claraluz

What is Trader Joe's? It sounds great. I wish we had one here. Nancy

Every now and then I am reminded that my relationship with food hasn't really changed all that much. Like today. I was fine yesterday, but for some reason today I felt down. No friends or family around, so I was feeling a little lonely and bored. Then I went to a movie (Beyone the Sea) which was great, but left me feeling kind of sad. I decided to binge! Consciously decided to binge. I did realize that I could take a walk or do other things instead, but it just seemed like a binge was what I needed. I've been being very careful about what I eat lately, but today I went and got some hot sesame stick/nut mix, a fast food taco, some stuffed jalapenos, and a candy bar. And I ate it all. Not all at once, but in the course of the afternoon and evening. And it worked! I feel fine now. I'll probably feel guilty and regretful in the morning, but it really helped my mood. Alas! Buried beneath the good intentions, the newfound discipline, behind the part in my brain where all the newfound health and nutrition knowledge is stored, beyond the place where therapy could reach is the eating-disordered place in my brain and in my soul that wants high-fat, high-carb food. And when I feed it, it rewards me with a feeling of sedation and well-being. I try to ignore it and to bury it with reason, but sometimes it just will not be denied. It's a beast. Luckily the band keeps me from feeding it as much as it wants. And the positive changes in my life that the band has wrought provide strong incentive to keep control most of the time. Oh, but the beast is there, just waiting for a moment of weakness and unmet needs. I'm not sure it will ever go away . Nancy

I'm so grateful that I can eat salad without problems, but I know a lot of people have trouble with it. For lunch, you could make chicken salad or tuna or egg salad. I make it in advance and then it's easy in the morning to just put a little in a container and I'm ready to go. I like cottage cheese, so cottage cheese and fruit is a good option for me. Sometimes I'll buy a hamburger with no bun in the cafeteria. Sometimes I'll just bring a handful of mixed nuts. They are high fat and high calorie, but it's the good kind of fat and they do have Protein. I can eat very few and they stay with me longer even than meat. So they don't slow down my weight loss. Every once in a while I do eat Soup. It's usually a substantial kind of soup like Split Pea or black bean. Good source of protein and Fiber. They are partly liquid, yes, but partly solid, too, so they satisfy me. I can only eat about a cup of soup and I'm full. If your store has Andersen split pea soup, it's the best. Nancy

Donali, like everyone else, I've missed your support and wisdom. It's really great to hear from you again. And you'll always be a bandster! I'm so, so happy for you! I can just see you glowing! It's so great, Donali. You have love which is what we all want and need. Everything else is gravy. Hopefully lowfat gravy. Donali, though you may be struggling with your weight now, there is not a shred of a doubt in my mind that you will get it under control. I've seen your wisdom and strength and I know you have what it takes to succeed. Don't sweat it. Stay happy and be well and drop in when you can. You know you always have friends here. Nancy

It is easy to get into a rut. Luckily for me, I don't mind eating the same thing over and over. My doctor did not set a calorie count for me and I did not have a dietician. I really don't believe in counting calories. It never got me where I wanted to go before and I don't think it would work for me now. My only plan is that I try to stick to the Omega 3 (sometimes called the Mediterranean diet) diet and to eat low glycemic index foods. But here's how it generally goes for me: Breakfast A smoothie made from Protein powder (Unjury), fresh or frozen fruit, soy milk, ice, and some Crystal Light powder for extra flavor. I know they say not to drink calories, but this smoothie is so thick that I eat it with a spoon and it sticks with me a long time. Or I will have lowfat cottage cheese with some homemade fruit compote mixed in. The compote recipe is in a thread on this board. Or I will have oatmeal with compote. Or plain lowfat yogurt with compote. lunch and dinner I eat a lot of salads with homemade salad dressing (Omega 3). Then I've been experimenting with new recipes. Since I live alone and I can eat very little, one recipe will last me all week. And like I said, I usually don't mind eating the same thing. I will be interested in hearing what others say. Nancy

How fast you can lose 70 pounds will depend a lot on you and how hard you work at it: exercise, eating healthy foods, following the band rules, etc. Rebeccalee has lost 74 pounds in about 6 months. On the other hand, I've lost 70 pounds in 16 months. It all depends on you. And remember, it's not a race. Nancy

I was allowed to have Water as soon as I woke up. Whether you have to sip forever kind of depends on your level of restriction. It was one of the things I was concerned about, too, before I had surgery. I couldn't see coming in from a walk or bike ride in the Houston summer and not being able to gulp water. With my current level of restriction - which I am happy with - I can drink normally, but come to think of it, I probably usually sip. I was never hungry during the healing stage, but many people are. It kind of depends on whether you doctor requires you to be on Clear liquids as opposed to full liquids and how long he wants you to stay on liquids. I only had to stay on full liquids for two weeks. And I was never hungry. I've heard many people say "No coffee." I drink 1-2 cups per day, though. I don't really know the reason for not drinking coffee. Maybe somebody else does. I really love coffee, though, and I guess I figure I've given up enough. Good questions. If I can do this, you can do it. And honestly, in the beginning, it's not that hard - or at least it wasn't for me. Now I have to work harder for continued weight loss and I've had to cut out certain foods. Good luck. You'll do fine. Nancy

Leatha, congratulations! I know how hard it is to deal with a stubborn plateau. You and I started at the same weight and we're close to the same weight now and yet. . . I am wearing your old clothes! The ones you were too small for way back in November. I think you must be all muscle. And you sure look small. Congratulations again! Nancy

She's so cute! And what a winter wonderland! Nancy

Been there, done that. Twice! That is what sold me on the band. My doctor assured me I would not regain the weight I lose. Good luck! Nancy

