Bandista

Every one is different and each surgeon has their own protocol for frequency and amount of fills. Mine is of the small frequent fills school of thought and it took me several to get there. But I felt a little more each time and, for me, the gradual approach worked really well. I just had to go back for a tiny unfill. I could just tell that I was too tight and the slippery slope of slider foods was before me if I didn't get a little taken out. I have theories but don't really know why it was green then red zone for me -- I had to take a little medication and that could have done it, sinus issues and allergies at this time of year could have contributed, or good old hormones. Doesn't really matter why -- just so good to be able to really pay attention. Looking back I'm glad for the time it took because of all the behavior modification I required. Small bites and putting the fork down in-between did not exactly come naturally to me, lol.

I watched a lot of Ted Talks from the treadmill last winter -- I got a lot out of that. Right now I'm walking outdoors as the weather is fine but a few months from now I'm going to need a strategy. I have wanted to dip into audio book land, wondered about Colbert show, etc. Thanks for a great thread...I want to be a pod-cast person but have been too busy or lazy to learn how to use my phone and pad for this. Let's become power users!

@@Summer Rain -- one more thing! You have a great handle. How about put your arms up in the air regularly like some one crossing a finish line and say something positive to yourself. I watched a Ted Talk about this. That gesture, "I did it!" Arms up, yippee, helps rewire our brains for more positive self-esteem. Sounds a bit kooky but I think it has worked for me. Also regarding friends and relationships, spending a year on this forum with people in the same process (we are all different, we are all the same) has given me some new people in my life who are such gifts. We haven't even met and probably won't but here we are. The support is tremendous. So you see, you are better than you thought at forging new relationships these days. You are reaching out and reaching in to take care of yourself. Enjoy the ride -- it's going to be great!

Hi there and congratulations on your upcoming surgery! I can really identify with your story -- having a good life and people loving me but me wondering why and gradually isolating myself a bit more, a bit more....not bitter or mean but just not seeming like my old self. By choosing weight loss surgery I knew I was doing something big -- choosing myself first and my healthy future, choosing to change that trajectory. But really I had no idea that by showing up for myself like that I would regain my sense of self. I am so happy! Not unhappy before but this raw joy -- a reconnection with my body, a body that I had felt betrayed me somehow. Now I feel. In sync again, connected, and it's powerful. Yes, the weight loss is great, the feeling healthy in my body, but the mental and emotional aspects of this decision have just been amazing. You are examining your feelings in such a healthy way. The self honesty will help you move out of the old mode and into the new. Pre-surgery we all had so many worries -- will I have to give up thus-and-such, what if I can't blah-blah-blah -- all very normal head chatter. Great to notice it and work it through. Sending best wishes your way -- very exciting times ahead!

Hi there, these early days can feel a little like slow motion but you just wait! Wait, walk a little more each time, get liquids in and start creating awareness when you're feeling hungry or taking nourishment -- just noticing. I find it helpful to notice about swallowing so take I take attention to that. You are going to do great! About the weight, it's hard not to be obsessed with the scale (at least for me); just know it's all happening, you have done the hard part. Some people find it good to put the scale away and just go by the doctor's visits, etc. And as Tom says, the measuring is really eye-opening. Whenever I wasn't losing pounds I would suddenly start falling out of my jeans. I am down four sizes in the same brand -- from 18 to 10. Honestly can't believe it. Enjoy the pulled back perspective as what happens over the coming months is amazing. I feel like I got my body back, that I'm in my body again. Best wishes to you!

Yippee! So happy for you! Keep on keeping on -- you are doing beautifully.....

@@CarmenLeAn you are doing so well! 115 pounds in nine months -- get out if the way! We are both November bandits -- I am so, so happy.

Choosing to have weight loss surgery was very empowering for me -- I put myself and my future health at the top of the list and the energy from that has been amazing. Having my appetite dimmed and being able to make good choices has liberated me from food jail. I am so happy about that -- I'd say joy is a big factor. The weight loss is great but the being committed to one' self is, for me, key to the whole thing.

@@CarmenLeAn sending best wishes your way! Sleep deprivation and stress are so tough on the body. I'be had quite a ten-day run being there for a dear friend whose husband has ALS, they have young kids, crazy dysfunctional extended family. Add to that house guests here and work pressures, son starting college, etc., and OMG cannot sleep well. Up at four most mornings. So the other night I decided to nibble on a muscle relaxant. I am sensitive to medication and it doesn't take much. Bad idea! I did have a real sleep at last but I think my band is too tight all of the sudden. I took measures today -- getting out of anything not absolutely necessary the next few days, and I'm hoping the decompression is happening. Please take good care of yourself -- apply the ME FIRST motto and every one else will benefit (of course I'm talking to myself here). Be gentle and don't worry about the scale. Just get through this. Walking every day is helping me -- if it weren't for that I can't imagine. Take care -- take care of you!

