Band_Groupie

Hello my lovelies! This week is my 'Celebration Week', so drink up you groupies, and keep the party going all week! - My Birthday (I'll be 53). - Our 30th Wedding Anniversary (we'll be leaving for London in less than two weeks…Cheers!). - and…drum roll please…My Third Bandiversary!!! I can hardly believe it's been three years! It seems like just yesterday that I was getting banded, and yet it also seems like I'm now the same person I always felt like inside...only happier. I'm swamped getting packed, so I won't repeat myself, but here are some thoughts I had on the past year HERE I just wanted to stop in for the big party (get your hugs here) and to tell you thank you all for your continued support and friendship! Pics- a pair of pants I found in the back of my closet (too small on me when I got banded)...excuse the pre-shower scary face. See you all in a few weeks! -BG (lap Band Groupie)

Congrats...*happy dancing*! Nothing like an approval!!! -Lap Band Groupie Just 'Band_Groupie' here on LBT. Come visit me on my blog: http://bandgroupiethesweetspot.blogspot.com/

It's the nature of our tissues to be different day to day and am to pm. Even stress can effect it. I'd love to see the amounts of your fills. Some have a big difference with as little as .1cc, especially when you get near the half full point/5cc (over that I noticed a huge difference and was overfilled, unfilled and then in between, now perfect). Your Doc should be doing tiny tweaks at this point. My hunger is gone, over 100+ lost, middle of a Normal BMI. Best Wishes! Lap Band Groupie (Band_Groupie on LBT) Come visit me at my blog: http://bandgroupiethesweetspot.blogspot.com/

Hang in there sweetie...it will all average out, I promise. Most of us have wrecked our metabolisms with diets and starvation. Water retention and TOM also changes your weight monthly. I also had plateaues along the way of over 5 weeks+. It will all average out if you're doing the right things. If you're not hungry between meals, then the Band Is doing it's part and it should be just the competive edge you need to do the rest. I'm under goal (over 100 pounds lost) and just under the middle of a normal BMI. The Band works. Keep the faith! -Lap Band Groupie, just Band Groupie here on LBT, and my blog at: http://bandgroupiethesweetspot.blogspot.com/

Ditto Holly! I still eat everything...in small amounts, and love food even more...I love savoring it now, not just stuffing it in. Hang in there, it gets better! -BG

You're right, the journey is different for everyone and we all have to find what works for us. I lost less than the 1.5 pounds/wk the average Bander loses, but it's a lifestyle change for me and something I can live with forever (no deprivation). You're doing great! One thing: "Ever seen Biggest Loser? You can lose weight quickly and not be flabby as long as you excercise to keep the elasticity in your skin." Exercise does nothing for your skin, only the underlying muscle (and toned muscle underneath can help you look better even with loose skin over it). Skin elasticity and 'bounce back' of it is a matter of genetics and age. Lots of TBL contestants and even winners have had to have PS for their excess skin. Exercise to get healthy and fit, but have realistic expectations on excess skin depending on your age. Keep the positivity and you'll do great!

If you didn't see 'Dr. Oz' the other day, the topic was 'Can you really have an addiction to food?' I know, you're all screaming 'YES!' right along with me. It was interesting as the polls of people were pretty split as were the expert's opinions. The Nutritionist's view was that over-eating is behavioral...driven by emotions, learned behavior, and will power. OK, umm, as a yo-yo dieter now skinny b*tch I can personally tell you that anyone who has ever lost big weight dieting has WAY more will power than the average skinny b*tch...When did they ever white knuckle off 50 pounds while starving and shaking waiting for the next meal (I still wonder why I don't get the shakes now on this teeny amount of food). Anyway, the Doctor's view was that there are certain foods (four of them...at least at this point) that trigger the release of natural opiates in our brain that make us feel good and want to come back for more. I think it's a combination of both addiction and emotions. One study used a medicine that is used to help heroin addicts from overdosing by blocking receptors in the brain that the heroin attaches to. They gave it to chocolate addicts and found that 'chocolate hijacks your brain chemistry, triggering the same receptors that heroin affects'. Great...I'm officially an addict. Apparently those around me knew this before I did...Here's a present I got from my SIL for Christmas this year: You can read the Doctor's article and see the three other foods that are addictive on the Oz site HERE. Come follow me on my blog HERE

Congrats Bander!!!!

