SHRINK'N VIOLETS

Hello all... I'm Tracy and I'm starting this thread because I just found out that I'm scheduled for Surgery on April 26, 2007.

fffffffffffffffffffast forward to April 30, 2007

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

We made it to the other side of bandland and now we are set to support one another while we shrink our booties and grow into our new smaller skins.

All are welcome to join in and post, but we are not a group that bickers..... please be supportive as we all have different paths to follow... but the journies to the more healthy self beckons....

Let the losing begin!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello all..

I'm still here...Just not online as much..

I have managed to read up to date & will get more involved with you all when I get home, I don't have the privacy here...

SARA MOS >>>> LOVE LOVE the charm idea... I am a cool jewellery freak...THANK YOU!!!

Am on last day of Florida visit. Started pre op diet on sat...Sun had easter dinner with family so I started again monday... Not really liking not having meals to look forward to. Am doing the shakes, fruit & veg & water but I've included a salad (just greens) and some hummus to keep me sane...I also had a spoon of LF cottage cheese... For God's sake I'm on a holidays!!

:hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry:

I know what I'm like & it's totally unrealistic to think I could do shakes alone during my vacay!! I am being good, albeit suiting myself by adding green salads (shoot Me!)

Mc Donald's is like a leach on my brain... not enough to give in but it's there...why?

I have lost one pound... I would normally gain 7-10 lbs being here (Yes, really!!) Best Ice Cream in the world = Palm Beach Ice Cream Parlour ...

So I like to congratulate myself with the neurotic notion that I have SAVED myself from having to loose 11....Puh-lease! Am I right?:nervous :nervous :nervous

I haven't touched a drop of alcohol & haven't eaten anything else bad despite my scary episodes of hunger fear!!! What?

WHY DO I FEAR HUNGER??!! Apparantly it's a dieter's mentality to FEAR hunger...If we learn to overcome this fear we become empowered.

The test is to go deliberatly without food for 8 hours to allow yourself to go in & out of states of hunger & the associations of it..

Now, this was an article in Oprah's O magazine based on a woman called Judith Beck & her diet solution : how to train your brain to think like a thin person.... Makes sense but as usual..

Yeah, easier said than done ...practicing this really showed me how AFRAID of hunger I am... I haven't managed to do it yet!!!

I AM SCARED EVERYBODY!!! Will I be able to overcome my food behavioural difficulties ever???

:help:

KAT817... As a seasoned bandster..can you re-assure me? What happens in life after banding?

HOLY SHEPHARD's PIE!!! I just looked at my ticker ...5 days!! OMG

... and everyone in Texas loves James Avery jewelry! ...

...It gets soooooo hot in Houston that you almost HAVE to have a gym...

TerriDoodle... I am in Houston, too! Just outside really, in Katy. So I have to agree with you on everyone here loving James Avery (started my first charm bracelet when I was 10 or 11) and also about weather here means you gotta join a gym!

I actually live a block away from LifeTime Fitness, so I know I will see tons of people there that I know, and I just can't waddle my way in right now!!!!

Would consider joining Curves right now, not embarrassed there, but I need a place with child care. So, I 'll just keep walking 1 mile/eveings with my double stroller... for now.

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</TD><TD width="100%"></TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap>Join Date: Feb 2007

Age: 59

Posts: 93

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<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Hey Bandsters!!! I'm HOME. Surgery went extremely good. No pain..

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You did it! You are now in bandland!!:clap2: I can't wait. Thanks for the update. Get some rest!!:notagree I am glad you arent feeling bad.

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Age: 59

Posts: 93

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- / user info --></TD></TR><TR><TD class=alt1 id=td_post_440567><!-- message, attachments, sig --><!-- icon and title -->Yippeeeeee!!!

<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Hey Bandsters!!! I'm HOME. Surgery went extremely good. No pain..

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You did it! You are now in bandland!!:clap2: I can't wait. Thanks for the update. Get some rest!!:notagree I am glad you arent feeling bad.

Teachlady,

That was for you but for some reason your pic/name did not appear! :speechles

Gosh Panda,

youve nearly lost 50lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!

Thank you. I've been really dedicated to the diet since 3 months before surgery...only "cheated" a handful of times. With that and doing thinks like parking further out, trying to get my 10-15 min of exercise a day in...it's really blown me away...i mean...I knew the number kept going up as I went along, but it wasn't until today that it dawned on me....."oh my gosh.......................................i'm 6 short of 50"....It just about floored me......

