Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum - Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum

[ShelbiCallie 0]

Thanks Tina & Dee! Oneder land is getting closer, I can almost taste it. But I must say, I haven't been making the best choices and need to get back to the bandster way of eating. I've been PBing more than ever from eating too fast (so I'm just not absorbing my poor food choices :wub:) and smoking like a chimney. This is not the way, I know. I've got to get my emotional stuff in check. I've been so hyper-focused on family stuff and I know I've got to get myself back to some therapy. I think I'm going to get a tiny fill soon since I'm hungry all the time. I feel like a failure for picking up the smokes again -- quitting was a big milestone for me after many, many, many unsuccessful attempts. So, starting tomorrow--Easter-- (today,actually) I'm going to try the nicotine gum again. It worked very well for me last time. Monday morning I'm calling to get a therapy appointment -- for me.

Everyone have a good week and Happy Easter!

[cara51183 0]

Shelbi - Don't give up on quitting smoking! I am so glad I quit. There are of course moments when I see someone smoking and I reach out in my mind to take a drag, but even those moments are fewer and farther between. I just smoked the last one out of my pack and refused to let myself go anywhere that I could purchase them. Counseling can be an awesome ally, let us know if there's anything we can do to help!

[cara51183 0]

Here's my question - What do you feel like post op? Like a horse kicked you in the stomach? Like you have a bad stomach bug? Do you have nausea, diahrreah (sp?), headaches, what? I had the stomach bug to end all stomach bugs this weekend and it really got me to thinking about it.

[DynamoMini 1]

Cara - people have all different reactions to surgery. Most have some nausea from the anesthesia. Some have sharp pain from stomach gasses getting lost in the body cavity. Most feel great after a week, some in much less time, others in more. It is very individual. In comparison to other surgeries I've had, this was a piece of cake. The incisions healed quickly and I was up and at 'em within three days and exercising withint three weeks. You are young and will probably heal even better than I did.

Dee - how is it going? You are so amazingly positive and supportive, I love reading what you are saying to others. I hope you are being kind to yourself too.

Brandy - no way you could lose so much. I don't care if I PB a lot, at least you got your weight loss moving. Wow! 21 pounds. I am so jealous.

Happy Spring! Happy Easter! Happy New Lives!

Michelle

[Taynuh 1]

Thanks Tina & Dee! Oneder land is getting closer, I can almost taste it. But I must say, I haven't been making the best choices and need to get back to the bandster way of eating. I've been PBing more than ever from eating too fast (so I'm just not absorbing my poor food choices :crying:) and smoking like a chimney. This is not the way, I know. I've got to get my emotional stuff in check. I've been so hyper-focused on family stuff and I know I've got to get myself back to some therapy. I think I'm going to get a tiny fill soon since I'm hungry all the time. I feel like a failure for picking up the smokes again -- quitting was a big milestone for me after many, many, many unsuccessful attempts. So, starting tomorrow--Easter-- (today,actually) I'm going to try the nicotine gum again. It worked very well for me last time. Monday morning I'm calling to get a therapy appointment -- for me.

Everyone have a good week and Happy Easter!

I hear ya, my last 6.5 pounds to go to onderland is hanging on tight... on the bright side... today I bought some new clothes...I have to say I am pumped... actually bought a regular ladies (not women's...lol...I think it runs a bit big, but I'll take it!) XL... and some 16/18w's of course.... I'm pleased as punch... earlier this past summer, before I signed up for lapband, I was wondering what happened when my 26/28's got too tight...where would I shop then?! woo hooo... not a worry now!

Of course, I also saw myself in the full-length mirror there at the store fitting room (I do not have any at home)....ugghhhh! My legs are flabby! Things are sagging... G-d, I am hoping the skin shrinks a little this next year.... or I'm gonna need a thigh lift, a Tummy Tuck and a breast lift! ka-ching! Time to start saving for the next round of surgery!

Tina (but I am happy I am healthier....) :thumbup:

[Taynuh 1]

and smoking like a chimney. This is not the way, I know. I've got to get my emotional stuff in check. I've been so hyper-focused on family stuff and I know I've got to get myself back to some therapy. I think I'm going to get a tiny fill soon since I'm hungry all the time. I feel like a failure for picking up the smokes again -- quitting was a big milestone for me after many, many, many unsuccessful attempts. So, starting tomorrow--Easter-- (today,actually) I'm going to try the nicotine gum again. It worked very well for me last time. Monday morning I'm calling to get a therapy appointment -- for me.

