JustWatchMe

Great message. We are all different. Besides our different physical makeup, we exercise and eat differently. The key is staying in contact with your bariatric team and always moving forward.

How much have you lost? - a lot. No really, how much have you lost ? - a real lot. How much more do you want to lose? - you don't really think I'm going to give you a number, do you? *smile*

I have a strong urge to reach out to a person at work who is morbidly obese but I never will. If she asks me about my weight loss I will tell her about my band. Other obese people in electric carts in stores draw my attention like never before. My feelings are a mixture of pity and sadness and sometimes irritation. However I am really angry at one obese person in my life and that is my mom. I struggle daily to bite my tongue. She is active in her food addiction and can barely walk. She has narrowed her life to tiny proportions, rarely goes out, and will not have knee surgery that is long overdue. Her day is scheduled around her one big meal around 1pm. Her feet have started to turn blue sometimes which her doctor recently told her was from poor circulation. I asked what the treatment was and she started to admit the doctor wanted her to "exe......move more". I told her I knew of people who had toes and feet amputated and she said "I'm almost 75. This happens." She then shut down the conversation. My mother eats, lays in bed from 5pm until 9am, watches TV and is waiting to die. At 74. She openly criticizes my food choices and says that I keep too much food in the fridge that goes bad before it's eaten. I have to remind myself daily that these are her issues and not mine. But I know my anger at her is a reflection of how I was raised in an overeating home, and how I took on those binging behaviors myself for so many years. I'm angry. You bet your ass I'm angry. I'm so angry that her remaining years are being wasted. I'm looking at a future of care taking an obese person I cannot lift. One who already spends most of her time lying in bed. I am twenty years younger than her. She's been this way all my life. It has gotten worse with age. I see myself in her and it infuriates me. Yes I'm angry. I want to help her and it will never happen.

Just had a mini stuck episode on a road trip with a friend. Excused myself abruptly to PB and then returned to the table. I've learned to tell a white lie to avoid embarrassment. "I was afraid I ate too fast and got a little queasy, but the feeling passed and now I'm ok." She knows I'm banded but if I admit spitting up food, people get way too wigged out and concerned. This way I just take it easy for the rest of the meal, and they are happy I "avoided an upset stomach". They also don't keep pushing food on me. Get my takeout container and all is well.

Congratulations !

Living well is the best revenge.

Got 2/12 miles in at lunchtime and I'm on track for all my stairs today. Just need to get through dinner and it will be a solidly good day.

I haven't walked my three miles at all this week. Yesterday my lunch hour was spent with the lawyer. Today I hope to get outside. My food has been off the last two days as well. Hmm. Need to get back on track pronto. I did get most of my stairs in Wednesday but not all. I don't want to get discouraged. Today I will start with yogurt and have cheese and Buddig beef for lunch. dinner will be a kale salad and Italian roast beef. Planning a weekend out of town to visit my daughter at college for a sorority parent weekend. That starts Friday morning. I'll post tonight. Have a good day, everyone!

Wow! Sounds wonderful! The pictures are great. You look happy and healthy and beautiful ! Now I want a vacation !

Karma. 'Nuff said.

Six fills here. Good luck! How exciting. You sound like you've got a good mindset. I agree. Be patient. It's a process and we will get to goal. It takes awhile but it's worth it!

I'll post more later. You're not alone! Busy day today and yesterday. Off to an OA meeting now.

Beautiful !!!

Congratulations !!! Walk. Walk. Walk. And for shoulder pain ask him to karate chop your neck and shoulders a few times a day.

I'm thorough. I'm careful. Want it done right, come to me. (That's why it took me this long to come up with something.)

I told my NP and my surgeon's support group. Congratulations !!!!

Great topic. I'm actively working on my "insides" on several fronts. What has/is changing: I say "yes" more. It's a conscious, often difficult choice, but I say yes when the old me would say no. I just signed up to walk a 5k because someone here challenged me and I said yes. When I am asked to social things I say yes unless I truly have a scheduling conflict. This is new behavior. I eat alone in restaurants easily without shame. I eat inside Subway/etc. instead of a drive thru. I'm not embarrassed at the movies if someone sits next to me. They have arm room now. I may even smile and say hello. I'm brave. I'm going through a scary and contested divorce and with help from several sources, I am brave. I've started looking at houses. Scares me to death but I'm brave. I walk for pleasure. On a nice day I get two miles in on my lunch hour. I adorn myself. I do my nails, wear a little lipstick, earrings, jewelry. I get down on the floor to play with the dog. I walk 528 stairs at work every day because I can. Yep. 24 flights. I'm a work in progress and I hope I always remain teachable. I will never ever ever give up on myself.

Arrgh! I didn't get my stairs OR my three miles in yesterday. Outdoors was slushy and indoors I was busy busy busy. Today I'll definitely get my stairs in. Yesterday my food was great. No junk and no grazing and no snacking. Went to bed slightly hungry. Come on, weight loss !

Good challenge. It will be tough today for me since we've got snow and I won't be walking at lunch. But I'll try to get the three miles in somehow after work. Had a good weekend but I'm bummed out because I expected a loss and had a gain. I did drink with my meal yesterday when company came (dumb) and I had dessert. So I'm not shocked, just disappointed. I really thought the week of walking would override that but it didn't. It also didn't override the snacking on nuts I did nearly every day last week. Today I'm not going to snack and I will focus on low calorie choices and zero crap. I started with yogurt and have boiled eggs planned for lunch. I sent most of the leftovers home with the company yesterday so I won't be tempted by Pasta and sweets. dinner will be beef and salad. Stressful week ahead with divorce crap. Not gonna eat over it. Nope. Not gonna do it.

Liz, thanks for not drifting. I need you here! As someone who has never achieved goal weight in my life despite hundreds of diet attempts, I relate to the motivation issue. I have fizzled out before the maintenance stage each time. I want to always remember that I am worth the hard work and commitment it takes to keep myself healthy and slim. I will never ever give up on myself. Thanks for the great post and thanks for being here.

. Congratulations on your success! Very inspiring!!!!!

I have to say that coming up with this week's challenge was a big motivator for me. So thank you to bacon for that (really). Saturday I went to three open houses (two curbside, one inside) and then went out for dinner with a friend. It still amazes me that I can eat less than half of a restaurant meal, completely not touch the side of Pasta, and bring home more food as leftovers than I ate in the restaurant. Thank you, LapBand! Having company tomorrow and I'm cooking. I will focus on portion control and no grazing. It's that time of the week to pass the challenge torch. Next week's challenge goes from Monday to Sunday and I choose the creator of the challenge to be .......... Drumroll .............. @@punkinvine !

Welcome to your new life!! Walk walk walk and karate chops from a friend on your neck and shoulders help the gas pain a lot!

WLS changes everything.

Glad to hear from you @@enjoythetime!