Snapdragon

This is just what I needed to read today. While I'm not ready to remove the Fluid from my band, you have given me a fresh idea and a new perspective. I needed this. Right here. Right now. Today. Thank you.

I've been banded since May 2008. The way I get unstuck, if stretching and standing don't do it, I throw up. It works for me. I'll wait as long as I can (to see if the food will move on its own), but if it's not moving and I'm in pain, I stick my finger down my throat. Works every time.

Sorry to hear of your job loss. Congratulations though on your weight loss. Stay positive and make a list of what you want in a new job. Post it somewhere you'll see it and read it (and believe it) every day. Your strong enough to lose 60 lbs and exercise 5 days a week - your strong enough to get through this job challenge! Hang in there and keep the faith.

I think buying ourselves new, smaller clothes really helps us adjust to the weightloss. It has helped me to go out and buy some smaller items and to purge the larger items from my closet. It's like a cleansing. We have to get rid of our old negative imagines of ourselves before we can fully appreciate the new "us". I have caught my reflection in a mirror or in glass and sometimes I see the old "fat Erica" and sometimes I see the Erica that I really am. Wearing clothes that actually fit us and not hang on us like tents is a big part of changing our thinking and our emotions, in my opinion, at least.

Great thread idea. I have: 1. Floated down a river in Dominica. Before weightloss I wouldn't have even dared put on a bathing suit and float for almost two hours with complete strangers. I had the time of my life. 2. Swam with stingrays - again, the bathing suit issue. No problem this time. I was out there! 3. Spent 16 days in the Caribbean and didn't feel like a sweating, stuck pig. 4. Smiled at the camera for the first time in years. 5. Even allowed my picture to be taken! 6. Didn't worry if my belt would buckle on the airplane. 7. Looking forward to getting a new DL picture. 8. Told my husband what I weigh (I'm no where near goal, but for some reason my weight isn't a big, dark secret any longer). 9. I smile more. 10. I'm off my diabetes meds. 11. I have hope.

You are not alone in this! I do the exact same thing sometimes. I've been canceling my fill appointments (the last three) because at the previous three fill appointments when they weighed me I GAINED. I canceled these last three because I was sick and tired of crying at the doctors office. For pitys sake. I was a mess for hours afterward. I'm getting my poop in a group now and I have a fill appointment at the end of the month. I'm back on the bandwagon and I realize I probably need more fill. I already feel pretty tight, but I can eat more than I'm supposed to and it doesn't come back up. Not good. I'm going to start sitting down to eat with a shaker of salt. When I've had my fill of food (appropriate amount) I'm going to salt the hell out of what is left. That way I know I won't eat it. You're not alone! Don't give up! We can do this! =)

Thanks for the encouragement, Fluffy. You make a good point - it didnt' go on overnight. I guess I'm just so sick and tired of this weight. I just want it to go away.

I've forgotten how many fills I've had. I think I've had four, maybe five. I'm always amazed at how people remember exactly what their fill date was and how much they received. Maybe it's because after my first appointment (where I'd lost weight) things have gone downhill since then. Arg. I have a 14 cc band and I have 10 cc's. I thought I was at my sweet spot or at least I had good restriction because I do feel restricted. Food doesn't just slide down - I get stuck if I eat too fast or eat something that just doesn't want to go down (sourdough bread, bacon, etc.). Maybe I'm not at my sweet spot though. Thanks for telling me it's not unusual to gain a little at first. I really want to believe that. LOL As for what I'm eating, here is a typical day: Breakfast - One slice of WW toast Laughing Cow Lite cheese Egg OR Atkins shake blended with ice lunch - Soup with 2-4 no salt saltine crackers OR Tyson chicken strips (5 small in a serving) with a tablespoon of salsa dinner - Chicken (typically) salad - lots of goodies in it Dessert - Weight Watchers something or other OR Light Ice Cream I realize that ice cream is a no-no. I just love ice cream though. I'll go through phases - I won't have any for weeks and weeks then I'll buy some and have a dish after dinner for a week or so. I also love cheese and this may be a downfall. I try not to snack, but sometimes I'm starving and it's not meal time so I'll have a couple of slices of cheese. I try to eat a lot of protein and that has helped me not lose any hair on this weightloss journey. The last few days I've cut out the cheese in hopes that will help me lose some weight. I used to track my food intake, but got out of the habit. I suppose I should start again. THANK YOU for the link to the pouch test. I'm definitely doing this. I'm starting today. THANK YOU! Putting myself down is a bad and nasty habit of mine. You wrote, "It will defeat you". I hate that. You're right. It WILL defeat me. I have to stop playing my negative tapes (as my mother calls it). Regarding my meds - I don't know if they have a side effect of gaining weight, but I do know that my BP meds make me feel "old". When I don't take them - I have all the energy in the world. I feel my age - I feel young and full of energy. Granted, I could drop dead of a stroke, but I feel good. LOL I've talked to my doctor about it for years and she says unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it. I have to have the meds and I have to learn to live with the side effects of it slowing me down. Thanks for your advice and encouragement. It helped a lot. Truly. Thank you.

