HealthyNewMe

This will be my second Thanksgiving living as a BANDED person. My plan is to let the band do its work.....In other words, I will NOT be able to gorge, overeat, or stuff myself, so I will eat a small amount of what I want to eat......turkey, oyster dressing, green Beans, and a baked sweet potato. I'm cooking for 25 people, so some things never change!!!!!!! Happy Thanksgiving to all of my BARIATRICPAL friends.

What I wish I would have known prior to surgery, but did not believe was......that I would have such body dismorphic images as I lost the weight. I did not realize how hard it would be to see myself as a normal weight being. By not being prepared for that, it makes it hard for me to SEE the progress I am truly making. I do get a glimpse into reality about my body when comparing PICTURES, but still struggle seeing it in the mirror. I think I also had unreasonable expectations about what is considered "good/healthy" weight loss on a monthly basis. I thought the weight would drop off more quickly, and that one to two pounds a week (four to eight pounds a month) seemed way too slow....... It really wasn't until after I had the surgery, when going to monthly doctor's appoinments that I came to lower my PERSONAL EXPECTATIONS and find a more REALISTIC EXPECTATION.

I found (for ME) that a habit takes more than a few weeks to develop. For ME, it takes several MONTHS. But, that's okay...... I now consider 17 months of going to the gym six days a week..... a lifestyle change.

Mark Twain, Nelson Mandela, and Dr. Duc Vuong are all very insightful people. How often I have carried resentment around with me......like a weighted chain. It was definitely MY BURDEN and no one else's. I often release resentment by writing a letter to the one I have had negative feelings for. Never mailed, but released from my mind. Thanks for your ABC's of Weight Loss Surgury Success.

My MIND MONKEYS had run amuck for decades. Still deal with them on a regular basis, but have retrained some of them.

Colleen, You are a talented writer. I enjoy each and every one of your articles....... Love that sense of humor you have. I try to live my life not too seriously, so I can relate in many ways to you and your wacky self........ I probably would have been personally praying that somebody had poured the rest of their Starbucks on top of it to SEAL THE DEAL of not getting it out of the trash can. On a personal note, I don't like FUDGE !

Bandista......You are the sweetest!

I put off surgery because of the COST. My insurance did NOT cover it. I was the mom of four, living off of a teacher's salary...... I COULD NOT AFFORD IT. I did get my surgery by participating in a long term (5 year) study being conducted by Pennington Biomedical Research, part of the LSU system. The State of Louisiana Office of Group Benefits, (the health care provider for state employees), hired Pennington to conduct research on the long term benefits from weight loss surrgery vs that from three month liquid Protein shakes with intensive counseling and nutritional support. My name was randomly chosen from a computer generated lottery (over 20,000 applicants, and 300 names were chosen and screened for 100 surgeries). In essence, I WON THE LOTTERY. I already went for my six-month post-op return physical, and I will be going back in August for my one year physical. I am then required to come back on the 2, 3, 4, and 5 year anniversary of my surgery. 75% of the WLS patients had lapband surgery, with 25% receiving either the sleeve or the by-pass surgery. There are hundreds of pages of survey questions that I must answer at each visit, as well as a complete physical each and every time. All of the data will be analyzed. I will keep this site abreast of the findings of this study as they are released.

I have never read and investigated labels on food products as much as I do now. Some grocery shopping trips take me twice as long as they used to. One example of something I've noticed on a product I buy frequently is with Swiss Miss Hot chocolate Mix.... I add a Tsp into my coffee to make a Mocha Coffee. The Swiss Miss "No Sugar Added" is 60 calories a packet with 7 grams of sugar VERSUS the Swiss Miss "Diet," which has 26 calories a packet and 2.1 grams of sugar. Coffee Mate has A Creamy Chocolate sugar free powder that has 15 calories per tsp. I have to say that even though the DIET version of the above products has less calories, the SUGAR FREE versions taste better, in my opinion.

It's funny, but your #4 and my mantra vary significantly.... I hate thinking I'm NEVER going to be able to have that "bite of cake." So, I always say to myself ..... That piece of cake will be there tomorrow. I don't have to eat it now bc if I really want it, I'll have it tomorrow. Nine times out of ten, I don't even remember that the next day!!!! I also use what I call "the apple test." Whenever those crazy "I want..., I have to have" thoughts enter my mind, I will walk into the kitchen, pick up an apple, and say to myself, "If you're REALLY hungry, eat this apple first, then you can have the FORBIDDEN TREAT!" Again, nine times out of ten, I place the apple back in the bowl, turn around, and walk out if the kitchen. Very good article and sooo insightful in how the human brain works in overweight people!

