HeatherMarie

All of the above posts have great advice in them. Retraining ourselves to step away from the emotional eating carousel isn't going to be easy (it's the one aspect of this journey I am challenged by most!) B-52 says what I've thought about this from the beginning and why I chose the band over other WLS options,
Normal weight people do not (usually) obsess over their food choices. They eat a balanced diet every day and enjoy treats on special occasions. Most normal weight people do not exclude ANYthing from their diet unless it's an allergy/tolerance thing. Most normal weight people get an appropriate amount of exercise every week, whether its formal training or just an active lifestyle.
I am going to live like a normal weight person. I AM GOING TO LIVE LIKE A NORMAL WEIGHT PERSON.
In order to stop associating my food choices or eating according to an emotional response, I have to stop attaching guilt or pleasure to my food (not to be confused with appreciating quality food). I am going to stop beating myself up when I have something I once considered a non-diet food, when it's eaten at an appropriate time and place, not under duress, and in appropriate quantities. I went into this with the idea that I would never place any food item on a prohibited list but that I would, with the help of the band and other resources, relearn how to eat like a normal weight person eats.
I think it is unrealistic to think that I will never have another piece of chocolate, never experience a fresh Krispy Kreme doughnut, never enjoy a gourmet meal on a cruise ship, or experience new foods when we travel. I will eat one of my famous sauerkraut balls on New Years Day, I will have a spinge on St Joseph's Day, I will enjoy the fish fry we have after a good fishing weekend, and sample the extraordinary offerings at our community pot lucks.
I will appreciate food for what it is and not place undue value on what it is not. This is my mantra. This is the lesson I am learning as I shed the weight that resulted from my old understanding of food, the crutch that held me up when I didn't think I could hold myself up without it. I am stronger than the old ways. I have wasted enough of my life living like that. I am deserving of it. And it will bring me as much joy as I have been blessed to have in my life to this point.
And so are you, so have you, so will you. Forgive yourself and move on.

Chill out! I only lost 12 lbs the first 4 months. 2-4 week plateaus happen to all of us.

The perfect fill takes some time! And then we lose some weight and then that fill may not be the one any more,this isnt a race it took a while to put it on it takes a while to get it off,ups and downs, losses and stalls,but if we follow the rules we can do great! Patients and positivity are the bands best friend.

I got one when I reached mine. I got a tattoo that maneuvered around my port to cover my incision scars.

Maybe there should be a different category for religious propaganda. This doesn't seem like general lap band surgery thread worthy.

I read on lapband website that maximal weight loss happens between month 15 to year 3...maybe this will inspire our slower weight loss. Make sure you are getting plenty of Protein.< /p>

I was banded on March 8, 2011 and have lost 70 pounds. This was not my dream of waking up a size 6 but respectable I think! lol Could I have lost more by now? Certainly. There are things I can work on and need to work on but there has to be a middle ground between living and weight loss! I could not maintain exercising for 2 hours a day for very long. Everyone is different and we need to focus on what makes us happy! I can compare myself with the great "losers" out there but it will not aid in my weight loss and will probably just make me want chocolate! lol
You said it best-we can all support each other (successes and setbacks).
I am always looking for more support on this journey

Anywhere but my boobs or butt! I like my round butt and my boobs have pretty much disappeared already!!! I was hoping for an hourglass figure, now I'm a pear with big flabby arms! :-(
BUT, at least I'm not a big circle anymore, lol! {trying to look at the positive!}

I lost about 35 pounds per year and am now down 85 pounds. Like Cindysmom, I'm losing the weight in the time I am supposed to lose the weight. No one is going to hand out an award for fastest weight loss so you may as well take pleasure in each stage of the loss. No doubt making better food choices and adding exercise with speed you up a bit, though. Good luck to you.

I had this exact same conversation with several friends at dancing tonight. Two guys both told me not to lose any more weight or I would be too thin. Too thin for whom? For what? Neither of them asked about my health, my blood pressure or cholesterol levels. Both assumed that because I was sick with a gastro last week that is was because I had lost too much weight!
Then another friend asked how much more I planned to lose. She wasn't suggesting that I needed to stop losing but it was just one too many and I replied that I wondered why people felt it was okay to discuss when I should stop losing weight yet no one had ever said that I should stop gaining weight!
Most people in my life have only ever seen me when I was morbidly obese so I understand that they have to get used to the new me....so do I. But I have to find a weight that is both healthy and comfortable for me to live with and that will be my decision and no one else's.

