Gilmour

I will make this short & to the point..
I am worried that my potential food addiction, emotional eating, mental hunger & cravings, my bipolar/mood disorder, my lack of sticking to diets ongoing for 12 years, the way I get depressed and moody when I feel hungry from lowering my calorie intake, the way I use food to comfort myself to be happy temporarily, the way I eat when I am every emotion from happy to stressed to sad, etc. etc..
I want to succeed with wls so bad..I want the depression from being overweight to finally end, I want this void I sometimes fill with my emotional eating to stop..
Can anyone relate? Have the same concerns?
I need to hear success stories and great outcomes from people with the exact same problems and concerns.
I want to believe I can do this, but I am scared..and it's my last resort and option to lose the weight and be happy with that part of my life.

I enjoy going out to eat with friends now, and being the only one who leaves half the food on my plate while they clean theirs. I never even noticed before how much volume OTHER people eat, and I mean all types of people--male, female, old, young, fat, thin, vegetarian or meat eaters. They finish everything. I notice because now that I am less focused on my meal I actually look up from my plate!
I also have solved the mystery of how I got so fat in the first place. I was eating too much food. Sounds so simple but it really was a revolutionary insight.

I enjoy going out to eat with friends now, and being the only one who leaves half the food on my plate while they clean theirs. I never even noticed before how much volume OTHER people eat, and I mean all types of people--male, female, old, young, fat, thin, vegetarian or meat eaters. They finish everything. I notice because now that I am less focused on my meal I actually look up from my plate!
I also have solved the mystery of how I got so fat in the first place. I was eating too much food. Sounds so simple but it really was a revolutionary insight.

My plan :
Until I can get to the doctor, I am eating slower. I know it is still a lot of food for a bariatric patient, but I have not binged or PB since last friday. That is huge for me.
I came up with a way to get some exercise while at work. I deliver gasoline for a living, so the time spent loading and unloading will be spent walking feom one end of the truck to the other. Or there is a step in the loading bay I have been using to do step ups. Hey, it's something.
I already feel better than I have in months.

Hey all. Thought I might introduce myself and tell a bit about my situation. I was banded back in March 2008. Starting weight at 340 pounds. I got all the way down to 210 pounds. I went through a divorce about the time I hit my lowest and then figured how to cheat and went back to binge eating. I have been on a steady gain ever since then. I quit going to the doctor after 3 bad fills where I could not get Water through. I went to the ER and they took Fluid out then. I never went back. So fast forward to the current. I am at 282 pounds. I really want to get back to the program. I need support in a bad way. Hope to make some friends and maybe be an encouragement to some one on what NOT to do.. Hope to hear from you!

You'll be fine on the cruise @Sharpie. When I was on my cruise last summer, there was plenty of protein and plenty of good choices. I actually lost a half a pound that week. Enjoy!

I enjoy going out to eat with friends now, and being the only one who leaves half the food on my plate while they clean theirs. I never even noticed before how much volume OTHER people eat, and I mean all types of people--male, female, old, young, fat, thin, vegetarian or meat eaters. They finish everything. I notice because now that I am less focused on my meal I actually look up from my plate!
I also have solved the mystery of how I got so fat in the first place. I was eating too much food. Sounds so simple but it really was a revolutionary insight.

My period started when I had just checked in about an hour before my surgery! They said no tampons but they gave me a lovely giant diaper and mesh undies. I was stylin'!
It was a hassle and painful getting up to change the pad in the first day after surgery but otherwise no problem. I think a tampon would have been more difficult to deal with.

I joined a program with my local hospital which coordinated closely with my insurance company (Blue Cross). The insurance required a 6 month process of monthly consults with the surgeon, dieting with progressive weight loss, plus a psychiatric consult and meeting with a dietician. I also had to join a gym with an electronic sign in (Gold's) and the insurance company checked how often I went during those 6 months.
So 3 weeks before my surgery date, my doctors' office got the approval done (in 4 days), Because I did everything required it was a forgone conclusion. Good luck to you. I am glad there was a standard protocol for me.

