Bandista

Checking in on this Monday.....decided to do a juice fast and liver cleanse for a few days to clear out congestion and joint pain as well as general band care, a break from caffeine & alcohol, return to better habits, etc. The periodic fasting works well for me and usually gives me a new number on the scale that I can dance around with for a while. I think I have about fifteen pounds to lose, though I won't be sure until I get closer. Really working on toning these days. Got an inversion table (free!) and am doing crunches to tighten up my belly, which is still a little flubby. Missing the big walks and coming up with strategies for the winter.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are seeing our elders then sneaking off to the city for a couple of nights. Looking forward to the getaway.

Hi there, we are in the same boat -- thanks for posting as this is so much on my mind. I had an original goal of 148 which I now know would be much too thin for me. That was exactly 100 pounds down from my day-of-surgery weight. More recently I reset my goal for 158, thinking I would just vow to always remain under 160 -- that that's when the alarm bells would ring out -- but now I'm in the seventies and suspect twenty more pounds down would make me too skinny. I am also tall and large-boned, etc., and I like having my curves. But I've still got some belly and could stand to lose a bit more plus tone, tone, tone. Working on that aspect of it now, whilst enjoying the size 10 pants. That is pretty amazing and I Celebrate it every day. I have a couple of pairs of pants that don't fit right quite yet, so that's the angle I'm working right now: workout to be lithe enough for those pants and then reassess. Good luck with all; you've done so well. Here's to health and happiness!

Hello! Just curious what people who are in this longggggg waiting period are doing to prepare. I have successfully started eating smaller, more frequent meals, am going to the gym about 4 days/week, not drinking calories, reducing sugar intake, and not eating out at restaurants. I am also starting to take Vitamins daily.
However, I really need to work on getting in my 8 glasses of Water per day and weight training (I am only doing cardio right now).
My surgeon's office doesn't put people on a specific diet but just focus on making small changes every couple weeks.
I haven't lost any weight but I feel like eventually these changes are bound to pay off and it is a nice change to not be on a "diet" for once in my life because it gives me a chance to work on some less than healthy behaviors I have developed over the years.
What is everyone else doing?

Had surgery about 8:30 this morning. Was home by 2 and stopped by Staples, the grocery store and post office on the way home. I can't believe how good I feel. Actually kind of wired.....been puttering around the house for almost 3 hours. Finally decided I better sit down and relax or I may be sorry tomorrow.
So looks like I'll be eating thanksgiving dinner at Grandmas after all. Won't have to wait for leftovers. Yeah!

Checking in on this Monday.....decided to do a juice fast and liver cleanse for a few days to clear out congestion and joint pain as well as general band care, a break from caffeine & alcohol, return to better habits, etc. The periodic fasting works well for me and usually gives me a new number on the scale that I can dance around with for a while. I think I have about fifteen pounds to lose, though I won't be sure until I get closer. Really working on toning these days. Got an inversion table (free!) and am doing crunches to tighten up my belly, which is still a little flubby. Missing the big walks and coming up with strategies for the winter.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are seeing our elders then sneaking off to the city for a couple of nights. Looking forward to the getaway.

Checking in on this Monday.....decided to do a juice fast and liver cleanse for a few days to clear out congestion and joint pain as well as general band care, a break from caffeine & alcohol, return to better habits, etc. The periodic fasting works well for me and usually gives me a new number on the scale that I can dance around with for a while. I think I have about fifteen pounds to lose, though I won't be sure until I get closer. Really working on toning these days. Got an inversion table (free!) and am doing crunches to tighten up my belly, which is still a little flubby. Missing the big walks and coming up with strategies for the winter.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are seeing our elders then sneaking off to the city for a couple of nights. Looking forward to the getaway.

Checking in on this Monday.....decided to do a juice fast and liver cleanse for a few days to clear out congestion and joint pain as well as general band care, a break from caffeine & alcohol, return to better habits, etc. The periodic fasting works well for me and usually gives me a new number on the scale that I can dance around with for a while. I think I have about fifteen pounds to lose, though I won't be sure until I get closer. Really working on toning these days. Got an inversion table (free!) and am doing crunches to tighten up my belly, which is still a little flubby. Missing the big walks and coming up with strategies for the winter.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are seeing our elders then sneaking off to the city for a couple of nights. Looking forward to the getaway.

Checking in on this Monday.....decided to do a juice fast and liver cleanse for a few days to clear out congestion and joint pain as well as general band care, a break from caffeine & alcohol, return to better habits, etc. The periodic fasting works well for me and usually gives me a new number on the scale that I can dance around with for a while. I think I have about fifteen pounds to lose, though I won't be sure until I get closer. Really working on toning these days. Got an inversion table (free!) and am doing crunches to tighten up my belly, which is still a little flubby. Missing the big walks and coming up with strategies for the winter.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are seeing our elders then sneaking off to the city for a couple of nights. Looking forward to the getaway.

