Maddy1

Update here! I haven't written much in the last month because I am still recovering from my broken arm. I am much improved, 4 weeks out. I start physical therapy on Monday but have been doing a little on my own. I definitely have more movement. I am not back to walking yet because the walking tends to make my shoulder area ache more near the fracture. But here's the thing, I am still losing weight, slowly, and I guess I am surprised. I was just hoping to avoid gaining any weight since I am not getting the exercise. At my age, I don't think there is much weight loss without movement, hence the surprise. I have been thinking about what has changed about me in this new "start over". Why was I less successful the first time in the year after I had this surgery? Well I've already talked about some of it, the stress of my job. But I think there is something else. I seem to have made some peace with portion size and recognizing those things that don't go down well or are hard to chew. I also noticed that when I get a full plate (say when we go out for a meal), I feel overwhelmed at how much food is sitting in front of me. I have developed an aversion to anything fried as I began to recognize it didn't feel so good when I ate it, yet before I loved it. I can tell right away what foods I won't be able to chew well. I also used to have this feeling that to avoid going back for seconds, I really needed to fill my plate to be sure I had enough. Wow, now I can pretty much judge by sight what is the right portion size and I have confidence it will be enough for me. I have to tell you, these are pretty big changes for me! And because I eat slowly, I find myself waiting for the "soft stop" cue (I got that term from Jean) to tell me when I have had enough. "Enough" is becoming my new "full"! So I am happy with this. Of course the weight loss is slow right now (5 lbs since I first broke my arm 4 weeks ago) but I am satisfied with this progress for me. I am feeling confident going forward with controlling my weight loss!

This morning I noticed blogs were up and running, so here I am! My October was eventful. I retired at the end of June but stayed on with my company per diem. Didn't realize how busy I might be and that was one of my big problems with weight loss when I worked full time, no time for taking care of me. I had a request to fill in for a manager in a facility that had lost its leadership rather abruptly. It looked like the time could go on indefinitely, so this time I made a boundary limit, 4 weeks. I found I could walk at lunchtime which gave me a head start on getting in my exercise. I also had a new tool, Emily's Bites. This is a great web site for people on the go. Emily shows how to make very tasty meals in a muffin cup. I made up several recipes from her website before I started this position and froze them in batches. In the morning, I just pulled out a breakfast and a lunch perfectly proportioned to about one cup. By the time I was ready to eat, they just needed a little warm up in the microwave. This helped me to stick to my eating plan. Everything was going well the first week. The facility knew I had prescheduled my vacation this year the second week and they agreed to that. My husband and I went off to New England and had a great several days. We walked together every day. No fast food. It worked better than I thought. Then by Friday night, we made it to Brooklyn to spend our last few days with our daughter. We had a great dinner that evening and were walking home to her apartment when I tripped on uneven sidewalk and fell and broke my left arm in two places. Probably the most painful experience I have had. So walking went on hold for awhile and I couldn't cook so we bought frozen meals with appropriate calories. A few weeks have passed and I am finally starting to feel better. Really wished I had had a recliner in my home, but I have made do with lots of pillows. The best news of all for me today was that I haven't gained ANY weight! I didn't lose any the last few weeks, but as I am just sitting around all day, and I am older (62) with a slower metabolism, I am just so happy I didn't get further behind in my goals! My arm is going to take a long time to heal (per my ortho doc) but I am hoping to start walking this week and gradually building my stamina back up. My sling keeps my arm from bouncing around too much and, although I may not get back to 2 miles for awhile, just getting back to myself and starting the process again is exciting. I will be till Christmas before I am healed and my therapy is complete, but it is such a relief to be feeling somewhat better and know I can avoid using this as an opportunity to gain weight again!

So things have been going pretty well. I am getting one or two 30 min walks in every day and sticking to the diet. I was down to 229 lbs. this morning, the first time I have been under 230 for months. I was feeling very positive. I headed for Walmart for a few groceries. As I was entering the store, sitting on a bench in the entry area was a 30 something woman who appeared to be having trouble breathing. She was extremely obese, likely over 450 lbs (I can reasonable make that guess because I had an aunt who weighed that much and was about the same size). As a nurse, I was concerned for her and I asked her if she was ok. Through her difficult breaths, she indicated she would be ok and she said "I'm waiting for an electric cart. I just walked in from my car." I was stunned and felt a fear I hadn't experienced before....I could be experiencing those same symptoms if I don't take care of myself. Funny how I don't think I was ever afraid of being overweight before. It didn't interfere much with the things I do, but did I only do the things I was able to do, not everything I could do? That is a thought I am going to give much attention to as I go through this journey.

Feel so good about yesterday and hopeful for today! One day at a time. I can do this. I can control what goes in my mouth. Phrases I keep saying to feel strong. I made it through yesterday and did well. I had a second 30 minute walk with my husband in the evening. My feet and legs were hurting from the intensity of my walk in the morning but I kept telling myself I could push through the stiffness and 10 minutes into the walk I felt much better! I woke up to more weight loss this morning, now 230.5. I was pretty happy about that. I am thinking about what it is that stopped the positive thinking in the past. Clearly that positive thinking leads me to success but why is it so hard to sustain? I want to make it past that point, just like I did with the walk last night. When it gets challenging, I want to keep myself moving forward until the feeling passes. Would anyone share with me what you might have done to get through these moments?

