March Bandsters: MASTER THREAD

[Busy 0]

Hi all, I haven't posted for awhile so thought I'd better jump in here so I'll be accountable for myself while on vacation next week. I've been playing with a pound back and forth the last 2 to 3 weeks and I'm hoping that I won't gain anything while in Nashville next week. We leave tomorrow and I won't be home til June 9 so the temptations will certainly be there. I've had 2 fills now and still feel a little restriction but I'm already looking forward to my 3rd fill on June 16 after we're back from vacation. I'm glad to see everyone is doing well. Keep up the good work.

Teri, you will be in my area next week. I am about an hour away from Nashville and love to spend the weekend there. Have fun!!!

[mylah 0]

Well got my wii fit today and have to say I have alot of work to do to get in shape.I'm showing 20 years older than I am.It seems like it will be alot of fun.It sure made me sweat.Any advice on what the best exercises.Had my 3rd fill thursday,feeling a little different but not sure I have hit the sweet spot yet.I definitily have to chew-chew-chew and have to eat slower than ever before.Have a great weekend everyone.

[potatie 5]

Hi Mylah, I LOVE my Wii Fit too. My favorite exercises are hula hooping and stepping. I usually start with hula hooping and then move to stepping and ending with 20 min of free step. Then I do the body test after I finish my 30 min. I found that I weighed less after exercising so that is why I do my body test after. I also found that my Wii age was a lot lower after exercising. So try that. Have you gotten to boxing yet? It is a lot of fun.

I get to have my second fill on Wednesday. I should of had it last week but because of the holiday my doctor was not working. So I am hoping that they will still let me have my fill, because I am still losing weight, but I am also searching out food in the evening. I hope all goes well.

[lynnt1215 1]

HELP... I find myself eating too much. even though I feel some tightness. I am hungry. I feel like the wall has hit and I am scared. At this point in any ordinary diet I begin to feel confident and start eating again. and find myself in the same mindset, even with the band.

I go for a 3 month check up tomorrow, with the doctor that gave me my final clearance and then my 2nd fill on Thursday. I know I am not being true to my lapband and trying to get that last bite in....

I fine myself snacking all day, even though it is appropriate foods it is too often.... any suggestions?? :laugh:

[jkpenny376 2]

Hey March bandsters. I know this is the March banding string and I am sorry if this aggrivates anyone, but I was hoping to be able to get some info from you. My name is Kelly and I am going to be banded June 5th. I am here because I wanted to ask all of you who have been banded for a few months your advice and trials and tribulations and see how you all were doing with your weight loss...I am also wondering if there are any advice you could give me. I am getting extremely NERVOUS...my date is in less then a week and I am getting overwhelmed...thinking you guys have been there done that I wanted to pick your brain. Thank you...also I am being banded in Juarez MX so those that were banded there any personal info related to that experience would be grateful as well. Keep up the good work guys and gals.

Kelly

[thin2bme 2]

Teri! Nice to see you again! You've been doing great!

I think another temptation with your Nashville trip (aside from, let's be frank, the INCREDIBLE barbecue) might be this idea that "Hey, I'm getting another fill when I get home, so, why not..." etc etc. It would be for me so, AVOID that! We know where your scale lives now - we need you back here on the 10th - impress us with your ability to lose weight, even on a vacation!

You know you can do it. You'll be walking a lot - I say you'll be down 2 lbs come the 10th. But you could probably beat that if you tried...

Fenton,

Well I'm here in Nashville and the hotel has free wireless internet so I'm able to check in daily. (SMILE) Yesterday was travel day and we got here about 7:45 last nite so today is our first day to explore. We see the band Restless Heart tonite looking forward to that, we have front row seats and meet and greet tickets, woohoo.

I weighed before we left town yesterday and was down 3 lbs since Tuesday, I hope I don't gain those 3 lbs back while we're here. I made a conscious effort yesterday to stay on track which was good. I would love to see 2 lbs come off while we're gone Fenton, but I'll be happy with staying the same but thanks for the words of encouragement.

DH is still in bed and I've gone over to the office area and had a banana and glass of orange juice for Breakfast already this morning and feeling quite satisfied at the moment.

Well, I'll keep in touch as the week goes on, talk later.

[thin2bme 2]

Hi Busy,

This is our 3rd year going to Nashville, we started coming to the CMA Music Fest 2 years ago and have been hooked ever since so hence here we are again. I love this town, so much to see and do here. We usually bring the RV down, but just a few days ago decided to stay in the hotel and drive since the price of diesel fuel has hit the roof. This hotel is ok, but I prefer the RV but it will suffice for 9 nights. We are going to the Grand Ole Opry for a private concert from Carrie Underwood for her fan club members Tuesday morning and then we will be at the Grand Ole Opry Tuesday nite (watch for me in the 5th row left center on GAC Tuesday nite you just might see me waving at you, lol). It's being taped and broadcast live so I'm recording it just in case the camera shines my way, lol. Wednesday, we are going to the Celebrity Softball game that is made up of 2 teams of celebrity musicians and stars, that should be fun. Then Thursday through Sunday nites we'll be attending the nightly concerts with a lot of big name country musicians. Since I'm down 45 lbs this year, I'm hoping to do more of the daytime activities than we've done in the past. Since you only live an hour away, if you've never been to this you should come, it makes for a great vacation.

[Fenton 3]

Lynn, first off, you've done GREAT so far! And you can continue to do well - you know it's all up to you.

If you're saying that the second fill didn't get you the restriction that you need, perhaps you should call your doctor's office and schedule another.

