NYC Girl

I know it's difficult, but stop comparing yourself with other people and you will be much happier, and more successful! Everyone has a different body, chemistry and metabolism and loses (and gains) weight on a different timetable. If you are doing the right things, and your health analysis seems to show you are, then you will be successful in the long term. The key is not to "psych yourself" out on the way so you sabotage your success.. I'm a firm believer that our heads can do much more damage to our efforts that other people. Think of it this way: If you were losing weight twice as fast as everyone else, would you be upset because "you aren't like everyone else"? Of course not, you would just say your body is different, and your weight loss rate is different. Give yourself the same respect in the opposite scenario! Just my 2 cents! Lisa in a rainy, blustery New York City

Don't be disappointed, and don't feel dumb. Doesn't help, and often hurts (me at least, I eat when I'm mad at myself). Just move on!

Remember, THIS ISN'T EASY, don't expect it to be! If it was so easy, we all wouldn't be in this position! (I had two surgeries in past two years likely due to my obesity) Remember why you are doing it. When I have trouble, I often tell myself: Do you really want to spend more time in the hospital due to avoidable disease! Also, I'm not a real expert, I'm just beginning to figure our what works for me. You will too. If you make it into the city, give me a call, perhaps we can get together. I'll send you a personal message with my phone number.

These are my strategies for after dinner eating. I usually try them in sequence (not always), but remember, they don't always work. Sometimes I snack. 1) when I want to eat after dinner, I first try to distract myself. Take a walk, take a book to Starbucks, get a coffee and hang out for a while. 2) I pour myself a large glass of Water and use one of the single serving crystal light or Fiber sticks to flavor the water. I sip slowly and see if that will do it. 3) I drink a bottled Protein shake (I use GNC Lean Shakes), perhaps I haven't gotten enough protein. 4) If none of these work, I just have a snack -- but a healthy one, some yogurt with jam or fruit, or some home-made hummus, or even a hard boiled egg (I boil these in bulk each week and use for Snacks. I figure I tried, and that's more than I every did before! Like I said, I consider myself a success if these work most of the time. I remember that prior to my band, I would probably always snack. You can try these strategies, or even come up with your own. What ever happens, move on!

Tell yourself you are doing something good for yourself, it may be a long journey but it will be worth it. Most importantly, don't set yourself up for failure by your unrealistic expectations. The band will help you, but it won't do everything. Celebrate what is good, and what you accomplish. Let go of your perceived "failures". Don't let them become an excuse, but don't let them get in your way, either! Don't measure all of your success by the scale. My center tells me that on any given day, you can be up because you ate something salty the day before. When I was first banded, I weighed myself everyday, but I have stopped doing that. I became too obsessive, and my whole day was colored by "today i lost, yah, today I gained, boo!" You are looking for trends, not the day to day changes. Best of Luck! Most important, be kind and forgiving to yourself. Don't know any perfect people in this world, and chances are you arent one either Lisa In NYC where in NJ are you? I live in Manhattan.

Thanks, you too! Just remember this when your weight loss slows, and it will. Our bodies just can't maintain these fast weight losses for ever. You have done great, you are out of the "Obese" BMI range! That's great! Look forward, not backward. One of my new mottos!

Amen, Sister!

I am very glad I had the Lap Band Surgery in September 2011. My weight loss has been slow and, but in the final analysis, I am 55lbs lighter than I was a year ago! In what universe would I NOT BE HAPPY to loose 55 lbs in a year. I read so many forum posts where people are literally expecting so much that they are unhappy with significant weight loss, but it has slowed down, or they are no longer loosing 4 pounds a week like in the first weeks after surgery. The nasty secret about loosing weight is that once you loose a sizable amount of weight (whether you think it is good or not), your body adjusts, your calorie requirements just maintain your new weight go down, perhaps your metabolism slows down, and you need to to consume still fewer calories to loose weight. Also, it is very important to realize (and truly internalize) that the band is just a tool. You still need to learn how to eat less, not snack excessively, and learn to find other things to do when you have the urge to eat. As the psychologist at my Bariatric center says, most of the time we aren't really hungry, we just want to eat. And we live in a very toxic food environment, where high calorie, low nutrition food are around us all the time. The band has made it easier to not eat Snacks (hot dogs, donuts, croissants, pretzels), that I see and therefore want to eat during the day. I've pretty much been able to cut out between meal snacks during the day, but still struggle at night. I seem to still want to eat after dinner while I'm watching TV or working at the computer. So I've devised some strategies to resist that urge to eat after dinner. I guess I'm successful about 2/3 of the time, and the rest I just let go. I don't beat myself up, call myself a failure, or think about it. To me that is self defeating and makes me feel bad about myself !!!! I keep a wide variety of nutritious foods such as greek yogurt, hummus, etc so if I do eat an evening snack it is not the end of the world. I'm just thankful to realize that before my band, I couldn't even resist unecessary eating 100% of the time. To me 33% of the time that is tremendous progress! To summarize, the band is only a tool. T0 be successful in the long run (and that's what I'm interested in!), you need to figure out your triggers, and how to deal with them. The band will not do that for you. Naturally, your weight loss slows once you've lost a significant amount of weight, and your body gets used to the band. I consider myself a real (and continuing success) ! I have more to go, but i'll do it slowly, without making myself crazy, which only made me eat more. Also, the bariatric psychologist at my center has been a real help in my journey. I began to see her when I realized I did not have a healthy relationship with food (soothed me when upset or anxious, or even when I felt bad about myself). She tells me that in times of stress (like the holidays, family illness, etc), just staying even is a big victory. If your center has a psychologist, I highly recommend you utilize them. I really think she has been the difference in my success, not just the band.

