freelance frog

No honey, you're not being mean, but this is going to happen. He doesn't have the lap band, you do. And I'm sure you knew how it was going to be before you got it. I don't want to sound mean to you, because I'm on your side. I get it. It's not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but I promise you it will be worth it!!! It stinks that he mentioned he wanted to share the cookies with you. That was definitely thoughtless, but it's pretty new, and maybe he forgot, or just wasn't thinking. At any rate, I don't feel like you will be able to expect him to not make popcorn, not have snacks, and not continue to eat the same way he did before. Think about how difficult it was for you not to eat that way before surgery, and what you had to go through in an effort to make it stop. YOU had the surgery, so the difficult part is yours to take on. It would be awesome if he could manage to stop eating in his normal way to make it easier on you, but that's not likely to happen. Sooooo, the best advice I have to give you is to hang in there, and don't be too hard on people for doing what they have always done. And mostly, remember that nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!! NOTHING! You can do it and I hope you will. By the time your first 100 pounds is gone, you will realize that it was a very small price to pay! Trust me on this! Cheering you on from the Nebraska prairie...

Cheering you on! How exciting!!

You look absolutely amazing!! Happy Bandiversary!!

I'm not sure why your band isn't working how you think it should.. but if there's any chance at all that it's not working because you're not helping it, then the gastric bypass and the gastric sleeve won't work for you either. It's possible to cheat ALL gastric surgeries by eating the wrong things, and not changing your habits. And like LovetheNewMe said, I too know two people who have had gastric bypass, lost all of their weight, and now weigh more than they did when they started. I also know 1 person who did that with their band and have heard of MANY more. You have the perfect tool. This isn't an easy journey.. I hope you will give your band the chance to do it's thing for you. 4 months isn't that long.. if you do what you're supposed to do, nomatter how hard it is, I don't see how you can't lose your weight eventually unless there is some other medical issue not being addressed.. in which case I'm out of my league for advice. Hang in there!! YOU CAN DO THIS!!

I agree with everything zil has said in the above post. I'm sorry that you aren't finding support where you hoped you would.. but it's important that you keep searching for that support, because without it this journey will be much more difficult! Ask your surgery coordinators if there is a support group for lap banders in your area that you can attend! I"m not going to lie to you.. you will miss eating the way you used to, but once those pounds start to melt away, you will have more resolve, more determination than ever to keep on going. I've been very pleasantly surprised at how I still find it very enjoyable to cook food for my family, and am completely satisfied to sit with them while they eat like normal people, and I eat what I can eat. I've lost more than 95 pounds since April, and girl, I don't miss eating that way anymore!! I look and feel fabulous, and it was worth the difficult beginning when all I wanted to do was eat the way everyone else ate. Quite honestly, I love being the one at the table who eats fractions of food portions, and easily turns down dessert without a problem. It feels fantastic, and I hope you will find this out for yourself! Hang in there Daisy!

Cheering you on from the Nebraska prairie!! :welldoneclap:

Yes, you toot that horn!! Beep Beep! Way to go!!

hehe it made me laugh too!! Thank you arnetta!

HOLY CRAP!!!! I just had to post these like this I hope no one is offended, but my blog IS called MY OTHER BUTT!! The one on the left was taken on April 11, 2011... 7 months ago. The one on the right was taken this morning ~ November 10th, 2011. I'm almost embarrassed to post the original... but a picture says 1000 words eh? Follow me at http://www.myotherbutt.blogspot.com

I caught my reflection in a window two days ago, and I was so surprised. I looked AWESOME! Now, for whatever reason, it's so different for me catching my reflection by chance than it is looking in the mirror every day. Don't get me wrong, when I look in the mirror now I can definitely see changes in myself. I know I'm not physically the same person that I was 7 months ago, but I don't think I see myself honestly, because I do mostly see a bigger person than I think I am now. But my reflections that I catch in windows, doors or unexpected mirrors still keep surprising me!! More than once I truly didn't even realize it was me I was looking at.. well, at least it didn't register that it was me if that makes any sense at all! I went to see my surgeon today for my 7 month check up. I have lost 95 pounds! The nurse whom I regularly see told me that soon I will need to sit down with the doc and set my final goal! It feels fabulous to have reached this point so much sooner than I had planned! My other bit of fabulous news is that I am now wearing a size 10 jeans! Can I get a HELL YEAH?!! No fill for me today. The nurse warned me that I may not make it a full month though without reaching "super hunger mode" and if I do before my next appointment to call them and come right up for a little fill! I'm still floating up here on cloud 10, and I don't plan to come back down anytime soon! And I might just add too, that "my other butt" is making a very nice come back if I do say so myself! It definitely needs work, but it sure is lookin good in jeans! For those of you reading this blog who are just starting your lap band adventure, or whom are just thinking about starting it, I want you to know that if you are willing to make a few sacrifices, this tool is the best thing you can do for yourself! If you are wondering if you can cheat your way through, the answer is yes, but why the hell would you? And last of all, attitude is EVERYTHING with this process! You must believe you will succeed, and be ready to put forth every effort to do so! Be willing to give some things up to gain SO MUCH!! It's worth it.. worth every last penny, worth every piece of bread you eventually won't be able to eat, worth every bottle or can of soda that you probably won't be able to drink for a good long time, and worth dealing with the head hunger for awhile. Keep your eye on the prize!! Thanks for stopping by! Follow me at http://www.myotherbutt.blogspot.com

