Ladybandito

If you are anything like me, discipline or strong willpower is not something that comes natural. I have been developing mental toughness throughout the years when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight. Does your mind race with thoughts of eating a smorgasbord of different foods? Is every food going through your mind a carbohydrate loaded with sugar or salt? Do you think, “Let me just eat or drink what I want today, and I will get back on track tomorrow?” Do you go through a plethora of different feelings? You may not even know what you are feeling. All you know is that you are consumed with this urge to eat or drink, many times when you are not physically hungry.


Man, did I feel like that today. I just wanted to check out and lose myself in literally stuffing my face with junk food. I was consumed with thoughts of pizza, nachos and cheese, Gummy bears and Ben & Jerry’s New York City super chunk ice cream. Oh, and let’s not forget the Peanut Butter cup candy. Maybe your favorite question is, “Wine, anyone?” Maybe your choice of food to emotionally zone out is different, but is any of this resonating with you?
So what do I do when this pattern pops up in me? This is where developing mental toughness will get you the desired results you deserve. Below, I am going to walk you through four quick steps that have worked wonders for me in developing mental toughness, and I know they can work wonders for you!
4 quick steps to developing mental toughness:
1. First, realize your pattern of internal dialogue and foods when you are getting ready to emotionally eat or start binge eating. Once you begin to pay attention, you will notice that you crave the same foods every time and that there is an impulse or urge to eat right away. You will have the same automatic dialogue of eating and watching TV or telling yourself you’ll just eat this one time and start fresh tomorrow, etc.
2. Stop and realize you are trying to avoid or escape a bad feeling. We automatically want to feel good. Tell yourself that having a bad feeling is not the end of the world; you are not dying. Take a moment to identify the feeling, where it is in your body and what is it trying to tell you. If you cannot find it, that is okay. Just continue to tell yourself that it is okay to feel bad. Allow yourself to just sit with it.
3. Remember to breathe. Through this time, take deep breathes, letting go with every exhale.
4. Have the mantra: “There is no tomorrow. I only have this moment. What I do right now is the only thing that matters. What I do right now is creating my future.” Repeat this over and over again as you breathe.
You will notice that as you go through this process, the feelings that were leading the desire to eat will lesson; as they lesson, your desire to eat will lesson.
The key to developing mental toughness is to become aware of your automatic behaviors to escape bad feelings. If you follow these four steps every time you have an impulse to emotionally eat, you will create a new pattern of reacting to your feelings. When you have a plan to decrease the number of times you emotionally eat, you will be amazed at how quickly you begin to see results in weight loss!

