gowalking

Interesting....I was like that pre-band. Was miserable when hungry but since the band, I never get that kind of hungry and as such, no acting like a crazed wildebeast. I like being this way alot more than the other, that's for sure.

Oh dear, oh dear....don't sweat it. You are at the start of your journey and you'll experience lots of ups and downs...literally and figuratively over time. I'm going to give you a wonderful piece of advice. Stop weighing yourself...or do it much less often. If you are following the instructions your doctor gave you, the weight will come off...I promise. In fact, even if the weight doesn't come off the way you expect, the inches will. Measure yourself now and again a month from now ...and you'll see what I mean. Also...look for those NSVs. They will tell you better than any number on a scale, how well you are doing. Good luck!

Thank you for all the congratulatory comments and good wishes.

This time a year ago, I was at the hospital waiting to go into surgery to get the lapband. What a mess I was that day. Full of doubt and fear....what was I doing to myself, and worse yet, what if I wasn't successful? I wasn't doing this to look better, I was doing it because I was heading towards losing the ability to walk. How scary is that?? I wasn't worried about walking in pain...I was worried that I wouldn't be able to walk at all. I also loved to eat. Just loved it...and loved to eat as much as I could...which is why I was morbidly obese. My life was focused on food so I couldn't imagine what my life would be if food wasn't front and center. I ate out alot...it was both the food and the socializing that I was focused on. What if I couldn't eat out anymore? Would I lose my friends? Would I enjoy my life? Again...I worried about how this surgery would change my life...but not in a positive way, I was thinking totally in a negative way. So...I was not in a good place physically or emotionally on January 14th, 2013. Well here it is...a full year later and from a physical perspective, I've lost over a hundred pounds, I've gone from a size 26 pant and 4X top to slacks in size 12 and tops in mostly medium and large. Avenue and other plus size stores/departments are in my rearview mirror. I'd forgotten how much nicer smaller clothes are and how much fun it is to clothes shop again. It's a new mindset...not 'does it fit?' but 'how does it look?' Most important though is that I lost enough weight to have the hip replacement surgery I needed so badly. I'm still healing but already I have made leaps and bounds in terms of my mobility. I can walk up and down stairs again...I joined the Y last March and am a regular there. I swim again, and now can ride a bike. I couldn't do either a year ago. I ride the subways again, I don't fear walking more than a block or two, I found that eating out is still something I can do and look forward to even though I don't overeat. Or should I say, especially because I don't overeat. I've learned that a little bit of good food is just as enjoyable, if not better than eating too much of it. Now..that doesn't mean it's all been a bed of roses...that's not realistic. I've had other health issues that have me concerned though I know I'm still better off smaller than larger in terms of tackling those issues. I also have body image issues that I'm working with a therapist to deal with. I've got alot of loose skin and I often don't recognize the old woman I see staring at me in the mirror. I realize it's my perception that's off, not anyone else's. All I get are compliments...I just don't believe them. So this too is an ongoing journey...and one most of us can relate to in that we didn't see ourselves as fat when we were, so why see ourselves as normal when we are? All I can say is that this surgery saved my life...I truly believe it. I'm not suddenly living a perfect life...no one does. I'm simply living my life in a healthier way and seeing me get back what obesity took away. To all of you on this forum I say thank you. Without it, and the people on it, I don't know that I would have been this successful. The support and encouragement has been invaluable to me from the first day I found this site right up to today and I am grateful to you all. Oh...and I've attached a before and after pic though I'm still on my journey. Just wanted to give you an idea of what 100 lbs. less looks like.

Weekends are good for me as well. I'm busy the rest of January but open in February right now.

Welcome. I'm across the river from you in Manhattan. Good luck and keep us posted.

I'm wearing makeup again, and jewelry...nicer clothes, etc. And with the new hips, I too want to try physical activities I wouldn't/couldn't before. But the core of me is the same...and I haven't changed how I deal with stuff except when it comes to comforting myself with food. That I don't do anymore.

Well lisa, all I can say for me is that I feel so bad about myself if I eat poorly, and so good about myself once the urge passes, that I try to remember that the good feeling is so much better than giving in to the urge. Or as my therapist says..it the part of me that likes to be in control that manages the part of me that wants to engage in bad behavior. How's that for psychobabble...LOL. Plus...my hip surgery is still very new and my mobility without horrific pain is also very new and I can still recall easily, how bad it was before the surgery. This also helps me to 'stay in line'. I'm sure your hubby understands this incentive as well.