Figuring out what my sliders are was important for me. It's the chewing and swallowing that trigger the signal for satiety. I add mix-ins to my yogurt for this reason (chia seeds, a few nuts, a little gluten-free Cereal, etc.) -- otherwise it would just go right down. cheese is also a slider for me unless I have it with something that I can really chew. I'll have a few apple slices or GF crackers sometimes or a rice cake, etc. with the cheese. I could never do pizza, though it sounds like that may be a slider food for you. We are all different. And yes, chicken seems to be a problem for many. I cook thighs over a long period of time or pound tenders to tenderize them thoroughly and I use a lot of stock to cook chicken down. I never order it in a restaurant but usually choose a filet mignon or tenderloin instead (I'm worth it!) or fish, etc. Good luck to you as you get your groove -- great way of putting that B-52. It definitely is a lifestyle thing. Find yourself a doctor to work with -- that's really important. Best wishes!

I love not beating myself up all the time or having to figure out whether I'm on or off one program or another. I love not being on a diet and I love, love, love being a dainty eater. Being able to have one bite of something yummy is wonderful -- I love not feeling uncontrollable urges for more, more, more all the time. And clothes. I can't believe what fun I missed out on for so many years while, like others, I was hiding out in black. Really happy I bought those gorgeous boots last year but best purchase of all so far is one of those puffy sleeping bag coats to keep my skinny body warm. Okay, not skinny, but just right. I love being a woman in her mid-fifties who could stand to lose ten pounds but is curvy, vivacious and comfortable in her own body. Great thread, thank you! Nice reminders of all we have to be grateful for.

Peoiple are all over on this....everyone is different....
I don't eat pizza,(globs of melted cheeses, plus the bread dough) I don't eat red meat....and that's just a few...anything made from flour so breads, rolls, do-nuts, etc, are oiut.
chicken...has to be tender, and I've found most chickem when eating out is not...
Your band is working, which is good considering all the people who complain otherwise.
What you need to do is find your lifestyle...you're groove, then watch all the weight magically and easily start to fall away.
Or you can get Fluid taken out and eat anything and everything you want, and rely on old diets again.....some people prefer that also.

Hi Susan,
I have to say I still have trouble with chicken sometimes.... (I'm banded 8 1/2 yrs) But I can eat steak pretty easily. Which totally surprised me when I was first banded. It's been suggested because chicken is fibrous?? But I don't know.
Best to check with the Doctor. I did make mine too tight (stupidly when I wanted to lose the weight fast). I couldn't even get Water down at one point and found out it is really dangerous.
What you can and can't eat will change over time. I don't have any fill anymore but I still have a bit of restriction and I'm so happy. I actually forget that I have a band a lot. When I was in the process of losing weight I did have to pay attention to the variances that occurred when I would fly on a plane, exercise, and/or the foods I ate.
Re: Doctor suggestion
I found all of my doctors on this site (bariatric, plastic surgeon, etc). It's a great resource.
Maybe start a new thread and title it something like
"Llooking for new doctor. I just moved to ???, any suggestions on a bariatric or lapband Doctor I can switch to?"
Something like that. If someone does have a suggestion they may not click this thread open if they don't have any ideas on a tight band.
Plus you can look up doctors on here as well.
Best of luck
JosieK

This reminds me of the so called good old days of eating three apple fritters and feeling sad because there were no fritters left.
Now if I choose to eat a fourth of a fritter it takes me twice as long to eat the fourth as it took to eat 3 fritters.
Taking the time to enjoy food is a real blessing

Ummm, I know I'm kind of a softy, but this just made me really mist up. It hit me...a year ago the woman whom I have fallen for, would not have given me the time of day romantically. To be fair, a year ago she would have not attracted me either. She is so physically dynamic that we would not have connected. But three months ago we met, and the attraction keeps growing. Yes she's seen me naked, she sees the lose skin, but she feels the muscle underneath it, she runs and bikes with me so she knows I can keep up with her. But what has been important was we moved beyond the physical to the intellectual and emotional intimacy and this is where we have really connected. But it would not have happened apart from the physical transformation. It is important. It's a game changer. It is a huge NSV.

I get it, and its so strange the complete turnaround involving food ! Before WLS I'd eat the whole plate of food and then some.(And think about dessert, but not ever order any......) This past Sunday at a good Golf Club restaurant ? 3 bites of delicious fish , 3 fries, 3 bites salad. Done. Packing up the meal, my hubby commented to the slightly wondering waitress, "she only eats a little bit at a time , so we'll take the rest home for later. " Totally . different. I'll take it !!

It's really weird how gratifying the feelings are now surrounding events that were so embarrassing.
One of my few treats now are these little almond ice cream bars from "So Delicious". They are very expensive, so recently when they were on sale, (buy one and get one free)......
I made a special trip to the store and got eight boxes and nothing else. I would have never done that before. Just too embarrassing. I usually had my wife get any stuff like that or if I was with her grocery shopping......I would leave her to the cashier and skip out to the car to avoid the eye-rolling and hushed comments of who all the junk food was for.
Now, buying them was almost like a badge of honor.......Kinda like showing everyone....."Yep, go ahead and look.... that's right....eight boxes and yet I am actually skinny...."
Plus, I also had some oranges and apples. LOL,,,, what a turn-a-round.....I came for the junk food and couldn't resist adding in the healthy stuff.

