Bandista

Go Liz! Can't believe I almost missed this post. So excited for you! What a grand time you're going to have.....look forward to hearing all about it. And thank You for your thoughtful insight, your supportive comments and the example you have set for determination and success. Here's to life and living it.

It took about 40 for me, too -- and I agree, it's a personal dignity thing. I think I put off a vibe that I am embarrassed to be noticed and it's a kindness to not say anything....now, more than a year out (two in November) I like it that my weight loss is not new. The new me is just me.

Sounds like your personal trainers are home.....they love you so much.

I have sliders, foods which for me will just travel through.....the band is not about restriction (see article below in signature!).....I try not to outlaw anything but to be conscious of all I'm doing. And there are certain "no way" foods for me. I will blap them back up. Yuck.

Looks like fun, Debbie, and love the hair, too......

@Nikki_B@Mariaaa wow, hope you guys can share info! Love this site for these connections. Good luck both of you -- it can sometimes seem like a long haul but the time goes by quickly and it's amazing how different things will be a year from now.

Yippee! So happy for you. By the way, are we married to the same guy? (chips and nuts all evening long....)...... My surgeon was also of the small frequent fills school of thought and I think that was very good for me. He does not share the amount of the fills but I know I have had a couple of super-tiny fill/unfills in my process. I think I'm at 7-8 overall visits now, possibly 8 -- banded November 2013. Could be thinner by now but a little too happy just where I am. Quite fit. Good luck with all -- you are doing beautifully!

Hi there, congratulations on all! Big new chapter opening in your life! I, too, am a planner. Made quite a bit of cauliflower smush and had to toss some, but what the heck. As for broth, I make it regularly and have a freezer full of jars. I have been using Genepro protein powder which mixes very well into everything I've tried so far. 30 grams for a tablespoon, less than 100 calories.

Julie, happy, happy day! Here's a favorite quote, "When love walks in the room everybody stand up!" -- Chrissie Hynde

Yes to what matters being about the inside, and thank god for WLS so I could excavate that person out of all of her shame and devastation, those feelings of my body betraying me, the lack of confidence, health issues, etc. Meanwhile here's a good one, I've never even heard of Lily Pulitizer. Head in sand......but not about my body anymore. That I am facing daily with gratitude, sometimes puzzlement, sometimes wishful thoughts for some things being a little different, but no longer those other dark feelings.

I remember how I obsessed over that first fill and then when the doctor gave me his arm to sit back up again I said, "aren't you going to do it?" Well he had done the fill and I was so busy shooting off questions at him that I didn't even notice.

I didn't like the shakes either -- too thicky or something. I was able to have Miso Soup, which I really liked, and the surgeon cleared me for egg drop soup which I really, really liked. Like others, I was so sick of sweet and needed real flavor. Also those boxed Soups in the health food section of the regular grocery store really worked for me -- Pacific brand potato leek in particular. Meanwhile, congratulations on your surgeries and best wishes with this exciting new chapter in your lives! @@Jodi G 2 @b4iam40

I try to eat if I'm hungry and not eat if I'm not hungry. With regard to snacking, I can be a grazer so I have to really ask myself the question, "Am I hungry right now or just in the mood to eat?" For Snacks I keep almonds in the glove compartment, purse, etc. and I start out with four. If I have those and am still hungry I either have more or figure out it's actually time for something more substantial. Like others my mealtimes vary. I can't really do a planned mid-day mealtime because some mornings I am hungry at 11:00 (rarely before) and others I'm not hungry until after what would have been lunchtime. Sometimes a couple of pieces of apple will do it for me, or a couple of dried prunes -- foods I try to have anyway.

@@Nikasio that was hilarious! My husband threatens this from time to time. And here's a joke for you: person walks up to the guy in kilt and says, "is anything worn under there." Man in kilt, "Nay, lassie, everything's in perfect working order!" Now for my rant on the fashion industry: what the hell are those maxi-length sleeveless dresses about? My legs are the one thing I want to show off -- not the arms. And the fabrics are so cheap and flimsy. Eeek.