Many people have trouble with chicken. Fibrous? Or so yummy it doesn't get chewed enough? We eat a lot of chicken and I cook mostly with boneless skinless thighs in curries and other kinds of veg-based sauces. Every one is different for what foods work well for them. I can kind of tell right away. And I have spit food out before. Buck, buck, buck........

Great thread! My husband needed some reassurance when I started dropping weight that I am his forever person. He knew it was silly but that fear that I'd be soaring and might just soar away.....no, he's coming with me. We're very tight, 24 years, solid marriage, but still that seemed to appear from deep within. As far as food, I am a crazy cook -- still love food prep and that hasn't changed. My eating has certainly changed. At parties sometimes my husband I quickly swap plates. He has finished and I have had my tiny portion and don't want to attract attention. And for restaurants I am a cheap date -- I order something I know my husband and/or son will enjoy because I'm just going to have a bit if it. You know, being such a delicate eater and all, lol. OMG, I love this life!

Early days and the healing phase......just follow the program you are on, keep all your appointments and try not to stress. This is perfectly normal. Let your body get over the surgery -- band is placed and once healed the fills can begin. A good time to work on mindfulness. Paying real attention to then when why and where of hunger will help you later. Best wishes!

Nice going, Catfish! Have a great run. I've started adding a little jogging and skipping into my walk and that's really fun. I do believe I'm becoming addicted to exercise -- amazing! Wake up thinking about it. The band dims my appetite but also seems to be reworking some of the other tapes in my head, like the one that dreaded exercise so much even though I did it and felt better after, etc. New dialogue going on up there now....

Never going back to being fat! Love this vitality. Up at 4:30 thinking how long until I meet up with today's walking partner. Fitting into regular clothes -- medium right off the rack. Not out of pain (arthritis) but so friggin happy. Funny, even when I was heavy I was more self conscious in clothing then out of it. It's being out in the world and feeling judged that kept me down, not being naked at home with a spouse who loves me young, old, heavy, slim. I'm 52 and every one is saying how much younger I look. Snow white hair since 30. I think that perception about youth is about how happy and confident I am and choosing sassy clothes, holding my head up, laughing my crazy loud laugh and not hiding. So, after this great thread I am going to reconsider my extreme fear of sleeveless tops and dresses. Maybe I should not give a damn. Maybe my arms are fine -- after all, when I was thin in my twenties I thought I was fat -- had no idea then what was coming. So maybe that's a lesson to enjoy the bodies we have while we have them. Age happens. Life happens. Let's enjoy our lives and our bodies.

@allielee. I got a squattie potty, too, and have found that really helps. Like yoga, in a way!

@@SarahRN482 I just looked at your stats -- way to go. You are really rocking this thing! And the smoking, too. So happy for you. @@SillyAuntDi hi there friend, I knew you'd do just fine on that cruise! Size 12s sure are a nice welcome home present! You inspire me, too @rose2014...... @@chrissy10 glad mine weighs 200! Not that it's a competition. Once I heard a description of a suspect on the radio: large white male 250 pounds at about 5'6' Oh great -- I weighed the dame as a great big guy! Eeek!

Moi, aussi. The gurgle. My husband says he can't hear it but geesh. I don't really mind too much -- I figure it's the esophagus squeezing that message to my brain that I am nourished and healthy rather than the old "feed me, feed me" messages.

I am happy to report that I weigh less than my husband now. Geesh, that really bugged me! I am in the eighties now and that is a tremendous relief. On my way to the seventies next, one mini-goal at a time. Meanwhile, I feel so good in my body. Yesterday I spilled on my top and had to run into a store to buy a shirt. Grabbed a medium and it fit perfectly. Medium! Imagine that -- me? Yippee! I figured while I was at it I'd peruse the clearance section. Came up with a nice pair of summer pants in size ten. Last November I was an 18 (sometimes a 20) so this is tremendous progress. So pleased with how everything is going. It doesn't feel hard. I'm not on a diet. I'm becoming addicted to exercise. So many victories! The ongoing support of this forum has helped tremendously. It can take a while to get into the groove but boy, once there it's like soaring.....

