kah1213

Hey everyone, I just wanted to tell you all that I can finally cross my legs!! It is a victory since my surgery and about a 23 pound weight loss. I use it to keep me motivated. I am dealing with hunger issues, real hunger versus mind hunger, but am dealing with it. Crossing my legs feels so good. My face looks thinner too. I am looking for all the little motivators I can find.

I'm also 2 years post surgery and only my dad knows (and my docs). I don't plan to tell anyone else. It's my business and I think that's ok.

realized that i miss being the fat chick who is really good at yoga. lol
but only a little bit, cause all the totally awesome stuff i can do in yoga after losing 85 pounds totally blows me away. its really amazing.
now i will just have to be one of those sorta old people who is really good at yoga.

Dear Friends,
I had become utterly dismayed with my band. For so long it was too tight, causing me to become a maladaptive eater. I basically drank sugary liquids instead of eating food. While I didn't gain weight, I didn't lose either. Finally, I saw the lap band nutritionist and I've lost 15 pounds in a couple of weeks by cutting sugar and counting calories on MyFitnessPal. The app has helped me tremendously and I am back on track. Just had my band tightened a tiny bit (had it loosened a lot a few weeks ago) and now I feel I am FINALLY in the green zone. Not too loose, not too tight. I am getting full sooner but not throwing up.
Feels good to be starting over again.

I try to remember 3-2-1. Three bites Protein, two bites veggie, one bite starch. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In my opinion, telling loved ones later about our WLS shares some aspects of "coming out".
Our new body after WLS is who we are. We don't want to nor should we tell everyone. It's intensely personal. Our reasons for not telling others back when we had the surgery are related to many things: not sure how we felt about it ourselves (or not comfortable yet in our evolution from "con" to "pro" WLS) , fear of judgment, fear of rejection, increased scrutiny, fear of failure.
I may eventually tell others outside my five that I've had WLS. One of the reasons I'm not doing it now is all of the above, as well as the fact that with social media, word will immediately get out to my employer and others whom I am not yet ready to tell.
Your privacy is one if the few things that is truly yours. It's so vulnerable in this day and age. Don't be rushed. Do it on your terms.
Maybe in a time of calm, you can write a letter to your BFF and another to your boyfriend and just put them in a drawer. When you feel like the time is right you can either hand over the letter or you can just reread it for yourself and then sit down and talk.
Your life is your life. You've done nothing wrong. Good luck.

I thought I would miss soda more but I don't. I mourned a little before surgery about Pasta and rice and bread, but I don't really mind the pasta and rice and I will have small amounts of toasted bread or biscuits periodically and handle them fine. I think the only thing i do miss is drinking with my meal. But I have a trick for that. I really like the Arizona Arnold Palmer frozen. So I put it in freezer at work and take it out at linch time. It takes about an hour to thaw. So it thaws while I settle from lunch and then I am good to go. I only drink one or two tops a day and then ally Water intake. I am 40 pounds down and feel pretty good. Looking forward to the next 40!

re: " Should I tell them?? I kinda feel like it's nobody's business."
In my own opinion, this is an example of the New Personal Power we Bandsters come to know in ways our previous experience as members of the 'Tribe of the Morbidly Obese' did not understand.
I don't think it's lying at all. Eventually the likelihood is you will change your list of 'who YOU tell' in your own time frame.
Be prepared as some who have a delayed discover may have initial response of anger or hostility. In fact, neither has 'the Right' to know until YOU decide when/where/whether to tell them.
Without realizing it, perhaps, their own behavior will shift in subtle ways, that will add further dimensions to a complex issue.
When you feel confident and strong enough in your own convictions, there will be no doubt who you will tell. Until then, such information IS 'private'.
Cheers in your journey.

I just celebrated my 2 year bandiversary in May 2014 and I can agree--this was the best decision I ever made (besides having my kids), I've lost 70 lbs and have thirty to go but im not worried. Taking it VERY slow has worked for me. I took my time to figure out which foods I can and cannot (bread, pizza) eat and three months after surgery I started exercising at the gym and now I do Bikram yoga 4-5 times per week. I feel great. I look great (if I must say so myself) and again,I am so happy I decided to do this.