-44 pounds in 3 months is pretty fast weight loss lady!! YOu should be VERY proud of that! You'll always have people trying to tell you what's best for you.. just let it go in one ear and out the other! You are doing AWESOME!! Cheering you on from the Nebraska prairie!! :woot:

You didn't ruin anything for yourself. My doctor advanced my diet fairly fast.. I was eating solid foods by the end of the second week. He let me advance as I could tolerate it and I did fine. I'm at six months post op now and have lost more than 85 pounds, so I'm fairly sure I didn't screw anything up by doing that! Don't worry!

thank you myseason and Glenda045! It's been a very exciting journey so far! I'm excited for both of you and will be cheering you on from the Nebraska prairie!!

I agree with SageTracey! Don't be afraid to celebrate every little thing along the way.. sometimes the end goal can seem so daunting, but as you celebrate each little victory it will help you to realize that you're really getting there~~ however long it may take! Even if the scale isn't giving up the pounds you may still be losing inches!! That has been a big one for me.. I've found that when I'm not dropping pounds, I drop more inches! It doesn't make sense in my head, but it's reality! Every time you drop a size, or realize a non-scale victory get on here and toot your horn! It not only will help you to feel better, but it will help encourage others too!

<br><br>Thank you! And yes, finding new bones is so much fun! LOL, it's something I never would have thought of before I had this surgery! <img class="bbc_emoticon" alt="" src="http://cdn.lapbandtalk.com/public/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif"><br>

<br><br>You have to celebrate the little things along the way.. it's a must! If you wait until you've done enough.. you may never feel you've arrived at that point! By celebrating along the way you can look back and see more clearly just how far you've come! <br>

<br><br><br>Best of luck to you! Try to have a strong positive attitude going into your surgery it makes all the difference in the world! If you ever have questions or need encouragement, please contact me. I'm a great cheerleader!! lol<br>

Six Months! Goooo ME! I'm 8 days past my six month bandiversary! I can't believe I forgot to post this.. okay, maybe I can. I've been pretty busy enjoying life! So, six months out, and here's what I have going on: I have lost 84 pounds as of this morning. I have dropped more than ten sizes in most of my clothing I have shoes that are too big, rings that are too big, and clothes that I had sentimental attachments to falling off.. (yes I know.. toss 'em!) I have a collar bone. I brought another bone to my doctor's attention at my last fill... the nurse laughed at me and said "honey you will be finding all sorts of bones you didn't remember you had!" This particular bone turned out to be my xiphoid process which is right in the sternum and something I don't think most people are even aware of ever.. but when it suddenly appears, it's ummm.. interesting! I need a new driver's license photo, because my old one is almost unrecognizable as me! Plus my weight on my license is alll wrong now! I sleep so very well now, and I think that's because I don't snore anymore! I'm much healthier, and I feel FABULOUS! I actually like seeing my reflection unexpectedly when walking past a window, door or mirror and still can't believe it's me sometimes! There's more, but you get the idea, right? I love my emerging body.. I love not feeling like an impostor in someone else's bigger body! I love the energy that I have, and can share. I have always loved life, but I didn't realize that it was possible to love it more, and it is. I have no reason not to believe that by my one year bandiversary I will be at my ideal weight or very close to it. I hope I'm not jumping the gun on making that forecast for myself, but so far this lap band has exceeded my expectations! I went into it expecting it to work... I was completely willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. To date, I've had very few disappointments with my band, and many huge surprises! If you are reading these blogs looking for encouragement and positive results, I hope I have given you that. I wouldn't change one single thing, and if I had it to do all over again, I would in a New York minute. It's been the best thing that's happened to my body in years, and near as I can tell, it saved my life! The one and only tiny complaint I have that is worth mentioning is that I do believe all of my lost FAT used to keep me warmer!! It's getting cold here on the prairie, and the new healthier me is going to need to buy a big old coat for the winter... in a much smaller size of course! Not even a real complaint now is it?! Here's to six months under my belt, and here's to the next six months of losing and winning! Thanks for stopping by! Oh.. here's a couple of 6 month pics to share! I would have worn more flattering clothes if I'd have known I was going to do this blog today!! But this is me in my fall/winter uniform hehe... love my blue jeans and sweatshirts, even if they do make me look fatter than I am. Funny.. I used to wear them to hide all that fat! 'Scuse the messy hair too... dang I'm a hot mess!! Follow me at: http://www.myotherbutt.blogspot.com

Once a month!