Everyone have a good week and Happy Easter!

Ummm, I smoke too.... is my only vice left these days... I make it hard on myself... I won't smoke inside or in front of my kids...

I will give them up eventually....but for now, I gotta have something... then again, I only smoke 5-7 butts a day!

:crying: Tina

[Lap_dancer 8]

Two posts for you all today:

To Mal who enjoys my Overeaters Anon. items. Today's thoughts:

It is my esh (experience, strength, & hope) that I can take one look at any given step & lose sight of the process.

..

"We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives: One was to go on to the bitter end,

blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept spiritual help." (Alcoholics Anonymous, p.25)

...

when I made a decision to accept spiritual help, I was beyond clueless about what that meant.

...

I was furious with the god of my childhood who I treated like a Santa Claus or vending machine.

...

I had no clue that there was a difference between religion & spirituality.

...

I was clueless that my spirituality was manifested by constant bowing to the food god as well as many other false gods.

...

I am so very grateful that this program never demanded that I abandoned my crutch for anything other than a power greater than me.

...

This is when I came to understand the word process.

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When I first began to awaken to honesty; the program became my power.

...

Soon my god morphed into Good Orderly Directions.

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Those 2 changes alone took many many odats however it was one day at time.

...

so how do you eat an elephant?

...

one meal at a time.

...

Many coes experience a pink cloud of abstinence when they first awaken to the nightmare of coe.

...

This is a pitfall waiting for my ego to jump into.

...

There is a sense of completeness.

...

There is a feeling that I'll never coe (compulsive overeat again) again.

...

Sometimes thoughts of "Aha, now I can do it" will pervade.

...

I would imagine coes who return from rehab must experience this.

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What I know from "coming to" is this is only the beginning.

...

Now is when I get down to actually working the program one day at a time in our daily lives.

...

Now is when I have more time than I ever did to focus on recovery.

...

Now is just the beginning, Please don't quit 5 minutes b4 your next miracle.

...

[Lap_dancer 8]

Happy Easter to All

Hope that you all did well today. Not to much temptation. wishing you strength to keep it going.

Congratulations on all the victories.

Reward to myself: Friday met a friend at her favorite salon and did a makeover. hair cut and colored. Feelin' fine!

[MissMom24 2]

Happy Easter Everyone...I must admit that my hand keeps dippin' into my 4 kiddos baskets!!! I am glad that I won't be here tomorrow and so I will hopefully, get back on track. Didn't do tooooo bad at dinner, but think that I could have done better. Tomorrow is a new day!!! I will start with a Protein shake and will get my Water in!!!

Now, I feel better for admiting this. On a plus side, my MIL said that I look like a totally different person. This coming from her is a HUGE, HUGE compliment. She also said it in front of everyone, so that was exciting!

Everyone have a great night and a happy Monday!

Brandy

[GreenChrysalis 1]

Thanks all for the sympathy regarding the office snafu.

I guess my fill did its work as the scale has moved down a few pounds this past week. Of course I have also been sick -- sore throat, stuffiness, coughing, the works.

Pretty strange to let Easter pass with eating only one piece of candy -- a Cadbury egg. I thought carefully about what I would want the most and that was it. So it was a planned indulgence, not the free-for-alls of the past. My DH even has additional candy in the fridge and I haven't given it any thought. Who am I?

Who is this person who goes to Outback for dinner (DH's favorite restaurant), doesn't touch the Bloomin' Onion or the bread and eats half her little entree? I guess I'll get used to this eventually, but I'm not there yet.

[DynamoMini 1]

GC - congratulations on your self-control. It is an amazing thing to be able to do. I know we all can and I have been there and it feels great.

Where I am now, doesn't feel so great. I am wrestling with the stinking thinking and behaviors. I guess I had to retest myself with lousy results. The excellent thing about the band is that it intervenes and doesn't let me ruin all my effort.

Lap - there is a "giving it up to God" process that I fight. I am so damn stubborn and think I have a better idea. Well, we all know what that leads to. So compulsive overeating is alive and well within me, but the kicker is that I can't get numb any more. I am too aware of what I am doing. So there isn't really an alternative except to heal.

On that note, happy Monday everyone.

