ErinMarie

Rue 21 has some cute stuff right now, Forever 21, Torrid

Why not do what you did to lose 88 lbs? You certainly can do the proteein drinks for a while, but I think its a crummy idea if you're going to feel as though they're a punishment for having gained 10. Real food is so much nicer, don't you think?
Exercise is healthy for everyone at any time. While you do it, you're not eating -- a surprise benefit. You can start simply by taking a brisk, 45-min. walk around the neighborhood. Hydrate properly for whatever form of exercise you choose.
Don't pressure yourself with deadlines. You didn't lose 100 in the year and, therefore, 88 isn't good enough? Think about it.
Getting back in the saddle as just something you do rather than a major project. You've been in the saddle, so you know how to get up on the horse. If you've brought bad-choice foods into the house, pitch them out as soon as you finish reading my note. Make the good kind of grocery list you'd become accustomed to. Plan, roughly or cut in stone, your days' menus for two or three days ahead
You're got the power. If your Thanksgiving-time lapse was emotional/environmental, cut it out. If, as @@princess77 suggests, your band needs adjusting, make the appt. You know which it is.
You're good.

I would really like to know your opinion on this @AlexBrecher.

A direct port to my insides through which staph, bacteria, and more can enter my body. Sepsis, anyone?
I think not.
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Under the right care, with the right education and with an ethical doctor I could see this being beneficial. But some quack could open a clinic in LA and advertise this device to hungry women with a little pudge promising a thin, taut body while being able to eat as much cake and ice cream as they'd like. I guess you could argue the same thing for bariatric surgery, but there's just something that seems off about this type of procedure.
To me, it's the moral wrongness of consuming more food than you need to purge it later. Certainly, I'm guilty myself of eating more food than I need which is why I got fat in the first place. But I had the sense to feel terrible about it later just because I felt like I was feeding my hedonistic pleasure centers rather than nourishing my body (partially why I sought a restrictive procedure in the first place).
I still don't understand how this would effect long-term change as well. If I had to take my lap band out I'd do a revision at the same time because I know if I don't have my band I will go back to my old ways. This seems similar to the balloon in that sense (though the balloon doesn't cause food waste).
I'm not sold on it but I could see its applications being beneficial in certain cases. I just worry about abuse because even though there are safeguards in place, I'm sure someone out there could tamper with it and turn it into an efficient bulimia device, market it to people who shouldn't have it, and make a bunch of money.

I'm not sure I will ever be sold on this. I feel like bariatrics are really reaching to find new methods of weight loss, but how practical are they? Is this supposed to be temporary or permanent? Is therapy a requirement with this device?
I suppose only time will tell. Everything was doubted at one point.

I felt very angry and upset when first exposed to this technology a few years ago....I even wrote an article about how abhorrent the concept was.
Every time I get this angry, I start doubting my feelings. So I started researching the procedure and device and talked to a few patients that are using it. I got to know the procedure a little better, understood their expectations, needs, and results.
What I see are patients benefiting from this method with an outstanding safety profile...
Sometimes our mind tricks us with hate and anger.... I don't like this so I turn it into something more rational for me.
I recently heard a very moving presentation from one of the investigators and a patient. I personally don't know that I'd recommend it, but the truth is that now that it's approved doctors and patients will decide if this succeeds or fails.

The port limits you to 3 aspirations per day. After 30 Aspirations you need a new port and must return to your surgeon for follow up in order to get another. This limits abuse. You can't get around that. Not taking a side. Just want the right information out there.

I would really like to know your opinion on this @AlexBrecher.

So I have done exceptionally well in the past with my weight loss. I was banded in May 2010 and proceeded to lose about 120 pounds. I was eating right, exercising minimum 5 days a week. I even ran a 10K! Then last January I got a bad ankle injury and was in a boot for 3 months and then had to go to Physical Therapy for another 3 months. My exercise took a huge hit and that one injury completely derailed me .... physically and emotionally! I ended up getting depressed and gained 20 pounds last year and I am PISSED at myself!
So here I am, a year later, still clawing my way to find my motivation and get back on track. Its funny how I KNOW what I have to do but end up doing what feels COMFORTABLE....I tell myself the same stupid things I told myself before I got banded:
- "Its ok if you don't want to go to the gym today, you are super busy with other things"
- "You had a rough day, that extra (whatever) will make you feel better"
- "You can start fresh tomorrow"....
- yada, yada, yada.......
I am fortunate that I didn't gain back more weight but I feel every single one of those 20 pounds on my body and soul....and I DON'T LIKE IT! So I am going to stand in the uncomfortable truth that I have choices every moment of every day. I can choose to get up and get my workouts in (and not scroll through Facebook for 1/2 hour). I can choose to not put extra things on my salad that would raise the calorie count. I can choose to weight, measure and track my food on myfitnesspal app. I can choose to get my Water in.
So here is the manta I need to keep telling myself to get me through this tough part of getting back on track: I owe no one anything. I don't owe any apologies for gaining weight. I don't have to feel shame for gaining weight, it happened. It is in the past and now IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD.
That old "stinkin' thinkin'" has to go! Time to get back to who I was, who I am meant to be!
Stay strong everyone and I will do the same!

