JustWatchMe

Good luck !!!

I was supposed to have two sessions. At the first one the psychologist suggested I stop tv eating. At the second one I admitted I hadn't broken that habit. So he refused to clear me for surgery. Nice, huh? Well, it was the best thing in retrospect. I broke that tv eating habit and never returned to it. I saw him again three weeks later and he cleared me. I was really pissed, but it woke me up to the fact that I had to do my part or WLS was not going to work for me. From that day on, when the NUT or nurse or surgeon suggested something, I did it. I credit this willingness to follow directions with the success I had in my first few months. So my suggestion is to listen to the psychologist, and if s/he suggests something, treat it like a requirement.

Go get a fill. Most people get their first fill at six weeks or sooner. I was six weeks. It is the whole reason we got the adjustable tool. Once you start with fills you will begin to figure out how much restriction works for you. Call the doc and set it up. Good luck.

@@Miss Mac "An apple is fruit. Apple pie a la mode is not fruit." Damn. There's always a catch.

I just want to wish you well and send you a cyber-hug.

I've never maintained a weight loss (and I have had many, including one really big one) in my entire life. So for me, no. This is about keeping it off.

Beautiful! Congratulations !

Congratulations !! You're on your way!

Our previous dog was lost suddenly as well. Very shocking and hard.

I feel ya. Always hard to lose a beloved pet. Your new pup is a cutie!!

One of the mixed blessings of this technological self absorbed age is the camera phone selfie. I have an iPhone now and I take selfies every time I set my hair and put makeup on. Several times a week. I don't do anything with them except look at them. Once in awhile I'll update my Facebook profile picture, but since I'm 53 and not 19, I can't do that in good conscience more than once every couple of months. Point is, seeing myself in a picture regularly helps me objectively see that no, I am not ugly and wrinkly and unattractive. Well, most days. The odd thing is that two pictures taken the same week can be radically different. I have vitiligo as well as all of my other crappy problems, and it's been hard for me not to see only my blotchy skin this year. But I learned to stay out of the sun, and it helps minimize the contrast. Here's the bottom line. I look better than I have in decades, even with this vitiligo that I developed just a few years ago. But I often can't see my beauty. My feelings of how I think I look can dictate what that mirror tells me. So hard reality photos are a way for me to see what others see. My nineteen year old daughter has been telling me for years that I look best without makeup. Yeah kid, ok. Well guess what. This fall I developed a skin reaction to eye makeup. Bad news. I can't tolerate nail polish or eye shadow. My eyelids flake and become flaming red and raw. Nice, huh? Just when I'm losing weight and starting to feel pretty. Well here's what I did. I stopped using most face makeup. I use only mascara, a touch of eyeliner, face powder and red lipstick. I look better than ever. Sure the hundred pounds gone helps (LOL), but I used to put so much foundation on that I didn't even recognize my own complexion before. This change was very scary for me. But since the vitiligo diagnosis, I started to take better care of my skin. I moisturize and use SPF every day, every season. My skin coloration has evened out a little from staying out of the sun, and since I hydrate so much as a WLS patient, my skin is clearer and brighter. @@CowgirlJane you are one of the most beautiful women on these pages. Truly stunning. And such an inspiration to me and so many of us. Thanks for keeping it real, because we aren't always in perfect head space. But we work through it. Together here we give each other the support and the knowledge that we're not the first or the last to feel these sometimes explainable, sometimes irrational feelings. All of you are beautiful. As am I. I have pictures to prove it. Tee hee.

I'm a bander but my advice would be focus on the hard and real changes you need to make now. Let the effects later come when they will. For now here's what I found useful. First, pre surgery I gave up tv eating. Permanently and forever. This was much harder than it sounds. But it really helped me stop distracted eating. Second was to stop drinking with my meals. Practice now to have a glass of Water half an hour before your meal, no liquid with your meal, and no liquids until half an hour after your meal. Third is chew chew chew your food into tiny pieces. Into mush. This is also harder than it sounds. Fourth, slow down your eating. If you chew enough it will slow you down, but try to pause even a little between bites. Some folks put their fork down. I found it just as hard to actually swallow one bite before taking another bite. I still do. Fifth, start walking. Even if it's just around the block or around your workplace office a few times a day. You'll need to walk immediately after your WLS to help the shoulder gas pain and to speed your recovery. These habit changes can take a lot of work and will be easier to do post op if you start now. I promise you, if you focus on practical steps now, the what-ifs and worries will take a back seat. Congratulations on choosing good health for yourself. We are all rooting for you.

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My husband became increasingly emotionally abusive over our 23 year marriage, and I ate and ate and ate. Over the last three years he turned his rage against our teen daughters as well. I ate some more. In 2013, I realized that I had to get out of my food fog and take control of my life. Not just for me but for them. I wasn't going to wait until the abuse turned physical. I began the WLS process. Six months later I was banded. Life at home got worse, but I started getting better. Three months later I moved out with my adult daughters and filed for divorce. It took the tool of WLS to put down my food. Everything else followed. It's only just begun. But my health improving changed everything. My life is worth saving. I didn't feel that before. Until I was able to put the food down, I couldn't change my daily existence of eating, working and sleeping, no matter how bad it got. Even when he made life hell for my kids. And I was unable to put the food down without WLS. I'm a food addict. I will always want to reach for food when I'm stressed. I still do. But now I go to two 12-step groups (OA, CODA) and am learning to live life without excess food. I've lost over a hundred pounds so far, kicked a dozen prescription and OTC meds, got rid of back and most knee pain, sleep through the night, am taking care of some other medical issues I was too ashamed to address before, and look forward to the future. And I've set a good example for my daughters. Finally.

I have that problem too. I just keep hitting Goodwill every 2-3 weeks and trying on whatever I find. With the stretchy denim I have better luck. My last two successes were Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in 18w and now 16. My weight was changing too rapidly for me to invest in new anything. I'm unfortunately down to my lowest size of Catherine's slinky dress pants (0w) and then I'll have to buy some new slacks for work. I wish those slinkies came in regular sizes. I've worn them for many years. I'm not a skirt person because I have such trouble with shoes.

Thanks for posting. It helps relative newbies like me to hear from long time banders.

I do eat carbs but I lose better when it's only protein and veggies.

You look beautiful and happy !! Isn't it great to start the new year with such enthusiasm ?!

The Hundred Foot Journey

After WLS what were some foods you really began to like? Did you lose your interest in them later? About seven months post banding I discovered hummus, and had it nearly every day in every flavor, with celery, raw green Beans or carrots. That died out around month ten. Today I can take or leave hummus -- weird, huh? My latest craving is kale salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing, grated Parmesan cheese and cherry tomatoes. My daughter made this on Thanksgiving and it's so good. I never thought I'd enjoy a salad without creamy ranch or bleu cheese dressing.

Congratulations !!!

Debbie, you look great!

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