Alex, I have always had an ALL-OR-NOTHING mentality throughout my life..... only where weight loss, dieting, and exercise was concerned. Thus, I had never been able to MAINTAIN a weight loss. As soon as I would lose, and hit my first plateau, I would start to gain. But, my decision to give up daily and weekly weigh-ins has changed me. I don't see the stalls or plateaus as much, so I don't throw in the towel, so to speak. It was very liberating for ME. Plateaus in the past, would put me over the edge, and in the end, always resulted in weight GAIN, because I couldn't handle them. Enjoyed your article. It made me realize again that the road to weight loss and getting fit is NOT a straight path, but a road with twists, turns, and even plateaus along the way!

If it is important to you, you'll find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse !

OMG..... I forgot all about how, in my twenties, I would buy my stockpile of junk food on Friday afternoons (including the big ole bucket of chicken) and not resurface to the world until Monday mornings.... I just broke down and had a good cry..... ...... ...... ......

BANDISTA ..... I just read this and it goes hand in hand what you just posted... Stop eating CRAP : C - Carbonated drinks R - Refined sugars A - Artificial foods P - Processed foods

You are a very gifted writer. I love the metaphor and I admire the FACT that you are better and stronger than an abandoned M&M. I'm saving your article to MY FAVORITES..... Which means, IT WILL BE READ AGAIN!

Like most married (or single) women (or men) with children, my husband and I spent the first 25 years of our marriage focused on our four children...... Their health, their education, their schedules. We, like most, put ourselves on the back burner. In August of 2013, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and we celebrated my WLS. We have decided to spend the next 25 years focused on ourselves. What does that include???? TRAVEL, TRAVEL, and more TRAVEL. New clothes to go on all of those trips. Spontaneous nights out to the theatre, to dinner, to local festivals. We want to put in a swimming pool. We have plans----- concrete, doable, fun, and relaxing plans. PS.... My youngest son, who is 14, says he's getting "ripped off" from all of the time we put the kids FIRST!!!!! If we want to go out and he asks, "What's for dinner?" .... My husband and I both laugh and say---- "make a sandwich, kid!" Our new mantra that we repeat often..... "THE FIRST 25 WERE ALL ABOUT Y'ALL..... THE NEXT 25 ARE ALL ABOUT US!"

I always have to remember my coffee addiction calories of cream, creamer, etc. I start off my morning with 70+ calories w/out biting the first morsel of good ! But, I'm not giving up the coffee !!!!!!

I do find some adjustments have an easy fix.... For example, when I cook a meal that I serve over rice, I cook white rice and brown rice. Same as with pasta, I cook regular pasta and whole wheat pasta. When I bake potatoes, I bake a few sweet potatoes for me and my husband, and baking potatoes for everyone else. As far as "junk" food, I never bought a lot of it before, so I still don't buy it on a regular basis now. For occasions where I serve chips and dip or guacamole, I now serve Beanitos (ground bean chips) and whole wheat crackers along with the regular chips for my guest. If the kids ever want ice cream, we take them out to get a scoup... That way we don't have a half gallon container in the freezer. We gave up carbonated drinks a year ago. The kids now drink tea or lemonade. While on the road and in need of fast food, we only stop at Wendy's, where I can get a great salad or a cup of chili. The kids can get their burger/French fry fix there at the same time. I thank God I don't have a sabottaging spouse or demanding type kids. My husband joined the gym eight months ago with me, eats whatever I prepare for myself, and benefitted from the changes because he took off 40 pounds this year as a bonus !!!!!

Not only is it okay to "change your goals or resolutions," you don't have to wait until..... Next year, On Monday, Tomorrow morning, When I finish this project...... Change the goals and focus on them NOW..... Even if its a Tuesday afternoon at 4:51 !!!!!!!

You will never know how much I appreciated reading and learning from your last three posts..... Thank you, Jean.

I never weighed and/or measured my food portions....never..... Why? I honestly thought I KNEW what 4oz looked like or what 1/2 cup looked like......, After reading this post, I now realize just how delusional I've been.

So beautifully written. You're right..... a whole new house!