My name is kim and I've had lapband since June 3rd 2011. In my first year I lost 75lbs. 2nd year, I had complications. The lapband became too small, I had the size 10 cc band. With it completely empty I couldn't swallow. My old surgeon kept saying the band was fine, I needed to change my eating habits. I knew I was doing all I could, so I seen another dr, my current dr. He said the band was too small, so I had a size 14cc Band placed December 8th 2013. To be honest, it's been amazing to just enjoy food and life. TWO years later, I'm ready to get back on track. I've gained 30 lbs back and I need to lose 60lb all together. I'm here for support and motivation! So, HELLO!
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I'm just starting my journey, but I once lost weight and kept it off for 5 years and on and off for another 6 by using a few tricks.
1. I kept my mouth busy with sugar free gum and exclusively drink water- no juice or soda.
2. I recited food is fuel not fun everyday
3. I didn't say goodbye to everything I liked to eat, so I knew there was nothing I couldn't have. I just had to wait until a scheduled day in the week to have a "cheat meal." A lot of weeks I didn't have the cheat meal bc I didn't want to mess up my progress.
4. I worked out regularly 3-5 days per week
5. I shopped often and stayed out of gym clothes. Stretchy clothes don't tell you when you are gaining, so only wear them to work out
6. I trained for events (100 mile bike, 5k, wedding, trip)
7. I made friends at the gym so I had people to look forward to seeing.
8. I ate on schedule so I didn't have a chance to feel hungry
9. I kept my trigger foods out of my house and resolved not to drive anywhere to get any food I was craving or send anyone out for it either.
10. I made myself a priority. I went places I enjoyed, I tanned, I wore nice clothes, i took time to feel good. Hen it was my time I enjoyed it, and I made up for it by giving my family their day for something special too.
When I stopped all of thy I gained weight and lost my satisfaction with my life. That was my recipe through trial and error I discovered it. You just have to find what works for you and be ok with messing up a little as you discover what that means for you.
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Not sure if you can do this at work either, but I'm a huge music fanatic and my counselor suggested I carry an ipod with me and whenever I get stressed, I turn to my ipod instead of food. It's not foolproof and I have to be conscious of it, but it seems to help.

chocolate to me is like crack. made brownies for my husband at his request. I did eat a little of one to make sure it was okay (lol) but I did not eat the whole pan which In the past I would have done. so I think I can overcome my addiction if I put my mind to it..

Try the almonds that have cocoa on them. I find them just sweet and chocolate enough to kill those cravings. Also just discovered dole strawberry dippers in the freezer section of grocery. They are halved frozen strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. 60 calories a serving, 4 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of Protein. They also gave banana dippers, but I'm not a fan of banana, much less frozen banana.

I try to stick with good quality dark chocolate with high cacao (coco) percentage & eat just a couple/ few squares.
Best to stay away from all those fruity things in them. Sometimes, it's not real fruit, it's "lab-created" fruit look alike with a little fruit juice in it. Blech! (Keep telling yourself THAT when you feel like the "fruity" chocolates.
Dark chocolate has some health benefits and is usually lower in sugars.
If you eat 1oz of the good dark chocolate before a meal, it reduces your hunger. If you eat the kind with hot chili peppers in it, it increases your metabolism too
when I do eat it, I keep in mind "It's for my health" while eating it (mindful eating). It's a once in awhile thing for me. Not a daily regimen.
The tricky part is not eating the whole thing or going on a choco-binge. That's just self control.
I found it's helpful to allow myself the dark choco once in awhile- without any guilt. Yes, I CAN have that! Re-framing my mind has reduced my cravings

I will.
Watching it right now, in fact......

