JustWatchMe

All good responses. For me I agree. If an apple would do the trick I know it's stomach hunger and I give it something healthy. If I'm craving a favorite meal and it's not mealtime, off go the alarm bells because that's head hunger. Usually anxiety. But sometimes, like this week it can be unexpected relief after a period of stress. What I mean is, I can often hold it together when under extreme stress. But once the crisis has passed I turn to food. Here's what's helping me now. No matter how restless and agitated I am with head hunger, it's just a feeling. I don't have to feed that feeling. I don't have to. It feels like I have to but I don't. It's a muscle I'm learning to exercise. Feel the damn feeling, whatever it is. It's not going to kill me. It feels like it will but it won't. I've had a year of incredible stress and I've come through it with the help of good friends, this forum, OA, CoDA, and a therapist. I'll be damned if I'm going to return to the food now. This is hard as hell but it is so worth it. And congrats on your success !!!

Oh I am in pain today. No more Zumba for me. Knees couldn't handle the twisting and lunging and bouncing. The good thing is one person in the class told me about deep water floating something or other (running?) at a local park district. You wear a flotation belt and your feet don't the touch bottom of the pool, but you are in motion and working all the muscles. Gonna check it out. Fasting today for Ash Wednesday coincides nicely with my post-fill liquids for 48 hours. Hope everyone has a great day!

Congrats!

Oh are my knees killing me today. No more Zumba. It will be hard to walk the stairs at work today but I'll try. Calories should be easy because I'm on liquids today and tomorrow due to my fill. Aiming for 1200 calories. Soup it is.

Zumba kicked my ass. My knees, to be precise. If I do it again it will be the Zumba Gold class instead, which is supposed to be less intense on the joints. And I am hopelessly uncoordinated.

Good for you. You're on the right track getting back to your doctor and reclaiming your health. I just had a fill today and now I have 48 hours on liquids. Just remember Protein, Water, movement. Don't drink with meals or for half an hour after. Practice chewing your food to mush. Practice slowing down your meal. Don't eat between meals at all. When I snack my appetite is awake all day. You have taken the first step back to success. Never ever give up on yourself. We are here for support. Stay connected here and ask your doc for nutritional guidelines. And follow them !! Walk every day. Drink water. You got this!!!!!!

My port is on my abdomen, upper left. Went to Zumba. Oh my God. I am so frickin uncoordinated. Also my knees are now killing me. I stayed after to talk to the instructor. She suggested Zumba Gold which is less intense. So I may seek out a Gold class. This may end up being kinda like my bike experiment. At 50 pounds down I tried riding a bike. My knees screamed in pain. At 75 pounds down I tried again. Much better. So maybe another 20 down and my knees might do better with Zumba. But no matter how thin I get I will never be able to dance or learn the routines. It's just how I'm built. However, I will see how I feel by Monday and if my knees are not hurting too much tomorrow after this class, I may try the Gold class. 923 calories, 24 flights of stairs, one Zumba class. A good day.

Well I planned to NOT get a fill today but changed my mind after talking to my NP. I gained two pounds since my last visit in December. So I got 0.1 put in again, bringing me to 7.7 in my 14cc band. I watched the fluoro and the barium still went through pretty easily after the fill. I also always take two Tylenol caplets while she does the fluoro to make sure I can still swallow pills. After talking to her I realized I've been getting hungrier earlier between meals. Not by much, but an hour does make a difference. So another tiny fill it is. On liquids now for 48 hours. I also asked about my loosey goosey port. She said it's not loose at all. It's still securely sutured to the muscle. I just have less fat under the skin and the skin is moving around more. Makes sense. Anyway I feel good about the fill and now I'm off to a Zumba class. Exercise, so they tell me, is the key to lasting weight loss. Who knew?

Well I planned to NOT get a fill today but changed my mind after talking to my NP. I gained two pounds since my last visit in December. So I got 0.1 put in again, bringing me to 7.7 in my 14cc band. I watched the fluoro and the barium still went through pretty easily after the fill. I also always take two Tylenol caplets while she does the fluoro to make sure I can still swallow pills. After talking to her I realized I've been getting hungrier earlier between meals. Not by much, but an hour does make a difference. So another tiny fill it is. On liquids now for 48 hours. I also asked about my loosey goosey port. She said it's not loose at all. It's still securely sutured to the muscle. I just have less fat under the skin and the skin is moving around more. Makes sense. Anyway I feel good about the fill and now I'm off to a Zumba class. Exercise, so they tell me, is the key to lasting weight loss. Who knew?

