JustWatchMe

Amazing!!! Congratulations!!

Congratulations ! It's so inspiring to see people reclaim their lives.

We got this, people.

For good or for bad, this week I am trying something different. I will eat mindfully and focus on how my stomach feels and listen to my band. I am choosing not to log my food for this week. This is new because I've logged since pre op. I'm not going wild. If anything I'm trying to connect eating and satiety to hunger better this week. I'm committing to 24 flights of stairs and mindful eating. I plan to weigh in after the week is over.

This is a great thread. I was always self conscious about my body, whether it was fat or (briefly) thin. It's part of my recovery to work on that issue as well as losing the weight.

Journal your reasons for getting the surgery. Then make a wish list or, as I called mine, "I will..." of all the things you'll do when the weight comes off. Look at my stats. If you could see your future self 11 months out I promise you, pure joy would replace fear! Congrats and keep posting!!

I'm a bander. The possibility of ulcers and band erosion eliminates NSAIDS for life. Also, when you take NSAIDS over a period of years like I did, you are putting your kidneys at risk. I'm glad to be off them and that my weight loss has helped my arthritis pain so that I don't need them. I still have arthritis but the occasional pain from overdoing it (like a Zumba class this week ow ow ow) is managed with the occasional Tylenol or Tramadol if really bad.

When you can fit in the back seat of a small car with two other women on a lunch outing at work. Woo hoo !!

Great question!!! Head hunger will be there my whole life so I'm learning to recognize it and handle it. First recognize it. If my hunger would be satisfied with an apple or an ounce of cheese then it's real hunger. Give it food and move on. If not: Identify the feeling because there IS a feeling under it. Anxiety Worry Anger Joy Relief Sadness Loneliness Shame Betrayal Physically get up and change locations. At work this means walking the stairwell up and down a few times. Breathe deeply and break a sweat if that's practical. Change my physical status quo. shake it up. Don't eat. Don't eat. Do. Not. Eat. Do my nails. This occupies my feeding tools for up to an hour. Do my hair. I belong to 12-step groups, so getting my @$$ to a meeting works very well for me. When fantasizing over the perfect meal, go for the dull and healthy one. Tell myself I can have the perfect one next time (delay tactic). Get on BariatricPal and post about it. Ask for support and it will come. Pray. Walk. Get outside and walk. At work get outside and walk around the block or walk the stairs. Get on the floor for some canine cuddles. Take a bubble bath. Get a foot massage. Don't eat.

OP here. I feel like decades were lost. I was morbidly obese in my twenties, overweight but a size ten for twenty minutes at age 29, obese in my thirties and morbidly obese in my forties and into my fifties. I was the fat mom. I couldn't ride the rollercoasters with my preteens or walk the college campus tours with them as prospective freshmen. Physical intimacy in my marriage suffered for many years. My self esteem plummeted and I adapted to an unhealthy relationship with my husband because I didn't value myself. I stopped socializing, exercising, speaking up for myself, taking chances. I didn't go for promotions at work or change jobs because I didn't have confidence. My health got worse over the years. I had sleep apnea, disc problems in my back, arthritis in my knees and other joints, uncontrollable high blood pressure, high cholesterol, GERD, migraines, hemorrhoids, bronchitis every time the weather got cold, and took a dozen pills a day. If I had it to do over, I would have sought out and had surgery (maybe bypass because LapBand wasn't well known) at age 40 instead of 53. Losing and keeping the weight off back then could have changed so much for me. Now if my daughters were obese (they are not) what would I say? That is much harder to answer. I feel like WLS is very extreme and not for those who have their head in the clouds. It depends on their outlook and circumstances. If my child was depressed and limiting her life, if she tried and failed to keep off significant excess weight more than once, I think I would want her to have WLS at a younger age than I did. How young? That's a tough one. Probably not before thirty, but I really can't say for sure. Earlier if her health was at significant risk. I posted this because I often read (and have said) "my only regret is not doing this years ago". Very true for me. But then I saw a post yesterday about children and our feelings about them having WLS at a young age. Please keep posting. I'm interested in everyone's perspective.

Best. Post. Of. The. Day.

Welcome to your new life!! Post often. We help each other here!!

Banders, I hope this doesn't sound braggy. I just want to share some pure joy today. I got a raise at work. My reviews are always good, but the company was on a wage freeze the first four years I worked there. We got a little raise last year and a slightly better one this year. I'm on my own now, so this was a real joy for me today. And I filled out the FAFSA forms for my daughters last night, and since it's now based on my income alone, they may actually get more money as financial aid. After the month I just had, this is very welcome financial news.

Breathe. You got this. Walk, follow your food plan, stay off the scale. Until you're properly adjusted which takes several months, it's a diet. But it's not as hard as pre op. One hundred pounds ago I was in your shoes. My life is a thousand times better today. Congratulations !!

And would you give the same answer about your own child? (In Linda Richman's voice:) "Discuss amongst yourselves."

Freezing but ok here in Chicago.

I can't keep my feet and hands warm and I'm still fifty pounds overweight. I was never cold like this before weight loss.

I had a cup of chili at 11am and then chicken strips for dinner. 1700 calories and 8 flights of stairs. Knees better but not back up to speed yet. Not bad.

Hopefully you've educated that future doctor. Get em while they're fresh!

Congratulations on your surgery. This is a difficult time where you really have to follow good eating habits while your band is adjusted. It takes up to several fills to get there. I just had my sixth fill two days ago. The good habits must continue, but it gets much easier as your band gets properly adjusted. I agree that too tight is a danger, so it's been small fills for me. Good luck!!

Battling head hunger with a little stomach hunger right now at work. Aaagghh. I'm on liquids until dinner tonight due to a fill Tuesday. I had soup for breakfast and will have a protein shake for lunch but it's too early. I suppose I could have an extra protein shake now. 100 calories. I'm drinking water and tea. I'll try to hold off until 11am. 10:30 is too early for lunch. Grr.

beautiful!!!

Yesterday was 1200 calories and 6 flights of stairs. Still on liquids today so aiming for 1200 calories and as many stairs as my knees allow.

Very watchable and like the other poster said, it left me wanting more information. Looking forward to more videos. Great job!

Lisa, you're amazing. It's so hard when it's your kids. Day by day with the help of my CoDa group, I'm learning how to let go of controlling everyone around me. It never worked anyway. Why is it so hard and scary? Because we love them. We want to spare them pain. Well we can't. All we can really do is love them and be there for them emotionally. They need to do for themselves. And sometimes fall down. Ah, listen to me, talking like I've figured it out. Ha. I wish.