TheCurvyMermaid

I do! I'll totally own that I gave in last night, and stood in the dark kitchen eating Nutella out of the jar with a spoon, hoping my roommates wouldn't "catch" me. I can eat almost anything as long as I take it slow. I can usually keep myself on track with will power, but I falter some days. The head-food issues don't go away just because you're banded, that's for sure!

Do you ever get overwhelmed by how far you have to go? In my case, I've lost 40 lbs in six months (which is great, don't get me wrong!) but I still have about 75 lbs to go to get to the top of my healthy BMI range. It seems like an awfully big mountain to climb, and I'm prone to self doubt. I'm not talking about quitting or giving up, but I frequently ask myself if I can really pull this off... I've lost and regained this same 40-50 pounds so many times before, and I've never been able to crack 230. The last time I was under 230 was my sophomore year of high school, 17 years ago. Also, I just had to have a little bit of fluid taken out of my band because I was having heartburn and reflux issues, along with getting stuck. I have less restriction now, and I can certainly eat more if I want to, and I'm afraid I'll self sabotage. Have you been there? How do you beat back your self doubt and the enormity of the task ahead?

Add me too, please! JustSing

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Hi Renee, I don't have anything that small (yet) but have you tried checking second hand stores? Goodwill, Savers, Deseret Industries, or whatever is in your area? I understand trying to shop for clothes on a tight budget. I buy the majority of my clothes second hand. Good luck to you!

I have a hard time getting enough fiber, myself. I'm drinking more water, eating bran cereal and Fiber One bars, and adding chia seeds to my water. They are high in fiber, protein, and Omega-3s. The texture is a little odd, but they work well in crystal light, or ice tea. They plump up in water, and have kind of a tapioca/gel texture, but they go down really easy with the band. You can also add them to soups and stuff. My band nutritionist turned me on to them.

I'm "JustSing"

Central Vegas girl here. I was banded in June of '07, but had a lot of trouble and got an unfill a couple of years ago. I gained back everything I'd lost after falling off the wagon, and then a course of steroids for a back injury. I started over from scratch three months ago, and I *think* I'm more or less in my green zone, though it varies day by day. I'm down 28 lbs so far.

I had an allergic reaction to the Dermabond too. It wasn't horrible, but it was itchy and unpleasant. As near as I can tell, for me, it seems to be an adhesive allergy. The hydrocortisone was a good first step, but it's good you talked to your doc. I find I'm only sensitive to adhesives on more sensitive skin. I can wear a bandaid on my finger with no problem, but when I get a fill, I remember to take the bandaid off my belly after an hour or two, or the skin starts to get irritated. Just something to keep an eye out for going forward. I hope you get some relief soon!

I bought my FitBit One two weeks ago, and I LOVE it! I almost got the Flex, but decided against it because I'm not crazy about having things on my wrists because I type on a laptop so much, so the One was a better fit for me. I'm looking for friends too, so please feel free to add me. My details are in my signature.

Thank you for posting this. I needed to read that today. <3

Hi Shelly! I'm almost 5 years post op, and I started over three months ago, right back at my surgery weight. There are a number of us going through the same stuff and working on keeping each other motivated here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/165378-starting-over-5-years-after-surgery/ I originally lost about 50 lbs and gained it all back, and I started over from the ground up too. You *can* get back on this horse. Just go back to the beginning, refresh yourself on the ground rules, and keep at it! =)

Well, it sounds like you learned your lesson, no? Seriously though... ouch. I feel your pain, and even after years, I still screw myself over sometimes by eating too fast, or eating the wrong thing and get that feeling like I'm being stabbed in the chest. My nutritionist said that the GI tract (Esophagus, etc...) is basicly a big muscle. If you drink cold liquids, you'll contract and be tighter. If you drink warm liquids, it will relax some. I usually drink my Water at room temperature. Cold is unpleasant for me most of the time. I generally take my pills one at a time, and I even break some of them in half. With one of the medications I take, the 200mg pill was too big for me to comfortably swallow, so the pharmacy gave me 100mg pills instead, and I take two instead of one. It's a bit of a learning curve. Anymore, I take aleve, because I only have to take 1, rather than taking a couple of Tylenol or Advil. I take chewable Vitamins instead of the regular big ones. When I was really tight, I even crushed or dissolved some of my meds, but you need to ask your doctor or pharmacist about that, because some pills are time released and crushing them screws things up. Be gentle with yourself and good luck.