chasingadream

Wonderful article…thanks! I realize every day that my WLS is a full-time job on top of the full-time job I have as a mom, wife and teacher. But I am worth it and I will work at whatever support I need to continue to learn and change and grow and SUCCEED!

Love this…thanks Jean! I just got over a pity party…I usually only invite myself! Im over it and moving on because even though I hit a hiccup with my eating plan, ONLY I, can pick myself up and move right along with my weight loss! I've lost almost 2/3 of my goal….nothing to be pity-ing about there! ..sometimes I just need to remember that!

Definitely need to do some spring cleaning and re-evaluate my food choices and my level of exercise as of late! Thanks for providing another great article that really helps me look at what I need to do to help myself.

Thanks for that article….im 6 months out so technically in the honeymoon phase…and enjoying every minute of it….but I will keep this article as time moves forward... Thanks @@BariatricGirl !!!!

Great article….I have 2 little ones 3 and 7….the 7 year old boy is a picky eater but as thin as a rail…my daughter is more like me although her eating habits are much healthier then mine ever were- she is already "chubby"…..I worry, as most parents do….I just want what's best for them. Having the lap-band with plication has turned things around for me and I plan on doing that for my kids before they ever need the possibility of WLS!!

Great article….just because we have this great "tool" doesn't mean its going to be a piece of cake! (Yes, a pun ) At nearly 6 months out I'm seeing more obstacles in the way that I need to be more mindful of so that I continue to be successful….and I can't make anyone accountable for that success BUT ME! Thanks Alex!

Right now...my goal is to find peace....peace with myself and the decisions I make. I had WLS to lose weight, to feel better and so far it is working. The 82 lbs off my 5'4" frame feels amazing and I look in the mirror in awe most days...as a dieter since the age of 16 who knew I could begin to achieve the elusive idea of losing weight AND keeping it off AND not being miserable, dieting or denied. But I'm now at a point where I beat myself up over every decision I basically make. The biggest one of course is my WLS....happiest decision I ever made and then the fear creeps in...how long will it last? what's happening inside of me? was this, IN FACT, the best long-term decision? Then there is the issue of food choices. I did not get to be 280 lbs by not knowing I have "issues" with food...and now at 5 1/2 months post surgery some of the old habits and urges and feelings about food are creeping back....should I get a fill (haven't had one yet)....will that help--I dont believe so...and I dont want to ruin what is working right now. I find myself feeling down on myself, feeling sad at times, and mostly angry at myself...am I sabotaging myself ONCE again???? If I eat too much I panic did I stretch my pouch, did I do this or that.... I am an educated woman. I did my research and I went into WLS fully understanding the choices I made...but sometimes the worrisome thoughts take over the reasoning part of my brain.... So as I stop my ranting about my bit of craziness ....i hope for true inner peace and WAY less worrying in my life. Thank you Jean, for helping me take a good long look at what I truly want and how I am going to get myself there....because I WILL!!!

Excellent article...I am 5 months post-op and I went through pretty much all of the beginning phases. Always remembering to take one day at a time, remembering that is a journey with a lengthy process and that giving up is NEVER an option!

Hoping you are feeling better and things are looking up for you. You are an inspiration not because of all of your successes but because you are human and struggle as well. Half the battle is acknowledging the trouble one has and then moving forward with things and you are doing just that. Wishing you all the best and you are missed!

Hope you get to the bottom of it...and stay safe while you wait...sending good thoughts your way!

Love that...and yes, I AM LOST TOO....LOL Still happy to find some old Lap Band friends while trying to navigate thru the new "school". Glad to have found you again AJ...thanks for the wise words! Support is support....and new friends are as exciting as old friends

I've discovered since having my lap band surgery on Sept. 19th that a whole new world is really out there waiting for me...and I am quite excited by this! In 7 weeks and 5 days I have learned so much more about myself than I ever would have thought possible. First and foremost....I can eat to live and not live to eat anymore. This is a big one....as a constant food grazer for the past 30 or so years...who knew you could really just eat to nourish your body and mind and move on with your day....with your life. My band and I are forging a whole new relationship together and we are getting along fabulously....I'm learning to stop at satisfied, chew, chew, chew, and to eat slowly. When I do this I don't feel that pressure in my chest I experienced a few times when first back on solids. I eat when I'm hungry...this is a new one for me. I actually wait when my stomach begins to growl and really get rowdy. Why one might ask. Because I havent felt TRUE hunger in so many years its actually a nice feeling. It reminds me that this is the signal that tells me....Yup....time to put some nourishment in me....and that's it! Food is not all consuming to me anymore. I dont have any cravings. I dont know if its the band or the plication but I am loving it! I realized a week ago that I can eat something like a fun-size bag of peanut M+M's and the food demon of my past will not be unleashed. I thought for sure once I had that taste of chocolate...the taste of salty and sweet...the taste of goodness and comfort and joy that those M+M's used to elicit would cause me to slip back into old eating habits and patterns. You know what....IT DIDNT. Mind you, panic over this little "snack" did cause fear in my heart and soul as I ran around the house for the rest of the night telling my hubby that I surely released "the demon". Well, guess what?...the next day was like any other banded day for me. Eating breakfast, lunch, my little snack to get me to dinner and then to my last meal of the day- dinner. Now when I see that bowl of leftover Halloween candy, I glance at it and say ....aaahhh...and walk away and onto the next thing I was going to do. Moments like that I now say WOW to. At work, no one (well actually only one person---the wonderful school nurse who helped me when I fell outside of work right before my lap band surgery and i basically broke down because of the stress of everything---knows). One girl has said I've lost weight.....many others comment on how great my hair looks and they all love the shirts I'm wearing. I find it funny....not sure if they dont know what to say or this is how they are noticing it. I've always been a loose fitting shirt girl, always trying to cover up all my baggage and now my clothes are beginning to hang even more. I know I've got to get new stuff but the thought of not hiding stuff is all new to me. I will come around...for I must...but this part is the hard part right now. I feel good...I feel light....I feel faster...I feel more energetic. I love that my wedding/engagement ring are constantly twisting on my finger. I love that my watch needs a link taken out. I love that I can eat at home or go out to eat with my family and I CAN eat. Whatever I want....sometimes better choices than others but I can always eat everything. I DO NOT feel deprived of anything. I don't miss the constant grazing, the donuts by the dozen, the pints of Ben & Jerry's, the 2 or 3 helpings at dinner. I DO LOVE that my hubby is able to reach around me better when he gives me a hug....I can keep up with my kids better....i feel better about myself....i am happier than i've been in some time.....I'm healthier.....i've lost 46 pounds and this is just the beginning. I look out my window and see that whole new world that being thinner offers and at times it is scary and seems so unknown but I wont know how truly great it all is unless I continue to travel down that road and reach that weight loss goal that has eluded me for sooooo many, many years. So, watch out....'cause here I come!

AWESOME JOB! im also 2 weeks out and feel great with 30lbs off although, like you, I dont see it...do we ever? LOL Im hoping for mushies tomorrow too after my dr appt.... 4 weeks on liquids and IM DONE! Looking forward to hearing more successes in the future!

We LOVE old cartoons in this house and my 6 year old has become a fanatic too! We have bugs bunny, daffy duck, taz and marvin the martian artwork throughout our house! Right on the wall next to me now is the speechless print you were talking about above...a gift to my hubby...love that one two. Was sad when all the warner brother stores closed....hard to find good artwork now.... Nothing like snuggling on the couch with my little guy (and big guy too) watching old cartoons...my son knows its channel 126 in NY....thats the Boomerang station. Ahhh....the good ole days!