JustWatchMe

Nothing small about our victories! Congratulations !

Hummus yummus!!!!! Yes yes yes. My new favorite with celery or raw green beans or carrots. Tribe brand, Sabra brand. Tried the 40 Spices flavor yesterday by Tribe. Delicious!

I've been practicing keeping my food clean over the last few weeks. I define clean as minimal to no fried choices, no snacking between meals, and starting with Protein first at every meal. I'm really finding that my restriction is more predictable and noticeable when I do this consistently. I was wondering last month if the fill I got was actually putting me in the green zone. I didn't think so because I could still overdo it on fried food or junk like popcorn. But a month of eating cleanly has shown me that the restriction is definitely there, and my band is indeed telling me when to stop. Such a learning process. It's easy to see now how I could mess this up. It's also easy to see that if I just follow a few simple rules most of the time, my band can really work and make satiety easy for me. The sloppier I eat, the harder it gets. The cleaner I eat, the easier it gets. I love my band!

I started at 302 in February 2014 and was banded in March. I'm four pounds from Onederland and I can't tell you how huge that is for me. I literally feel my heart pound when I think about seeing that number again. Actually I saw 197 on the bathroom scale last weekend but then I moved the scale to a more level spot and it went back to 204. Lol. You better believe I tried it about ten times! Anyway, I will get there in the next week or two if I stay on course. And I've never been as motivated as I am right now!!

Hoping you're doing okay.

Sounds all normal to me but if you have any questions just call the doctor's office. They are there just for that! Congratulations on your surgery!

I am hoping this turns around quickly for you. ((Hugs))

Congratulations on your loss so far! Relax and begin the fill adventure with patience. It will probably take several months to hone in on your green zone. Just listen to your body and keep all your appointments. In a few months you'll be happily in the green and losing the weight you want to lose. Also if after you resume solid food after a fill and find you can't keep food down, don't wait. Call your doctor. But my fills were gradual and I had no issues. I think I'm in the green now at four fills.

Hey @@Bandista, I did the victory pose in the bathroom after I stepped out of the tub and guess what? My arms don't flap when they are vertical, my belly was lifted an inch, and it even perked up the "girls"!!! Think I can just keep up that pose all day at work? Lol

U njury makes individual packets of protein shake powder. I used those in Italy. I also have used it in a water bottle. Just drink or empty half the bottle, add the packet of powder and shake it up.

@@Bandista, those were both great! Thanks for the links!

Don't see the choices to mark in the mobile app.

@@Yadiordz, I'm four pounds from Onederland too! Let's do this!!!

Congrats on your banding!

Thanks @Bandista. I'll watch those when I get home tonight.

I'm only six months banded but I advise getting checked. I've also started the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet and I find that my band feels tighter the day after my low cal fasting day. So two days a week, I get more restriction. I can feel the difference and I know I won't need a fill this month. I've been getting fills every month and have four so far. This is my fourth week of 5:2.

You're so right, @@Debbie3sons! These thighs are hard earned. They may not look like much from an aerial view, but in my new jeans they look damn good!

@@gowalking and @@lisacaron, thank you both so much. You both nailed it. This is such a hard time but SO much better than when I was numbing myself with food every day. I've started to do little girly things like get a manicure, etc. Just self care really. I think the shock of seeing my newest battle scars the same week that I'm struggling with the end of my 23 year marriage was just the perfect storm. You've both helped me immensely.

RJ, thanks for keeping it real. You help me more than you will ever know.

And I'll try to look up that Ted Talk too.

@@Bandista, thank you. As soon as I can get away from my desk and take a walk outside I'm going to raise my arms up like you said.

Omg I just had a memory come back reading this thread. I was about seven or eight years old and I was super stressed out with stomach aches and threw up in the mornings. The doctor looked at my chubby self and said, "you don't look like a person who can't keep anything down." I was old enough to know I had been fat shamed and I didn't want to go to the doctor after that. Saddest thing is that I was probably reacting to emotional problems and bullying, but the result was I wasn't permitted to eat peanuts or popcorn for many years. I still had stomach aches and nausea though. It felt like I had been punished for going to the doctor.

Thoughts on this Tuesday morning. I love Tuesday mornings. And Friday mornings. I know now that yesterday was hard for multiple reasons. First, I ate lunch too early. I normally eat at 1pm or later and this Monday it was 11:30 to accommodate work schedules. Too early. Also not enough Protein in that lunch. I need to skip the salad and soup on fasting days and eat solid protein. Which means planning ahead to pack it for work. Finally, Monday is harder than Thursday because Monday follows the freewheeling weekend. Now, I haven't been going crazy on weekends, but I do eat out once or twice and generally am more relaxed with the food choices than weekdays. This coming weekend I am visiting a friend and the food and drink will be very unstructured. All good, but I want to be ready for Monday morning with a solid plan. I feel great and started my day today with protein. I can do this!

@@Bandedboomer, your story is very inspirational. I am encouraged by your mental AND physical reboot. What a great phrase!

Yep I was banded at 53 and I will be healthier on my 54th birthday than I was during my entire forties. Wow. So glad I got WLS.