I just wanted to mention that even with the fantastic loss I've had, and the lapband sitting there inside me, I am still and will always be a foodaholic. I was walking home yesterday from the grocery store and all I could think about was wanting to order a baked ziti from the Italian restaurant for dinner that night. I didn't....I had a chef salad instead, but oh boy was the urge strong. And this is not a once in a while feeling...it's alot of the time and I just fight it when it comes on and am grateful when the feeling passes. I guess I'm going to have to work this just like with any other kind of addiction...one day at a time.

What a lovely and sweet NSV. As a grandma myself, I can so appreciate how wonderful it is to have a lapful of grandkids.

I haven't had any fills. Just one of the lucky ones who is doing well without them.

I cab from the train station to the office and most of the regular cabbies know me pretty well. So yesterday I got into the cab and since I've been out a lot because of the hip replacement surgery, the driver hadn't seen me in a while. English is not his first language so I have to remember that he meant it as a compliment when he told me that I was skinny now and not big fat any more. What could I say except thank you... LOL.

Ren was your surgeon, right? I used her as well. Had heard Fielding was banded.

Yeah...that first taste of real food is beyond wonderful....I remember that well...it was the best tuna fish ever!! LOL!

Well...I had a shot in the hospital for the lapband but nothing once I got home. However, when I had my hip replacement surgery, that was a whole other story. I had the shots in the hospital, and in the rehab, and for two weeks after I got home. But the hips were a way more invasive surgery with a much more intense recuperation than the lapband. I would check with your doctor to make sure what he/she recommends for the lapband patients.

She's not saying anything new in her article. We all know that thin does not equal happy. All the author is saying is that she's happy with her size....and good for her. If you're happy with how you look, more power to you. If you're not happy with your size, that's when you need to change it. I had to lose weight for purely physical reasons...joint disease was ruining my life and I needed to replace the hips and at some point in the future, the knees as well. I was not a candidate for surgery at 267 lbs. so I chose to do the lapband so I could get the joint replacements I needed. I was basically happy before I lost the weight...but in tremendous pain. I'm much happier with my size now because I feel better physically. But again...this is not about whether or not I'm happier one way or the other.

Everybody is different in terms of what they can/want to eat or not eat. But just to let you know, I eat pizza and hamburgers...not often, but I do...and one slice only or one small burger..no more big macs or three slices for me. But...I did want you to know that you don't necessarily have to give up foods, but rather manage them better. And you can see by my ticker that I'm doing just fine with the weight loss so eating 'treats' every now and then hasn't impeded my progress. FYI, I was banded a year ago. Good luck!!

I was banded by Dr. Ren a year ago. Very happy with her and the hospital. I've lost 105 lbs.

same here Lulu. there's a bunch of us in and around the city working on getting together. Let me know if you're interested.

This will work for you as long as you are committed to changing some really bad, and probably life long habits. It's real easy to eat around the band and self sabotage. I truly believe that the band will work for you as long as you have the support you need, either with a professional or a group in your area, or even on this site...especially as it seems you would not have family supporting you. This is a journey we rarely make alone even though success or failure is almost always of our own doing. Do your investigating...be thorough, read posts on this site, talk to your doctor, and wishing you well with whatever decision you make.

Thanks for your support and good wishes. I know we're more than our BMI...LOL!

Right back at 'ya my friend. You have no idea how important your posts were and still are. I credit you for helping me to be successful. I know you'll deny it, but I'm telling you that it's true.

Just read your blog Debbie. Firstly congrats on the engagement. Second, good for you regarding making it through the holidays. I can related...I did alot of eating out and other 'social' food events. I did the same as you....enjoyed what I ate but worked on making good choices and not overeating..and did just fine this first year of being banded. I hope to make this a truly permanent change so that next year, heck, ten years from now...I can say the same.

I'm going to contact a couple of gals who live in Brooklyn to see if they're interested. I don't know how to get them on this thread so I'll message them and if they're interested, I'll tell them where this thread is located.