Bandista

Well, I am supposed to run a marathon 2.5 days from now and I am completely freaking out. I feel like an inmate on death row awaiting my execution. Today I had to start my carbo-loading, which is a challenge for sure. I'm supposed to aim for 600 grams of carbs a day for the next three days, with 85-95% of my calories coming from carbs! Talk about the antitheses of what my sleeved diet has been like!
I was in an almost full on panic attack about knowing I can't hit my goal of 100 grams of Protein a day for the next few days if I want to have room for all those carbs. It's almost 4:00 in the afternoon and I'm only at 207.5 grams of carbs for the day. Only 1/3 of the way to my goal. Crazy!
And this morning I had a muffin and there was so much sugar in it, I actually got dizzy and felt a little sick. To think, for years of my life I would have loved the opportunity to binge on sugar and carbs all day every day for three days straight!

Really rocking this Whole30 Program -- very focused on Protein and veg, which is of course the winning ticket. I've lost 9 pounds in 14 days and feel like I'm back in touch with my body the way I was in that first year banded.
Weather is absolutely gorgeous here. Julie, I so get that about the tourists! We have summer people here and we're always glad to see them gone.
Exercise has been good with lots of lakeside walking and now I am working to clean the basement in anticipation of the winter months when it's too cold and snowy to do that anymore. We have a Bowflex, treadmill and bike but it's a basement -- at least it will be clean down there. Working on better lighting next, and then I can take my laptop down there and get my workouts in no matter what. Winter requires strategy for me.
Hope you are all doing well and enjoying a beautiful autumn!

Really rocking this Whole30 Program -- very focused on Protein and veg, which is of course the winning ticket. I've lost 9 pounds in 14 days and feel like I'm back in touch with my body the way I was in that first year banded.
Weather is absolutely gorgeous here. Julie, I so get that about the tourists! We have summer people here and we're always glad to see them gone.
Exercise has been good with lots of lakeside walking and now I am working to clean the basement in anticipation of the winter months when it's too cold and snowy to do that anymore. We have a Bowflex, treadmill and bike but it's a basement -- at least it will be clean down there. Working on better lighting next, and then I can take my laptop down there and get my workouts in no matter what. Winter requires strategy for me.
Hope you are all doing well and enjoying a beautiful autumn!

I like it! And I also miss Lapband talk from years ago. Many of us are not seeing the same people.

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch Yes.... this is correct

So i was looking back at some of my favorite post over the past 7 years (when it was just lapband and we use to have fun) and came across this one from my good friend Knaroz.... Although funny.... very informative....
Posted January 24, 2012 - 1:00 AM

#1I found this years ago, and while it sounds crazy, I always listen to what it says lol.

1. Thou shalt consume thy Protein first, followed by thy veggies and fruits. If thou, then hast any room left thou shalt comsume thy carbs lastly!

2. Thou shalt take the tiniest of bites, placing thy fork and thy spoon upon thine table, that thou shalt have more time between bites to savor that which thou hast eaten, and allow thy stomach adequate time to inform thy brain of thine fullness.

3. Thou shalt chew and chew and when thou has done so, thou shalt chew some more, lest thy band rise up and smite thee,causing in thy chest great pain, and spewing forth.

4. Thou shalt drink of thy Water, copiously, consuming all that has been recommended to thee, that thou mayest be spared the pangs of hunger and dehydration, and thou shalt thus, also keep thy kidneys well flushed, that thou shalt not develop stones to aggrieve thee.

5. Thou shalt exercise in a manner that thou mayest choose, of thine own accord, providing that thou art faithful to thine execise regimen,that thou shalt not falter on thy journey to thine smaller self.

6. Thou shalt honor thy band and maintain it well, that it shalt be a steadfast friend to thee throughout thine entire life. Thou wilt,from time to time, as thou hast been told, obtain for it the fills that it needest that it may then help thee in thy hours of need, keeping it always in perfect adjustment for thine benefit.

7. Thou shalt not worry and gnash thy teeth, becoming aggrieved at those times when thy losses seemingly stop and thy weight remaineth constant, remembering then that thou tookest long to acquire thine pounds, and that thy pounds must then take time for loss.

8. Thou shalt maintain a log or dairy of thine measurements, that thou mayest truly perceive the effect of they band when thine scale doth pause in it's downward progress.

9. Thou shalt join into and participate within thy local support community, for without the input, experience and love of they fellow bandsters, thou shalt have a much more difficult time in thy journey, and when thou art well upon thy road, thou shalt then likewise assist those who followest in thine footsteps that they too might be successful in their own diminishment.

10. Thou shalt beware of thine " soft calories syndrome", keeping always in thy mind that thou canst thus sabotage thine efforts and thine investment and lead thee then therefore into depression and guilt. As once stated "Just because thou canst, it meaneth not that thou shouldith".

@@futureskinnybtch congratulations! So happy for you. I love my band. My advice is to follow instructions to the 'T' and keep all your appointments -- in the first year the regular visits and eventual fills are where it is at so you can achieve the Green Zone. The links below in my signature are ones that really helped me understand how the band works and how to work the band. Best wishes with all! You are on your way.

