JustWatchMe

Truth

Oh it's easier by far! I just have to do my part. No comparison though. I am definitely not as hungry and definitely not hungry between meals. By the way, it's been a week since I recommitted and cleaned up my food plan and I lost four pounds. The key this week was to track and weigh and measure my foods. I finally bought a food scale. Big difference in keeping it real.

Hi friends. You're all going through so much. I feel like I want to give each of you a big old hug. I've been absent from this site but I'm doing very well. Got back on a strong clean food plan and the weight is slowly coming off again. I hope you all have a peaceful week and take good care of yourselves. Oh, here's a picture of the maxidress my daughter asked me to wear when I met her boyfriend. He's a doll, by the way.

Hang in there, Lisa. You can get back on track. It's not easy, but never ever give up.

Congrats! It's a great feeling!!

I got back on track this week and am feeling optimistic and fired up. Working with someone else for my food plan is keeping me accountable. I'm going to reach my goal yet!!

A butt load. Stick to the plan and you'll lose. Don't compare yourself to others. Good for you and welcome to your new life!

Apple here. Still have most of my weight in the middle but everything's smaller. Not at goal. Hope to get panni surgery after reaching goal.

I can't say it feels full. What happens is I get a soft stop. That means I get a signal, even if mild, that I've had enough. This can be the feeling that food isn't going down as fast as the previous bite. Or a yawn. Or a hiccup. Or just not ravenous with this bite. Or the feeling that one more bite might feel too much and two more would definitely be too much. Here's the key. I have to listen to the soft stop. I can easily blow right through it and overeat. The band, even if optimally filled, does not stop me from overeating. Second key. I don't get that signal when I'm eating soft or mushy foods or creamy or crunchy. I never get it eating a salad. It only happens when swallowing dense p rotein. What all that means is that I can just eat and eat and eat unless I'm paying attention and willing to stop at the soft stop signal. Final key. It also doesn't work unless I s l o w d o w n. I believe I am at green even though I haven't lost weight recently. Why am I at green? I get stuck often enough that I know going tighter would be counterproductive. Why have I not lost weight? Easy. I'm eating all the wrong foods. This week I recommitted and am working with someone else on my food plan. And I'm listening to my soft stops and actually stopping. Green is a wonderful place to be, but it's still a lot of work.

Please get it checked by your surgeon. This isn't normal and if ignored, might develop into something serious. Best wishes.

I'm a bander and I can take Tylenol capsules. No NSAIDs for life.

You look gorgeous. Keep your eyes on the prize!

Beautiful!

Congrats Julie! You're truly an inspiration to me!

Welcome and good luck! Post often!

Came back to this post today with an update. I switched to decaf only about two months ago and cut way down on even the decaf since then. I drink more tea and Water now. I sleep better and am not as jittery. My reasons for giving it up had to do with anxiety. I was also tired of having coffee breath all the time which led me to chewing gum all day long. I'm feeling much calmer without caffeine and glad I made the switch. Less coffee breath, less gum chewing. Me again! Hard to believe it's been almost a year since I got off caffeine. I'm still drinking decaf, but not so much at work. Mostly after work. I'm still sleeping better and I'm very glad to be off the caffeine. Less anxiety overall.

Congrats!! This is an exciting time and you have so much to look forward to. Good luck and keep posting!! And hey, you're on liquids. Drink what you like. (Except alcohol!)

This is NOT my house but I drove by and loved it, so I took a pic.

Yes sounds like post op gas pain. If I remember correctly mine lasted around a week or so. Walk a lot, and have someone karate chop your neck and shoulders a few times a day. Good luck.

Yep. Until you are adjusted, which could take a few fills, you're going to be hungry. Tips: make that cup of food count. P rotein p rotein p rotein. You don't need carbs now. Have a veggie once in awhile, but p rotein will hold you longer. Hang in there and get your fills. It will work, but it takes time and patience to get to green. Good luck!

I feel that once in awhile. It is puzzling to me as well. Why sometimes do I just feel a normal grumbly hunger, and why other times the burning, strong hunger? I don't know, but Debbie gave great advice. First, hydrate. Then if you have some p rotein available, eat it. Better yet, have a meal if you can. If you can't, the small p rotein snack should tide you over until you can sit down to your meal. I keep pecans or almonds or p rotein bars or shakes in my desk at work. Are you going too long between meals? When I go longer than 3-1/2 or 4 hours, I get too hungry.

Never give up on yourself! Get your team to help you make a plan and see them regularly. Best wishes.

Never heard of that before. If you ask your doc and learn why, let us know.

Morbid obesity taught me that there's no free lunch. Some of the damage it did to my life/body is permanent. Examples are knee joint damage, a metabolism that now requires an insanely low caloric intake in order to lose weight, high blood pressure (still not back to normal even after dropping 100 pounds), losing out on career opportunities while I was young, losing decades of my life with the wrong partner because I had no confidence to make a change. What I don't want to forget: how it felt to not fit in a rollercoaster test seat. How it felt to sit in a movie theater with my husband and an empty seat between us for breathing room. How it felt to squeeze into an airplane seat with a seatbelt extender and feel the looks of the passengers assigned to sit next to me. How it felt to binge eat until I got sleepy each night. Not having clothes that fit one season to the next. Avoiding social engagements. Hiding from cameras. Praying nobody would tag me in Facebook pictures. Not being able to ride a bike for even half a block. Not being able to walk the two blocks to church without feeling like I was having a heart attack. Being the mom on the college walking tour whose makeup was dripping down her face while struggling to keep pace with the group, yet being a block behind. Changes just because of weight loss: I can breathe when I walk. I've dropped several daily medications. I can walk a 5k easily. I only get cortisone shots in one knee now, not two. I enjoy trying on clothes. Instead of my makeup sliding off my face from exertion, I'm often cold, and frequently put a sweater on, even in summer. I welcome random people sitting next to me in movie theaters now. My clothes still fit from LAST YEAR. My dog gets walks. I left the jerk.

I'm picking up my daughters from college for Christmas break next week. I'll meet my youngest's boyfriend for the first time. I told her I'd take us all to lunch. She suggested I wear my new black maxi dress because I look "cute" in it. I had such a wave of emotions after I hung up the phone. I'm so happy to share her joy, and thankful she wants me to meet her boyfriend. It's the first serious fella since her senior year in high school. It also made me think of all the years I was the frumpy mom on the sidelines, hiding from the world, avoiding social events. It had an effect on my kids. I didn't realize how much until my life changed 180 degrees and I became a part of the world. She told me she's proud of me. We've been through a stressful year and a half after moving out of our house when I filed for divorce due to emotional abuse. Through it all, my girls are amazing and strong. My LapBand surgery and 100-pound weight loss not only helped me reclaim my life, but improved theirs as well. They now have a mom who can hold her head up high, can walk into any room and feel equal to the people there, and will never settle for less than respectful treatment again. I'm the good example I've always wanted to be. And their mom is "cute" to boot.