Great piece. I feel so much better when our counter is clear -- changes the course of the day. And I'm going to put the nuts and rice crackers in a cupboard, Out of sight, out of mind.

Hi there and welcome -- hope you're feeling better today. The walking really helped me, a little further each time -- and windmill arms. Anything to get the gas from surgery dislodged. Good luck with all; you are on your way!

Hi there, in my signature below there are a couple of links that really helped me understand how the band works....the lapband is not about restriction is a great piece I must have read a hundred times to get it into my head......you are on your way, was a learning curve for all of us!

This was so hard for me and in the early days I had to do some practicing with the clock. I had my small dish of food and a tiny fork or spoon. A bite, then I made myself put down the implement. I couldn't believe my resistance to this! Then I'd try to chew and keep the food in my mouth for a long time -- feel the food. Look back at the clock and two seconds have passed, lol. Anyway, I'd let myself pick up the fork or spoon again at thirty seconds and then make myself pick it up again with nothing in it. I still do this sometimes -- just to feel the tines and fake out people at a dinner party. The practicing was a little tedious but mostly it was hilarious to discover just how hard it was for me to wait even when I wasn't really hungry. I got a lot out of those long, long minutes and found that after twenty minutes -- twenty bites -- I was full. It helped me find my signal for satiety. You will get there -- we all went through this and it sounds like you're doing really well. Congratulations on your surgery and choosing your healthy future. It's a wonderful thing to be really showing up in our lives.

So happy to have that appetite monster off of my back. Now I can enjoy my food by really noticing what's going on rather than just shoveling it in and thinking about what's next. Or that dull kind of mindless eating -- I had that, too. I'm a cook and enjoy preparation and presentation just as much as eating, really. I'm glad I still love food but can have a healthy relationship with it -- small portions at appropriate intervals. Yippee!

I think being here on the forum is a great way of keeping our heads in the game -- I'm with Just Watch Me. Put your medical professionals to work and see whether you need a fill. Choose yourself -- this is your time, your summer. Here's to your healthy future! Don't forget to pat yourself on the back for all you have done. Now, Rock It!

Hi there, I have varying days as well and am sure it's hormonal.....i just take each day as it comes and if I'm not hungry I don't eat and if I'm hungry I do.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! I liked it that for once every pound I lost on pre-op was one I'd never see again. One thing that helped me at this point was upping my exercise. I didn't want to do it, lol, but I did and am really glad as it gave me something to step into right after surgery. Literally. The walking kicked my body into healing mode and also provided an outlet for all that nervous energy. Good luck to you -- you are going to do beautifully! Love the sponge for positivity. That's what I did, too, and still do. Keep us posted on how you're doing!

One word comes to mind: Sundress. Oh my god, so happy I can have fun clothes again and feel good wearing them. Sleeveless, eeek -- never thought it would be possible again but here I am. Love having the appetite monster off of my back. Those urgent desperate associations with food are gone. Am I perfect? No way, but I don't have to be. I have never felt this relaxed about food. Thanks for a great thread, Julie. Love, love, love my band.......

I was banded at age 52 and had done everything under the sun to lose weight -- I so get the being afraid of failing at yet another attempt. All I can say is that weight loss surgery completely shifted this for me. I am not on a diet, but I make good choices now and can stop -- it is amazing having that appetite monster off of my back! Good luck to you with all that is ahead. You are in very good company here.

I never considered another form of WLS either -- I think I'm lucky that way, no struggling with a decision. I am kind of a health food girl, never had been an overnight patient in a hospital before, not the type to ever consider plastic surgery or anything like that -- so for me the band just made perfect sense. Reversible if ever needed, nothing removed from my body. I like it that there was good follow-up in that first year, that I was not off on my own without input, and I like the way the weight came off steadily but not too dramatically as I have been quite private about my surgery. Just know that whatever you choose you are choosing yourself and your healthy future -- that's the important thing! Good luck with all. PS I don't have will power, really, just a dimmed appetite and now the ability to make good decisions, to eat slowly and to stop. I used to just keep going -- always looking for more. That's not possible now and no longer a desire. Hallelujah.