To All my fellow Sept 2010 Bandsters -Welcome !

Since we had a pretty big Post in the Pre-Op section with over 23,000 views I thought since it is now October we should switchover here and continue our journey here.

WELCOME ! I hope to see all my fellow Sept. 2010 Bandsters like Cathy, Joanny, Cece, Debbie, Lyla, etc etc all here.

-Brian :smile2:

Hi Everyone!!!

I am proud to say I started the Couch 2 5K program on Saturday and it went great. Tonight is my 2nd day in the program… and Mondays are my weigh in dates… I lost 2 pounds!!!

I am so excited… Today I will start looking for a 5k race so I can sign up and so I don’t give up, which in my case is very important. I used to tend to get excited and then loose momentum and that is why I got to weigh what I did. This time I have to keep the excitement going… so what I did was to go to my mom’s house and do some shopping in her closet :thumbup:

My mom has an exaggerated amount of cloths… all new and all sizes. You see she gets cloths from her employer (she is a nanny) and as her boss goes up and down in weight she gets frustrated and gives away cloths to my mom. Anyway what I did last night was to get sizes 12, 14, and 16s and my goal is to put them away by size and as I loss weight I will give the bigger cloths away to a local charity. I actually did that with my sizes 22 and 20, boy did that feel good. Now I am in between 18 and 16 (last week I wore 16 jeans) and I tell you… that feeling was wonderful.

This is really working for me and maybe it might work for you… but getting on that treadmill has my scale moving in the right direction!!

By the way where is Brian? Brian let us know how you’re doing!!!

Happy Birthday MissJoany!!! :thumbup:

Banded Theresa… 1 hour might be too much… but if you’re interested here is the link to the couch to 5K I started… Cool Running | The Couch-to-5K ® Running Plan

I also downloaded a podcast that not only tells you what to do, but you can upload it to an iPod or burn a CD and listen to music… takes all the guessing out and you don’t have to keep your eye on a watch… MP3 Podcasts

Hope this helps…:thumbup:

Remember let’s take it a step at a time!

Moni

Hi everyone!! Glad everyone is so upbeat, I enjoy reading all of your adventures.

PURPLEVIC I don't have a support person that lives with me. My best friend is always asking me how i'm doing though. Sometimes spouses are good support, but sometimes unintentionally sabotage you. I can't have tomatoes either because of the skin, but I am allowed no sugar spaghetti sauce. I just starting making spaghetti squash, then put the sauce and some turkey meatballs over it. And I had chicken for the first time the other day, over salad greens and fat free salad dressing. I was in heaven!!

MONICALEON18 Thanks for the birthday wishes!! That is a great idea to have some different clothes and to see each week the progress of getting into them. I bought some shirts from QVC, and they only had 1X, so I bought them, and now working my way down to fitting in them.

I agree journalling does help, but I am having difficulty hitting 70 Grams of protein and staying within 1200 calories. I am writing my feelings on this journal as well, and it's fun to go back and read my thoughts from Sept, such as the pain I was in, how I cried cause I couldn't pick up the kitties, and the weeks of broth and pureed foods!!

I watched this show yesterday of a woman who had LAP-BAND® surgery, but now she eats past the full point, until it comes up to her esophagus then throws up every day. I think she needs counselling. But that is why I am afraid to try different foods, I don't want to all of a sudden go crazy. Yesterday at the grocery store, I was eyeballing all the holiday creamers for coffee, and I almost bought one- but at 35-50 calories a tablespoon I finally said no!! I guess the closer to the holidays, it will be more of a challenge, but I will be proud of myself if I don't deviate and still lose weight. How are all of you going to cope with holiday food?

Hey Monica,

I actually loaded c25k this morning and started it....great minds think alike .

I know what you mean about the clothes...I have a closet full of different sizes....

Happy Birthday MissJoany....we are here for support...anyone who wants to exchange numbers so we can have support 24/7 I am more then willing.

sorry so short but I have to go get my kiddo from school...Hope your all having a great Monday.

Theresa

So I got my second fill this past Saturday. I am not at 5cc's. I went into the visit thinking this thing is not working for me, and stood on the scale to find out I lost 16.5 lbs since surgery. Not major, but a start, so it is working. I noticed that I feel fuller quicker since the fill on Saturday, so hopefully it will seem a little more productive in the weeks to come. When the inches come off, it will be amazing! Planning a vacation (cruise) for next December...I wanna be smaller for this trip...much smaller. I've been putting off the trip until I lose wieght and now that I have been banded, I am looking forward to going.

So I got my second fill this past Saturday. I am not at 5cc's. I went into the visit thinking this thing is not working for me, and stood on the scale to find out I lost 16.5 lbs since surgery. Not major, but a start, so it is working. I noticed that I feel fuller quicker since the fill on Saturday, so hopefully it will seem a little more productive in the weeks to come. When the inches come off, it will be amazing! Planning a vacation (cruise) for next December...I wanna be smaller for this trip...much smaller. I've been putting off the trip until I lose wieght and now that I have been banded, I am looking forward to going.