Ok, been a few weeks since I last logged in, do not really have anything to say lately, and very little in common to be honest...
But I had an episode with the band recently (don't get that many anymore) I thought I should log in and share.....
For those that do not know me, I have been banded for 3 -1/2 years, hit my Green Zone 4 months, 3 fills after surgery, lost all my excess weight and body fat, reversed all my co-morbidities, became a gym rat, vegetarian, blah, blah, blah.....I should also say I'm 62 years old, a heart attack ( and cardiac surgery) survivor, ....well, you get the picture. In other words I'm a veteran who had the band totally changed my life. Total success!!!
Anyway, to the point.
Went in for my 6 month regular visit last Tuesday....generally it takes about 5 minutes, in and out. I spend more time there schmoozing with the ladies in the office than the actual exam....
Walking into the building, I meet my surgeon on his way out, he was on call and had to leave.
We talk for a few minutes, asks me why I'm there and was I experiencing any problems....I told him no, just the routine 6 month visit......however, I did tell him I was contemplating having a slight un-fill....say 1/2 cc....He looked at me and asked why on earth would I even think about such a thing....I am currently, nor ever have experienced any problems, complications....the band has led me to a life of normal weight, regained my health.
I am one of his best patients....a textbook example of what the band can do....WHY fix something that isn't broke??? Why disrupt what I have had going for me all this time? He said it was his tratment plan to get his patients there, WHY would I want to un do it?
He said he did not recommend it at all, and said I should reconsider....don't disrupt that perfect balance I have had all this time.
Fast forward, I'm in the exam room with the PA, and we have the same conversation....she tells me I'm nuts,(she's also a colleague) and that she is reluctant to do it unless I can come up with a good reason...I have no reflux, no stuck/sliming episodes, no pain or discomfort....she tells me she knows 100's of patients who wished they had what I had....that perfect balance...that perfect adjustment. That total success with little or n o effort......Why would I want to tilt the apple cart?
I did convince her to take a 1/2 cc out, promising I will come right back if I was not happy....(and some other negotiations)
So she pulls the full 7cc's out, just as it was 3 years ago...no leaks or discoloration. She then puts back fresh saline, less the 1/2 cc.
Well, I want to say...from first hand experience...there is that perfect balance...and with a1/2 cc taken out...., I lost it!!!
Suddenly, my cravings came back...I want to snack all day long, all hours of the day and night....also, my head hunger returned. I see people eat disgusting things like pizza and cheeseburgers, and I desire to do the same....my portions are now all out of whack also.
Before, it was impossible for me to over eat....no matter where I was or what I was doing. Parties, holiday dinners, vacation cruises...it did not matter.The band was always the band. But now....we were out to dinner last night, and my Wife commented I must have been starved because she could not remember the last time I ate so much....I looked at my plate and realized she was right....I could have continued right on eating...as though I never had the surgery in the first place....Very, very scary.....I don't like this.
Fortunately....I still do not experience any hunger...that has remained the same, I did not loose that thankfully...so I can remind myself not to give in to the cravings, head hunger....I can remind myself to eat small portions, even weigh and measure if need be.......but what was once very easy and routine, has now suddenly became a constant chore again....constantly telling myself not to do this, not to do that....just like dieting!
I also realize I am now walking that fine line....things such as stress, emotional experiences, or just a lapse in control, and I can be one of those who "Fell off the wagon" and need to "Get back on track"...could never understand that before, but now I do, and now it scares me that it could easily happen.
I do not like this place, I want to go back to the way it was....where the band was in total control....
The Dr and PA where right....I should have just let thing be...
So, Monday I will call and make an appointment to come in and have that 1/2 cc put back in...a week later....and face my good friend the PA......possibly the Dr also...
But it was a learning experience....who would have thought that a 1/2cc can make such a big difference....there really is that "PERFECT" balance...that sweet spot, whatever you want to call it.
I did learn my lesson...
Ok, just had to log in and share something that has happened to me over the past week....so it's time to log out and go back in hibernation.
If anything else significant should happen ( I really doubt it will) I will surely log back in and share.
Otherwise I will when my 4 year anniversary comes around.
Till then....

You can definitely 'eat around' your band. Most people can eat near unlimited quantities of carbs. But the only person you are hurting by doing this, is YOU.
The band is meant to work when you follow the rules given to you by your surgeon. While all of us have different rules, there is a common thread - Protein first, complex carbs next and rarely, if ever, eat simple carbs. The band works best when you follow these rules. The band does very little when we eat simple carbs.

Corn is a trouble food. It has no value for humans. It goes in one end and out the other. However refined sugar everything is bad.. No exceptions there. but complex carbs make a complete Protein which is easier to break down into glucose.
I think white rice and Pasta, white bread..Everything in refined sugar is harmful. But grains, seeds, nuts, brown rice, hemp hearts. Wheat hearts, Beans...whatever help with Fiber and absorption. As patients of ant WLS. We need it all. Dense Protein first and foremost. But we need it all. Our absorption is limited and so by eating complete complex carbs we get ready Vitamins and minerals easier.
that is what I have read. That is what my nut says and that is what my daughter says who by the way is healthy foods obsessed...( she drives me nuts!!) But what do I know....