Lost 105 pounds, but I'm most proud of the fact that I'm smack dab in the middle of a Normal BMI now (yes, I know BMI isn't the end-all-be-all). I never thought I'd be this successful with the LB (lost 50 pounds so many times before). No more diets, nothing is off limits. I love my Band!!!!

That it would be so successful...well, no, if I knew that, I may not have done all the work it took to get there. So probably, how much head work it would take. A big part of success for me, meant making the mental changes needed along the way. Things like dealing with head hunger and dealing with the changes in the mirror take a lot of mental work to handle in a way that will make you successful.

Trust me, you'll learn to except a little loose skin for how great you'll feel skinny. Sorry, but the skin is effected by exercise at all (age, genetics, and how much weight you've lost from what areas are the factors). I've lost over 100, and at 49 (52 now) it's not too bad (can wear a modest bikini/skirted). We're all built differently. -BG

Be carful with the 'stucks' as you're not fully healed yet. LOL, I've been known to brush on a little nail polish before posting that pic (oh, and don't grab the camera until the weight registers first...I'm blonde). -BG

I shoot for >60 grams a day (more when I was starting out), but in solid protein form (except breakfast...a mushy, I add protein powder to my oatmeal). It got me past goal (I'm in the middle of a normal BMI now), with very little exercise. Keep it up! -BG

Lap Band- Definition: A fickle, fickle WL tool...but an AMAZING WL tool! -BG PS (you're both normal...and soon, your weight will be too!)

Congrats to you Bander! Feel better soon (you'll turn the corner soon). -BG

Glad your Doc did the unfill as you should NOT be throwing up at all especially when you're still healing. I got a anti-nausea pill from my Doc to use at home, which I've used a few times (especially right after surgery). Your symptoms sound like my migraines (dehydration can bring these on too). Feel better! -BG

Yep, usually 1-3 days depending on your Doc. I always looked at is as a way to lose weight and reset my thinking as with each fill you'll have to relearn how to eat again (chew more, eat less) as you get more restriction. Learn patience and set your expecations now so you don't get disappointed (I think the avg. is 4-6 fills before the sweet spot). We're all in a hurry, but getting it off slowly is the best for you...remember that. -BG

Good job for being so smart while you're young! My only regret is not doing it sooner! -BG

Good Job! -BG

So glad you're doing so well...Bandster Hell can be tough, but restriction will come with time, I promise! Keep it up! -BG

GREAT job! It's such a learning process isn't it!

Gurgling and burping...all good things as it's my indicator that the restriction is there. I couldn't burp to save my life before, now...I burp like a teenage boy (I have two of them). Air has to come up for the food/drink to go down...think of it like a funnel. You'll get used to it. I love feeling the gurgling with my morning coffee, reassures me that the Band is helping me today! -BG

