beachbum13

I'm a newbie (new here yesterday) so any conclusions I may have at this point are premature. I was banded Apirl 25th & I have my first adjustment on Thursday. As of right now I would have it again tomorrow.
My negatives.
The ones I new going in - I miss my morning bagel and evening pretzels. And lunchtime favs ~ pizza & cheese steaks. (I worked at a pizzeria for 18 yrs) The big thing I knew going was I don't eat just because I'm hungry. Matter of fact that's the least of my problems. I love food. Love to cook & have BBQs. I eat when I'm stressed, nervous, happy, sad & whatever. Love to go out to eat. We live 20 minutes from Atlantic City and some of the best chefs in the world have restaurants there. And we go to NYC a lot and there's a zillion great places in the Big Apple! So for me the biggest challenge has been mental. Going out with or to friends is difficult. I have had one major falling off the wagon that was a VIP Preview party for Margaritaville in AC. WAY too much to drink! (open bar all night). I paid the next day. Gained 3 lbs and did not lose anything till the next weekend. I have been out 3 times since and drank Water with my screw up fresh in mind.
The things I did not see coming.
Booze... I don't drink much so I did not really spend much time mentally preparing. I love rum! And many times like I stated above when I drink, I DRINK! The good news is I don't usually care about things like what I'm eating when I drink but I was very careful. So for now it's Water.
And lastly, drinking at meals. I drink constantly and not drinking before and after meals may be the hardest part. I when I do something I'm not suppose to, that usually it.
Positives.
Losing weight!!! Had I not binged I would to my first goal of 300lbs which was for 7/4. This morning I clocked in at 305lb. Getting close. My girlfriend has celiac so we both have become menu readers and waitresses nightmares. Kidding most places are VERY understanding. We have split meal and not been charged a "plate sharing fee". We take lot's of food home for an extra meal or too. And although we have different "conditions" it's easier for both of us because the other person is not chowing down. And we just don't go out as much as we used to. I would love to say I'm saving money but I think the Protein shake store gets it all.
Another HUGE positive is I have broken my soda, carb & caffeine addictions. 35yrs of being a soda addict. Every morning a 20oz Mt Dew or you did not want to be around me. I have been on reduced carb diets like Atkins the only diet that gave me major weight loss. (4 a while) But soda has always been my best friend. And the thing is I have always drank lot's of water too.
As many people have said here this is not a short cut and it's hard and it's work. If it was as easy to take weight off as it was to put on there would not be any over weight people! And it's not fun. But the things I'm starting to be able to do now that I'm losing the weight, they are fun. Looking forward to decreasing my back pain, getting off some meds and if I'm real lucky- improving my sleep apnea to the point where I don't have C-Pap machine at night!
Thanks for reading my babble...

I have been big my whole life but I have always been active. Until my 40's. I always played sports and have a physical job. But then age & injuries ended my sports day and a promotion at work meant sitting on my butt. I slowly started to gain weight. I did the Atkins diet and had great luck. I got down to 280 and I was hiking, kayaking and felt great. Then summer happened. It's a busy time with work and I started putting the weight back on. Then my mother got sick and was in the hospital for 6 months. By the time she went into hospice I was spending 18 hrs a day in the hospital. Vending machine Snacks and hospital food. Next thing I knew I weight 370lbs!
Last year I tried Weight Watchers and lost 35/40 lbs. Then I hit a wall. 2 months no weight loss. Summer came and back to the rat race and off WW. I only put a few lbs back on and seem to level out at about 340. Then this past December we went to Disney World with the kids. (18,19 & 23yrs old) My back problems & foot pain really took their toll. It was there at Disney I decided enough was enough.
The beginning of January I started the process. The I got the flu and was sick most on the month. I started getting my clearances in Feb and was schedule for late March. Only problem is my pulmonologist would not sign off. Three sleep studies later and a breathing machine for my apnea & I was cleared at 3:30 the day before my April 25th surgery! I have a few health issues that have played in to my Lap-Band decision. Type II diabetes (major factor in my mothers passing), sleep apnea, high blood pressure & cholesterol. And my back is shot. Surgeon told me that I'm going to need surgery at some point and that I need to lose weight or my rehab will be brutal. And losing weight may put it off for a few more years.
Things seem to be going as planned. I have no major complaints. I miss certain foods. Big time. I still get hungry more than I would like. Going through some major lifestyle changes. My girlfriend and I love to go out to eat! We live in NJ just a short drive from Atlantic City and dozens of world class restaurants!!!
A couple of weeks ago a had a bit of a set back. We went to a VIP party for the new Atlantic City Margaritaville. Open bar and free food all over. While I did ok with the eating I had a lot to drink! I paid the next day as my stomach let me know that I screwed up. I gained three pounds and did not lose any weight for a week. Lesson learned. A good friend who had the surgery a year ago told me that once I get my first adjustment things are going to change and my reaction to something like that will be more immediate. I hope that I have learned my lesson!
That's the Readers Digest version of how I ended up on this journey. So Thursday I have my first adjustment and another phase of this journey will begin.... :-)