Wendy, carbs are tricky for me, for sure. And i think I understand the heart of your question. Should you be able to eat a large bag of chips or say, 5 cups of mashed potatoes? You know, I honestly have to say I have never tried. As far as measured quantity, I know I can eat more mashed potatoes than than I can eat steak or chicken or another hard Protein, but not if I eat a hard Protein with the carb. If I eat my hard protein before the mash, I won't eat as much mash, and still be satisfied. So that's what I do, and was instructed to do, by my doctor.
If I wanted to eat "around" the band, i could probably eat three bowls of cream of potato Soup, a large serving of Pasta, a blended mocha, and a bowl of ice cream -- and then have "rebound" sugar hunger. Then again, maybe if couldn't. But, like I said above, that's an experiment I've never wanted or try --for obvious reasons! The band is a tool, but it's not magic, lol! I do know, that for my metabolism, even if all that filled me up, I would be hungry again faster than if I ate a protein.
Beans and other good carbs do satisfy me a long time. A Taco Bell pintos and cheese cup is a favorite of mine when I'm on the go, and forced through a fast-food drive-thru. Lentils fill me up, quinoa, thick oatmeal.
I used to question myself on whether I was green or not, whether I could eat too much or not, whether my band was working or if I was doing all the work, or not. I think we all question it, to try and get the best experience from our WLS. Many of us have been addicted to thinking about food and weight loss for years anyway, and this is a new focus! After a while, if you just accept the bariatric rules and follow them, I think that's the best experience of all!
Sorry this is rambling. I just woke up, and haven't had my Decaf cuppa yet! Geez, it may not address your topic at all. I'm not sure. Ok gotta sign off and get my morning moving, lol.

If you can find a Pilates reformer (machine) class, join. The class has certainly helped with mine (not flat, but way better.) nothing else has helped me before, but Pilates has. I don't know if the mat Pilates class would do the same, but the reformer has shrunk that area quite a bit. I was also told that plastics would be the only way, but that is not really an option for me right now, and I'm pleased with what the reformer is doing.

Wendy, carbs are tricky for me, for sure. And i think I understand the heart of your question. Should you be able to eat a large bag of chips or say, 5 cups of mashed potatoes? You know, I honestly have to say I have never tried. As far as measured quantity, I know I can eat more mashed potatoes than than I can eat steak or chicken or another hard Protein, but not if I eat a hard Protein with the carb. If I eat my hard protein before the mash, I won't eat as much mash, and still be satisfied. So that's what I do, and was instructed to do, by my doctor.
If I wanted to eat "around" the band, i could probably eat three bowls of cream of potato Soup, a large serving of Pasta, a blended mocha, and a bowl of ice cream -- and then have "rebound" sugar hunger. Then again, maybe if couldn't. But, like I said above, that's an experiment I've never wanted or try --for obvious reasons! The band is a tool, but it's not magic, lol! I do know, that for my metabolism, even if all that filled me up, I would be hungry again faster than if I ate a protein.
Beans and other good carbs do satisfy me a long time. A Taco Bell pintos and cheese cup is a favorite of mine when I'm on the go, and forced through a fast-food drive-thru. Lentils fill me up, quinoa, thick oatmeal.
I used to question myself on whether I was green or not, whether I could eat too much or not, whether my band was working or if I was doing all the work, or not. I think we all question it, to try and get the best experience from our WLS. Many of us have been addicted to thinking about food and weight loss for years anyway, and this is a new focus! After a while, if you just accept the bariatric rules and follow them, I think that's the best experience of all!
Sorry this is rambling. I just woke up, and haven't had my Decaf cuppa yet! Geez, it may not address your topic at all. I'm not sure. Ok gotta sign off and get my morning moving, lol.

This is the very reason why some of us moved over to Facebook. The redundant questions. There must be 1 million of why am I hungry in this forum lol

Welcome to bandland, Enuf!

Same here girl! It's so scary having it fall out in clumps in the shower and brush! Even if we knew to expect it! I've decided to save mine and spread it on my Hostas as the deer ate every bite last year and when I read what to do it said human hair and I was like "ok wtf do I do pull my hair out!?" Now I don't have to Silver linings and all that

Alex, I have always had an ALL-OR-NOTHING mentality throughout my life..... only where weight loss, dieting, and exercise was concerned. Thus, I had never been able to MAINTAIN a weight loss. As soon as I would lose, and hit my first plateau, I would start to gain. But, my decision to give up daily and weekly weigh-ins has changed me. I don't see the stalls or plateaus as much, so I don't throw in the towel, so to speak. It was very liberating for ME. Plateaus in the past, would put me over the edge, and in the end, always resulted in weight GAIN, because I couldn't handle them. Enjoyed your article. It made me realize again that the road to weight loss and getting fit is NOT a straight path, but a road with twists, turns, and even plateaus along the way!