So true!! Staying connected with this community is a way I plan to never take it for granted.

glad you're making that appointment. Let your doc help you succeed. You can do this but it's so much easier when the band helps. We will help too! Don't give up!!

Well said, Alex. The tabloid magazines are just as guilty.

Until your band is properly adjusted, which can take six months or more , you are basically dieting. Please return to your doctor. I have seen my fill nurse every month this first year. Don't give up now. Your band will work if it's adjusted right but it takes several visits and good eating habits too.

Don't ever settle. Don't stay with someone who devalues you. You'll never get those years back.

24 flights of stairs. Check. Breakfast and lunch 493 calories so far. Check. 40 oz Water so far. Check. If I get home in time from the surgeon's office tonight, I'm going to try my first Zumba class. I've taken Aqua Zumba before, but never on land. This will be hysterical since I have zero coordination. Feeling inspired to exercise!!!

Bandista I hear ya. The thing that got me through the last three weeks was taking it in pieces and remembering self care. I am so encouraged by your description of exercise as that self care. I'm doing minimal exercise now and I need to step it up. I walk stairs at work but it's not the endorphin rush I remember from my single says when I jogged. One of the benefits of exercise is that it calms the mind. Take care of yourself today, my friend.

"Step" it up, Sister! Haha. I slay me.

Realizing I'm in my danger zone this week. Three weeks of stress is behind me for now and this is where I am in danger of turning to food. The moment I relax. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. Today I am aware of this tendency, and today I choose healthy alternatives. Self care is just as important as it was last week. Vigilance, crucial.

Today I will do my stairs at work on a better schedule. Yesterday I ended up cramming them into the end of the day and it was too much. I was miserable and winded. Pacing myself works so much better. I also have an NP appointment and it's going to just be a checkup. I don't want to have a too tight band. Aiming for 1200 calories today.

Thank you for posting this and I hope you get it resolved. I have a fill appointment today and I don't feel as if I really need one, but I was debating whether to get a tiny fill anyway. I won't.

24 flights of stairs at work. Did 16 of them at once. Not again. That was a killer. 1070 calories.

You not only have had a tremendous success story so far, but you are also a constant encouraging force on these boards to others. Bravo, Sir.

I'm so sorry you lost your ring. I haven't worn my set for over a decade. Fingers too fat. Now that it fits, I want to wear it because it's the only real jewelry I own, but I filed for divorce. Gotta laugh at the irony. I hope you find it. Check coat pockets and the seats and floor of your car. Mittens, etc.

After a hellish week, I can relax today. I may get a manicure. I've spent the last three weeks working daily on divorce discovery. I took a vacation day Friday in order to meet my deadline. The living room is covered in stacks of papers. Now I just need to box them up and deliver them to the lawyer. I also got my taxes prepared married filing separately and that was completed yesterday. The next deadline is college FAFSA forms, but compared to the past three weeks that's a piece of cake. My angel daughters each sent me a long distance valentine. One sent a bouquet of flowers. One sent chocolate covered strawberries. I felt very loved and blessed yesterday. I had two berries yesterday and I'll pace the rest at one a day. I've had a week of okay food choices but more wine than weight loss likes. I'll get on the scale in a few minutes but I'm pretty sure I have a gain this week. One thing I'm learning is that there is no such thing as taking too good care of yourself. I was truly overwhelmed by the divorce requirements these last three weeks, and I followed a plan to do part of it every single day and to care for myself every single day. That meant a counseling appointment, a foot massage, a lunch with my BFF, a day off work, a movie, some late night TV, some wine. Self care was critical. I also give the results to God every single day. It's not over, but last night and this morning I finally took a breath and realized I got through a very difficult task and I am strong. I am becoming stronger with every test. Thanks for being here and always supporting me. It saves my sanity daily.

So many examples of conditional love in my life. Making changes. Good article.