Hi there, we are all such bags of chemicals -- I hope you are feeling better once the medication change settles in. Not sure how old you are but peri menopause can play a role, too -- I agree that hormonal changes with weight loss can be very drastic. For me it's been great to speak my mind and to stop doing things for others all the time, etc. Choosing myself first. It sounds like you know yourself well and that you are working with your medical professionals to achieve balance. Noticing the imbalances is huge. I journal a lot and find it helpful to write out what's going on with me. I don't suffer from depression or other mental illness and I'm grateful for that but so sympathetic because of how poignant life can be even without that -- all the ups and downs. I react to medication and just got off one that was an anti-depressant being used for arthritis pain. The roller coaster of getting on that, ramping up, ramping down and getting off again, OMG. And only the person taking the medication can feel the symptoms and decide whether it's helping or whether side effects are broth it then having to do that while not feeling "right". So hard. Be gentle with yourself. Track everything so you can see whether what you're on is right for you. Watch out for artificial ingredients that can do a number on you. Too much caffeine can be a problem as well -- I have to watch that. And congratulations on the exercising. I walk on a rural road and at this time of year the traffic increases a lot. I am gentle by nature but when those out of town cars whizz by and I'm worried some one is going to get hit, I am pissed off and let them know. White haired lady screaming, "slow down!" It shocks me, this side of myself. So I know what you mean. The increased self confidence is great but anger is not. Humor is helpful for me, and when I look at the human race and how we behave sometimes (me included), what can we do but laugh?

The Sole brand shoes with arch support footbed are perfect for me but they only make a few styles of shoes and they are not very stylish. Still, those corkbed flip flops get a lot of action and I have the Sole inserts in my sneakers. Another company mentioned by some one above, Orthoheel, also makes orthotic shoes -- they are now called Vionics. http://www.vionicshoes.com They have stylish shoes with the same built in orthotic footbed. Eeek, I just went to the web site and now I want another pair. I bought some high heeled dress sandals mail order from Vionics and they are so chic and snazzy. We live in amazing times!

Hi Fiona, congratulations on your surgery! I am from New England, lol, but I know there are some UK peeps here. Hope you're having a nice healing weekend. Best wishes!

Regularly changing out sneakers has helped me, and I have Sole inserts as well as custom orthotics and think the Sole brand, for me, is just as good or better. Sole also makes a cork-bed flip-flop and I wear those all the time -- never ever barefoot. That's helped tremendously and losing sixty pounds big difference! We have rockers to stand on to stretch out the plantar -- those are great. If your heel is worse from contact with the bed at night you can use a neck collar, one with Velcro, around that ankle to lift up the heel a bit and prevent contact. Repeat, never ever barefoot. This was hard for me but those flip flops with the arch support are heaven.

Julie, I'm an iPad user but go in through my internet browser rather than the iPad app -- works well for me.....

Hi there, I think you're answering your own question! The sliming can be a precursor to a stuck episode and while it's great you're not getting stuck it seems like it can't be good that your body thinks it needs to produce slime -- that's a big signal from your esophagus saying it is irritated and to please slow down and take smaller bites. This is hard for all of us to learn. Sometimes I have to tell myself to out the utensil down (and I use a tiny fork or spoon -- love mu silverware, lol). I resist this, the putting down -- like I want to shovel, shovel as in the old days. You know, the old days when I wasn't even really tasting my food in a real way and I was just thinking about what would be next, jumping ahead instead of being in the moment with the bite of food. And that's what I try to do now, enjoy that bite. Chew it until it's mush and the whole time I'm really tasting the food. Then, miraculously, I find I'm satisfied after a bit. I tell myself I can enjoy some food in another four or five hours, no deprivation. Satisfaction.

SO private about my WLS -- not sure why but whatever. We have a pretty social life here in the middle of nowhere, lol, and I've developed a couple of techniques. (Macbutterpants, thanks for the napkin idea -- great one!). I'm busy -- if we are hosting at home that's easy, up and down from the table. But at a restaurant I might pop up for a sec and go look at the artwork or view. I talk about stuff other than the food. People are thinking about themselves ("just like I am right now," I tell myself when I'm worried they are thinking about me -- um, probably not!) so I ask them about themselves. If I'm feeling nervous my band feels tight and I can't eat -- kind of a vicious circle. A work event or something like that, new people, me in a weird mood, whatever -- if I'm anxious then it's going to be worse. Here's what I say, "oh, I can't believe I had that Protein shake this morning -- now I'm so full!" Then I order my little appetizer and pick at it. I hang with some chef types and Lordy, do they watch for response to the food. But what they are looking for -- a taster who really savors a bite and gets the complexity -- is exactly what I wanted to be when I got WLS: some one who loves food but in very small portions at appropriate intervals. Can't believe I would ever be considered a delicate eater, but that's what the truth is now. And a hell of a cheap date!