alden

Banded March 2014 down 101

Just returned from our vacation, 10 days including 7 days on a cruise....
Best news is, I let my band be the boss just as any other day...limited my food intake and controlled my hunger.
I did not deny all the pleasures available to me, just did not make a pig of myself.
I went on a Volcano climb, 3,800 feet straight up rocks and mud through a rain forrest...there was a couple there that were 42 years old, then everyone else was in their 30's and 20's....I'm 63 !!!! Our guide said not only was that a first, but also the fact I was one of 4-5 leaders way out in front setting the pace where everyone had to keep up with.
On another stop, I jumped off a 45+ foot cliff into the Caribbean ocean....there is a bar at the top of the cliff where people sit and watch the cliff jumpers...NO ONE jumped that day but me !!!!
Back on the ship I ran into a family from Holland that were sitting at that bar...they wouldn't stop complimenting me. And when I told them my age, that really put them over the top.
Bottom line....I lost 3 lbs !!! And to think it was just a few years ago I could not carry groceries into the house without having to sit down to catch my breath....not to mention my cardiac issues, diabetes, etc, etc......
Am I bragging?? YOU BET!!! It just doesn't get any better than this...and I have to give all the credit to my Lap Band Surgery....without it, I'd probably be dead....no exaggeration.
Only thing is, with all the booze I consumed over the last 10 days, I need to go on a "Cleanse" including extra time in the sauna to sweat it out of my system.

Well Good Day my fine people.... lol
Today is November 10, 2015 and today is year #6 Lapband journey end... 7 is just beginning..... Age 47, My highest weight 230, lowest 140. Now 145. 5'2" tall, Largest size 20 now, comfortable size 8, Was a 44H bra now size 34H, was a 7.5 shoe now 6.5. Self esteem and confidence... ZERO, Now... Through the roof.
History.... I was 41 when i decided to take back my health and life. I had a few friends that had the GB, Sleeve (not as popular back then), and LB..... A couple of which i worked with or had worked with in the past. One in particular was my friend Paula (LB). She was my mentor and guiding light through everything... In fact her partner had her LB the same day, so she was at the hospital with the both of us.... I had told only very few people at the time that i was having LB done. The few i did tell were for the most part were supportive. Except for the most important one... MY HUSBAND.... But, i got through the post op diet (on vacation) with only one slip and went into surgery that AM weighing 220lbs. Of course my husband said... then why do you need this... Pahhh. My weight loss was slow by most standards... but now i see it as a blessing. I followed the rules.. (except for no Mt. Dew). I averaged a few lbs per visit... and at first i was disappointed. But then i started exercising (zumba, cardio, and later weights) and it really kicked in.... i lost 60lbs the first year and 20 the second. Which i know is not a lot by some standards... but for me... i could not have been happier. My husband started to come around... he himself started losing weight and working out, sex was great too. But then his (what my gut said was) girlfriend move to Fl. and he let it all go to crap again... oh well. The sex went back in the crapper again. I won't let that get me down... life goes on and we shall see if we hit the 25 years of marriage next month.
I have done what i consider very well with my band. No complications (knock wood). I have the LB System in place, according to My LAP-BAND Journey Patient ID Card i have the 10cc band, but my dr. says its the 14cc.. I lean to believe its the 14 as right now i have 10.5cc in my band. I do stay away from the bread, rice, grits, dry meats, Pasta (as much as poss) and fried potatoes. My go to is still Soup. I love soup.... I normally eat yogurt with granola and coffee for Breakfast. lunch is normal something pretty small like a salad (have to be careful, sometime have trouble), soup, grilled something... dinner something pretty small in size... last night i ate 2 nacho chips...the round ones with Beans, ground beef, cheese, sour cream, and guac on each one.
so... truth time... I have not exercised in three years... i know, that is terrible... but it's the truth. Reason, my husband cancelled the member ship because he said we could not afford it.. But im fixing to start back anyway. I had my Tummy Tuck 2/15/2012 and i could not be happier with the results. My scar is not that noticeable at all.
My advice to new WLS patients...... Know what your getting into. Research the hell out of everything. Make sure you pick the best doctor for you. Go to support meeting before, during and after. Don't expect to go in surgery fat, and come out skinny.... WLS is not a magic pill... You will have to work at it EVERYDAY FOREVER!!! Maybe not the exercise... but the eating. Take before pictures, you won't be able to see the differences... but pictures never lie. Take during pic and after pic. Limit your weighing in to once a week or less. If not you will become obsessed with the scale. Set many small goals and an over all goal. Don't get down on your self for a gain. Just get back on track. I put back some weight and got back to 162.... and i said... no way in hell am i going to be one of "those" people who gain it back. Don't be ashamed of the journey you are choosing. Embrace the fact that you chose to take you life back your just using a tool to help. Just like a diabetic uses insulin, are a heart patient uses a pace maker... All the same stuff.
Be prepared to lose friends... some people can't handle the "new you" and will try and sabotage you. I learned that my fat friends love me fat because i was one of them and made it all acceptable. My skinny friends could not handle the new me because i was now competition in the group for attention. Your true friends will rise to the top... Trust me on this.
Remember.... Everyone's journey is different, don't judge your self by someone elses. We all gained weight for different reasons... and we will all lose it differently. Be your own biggest cheerleader...