Carolinagirl said it touched her heart for people to be thinking, asking about her.

Boy is it cold here this morning. The wood stove is cranking away and the house smells like the casseroles I made yesterday -- four kinds (one dairy-free, one wheat-free, one dairy and wheat free and one regular), none of which I will eat but all fun to make. I do a version for myself as well, but not this time. For the bander cooks out there: mix potato leek Soup (comes in a carton!), tuna or chicken, minced onion, toaster oven, wow! Nice comfort food for banders and no grains no dairy. Would be great with cheese as well (guilding the lilly, as my grandmother would say). I don't eat rice, bread or Pasta but do have potato when I want it.
Yesterday I went to the surgeon for a small unfill. Lately I've been feeling tight and I think that could have been weather-related, estrogen-related or both. I am a bit annoyed with myself that I let it go a little longer than I should have, but I thought it might sort itself out. Clearly it wasn't going to. The surgeon told me that he's "all about the smidge fill or unfill." Love that!
The bariatric program at our little hospital is shrinking. Eeek! My original surgeon has gone on to a larger city and the PA who basically ran the program has retired (she did all the intake for new patients and then annual check-ins, etc.). The remaining surgeon is now solo. I've seen him before and like him a lot but don't like it that he's the only one available. There's a new guy coming in but he won't be here until next spring and he doesn't do bariatrics. What!? (It's a General Surgery Department). This worries me, needless to say. I have scoped out a good hospital about an hour from here in case I need to go somewhere with a larger practice or in case of emergency, etc. I don't want to transfer unnecessarily but there may be a time with banders in rural locations have to go farther for services.
Hope every one is doing well and enjoying the lead-up to the holidays. We are having our "feast" in a nursing home which pretty much takes temptation of any kind right off the table for me. After that going away for the weekend and will enjoy some yummy dining out.

@@Jim1967 if you hear from her tell her how much we miss her!

Very funny, L.L.! 2XL with a big donut on it.
I've changed so much, too. Being at peace with food is a wonderful thing. And not beating myself up, yippee! Showing up in my life and having fun seem to be related to allowing myself. I didn't allow myself much before because I was always in deprivation mode. Making up for falling off the diet wagon or whatever -- all of that is gone and I am free. And celebrating. Funny, because I was not unhappy before but boy oh boy, this is so different.

Very funny, L.L.! 2XL with a big donut on it.
I've changed so much, too. Being at peace with food is a wonderful thing. And not beating myself up, yippee! Showing up in my life and having fun seem to be related to allowing myself. I didn't allow myself much before because I was always in deprivation mode. Making up for falling off the diet wagon or whatever -- all of that is gone and I am free. And celebrating. Funny, because I was not unhappy before but boy oh boy, this is so different.

@ Jim1967 , I keep in touch with her , she still blogs but it is called Banded Carolinagirl WordPress if you want to look it up , we text each other all the time she has her ups & downs like We all do , she had a rough year this year but she is doing alright.

Lisa...it's kicking in. Started on Tuesday. Not hungry all the time and not grazing like I was. Thank goodness!! Thanks all for letting me know it can take a while.

Just saw this on another thread -- don't know how to get the link so am pasting it in. I've wondered about Joanne and just typed her name this morning on a list of those people who helped me so much in the beginning.
Hi,
I am Joanne Holl's eldest granddaughter. I inherited her computer (and cat) and decided I need to clean the desktop, so I don't get so sad everytime I log on with my Gram's icons on the screen. Anyways, my grandma had a link to this site on her desktop and the first thing I clicked on brought me to her picture along with her post. Especially because I think my grandma was one of the oldest patients to have the Lap-Band surgery and because I just feel my grandma would want me to leave an update to inform you of her passing...
Joanne M. Holl, 84, passed away at her home as a result of metastatic breast cancer on Saturday, March 21, 2015. My grandma was truly an inspiring woman and one of the best grandmothothers a girl could wish for. Thank you for listening and I wish you all success.
Sincerely,
Stephanie

@celestialsciences Stephanie, thank you so much for letting us know. I was just thinking of her today and just this morning typed her name on a list of all the people who helped me so much when I was starting out with my lapband. Sending best wishes and condolences to you and your family.

@@Auriana congratulations on your surgery! Protocols vary from patient to patient. If I were you I'd call the doctor and express your concerns. I had no timed schedule for daily life -- I was on clear for a couple of days then full liquids for a week, mushies for a week then on to soft foods. All the while I was able to drink well and I am still something of a glugger. It's easier for me to swallow thin liquids like Water, tea, etc. (and I can drink a lot) then a shake. That thickness does not work for me, or perhaps it's the coldness of a shake combined with the viscosity. We are all different. Your doctor's staff are there for you -- give a call and be relieved of worry.