Hey peeps! I can't believe I've been away so long! The holidays were just SO busy this year and I was off enjoying every minute with my family (gained a couple of pounds, but still under goal, no worries, it's 'NORMAL' LOL). Hope you're all having a wonderful new year! Things are back to normal now, and I'm back to writing and finding ways to 'paying it forward' (like here). Here's the last few blogs (come visit me at my site and keep in touch!) -BG, (Lap) BAND GROUPIE http://bandgroupieth...t.blogspot.com/ Headline News! Did you watch the Today Show today? No, I'm going to gloss right over the fact that Hostess has filed for bankruptcy. OK, Yes, I know what just flashed in your mind…How quickly can I get to my local grocery store before the run on the Hostess section leaves the shelves completely bare? Quickly followed by…What did they say the shelf-life of a Twinkie is? OK, My third thought was...I haven't even experience the Deep Fried Twinkie yet!!! Personally, in my early obesity years, I had a decade of addiction to these: Followed by these: Which one is your fav? OK, I know…Enough of the food porn! There are hungry people out here! All right, let me fix this… I'm not even sure Hostess makes food, do they? It doesn't look like food, does it? Would your great-grandma think so? Does a Twinkie even have a real food products in the ingredients? I once saw a science museum experiment where they placed a piece of homemade cake under a sealed glass dome, and under a second dome was a Twinkie. You could barely see the slimy remains of the cake through the mold covering the inside of the first glass dome. The Twinkie? Looked as good as the day it was born. Hey, I wonder if all those preservatives I ate will keep me 'well preserved'. Don't believe it? Here's an NPR story about a teacher who has a 30 year old Twinkie: "The Shelf Life of a Vintage Twinkie"http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4780900 And if you still don't believe that calorie restriction is the best way to control your weight, have you heard of the Twinkie Diet? A (not obese) nutrition professor lost 27 pounds in two months by eating a Hostess treat every three hours instead of meals and restricting his caloric intake from 2,600 to 1,800. He (and I) are not recommending this (you know how I feel about diets)! http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html *shhh…and I didn't tell you this…Hostess promises that no matter who acquires the company, the Twinkie will live on* Now, back to the REAL headline segment. Today Show; Today's Consumer Segment, Elizabeth Mayhew, Editor-In-Chief, "Woman's Day Magazine" My overview: Due to consumer confidence last year was at an all time low, many items are coming down in price this year. 3D TV's, Tablet Computers, E-Readers, GPS Units, Sports Tickets, Cameras, Furniture, and one more item… Wine experts are calling this 'The year of the buyer.' People were not spending money on the $30+ last year bottles, so those prices are coming down. You'll see sales at merchants everywhere here. Look for Rhone wines/France, Tuscan wines/Italy, and Rioja wines/Spain. The only exception is Bordeaux (because there haven't been good vintages lately). In general, European wines (because of the Euro), and S. American wines as well. You can watch the segment here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/45970790#null Reminder...Everything in moderation. Stock up peeps (no, not on Twinkies!)! Unless they're these... You're welcome. ------------------------------------------------ It's All How You Look At It I was updating my WL/Maintenance spreadsheet/chart and not for the first time noticed that it looks like the Himalayas…it might scare more than a few people about maintenance, not to mention unfills. I was thinking about how regular slow and steady beginners ski jump my WL phase chart looks compared to it (well, not the 6 mo. Pre-op, but the post-surgery). Then I got curious as to how many weeks both of these spanned? How many weeks has it been since the first time I reached goal (my Maintenance Chart starts there)? I was surprised to see that my WL Chart covered 81 weeks, and My Maintenance Chart covered 83...interesting! I wonder what the Maintenance Chart would look like if I gave it the same horizontal/vertical axis range as my WL Chart? So, to compare them equally, I chopped the last two weeks off my Maintenance Chart and both horizontal axis are now 81 weeks. I then expanded the Maintenance vertical axis to cover a 105 pounds range, with gridline intervals every 5 pounds (the same as my WL Chart). Wow…now Maintenance isn't anything to fear! You can clearly see that I had a partial unfill just a few weeks after reaching goal…but after the long awaited refill and making my way back down…well, things are pretty darn steady! Maintenance is nothing to be afraid of! Losing the Band…yep, we can all be afraid of that, because it means not having the help we all desperately need to finally get/keep the weight off (just look at my instant march upward and then white knuckling the wait)…but another thing this shows me is that unfills are nothing to be totally afraid of either. Yeah, gaining and losing it again isn't any fun, but as long as a refill is coming and I'll have the help of the Band again, I'll now know I'll be fine (remind me I said that at the next unfill)! I wish that I'd expected to have unfills along the way…maybe it wouldn't have seemed so traumatic. I think the Doc's should actually tell us to expect them! Unfills are a result of our personal learning process with the Band/operator error (dry meat and not enough chewing in my case), the complicated process of getting to just the right level of restriction at the same time we're losing internal fat, our Doc's approach to fill levels, and let’s face it…a little luck, and a dose of 'fickle' factor thrown in. Maintenance, unfills,…it's all how you look at it!

Great WL! And you're doing wonderfully during Bandster Hell...all good lessons learned! Fillls are coming!