All people meet it at some point in their weight loss journey. It might come after you experience complications from surgery, or when you travel for vacation, or when you are unusually stressed at work. It might even come when you least expect it, when your diet and weight loss have been going smoothly for months. “It” is the dreaded plateau.


How Do You Know When You Hit a Plateau?
Simply enough, a plateau is when you stop losing weight even though you want to. It’s not just a day or two without weight loss. It’s a period of a few weeks or more when you keep trying to lose weight, but the scale does not budge. You think you are doing everything you can and should be doing to lose weight, but still you do not see results. That is a plateau. It can be frustrating and discouraging and seem to be unfair.
Stay Positive
Plateaus can be maddening, but the absolute worst thing you can do during a plateau is to give up. If you decide that your diet is not worth the effort, you are almost certainly going to gain weight. Going back to your old, pre-surgery diet habits, taking oversized portions, and eating high-fat, high-sugary foods will not just make you gain weight. These bad habits can erase your health gains. Worse, they could cause some of the weight loss surgery complications that you already know about, such as the following:
Stretching of the sleeve in vertical sleeve gastrectomy
Dumping syndrome in gastric bypass
Esophagitis with the adjustable gastric band (lap-band)
Feeling nauseous or having diarrhea

Another reason to stay positive is to keep up your motivation to continue all of the other healthy behaviors in your lifestyle. Don’t fall into the trap of “all-or-nothing,” in which you decide to give up all of your healthy efforts just because your weight loss isn’t quite what you want it to be. These include:
Taking your daily Vitamin and mineral supplements
Getting enough Protein and fluids each day
Following your regularly exercise routine

It Could Be Worse
And it will be worse if you give up. It may sound strange, but you can stay positive by thinking about how much better your weight is now than where it could be if you gave up trying. If your careful diet is not leading to the weight loss you had hoped for, it is still preventing weight gain. If you give up, you will gain weight, and probably be pretty disappointed in yourself.
Measure Success in Other Ways
Another way to stay positive is to stop focusing on the scale. Find other ways to measure your progress. Tracking your body measurements, for example, can let you know that you are shrinking and building muscle even if your total weight is not decreasing right now.
Tracking behaviors instead of measurements is another strategy. For example, you assess your success according to whether you eat well, such as hitting your protein goals or sticking to your planned menu. Other successful behaviors to be proud of yourself for are planning and preparing meals ahead of time and making sure you drink enough fluids at times other than meal times.
Be Honest and Go Back to the Basics
“Why me?”
That’s a natural question when you hit a plateau, but most people don’t ask it seriously. However, if you think seriously about what is causing the plateau and how you can fix it, this question can actually help you break through the barrier and get back to losing weight.
In many cases, you can figure out “why me” by asking yourself these questions.
“Am I logging every single bite that goes into my mouth?”
“Am I following the meal plan my nutritionist or surgeon gave me?”
“Am I measuring – not eyeballing – all of the foods I eat?”
“Am I exercising as much as I am supposed to be?”
“Am I getting in my protein each day?”
“Have I been too busy or preoccupied to plan my meals and Snacks in advance?”

If you answer these questions honestly, you might discover that you have slipped up and are not keeping up your good habits quite as well as you thought you had. Go back to the basics of meal planning and nutritious eating, and you are almost sure to see the scale move again within weeks.
You’re in Charge!
Plateaus are frustrating and nobody wants to experience them at some point, but almost everyone does. These steps can help you when you notice that you are in a plateau.
Stay positive and keep up your healthy behaviors.
Focus on other measures of success besides the scale.
Assess your diet honestly.
Make any necessary changes.

You can get over your plateau, and you will be stronger for it! Just be patient and do what you know is right for your health.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I can give you a heads up on what you'll be dealing with. I had my hips replaced though we thought it would be my knees considering all the arthritis. But with the hips now aligned correctly, the knees are much much better. Joint replacement is joint replacement be it hips or knees though. I won't sugarcoat it...it was a brutal surgery and a long and difficult recuperation but now that I'm six months post op, I can appreciate both the big and little things regarding better and mostly pain free mobility now. It's miraculous to me. Hell, I dove into the pool while I was in Florida last week. I haven't done that in years. It felt glorious.