I am beyond thrilled to let you know that I am over that horrid slump of last week and have managed to lose 1.5kg this week - bringing my total weight loss so far to 13.5kg.

I really believe that getting back to my usual work routine was a big help.

I am heading to the surgeon tomorrow for my 2nd fill which I am so happy about. As mentioned previously, I am able to eat a decent amount of food although I am making pretty wise choices.

I've managed to massively reduce the amount of bread that I eat. In my old ways, I could easily polish off 2-4 slices of bread per day without even thinking about it. I really thought that reducing bread would be a difficult thing for me to do, but so far it has been pretty good. I'm eating 1-2 slices per week at the moment and not missing it all that much. I did miss it in my pre-op shake diet phase, but that was very extreme and I had to suddenly give up everything, but since my surgery it has not bothered me anywhere near as much.

I hope everyone reading this has had a great week as well and I'll check in again soon. xxx

Hey guys! This is my first post on here, even though I have been reading posts on here for months.
I had the lap band surgery 12/19/14. I was supposed to get the sleeve, but chickened out at the last minute. My mom and my sister both have the lap band so I wanted something that I was more familiar with. They have both had lots of success.
Anyways, at my highest, I was 368. On the day of my surgery, I was 332. It's been about five weeks and I am now 317. So, 15 pounds in five weeks. I don't know if that's a good amount or not, but I'm happy with it. It's better than going up!
I go in for my first fill on the 29th, which I am both nervous and excited about. I'm hoping it will at least take away some of this hunger!
My biggest problem right now is wanting to weigh all the time! I'm about to have my husband hide the scale and only give it to me once a week! Lol
I can tell that my pants are getting a little looser which is exciting!

Beware, I can be blunt.
As I read your story, my impression was that YOU were the one who was trying to control him. Don't get me wrong, the man has a boatload of issues, but that was my impression.

Horror upon horrors I had to video-conference today for a new job. Eeek! Not only do I have telephone anxiety (conference calls were a major food trigger for me prior to my band) but being seen on camera? Oh. My. God. There are hardly any photographs of me in our family albums and certainly no video. I've always been too ashamed of my weight and how I looked. So today, ta-da! I was fine. Not that I wasn't a nervous wreck -- I still felt anxious but I didn't need food to tamp down the feelings (thank you, Band, for the dimmed appetite). I set the equipment up ahead of time and chose my outfit carefully, positioned the camera just right with all my notes just above and behind. When the conference got going I couldn't believe how good I looked. I am not only acceptable, I'm more than that. I look like some one I'd really like -- and that makes me laugh because now I really do like myself and I like how I look. I've still got some weight to lose but you know what, I don't have to hide anymore. It's okay for me to be out in the world. Yippee!

I know that it helped me having a doctor direct me. Suddenly my diet became a medical issue for the first time. I stuck pretty strictly to the liver shrinking diet but after surgery the doc told me my liver was still pretty huge... :/ Anyway it was not a problem and he said some people just have big livers!
The hardest part was the post surgical liquid diet. UGH! I could not stop watching food TV and looking at recipes for high Protein meals, waiting for my chance to eat meat again. Funnily enough, when I started eating "real food" nothing really satisfied like before, and I lost my cravings. I am 5 weeks post surgery and have decided not to have a fill yet. I am losing at a nice pace and am very careful about what I eat. Have had many instances of that "too full" feeling and want to avoid it.
food and that "full feeling" just doesn't offer the same comfort anymore. I am looking at other ways to get those endorphins going.

I am scheduled for my first fill later this month, approximately 6 weeks post surgery.
I don't want it yet. Part of it is fear (of being too tight, having reflux, getting stuck, etc.). The other part is that I think I am doing ok on the weight loss and changes to my eating habits.
Of course I lost a lot of weight during the post-surg liquid diet, and since I have been on regular food I am continuing to lose (not as fast though). I am comfortable with this pace and don't want to mess with it. I am comfortble with the band as is (and yes I can feel it working).
I am going to speak to my doc before the appointment, just just wanted to know what you guys thought. Is he likely to try to talk me into it?