I will be making my appointment for next week to go back in. I feel the same way right now cause i dont feel the restriction. I hope this feel could be your sweet spot....I cant wait to hear more from you in acouple weeks when we see a huge drop in your number....now you have me excited to go in and get my second fill.

We are also planning a cruise....we are planning for July to go with another couple. Best of luck to you!

Hi everyone!! Glad everyone is so upbeat, I enjoy reading all of your adventures.

PURPLEVIC I don't have a support person that lives with me. My best friend is always asking me how i'm doing though. Sometimes spouses are good support, but sometimes unintentionally sabotage you. I can't have tomatoes either because of the skin, but I am allowed no sugar spaghetti sauce. I just starting making spaghetti squash, then put the sauce and some turkey meatballs over it. And I had chicken for the first time the other day, over salad greens and fat free salad dressing. I was in heaven!!

MONICALEON18 Thanks for the birthday wishes!! That is a great idea to have some different clothes and to see each week the progress of getting into them. I bought some shirts from QVC, and they only had 1X, so I bought them, and now working my way down to fitting in them.

I agree journalling does help, but I am having difficulty hitting 70 Grams of protein and staying within 1200 calories. I am writing my feelings on this journal as well, and it's fun to go back and read my thoughts from Sept, such as the pain I was in, how I cried cause I couldn't pick up the kitties, and the weeks of broth and pureed foods!!

I watched this show yesterday of a woman who had LAP-BAND® surgery, but now she eats past the full point, until it comes up to her esophagus then throws up every day. I think she needs counselling. But that is why I am afraid to try different foods, I don't want to all of a sudden go crazy. Yesterday at the grocery store, I was eyeballing all the holiday creamers for coffee, and I almost bought one- but at 35-50 calories a tablespoon I finally said no!! I guess the closer to the holidays, it will be more of a challenge, but I will be proud of myself if I don't deviate and still lose weight. How are all of you going to cope with holiday food?

Thank you for the info.. my dr says not to eat any kind of tomato products because they make you want more. but i have to eat similiar things my family does, ill have to try some of the sugar free sauce and the spagetti squash. i also tried some of the shitaki noodles last week, they were pretty good, only 1 oz is about 5 calories and less than one carb. Thank you again!

I find it interesting how different the food guidelines are from one doctor or nutritionist to another. I have no forbidden foods. Of course there are foods that are not recommended that should be very limited. And there are foods that my bariatric nutritionist does recommend to try until three months post surgery.

Have any of you experienced changes in taste? I tried a couple bites of my husband's fish and chips and tempura this weekend and none of it tasted good to me. I also no longer like foods to be sweet unless they are specifically meant to be. I wonder if it may be simply because I'm so focused on eating whole foods, that I have lost my taste for some foods.

I find it interesting how different the food guidelines are from one doctor or nutritionist to another. I have no forbidden foods. Of course there are foods that are not recommended that should be very limited. And there are foods that my bariatric nutritionist does recommend to try until three months post surgery.

Have any of you experienced changes in taste? I tried a couple bites of my husband's fish and chips and tempura this weekend and none of it tasted good to me. I also no longer like foods to be sweet unless they are specifically meant to be. I wonder if it may be simply because I'm so focused on eating whole foods, that I have lost my taste for some foods.

I too have found that things I used to love no longer have appeal to me. I tried a wonderful beef filet that just did not excite me at all. My thing I love now is baby dill pickles whenever I want something crunchy to eat. I was a huge sweets fan, but now I can satisfy it with a single life saver (go figure) and be done. I'm curious about thanksgiving and if I'll like the usual things then.

MyOwnLife

Hi all,

Miss Joany I track my foods on My fit day, it's a free online food journal, and by tracking on that it has all my nutrients, fat, carbs and protein etc. So I'm not really tracking it, just looking at the computer print out. It's nice, but time consuming, but has a lot of food automatically, so I don't have to look them up.

Happy birthday Miss Joany.

It is interesting about all the different guideline, I definitely have no 'no-no's" I was told to be cautious about veggies with a lot of fiber, but that everyone is different and can tolerate different things. so far luckily no problems, especially with tomatoes. I do about 4 oz protein, and 1/4 cup veggies and if there is room 1/4 cup starch. Even bread and stuff I'm not forbidden although it works better if I chew and I really have to toast it. And rice is all brown, and pasta whole wheat.

If my family has pasta, I now make sure there is protien, and I focus on that, and a salad, or if there is a cooked green veggie, and then if there is room some pasta. not more then 1/4 cup though.

I too agree that at 1200 calories it can be a challenge to stay like at 80 g protein. I shoot for 65-90, and if my tracker looks low then I'll alter my dinner plan. I'm not too militant about it though, just 1200 cals with one day per week 1000 and one day 1400.

so many I'm curious, hope you all are well. Zen, how's it going, Cathy you've been filled and completely filled the longest, are you enjoying a sweet spot now? Brian? have you had your fills? just curious.

Love this group, thanks.

You are so lucky you are getting fills so quick. I had my first one today. Luckily, the PA said she would be a little agressive when she told me that they only do fills every 8 weeks and I freaked out. So, they put 6 cc's in my REalize band which takes it to half full. We'll see. How's it going for you????