The snacking/overeating habit is hard to manage, isn't it? The important thing is to keep your goal in sight. Force yourself to recognize that continuing to eat as you're eating now will put you right back where you were before you went through the whole process of a band. Don't let yourself think that snacking is fine, because it's "just 50 calories" or "just 80 calories". Perhaps you should be journaling your food intake, or at least keeping a running total in your head, figuring out how many calories that snack adds to your intake, and how much exercise it will take to recover from that calorie hit. Or maybe commit to exercising immediately - "if I eat this apple, I will go for a 30 minute walk".

Mostly, though, you're lying to yourself constantly to let yourself snack. It's not easy to do, but you HAVE to recognize that short term "satisfaction" can and will destroy your weight loss, if you let it. Ask yourself "Is this worth undoing all of the hard work I've put into this process?"

And don't "wait to lose weight until the next fill", either! It's completely your decision.

And if you keep on eating, ask yourself why it is you want to be fat.

[Fenton 3]

Hey, Kelly - congrats on your decision to have a band! Two months from now, you'll be a whole new you...

It's perfectly natural to get nervous, but really, don't sweat it - it's one of the easiest surgeries there is, just about a nothing of an operation. I was anxious too, worried about surgery and anesthesia - I was 473 pounds when I started - but you're dealing with doctors and medical staff who do this all the time, so everything will flow as a smooth routine. I walked into the Operating Room, lay on the table, they put an IV in my arm and then I woke up banded - it was just that fast.

It would be really helpful to you to read this thread from the beginning - not ALL of it, but in the first part of the thread, we're all discussing our run-up to getting banded, then talking about surgery, then about recovery, then about getting mobile again and going back to work, then about the challenges and satisfactions of getting to know our bands. I wrote very specifically about what my own experience was like, starting on March 6, my band date, and did my best to post every day about what I was going through or noticing.

So have a look at that stuff. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to shout them out!

[sharona 2]

Well I was laid off on Wednesday. Hard to believe that anyone in the healthcare field would be laid off. I was the last manager hired and so now the first to go with the lay offs. It's very unsettling....I will have no problem getting another job but I liked the one I was in .

So I'm working for the staffing agency I've been involved with since I had gone to graduate school and glad I stayed with them even though I only occassionally worked for them after finishing school.

I'm planning to take the summer to regroup working perdiem for $40/hr through the agency in homecare. 32 hours. That will give me some time to enjoy the summer. I'm still toying with getting my own private case management company up and going as there is such a great need for geratric case management.

You all probably dont really have time to listen to this but I needed to put it somewhere. I've been doing well with not eating. Only had ice cream (my favorite comfort food) once. I'm calling for a 4th fill this week as I'm still not restricted enough.

Everybody is doing great we should be so proud of ourselves. In spite of all the "forks" in the road that everyone has to bear.

Have a great day as it is beautiful in Connecticut.

sharon:)

[MichelleInCA 22]

HELP... I find myself eating too much. even though I feel some tightness. I am hungry. I feel like the wall has hit and I am scared. At this point in any ordinary diet I begin to feel confident and start eating again. and find myself in the same mindset, even with the band.

I go for a 3 month check up tomorrow, with the doctor that gave me my final clearance and then my 2nd fill on Thursday. I know I am not being true to my lapband and trying to get that last bite in....

I fine myself snacking all day, even though it is appropriate foods it is too often.... any suggestions??

What keeps me trying, in spite of very slow weight loss, is recognizing that this is my last chance, and I can't fail! It was a 7-month process from my decision to do the band, until I actually got it. Now 3 months after surgery it's still not working the way I'd imagined. I need another fill.

So my choices are to give up and eat like I did before, or eat as if the band is working as much as I can until it is adjusted perfectly.

Here are a few tips a counselor gave me:

• Eat very slowly even if your band isn't forcing you to. Put your fork down between each bite.
  
• If you're presented with trigger foods (like chips or chocolate, for me), tell yourself you're not a person who eats those foods. Don't take the first bite.
  
• Stop eating before you're full. At least for me, there's a time delay between my last bite and when the band kicks in and makes me feel full. You have to learn to trust that that full feeling will happen.
  
• Make a cup of tea with a bit of diet Creamer instead of eating that snack.< br />

Anyway, those are a few ideas. The main thing mentally is we have to think of this as a new, critical stage of our lives. We're not going to be the ones who don't make it with the band! We're just not! :smile:

Edited June 1, 2008 by MichelleInCA

[Fenton 3]

Teri - have a lovely time in Nashville. It's really a fun city, I think.

Sharona! While it's zero fun, maybe being laid off is a blessing in disguise: being able to make your own schedule in the gorgeous summer months is a bit of a luxury... Make the most of it!

And well done on not giving in to impulsive eating!

[Fenton 3]

Michelle, I think you really hit the nail on the head when you talk about this being a critical time for us. I don't think anyone reached the band without a long road of struggle, success and then failure with the weight loss process. We each of us have so much invested in this that we really have no option but to make it work. It's too important to screw up.

[HarleyGirl 1]

I hope you are able to get your own business going, Sharon!

I think the band is kind of a milestone.....it's the place to make changes and certainly that can carry over in to the rest of our lives!

Enjoy your free time.....I didn't go back to work for five months after I retired from the PD....it was nice!

[mylah 0]

Well I think the wii is working or my 3rd fill because I'm finally in the 250's. I couldn't believe my eyes when I stepped on the scale this morning.The wii is alot of fun,you are working and having a good time.

I'm not feeling hungry now for about 5 hours and not needing near as much food to feel full.I know now I didn't waste 16 gran.It really is a good feeling to be able to relate to others on the board who said be patient and let the band work with you.It truly is amazing to eat the small amount of food and feel full for so long,thought it would never happen for me.I am learning to love this thing they call the lapband.