Great story! Good illustration of why we should not give up until all avenues are exhausted.

Hey we made it through Christmas with our wacky liquid/soft diets and scary first attempts at chewing and swallowing. How did it go?
I think I am getting the hang of it now. My surgery was the 11th, and after 2 weeks I have lost 11 lbs. I'm finally feeling like I am getting the car I'm learning to operate out of the driveway and am taking it slowly around the block.
The first week of liquid diet was hard and I found myself obsessing about what I was going to eat when I could finally have real food. then as soon as I got the all clear I came down with the flu AND a UTI (is my immune system suppressed?) and stuck with the easy stuff for a few more days.
Last night I went to Christmas dinner at my friends' and decided tonight was the night to eat a normal meal at the table, with a knife and fork, like a human being! It was great. Started off with 2 glasses of white wine (sorry, not giving up my apéritif!). I had about 8 tiny bites of tenderloin, about 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes, 2 tiny nibbles of bread and half a sliver of key lime pie. It took me as long to finish that as my dining companions took to consume huge platefuls of food--and seconds! I put very little on my plate, ate about half of it and I was full. And I stayed full the whole night until I went to bed like 6 hours later!
I am so pleased! Today I was down another pound. I am not craving any foods now.

Hey we made it through Christmas with our wacky liquid/soft diets and scary first attempts at chewing and swallowing. How did it go?
I think I am getting the hang of it now. My surgery was the 11th, and after 2 weeks I have lost 11 lbs. I'm finally feeling like I am getting the car I'm learning to operate out of the driveway and am taking it slowly around the block.
The first week of liquid diet was hard and I found myself obsessing about what I was going to eat when I could finally have real food. then as soon as I got the all clear I came down with the flu AND a UTI (is my immune system suppressed?) and stuck with the easy stuff for a few more days.
Last night I went to Christmas dinner at my friends' and decided tonight was the night to eat a normal meal at the table, with a knife and fork, like a human being! It was great. Started off with 2 glasses of white wine (sorry, not giving up my apéritif!). I had about 8 tiny bites of tenderloin, about 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes, 2 tiny nibbles of bread and half a sliver of key lime pie. It took me as long to finish that as my dining companions took to consume huge platefuls of food--and seconds! I put very little on my plate, ate about half of it and I was full. And I stayed full the whole night until I went to bed like 6 hours later!
I am so pleased! Today I was down another pound. I am not craving any foods now.

The past 6 months has been a learning experience with my lap band, but all so worth it. My lap band does not stop me from eating anything!, but it does remind me to take smaller bites, chew well and to eat slow. I have not experienced a stuck episode and I never want to... I try to follow the rules as much as possible, but I'm not perfect. I am not in the green zone yet, so when I get hungry I try to make healthier choices and watch my portions. What I need to work on is the evil "head hunger." Sometimes I do miss eating a big plate of Mexican food... I have to remind myself though that I've been there, done that and that is what got me in the position I was in. I just feel good. Happy. I will be turning 49 next week, and I am so happy with my decision to get the lap band. I am still learning and reading everything I can on my band. When I read about people getting stuck or hating their band, I want to know why. I want to learn from them so that I do not repeat their mistakes, lol. This morning I weighed in at 206.5! I weighed in at 287 at the beginning of my 2 week pre-op diet, the day of surgery I weighed in at 267. For once in my life I did not start of the new year by starting a diet! Now on to Onderland! Best wishes to everyone! Thanks for sharing your journeys with me.

