♥LovetheNewMe♥

Jim, you just can't fix stupid! Big hug!

Sorry you have had so many complications, just glad they have all been minimal and fixable. You are doing great and have such a wonderful attitude and insite. I wish you the best and hope this is over soon, you are going to look amazing this summer. Jealious! I still have a little giggle in my belly but I think I will keep it, I am chicken!!!!!!!

Unfortunately what you are experiencing is normal and many on the forums refer to this period as Bandster Hell. The time when you have no fluid in your band and are basically on your own. Just focus on learning portion control, a lot of people do not normally lose during this period. Good luck and all I can say is that it does get better. Oh and one more thing, just because you can eat certain foods now it is better if you start making those hard decisions sooner than later. Good luck to you.

Positive, compassionate, accepting and ready to embrace this healthy life and the changes it brings.

Love the quote, also a favorite of mine.

Good luck to you and congratulations on making your decision. We have all walked in your shoes and know how you feel.

I like crunch more than the nugget style like Pure Protein. So I lean more to Kind Bars, Nature Valley Protein Bars, Mini Cliff Bars or Supreme Protein-(I love the peanut butter and Jelly) None of these are high protein but are all around 180 to 200 cal with about 8-15 gms of protein. You can have a snack of cheese, (baby bell) Nuts about 1/4 cup of almonds, or some nugget jerkey also to mix it up. I would suggest you make sure you count these snacks in your daily calorie count it is easy to get in the habit of snacking and it will slow weight loss. Hope this helps.

Bea, I know you may not have reached your goal but I think the progress you have made is remarkable. i do understand your comments about who you still see. i have lost 126 lbs and when i look in the mirror I have no idea who that person is. i sometimes say to myself, I hate my body or hate the way it looks without cloth's. Yes we all knew the side effects of the surgery and we all knew we would have loose skin but the reality of all the emotional changes we go through can sometimes be very over whelming. I wish you continued success in your journey.

I can relate with you. I work in an environment where a lot of my co-workers have had WLS of some type. I like you talked to many of them prior to having surgery and they were very encouraging telling me how easy it was and they were having great success and no issues. Well they lied, everyone of them. They all had some issues but never disclosed them and looked for work around. As soon as I came across my first obstacle and went to them, the support and good advice was not there. I felt betrayed, I felt lost and knew I was on this journey by myself. I stopped seeking their advice and I actually distanced myself from them and their negativity. The have a year on me, (3 years banded) one had her band removed due to slippage( she always had her band too tight and was PB'ing) The other had her band removed and now has the sleeve. She continued to eat and blamed the band for not losing. The third is 4 years gastric bypass and never reached goal. The 4th, is at goal but struggles with stomach issues. So my role models turned on me and never got with the program and each of them struggles with their weight loss and they are also the ones who make fun of me for exercising, (they tell me I'm obsessed) and they also tell me I am too thin. My point is this, I did this for me, I thought I had support of my friends at work but soon found who my true friends were. You are doing very well with your journey, don't let the negativism of others bring you down. Stay strong, because we all know you can do this.

Good goals: I need to do both 1 and 2. I was going to set up an exercise rewards jar. I am going to place a dollar in a jar for everyday I exercise, I will use the money to reward myself with a new pair of shoes or jewlery.

My resolution is to stop spending money in the gift shop at work, when i feel like eating I go to the gift shop and buy something, last year was an expensive year for me.

We have way too much in common AJ, it is a good thing we live several states apart if we lived next door we would stay in trouble. Happy New Year, roasted red pepper hummus was on my snack table last night!

Awesome way to start the New Year, heading to the gym to work out with the trainer this afternoon. Starting the year out right! Wishing you continued success for this new year!

Your making excellant progress, half this journey and battle is learning and making improvements in our lifestyles. I do a lot of shopping in the 75% off sale racks along the way. But cleaning out the closet is excellant. I did keep one out fit, I wanted one reminder of how big I really once was. You have a great outlook and very positive attitude, you will reach your goal.

Even at 2 years out and not having a fill since Jan 30th, I still have to be very careful of what and how I eat in the mornings. Eggs have always been an issue for me, no matter how I have tried to eat them. I eat an oatmeal egg white meal most mornings for breakfast. It gives me carbs and protein and keeps me full until lunch. I add blueberries and a couple of chopped nuts for my fruit and healthy fats. Also when ever I have a PB episode I usually can not take on solid foods for at least 24 hours or I continue to PB, I ususally just do protein drinks. As Cheryl stated above sometimes it can take 2-3 weeks after a fill to adjust to the new feeling and pressure you fill. After my last fill in January it took me over 3 weeks to adjust. A couple weeks ago due to some poor choices (holiday snacks) I have had a few PB incidents and some reflux, my bands gentle way of saying cut it out.

