Corridor72

I have a card given to me by my surgeon but have never used it. I usually just take the leftovers home and have them for lunch and/or dinner the following day.

I ate way more than I planned. Dinner was at noon so there was plenty of time to graze throughout the day and into the evening. There's also lots of leftovers. However, I am back on track today. The family can eat the leftovers and, aside from the turkey and green beans, I will not touch them. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels :-)

@@Leepers , Yes, my profile information is correct. That's one of the things I use to justify that I'm not being unhealthy in wanting to lose more. That puts my BMI at 22.9, which is in the healthy range but I could still lose more and be within a healthy range. Also, when you look at all of the different charts, I could lose more according to those too. I'm not overweight on any of the charts, which I think is maybe what he's looking at. I don't know. For me, it isn't as simple as just not being overweight anymore. I really didn't think anything of my friends' comments, initially, because, of the ones who mentioned, only one of them isn't overweight. I think that, as a society, we have gotten so used to people being overweight that our view of what is healthy is skewed. And they're used to the fat me so I just assumed that their perception of what I should look like was skewed by what they were used to seeing. And then the surgeon said something to me about it and that's when I really started to think about it and became concerned(and confused). I think some of it is that I have huge boobs. Always have. Even after losing 141 lbs, I still wear a 34DDD. So it's kind of that Dolly Parton effect. My boobs are so big they make everything else look smaller(to everyone else) in comparison!lol..Or at least, I'm guessing that's it because to me, it all looks fat. Regardless, you're right...it is a slippery slope and one that I will probably spend the rest of my life trying not to slide off either side into anorexia or obesity(again). The surgeon has talked to me about learning how to move into maintenance and has suggested that I start to add some things back into my diet now. He suggested taking baby steps instead of going all out. He told me to start with little things like having a few crackers with my tuna or a piece of fruit with my meal instead of just having all protein and veggies. I've been doing the crackers on occasion but I find it difficult to add other things back in just yet. Part of that is because I still want to lose a few more pounds though. I think it will be easier once I KNOW I'm at MY goal. And, after talking with my surgeon, I think I've decided that my goal is no more than 5 lbs away. If I lose that 5 lbs and I'm still feeling like I look like the Good Year Blimp, then perhaps I need to still just shift into maintenance and hope my brain catches up to my body soon after. Otherwise, I will talk to him about a referral for some counseling.

I can usually tell when something is stuck before the slime starts so it does give me time to get to the bathroom, if needed. The PBing and sliming associated with something stuck in your band are not like violent projectile vomiting episodes that you might have with gastrointestinal illnesses. I never worry about taking extra clothes or choosing different foods due to the company I keep. Then again, I don't mind that people know I have the band either. If you're really worried, then sure, keep it light until you and your band have had more time to get to know each other. Soup would be a good choice in those situation. Just be careful not to get into the habit of eating soup all the time because it is a slider food and won't keep you feeling full the way more solid foods will.

I have weighed myself every single day since I started this journey. I have found that it helps keep me on track. I don't get upset when I see a little bit of fluctuation because I know that I didn't gain a pound or even 5 pounds in 1 single day so, it has to be simply that, fluctuation due to water retention. I'm okay with that. In fact, after months of doing this, I've figured out the cycle and I know when to expect it and I know when it's going to drop off too. Having said that, I'm at a point in my journey where I'm beginning the transition from weight loss to weight maintenance so my surgeon has suggested to me that I weigh daily so that I always know where I'm at and he has said that I should do that for the rest of my life so that I don't unknowingly creep up more than the normal fluctuation and end up regaining 20 lbs without realizing it and then getting frustrated and falling back into old ways. He says this way, I will see it happen sooner and that will be my signal to re-evaluate and figure out what the cause is whether it be that I'm eating too much and need another fill, being too lax in what I eat and need to get back to the basics, or slacking in exercise and need to hit the gym. Whatever the case may be, the scale will tell on ya every time and there's no denying it.

Best of luck to you! You can do this!

I find that I have to set goals. For instance, I'm told that I need to drink 64 oz of water per day at a minimum. So, I make myself drink a bottle when I get up in the morning before I eat anything. My band is pretty tight in the morning so that can sometimes take a little while because I drink my water cold and my band just doesn't like cold in the mornings. I drink at least 1 more bottle by lunch time. If I haven't had by lunch time, I make sure I drink it before I eat my lunch. Another bottle mid-afternoon and another in the evening. I find that by doing this, I can usually squeeze in about 4-5 16.9 oz bottles of water per day. I'm kind of a slave to it because, like you, I rarely get thirsty and could go most of the day without drinking much but I know that my body needs the water so I watch the clock and just try to make it happen. I will tell you this-the closer I got to my goal, the more I noticed the impact that my water intake had on my weight loss.

