KAATNS

took for you anna.......me and hub

Anna, you are adorable! Thanks for posting. Catfish, too! I will see what I can do in daylight. Hate idea of photos going out into cyber-space, and of course I'm pre-frantic about photos due to history of overweight and horrendous visual accompaniment.

Catfish...love that smile! It's infectious!

I confessed the other day to having taken an embarrassingly huge number of selfie pictures.
While normally something teenagers are hounded about, I found myself snapping away because I am still shocked by how different I look.
I am trying to get used to a new face. I don't recognize ME yet in this different version that is 66 lbs lighter.
I can only imagine the changes after another 50 lbs!
And then I thought.."I can't be the only one!" So...don't leave me hanging...revel a little in your new you look and show me your selfie!

I can totally relate to this, especially right now. Great post Lisa!

I can totally relate to this, especially right now. Great post Lisa!

Shocking! I hope she is being monitored closely.

I'm totally from Texas, but I live near Cincinnati, OH

hey go walking aka taco princess
thanks for posting a wonderful thread
and if you make another thread for suggestions, i hope everyone reads it

I have been using food to alleviate stress- even though I know it doesn't really work, I will feel bad (physically and emotionally), should try other things.
Bottom line is, this is a tool and you have to still make choices- and the band isn't around our head or emotions.
So, I backslide, and then I pick myself up, dust myself off and start over- but still from a MUCH better place than where I would have been pre-band.
So, please don't judge. No one is perfect, if I were I wouldn't have needed a band. I still will eat slider foods, I still will go through good times and not good times- but my band will be there to help when I choose to use it (which I do choose more often than not).
And I have found that I don't go as "crazy" as I did pre-band- I can't! The band won't let me.
It's a learning process, a mental process, and a marathon, not a sprint.
I am NOT trying to justify eating poorly, etc- I know it's MY choice, no one is making me eat badly. I know B-52 says he CAN'T eat badly, but I still can- ice cream is my nemisis, and it's a total slider food, though I can't eat nearly what I used to. Perhaps my band isn't tight enough (though I think it is, it's the slider foods that I should be avoiding anyways that will go down even with a tight band).
Each time I backslide, I learn something- one of my favorite LOL movies is "what about Bob" with Bill Murray. I'm baby stepping it
SO I agree in theory with you, but you liken it to being an alcoholic- which I agree with- but unlike alcohol, you can't live with out food, so it's harder to just avoid.
I hope I'm expressing myself here- I guess the point to this post is I'm not perfect, but my band helps me even when I'm not perfect, and as I go on this journey I learn new things all the time and I just- to quote my favorite Disney movie- Keep moving forward.
Nicki

I can totally relate to this, especially right now. Great post Lisa!

I can totally relate to this, especially right now. Great post Lisa!

I can totally relate to this, especially right now. Great post Lisa!

That is crazy. Makes you think the show format should be changed somehow doesn't it.

"It's easy to grin
When your ship comes in
And you've got the stock market beat.
But the man worthwhile,
Is the man who can smile,
When his shorts are too tight in the seat"
Sorry all...just being silly today. ..and for the younger crowd who don't recognize it, this is a quote from the greatest golf movie ever made...Caddyshack.

"Fall down 5 times get up 6...."
"Your past mistakes are meant to guide you, not define you"

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. -John Maxwell

I thought I would start a new thread consisting of inspirational quotes..... I've been collecting several over the last few months, and I read them often. Please feel free to add any that you have read that you might be willing to share. Quote for today....
NEVER EVER GIVE UP. YOU ARE STRONGER AND MUCH MORE AMAZING THAN YOU THINK.

I totally agree with you! I have been having a very stressful couple of weeks....I'm a very lucky gal in many aspects of life and then there are somethings that can just send you spiraling and are out of your control.
If you knew me well you would know that some (like my kids) like to call me a control freak. This is not exactly the case, though I do like a certain order and organization to my life. It helps me to deal with the catastrophes that life throws my way all too often.
That said this weekend, I learned something about myself that has truly amazed me. I have been plugging along since I was banded, following the rules, getting my fills, going to the gym as often as I can. Encouraging those around me who are banded and even those who are not to eat better make better choices, to try and move more and keep motivated. (former cheerleader yeah that's me!)
Problem is that I am very good, too good with my poker face. My private world can be rocking and hanging off the edge of cliff and I will still be doing what needs doing. Professional problem solver yup that's me, and so my inbox is never empty and my desk always has someone at it and my phone always rings and there is always a problem that needs solving.
I love it, it is who I am....but sometimes it gets to me. Sometimes I am sad...and I want to withdraw and hide. I used to hide with some Snacks and eat them to soothe my pain. I found out this weekend that this no longer works for me, but I didn't know until I tried it. All this time since being banded I have not fallen into my "emotional" eating like that. Where I took the goodies and hid myself away to medicate my feelings.
This Monday I did just that and you know...it made me sick to my stomach. Not from guilt but literally sick to my stomach! It didn't do what it used to do for me...and now I felt even worse and wanted to throw up.
It was my husband who intervened my pity party and calmly said to me, why don't you hit the treadmill and walk it out.
I was pissed off at him in that moment, I felt like he was judging me for falling apart. The rock who is so strong for everyone else...there she is in the bottom of a Cheetos bag. but...no he wasn't mocking me or judging me, he was trying to help me and he was right.
I felt better after walking it out, putting on some headphones listening to some relaxing music and just walking till I felt calmer and more at peace with myself again.
I'm still dealing with the affects of this latest catastrophe and there is always lots and lots of work to do...in the paying world and in all other area's of my life, and today I can tell you from experience that I know it's not food that's going to help me decompress any longer.
I need to move, and moving through it is what is helping me...and hey it's helping my body and my health too!

I’ve noticed a number of posts lately from bandsters who are non compliant due to stressful situations in their lives. I am very sympathetic to anyone dealing with difficult situations but not so sympathetic with those who deal by eating too much, or eating poorly. I can’t help but think it’s just an excuse to self sabotage. If you were an alcoholic, you would avoid drinking during stressful times. Otherwise, you would be back to drinking uncontrollably again. Same for us foodaholics...and yes, I'm a foodaholic. If stress makes you reach for a cookie or a taco, what makes you think you won’t eat a box of Cookies or a ton of tacos?
We must must must find better outlets for our stress. It’s bad enough when things are not going well, but to risk your success on top of that to me is just completely destructive. I’m not saying I have the answers, I just think this is a topic worth discussing.