Great job! This was my first holiday season at goal also. I must admit I was a little nervious with all the cooking and baking but it was really ok. I also love my band. I had a wonderful meal both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and didn't over eat. I love my band and the control it gives me! Happy New Year, cheers to all of us who are making this life style change work!

Ok, you gave me a giggle. Just what we all want to do, massage the girls everyday. Do you think we could pay someone to do this, or maybe we should pay ourselves. Glad you are doing so well, I would love to have something done someday but I am chicken. I just keep doing sit ups hoping it will help more and more. Hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Awesome job keep up the good work.

Some people just don't say anything our of jealousy or they may not know what to say. Now I find people ask me if I am sick. Just be positive and know you are losing and I know the results are there.

Awesome job wait till next summer you will look awesome in that two piece!

Great blog AJ, I am right there with you, it is so easy to slip back into old habits once you reach goal. You can get comfortable with the way you eat, what you eat and how you eat. I have episodes like this off and on and they are usually around a time when I do not take the time to eat my meal like I am suppose to. Example, today, I had a coffee from starbucks, no breakfast, no morning snack, finally got lunch around noon, (I had been up since 5am and this was my first bite of solid food) I got some salmon, a sweet potato and some grilled veggies. Two bites into the meal, I started to feel that feeling in the back of my thoart, tight and difficult to swallow. I knew I wasn't full so I had to lay down my fork and set back in my chair and take a break. Did I fail to mention I was on a conference call, So I was not really paying attention to my meal at all. I was able to eat about half of the meal and finally gave up and threw it away. I did manage to eat a tablespoon of peanut butter and a small banana this afternoon, than I ate some almonds. So yes band basics should never be far from our thoughts and we should always follow the rules no matter how long we have been banded. Old habits are always there and just waiting to come to the surface. Like I always say, that little fat girl is just sitting inside me waiting for me to screw up and I need to work daily to keep her in check. I think I broke lots of rules today. Thanks for sharing.

I have a fitbit also, it was the turning point for me and helped when I was stuck last winter. I wear mine daily, I even slept with it on in the beginning but have given up that obsession. When I looked at my poor sleep pattern it made me more tired. Enjoy!

I agree it is scary and a good message for all of us. Even though I am at goal, I realize every day that I must eat right in order to maintain this. I have not had a fill since Jan of this year. One because I was losing and two because I always seem to go through such a hard time after each fill. I do have days I am hungrier than others and that is why I am obsessive about counting calories and measuring my one cup of food. I know for me the fat girl still lives inside and I still have days as the old saying goes "my eyes are bigger than my stomach". As destynee said we can't allow this to happen to us and hopefully we can keep our goals and our lessons learned to the forefront of our thoughts. Good luck to you, sending strength your way, you can be successful, you have done very well to date and be aware and knowledgeable about your actions is a big part of the battle.

Sounds as if you are too tight. I do know from my own personal experience that when I was sick my band became tighter and I had problems but mine did loosen back up on its own, I have been too tight one time and your symptoms sound very similar to mine, I required a small unfill. Maybe call your surgeon or PCP on Monday and see what they see. Being to tight is not good for you or your band. Good luck and I hope things get better soon, it is miserable to be too tight.

Some good medical info, I have used this site often.

http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-made-simple/Lap-band-surgery-restriction-slips/Lap-band-surgery-restriction-slips.html

So excited for you, and glad you didn't have to have an unfill, no point messing with something when it works.

Old habits are hard to break but you did not sabotage all your work so just put that day behing you and move forward. I am so sorry for your stress with your father, family being sick can way heavy on our hearts and bring back lots of feelings and ways of coping. Prayers being sent your way for healing and strength, believe in your self, we all know you can do this and this is just a Minor setback.

Hmm, since this was a journey and not a diet i would say anyone who says they never ever ate anything they were not suppose to is less than truthful. I was good but not perfect, today I am good but not perfect. I am disciplined and I do know when to stop and I make healthy choices 90% of the time. This is life and parties, family gathering, and basically **** happens. I do not overeat becasue it makes me feel aweful but I do have a drink, I do have an occassional piece of chocolate and I do love my popcorn and nuts. My difference now is that I count these things in my daily intake of food, the one thing I have consisitantly been honest with is my calorie intake. If I go over one day I go way under the next. If I chose to make a poor choice of a high calorie food, I may joke about it but I do not obess about it. This is my life and I am carving it out one day at a time and I will Bee"Successful!