☠carolinagirl☠

i suggest to the my fellow bandies and anyone with WLS

to eat a bit of everything...eat slow and enjoy and DONT stress over it

we are not on a DIET

we are merely eating

and we need to eat to LIVE

that does not mean we have to clean out the mashed potato bowl

and if you go overboard a bit, its OK...the world will continue to spin...GUARANTEE IT

one (over indulgence) will not make you gain a zillion pounds

one (meal of lettuce) will not make you at goal tomorrow

its day in and day out eating

3500 calories ate/drank is a pound

so this thanksgiving or christmas

EAT

let your WLS and your common sense say when (stop signals)

i dont sip but i dont gulp

(and via most doctors carbonation is a no no but each to their own)

and having a lap band to me means no pain..if you have pain eating

or drinking THIS is when you tell your doctor as something is not right.

I am me either way I am just a better me and a healthier me and I can do more now and My legs can actually hold my weight up , I don't need assistance in walking.

like my friend @@Debbie3sons this WLS i chose gave me my mobility back and the being able to wipe my ass again..when you lose that......and cant do something so simple, it IS a eye opener

On this day last year I was at the hospital for my lap-band procedure. I knew it was a big decision, but at the time I really had no idea what the impact would be on my life as a whole. There have been so many positive outcomes. The weight loss is great, of course, and that was my main goal in getting the surgery, but it turns out that even more important than that is a powerful sense of returning to myself. Choosing weight loss surgery enabled me to show up for myself and my life in ways I didn't anticipate. I would have said that I was happy enough before, fulfilled, etc., but the contrast to how I feel now tells me that I had no idea what I was missing. Having my appetite dimmed has allowed me to escape from dieter's prison. All that brain chatter about food is gone and what a relief it is not to be beating myself up. The on/off mentality was really doing a number on me, and I am tremendously grateful to be out from under that spell.

I am not perfect and I don't need to be. The band does it's job and mostly I do mine. I choose not to count calories because that puts me back into dieter's mentality and that's not a good place for me. I still really enjoy food preparation and eating, but my portions are so much smaller than before. My "rules" for myself (and we are all different) are to eat when I'm hungry and not eat if I'm not hungry. The first one took some work. I didn't even know what hunger was because I was always tamping down every feeling that came along with some form of food. It was a process for me to learn to listen to my body's signals and respond appropriately. Generally I am not hungry until mid-morning or so, and now I welcome that feeling. It turns out that hunger isn't my enemy after all. And my body isn't either. For a number of years I felt that my body had betrayed me. No matter how hard I worked, I could not seem to get in sync for weight loss and health. The band somehow buckled me back together with my body and that sense of wholeness is very welcome.

Here are pictures taken a year apart. I have gone from a size 18 to a size 10 in the very same brand of blue jeans (Lee Long) and I am down from the 2X and 1X tops into larges and mediums. I know that I could have lost more weight in this year, but I am committed to a healthy process and this big chunk off in one year is about all I can handle in terms of the compliments I'm receiving everywhere I go. My goal now is to work on the next twenty pounds and see what that feels like when I get there. I'm not in a big hurry because my main focus is on exercise and toning. I am building muscle -- having a strong, capable body feels wonderful and I am doing what I can to take care of it.

Thank you for your camaraderie, your humor, compassion and support. It's been wonderful to be part of an on-line community, something I had never experienced before, and I am very grateful for my weight loss friends. Here's to us -- we are doing it!

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what can i say that the others who posted before me havent said

i am so proud of you bandie ♥

you are def an inspiration to us all on this fourm

well done

Protein bars are a good choice for me during the week

and on weekends, we scramble eggs, mix in some ground sausage and have that for breakfast

(you can add cheese, peppers, onion/shredded cheese)....very yummy and filing

oatmeal is awesome and its my fave with cranberries/raisins

you (are) doing it on your own

the band is just a plastic necklace around your stomach

that will help you eat less (period).

YOU are the one who is eating better/choosing better foods for you

YOU are the one exercising

YOU are the one who is staying hydrated to live

hm....seems like YOU are doing the work..

sometimes no comment speaks volumes.