I am not there yet but much closer to a healthy weight than .. well EVER! Feel great and people are really starting to notice and comment. It's a wonderful thing but being obese all my life a large majority of time has been spent thinking about losing weight, trying to lose weight, etc. Now I am starting to have odd feelings about being at (or around) goal weight. What do I strive for? What will a large portion of my world be substituted with? I know that once I hit that ellusive # or size I won't be pooping gum drops or riding around on unicorns but it just feels odd for lack of a better term.
Thanks for listening!
Any thoughts?

I am not there yet but much closer to a healthy weight than .. well EVER! Feel great and people are really starting to notice and comment. It's a wonderful thing but being obese all my life a large majority of time has been spent thinking about losing weight, trying to lose weight, etc. Now I am starting to have odd feelings about being at (or around) goal weight. What do I strive for? What will a large portion of my world be substituted with? I know that once I hit that ellusive # or size I won't be pooping gum drops or riding around on unicorns but it just feels odd for lack of a better term.
Thanks for listening!
Any thoughts?

Yes, it will get better! I was not one of those who had surgery one week and went back to work the next. I took 2 weeks off. Try to walk little laps around the house, it will help the gas move out. I also found a heating pad to be my best friend the first couple of days. Don't try to be superwoman or compare yourself with others. Everyone heals (and loses weight) at their own pace. Get plenty of rest! It will help your body and mental state.
Take Care and keep me posted.

Fantastic...that is a huge accomplishment!!! What will be your reward other than the high school jeans?? A lot of us have bought Pandora type bracelets (mine is actually Chamilia, check out their website!) with each bead representing 10 pounds...there are much less expensive ones everywhere these days Kohls, the craft stores etc! Keep on!

Having had a successful banding 16 mos. ago, I think I have found a few 'tricks' to get thru that initial 'stuck' feeling when starting a meal. Have something hot ( i.e. coffee, tea, etc. ) to drink about 15 minutes before your meal. That seems to relax the muscles around the band a bit and makes those first few bites tolerable. If you feel the 'slimming' effect, stop eating immediately, get up and walk a few steps. You'll soon feel the onset of 'sliming' long before it gets to the point of vomiting. When you get the first indication of discomfort, back away for a few minutes & the sensation will ebb.
Also, you must control when it's time for a 'fill.' Only you know how you feel, not your doctor. Just say no.
I've lost 80 # in 16 mos & very happy I went through all the discomforts. You will be happy to. Just hang in there.

I am sorry you are having such a difficult time with your band. Doctors are so different about when to eat mushies, when to eat solids. My doc had me on solids in less than 3 weeks. I did fine. But, I have to say that I don't think it was because my doc had such a "great post op food plan" (he is a general surgeon, not one that specializes in lapband), but because I just happened to be able to tolerate food at that stage. That said, perhaps, because your stomach seems to be more sensitve you might consider the more conservative path mentioned by "honk". It may not seem like much fun, but it could save you a lot of grief and aggravation -- and pain -- in the long run. Be sure to get all the nutrients you need and stay hydrated. Many a bandster has found herself in the emergency room because she is dehydrated.
As for your eating "just to feel good", I totally understand. I too, am an emotional eater. It is a complex problem because it is much harder to put a "band" around our heads, in fact, it is impossible. LOL But, for me, seeing a therapist that specializes in obesity has been extremely helpful. Because of my "head hunger" and the need to continue eating after my hunger is gone (a life long habit), my weight loss has not been "speedy", to put it mildly, but I have lost weight. I have lost because my therapist has given me tools to use when the "head hunger" hits. Also, I have learned so much about myself since being banded. And, I have changed in ways that has baffled and surprised family and friends -- and myself. I hate exercise, but I get up every morning and power walk at the park. I am up to 2 1/2 miles. I don't eat fast food anymore, I don't want it and I don't like it -- not anymore. I am not perfect with my food. But I am kind to myself when I am not. Beating myself up only leads to self sabotage. Emotional eating is one thing that the band cannot stop, but I have learned to use "self talk" which helps me to make better choices.
Remember, we have to be kind to ourselves both mentally AND physically. Do what you need to do to heal your stomach from the trauma you recently experienced (i.e., explosively rejecting the Protein, stomach spasms, etc.). And gently remind yourself that eating "just to feel good" doesn't feel so good when you get on the scale.
I truly hope that your troubles with your band are a thing of the past. Hang in there ... you are not alone.