My favorite is fish(tilapia or salmon) with some veggies(broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or green beans). For breakfast I usually just have yogurt with granola or occasionally some high protein oatmeal.

The best thing about my band is that I get to choose good quality foods that taste good to me and my band does the rest by keeping me from eating too much of those awesome foods! Because of that, I will never be fat again and I have reclaimed my health! I can enjoy life like I did when I was kid! And shopping in regular stores for my size 6 jeans and small-medium tops is pretty nice too

LOL...Sorry, I didn't take any pictures!

Because it still takes time for it to pass through the band. The texture makes it so that the stomach still has to work to get it through the band. Whereas, with a true slider, it literally almost just slides through the band without much work on the part of the stomach. Also, the other thing is that when it takes you longer to chew something, you get the satisfaction of eating for a longer period of time without actually having to consume more food. And, as the above posters have mentioned already, it gives your stomach time to send the message to your brain that you've had enough before you've eaten too much.

It will be rough for probably about 3 or 4 days but you CAN do it. You raise a very good question in this post Why are any of us so afraid of being hungry? I don't know but I can tell you that one of the most important things I have learned along the way was from a post I read here that talked about the fact that it is okay to be hungry sometimes. I won't die if I get hungry and don't eat right away. In fact, nothing bad will happen if I'm hungry for a little while. Fortunately, I read that prior to having to do my liquid diet almost a year ago so every time I got hungry during those first few days, I reminded myself "It's okay to be hungry. This is part of the process that is going to make me healthy and healthy is more important." After the first couple of days, the hunger and cravings began to subside and by the end of day 4, I was having to remind myself that I NEEDED to drink another one of those MRP shakes. That thought process also came in handy during the months after I was banded until I reached the green zone.

I use straws. My surgeon never told me NOT to use a straw. I don't have any problems with them though.

I experienced this when I got the fill that put me in the green zone. I decided to wait it out a bit and what I figured out was that my band was not too tight. The problem was ME. I was trying to drink too much too fast. It was at that point that I learned NOT to gulp and realized that it was time to put everything I had learned about taking small bites and chewing everything to mush into practice. Once I figured that out, it's been smooth sailing. As long as I don't gulp liquids or eat too fast, I can tolerate most anything. I can even eat raw veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots, etc. and I hear a lot of people that say they can't eat those things unless they're cooked to mush. I chew them until they're mush!lol

You can do it! I think we've all felt exactly what you are feeling. I remember being afraid that I couldn't do the liquid diet and then, once I was well into that and realized I was going to be able to survive that, my thoughts turned to the post-op period and worrying if I would be the only person on the planet who couldn't lose weight even with weight loss surgery. My surgery was ALMOST 10 months ago. I met my goal in late August and I'm down a total of 135 lbs. If I can do it, anyone can! And you WILL! Good luck to you!

Yay! Isn't that the best feeling? I love buying new clothes in smaller sizes! Enjoy!

I absolutely would do it all over again! I do wish that I had done it sooner but hey, better late than never, right? Lap-band has definitely been the right choice for me and I can tell you that it is absolutely the best decision I have ever made for myself. I LOVE my band!!!

Thanks for sharing! Interesting indeed! And it definitely can't hurt to try it! The only thing I like about the cooler weather is that it's better for running so perhaps this gives me another reason to like it?lol

For me, I absolutely can NOT eat or drink anything else if I'm stuck because that just makes it worse. The only thing that I've found that helps is to get up and walk around. Fortunately, those stuck episodes are few and far between for me.

Raw vegetables ( Celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper) Cooked carrots, cauliflower, and/or broccoli Hummus Greek Yogurt Protein bars (Quest bars are my favorite) Sweet Potatoes Squash(I love all the different varieties of squash now but would've never eaten any of it pre-band) Ranch dressing ( Pre-band I always ate honey french) Almonds Whole grain crackers(I don't eat them very often but was recently encouraged by my surgeon to start adding a few carbs back into my diet so the crackers can now come out when the tuna does ) I think it's also interesting to consider what I DON'T eat anymore. I DON'T eat these things: Bread Pasta chips And things like Cookies, cake, candy, crackers and fried foods are RARE treats for me. And I've found that, as I try these rare treats for the first time in more than a year, most of them don't taste as good as I think they're going to and I have now added a lot of those items to the "I don't really care for those things so much anymore" list.

