♕ajtexas♕

I have a 13 year old step daughter, I’ve been her step mom for 4 years now and to say our relationship is strained is putting it mildly. Basically her mother wanted her to hate her step mom and she got her wish. Tonight I watched her eat a dinner plate worth of food in less than ten minutes. She shoveled the food into her mouth; barely chew as she reloaded her fork. All I could do was watch and cry inside. Her father & I have tried to get her to eat slower, smaller bites, etc… but it goes on deaf ears. The only thing we can do is only have health choices in our house. I am thankful that what she wolfed down tonight was baked salmon, brown rice, boiled carrots and for dessert a frozen Greek yogurt bar. I know that if she continues these eating habits she will be fat as an adult and will face all the things I faced as an obese adult. That makes me cry. I know that all I can do is what I already do, offer healthy choices and advise if she wants to listen.

I just realized that you can see my booboo on my pinky. That's what happens when I use my teeth as scissors.

No tips here... funny thing, I hit 40 and my nails became rock strong..... go figure.

Got my nails done today, went with orange polish and a spider design. A little silly but I thought what the heck! What do you think Pink Princess?

This week has been extremely busy at work. I haven’t been getting home till almost 7pm each night and before I know it the evening is gone and midnight is around the corner. I have had no time for my LBT friends and boy do I miss it!! This is the first time since being banded that life has got hectic on me. Did it affect my band? I think so, I have suffered from what I call last bites syndrome. Similar to first bite syndrome when you are so hungry that your first bite is too big and not chewed enough…. You know what that is like. Well, last bite syndrome is when you only have 1 or 2 bites left on your plate and you quickly stuff them in your mouth, don’t chew enough & swallow as you are taking places to the kitchen to wash…. Ughhh. I’ve done this a couple of times this week simply because I wanted to get things done & rushed my meal time. Boy it is the most discomforting feeling, the weight on the chest, the extra saliva in the mouth. All I can do is wait it out. I am to blame for the discomfort, my own impatients. It is so easy to do, hurt yourself (and your band) by being careless. The band does forgive, however as this week goes on I find my band getting tighter & tighter. Stress of the week? Sinus drainage from my head cold last week? Is it in my head? These questions start running through my mind. I can eat and drink (as long as I slow down and follow the rules), so I know it’s not too tight. I look forward to the weekend and relaxing!!!! Hopefully spend some time catching up with my LBT friends…..I miss you guys!

When I think of diet I think rules & restrictions. You have to eat this; you can’t eat that, you have to drink this; you can’t drink that, etc…. Doctor’s orders are diets, rules that we have to follow. Now the rebellious teenager in me (I know shocking right?!) says “What do you mean I can’t, watch me!” When I think of a lifestyle I think choices, things I want and am willing to try. Lifestyle means changing the way you live for the rest of your life. The level headed adult in me (again, shocking!) says, “I want to change and live a healthier lifestyle”. So what works in my head is I am not on a diet because I have changed my lifestyle. I follow the recommendations (orders) from my doctor and therefore I see success. My new lifestyle does not restrict me for eating the things I love. I have chocolate, cookies, cakes, breads, pasta, potatoes when I want. I enjoy family gatherings (well most of them). I enjoy my new life. This is what works for me!

So I'm a little slow......just figured out how to create a blog. That's what I get when I only access LBT from my phone & tablet. There are a lot of features that you don't see on the mobile app. Alex we need to be able to update our status, reply to other statuses and access blogs on the mobile app. (Don't think he heard me.) I don't do Facebook or twitter so I'm not sure how stuff like this works, oh well I'll wing it. I am amazed at how far I have come this year. January I was in the biggest depression, I hated my job, I hated myself, honestly I disliked my stepdaughter greatly. The only thing I liked/loved was my dear husband. I went to the doctor for my annual physical and got a huge slap in the face. I was on 3 different high blood pressure meds and my blood pressure was still high and on top of that I was diagnosed pre diabetic. I was so upset after that appointment that I stopped at Starbucks for a large Java chip Frappuccino. That solves everything. The next morning driving to work I heard a radio commercial for True Results and the Lap Band, I started doing some internet research as to what the Lap Band was. Talked with my parents about it (my dad is a retired MD so his advice is gold when it comes to medical stuff). My dad researched some and gave me his blessing on doing the Band. My initial appointment with True Results was the second week in January, my surgery was February 7, 2012. Basically three weeks and it was done. I had no time to reconsider. (That’s the difference between self-pay and insurance) It’s funny I didn’t know about LBT or that different doctors had different diets all I knew was what my doctor had me doing, so I did it. I followed the doctor’s orders; I was losing weight and really knew nothing about the band lifestyle. Then in June I found LBT and started reading. Wow there was so much I didn’t know. I read every post I could find, quickly got Jean’s book and read it. Within the month I felt I had a much better understanding of what I had and how it would work for me. Now here it is October, 9 months later, and I’ve lost 65 pounds. Wow I can’t believe I have done so well. I look in the mirror and often don’t recognize myself. I have no regrets at all, even if the future brings complications with the Band. I love this little tool, my Yellow Rose of Texas.