You sound just like me!!!! I went to my surgeon for my followup visit all concerned because of this very reason. I have restriction but can eat anything I want, I haven't gotten sick and was only slightly stuck once. When i asked him if this was ok he laughed and said well yes this is exactly where you should and want to be.
Keep up the great work!! You're doing great!

Thank you Lady VS.....it's actually "only" NINE years, starting the 10th!
The worst day postOp has been better than the best day the last 5 years preOp.
I known it sounds silly, but "Morbid Obesity" was killing me!!!!

Welcome to the Forum! I'm 68 & in 9+ year postOp. Most of my clan make it to close to that mark....
No idea on how the Band will tolerate such good genes.....
cheers on your journey

7 months post op...first fill tomorrow...im nervous...

I think I was 33 BMI ... 216 on date of surgery, 226 highest weight, at 5'6.5. My 2 year bandiversary is this month, and I now weigh 145. I was a slow, slow loser but continued to lose all during my second year. My doc said that's what he likes to see ... At every appointment my weight is less (even if only a few pounds) but it is not up and down. I hit months-long plateaus that were frustrating, but I've kept plugging along at my own easy pace, and it works!

So very very proud of you, go walking! You are beautiful and your expressed gratitude for a new lease on life is beautiful too!!

How goes it, everyone?
No news here; still maintaining and feeling good.

Hi Everybody!
Had my 2 year check-up today, and when the nurse came out to get me, she said "well, look at you, skinny!" Lol.
Then when she was weighing me (down 7 pounds from last time ... 5 or 6 months ago) she whispered, "Did you get new boobies?" I almost fell off the scale! No, I told her, I just always have worn loose fitting clothes because of my rolls and so no one could really see their shape! Hahaha!
Then, the surgeon's PA came in, also complimented me, and asked that I consider speaking at the next seminar! He said the band doesn't always get the good press it deserves and that I've utilized it to 100% capacity and it's a story that should be shared. He also suggested that I am at a perfect weight now and to not get too skinny. Whaaat? That just sounds so weird to me, coming from a doctor, but he's right. Any extra fat I have on me would really need to be cut off with plastics, and I'm not considering that at my age, so I've been good with where I'm at for a while now. Since I'm so small-boned, I could weigh less, but I am tickled with where I'm at ... And it has been relatively easy to maintain.
So, enough of blowing my own horn ... How's everyone else doing?
Nicki, that's a bummer about the insurance. I am a private pay all along, so I'm used to it. It's $65 for a doctor visit, or $100 (I think, it's been so long) with a fill, too. As for any possible complications, they said they would refer me with a code that would be insurance-coverable ... Not as band-related. That is what you would want to have done, as well (Heaven forbid that ever happening). Being private pay is one of the reasons I have been so adamant about taking it slow and easy.
I am looking for photos to post on here, can't seem to find many "before" ones (never liked to keep them around), and I have to figure out how to get them on my iPad so I can download them!

http://www.bariatriceating.com/?s=breakfast

Serious exercise will just make your plastics all the better when you get that done. BTW, I am 2 years out, at goal. I am 5-6.5 and weigh 140-145 and wear a size 6-8 jeans. With the Pilates, my size keeps shrinking while my weight stays stable. And it's not really too difficult to do. I'm pretty happy!

If you can find a Pilates reformer (machine) class, join. The class has certainly helped with mine (not flat, but way better.) nothing else has helped me before, but Pilates has. I don't know if the mat Pilates class would do the same, but the reformer has shrunk that area quite a bit. I was also told that plastics would be the only way, but that is not really an option for me right now, and I'm pleased with what the reformer is doing.

Serious exercise will just make your plastics all the better when you get that done. BTW, I am 2 years out, at goal. I am 5-6.5 and weigh 140-145 and wear a size 6-8 jeans. With the Pilates, my size keeps shrinking while my weight stays stable. And it's not really too difficult to do. I'm pretty happy!