Bandista

So happy for you - very exciting to turn your life around like that! I'm right behind you.....

My doctor and the nutritionist have both referred to me as a "restrictor." Guess that's a label for those of us who have dieted like crazy and find it difficult to let go of those restrictions. Pre-band I have been no dairy, no wheat, no sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol -- a lot of no-nos. So I'm trying to embrace all of it and just have those very small amounts of what it is my body is asking for. It wants dairy so I'm having some. Have not tried wheat yet and think I may not. My husband is celiac so we already have a wheat-free house. That is restrition of another kind, however, not that mental "can't have" game I have played so well the last two decades. Even though I'm so incredibly good at it, I was still unable to lose weight with that approach.

Sounds like a good time to start a walking program -- you'll be out of the breakroom and beginning a new exercise life!

Hi there, I had my post-surgical follow-up meeting with the nutritionist today (I am 16 days post-op). She encouraged me to start eating salad before I get a fill -- just so my body is used to it. Went for a salad with a scoop of tuna on top directly after the appointment -- was so happy to chew, chew, chew those veggies! Brought half or so of it home for another meal.......

What a great feeling to slide in and out of that booth! Congratulations on your weight loss and accomplishing the LB surgery as well as the hip replacement. It shows that it is all possible -- I'll bet a year ago you could not imagine being where you are now. One step at a time...... BEST WISHES TO YOU! PS -- on your way home soon?

Thanks so much for this, TMF -- I'm going to hunt down the other seven and watch those as well. Nice to be up on everything that's out there research-wise. KBell, I just had my post-up follow-up meeting with the nutritionist and I asked her the very thing you have inquired about above. I was originally given the 30 minutes before and after rule -- it's in all my hand-outs and was emphasized by the surgeon. Today I asked about alcohol and going out -- saying that I assumed I would finish a glass of wine and let the other person have their appetizer then make sure thirty minutes had elapsed, etc., etc. She said not to worry about it, that it's the no liquids 30 minutes after that matters. Now this Austrailian doctor -- a leading LB surgeon -- is dispelling that science entirely. I guess it's up to me to figure out what works for my body. Moderation is definitely the goal. And I'm looking forward to my first Margarita one of these days, that's for sure! Best wishes to you.....

So happy for you! Very exciting.......

None of us is a walk in the park, that's for sure -- and I'm talking about human beings, not just those of us who are over-eaters. Do you think it's time for a serious sit-down talk about how important this is for your healthy future? Maybe if there is absolute clarity about what you need -- and don't need (like being brought food) then it will be easier for her to find other ways to show her love to you. Maybe she's not sure how absolute your commitment to this is. You were committed enough to go through surgery, which is a very big step. But you still have to take care of your end of the bargain. I'll bet she could help with that if she knew exactly what you need. I have my husband prepare bottles of Water for me, with my splash of cranberry and aloe juice. He'll bring me that drink, just the way he used to bring me glasses of wine. The wine and cheese party is over, but a nice cup of herbal tea is pretty great. It comes with love. And just because he's hungry and doing the grazing that I used to do with him does not mean that it's time for me to eat. He has actually cut down on that quite a bit and will be healthier himself now that I'm not indulging alongside him. But when he Snacks and goes back for more food, etc., I just need to sip my juice and sometimes zip my lips. Wishing you the very best. This can be hard on a relationship but there's nothing more important than getting it right. Thanks for the blog, Debbie -- he's a keeper, that's for sure. Have a great day!

Hey, we're not letting you go that easily! Just think, a year from now we'll all be 2013 bandsters talking about how quickly a whole year passed. Wishing you the best for this afternoon's peer review. Hope you get the news soon and that's it's just what you want to hear!

So nice we'll say it twice: Happy, Happy Birthday!

Today is my two-week Bandaversary and I'm so happy. The process has gone very well for me. I did a lot of planning, including making an appointment for a haircut today. A little present to myself! Along with stress and emotional eating, eating from boredom, etc., I used food as a reward system for myself. Time to come up with some good alternatives, ones that involve taking good care of myself. Getting the band was such a gift -- a way of choosing myself and my healthy future. That has done wonders for my self-esteem already. I'm happy to report that I still love food. I'm a good cook and I'm "in" food all the time -- nothing has changed there. The thing that has changed is that I am not really hungry. I have no cravings whatsoever and I am satisfied on very little food. It's only been two weeks and I'm fully prepared for a return of hunger; it just hasn't happened yet. Right now I'm transitioning into smooth and soft foods that are a little less mushy. I really want some veggies and have steamed beets on hand for my next meal. A half cup of those and a half cup of cottage cheese will make a splendid lunch. This is something that would have only been an appetizer before -- the beginning of a much larger meal and/or an afternoon of grazing. Later there is salmon on the menu. I have had turkey chile and all kinds of Soups. Sunday we went to a potluck with people who don't know I'm banded and that was fine. I brought a pureed squash Soup and had some Indian pudding for dessert. And we have eaten out a few times. This is something I was worried about but it was so easy. There may be foods that don't work for me and beef may be one. I had a bite of a Mexican dish I was making and I chewed and chewed and chewed until I spit out the little piece of spicy ground beef. Beef may be off my menu. My only concern right now is that I'm not having enough calories. The doctor told me not to worry about calorie or Protein goals at this time, so I'm trying to relax about the notion that I'm putting my body into starvation mode. On Thursday I meet with the nutritionist at the hospital but I know I am the one who has to figure out what's going to be best for me going forward, including a calorie goal to meet each day. Any thoughts on this are very welcome. The incisions are healing up nicely and I've resisted the temptation to overstretch or do any lifting. I started walking in the hospital and have become a walker. This is something I really wanted to accomplish -- pulling that switch in my brain to want to exercise. I still have a little ways to go. There are those old voices that tell me I can do it later, or I already had one walk so this isn't needed, etc. But I've started talking back and overriding. I have more will power now not only for resisting food temptation (have not really encountered any yet so that's easy) but also the will power to get moving. I really want to thank all the people here who have been cheering me on; you are wonderful! Best wishes for a fine Tuesday. And I got to create a post today, something I haven't been able to do since the changeover. Yippee!

