Jim1967

Nicely put! We spend many of our years with bad eating habits and new ones do not come easy and take time to get used to. Finding that zone along with repetitiveness is what will get you there and before you know it you will have a new normal. My Wife and I have no children and we used to spend a lot of time dining out rather than cooking. Well that aspect of my life has changed tremendously. I look forward to preparing a good healthy meal now without worry of a cook putting in sugary or salty add-on junk.

Being nervous or even scared is perfectly normal and if you had no reservations at all about the actual procedure then I would think you were a robot. That said... I was 450lbs going into Surgery. I was very nervous about waking up. I made a point to sit and speak with family just in case something happened to me. I made sure going in that everyone knew that I made this choice and it was what I wanted. I could not going living like I was or it would be a matter of time before a heart attack or something else took me. At least I was going on my terms...

Cheez-Its...stuff is like heroin to me. I have not had it in two years and it remains the only thing I avoid in fear that it may get a grip on me again. I had a 1pound box a day habit. I would make special trips to the store just for Cheez-its if I had to. I would like to think at this point I could have serving and put the box away but I don't trust myself and of course Cheez-Its are slider food. I do miss Guinness ale from time to time especially around St Patty's day.

I edited the weight on my profile and now suddenly it is all wrong. My weight loss is wrong and even my Doctor name is wrong. Almost looks like my profile was replaced with someone else...

You sound pretty motivated to me Neighbor!! I was just thinking today how April 16 will be my 2nd year anniversary and my 6 month check up and I was wondering if I could reach Onederland by then. No pressure but it would be satisfying. This Winter has definitely knocked me down a bit as far as morale. I have never been so cold like I have been this winter. I have only been to the gym about dozen times since December. On the flip side I have been shopping for Kayaks and I think I have decided which one I want. Should look pretty cute driving home in the snowy winter with a kayak on my roof! So I guess my Summer goals are more of the same from last year. No couch potato. Outside activities every day even if I can only squeeze an hour at times. Band has liberated me and I am not taking one ounce of it for granted. Been so cooped up that just the sight of the sun gives me spring fever until of course I walk outside. Feeling goes away rather quickly.

I implore you all to take Cheryl's advice especially if you're like me where the scale can either make your day or break it. I have gotten better with time but everyone once in a while the scale will still factor into my daily demeanor. It seems I traded in binge eating for binge weighing. I believe I have taken some fun out of my journey by weighing every day. Getting the on the scale and seeing the slightest movement one way or the other sucks. Would've been nice to weigh once a month and possibly see a larger number for a change.

I wouldn't call that a con. I actually loved all the needed follow ups because it kept me actively involved in the process and with each visit I became more knowledgeable. If anything I miss going in for those appointments but that is me and I had insurance covering me 100%.

Congratulations!!

I made the mistake of drinking once when I was stuck and man did that just intensify the pain. First reaction is drink to clear the blockage but trust me that is a recipe for more pain. Like the other have stated just need to let it pass. I also find walking around helps but in the end it either has to pass or come up but you need to be careful because forceful vomiting excessively can lead to other complications. Only way I can describe the pain is how I would imagine a heart attack feels. Pain does not feel like it is in your stomach it actually feels like it is in the esophagus and you get sharp pain in the chest. Take it slow and introduce all new foods slowly and treat your stomach as if it were a babies stomach.

LOL. We're twins!!

I've tried rice three times since being banded and all three times I got stuck and vomited. I've tried eating slow, chewing until the cows came home and even tried mixing in some sauce. Each time...stuck. It is one of the few foods I absolutely avoid because it isn't worth it.

I have the serial number in my personal records but I just don't have the physical card cause it got lost.

My last meal consisted of Mexican food, Guinness, Guinness and oh yea some Guinness. Did I mention the Guinness? St Patty's Day is coming....I miss Guinness on St Patty's Day but I am happier than any Rich, Drunken Leprechaun on either side of the pond. I also had a very large hot fudge Sunday but I just don't remember when because of all the Guinness!!