I'm sorry you're struggling so much. I agree with the others though that the best thing is probably to find a way to see your surgeon and talk to him about it. It may be that you need more/less fill to be in the green zone. Or, it may be the types of foods you're eating or some other habits that can be changed. I know that, for me, my surgeon and the support I've gotten from him throughout this process has been the key to my success. There have been so many things along the way that I was doing or eating that were potential road blocks to my success but he was able to coach & counsel me on those things, helping me to identify them and helping to find alternatives that work better with the band.

I do some sugar free stuff. I like the crystal light drink packets. I also eat sugar free hard candies, jelly Beans, and gum but none of them in large quantities. I DON'T do fat free stuff for the most part because, in most cases, the fat has been replaced with sugars and carbs so why bother? If you look at that stuff, the calorie count is usually pretty close to the same in both the full fat and fat free versions. I'm more interested in reducing the sugar and carb content so I generally don't do fat free anything. There are a few exceptions but not many and it's not stuff I eat often.

Immediately post-op, my favorite thing was Gas-X chewables!lol... Some of my faves are: *Quest bars- I have boxes of these things in almost every flavor because I love them so much! I eat one every day! *Prunes-A new favorite, not for the flavor, but because they keep me regular *Isopure Protein shake mix in dutch chocolate & vanilla *Dove dark chocolate pieces- I keep a bag in the freezer for those times when I just HAVE to have some chocolate. *Greek yogurt-I LOVE the Chobani flips & Dannon Oikos. I also like the YoCrunch! in lemon with cookie pieces, vanilla w/dark chocolate pieces, & raspberry w/dark chocolate pieces *Nature Valley Protein Granola- I frequently add it to my morning cup of yogurt *Crystal Light *Electric Pressure Cooker- I use it to cook my meat and it always comes out so tender and juicy! No more stuck episodes from meat that was too dry! *Raw vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery dipped in ranch dressing * Green Giant single serving veggies * Brooks running shoes * I also like the shaker bottles for my protein shakes. To be honest though, mine don't really get a lot of use because I usually eat quest bars rather than drinking my protein. Same goes for the Isopure I mentioned earlier. * sugar-free instant spiced apple cider * Almonds- I keep 2 bags of them. 1 bag is roasted, salted almonds for when I want something crunchy & salty. The other bag is cinnamon roasted almonds for when I want something sweet.

It is very common for relationship issues to arise for people who have undergone such dramatic changes. My surgeon even asked me how things were going between me and my hubby once I started getting close to my goal. I was a little surprised but once he explained why he was asking, it made sense. He basically said that it was quite likely that my hubby had grown comfortable with the idea of me being heavy and that, now that I've lost so much weight, he's probably uncomfortable because he knows that I've always been beautiful but that he knows other people can see it now too. He said that regardless of whether I've changed any or not, the fact that my appearance has changed so much can be unnerving for my husband and that men tend to worry that we will leave when they perceive that we may be getting more attention from other men. He also said that he may be feeling left out because my lifestyle has changed and his hasn't. I spend my spare time running, exercising, and being active while my hubby still wants to sit at home on the couch and watch tv. I'm not willing to waste my days in front of the tv and he's not willing to join me and the kids in our active lives so we're struggling in our relationship right now. I'm not even sure what to do about it. I can handle the attention from other men. I know how to walk away and I know how to let them know I'm not interested. That's not a problem, at least it isn't for ME. I'm sure it still bothers the hubby but I can't fix that. I can only reassure him that my love and loyalty are for him and him alone. However, the fact that he flat out refuses to move off the couch and go do things with the rest of us IS an issue. He gets upset with me for leaving him home alone and expects me to stay at home and sit on the couch with him. I will NOT do that. I will NOT let any more of my life pass me by while I sit and watch it go. I WILL live my life to the fullest with OR without him. But right now, it's his choice and he chooses to stay on the couch :-(

I count protein first, NET carbs, and total calorie intake. My surgeon recommends staying under 50 grams of net carbs per day.