Hey we made it through Christmas with our wacky liquid/soft diets and scary first attempts at chewing and swallowing. How did it go?
I think I am getting the hang of it now. My surgery was the 11th, and after 2 weeks I have lost 11 lbs. I'm finally feeling like I am getting the car I'm learning to operate out of the driveway and am taking it slowly around the block.
The first week of liquid diet was hard and I found myself obsessing about what I was going to eat when I could finally have real food. then as soon as I got the all clear I came down with the flu AND a UTI (is my immune system suppressed?) and stuck with the easy stuff for a few more days.
Last night I went to Christmas dinner at my friends' and decided tonight was the night to eat a normal meal at the table, with a knife and fork, like a human being! It was great. Started off with 2 glasses of white wine (sorry, not giving up my apéritif!). I had about 8 tiny bites of tenderloin, about 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes, 2 tiny nibbles of bread and half a sliver of key lime pie. It took me as long to finish that as my dining companions took to consume huge platefuls of food--and seconds! I put very little on my plate, ate about half of it and I was full. And I stayed full the whole night until I went to bed like 6 hours later!
I am so pleased! Today I was down another pound. I am not craving any foods now.

Ten months ago I weighed 302. Yes, 302. I was so blue.
My life was small and getting worse. Obesity was my lifelong curse.
I had a dream. A dream to live. It asked for all my strength to give.
I mustered strength and all my will. Every requirement I would fill.
I got my LapBand and then began
My new life of not "can't", but "can".
I can, I said, and walked a mile. You've never seen a bigger smile.
I can, I said, and rode a horse. "The hour trail?" I said, "Of course!"
A trip to Italy, climbing hills. My new endurance gave me chills.
A bubble bath is a luxury that once was for everyone else but me.
An airplane ride with a regular belt. I can't describe how good that felt.
The movie seats used to squish my hips. Now the room I have brings a grin to my lips.
My larger clothes become someone's prize as I donate them for a smaller size.
My dozen meds have gone away. One pill and a Vitamin today.
Arthritis pain controlled me so. I am so glad to see that go.
A hundred pounds have waved goodbye. There really is no better high.
Fifty more to get to goal. Not stopping now. I'm on a roll!
So if you're starting out, don't fear. This all can be in your new year!
Have faith, believe, work hard, and give
Yourself the best of gifts -- to LIVE!

Thanks Pink! I am day 5 post surgery now, still on painkillers for a bit of soreness AND serious hunger pains! I really feel like I am starving, but it is not as uncomfortable as it sounds. I am counting the days until I can ditch this liquid diet.
Of course the scale is going down but I am not going to get excited until I get back on real food and still see the pounds drop.
Is it a problem that I haven't pooped yet?

I got home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Moving around (especially getting in and out of bed) was really painful yesterday but today is a lot better, even getting better by the hour. I feel like I will be ready to go back to work Monday (I am self employed and work from home).
I am already bored with this week's diet, but I have my eyes on the horizon!

This is so true! I didn't start off telling anyway until I got closer to my surgery date, and then I was excited...thinking my coworkers would feel the sameway for me. HECK NO!!! I got...Your too Small for surgery...my PC even said to me that I probably wont get approved because I'm too small! I told him...IN THE NAME OF JESUS I WILL BE APPROVED AND I WILL NOT BE ON ANY DIABETIC MEDICINE OR B/P MEDICINE! He said well just don't be disappointed when NONE OF THAT HAPPENS...EVEN IF YOU HAVE THE SURGERY YOU MAY STILL BE ON YOUR MEDS! I SAID!!!! ...IN THE NAME OF JESUS I WON'T!!!!
I had my surgery 11/18/14 and I'm Med FREE... HIGHEST WT. 230 NOW 194......THANK YOU LORD! I saw my PC last week in my NEW SIZE 14 JEANS and said...HOW YA LIKE ME NOW!!!! LOL
DONT WORRY ABOUT OTHERS PRAY AND ASK GOD TO BE YOUR ADVOCATE!

I got home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Moving around (especially getting in and out of bed) was really painful yesterday but today is a lot better, even getting better by the hour. I feel like I will be ready to go back to work Monday (I am self employed and work from home).
I am already bored with this week's diet, but I have my eyes on the horizon!