Hospital lost mine and I never bothered to chase it down. Not sure what it was really good for anyway...

No she's never had a weight problem but she has another friend who does and she got a weird reaction from her as well. She never called to see how she was doing after right after surgery. We see some jealousy going on. By the way I love Dylan

Anyone watch the Biggest Loser finale last night? Rachel was crowned winner but now sounds like she is going to take some heat on her weightloss. She weighed in at a 105lbs and looked anorexic. Making entertainment headlines. I have to wonder was it all about the money or does she now have another eating disorder to be concerned about. I feel bad for her because it's like damn if you do and damn if you don't. Even the judges looked shocked... http://www.eonline.com/news/507477/the-biggest-loser-rachel-s-weight-loss-sparks-online-concern So I guess the question really is did she keep losing to ensure the victory money or does she have an actual problem?

We got 12 inches of snow yesterday here in NH. After doing the snow removal I sat down with a cup of coffee and the laptop surfing the net looking for good deals on Kayaks. LOL

Have you told all this to your Doctor? Sounds like you may be on see-saw with your fills and either not getting enough or getting too much. Have they done a fluoroscopy to check the shape of your band? Perhaps getting a fill with a fluoroscopy may help.

Sounds like you are well on track to me. Perhaps your expectations are a little high? They say on average to expect 1-2lb a week loss with a properly adjusted band. Remember that is an average and differs for different people. Most likely you will need adjustments and time before you reach the optimum level. Patience and determination come into play right now and it will get better in time but honestly you're doing great from the sounds of it.

Check out this craziness: Listen to what Biggest Loser season one winner Ryan Benson had to say on his myspace blog: "I wanted to win so bad that the last ten days before the final weigh-in I didn't eat one piece of solid food! If you've heard of "The Master Cleanse" that's what I did. Its basically drinking lemonade made with Water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. The rules of the show said we couldn't use any weight-loss drugs, well I didn't take any drugs, I just starved myself! Twenty-four hours before the final weigh-in I stopped putting ANYTHING in my body, liquid or solid, then I started using some old high school wrestling tricks. I wore a rubber suit while jogging on the treadmill, and then spent a lot of time in the steam room. In the final 24 hours I probably dropped 10-13 lbs in just pure water weight. By the time of the final weigh-in I was peeing blood. Was this healthy? Heck no! My wife wanted to kill me if I didn't do it to myself first. But I was in a different place, I knew winning the show could put us in a better place financially and I was willing to do some crazy stuff. All this torture I put myself through has had no lasting effects on me (that I know of) and at the time it was sort of a fun adventure for me -- but I am sure it reeked havoc on my system. In the five days after the show was over I gained about 32 lbs. Not from eating, just from getting my system back to normal (mostly re-hydrating myself). So in five days I was back up to 240 -- crazy!". Article can be found here: http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/public/614.cfm

I think if I was able to go back and start this journey all over again the one thing I would do differently is not get into a habit of stepping on the scale every day. Average they say is 1 to 2lbs a week with the band however it is just an average. I found myself often at times getting frustrated because the scale was not moving. Well when you step on it daily its no wonder. Over time I discovered my pattern weight loss seems to happen during the last week and first week of the month. At this point the scale is just habit but I have also reached a point where I use it as an accountability tool. Anyway, just food for though. Getting hung up on numbers and daily weigh ins can wreak havoc on the brain.

hiccups are usually a sign for me to stop now if I know what is good for me. Whenever I ignore those hiccups it usually never ends well. It ends up with me in the bathroom praying to the porcelain gods.

Just talking about it can be enough for some so I say great post indeed. If you're having issues reach out on here and talk through it or even PM someone on here your comfortable with if you don't want to post publicly.

My experience was pleasant and helpful as I previously stated. Only difference is the Counselor I sat down with is part of my WLS Center so she works directly with obesity and wls. For this reason I am always recommending to people that if your going to have this type of life altering surgery always try to seek out what is called a Center of Excellence which comprised of a team of surgeons, nurse educators, dietitians, exercise specialists and psychologists all under one roof.