I'm just praying I can keep up the good work! LOL. They had a lunch at work today and the leftovers were brought into the break room....AFTER i'd had lunch already (wouldn't ya know)...but it was better that way...even though I could have had a sandwich minus the bread and lettuce, they had goodies I was oogling, but should not have had and would have been hard pressed to resist if I hadn't already eaten....won't go into details, but lets put it this way, 1.) starchy vegie i LOVE in 'salad' form, white flour stuff, lots of fructose, and also had something with more white flour+sugarX100. :-D ((doesn't sound so appetizing when you break those foods down into what they're really made of! LOL))

Panda,

Can u repost your pic or send the link to me. Everyone is talking about it and I want to see so I can get excited too.... Thanks!

Oh nevermind I finally figured out how to find it.

Judy,

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to BandLand!!!!!!!!!!!

Rent some chick flicks, kick back and take it easy. Looking forward to more of your updates!!!

Pamela

It's so exciting to see all of you newly banded home and feeling "great"!!!!!! Right???????? Positive thoughts!!!!!

This morning I met NWJenny - one of your thread members - who will have her band surgery on the 22nd..................we both live in the Portland, OR area and discovered we attend the same gym. I have adopted her as my "band daughter" - we had a wonderful sweaty hug and chat for over an hour between our classes at our gym. I'm getting her to try out my favorite class (NIA) on Sat morning................again I'm extending an invitation to you all to join our "April Bandits Exercise Challenge" - search for it...........it's a great way to utilize this terrific bunch of people who are going thru all the same experiences and are becoming healthy and

thin(er)!!!!!

Congratulation Teachlady, glad to see you made it back and not regretting it or worried about the pain

---

I did my pre-op today. Oh man..up at 4am, got there and did my testing, pre-paid everyone (bye bye money to buy a new car), wasn't too bad.. Got a lecture by one of the nurses about quitting smoking. I was cynical, and she was giving me statistics about losing 7 seconds every cigarette or something.. and I said 'Yeah but on the bright side, I don't want to be in a nursing home in diapers, so it only cuts off the bad years'. hehehe. I plan to quit before I have kids, which will be in the next couple of years, so.. let me enjoy them now damn it!!

Went to lunch with a friend that lives in Anniston, she showed me the town and where my hotel is. Went back for my pre-op meeting with the surgeon. Gosh he is so nice, I can't even describe it. They answered all the questions I had written down and accumulated.. They gave me a headache medicine for caffein withdrawal and food withdrawal (I DIDN'T EVEN ASK FOR IT!!), was ironic since I've been complaining to everyone about the caffein migraines I've been getting. They also gave me the Rx for liquid lortab to fill now, but my pharmacy said they carry the generic liquid form, so that's alright with me. I still have to run to a store Thursday (Don't want to go Friday-- that's when I start clear liquid diet, might kill me to shop for food when I can't eat anything) to get the last few things I haven't found yet.

I FOUND OUT... :help: They will be doing a catheder!! She says I will be asleep when they put it in (I don't want anyone down there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..plus those issues about me PMSing waaaaah :think )

And she said it won't hurt pulling out, it's just 'uncomfortable'. I'm officially scared now.. not about the surgery but about the catheder.. why oh why..can't I just swear not to drink anything for 24 hours?? :help:

Anyway... soon, lost a little enthusiasm due to discovering this.

I am so glad you posted how it went!! And, that it went so well for you! If you can, post every day so I can read how you are doing. Today has been better for me on the liquid diet, my 3rd day! Not so hungry today, but some, and I noticed it dont matter where ya go, what ya watch on t.v., it is always about food, that is all people talk about!! I can do this!!! My surgery is on Monday like Lauria. She gets to eat regular good almost all week, not fair!!!! Oh well, I can do this, I just keep tellin myself. :nervous

Laura,

Don't worry about the catheter. I was WAY freaked out about it too, but I swear, I couldn't even feel it at all. It was nice to not have to get up to pee, you have soooooooo much fluids pumped into you during surgery and it just comes out. You don't feel anything. The hardest part was walking around w/ the bag hanging from the IV thingy. The next morning, when she came in to take it out, I SWEAR, YOU CAN'T FEEL IT. You might feel a slight pressure when she pulls the tube out. I PROMISE!!! It is so much easier for women.

GOOD LUCK!

Margi- Yes, I feel fortunate about the diet they have me on, after hearing what some people have to go through. I really can't imagine. I tried liquid diet once for dieting, and didn't make it 24 hours. I have to do it Saturday&Sunday and that's going to be hard enough.. Good luck, stay strong!! We're almost there! :clap2:

Laura....I am getting nervous about everything too! They didn't mention a catheder at my pre-op so I don't guess I will have one....might not be a bad idea from the sound of it though.