Hello all! I am waiting to get my approval from my insurance company at this point. But I have done my 3 visits with the nutritionist, doppler on my legs, endoscopy, test for h-pylori and my psych eval. Now I wait. And as I wait, a million thoughts / feelings / emotions are rushing through me. Not fear really... because this isn't the first time I've ever had surgery (I had an abdominal myomectomy to remove 14 fibroids from my uterus in 2009 and then a c-section to deliver my daughter in 2011) - so I don't really have a fear of being "put under" or "cut open".
I'm so excited to start my new life. I guess my fear is that they may deny me and then I'll have to figure out what i'm really doing. For 20 years I've watched this weight just pile on and no matter what I've done - it's determined to stay there. And as I Celebrate my 40th birthday in October - I want to be free of that struggle. But I recognize me and my will power. I need something to force me into place. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I lost so much more weight than I gained because I dodged every and anything they told me was bad for her... because of the consequences to her. I feel like I've heard enough horror stories about what happens when you don't follow the plan after the lap band that it would be enough to hold me true to the system.
My mom died at 65 years old in 2008 because of Metabolic Syndrome. She struggled with her weight all of MY natural life. They've already started using words around me like "pre-diabetic" and "high blood pressure" I cannot. I will not follow that path. I have a 3 year old daughter who needs me to do better and live longer. But i have to stop kidding myself with all these other methods I've been using.
So this is my hello... hopefully in the coming days, I'll report great things about what is on the horizon for me.
Thank you for welcoming me into your community!

I miss club soda. However I think I drank it because I had GERD and did not know it. It helped settle my stomach. I miss being able to eat extremely fast, and eat so much that I fall asleep. I notice now I am more sensitive and my feelings are more easily hurt. Guess the armor of my fat served a purpose after all. I would do the surgery over in a second.

Not going to lie to you...I had surgery 2 years ago and I STILL miss my diet coke, but I gave it up and it's not worth the risk.

I had the same problem two month after i had my lap band surgery. My doctor told me i was eating too fast and sometimes if u dont chew your food very good you get that same pain. I hope everything work fine for you good luck

Just wanted to post on the main forum a big thank you to the folks who came out yesterday and made our first BariatricPal Support Group a great success. Thanks as well to Lisa for her dedication and organizational skills. And thanks to Alex for attending and giving us a great insight into what it means to live a normal, regular life as a person who had WLS. I must say that I'm truly inspired by all of you. Here's a picture of Lisa and me with the wonderful poster she and her husband Ken made. The poster itself is a work of art, and the pictures on it, also works of art in terms of living healthier lives.

I just woke up in the middle of the night and ran downstairs for a Water. As I was walking back up, I noticed I felt pretty good so I walked straight to my closet to try clothes on. (Because that's what people do at 3:30am right? )
I went right to the forbidden pile. .. clothes I haven't worn in years. (Why I've let them take up space in my closet is beyond me.. but tonight no complaints! )
I tried on the first pair of size 14 capris and they fit! I was excited but knew they were probably one of the bigger size 14s. Then I tried on the next pair and the next, and EVERY size 14 in my closet fit. Woo hoo!
Then of course my "crazy brain" took over and I tried on a size 12. Had to laugh.. That was a definite no go (for now! ) But I don't care. I'm sitting here at 4 in the morning happy as could be. I'm not sure anyone else in my life would appreciate a 4am "YEA! My butt is smaller" phone call so I came here instead! I don't think I'll ever get back to sleep.

My original goal was 135 pounds, (I'm 5'6 and that puts me smack in the middle of healthy BMI, plus it's an even 100 pound loss, lol), but after losing 85 pounds and chatting with my doc, I adjusted my goal up by 10 pounds which puts me 5 pounds from goal. I'm in a size 6 now (and some of them are loose), which is a size I've NEVER seen in my adult life as I was overweight even as a child. I'm keeping a stretch goal of 135 and at the rate I'm going, I'll make that too! Doc says as long as I stay within the healthy BMI zone, it's all good. Friends\family are starting to be more vocal about telling me to stop now! I'm not sure how to stop, exactly! I know its about calories in vs calories burned, but I have no intention of dialing back the exercise, (1 hr, 5 days per week), and I don't know how I can eat more without eating more junk! I already eat what I like in small quantities which includes treats fairly often and 2 planned Snacks per day. Hoping my body will "adjust" when the time comes!