Congratulations! And welcome! LBT is full of wonderful support for your new journey. I wish you great success.

I would recommend liquids for 24hrs. Your stomach is now irritated and eating food could cause another stuck episode. I do 24hr liquids, 24hr mushie then back to normal when I get stuck. Good luck.

Congratulations, you are doing awesome! Keep it up!

Congratulations and welcome. You will find this site is full of wonderful support and information. Good luck on your journey.

I'll send you the link!

It depends on your age and amount of weight loss. Like Carolinagirl I will take the saggy skin over the weight anyday. Plus I've started the "Amanda Tummy Tuck Fund", I except cash, checks, visa, mc.....hehehe

Great question. This is something I am battling now. Head hunger vs physical hunger..... I am a creature of habit. Breakfast @8, lunch @noon, dinner @7. Schedule hasn't changed in years. And my tummy knows this, so I get hunger feelings at each time. Is it physical hunger or habit? If it is habit, is that bad? The schedule works for me. I eat my small portions, stop when I get the first sign from my band. This seems to be working for me right now. But I am very aware that I might be eating before I am physically hungrey.

Be sure your surgeon knows you smoke. The best would be to quit before your surgery, but if your surgeon is aware and willing, then take it from there. As for alcohol, it is empty calories. I choose to have a glass of wine every evening. It was the one treat I didn't want to give up. I count the calories and work it into my 1200 calorie diet. Some doctors say no alcohol, mine didn't so check with your doctor. As for your emotional eating, the band WILL NOT help you there! You will have to battle that demon yourself. I would recommend counselling to help address the emotional issues. When I got my band I decided my life had to change completely......and it did. Now my food choices are healthy, there is NO junk food in my house anymore, I exercise daily (wow, never thought I would say that) and most importantly food does not control me....I control it. Good luck on your journey.

When my sinuses act up my band gets very tight causing me to liquids for the day. If you can't get water down you might need a small unfill. Be sure to stay hydrated, dehydration makes my band tighter as well. Lol One of our LBT buddies said their band was like a toddler, you never know what to expect each day. Boy that is so true. Lol

Put the scale away for now. Focus on getting enough protein and water in. Many of us did not loose during the first few week post op, some of us gained weight. I know it's hard and frustrating but if you follow your doctors orders you will see the results. It takes time. Keep it up, you are doing great.

Congratulations, I am so very proud of you. Family dinners are always hard and you concord it. :-)

MellioM gave some great advise. Also ask yourself why you are doing this on the weekends? Do you feel deprived during the week? Try to make a plan that will work all week long, maybe eat more calories during the week and balance it out. Are you drinking your Water on the weekends? I find if I don't drink enough water on the weekends I eat more. Now that you have identified the problem you can get a game plan to solve it. You can do this!

Congrats Grandma! Its so true that wearing clothes that fit makes you feel wonderful. I went shopping today and was thrilled, I now fit in a size 14! First time in 30 years. Bought 2 outfits, can't wait to wear them to work next week. We are so worth it! :-)

I'm 7 months post op and I can eat anything as long as I take small bits and chew good I don't have any problems. What gets me is eating too fast, not chewing enough and too big a bit. You would think I'd know better by now. Lol

1. 1200 calories 2. About 30g of fat 3. About 70g protein

Hi Lyn, welcome. I was banded Feb 7, 2012 and have lost 60 lbs so far, 30 to go. I have to say that being banded is the best thing that ever happened to me. It saved my life. 7 months ago I was pre diabetic, took 3 different meds for my high blood pressure and had bad acid reflex. Today I am off all meds, my blood pressure is normal, no longer pre diabetic and haven't had acid reflex in a long time. The band is a tool that assists you in your weight loss journey. You have to do a lot of work. Change your diet completely and exercise. If you do that it will work well for you. Keep reading this forum, do a bunch of research, look into all your options and make the choice that best suits you. Best of luck to you.