If you're losing more weight than you want, maybe add in something healthy like nuts or, if you eat dairy, full-fat yogurt, etc.
Congratulations on your daughter's wedding! Enjoy your gorgeous dress and the occasion....and knowing that you look fantastic.

@@AmyR i haven't been for a fill in 2 years.... im great where im at... still losing, but im ok with that.... down to 133lbs.
Keep doing what your doing. Good luck and post pictures...

Congratulations on losing enough weight that you've reached a stage of confusion. Congratulations, too, on having answered your own question. You want to maintain now, but don't know what changes to make. Answer: "...call them if needed." An appointment with the RD can help and the RD probably has handouts for the purpose. Take a week or two's food trackers to your appointment so that the RD can see where you are and use it as a foundation for the "Now what?" part. Going in would work for me when I need a confidence boost.

Just call them as needed and keep doing what you've been doing! Congratulations!
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I am doing great! I am in the green zone. Have pretty much reached my initial goal. I don't want anymore fills and I actually don't want to loose any more weight until after my daughter's wedding. My dress fits perfectly and I'd like to avoid paying for more alterations.
So my question is Now What? How do I maintain? As long as I'm doing well, don't need any fills and am not having any problems, do I need to go back to my doctor's office. Do I just go about my life and call them if needed? I never really believed I would get to this stage.

It's only been 2 months post-op and I didn't think there were any noticeable differences besides my scale numbers and some extra upper arm jiggliness, until I was looking at photos! Please share your lap band before and after pics, I find them very inspirational and motivating.
 

I have been searching for a lap band before and after thread!! Can't wait to look at everyone's success! I'll add mine in a few months once I have had the op etc ... Cannot wait!!!!
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Was banded 2 1/2 years ago. Lost 92 lbs in 6 months. Had to put back 15 lb as Dr. said I was
oo thin. You usually go on a liquid diet before surgery to shrink the liver as it has to be held out of the way during surgery. The smaller the liver the better. I have had no problems with the band. The band is not a magic solution as you can defeat it or any other bariatric option. You have to make a life time commitment to follow what you eat. There is no occasional beer or piece of cake. You have to keep track of what you eat at each meal. Till today I weigh everything before I cook it. I recommend My Fitness Pal app. to keep track. I wish you well.

Hi there Band Friends,
Just catching up here and sending very best wishes to all. I struggle between not knowing whether being on the forum makes me feel more or less connected. That's just me, I think -- first time as part of an on-line group and probably not really a group person to begin with, but here I am wondering how people are doing and wishing for more of a community. I get invested but never quite know if that really flows in both directions.
My weight is up a bit as well. I wanted to lose 15 over the winter/spring and ended up gaining 12 instead -- so that's 25+ altogether. The last chunk (if it is the last -- who knows where I "should" be but I figure I will know when I get there) feels like unfinished business, a project that needs to be completed. On that note I started the Whole30 program on September 1st. I really did this to support a cousin and her sister who are trying to eliminate sugar and then my husband and two friends jumped on the bandwagon. It's not really a diet (which is good because I am NOT going back there) but an elimination plan. The idea is to restrict foods to determine triggers for various issues. No grains of any kind for 30 days, no dairy, legumes or sugars of any kind. Let's just say the wine and cheese party is over. I am also forgoing my arthritis medication in the name of cleaning out my liver from all those toxins -- hoping to find a food trigger for inflammation (which may be corn), but also dropping some pounds and getting on a new bandwagon for myself for the fall. The Whole30 is all about Protein, Protein, Protein so it is a good fit for what I need to be doing anyway. Of course I don't want to put anything on the regular forum because I don't believe "dieting" is a good mentality for most, at least not for me. But I'm not doing the on/off thing, just a real focus on exactly what I'm eating and when and then only choosing from protein and veggies. It's a great exercise for me to re-tune into my body and its nutritional needs.
Speaking of exercise, that part of my life has been excellent these last months of beautiful weather and walks around a local lake that I love. We've had a lot of family stuff going on with elders passing and people coming together. My own parents are still living but the elder care is a lot just now. I am privileged to be able to do it but it can be exhausting. On the other end of the spectrum our son is back to college the last couple of weeks and settling back into his routine. He is also a major protein guy and in need of extra right now, so there's a lot of great food available. Fortunately I love to cook, especially in volume, so no one is suffering in the Whole30 camp, that's for sure.
I would like to do a five-day "pouch test" (still can't really understand this term -- probably "pouch rest" is more like it) just as maintenance for my band and am thinking about the best way to go about that. Rather than juicing as I've done in the past, I think I will go with Protein shakes as I feel like I need to be a little careful of over-sugaring, which can happen easily on a juice fast. fruit is great but sugar is sugar.
I've had some professional setbacks and accompanying financial panic, but as long as I stay in the day-to-day then all is well. The whole "one door closes and another opens" is something I think about a lot these days -- the need for allowing space for the next thing to arrive. A serious ongoing sexual harassment dilemma resulted in my having to find a therapist to deal with the ramifications of that and how best to deal with necessary confrontation. That took a lot out of me but ultimately was important for my self-esteem. Knowing there were other women going through the same thing with the same guy helped me find my voice for that. I'm a consultant so it was a complicated scenario (no real workplace and no HR) but I feel proud of resolving the issue.
Here's to September and a beautiful autumn ahead! I love this time of year. Sending best wishes to all.