I've been trying some eating with the clock. We've had a few lunches together. My goal is to take a small bit every minute. It's amazing how long a minute is! I have found I don't want to put the utensil down so I'm working on that. I out it down and then let myself pick it up again but empty. Breaking that cycle of loading the fork/spoon with the next bite as soon as I've had the last one. So I put down the fork and move my hand away, wait, then pick it up empty, put it to my mouth and put it down again, take my hand away. I resist this and am noticing those places of resistance so I can break the habit of shoveling food in. Then I finally load the fork and when a minute has elapsed I have that bite. It's great mindfulness practice.

Hi there, congratulations! 15 days out and those early few days of pain then discomfort are a distant memory -- just kept getting myself up and walking and my body got all these new messages. The healing but also the new attitude of being a walker and a loser of weight. I don't think my body quite understood that before but it's getting it now! So happy, too. Just happier all-around. Out of food jail happy.

Collarbones, yippee! Now there's a birthday present you have all year round now!

Hi Wendy, good luck today. Seems like just yesterday I had the nutritionist and psych eval appointments then finally got to meet the surgeon. I'm sure your new PCP will not need convincing. I had to meet with an LB program coordinator and we talked about the diet fails over the years, demonstrating that I had attempted many weight loss programs but just couldn't do it and gained more and more weight. And we discussed my reasons -- that desire to be really healthy, in my case off BP meds, reducing weight on joints for arthritis issues, etc. You'll do fine!

This will be your time to focus on yourself. And I've got to say I think I'm addicted to serotonin -- can really feel it. Always have had an addictive personality. Now to be addicted to exercise, that is something! The band is doing that for me. I didn't have the willpower before.

Hi there, good for you to research everything that's out there; you will be so ready whatever you decide. Main thing is you have decided to be healthy -- you are choosing a happy future!

Sending you best wishes as you go forward on this journey of health. Maybe there are less expensive protein powder options out there.....I hope yup find what you need. Once banded you'll save lots as the food bills will go way down.

I'm just two weeks out and holding off on big stretching, etc. When I think of swimming I think of that kind of movement, only in Water. Your surgeon will have good advice for you. We have a hot tub and I wondered when I'd be allowed to do that -- surgery was on a Tuesday and surgeon said wait until the weekend. So for me it was four days until full immersion is hot water. Have done that daily and no problems with glued up incisions or anything like that.

This is not okay! If I were you I would call the doctor immediately.

Personal days are.....PERSONAL. I would just say you're having surgery. If there is prodding (which is illegal) then you can say you have been waiting to address a health issue and the surgeon wants to do it December 5th. Or some such. You don't owe your employers a detailed explanation. A lie could really catch you up later if you change your mind and decide to tell some one. I was very concerned about privacy. Let me change that to I am still very concerned about privacy. Wanted to be under the radar as much as possible but of course people get wind that something is going on. It turned out I had a hiatal hernia which was repaired at the same time. So we went with that for the few people that needed to be told something. My mother has inquired a little too deeply about whether I had a strangulated hernia, when I knew I had to go in, whether it was an emergency, etc. I just kept deflecting and now at two weeks out it has all blown over. Good luck -- so happy you have your date! Exciting times.....

Good luck on the back to work today. I am working also -- and yesterday a huge walk around a lake. I feel better than ever. Could not have done that before. Taking it easy in terms of no lifting and stretching -- but the cardio is great. Best wishes to you!

I have appointments scheduled for fills weekly beginning 12/4. If I do liquids a couple of days then mushies, that only leaves a couple of days to figure out whether the fill is at a good restriction before I'm back there again -- am I getting this right?

This is hilarious! And congratulations on the 48 pounds gone, gone, gone. That must be a great feeling.

This stuff sounds way worse than the actual surgery -- that's going seem like such a breeze......