Hi there,
I guess it's true that Time flies when you're having fun; I've been having a lot of that. Honestly, I cannot believe that two years ago today I was waking up from surgery and beginning a new chapter in my life. I had no idea then of the many ways my life would be reshaped aside from the shape of my body.
I'm forever grateful the band was available to me as it has been the perfect choice for my situation. We are all different. I was 52 at the time and had never been an overnight patient in a hospital before. I can barely tolerate going to the dentist. Getting a band was a big decision but I was fortunate somehow to just know that that's what I wanted to do. Thank goodnes there are so many different surgery choices available to us; we live in marvellous times.
Two years ago I was 250+ and now I'm in the seventies. I'm a little tall and like my curves (oh my goodness, do I LOVE having a waist!) so I don't want to get too thin. But a word about collarbones: YIPPEE! And hips. Wrists. You know how it is -- I'm celebrating this new body every day. I was wearing size twenty pants and am now in tens. No more Plus Size anything. I would not have predicted that I have a thing for clothes, but oh yes, I sure do. It's so much fun to be able to just try something on without all of that angst.
I have been an exerciser for many years (arthritis - have to move) but in the last two years I have ratcheted up to being more of an athlete. I feel ridiculous even typing that out as it's such a foreign concept. I used to work out for 45 minutes 3-4 times a week; well, it turns out I am some one who needs more like 75-90 minutes 5-6 times a week. There's the faking it until making it thing and that's what I did. I pretended that I liked it, that I was one of "those" people until I actually have become something resembling one of those lucky people who truly look forward to exercising. Like I said, resembling. I'm not quite there but I raise my hands up in that crossing the finish line pose and I go do what I need to do and I feel like a million bucks afterward.
food. I am happy to report that I still like food. I can taste almost anything and be quite satisfied. That is a miracle. I love to cook and one of my weird non-scale victories (NSVs) is being able to tie my apron double around my waist. I love that. All those years in all those kitchens with my big fat Winnie-the-Pooh belly in an ill-fitting apron or Chef's jacket. No more. Silly, but that just feels so good. I was very restrictive in my former life so I am careful to not be on a diet. I make good choices, which I can do because my appetite is dimmed and I know what good choices are. But I also let myself have a little bit of whatever I want, whether that's a square of chocolate or cheese (behold, the power of cheese). This is why I still have a little weight to lose but I'm okay with that. I do drink alcohol and we have a lot of dinner parties, go to restaurants, etc. Practically no one knows I am banded; I'm extremely private about that. What people do see, however, is how much I'm exercising and how good I feel. It was important for me to go a bit slowly because I wanted the weight loss to be incremental and I didn't want to have saggy skin.
Well, that's about it. I am tremendously grateful to all of my Lapband Talk friends and now Bariatric Pal. You know who you are -- the encourageers. Virtual friends. This has been my first experience on a forum and it's been great. Best wishes to all of you wherever you are in the process. For new people, a few words: don't get too hung up on what kind of surgery you had; we have much more in common than not. Don't try to give or take advice from strangers on the internet. Have a good working relationship with your doctor and show up for all your appointments. Show up for yourself! I really had to put myself first to get the surgery and choose my own well-being over taking care of other people's needs first. I don't do that any more and, guess what, every one else benefits from that. Here's to our health!

