Gaylene Davison

I find this information interesting. However I am trying to decide whether to convert to sleeve or bypass. I had a band in 2008 and lost over 60lb. I have regained 40[emoji30][emoji30]
Because I am afraid of future erosion from the band I want it out. I doubt I can lose what I have gained without help of sleeve or bypass. I am currently leaning towards bypass. Am seeing a surgeon in May to discuss.

Have just found this site! I am considering conversion from band.
What preparation did you have to do this time?

Hi folks, I got banded in Feb 2008. I lost 30 pound by Sept. However I have found it very hard to keep it off and have put on two thirds of it. I too wonder if I don't want it badly enough, but I know that if I get any heavier I will hate myself and my life. So I think those of us in this position need to look back at why we got it done in the first place and how we felt back then. Hopefully reminding ourselves of that may motivate continual effort. Never give up. Good luck

My experience of the green zone is not being aware you have a band and being able to eat small amounts of food comfortably. The band lets me know when to stop and if I don't stop I feel very tight in the chest and throat and would have to bring some of the food up to feel comfortable again. I also never get really hungry. Hope that helps. Good luck

Thanks Bufflehead
I guess when we first have surgery we feel it will be the answer forever. I now know by reading stories here what a life time journey, with ups and downs etc as we go. I never envisioned I would be considering another procedure or that people had more than one operation until I read about it here! You are right that I must look at ways to behave differently when I am triggered and have done some reading. Now I must put it into action.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I will continue to post on here as I go.
[emoji3][emoji3]

I am hugging ALL of you!

No one is more surprised than me! I did my first 5k yesterday and I lived to tell! Lol
I was intimidated when I first arrived but I was in a group and it was wonderful!
Dare I say I want to do it again and not just run/ walk like I did this time but maybe actually running the entire course ????

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday, dear @@cat saaski !
Happy birthday to you!

So every once in a while, my therapist says something that really hits home with me and she said something yesterday that has been rumbling around in my head since then and thought I would share.
I have a food addiction. Specifically to crunchy salty treats - Cheezits, Cheetos, Ruffles Potato chips, etc. I still on occasion binge on these items (and yes it is possible because these things crunch up in to tiny pieces). I lie to myself and say I will portion them out and eat them in reasonable portions and I always start that way, but in the end, I always grab the bag/box and finish them off. Sometimes I feel sick from it. Sometimes I don't. I don't want to do this, but yet probably once every 2 or 3 weeks, I do this. (I am 11 months post-op for those curious.) (Please don't post and lecture me about this. I know it is an issue and I am working on it. That is not the purpose of this post.)
Anyway, as my therapist and I were talking about this, she asked me to describe how I felt when I am approaching the snack aisle at the grocery store or the snack aisle at the gas station (when I am on a road trip for example) and after thinking about it, I answered "anxiety". What I mean is, I start feeling how much I want those Snacks and yet how much I don't need them and how I am going to be strong enough to avoid them.
She said "Think of the addiction as an outside force. This is something coming from outside of you and you need a strategy to overcome that voice. Some people come to me who have worked for months and months on just sheer willpower and come in completely exhausted. They just cannot fight with sheer willpower anymore." The exhaustion part of that statement is something I keep thinking about. How many of us did Weight Watchers or Atkins or South Beach or whatever diet and we did SO well but one day, we were just so exhausted with counting our points or our carbs and just gave in to the exhaustion and grabbed what we wanted, and then the next day and the next day and the next thing we knew we couldn't get back on track?
All along in this journey, I have feared maintenance. I mean I have lost weight before only to gain it back and then some. But she said to me I needed a mind shift. Don't live in this sheer willpower stage. It won't work. Understand that I have an addiction which comes from outside of me and figure out how to defeat it. My specific plan we came up with - when I am approaching that aisle and hear (or feel) that desire for the food, OUTLOUD say NO! (Ok, not so loud that others stare at me, but you see what I am saying) And then replace the thoughts with music - something to drown out the voice until the urge passes. She said to turn around and leave if I had to. I said "leave the grocery store if I am not through shopping?" and she said "absolutely - if you just cannot deal with it at that time, then leave. Leave your cart there or just checkout with what you have. You can come back later."
I haven't had to put this in to practice yet, but I have been thinking about music to put on my phone to get me through that (or that I can sing in my head). A theme song if you will to get me past it. Eventually this will all become a little easier - a little farther between the cravings. It already has - otherwise I wouldn't be down 141 pounds. I hope I defeat him completely someday. I am not sure if I will. For now the addict monster is still there and I am learning how to defeat him and wear him down a little at a time....

I can't speak to gastric bypass, but in my case, VSG has been a miracle procedure. My goal was 190 and I blew through it in less than 5 months.
My wife tells me to stop losing, but she wants to lose weight and I'm the home chef, so I'm eating what I cook for her.
After a stall at 187 due to parties and eating out, I lost 5 lbs this week and I'm at 182 (down 99 lbs).
Don't fret your success, just watch out for slider foods and exercise, the pounds will melt away...