Michelle

[Amieru 0]

Man....it sure was hard not eating the Easter candy this year!!! I did good though....only 1 piece of suger free chocolate. DH bought it because he was having cravings too. He's changing his eating habits along with me. He's lost about 50lbs too. He's looking sooooo hunky!!!! Not to say he wasn't hunky before...but woooohooo!!!!

Okay...I know we have talked about this before, but I can't remember. When does Dr. K say it's okay to start "really" exercising?? I've been walking but I'm ready to go back to Curves. I'm 5 weeks out and feel great!!! Ready to start riding the exercise train!!! You think it would be okay to start now????

Hope everyone is doing well!!! Happy Monday!

[DynamoMini 1]

Hi Everyone,

Tina - You need to update your picture avatar, I bet you look completely different with the weight you've lost.

I like the idea of sharing things successful bandster people do when they are obsessing about food. How to get in a positive frame of mind and not self destruct? I go along doing really well, then I am comfronted with a situation, emotion or some other unidentified roadblock and my resolve goes to hell. It takes a lot of work to get back on track.

Thanks for your ideas ahead of time.

Michelle

[ddavie 0]

Is Buster a basset hound by any chance? He looks very adorable. I have one too! did you end up getting the surgery and how are things going? I am in the process at Kaiser right now... lots of waiting.

Take care,

d

[Taynuh 1]

Hi Everyone,

Tina - You need to update your picture avatar, I bet you look completely different with the weight you've lost.

I like the idea of sharing things successful bandster people do when they are obsessing about food. How to get in a positive frame of mind and not self destruct? I go along doing really well, then I am comfronted with a situation, emotion or some other unidentified roadblock and my resolve goes to hell. It takes a lot of work to get back on track.

Thanks for your ideas ahead of time.

Michelle

I'll work on the pics... it's sort of became a habit over the years for me to avoid the camera...so I really don't have a recent pic (unless I have hidden myself behind a kid or a bunch of people)... but yeah, even I would like to see myself now that I have lost some weight... I don't really have a good view of my "after" (well, work in progress) self... maybe I'll have Paul take a pic....

I'm not a good bandster when it comes to sharing ideas/coping strategies on obsessing on food. I don't really obsess in the true sense... instead, I find that I get frustrated and angry that I cannot eat the way (read amounts) that I want/used to... I have always been a bulk eater (not a binger, just big portions at EVERY meal), so I tend to get pouty about the smaller amounts that I can eat... basically, I never ate that badly, I just ate way too much and led a sedentary lifestyle. Now, I eat way smaller amounts of the same stuff and am still pretty sedentary (I have yet to officially exercise since my band was "installed"... although I do have two kids currently under three, so there is some activity...lol). If I try to overeat, I PB, so I really have to behave or suffer the consequences... talk about having a shock collar...

I also never really was into sweets... so once in a great while I might be bad and indulge on small pieces of candy throughout a day once in awhile, but it never really has been enough to add up to much since it's not really something I am tempted to do often.

I give in to my cravings when they do occur... I've discovered I can eat an entire bag (99 cent size) of chili-limon cheetos with no problemo! I do so once a week... but I think it helps me with my weight loss as it jumps my metabolism up and keeps it from adjusting itself downward.

I'm a believer in the theory that if you consistently eat a low calorie diet daily and its pretty much the same daily, your body adjusts and lowers its metabolism (famine level) to compensate, thus hanging onto the fat in our bodies longer and burning it off slower. I believe that varying daily caloric intake keeps your body from adjusting, as it does not go into what it thinks is a famine state metabolically. So, while I shoot for lower calorie intake, I vary my days, and go for an average for the week... thus some days are higher calorie days (days when I give in to my cravings) and some are lower calorie (days when I focus on healthier low cal choices)... but if you average my week out, it should come out to about 1000-1200 calories a day... Also, mentally, this is easier for me to handle and I do not feel like I am constantly depriving/denying myself... I'm comfortable with my weight loss and the pace it is coming off at, although Dr. K said I'd probably lose more and quicker, by doing the low carb thing...

Also, I tend to smoke when I am craving something that I can no longer eat...so that distracts me.

I really do need to exercise so I can be in shape and more fit. Spring will make it easier... The plan is to do lots of biking with the kids...and stroller walks too.

Tina (definitely not a good bandster)...