joyb1only

I think joining WW will provide some great support. First is meeting support. If you find a good, supportive leader, the info provided from the weekly meetings is excellent in providing motivation, and behavior modification info, provided you stay for the meetings. If you don't or can't, you might do better with just the support forum like this one, or a web site such as Sparkpeople. The emphasis on getting a balance of healthy eating exercise is what makes the program. Second is the benefit of accountability from the weekly weigh-in, and tracking your weight. Getting rewards by meeting certain targets for weight loss also helps. Your rewards give you tangible evidence of your accomplishment, and can serve as an anchor to get you over the rough spots. I use the monthly pass, and the convenience of WW e-tools that comes with it.
That said, there are some things that you will need to think about as you begin the program. Most of your points are going to have to be used for Protein - lean meat, low fat cheese, yogurt, etc., and you may not be able to get in your targeted number of points. You will also likely not be able to eat the quantities of food a non-banded person can, and you may not be able to get the servings of fruits and veggies you are supposed to eat under the good health guidelines, especially in the post-op period. Those will need to be added gradually as you can tolerate them, and likely never in quantities that are considered "normal" portions, such as an entire cup of strawberries, etc. You will likely also need to steer away from Pasta dishes, rice, etc. and foods that are more likely to get "stuck", at least for a while. At the same time, making those adjustments is worth the trade-off of behavior changes.
Hope this helps.

Stuck feels like you just swallowed a rock. The rock is now sitting at the base of your sternum. It can be pain or pressure. If you experience that, STOP EATING. Wait until the sensation passes before trying more food. Putting more food on top of stuck food just increases the pain. Don't drink anything, that won't help either. If you swallow a couple big gulps of liquid, the stuck item is likely to come back up.
Your pouch grinds trying to force the item through. That can get very painful. Your body produces a very thick mucous in an attempt to help the item go down. As the way down is blocked the mucous comes up, and out, in the form of slime. The sliming will not stop until you are unstuck.
Ah the joys of banded life. But really, oh so very worth it.

Nikita,
Congratulations on your decision to have the band. I had it done in Dec 2010. It's had it's ups and downs, and the reason is those darn bad habits! I would encourage you to not wait for your surgery to at least be mindful of what you are eating. Keep a diary or tracker if you can. There are a couple of reasons. Your surgery will go better if you can shrink your liver. I'm sure your doc will tell you this. A second is that your band restricts how much at a time but doesn't do anything for the quality or how often you are eating. Unfortunately, all the good stuff still goes right on down, once you are through post op, and the temptations to eat those things, like chocolate, or too many shakes, or just plain high calorie food in general are still there. A little at a time all the time is not a good thing if it's not the right food, and half or quarter cups still add up to a lot of food if you do it too often. You have to change habits. Getting that up front may help you when the bad ones try to bite you later.

WOW the truth hurts dosen't it? LOL... I am a single working (Mon-Fri 8-5) mother of two, an 8 yr old and a 2yr old. But I get up every morning at 4am and do 4-5 miles of cardio (1hr) and sometimes even strength training. It's the only time when my children are asleep and I have time to myself. Why??? Because I know I wont be able to fit it in at the end of the day. I'm too tired..but I also know that a good cardio workout in the morning will give my slow metabolism a extra boost for the day, it will help tone my body and the green tea I drink before my workouts puts me in a better mood and gives me a little extra energy to deal with my daily duties. Do I love it?? Not really but I will admit I do like how I feel after a workout. I do love the way sweat helps release negative toxins and feelings. and I also love a good stretch in the morning. I guess what I'm saying is you may not love it but it works, it's important, and your grown to like it if you find a program that you enjoy.
At the same time I want to stress..don't beat eachother up. This is a lifestyle change and for some it harder than for others. If you haven't been working out to help out your band, today is a new day and it not too late.... To the OP every pound is a success 30 pounds is not bad maybe they could have lost more in a year.. maybe not. Anyone who has lost 30 pounds is 30 polunds healthier in my book.