Today is my two-week Bandaversary and I'm so happy. The process has gone very well for me. I did a lot of planning, including making an appointment for a haircut today. A little present to myself! Along with stress and emotional eating, eating from boredom, etc., I used food as a reward system for myself. Time to come up with some good alternatives, ones that involve taking good care of myself. Getting the band was such a gift -- a way of choosing myself and my healthy future. That has done wonders for my self-esteem already.

I'm happy to report that I still love food. I'm a good cook and I'm "in" food all the time -- nothing has changed there. The thing that has changed is that I am not really hungry. I have no cravings whatsoever and I am satisfied on very little food. It's only been two weeks and I'm fully prepared for a return of hunger; it just hasn't happened yet. Right now I'm transitioning into smooth and soft foods that are a little less mushy. I really want some veggies and have steamed beets on hand for my next meal. A half cup of those and a half cup of cottage cheese will make a splendid lunch. This is something that would have only been an appetizer before -- the beginning of a much larger meal and/or an afternoon of grazing. Later there is salmon on the menu. I have had turkey chile and all kinds of Soups. Sunday we went to a potluck with people who don't know I'm banded and that was fine. I brought a pureed squash Soup and had some Indian pudding for dessert. And we have eaten out a few times. This is something I was worried about but it was so easy. There may be foods that don't work for me and beef may be one. I had a bite of a Mexican dish I was making and I chewed and chewed and chewed until I spit out the little piece of spicy ground beef. Beef may be off my menu.

My only concern right now is that I'm not having enough calories. The doctor told me not to worry about calorie or Protein goals at this time, so I'm trying to relax about the notion that I'm putting my body into starvation mode. On Thursday I meet with the nutritionist at the hospital but I know I am the one who has to figure out what's going to be best for me going forward, including a calorie goal to meet each day. Any thoughts on this are very welcome.

The incisions are healing up nicely and I've resisted the temptation to overstretch or do any lifting. I started walking in the hospital and have become a walker. This is something I really wanted to accomplish -- pulling that switch in my brain to want to exercise. I still have a little ways to go. There are those old voices that tell me I can do it later, or I already had one walk so this isn't needed, etc. But I've started talking back and overriding. I have more will power now not only for resisting food temptation (have not really encountered any yet so that's easy) but also the will power to get moving.

I really want to thank all the people here who have been cheering me on; you are wonderful! Best wishes for a fine Tuesday. And I got to create a post today, something I haven't been able to do since the changeover. Yippee!

I can tell your mind is in such a good place. I love that you are rewarding yourself so early on with nonfood rewards. Good for you!

Just wanted to chat about the calorie target- What kind of exercise do you think is manageable at this time for you? This is THE #1 factor as to which caloric range you will aim for.

Right now cals don't matter..give it another few weeks. I think many of us were lingering in the 500s but ended up in the 800s by the end of the month as we transitioned into solids and larger portions.

Very low cal range is for ppl who are not exercising. 800-1000

Little exercise 900-1100

Consistent exercise 1000-1200

Marathon runner 1200-1500

These are MY ranges based on the many posts people have shared about their target zones and their level of activity. REmember wl= calories in - calories burned. Change one variable at a time for optimal results. Journal your intake and energy expenditure to fine tune changes if needed.

Good luck girl, you are doing everything right!!!

Thanks so much, Hazel. That is reassuring. I exercise every day and am 52. That 1,000 number may be a good eventual goal for me. Meanwhile, only eating when I'm hungry and getting used to listening to my body. Have also attempted some eating with the clock to let a minute elapse before the next little spoonful. That's quite the exercise in mindfulness. Talk about the Slow food Movement........

I'm so happy things are going so well for you! I also scheduled a hair appointment about a week after surgery. It was one of my first outtings that I drove myself for. And since I get my hair cut on the same campus where I work, it was a test to see if I could handle the longer drive and the time sitting in a chair (2 hours) before going back to a full day. I'm so glad I did that.

I have experimented with new foods quite often. If I found that the first time I tried something (wendy's chili and anything with ground beef) and couldn't tolerate it I just waited a couple of weeks and tried again. I LOVE turkey chili now and can eat ground beef (prepared in ways that make it moist) now.