Thank you Gaylene. I haven't had a fill in about 6 months and never had a problem until after about 4 months. I don't feel like made it to green yet but now that I'm exercising consistently the weight is slowly coming off and if I eat slow and chew chew chew I can eat ALMOST anything.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Im 2 weeks post op. I had my band removed 4 months ago and then a GBP 15 days ago. I've lost 20 pounds and my BMI is 33 and I'm over 40 yrs old. I'm very pleased.
I learnt to eat around my band... slider foods, eating slowly (but kept eating), eating higher calorie softer foods that were easy to get through the band etc. Unlike you, I gained back 40 pounds of the weight I lost (lost 70 in all). Trust me, it is A LOT easier to gain weight back with a band than with a bypass.
Right now its super hard for me to get in all my Protein, Water etc in. I have to be super careful about what I eat (I'm on mushy diet now) as some things just don't "sit right". Day by day I am learning what my new anatomy will allow me to digest without discomfort. I am still not able to consume more than 600-800 calories per day - some days less if what I have eaten makes me feel too full and ooky :-). From what I hear this continues for several months as your body adjusts to its new plumbing :-). Further to that, I look at food and WANT it, but the body says Noooo :-)
With my limited two weeks of experience with the GBP I can tell you it feels entirely different..... you will eventually eat more whole foods but smaller portions and not want any more for hours. I think that is a much more sustainable eating pattern than soft or liquid foods.
Good luck :-)

I am eight years out and reflux has got worse over the last few years. I keep ant acids beside my bed now and never used to. I must admit it does not trouble me as much if I stop eating three hours before bed. I find propping myself up on two pillows helps. I also find it is worse when I lie on my right side.. This may help you too.

These comments people make about the food we eat really brasses me off. Do we ever comment on what they eat?? [emoji34][emoji34]

Thanks gowalking. I have thought that too, that don't fix what not broke. I am scared of complications with it in the future though.
Had a good night last night.
But.... As tea was being served, I scoffed a fresh white bun. Gee it was good! But then two mouthfuls of lasagne and I realised I was stuck and needed the bathroom urgently! Very embarrassing as it was a family birthday dinner and in front of my new son in law I had to leave the table!
Wouldn't one think that after eight years I would know not to do that?
Where is my head?!
I would love to be your buddy. How do I do a pm?
Sorry this old girl not very computer literate! Xx

These comments people make about the food we eat really brasses me off. Do we ever comment on what they eat?? [emoji34][emoji34]

Goldfish crackers: http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/ProductLanding.aspx?catID=722
No goldfish were harmed in the making of those crackers.

Thanks for the encouragement ecoreen94
I am very excited about going back to school...not so excited about one of the math classes I have to take though...but I will get through it.

@@dcd1397
Your word was offensive because it was politically incorrect. The "r" word is associated with medical conditions related to cognitive challenges. I understand what you meant to say is "That person is an idiot." or "That person is a dumbbutt." In the current environment, what you actually ended up saying is roughly equivalent to: "That person is mentally handicapped."
This is very likely going to get me in trouble, but think of the way the "n" word was used 200 years ago. It wasn't at the time something that was inherently offensive, it was just a synonym for a "black person". In our current times, the "n" word is a good way to get into a fight if you happen to throw it around because it has negative connotations. 20 years ago I remembering using the "r" word to describe things as being stupid..."that's retarded" was a commonly accepted phrase. It isn't acceptable anymore because the association with the word has changed.
So, I think we all need to relax a little bit instead of assuming that this person was intentionally being ignorant. Not everyone recognizes that the "r" word does not have the same indications it did 10 years ago. Now that this person knows, I'm sure they will recognize this in the future and choose a word that is more appropriate in our current social climate.

"Let's eat Grandma" vs "Let's eat, Grandma"

As far as I'm concerned, this study left out the most important element to maintaining weight loss. Did any of the contestants receive any long term psychological counseling to address the reasons behind why they became obese in the first place? They were all extremely dedicated to the physical aspect of it, but did anyone put even half that much effort into the mental aspect? Because therein lies the secret to failure or success.
Even if your metabolism is so efficient (efficient sounds better than slow) that your body only needs 500 calories to maintain healthy function, why do we feel the need to eat more? If people were wild animals, those that required less calories would thrive over those that required more.
Pretty sure humans are the only species that develops life threatening health problems due to self induced obesity. (You can't count fat pets because that's the owner's fault) The rest of the animal kingdom eats what it needs to survive and never whines about not being able to eat pizza or drink beer with their friends. So IMHO Obesity really is a human psychological issue.
But on a lighter note, this study confirms what I've known all along....exercise is bad for me

Posts are all over the place on this thread so basically I'll say that I am a food addict and went into therapy for two years to help me deal with my issues. I still have to be very mindful though...one day at a time..like any other addiction.
Regarding the physiological issues...leptin, etc., I'm sure that metabolism is a real issue...it's just that it's like saying, 'I have big bones'. We use it for everything and as an excuse so because of that, metabolism and other findings are seen as very suspect. Sort of like the boy who cried wolf.
Lastly...I just saw the interview with the guy from BL on GMA and read the comments people left. It hurts to see such hatred. Fat people (and I can use the 'F' word because I am still the fat girl even though I no longer look that way) are despised. Truly despised. Maybe not to our faces but people are disgusted with us. No wonder we hate ourselves. OK...I know not everyone feels this way. This is IMO. But holy smokes...you should have seen some of those comments. Pigs...disgusting....just walk away from the food....get off your fat a$$....it hurts to know how much I was likely despised...and in turn, how much I despised myself.

Wait.....did you hear what I just said? I had a date. Just a few days short of 9 years since I have dated a man, and I actually not only had one date with this man, but 4, in the last week and a half. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A man took me out 4 times, and one date lasted over 7 hours! Sorry this is so off topic,but OMG! I am dating now.

These comments people make about the food we eat really brasses me off. Do we ever comment on what they eat?? [emoji34][emoji34]