Frank, you and your wife are looking great, too. Good work. Nancy

Leatha, thanks for sharing your photos. You look so great! And you do have a beautiful family. Nancy

An amazing difference. You look beautiful and you look so much younger, now! Nancy

Hi, Lauren, and welcome. Yes, it can feel a little unreal, especially when you don't know all the ways your life will change. But one thing you said needs correcting. Many of us no longer believe in dieting. We follow a few simple rules to make sure we are getting good nutrition and let our bands tell us when to stop eating. So the concept of "cheating" may not fit exactly. But certainly you can eat many things with the band that will stop or impede your weight loss. chips, candy, ice cream - they go right through the band and you can eat almost as much as you could before. That's why we say the band is only a tool. It will help you with your weight loss, but you will still need to be mindful of what you eat if you want to be completely successful. It's very important that you understand this before getting banded. Otherwise, you may end up feeling disappointed. Nancy

I'm not sure if there are any recent statistics regarding weight loss. When I got banded 16 months ago, my surgeon asked me how much I wanted to lose at our first meeting. I told him I wanted to lose it all. He turned around and was almost out of the room before I could stop him. He wanted to be very sure that I understood that 50% was average and that I could not reasonably expect to lose more than that. I've lost about 57% now and am still losing, but I respect my doctor for taking the approach that he did. I have to say that if I never lose another pound, I will be disappointed, but not heartbroken. I look and feel so, so much better with 57% of my excess weight off! And I know I wouldn't have gotten here without the band. I think 30% is low. I think 50% or 60% may be closer to it. In all my time on two different boards, I only know of two people who have lost 100% of what they wanted to lose. Several others are pretty darn close! I think it is fine to hope for more, but I wouldn't get banded unless you can really tell yourself that you would be satisfied or almost satisfied with losing 50% and not regaining any of it. I don't know how much you have to lose, but for most of us, that 50% is a considerable amount of weight and will greatly improve our life expectancy. Nancy

Congratulations, Vera. You've done so well with the band and I know it's got to be a great feeling to finally have it paid for! Nancy

I never was on clear liquids. I was on liquids (not necessarily clear) for two weeks and mushies for two weeks. I would think if they told you that you could eat yogurt, they do not want you on clear liquids? Nancy

In an ideal world, I would have been able to get this surgery 20 years ago - when my skin was more elastic and I hadn't developed insulin resistance or high cholesterol. But of course it wasn't available in the U.S. then and I still thought that dieting was the answer. But I have no regrets about having the band. Nancy

If I remember correctly, I took a week off of work. But I have a job that requires a lot of walking. If I had a pure desk job, I might have been able to return one day sooner. My post-operative course was also much easier than many people's. I didn't have any pain, for example, whereas some people have a lot of gas pain. Remember, too, you won't be taking in a lot of nutrition those first few days. That impacts on your energy level. Nancy

Reading these posts I am amazed once again at how similar the stories are. I find that whenever I am among a group of obese or formerly obese people and when we are being honest, the stories of pain, abuse, and deprivation emerge. BTW, ObesityHelp Magazine (obtainable through the ObesityHelp website) has an article this month about the correlation between poverty or "food insecurity" (not consistently having access to enough nutritious food) leads to obesity. Nancy

I have no history of childhood privation or abuse to help explain why my relationship with food became so twisted. I had no problems with food until early adulthood, when I became severely depressed. Unfortunately, the depression lasted for many years and even after it improved, it never left for long. I guess I was very depressed for at least half of my adult life. On and off. On and off. And I learned that if I ate mass quantities of food - especially carbs - I became numb. So food was my drug and it worked very well. It never cured me, of course, but it probably kept me from killing myself. Because when I ate like that, the pain left for a few hours. About four years ago, I found a treatment for my depression that actually works and I have been more or less depression-free since then. That set the stage to allow me to think about weight-loss surgery and to contemplate living binge-free. Since being banded, I can't binge, so food does not have the power to numb me. That's OK because I don't want to be numb anymore. I want to live. And I want to be healthy. I've started cooking and enjoying it. I'm eating healthy foods. When deciding what to eat, I usually choose food that is nutritious. I know I don't have room for much, so I want what I eat to be what my body needs. Food really isn't as fun as it used to be and that's a shame, but it's a small price to pay. And I agree that our old feelings about food never really leave entirely. I still want to binge and sometimes I still want to feel numb. I lose control and eat sweet foods that go right through the band. But it really doesn't numb me like it once did. The drug has lost it's power. But I have found mine. Peace and healing to all of my band friends. Nancy

Jonathan, the most important thing is that you are comfortable with your decision and it sounds like you are, so that's good. Let us know when your date is. Nancy

Violet, I am insulin resistant, too. I didn't know that the Inamed book said the band is less effective with diabetics. I guess it's a good thing I didn't know! You might want to look at my post, "The Glucose Revolution" on the food board. Following a low glycemic diet has really helped me to lose weight faster as well as to control my blood glucose. I have heard that insulin resistance makes it harder to lose weight in general, band or no, but this diet really helps. And it's not that hard to stick to. Nancy

Can you find out more details? Did he have six LapBand deaths? That would be news to all of us. Or did he have six deaths doing bypass or something? Either way, I personally would not go to him. You could still get banded, just not with him. Nancy

I'm glad you posted about what you are feeling and I hope we've been able to provide some perspective. Like Alexandra said, any time you feel frustrated, just divide the pounds lost by the weeks since banding to get your average weekly loss. If it's a pound a week, you're right on schedule. You're doing great. And please don't restrict your calories too much. That will only slow your weight loss down and ruin your metablolism. To quote the Wicked Witch of the West, "All in good time, my pretty, all in good time." Nancy