As for going out to eat...I've discovered I don't have to give up Mexican food. I just order a soft taco and a side of refried Beans. I still can't eat the taco shell, but I can eat all the good stuff on the inside! And my fav neighborhood restaurant (mainly Italian dishes) will customize anything to help me stay on plan. They are so supportive of my new lifestyle!

I'm still on a soft food diet (no raw veggies, no bread, no pasta) and will be until the new year. But, there are a lot of variations and recipes to try. I'm loving it.

I hope you continue with your good success. I'm so happy I have my band. I'm thinking of creative names to call it. It's my buddy, my pal. It should have a name

Keep up the good work!

So glad u are doing well.. keep up the good work

So happy for you Bandista! We have nearly identical stats and I can't wait to join you on this journey. You are doing so great, I hope I can do as well.

So happy for you Bandista! We have nearly identical stats and I can't wait to join you on this journey. You are doing so great, I hope I can do as well.

You'll do great, Misty!

Today is my two-week Bandaversary and I'm so happy. The process has gone very well for me. I did a lot of planning, including making an appointment for a haircut today. A little present to myself! Along with stress and emotional eating, eating from boredom, etc., I used food as a reward system for myself. Time to come up with some good alternatives, ones that involve taking good care of myself. Getting the band was such a gift -- a way of choosing myself and my healthy future. That has done wonders for my self-esteem already.

I'm happy to report that I still love food. I'm a good cook and I'm "in" food all the time -- nothing has changed there. The thing that has changed is that I am not really hungry. I have no cravings whatsoever and I am satisfied on very little food. It's only been two weeks and I'm fully prepared for a return of hunger; it just hasn't happened yet. Right now I'm transitioning into smooth and soft foods that are a little less mushy. I really want some veggies and have steamed beets on hand for my next meal. A half cup of those and a half cup of cottage cheese will make a splendid lunch. This is something that would have only been an appetizer before -- the beginning of a much larger meal and/or an afternoon of grazing. Later there is salmon on the menu. I have had turkey chile and all kinds of soups. Sunday we went to a potluck with people who don't know I'm banded and that was fine. I brought a pureed squash soup and had some Indian pudding for dessert. And we have eaten out a few times. This is something I was worried about but it was so easy. There may be foods that don't work for me and beef may be one. I had a bite of a Mexican dish I was making and I chewed and chewed and chewed until I spit out the little piece of spicy ground beef. Beef may be off my menu.

My only concern right now is that I'm not having enough calories. The doctor told me not to worry about calorie or Protein goals at this time, so I'm trying to relax about the notion that I'm putting my body into starvation mode. On Thursday I meet with the nutritionist at the hospital but I know I am the one who has to figure out what's going to be best for me going forward, including a calorie goal to meet each day. Any thoughts on this are very welcome.

The incisions are healing up nicely and I've resisted the temptation to overstretch or do any lifting. I started walking in the hospital and have become a walker. This is something I really wanted to accomplish -- pulling that switch in my brain to want to exercise. I still have a little ways to go. There are those old voices that tell me I can do it later, or I already had one walk so this isn't needed, etc. But I've started talking back and overriding. I have more will power now not only for resisting food temptation (have not really encountered any yet so that's easy) but also the will power to get moving.

I really want to thank all the people here who have been cheering me on; you are wonderful! Best wishes for a fine Tuesday. And I got to create a post today, something I haven't been able to do since the changeover. Yippee!

Congatulations on your 2 weeks , my are tomorrow and also tomorrow going back to work, still in full liquids but doctor allowed me to eat cheese and eggs to start chewing he said , I might start doing that over the weekend, We are doing great!! )

Congatulations on your 2 weeks , my are tomorrow and also tomorrow going back to work, still in full liquids but doctor allowed me to eat cheese and eggs to start chewing he said , I might start doing that over the weekend, We are doing great!! )

Good luck on the back to work today. I am working also -- and yesterday a huge walk around a lake. I feel better than ever. Could not have done that before. Taking it easy in terms of no lifting and stretching -- but the cardio is great. Best wishes to you!

a happy and positive attitude makes the success even sweeter....but you are sweet enough band......so so happy to read happy/posts...keep em coming as i look forward to read them.

Congratulations on your success! Keep up the good work! I found it helpful to stay focused on taking my vitamins and getting enough protein versus Number of calories. At least for now, I have 100+ to go!