, I am not ashamed to admit that I failed at diet and exercise and needed help. I actually think my honesty has helped me to be successful to date with the lap band because I was honest and I knew everyone was watching. My biggest fear with this surgery was failure, I had read the blogs, listened to others struggles, saw people at work fail and I did not want to be another statistic in the weight loss war. So I took an open approach and shouted from the roof top, So far my honesty has worked for me, it was a life changing decision for me and I have no regrets.

Advice, take it or leave it. Stay OFF the scales. You are doing what so many of us do or have done. Becoming a slave to the numbers on the scale. If the scale goes up we beat our selves up and their goes our self confidence and motivation, if the scales goes down we jump up and down and yell horray what I am doing is working. Also stop thinking of it as a cheat day, this entire process is about learning to live with lap band and making healthy choices and it takes TIME and more TIME. Starting tomorrow morning, log every bite you put in your mouth, and that means every bite no matter how small. Keep this log for a few weeks.( I use myfitnesspal.com) Then go back and look at what and how you have been eating. The one thing I noticed was that even though I was eating under or at my daily calorie goalsI wa s eating over my fat grams everyday. I thought it would have been my carbohydrates but I stay way under the carbs, under my protein (not good) but almost always consistantly over in fat grams. I know it seems really scary not to weigh your self but take the scales out of the bathroom, place them in the floor of your bedroom closet and SHUT the DOOR! Now this is what I want you to try, 1. log your food, 2. Time your self while eating make sure you are taking the full 20 minutes to eat your food, chew, chew, and chew your food and do not drink anything 30 minutes before you eat or 30 minutes after you eat. 3, Eat off a small plate 4. purchase a good digital scale for weighing your food. 5. Do some kind of exercise daily, (something as simple as parking further from your place of work or taking the steps instead of the elevator, even if it is for only 15 minutes do something, Make the time you are worth it. 6. If you really want to know if you are burning calories or only maintaining purchase an electronic device you wear, Fitbit, Bodybug or something as simple as a pedometer. I know what you may be thinking, OMG... I had surgery so I would not have to do all of this. Well I am sorry to tell you until you get the rules down and undo all the bad habits all of us over eaters have developed you need to be OCD about your meals. You need to teach your body the difference between being full and being satisfied, and all of this does not happen overnight. Do not think of this as a DIEt, think of this as a LIVEit. You have to learn to live with lap band and use it as the tool it was designed for. Good luck in your journey and I know you will be successful, believe in your self and love your self. But please stay off the SCALES. And one last thing if you have not already done this, take your measurements, sometimes you lose inches while building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. Good luck!