Bandista

Great post, thanks! Country Sweet, I think one of the reasons I didn't tell many people as I didn't want that kind of well meaning input or to be told things like I carry my weight well, etc. I have done so much research and I know this is the right decision for me. Tomorrow I get my band. I know it's not going to be easy but it's going to be so much easier than this last few weeks of pre-op diet. All those years of Yo-yo-ing up and down and up again. I feel like I cannot lose the weight. I've tried every which way. I'm 52 and I know the only way I can lose and keep off the 80-some pounds is with the assistance of the band.

Buckwheat is a complete protein....quinoa has a high protein level...... Carolina Girl, I was a veg, too -- 17 years but quite a long time ago now.

Yippee! You are watching your waist appear -- very exciting. I hope I still have one -- will find out soon as I'm getting banded tomorrow. Best wishes to you -- thanks for the inspiration.

Hurray for both of you! Very inspiring......so looking forward to getting my band and getting started on weight loss. I read somewhere a cinder block weighs 33 pounds. Will feel good not to be carrying a few of those around with me twenty four hours a day!

Hi there, I am tomorrow, too! A few butterflies here as well but very excited. Just want it all to be over with, new chapter beginning!

Hi there and congratulations -- big day here at last!

Congratulations both of you -- glad you're doing well. My surgery is day after tomorrow. Best wishes!

Way to go on the exercising -- that is really going to serve you! Congratulations on making this decision for a healthy future. I am being banded on Tuesday and very excited but of course a teensy bit nervous, too. It's been so helpful to be on this forum asking questions and reading the posts. Best wishes to you!

Hi there, I'm getting banded Tuesday, too! Happy 40th birthday -- what a great gift to yourself. If you are concerned about whether you've jeopardized your health by not adhering to the pre-op diet you should call your doctor tomorrow morning and inquire. Many people don't have pre-op diets but every one is different and there are a variety or pre-surgery protocols. The purpose as I understand it is to shrink the liver so it's easier to install the band but I also suspect there are other rationales, like getting people off of sugar, diet soda, etc. so they'll be successful with the band later. Good luck to you -- keep us posted. Best wishes for a happy, healthy 40th year -- you are on your way!

Great description, thanks!

Hi Jada, it sounds like you have a lot to contend with right now. I'm glad you are standing up for yourself and reaching out. Emotional eating is such a difficult cycle to break. I totally get it about the borderline BMI and the absurdity of needing to get fatter in order to qualify for surgery. It sounds like now that you're there you're having difficulty stopping. When I started the process to get a band I decided to do some therapy to really get at the underlying food issues as much as possible and to provide support for the various stages. I also started a journal just for this. One of the first things I did was list all the things I want to be able to do and feel when I shed the weight. The reasons. And just writing out the difficult encounters with using food as a crutch, the ups and downs, etc. helps me get at the loving myself part. I am getting a band because I love myself, I love life and I want to be able to really show up for it fully. I need to be healthy for myself and for the people around me who love me. The journal also helped me write out all the next steps of what I needed to do, what my resources are. They are all needed for something this big -- the resources you dig up from deep down inside yourself, the part of you that wants to heal and to be happy, and the resources like family, our doctors, etc. The people who can help. This forum is at the top of my list. I have learned so much about the band -- the medical details, sure, but also what makes people successful with their bands. I wish you the very best as you sort through everything and make a plan for your health. Choosing yourself is a powerful thing and I can see that you are doing that. Best wishes!

Exactly! I know I can do the work -- I already do. But I can't sustain it because I get too hungry. The band is going to help me with that and I'm going to get back in sync with my body. Good luck to you -- very exciting times ahead!

You are doing so well -- paying attention to your appetite, your body. Good for you! Sounds like just the right time for a fill, that you are right on schedule.

Great post! I can't wait to bike again -- it's been a while. Congratulations on your new ride!

Hi Nancy, it sounds like you are doing well. Don't forget pain medicine effects us in all kinds of ways and you are just coming off eight days of that. Don't forget to celebrate the big accomplishment of getting through this thing -- you are on your way! I am pre-op four more days and I know what you mean about wanting to go to sleep and wake up. May 1st would be nice -- six months out, a good chunk off, in sync with my body and my band.........

You can do it -- just like today was doable a little more each day 'til you're there. I am about to have surgery so won't be cleared for this for six weeks but then I am so there with you! Got to tone so I won't be a bag of loose skin!

This is just what my issues have been -- eating as a response to a particular event, like you on the phone with your sister. Really looking for those triggers and noticing, noticing, noticing has helped me tremendously, even if my track record for changing up is not perfect. Here an example of one of mine: Prior to a meeting -- don't need to prep with food beforehand. I'll be fine. After a meeting -- no need to stop somewhere on my way home and get a little something as a reward. Slimming down is my reward and I'm not going to get there if I get myself treats. Alone in the house -- do not go looking for food as entertainment. I need to find something else to do!

You have a great figure! Thanks so much for the advice about plateaus and just keeping at it when the number on the scale isn't moving. Very inspirational! I am sabinadublin on My Fitness Pal if you'd like to add me. The pictures are amazing. I just had a cousin take mine as well as measurements. Surgery is Tuesday so I'll have something to look back on as I shed weight over time. Have a great weekend!

Nutritionists vary, that's for sure.

I'm not there yet (soon!) but my post-op protocol is similar. I think it's great that you are not overdoing it and you are picking up your body's signals for being full. Can't wait to be where you are now. If you have any questions, pick up that phone and ask your dietician/nurse, etc. Goal is to eat real food, extremely well-chewed and with time before the next bite, etc. Look forward to hearing how you're doing as you progress. You're off to such a great start, way to go!

I am not there yet but I make cauliflower smush all the time and every one loves it. It's extremely low-cal -- steam a head of cauliflower (I buy organic if possible) then go at it with the stick blender, adding in broth to get the consistency you want. It's amazing -- like cauliflower pudding or something. If you like to cook, Indonesian Squash Soup is so easy to make and it's absolutely delicious. Have fun! I am a few weeks away from all that so you will be telling me your favorites when the time comes. Do you deliver?

Congratulations -- I just calculated my sixth-month will be May 5.....looking forward to that! And new running shoes are a fantastic idea!

So happy for you, Starfish -- that is great news. And great you have that support at home. Me, too, though I didn't let him come to any of my appointments as I don't want him to know how fat I am. Isn't that ridiculous? I can't wait to weigh less than him -- that will feel so good! Lady Diva, I'm going to add you on MFP. I am sabinadublin there........might already have you -- still figuring it all out but great to be tracking exercise and calories with a group of banders. Starfish I don't think I have you there, do I? Happy Friday every one!

Hurray! Very inspirational; thanks so much for posting.

Hi Lori, it sounds like you know where the weaknesses are -- good for you for figuring out the specifics of what you need to do. And congratulations on the 41 pounds. I wish I had lost 41 pounds last year! I'm getting my band next week and of course am totally paranoid about stuck episodes. Still, I know I can do it if I work very closely with my doctor to determine just the right amount. That's the whole thing, right? The adjustable lapband has to be adjusted properly to take care of that appetite and this can be a very delicate tweaking to get it working properly. Working perfectly -- that is the goal. It will happen! I have become an exerciser and I would not have thought that was possible. How about one of those C25K programs or something like that? You are not alone in this regard. I still don't exactly want to do it, but once I'm finished (like right now), I feel great and wonder what that whole head game was all about. Once my band is installed and I'm recovered, etc., my next goal is to stop the head game and enjoy the working out right from the get-go. Best wishes to you!