Dr. Billy had a long conversation with Lisa on the day of her Surgery and in that discussion was a little something called "Consumption of FOOD". Hmmm, sounds like a good thing HUH? Not the way Billy wants us to start looking at it. SIGH!!

There are several things he discussed with both of us that day. I am sure Lisa will add her two cents when she gets home. Which as I look at my watch I see her plane should have landed safely in Vegas as I type this. Miss her already. SNIFF SNIFF!!!

1. All of us out there that compare our fill to someone elses or compare our weight loss or whatever we all need to STOP that. Everyone is different. Case in point, Lisa and I were a little shocked to see that we have 1 lb difference in our weight. I wear a size 14/16 now and I think she said she wears a size 18. She is also 5'10" and I am 5'7". We are all individuals and each of us are different in more ways than one. So stop comparing yourself to someone elses weight loss journey. That will set you up for failure and I WON'T HAVE IT! GOT IT!!

2. Consuming of food stuff is another biggie we talked about at length. He made lots of sense on his outlook of dealing with this struggle. If we stop to think about it we all eat about 50 different types of foods. If you start trying to name them all you will be able to name about 10 and then get stuck. I did this and it worked. LOL!!! So he suggests to pick one of the 50 and learn it. What is a serving? (he means to actually cut the meat and weigh it and SEE what it looks like) What calories, protein, carbs, and fat are in this item? If you use Tuna, then look at the can and see that one can is not a single serving it is more than one. What does it look like to have that serving. If you add Mayo, how much would that add to the calories. He wants us to really learn the foods we bring into our bodies so we are empowered over the food instead of it controlling us. WE decide what is best for our bodies. The Band can't do that for us. The Band is only a tool to keep us from eating too fast and too much. As Lisa said we have to "work the band". We have to do the work. It isn't a quick fix or even an easy fix for our weight loss.

3. We all have reasons and idiosyncrasies that keep us obese. Lisa discovered that her issues are eating at night. Mine are I graze all day and I eat the wrong things and sometimes eat after 8p. You have to find your crutch and work to break it down one rung at a time until it is gone.

4. To me support is the key in any successful journey, whether it be weight loss, drug addiction, alcoholism, etc. The more we share what we have learned with each other the better it will be for the new ones coming along. They will learn from Lisa to be your own advocate and not just blindly accept what you are told if it just doesn't seem right. There is no harm in asking a question to verify what you were told. Some docs have the attitude that they are "GOD" and know everything. As a nurse I have seen this many times. It sickens me to see it and I have called several docs on it. You HAVE to play an active role in your own bodies health.

I am sure Lisa will add to this post when she can. This was my input for now.

Penni Thanks ! These are all good tips to live by. THANK YOU!

This is wise advise, thanks so much.

Good tips! Thanks Penni!

whether it be weight loss, drug addiction, alcoholism, etc

I wish I could just stop eating like stopping smoking, drug addiction...but we all need fuel/food. Wise choices, and for me knowing when to quit.

I'm addicted to food. :tired

Good stuff Penni, Thanks

The not comparing your weight and weight loss to other is so right cos my weight loss has been slow..only about 10 lbs so far and i was getting a bit peeved with it until i read your words of wisdom penni...thankyou for taking the time to type that up for us.

love tracey

I was going to reply to this, but it might end up being the biggest thread hijack ever! I'm gonna go post my homework on another thread so I don't walk on Penni-Pooh's toes cuz I love her.

Excellent post Penni - my french surgeon said pretty much the same thing to me before the surgery - he said the band is only a crutch and I should be having some kind of counselling to help with my "head" issues. I watched that Sandra Bullock movie "28 Days" where she is an alcoholic and sent to rehab - I was crying watching that, trying to cope with all the cravings and no restriction - I wished I could be locked up in a food rehab somewhere, where someone handed fruit and veg, and steamed fish to me three times a day for 28 days - it's just what I need - Like Lisa, I hate food but it's always there, screeching it's nails down a chalkboard, begging to be eaten...Like Vera too, I'm addicted to food - where's our help?

OMG to the screeching nails comment! That's EXACTLY how food talks to me!

Thanks, Penni!!!! Lots of good info there!

See? THIS is what I needed... I NEEDED to read something like this to get my butt back on tract.

I too, L O V E food.

Its my bestfriend.

You see, "Food" has been with me when I was sad, "Food" has been with me when I've felt lonley, "Food" has been there for me when I had to wake up at 2am to feed an infant baby and cant stay awake.

So, Im having a real hard time breaking this relationship with my bestfriend...

Thanks Penni. Maybe if I print these instructions and read them often, maybe - just maybe it will set me straight.

brilliant post. I hope you don't mind but I copied most of it and posted it on another forum cause I thought it was SOOOO insightful.

I have a tendency to compare myself to others and I shouldn't because everyone IS different.

Hugs/Cheers to you!

This was a great post Penni. Thank you so much. I think I need to really analyze what I eat more. I know the tuna is more than one serving, but unfortunately it never stopped me from eating the whole damn can. I really need to work on portion control and I really need to start keeping a journal of what I eat.

Thanks again.