OR

say thank you, i am doing well arent i??

stay the course.......continue what you are doing and it will happen......

whether you like it or not, the first month or two or (three) if you are newly banded or any WLS... you are healing...you are swollen, your not hungry and then you get hungry, trust me the hunger will return...(head hunger is real btw)

NOW is the time to get your mind into the game...if you are struggling now, what will you do when the scale/weight loss does slow down for real.......this is where you need to measure your (true and actual weight loss in inches aka clothes getting too big or you need to buy smaller ones...that is a GREAT feeling)..

ps: not eating/starving yourself doesnt work..diets dont work...so dont diet...eating good food in your band allotted amounts and beginning some sort of exercise/movement does work.., promise

you are losing *inches*……aka current clothes getting bigger on you or having to buy smaller clothes, then you ARE losing regardless of what a stupid scale says or does not say

keep doing what you are doing

eating, drinking, moving/exercising

as its working..

sounds like you are doing great

its nice to have family/friends support

but i feel the support we need comes from within

my family and friends wont make me eat or make better food choices

my family and friends wont make me walk when i know i need to/or should

my family and friends wont make me...

it is ME

it is YOU

you do this for you

everyone has opinions on any WLS

good and bad..its life...

most the ones (family/friends) have no idea what it involves and only know what they read or hear

on the web or wherever else....

hang in there

dig down deep, look in the mirror and tell anyone who asks why, how come

that you are going to be and get healthy with whatever WLS you get. and then do it.

its up to your doctor and YOU and what they feel would work best for you.

all WLS can help and aid a person's health...i was starting at a BMI of 62. I was as wide as i am tall.

the doctor pushed me for the bypass and was shocked i chose the lap band.i made it work. i had too.

i couldnt wipe my ass.

i suggest you read and learn all about all WLS

write down questions/concerns and ask your doctor.

remember, having WLS will help but YOU have to help yourself also.

all the best

I have an appt at 2 today

Just wondering what they do after second slip

if it is a slip, the dr will know and then advise you on what to do next...

dont rush ahead until you know..no need to get yourself all worked up.

just hang in there and try to be positive until you know what is going on.

i know its hard but getting worked up is not a good thing

best thing is to call your dr and make an appt and have them check it out. they would be the only ones to advise if you have a slip or not...eating too fast, too much at one time makes my chest hurt as well as my left shoulder. but if you hurt, go to the dr

i advise you to call your doctor and make an appt to have them do an fluro xray to ease your mind.

i hope you can do this today.

debbie as you already know... (gorgeous)

in face everyone posting on this thread is gorgeous

not just because we are losing weight.but because we TRY

and confidence and attitude is sexier than any number on a scale

walked up and down the battleship carolina

up top deck and below decks with steep ladders

what i know, its a long ass ship...

anything i want to eat

i drink a Protein shake everyday (chocolate)

and when i want too as the one i use is yummy as heck

30 grams Protein in one scoop

i get mine at Walmart (via my dr's okay when i had surgery)

its like 17.99 and i use it with FF milk and also use my vitamixer and have me a slushy/frosty etc..

not sure

but sometimes when people lose vast amounts of weight, sometimes the gall bladder is removed.

that is what happened to me years ago during one of my yo yo dieting up and downs

and i understand the controlling weight part

the only thing i can offer is 3500 calories is a pound ate or drank

and if one takes in more calories than they burn off, they will not lose and can gain

its how i got super morbid obese.

make better food choices

no processed/boxed/fast food items (loaded with salt/grease) you know the good stuff

and def leave soda and high cal beverages out..

its hard i know

we've been there

go to your doctor

get that pain issue took care of

and then make that change to get yourself well

eating, exercising and living.

wishing you the best.

that is a question for your doctor to answer

its a yes or a no

but if you do become one, i will watch you

if you are able to have your Protein shakes, then that is your Protein

if you cant (which seems odd to me but i am not a doctor), they do have

Protein Shots you can take or you can add protein powders that are taste free

and in a powder into your items (broth, Soups, etc)

you can do it

stay busy

walk, read, shop

and drink a LOT and def use your free items

SF popsicles were my life saver

my port was sore/tender for about 35 days

like b52 stated, it is sewn onto you *and* i feel scar tissue forms

and if you move this way or that way, it can smart

if it doesnt feel better or gets warm to the touch, DEF call your doctor

or you can call and let them know and get some relief from them today

just remember what @@Debbie3sons mentioned, watch for you stop signals

and just because we can eat more then we can early on (we all have done it) doesnt

mean we should...fills can help you eat less but its up to us on what we do eat

that is better for us.

hang in there okay

are you losing inches?
are your clothes getting loose?
are they getting too big on you?

if so, then you are losing actual/real weight
regardless of what the scale says or does not say

keep doing what you are doing as it will soon enough
ps, dont weigh all the time if you are...look how you feel now
it will happen...hang in there