I like to use the 6 oz. glass mason jars with plastic lids!!!

Pyrex makes some great glass containers in rectangular shapes that fit really well in the fridge. We have lots of the small ones -- a great size for prepping veggies for cooking and for storing leftovers or just for eating right out of the container. The larger loaf-shaped ones are also great -- hold a lot and stack well. I prefer glass because of plastic out-gassing, etc. For freezing we use mason jars.

I got down to 175 briefly and wanted to lose another 10-20 (still not sure what will be ideal weight for me). Instead I promptly gained 12 or so pounds, which meant I needed to lose 25. That felt like "same old, same old" and I definitely wanted to nip that in the bud. I love my collar bones and hips -- and my size ten jeans, etc.! Friends (non-WLS) and spouse went on Whole30 program which is basically Protein and veggies, a little whole fruit, some nuts, etc. but easy on all that -- basically meat, fish, chicken and veg. It's how I need to be eating anyway and I have been able to get back on track for myself that way. Feels good. With a band it's really important to chew, chew, chew and to avoid slider foods. Of course it's easy to come to rely on those yummy things like yogurts, fancy cheeses, etc. Oh, and alcohol apparently does me no favors as far as the scale is concerned. Avoiding the constant wine & cheese party mode is very helpful. I am back in the jeans I had before and hopefully on my way to the next pair that are waiting.

Finally. Finally. Finally. I've been teetering. For a week. Hovering. (Squints eyes) almost, almost... There.
Got it.
170's
Yes.
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well since nov... i have lost another 10lbs... down to 135. I also lost my job of 6 years and filed for divorce.... Hey, if your going to do it.... DO IT BIG....
i'm now a size 4-6... still hard to believe that i've come this far. Especially in the LB world where most everyone seems to be gaining and/or have band removed and getting sleeved.
Divorce is coming along and i have gone on a few dates..... all positive. Very up front about my band as i don't want them to think im being rude by not eating a lot. They have been very understanding and "good-for-u" about it. most are great with appetizers and drinks... I'm a cheep date... LOL
Got a new job that i stated yesterday... so far so good.....
ok..... now y'all's turn with updates....

Glad to see some of us old banders are still around....still working the lifestyle ...
9 1/2 years here and continuing ... Still staying under inflated a bit....same size for years. Hurrah.
Happy to be a size 10 mostly. 12 if cut smaller
Continuing working out faithfully 2x a week. (HARD WORKOUTS! It works better if I have a trainer pushing me. I'm too easy on myself)
Hope some others surface here and give us an update. Good and bad. There is always hope!
I miss the lap bander community input.
This has not been a linear journey... Some ups. Some downs. But I refuse to go back.
My appetite comes back if I don't use a shake or Protein Bar to minimize input... Always a balancing act...

Thank you so much, Bandista! I went to get a fill today and turns out with my now insurance my doctor is out of network... Long story short I'm getting an upper GI first thing in the morning and then my fills within the next week! After two years I still had 3 cc and my NUT was very impressed that I still weighed less than my last fill in 2014. I will keep you posted if you like!
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Thank you, GoWalking! Any advise is appreciated!
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Good to hear from Lisa and Bandista.
I've noticed that my arthritis is generally better this year since I made some major f ood changes. I do get occasional (bad) flares, but they come and go pretty rapidly and are, I believe, correlating with stress. Anyway, when I'm not in a flare, I have a much better overall pain level than I did a year ago. What changed? I gave up fried f ood 9 months ago, all alcohol a year ago, and most refined carbs 9 months ago. I'm down over 20 pounds since last September. I'm not at goal but I'm slowly losing.
I really wish I could get motivated to exercise. I really hate getting sweaty. There, I've said it.
JustWatchMe

Hi there,
I'm so excited for you to have insurance and to be able to get the fills you may need to get you there -- it's going to be night and day. And you did a great job basically on your own. Critical to have those doctor's visits and periodic check-ins to assess for whether you need a fill. You're going to love having a partner in this process.
Foods that work for me are ones that I can thoroughly chew. I think it's important to figure out what your sliders are (things that just go right through). Check out the links in my signature below about how the band works -- satiety is all about the chewing! So chew, chew, chew (which you'll really need to do as you have restriction in your band) and learn to listen for the signals that you are full.
Chili for me is a great food and I make it regularly (family and company love it, too). Any ground meat for me needs to be cooked down (I cook it in stock for a long time to get the right texture). For steak I have to have something in the tenderloin realm. I prefer chicken thighs for the falling-apart quality. I love eggs and thought I might have scrambled eggs all the time but it turns out what works best for me is a fried egg, go figure! Makes no sense to me. Basically, we have to experiment to find what our bodies like best.
Good luck with all -- you are off to a great start!