I was sleeved almost 5 years ago. I love it. But I my weight was climbing back up. I was up to 203 from 172. I was having nightmares about my weight coming back. I notice some people would look at my belly before making eye contact, like before. Well my wife came back from her check up in Feb and was told her cholesterol was 345. Her Cardiologist ( from India ) told her she was a heart beat away from a heart attack or stroke & needed to go on a vegetarian diet. Well our daughter told us to watch "FORKS over KNIVES" made in 2011. It saved her friends life. So we watched it on Netflix. We were stunned. First thing you think of is "why is this information not getting out to us?"
You are taught If you put good stuff in your body, the body will fix itself. The problem was we did not know what the good stuff was.
My wife got up & we cleaned everything bad out of our kitchen & went to the store. ( No gimmicks to buy.)
We went back to the Cardiologist 2 months later. He told my wife was in STAGE #2 of Heart disease. We told him we were following the Forks over Knives way of eating. He stated this, "THERE IS NOTHING I COULD DO BETTER THAN WHAT YOU ARE DOING. YOU WILL CURE YOURSELF." Then he wanted to take blood work to see the changes.
RESULTS: Wife Numbers WAS 345 New 171 Cholesterol, Her BAD cholesterol was 233 New 71, Lost 25 pounds.
Mine: 190 old New 134 weight was 203 now 175.
If your cholesterol is below 150 you are heart attack & stroke proof. The doctor took my wife off her meds!
Two friends are doing this after I gave them the movie to watch. The are losing weight & both were taken off there diabetic meds. IT CURED THERE DIABETIC PROBLEM. There blood work will be done this month.
This is a healthy lifestyle to eat. You eat all you want. No counting. No worrying about anything. Just eat the healthy stuff as much as you want.
​There is a second DVD on Netflix "PlantPure Nation". The doctors go to a town in NC and put volunteers on the Whole Plant Base food for 20 days. The results of blood work in 20 days will surprise you. The body fixes itself fast. This is information that should be taught in school.

I lost 140 lbs. doing a basic Weight Watchers plan. It worked for me and even now that I'm more than three years banded, I still measure my food at home to make sure the amount isn't creeping up. Good luck and see if this works for you too.

Thanks jea(n__n)ette. I am now 7 weeks post op and have lost 34lbs. I struggle with the scale....lol...i try to keep away from it, but im too anxious.
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Exciting! I'm going to school too after a 10+ hiatus ... if you want to call it that. I work at a university now so I can't pass up the fact that I get free tuition! Looking to Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences degree but not really sure what I would do with it yet.

I would also add, that is very few calories. Your body may just be trying to hold on to what it can!

Pray for me banders. This Tuesday my lawyer thinks we may be able to come to a settlement. We've been meeting every week or two for negotiations. Mr. Wonderful is ramping up the crazy and his attorney is having difficulty with him, but 3 out of the 4 of us want to avoid a trial next month (jerk still doesn't believe the divorce will happen). I've spent the last two weeks scanning family (baby) photos to turn over originals to him. Emotional much? Tuesday is the big money issues. He lies like a rug, as my mom used to say. Trying to figure out the proper dollar figure to cut my losses and walk away. Anyway, haven't eaten over any of it. Not a bite. Thank God for my band. food has not been an issue. I've been in the high 180s all month which is my lowest since surgery. Working my OA program, I haven't indulged in comfort eating. I'm so grateful.

I am seeing a psychiatrist at my VA hospital (I'm a veteran ) who has lots of experience with PTSD & anxiety attacks and he's really giving me some tools about letting the guilt etc go. Started seeing him in January and I finally feel like getting my life back. I agree about the liquid diet, set myself up for failure if I get too hungry. Lol Cleaned the carbs out of my kitchen yesterday. Nutritionist is a great idea.
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I began this thread and today I received a reply on my topic. I re-read everything that was written over the past year. I would like to thank all of you that responded with comments and suggestions that either encouraged or sympathized with my weight loss history. But, for those that felt the need to shame me for my failures, I feel the need to respond. I don't need to be ridiculed or chastised by you for my failure. I do that enough to myself. Now, if you have something pertinent to add, that might give me a new mindset or a tip that has worked in making you progress. Please feel free to share. But, shaming me for my inability to win at lap band will be met with a "shut the H**L up!"