YES! I have these days. From the time I was banded until a month ago when I had my period I could eat ANYTHING. I felt wide open. It was awful! Now all of a sudden, these last two periods - I can hardly keep anything down. I feel uber tight and I have to be very careful of what I eat and my chewing. I've come to realize the band has a mind of its own and it constantly changing. It's just a new reality now. Which may also change next week. LOL

I'm glad I found this board. I've been off of Lap Band Talk over the winter and I came back looking for support since I'm feeling somewhat defeated over my slow losses. I was actually so upset that I gave my scale away to The Salvation Army thrift store. I have no idea what I weigh right now and I really could care less. At my last fill apointment (actually the last two appointments) I'd gained weight. I cried. Both appointments. My husband doesn't know what to do with me after those appointments. I'm sitting in the doctors office texting him, "I gained weight. I hate myself. I'm such a loser and not in a good way." =( How can I possibly gain weight?! At the time I was walking like crazy (about 5-6 nights per week for 45 minutes), eating correctly and thought I was doing it "right". Since my last fill appointment (more like disappointment) I have canceled three appointments. I kept telling my husband, "I can't cry again at the doctors office". I try to recount my victories - I'm completely off my diabetes medication, I'm down from a tight fitting size 26 to a solid 18 on top and 16 on the bottom, and I feel better with my body and in my clothes. However, my blood pressure, which is insanely high (due to hereditary reasons) is still through the roof. I'm still on my thyroid meds and my doctor tells me I will be for the rest of my life. My recent blood work came back that I have high cholesterol so at my next doctors appointment I'll be getting a prescription for MORE meds. Oh joy. I already take about 400 mg in high blood pressure meds and about 75 in thyroid. Thankfully the 2000 mg in diabetes meds has gone away - at least for now. I feel like I'm a pill popping machine - at 38. My fill appointment is on April 30th and I'm like a woman on a mission. I've revamped my diet (although I think I'm already doing what I'm supposed to do) and I'm on the verge of just going full blown liquids until the 30th. I know I can't possibly do that - it's not healthy and I know I can't stick to that, but I don't know what else to do. The last time I lost a lot of weight (100 lbs) about 11 years ago it took me two years, so I know I'm a slow loser. But crappity crap crap - I thought with the band I'd see a bit more progress. I know a lot of my hang up's come from my self image. There are days I don't look in the mirror because I can't stand what looks back. All I see is this fat face with a huge double chin, puffy cheeks and bloated body. I wish I could see myself the way my husbands sees me. He tells me how gorgeous I am and I just can't seem to find that woman that he sees. I truly am my own worst enemy. I think I'll go off the deep end if at my next fill appointment I've gained weight or not lost anything since the last time. It's also my one year appointment and this stupid survey I agreed to at the University hospital is going to take blood and urine and measure all of me. I don't know what to do with myself. I just want to see progress and it's so elusive. Sorry for complaining. Thanks for listening.

First off, congratulations on the weightloss since surgery. What an accomplishment. I'm a very slow loser and I wish I could lose weight like you've been losing! I can relate on wanting to go back to the liquid diet. Maybe just do liquids for Breakfast. I've found that the best thing for me is to make sure I don't have snack foods around. Not at my desk or at home. I make sure I have foods that require thought and preparation. That way I don't find myself grabbing for a piece (or two, three, four) of cheese or popcorn, chips, crackers, etc. Keep some Protein rich foods prepared in the frig - boil up eggs in advance, mix a batch of refried Beans up so they can be quickly reheated, keep grilled/broiled/baked chicken on hand for quit reheating or to toss into a small salad. This new lifestyle requires our patience and planning. It's been one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn. And I'm almost at my one year anniversary! Keep up the good work. You can do this.

I can relate. I used to love tuna salad and now I can't stand the stuff. There are certain foods that just don't appeal to me any more. I think our bodies are just adjusting to this new lifestyle. I'm not a doctor, but my assumption is that the more we have to chew and eat slowly, the more our taste buds, brain and emotions tune in to the food. I'm learning a great deal of patience with myself. Some days I really miss the joy of just grabbing a burger and fries and wolfing it down (horrible, I know!), but then I realize that I'm healthier, stronger and better for having had this surgery and I'm slowly, but surely losing the weight. I do have to remind myself to eat foods that are harder to get down, i.e., chicken, salads, eggs, etc. That type of food fills me up - the slider foods do just that - slide. They're easy and require no effort on my part. I spent the greater part of my life not concentrating on what I put into my mouth. I tell myself that I can now spend the rest of my life being thoughtful.

I think the stress point is a good one. I used to have such bad acid reflux before surgery that I would end up throwing up. Ugh. It was awful. Since surgery I hadn't had an acid reflux episode once. Now, for the past month I've been getting some reflux. No where near what I used to get, but it feels like it's getting worse and worse. It woke me up last night and I had to go take a Zantac (OTC). I'm thinking it's because I'm stressed. I've noticed that tea and coffee don't help either. I've gotta stop this stress. Thanks for the note about stress - it's what I needed to hear today.

Oh girl....you can tell a big difference! You look great. I can totally see the weight loss. Congrats!!

You look fantastic! Thank you for sharing this. This was the encouragement I needed today. Congratulations again. What a journey.