Agree with other posters-- don't compare your results to others. I lost slow and steady. It's not a race

I have a membership and it's close by and my family is very supportive. But I'm scared to walk into the place. I think I may make an appointment with a trainer and have them work out a fitness plan for me. Since I don't really know what to do or how to get started. My husband and I walk every evening. And my daughter and I go for bike rides which I haven't done in seven years. I was banded on May 9th. I'm down 33 pounds. Size 18 clothes. Was a 22. I've been trying to psych myself up for my first gym visit and I'm scared to death.

One of the things I keep reading over and over in posts is "how much did you loose in 3 days/weeks/minutes/nanoseconds?" and, of course, "I'm stalled for 3 days/weeks/minutes/nanoseconds please help!"
I'll start by admitting that pre-op, I too looked at others results and did some number crunching in my head. I projected and I planned and I was hopeful. And in that respect, perhaps such posts have a powerful influence, since it can get one to pick up the phone and make that first call.
But once that first step is taken, the journey becomes the individuals, and theirs alone. And no number crunching and projecting is going to change how one's own natural healing process is going to progress.
So, I ask, what's your hurry?
The road to the goal is not linear. We must acknowledge and embrace a process of push and pull, pros and cons, give and take, and ups and downs. And when we are feeling up, for heaven's sake, enjoy it! Cherish those moments. Every. Single. Second. Celebrate. Sing in the shower. Go fishing. Dance naked around the house. Build on that joy, because the effects are cumulative. And it will get you through times when things are not so optimal. Trust the process. Before you know it, you'll be dancing/singing/celebrating once again.
So, I'll ask again, what's your hurry?
I believe in setting goals. I believe in developing a clear vision of a healthy future. But it's in the journey, the process, and the day-to-day choices where the real transformation occurs. And if one is not enjoying every "up" second of that process, and working through every "down" second, they would have gotten to their goal without really knowing how they got there.
So, in conclusion I ask, what's your hurry?

I am a newbie - so please forgive me if this has been ranted about before...
I just need to get this off my (now smaller than it used to be) chest LOL
I AM SO ANGRY WHEN PEOPLE THINK SURGERY IS THE EASY OPTION!!!!
They treat it like surgery is being lazy:
Just don't eat so much...
Exercise more....
Etc...etc...etc
Sigh! It is a tool, i need to work at it. It is not a magic wand.
It hurts even more when it is family.... feels like i am the wee fat one and they dont
want that to change, well piss off that is YOUR problem!
I made the choice for me if you can't support my decision.... well.... tough!
Thank you for saving me from burying my anger in chocolate X

Long time no post, just wanted to say hi. I haven't been by for a long time but I'm 6 years post banding and I still weigh 116 pounds. I forget I have my band in for the most part. I did put 4 pounds on recently and when I looked at my diet I knew exactly why. My advice is to look out for those things that become habit, your head has a way of forgetting you've eaten or drunk them because they are routine. As soon as I stopped having that morning latte and the weekly hummus and pitta, it dropped right back off. I'm sorry others don't have such good experiences though.
I love my wedding photos, still can't believe that's my waist!

Good news. Just left my dr apt. And he is very proud. Asked me..When was the last time u lost 19 lbs in 3 weeks?! He made me feel awesome and my exercise I'm doing is Fine. Just stressing for no reason I'm very excited now

Do you track your food/calories? I found that really helped me.

Don't know when it happened, but it happened...I woke up, weighed myself and found out I was at goal. How long I've been there, I'm sad to say I don't know because I quit weighing myself regularly several weeks ago...it got boring. I'm happy to say that I'm here and I don't need to lose any more weight...my Bat Girl pic is actually 10lbs ago, but it's so cute!

My doctor told me not to do anything that used any of my stomach muscles for 6 weeks. The only thing I was allowed to do was walk in a flat surface or flat treadmill. Your still healing so take it very slow. I just started working out when I broke my ankle