That may be a little bit of restriction you're feeling.. but not necessarily the green zone. An ideal "fill" level should be just tight enough to let you gradually lose weight. That means you should still be able to eat enough to get the nutrients that you need, while still reducing the overall amount you can actually eat. When you're in the green zone you won't be hungry between meals, You're still having good weight loss, you've got good portion control, and you feel satisfied. According to my doctor, sometimes adjustments are necessary to keep you in that zone.... especially because as we lose fat.. the fat pad where our ports are located will cause the band to loosen up for awhile. I'm in my green zone now, but have to have tiny little fills to stay there if that makes sense?! Hope that helps.

so your total goal was about 111 pounds? And you will have done that in what? 8 months or so? That's great? Can't wait to see photos of your weight loss.. I hope you'll share!

AMEN!! I concur with every single thing you said!

I passed the 5 month mark and didn't have a chance to get a blog done until today.. so I'm at 5 months and 6 days! Hmmm what's that.. around 21 weeks? I don't know.. I kind of lost count, but what I do know is this: I'm down 73 pounds, and I'm down more than 10 numbers in sizes! TEN NUMBERS... well, more than ten numbers actually, if you count the last pair of jeans I bought! (insert big ol grin here!) I guess honestly, that's only 5 to 6 sizes since sizes tend to jump by 2 numbers, but I think it's absolutely amazing!! I've been enjoying this journey so much lately, even though Ive come to the sad realization this week that eating isn't really a very pleasant experience for me anymore. This kind of makes me sad, and extremely grateful at the very same time. Weird, I know. My last fill was last week, and boy is it tight right now. But I loosen up quite a bit as I drop inches, and I know it won't last forever. I've had to adopt some little tips and tricks to make eating easier these past few days. My band is way tighter in the morning than in the evening. I have to drink something hot to even be able to eat anything at all, and even liquids are a tight squeeze when I first drink them each day. But eventually things loosen up a little, and I can eat... sort of. I now know what it means to have to eat verrrry slowly! I'm talking super small bites, and 5-10 minutes in between each bite right now... thus, not such a pleasant eating experience. Everyone in my family is done WAY before I am, and it's about impossible to go out to eat anywhere and actually enjoy a meal, unless I just sit there and talk, not eat. BUT, I still have the best luck with meat. I can still eat steak.. not very much, but I can eat it. Hamburger doesn't like me as much for whatever reason, and forget chicken. I don't care how moist and tender it is, it hates me... or my band hates it, whichever way that goes. And another surprising thing.. I absolutely can NOT eat mashed potatoes. They get stuck every stinkin time, even if they have lots of gravy on them. (Insert big ol sad face here!!) I LOVE mashed potatoes.. and you would think that would be something I'd have to be leery of, since for most people mashed taters are sliders.. (they slide right on through) but not me. Ahh well, it's a good thing probably.. if they slid right on through I'd probably eat them three times a day. I can't do any carbonation at all.. it feels weird and unpleasant. I haven't drank a soda in almost 6 months, and don't miss it, however I attempted to drink an AMP energy drink today and it about choked me. It's surely a good thing that I love water and iced tea! I've been having issues with lemonade lately too.. not sure what's up with that.. the weirdest things seem to get "stuck" for me. I've reached ONEDERLAND and I couldn't be more thrilled about it! That's my "Scale Victory" and now for some "Non Scale Victories" for the week:: The "girls" are shrinking slowly, but surely.. my tank bras are getting too big, and that's awesome! I can easily wear a size XL top down from a 3X and sometimes 4X. That's progress! If my top half would catch up with my bottom half in the downward spiral I'd be in good shape, but I'm not complaining, it's happening and I can see it. My shoulders are so pretty! LOL I used to HATE my shoulders. They looked so fat and ugly to me, and now I just love them. I have tons more energy than I remember having in years. I jog up and down my stairs several times a day and don't end up laying on my bed or the floor as my lungs beg for mercy! I take up so much less space these days too.. weird... in my clothes.. in my car... on my furniture... My daughter in law pulls my pants out of the dryer now and just says "wow" every time. There really is a huge difference. Yeah.. things are diminishing and I just love it! I've lost close to 40 inches over my entire body. My other butt is emerging too~ it's taking shape a little better. I was thinking it was going to be on the flat side after all of this, but now I'm not so sure. I'm seeing differences there almost daily. Exercise is helping I think. So that's my report for now.. I'm hoping that by the time Christmas gets here I need a lot of new clothes!! I already do, actually, but I'm hoping a lot of new smalllllller clothes! I'm getting greedy now aren't I? I can't help it, I'm seeing this weight melt away, and I have so much hope now that it's not going to take forever to get to my ideal weight. I was willing to settle for 20 or 30 pounds over the "ideal" when I first started... but not anymore! I now know I can do this! And that's such a great feeling! Thanks for stopping by! Follow me at http://www.myotherbutt.blogspot.com

Proud of you too!! Your attitude will take you very far on this journey!

OH! I can so relate! For me the number is 202.4 up to 203.8! Back and forth all week long.. actually, it's been a week and a half! Soooo close, and sooo frustrating LOL! Hang in there girlie.. I'm cheering for you from the Nebraska prairie!!