I am totally struggling with the 2 week liquid pre-op diet....not being very successful at it. I do great until dinner time and then tend to break weak. Tomorrow is a new day....

The more I think about Monday, the more nervous I get!

Oh Lunasa---you can officially calm down---it is nothing like you are fearing!!!

There will be times between now and you finding a good spot of restriction that yes you may be hungry. But they will not last forever! Right now, you have the fear of the hunger, the upcoming surgery---everything coming in at you at one time. Once the surgery is behind you---you will likely have several days or even longer that you simply are not hungry. I don't know how much your Dr. told you, but the nerves (I think my Dr. called them the Vega nerves) are located at the top of your stomach, and they are the nerves that send the signal to the brain that you are done. Which is why now, pre banding, you have to eat a LOT to truly feel full. And once those nerves are hit, it takes awhile for your brain to fully recognize and tell you to stop eating. There are often times quiet simple signals---that you will learn, to know you are full. Once you are banded, and there is just a small pouch at the top, it is quite simple to hit those nerves quickly---in just a small amount of food. The first days following surgery the nerve pretty much stays activated, due to swelling---your stomach often swells over the indignity of that tight belt being slapped on there!!! Once the swelling goes down, hunger will return, often with a vengeance---because you are on liquids. Liquids are given to allow the band to set into place, and stitches used to do that to heal. When liquids are consumed, they usually slide right through, so the nerve is not triggered. This is the time referred to as bandster hell. A band with no restriction. It is not easy---but if you just repeat to yourself that this is the last time you truly have to "diet" ever again---and weight frequently to see the weight dropping off---you make it through. Then you begin the fill process. With my first fill of 1.25 cc.'s I suddenly felt my band work! I had allowed myself in the hunger of things to slip into some former bad eating habits! Suddenly when I ate too fast, or did not chew, it hurt! Nothing serious, but I knew that the band was there---and I was scared of a real PB or getting "stuck"---so I worked hard on my bandster eating habits. My Dr. allows a fill in 4 weeks, if you are still hungry within an hour or so after eating hard protein. I was---so a month later I had my second fill. It was small, only 1/2 a cc. I thought if 1.25 didn't do anything--then .50 is going to be a waste of time and $$$. Wrong!!!! With that little tweak of .50cc I got excellent restriction! I was no longer hungry----EVER! I am still not ever what I would call hungry. I occasionally feel hollow or empty, and realize I need to eat---but hunger---like the raging, fear inducing, more important than ANYTHING, kind of hunger----gone from my life! Used to be when I would come in at the end of the day, I grabbed anything close and easy---a bag of chips, or cookies, whatever, just so there was lots of it. Now, since I am not really hungry, it isn't a big deal to take a few minutes, and throw a salad in a bowl, or make a half a pita with some chicken salad...finding a healthy alternative, is easy, because there is no rush! I still can have some chips with a sandwich---but I get full very fast, so if I eat the worthless chips, I have taken up valuable space, with not so valuable of a quality of food. If I eat ribs, or a steak for lunch---I can easily not eat another bite of food until morning if I don't force myself. I get busy now and forget to eat---my granddaughter tells me when it is time to eat now!!! And we eat better than I used to, without a doubt. Food is no longer the center of my thoughts. I don't know what is for dinner tonight, and it is time for it---but I'll throw something together, and it will be fine, it will be enough---it isn't a concern. I used to plan dinner as I ate breakfast. I always thought that was one of the reasons I was bigger than my DH, I planned all the meals to what sounded good to me! Occasionally he would say, let's have such and such for dinner, and I always tried to do it, but sometimes it just didn't appeal, so I didn't eat so much. But no, I planned meals way before time to have them, what side dishes would go best, based on the tastes.....now it isn't a big deal.

There is a saying I had always heard, of Eating to Live, not Living to Eat. I get it now---I live it! It isn't a real concious decision to change---but when you are not starving all the time, it loses its appeal. You learn that you actually only get the big pleasure of the taste in the first 2-3 bites, then your tastebuds are adjusted...so you totally enjoy the 2-3 bites---and are done with it.

I know I have gone on FOREVER---but I want you to know it DOES change---life simplifies, and changes----you enjoy moving your body----and not being chained to the kitchen----it is nice going, and not caring if someone else eats more than their share of an appetizer!

When you are going through the bandster hell---we will all be here, to help you and offer suggestions to make the time pass---and suddenly one day you will wake up and be heading out the door to go somewhere, and think, 'oh yeah I better grab a yogurt or something'----because you forgot to eat breakfast---it WILL happen. Your band will be in there waiting to work with you---so when you and your Drt. can begin the adjustment process---get ready for a change!!!

Til then, relax---it is all gonna be ok.

Kat