My mom used that phrase, "honesty is the best policy" and I decided to start this blog with that thought. I have mostly failed at keeping up with my lap band program. I was banded in January of 2012 and lost 43 lbs in the first 4 months. I was very happy with the results, bought new clothes 2 sizes smaller and loved the positive comments from people who noticed the change. There was no support group in my area but thought I would make out ok. After all, I am a nurse and thought I knew it all. I guess what I didn't know was how many negatives in my life were supporting my bad habits. Not an excuse, but I had a 24/7 management job and it was killing me. So many hours, often 12 hrs a day and over weekends. I was emotionally and physically exhausted, lost my time to exercise and ate whenever and whatever I could and didn't take the time to plan it out. As the stress increased, I slowly began to gain weight back, a total of 20 lbs. I knew before the first year post LB that I couldn't keep up working like this and ever be successful with the LB. I just hadn't realized before how much work was affecting my life. At age 62, I decided to retire and I did. It has taken me nearly 3 months to "get myself back". I am no longer constantly fatigued and I have the time to take care of myself. Over the last several weeks, I am back to losing weight, 9 of the 20 lbs so far. I am trying to walk at least 30 minutes most days. I am also trying to find a stable spot with my blood sugars and how much of my oral medication I should take so I don't become hypoglycemic. I would like to use this blog to keep myself focused and gain support. I mostly see posts about success but not too many about someone who fails the first time around but comes back and meets that original goal. I want to be that person. I welcome any comments or advice you have. This morning I walked 30 minutes at a brisk pace. I weighed myself at 231 lbs. I had a nutrition packed shake (almond milk, protein powder, kale, blueberries and pear. 287 calories. I had one cup of beef stew loaded with veges for lunch that I made myself, little fat and low on salt. Wish me luck I can finish this day with a band friendly dinner and another 30 minute walk afterwards!

I am 61 and had the band for 6 months. I feel so much better with the weight I have lost. Anyone try a Zumba class and not be able to keep up with a 20 year old instructor?? I am settling for a bike, walking and some weight training.

My doctor told me the possibiity was there but that it rarely happened in their practice. They were careful about who they chose to do outpatient,

Rockfish, stripped bass, haddock, flounder, tilapia, grouper. There are lots in my local grocery store. There are also scallops, crab and shrimp.

I paid for everything. My insurance didn't cover it. $10,000 which included all pre op appts (dietician, etc) and one year's worth of fills and visits.

I have had my band for 5 months and lost 40 lbs. I am at 6 cc in a 10cc realize band. I read here often about how everyone gets restriction at different amounts of saline in their band. My question is this, does a very tight band lead to erosion or other problems? Is it safer to keep it at some mild restriction but not so tight you can barely eat? Because some people here say they like a very tight band but doesn't sound like there is much they can eat. I am not as worried about how much I can eat as I am about long term complications as a result. After my last fill to 6 cc, almost 3 months ago, I seemed to have only occasional restriction for a couple of weeks, and then didn't seem to have much feeling at all when eating. Then over the last week or so, I am feeling restriction, often after a few bites of food (not soft foods) and much more in the mornings. Usually at lunch and sometimes at dinner. But other times, especially at dinner, I don't feel any restriction "clues". I just don't understand the variability. I don't have any other problems, no feeling of reflex or any of that. Does this sound normal? I have considered getting another 1/2 cc just to get more consistency but don't know if there is more risk involved with that? Any thoughts you can share would be appreciated.

I am a nurse. You have an infection and may need antibiotics. Keep an eye on your temp. Wounds that are gaping open do not close up easily. The edges need to be together. Until your infection and drainage are under control and there is no more pus, you will need the antibiotics to clear all that up. Then the edges can be dealt with or it may have to heal from the inside out. The things you are describing are not "normal". Hope this is helpful.

It will really depend on your own body's response to the surgery. I had off 3 weeks and I can tell you the first two I was not ready to go back. I had a lot of pain and struggled to get up out of bed by myself or up out of a chair. I only had tylenol with codiene for pain so not sure if it just wasn't enough for me or what. The last week was good to have as I transitioned to mushy food and it gave me a chance to practice that. Also, I am 61 so I am sure that had something to do with it.

You already have been successful!! Just do what your body tells you is working for you. I can eat those things too, not every day and not every time, but once in a while in a small portion should not be a problem. Your exercise has probably set your calorie requirements higher and it has helped you lose the weight and eat what seems normal. My doctor doesn't go by all of that, they just advise small quantities, keep the weight loss going and exercise. You are doing terrific. I hope I am as successful as you.

1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup prego spaghetti sauce, 2T parmesan cheese grated, 1/4 cup shredded low fat mozarella cheese. Microwave till cheese melts. Sometimes I also add a couple turkey meatballs. Who needs noodles?

Don't see where you did anything wrong!