Good evening everyone...I made my appointment today for Tuesday next week. I will get another fill then too. Im still just staying at the same weight.

Cnewstine: I only got 3cc's my first fill so half your band being filled is good. You might not need to go back before 8 weeks. Good luck.

I dont have any restrictions with food either. My Dr. says the whole point of getting this surgery is to not be on a diet. it is to restict you from over eating which is what expands your stomach. Just drink your water and put protein first.

Sounds like everyone is doing well. I started back at curves and the days I dont do that I walk on my treadmill and do the wii fit. I do curves 3 times a wk for 30 minutes or so, Then the other days on the treadmill for 40 minutes at night, I do the wii fit in the morning for 30 minutes as well, It has been hard getting back into a routine after my surgery, But since I got the ok to workout again hard. I am down 30lbs now, but its going slow. But I am trying to stay positive and remind myself that everyone is different and going to lose different. Hope everyone has a great night.

I realized yesterday that I acheived a small victory. I now weigh less than my driver's license says I do! Sometimes it's the little things that put a smile on your face.

I realized yesterday that I acheived a small victory. I now weigh less than my driver's license says I do! Sometimes it's the little things that put a smile on your face.

:rolleyes2: way to go....that is awsome!!

Those small victories is what keeps us going every day!!

Above missjoanny asks "how are you all going to cope with the holiday food?" This is very much on my mind, too, and I look forward to supporting each other through all of this. For starters, I'd like to share this article that I received from my doctor this week:

How to Let Go of Your Food Crutch

Even though you say you want to be successful with your

surgery, do you sometimes eat when you wish you wouldn't?

When it comes to eating, is guilt a frequent companion

of yours?

Welcome to the club.

In our culture, with the amount of unhealthy food we're

exposed to, and with the holiday stresses bearing down

on us, it's safe to say many Americans, including WLSers,

will be using food as a crutch in the coming weeks.

In fact, eating food with no nutritional value during

the holidays has become such an accepted pastime, we

don't even realize that we are eating to deal with

feelings.

And because holiday eating is sanctioned by nearly

everyone, we have a golden opportunity to hide in plain

sight -- to use our crutch without anyone really knowing

we're using it. We take a brief vacation from the guilt

(or at least we try to).

"I am not going to feel deprived at Thanksgiving," we

insist. "I can handle a little indulgence." "I've been

so good this year, I deserve a holiday from food rules!"

"I've modified the recipe; this is *healthy* fudge."

Clearly, some of us *can* handle a little indulgence,

but why do we tempt fate? Why do we turn to food with

gusto and self righteousness?

Feelings.

Many of us don't want to feel our feelings. We don't

like the discomfort of deprivation, longing, feeling

different from others, isolation, loneliness, anger,

fear, sadness, shame, loss, or abandonment.

The truth is, however, that finding healthier ways to

deal with our uncomfortable feelings is essential to

long-term success.

Even when you feel resistance to putting down the food

crutch, it boils down to this: Do you want long-term

obesity remission or don't you?

I had to look in the mirror and ask myself that question

a few days ago, as I obsessed about whether or not I

should make gluten-free brownies for myself. "Maybe I

can handle desserts," I reasoned like a pro. "Maybe it's

been the gluten all along, and I really can handle more

sweets!"

When I asked myself whether or not I wanted to keep my

obesity in remission, I knew the answer immediately --

yes!

Some of us aren't so lucky. We really don't know what

we want. We don't know if putting down our food crutch

is possible, or even desirable. Is it worth feeling all

those negative feelings just so we can stay a size 12

(or whatever)? Apparently, the answer for some of us

is "NO!"

The only way to know if it's worth it is to give it a

try, to put down the crutch long enough to see what

might happen once we get used to living without it --

and to see that we can survive, or even better, thrive.

There are a ton of resources available to help us

learn to stop using food as a crutch, but the bottom

line is that we need to put down the offending foods,

identify and feel our feelings, find healthier ways to

deal with those feelings, and get as much support as

necessary to accomplish this challenging task.

Here's what seems to work for most people:

1. Devise a strategy you will experiment with when

you have uncomfortable feelings, instead of using

food as a crutch.

2. Take a few minutes first thing each morning to

visualize yourself moving through your day, trying

out your new strategy, allowing your feelings, and

making healthy food choices.

3. Resolve to be self aware before, during, and

after your eating -- no matter what.

4. Welcome your feelings warmly and "make small

talk" with them, so you can understand what they

are trying to tell you about your needs.

5. Honor your needs.

6. Notice without judgment the thoughts and

feelings you are having about your feelings.

7. Make notes about what you did in response to

an uncomfortable feeling instead of eat, and how

well it did or didn't work for you.

8. Resolve to stick with the experiment until you

know whether or not the new strategy can work.

9. If the new strategy is not working, get more

support. If it still isn't working, do some

research and try another strategy.

10. Never give up!

As one of my coaching clients reminded me

recently, the only way out is through. To

keep obesity in remission, we need to practice

putting our food crutch down, and bravely feel

our feelings, as often as we can.

It's possible!