Banded March 2014 down 101

Banded March 2014 down 101

Surgery was June 2011, lost 100+ Lbs.....it doesn't get any better than this....
Finished with diets and concerns about loosing or gaining weight....
A whole new way of living has opened up....Socially, mentally, excellent health, and yes, financially...
Best decision I could have done for myself.

@@copper146 Every day is a chance for a fresh start! For that matter every moment we breathe is a chance to make a choice and to choose to take care of ourselves.
Shame while a very valid feeling is a reaction to an emotion that defines how we feel about ourselves and our value in the world. To say that you are ashamed is to say that you feel less then worthy, that you are not as important as another. The truth is that you are VERY important! You are as important as the most important person you can possibly think of! To you and those you love you are even more important. As a VIP you deserve that very special treatment and extra TLC!! It's not a gift or a luxury it is your right! (As it is for everyone who is reading this post! You too are a VIP and you deserve extra special treatment and TLC)
Changing our habits as TMF said starts within. We can't change our outside if we don't change what's on the inside. If we put ourselves down and keep telling ourselves that we are failures then that is what we will be, so even if you don't believe it mind body and soul today, start telling yourself that you special and you are worthy and you are a VIP!
The first step should be to forgive yourself, not to punish yourself. You are where you are, no shame there. If you want to be someplace else, and your ready to get there take the first step. Give your doc a call, let them know you've been hanging out in one spot for a bit, and your ready for a reset and to start moving forward on your journey. Let them give you a thorough check to make sure your band is all good and in working order and maybe tweak the fill if you need it. Then take it back to band basics. Start again as if you just got your band that day. Once in a while when I find myself going off the rails for what ever reason, for me it's mostly stress and drama in my life. I will "reset" mind and body and go back to the basics. I'll do a day of Protein shakes and liquids, and move to soft foods and practice taking the small bites using my knife and fork. Eating in places that are appropriate for eating like the kitchen/dining room table and not in front of the TV or at my desk working.
It really helps me to reset my mind to get back to what I want to achieve with this band and why I had this surgery to begin with.
This space right here at Bariatric Pal is a great place to start! This is a HUGE community of people who are caring and supportive of each other so check in often when your doing great, not so great or just feel like saying Hi!
Best of luck to you!!

I have not been able to eat a solid Breakfast for years....as the day goes on it gets easier, but the restriction is always there.
For Breakfast, I make my own smoothies, high in Protein, with fresh fruit, etc, and I have to consume them very slowly.
It has freed me from binge eating, eating because of emotions, stress, etc, cravings.......unable to ever overeat again. Does not matteer where I'm at, or what I am dong. A party, wedding, vacation, family gatherings for the holidays......the band remains a constant.
Gurgling is common for me...doing it right now with my morning coffee. It's kind of cool!
I had to learn to eat all over agaain...giving up certain foods, eating small bites very slowly, not to drink with my meals...all the rules come into play when you have restriction....step out of bounds and I will pay for it.
I have also learned to stop when the band says stop, and not to force it.
I don't eat meat anymore because it was too risky...and chicken has to be very tender. I'm starting to get away from chicken also.
Things made from flour which includes all cakes (desserts), most breads, donuts...also Pasta.
Can't eat rice so no sushi for me.
And that's just a a ew off the top of my head.
It urns out the things I no longer eat were not that good for e in the first place, so it's a win-win!
In other words, I have learned to "Listen" to my band, and liv accordingly.
That's why I will not call the band a "Tool" as if I have control over it. It is in reality the other way around.
And I don't regret once single thing about it....it changed - saved, my life. Making me 110% successful in my weight loss and regaining my health, having lost ALL excess body fat with only a small healty % remianng.
It just doesn't get any better than that!
As you read throgh these forums, you will see that many people have different approaches as to how to loose weight with the band...as long as they are 100% succesful with no complaints, then that is all that matters.

I am starting the 5:2 intermittent fast today (Mondays and Thursdays 500 calories, other days normal healthy food choices). I am also not weighing myself until Sunday.
The first thing I noticed this morning was relief about not fearing whether the scale went up or down a pound this morning.
My plan is to rely on Protein Shakes today because they are easy to control and satisfy me.
I'm going to post my experiences in this thread. All are welcome to join me.