I am very glad I had the Lap Band Surgery in September 2011. My weight loss has been slow and, but in the final analysis, I am 55lbs lighter than I was a year ago! In what universe would I NOT BE HAPPY to loose 55 lbs in a year. I read so many forum posts where people are literally expecting so much that they are unhappy with significant weight loss, but it has slowed down, or they are no longer loosing 4 pounds a week like in the first weeks after surgery. The nasty secret about loosing weight is that once you loose a sizable amount of weight (whether you think it is good or not), your body adjusts, your calorie requirements just maintain your new weight go down, perhaps your metabolism slows down, and you need to to consume still fewer calories to loose weight. Also, it is very important to realize (and truly internalize) that the band is just a tool. You still need to learn how to eat less, not snack excessively, and learn to find other things to do when you have the urge to eat. As the psychologist at my Bariatric center says, most of the time we aren't really hungry, we just want to eat. And we live in a very toxic food environment, where high calorie, low nutrition food are around us all the time. The band has made it easier to not eat snacks (hot dogs, donuts, croissants, pretzels), that I see and therefore want to eat during the day. I've pretty much been able to cut out between meal snacks during the day, but still struggle at night. I seem to still want to eat after dinner while I'm watching TV or working at the computer. So I've devised some strategies to resist that urge to eat after dinner. I guess I'm successful about 2/3 of the time, and the rest I just let go. I don't beat myself up, call myself a failure, or think about it. To me that is self defeating and makes me feel bad about myself !!!! I keep a wide variety of nutritious foods such as greek yogurt, hummus, etc so if I do eat an evening snack it is not the end of the world. I'm just thankful to realize that before my band, I couldn't even resist unecessary eating 100% of the time. To me 33% of the time that is tremendous progress! To summarize, the band is only a tool. T0 be successful in the long run (and that's what I'm interested in!), you need to figure out your triggers, and how to deal with them. The band will not do that for you. Naturally, your weight loss slows once you've lost a significant amount of weight, and your body gets used to the band. I consider myself a real (and continuing success) ! I have more to go, but i'll do it slowly, without making myself crazy, which only made me eat more. Also, the bariatric psychologist at my center has been a real help in my journey. I began to see her when I realized I did not have a healthy relationship with food (soothed me when upset or anxious, or even when I felt bad about myself). She tells me that in times of stress (like the holidays, family illness, etc), just staying even is a big victory. If your center has a psychologist, I highly recommend you utilize them. I really think she has been the difference in my success, not just the band.

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4371946&cp=3593186.3593187.3079648 Just to be clear, I use the bottles (premixed, not the powder) and the chocolate and vanilla bean are great! Lisa in NYC

Try the GNC Lean Shakes. They are pre-mixed, and the vanilla and chocolate are great. Not chalky at all.

One question: Are you eating less than you did last year or before your surgery? My guess is the answer is YES. PLEASE don't feel like a failure because you've "taste tested a few times". This is NOT failure. None of us are perfect, so stop expecting perfection from yourself and set yourself up for failure. Loosing a significant amount of weight is a long process and there will be ups and downs. Give yourself some pats on the back, and MOVE ON!!!!! Lisa in NYC

Sorry to be negative on this, but doing surgery on a patient with Hepatitis is dangerous for both the surgeon and the patient. Your PCP is right to request the Hep test and the ultrasound before giving you the letter of necessity. Otherwise s/he might be accused of malpractice. If your WLS is willing to go ahead before being assured there is no hepatitis present, I would look for another surgeon! Get the tests! Lisa in NYC

I'm with the other "soupers". I often make soup -- healthy Soups like bean, lentil, vegetable etc, in a crock pot, and then freeze in small portion sizes. Very easy to pull out and eat for dinner and/or lunch with some veggies. I consider it my meal. Lisa in NYC

Hi Jenn, I'm from NYC and was banded 9/12 at Bellevue Hospital. So far, so good. I've lost 34 lbs from my highest weight, and 20 lbs from my pre-op diet in about 6 weeks. I'm taking it slow, as I only want to do this once. Remember, the band is a tool. You still have to struggle with eating the right kinds of food, not eating too much, and being reasonable with your portion sizes. Weight loss will be rapid just after the surgery and will then slow down somewhat. Don't be discouraged! Remember, it took us a long time to become obese, and it will take us some time to solve the problem. Don't set yourself up for failure, and be kind to yourself. Welcome to the NYC Lap band sisterhood! We've taken the first step in our journey Lisa in NYC