Hey all.

So there's a bunch of us in this group, all split up into our different banding days. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to have one master thread as we move through the month, in which all of us could post as we go, from the pioneers going on March 1st to the finalists on March 31st.

I'd love to talk about our anticipation and any worries as we approach our banding date, for people to talk about exactly what happened from the moment they walked into the hospital door until the second they walked out, about how recovery is going, about weight loss and plateaus, about non-scale victories and challenges.

I was thinking that if we all contribute to one thread, it'll form a more substantial channel for information and support. At the moment, I was thinking that we might be too spread out into individual date, and that a central thread would be a really good backbone for the group, in addition to the date-specific threads.

What do you think?

Fenton

Way to go Jamie! I too used to login and check the lapband board daily and sometimes multiple times a day when I was first going through this and now I've fallen back from getting a daily dose of help from those who understand. I promise to try to stay in touch on here more often.

The scale was down 2 lbs from where I thought I was so I think the dedication I put in this week is helping. Let's keep going!

I also feel a responsibility to make the lapband work for me because so many people never heard of a lapband including my primary care doctor and my family when I decided to go thru this instead of gastric bypass. I don't want to fail for fear it will scare others off a valuable tool option they could consider.

I must be getting back into 'band eating' -- eat a small amount and get full then a few hours later - suddenly realize I am really hungry and I need protein now! Yesterday I was doing heavy duty yard work so I was probably burning off every calorie I had eaten so I was after a protein shake later in the day - putting chocolate protein powder into morning coffee to give myself a protein jumpstart to the day and sometimes making a strawberry protein shake using skim milk, vanilla/strawberry protein powder, Crystal Lite Strawberry drink single packet, ice cubes, frozen strawberries, and some Splenda -- makes a big strawberry shake to sip on slowly and its not that many calories.

Where are my Shamrock friends? I am still trying but I'm finding that I make some bad choices when I eat and that is discouraging to me. Really frustrated with my foster mom - she is 83 years old and has been pretty mean to me since I lost my job in June - she was convinced I did something to deserve to be laid off - what the heck! then when I let them know I had found a new job - she agreed to finally meet me after 2 months of not speaking - then that day I had to deliver some bad news that I can't afford certain things in life now and needed her support on that -- so again, not speaking to me again. Here it is with Thanksgiving coming up and she isn't speaking so I'm not sure what I'm doing for the holiday dinner. I did go ahead and make plans to get together with a cousin and her son/grandsons the next day on Friday but this is so frustrating to me that family can be such an emotional problem-- and that I revert to food for comfort. Ugh!

Keep me in your prayers and good thoughts.

How are others doing? I hope being quiet here on this board means you are doing okay.

Hi Special K.....Sorry to hear about your issues with your Mom. Sounds like she may not be the best person to go to for support. One thing I learned very early on is that I cannot depend on family. I am blessed with wonderful friends and they are my support at every turn. I hope you have some special friend in your life you can share with.

I am sorry you are stuck. It sounds like you are doing better, but not pleased with the speed of the weight loss. I too have about the same 40 pounds to lose. I got a fill a few weeks ago and it is too tight. I can only do liquids. I can't take the time off from work to get is loosened, so I have been muddeling through. I have started losing again, but this is not the way it should to be done.

My husband is still in Afghanistan, so I totally understand stress and being alone. Wish I could help out on that front.

Take care and I pray you find someone special to share the Holidays with.

Christine

I am here. :thumbup: It sounds like you have lot's of stress in your life or literally for us on opur plates.

Why is this woman your foster Mom? Just curious.

I am down 65lbs total and about 56lbs to go. I am almost under 200lbs which is a huge milestone for me! Hooray!

SpecialK, I eat when I have pain in my body, like cramps or a headache. I was just filled again and it's almost impossible to eat anything at all. I am fine with Soups and shakes. Stress is another trigger for me. It is so hard sometimes to have the urge to eat carbs when things get tough. I know the feeling. Sometimes I just eat a little chocolate to take the edge off. I am not perfect and will never be type A enough to be on a strict strict band diet. I do pretty well losing, when I do Protein shakes for Breakfast and lunch then eat a sensible portion controlled dinner, but I make it really flavorful and healthy. I lose pretty well.

The Holidays are always hard to make good choices. Thanksgiving is such a part of our culture, is it possible to stay within our calorie range and eat Thanksgiving? I think so. How much can we eat really when filled properly? Not that much. In addition I do intend to make Cookies and all that yummy stuff over the holidays. My doctors office is a health food concious place (health food nazis really), and preaches that all of the sweets are sooo bad for you. Well I meet them in the middle and say I have to be human too. Ideally we shouldn't be eating any carbs at all. I am making exceptions this year. And again how much can we really eat anyway? As long as I have my band filled (or as I refer to it as the "choke chain"), I can't eat that much that would make me gain a significant amount.

Sorry for the babble. I hope your issues get better. Do you have anyone you can talk to in your area? You need someone. Keep in touch.

Getting less chubby everyday,

Chubby Checker

Thanks Christine and Chubby Checker for answering back. I do have great friends here locally that are tremendous support and I do have a good counselor I see.

My mother died when I was 5 years old and my Dad remarried 3 more times, the last to the wicked stepmother figure you see in the Cinderella story. Anyway, she was so abusive that I eventually was taken out of my home and sent to live with an aunt and uncle as my foster parents. The aunt is the sister of my stepmother - what a crazy family but I have made it work for more than 40 years which my counselor says is a tremendous credit to me. I believe in God and believe He has brought me through and will continue to be with me until this is resolved. She has done this thing of not talking for periods of time in the past but not as bad as she is doing this year. Yes, family stress is part of the reason I became an overeater -- stuffing my face to make me feel better. She doesn't even comprehend that she is causing pain - or maybe she does - but the holidays are a stressful time for someone single and someone who struggles with weight and eating so I have to be extra diligent at this time of year not to gain weight.

I did have a good day yesterday -- Positive - worked out on my lunch time, ate a healthy salad for lunch, healthy turkey chili and a Protein shake for an evening snack so I am doing good as I start the day.

Thanks for being out there and listening as I am sure those of us who struggle with eating understand emotional eating.

Hi There. I had a half cc removed from my band two weeks ago and feel I have good restriction now, but need to make better choices. I have not had pain in a while, but have been sticking to soft foods in fear that all that pain and stuff I had dealt with most of the time I have had the band will resurface.

I am giving my self a challange. After Christmas is over I am committed to having healthy foods, trying to re-introduce more solid foods and see how it goes. My meds have been pretty well balanced at this point to help with the gastritis and the delayed gastric emptying. I am hopeful that I can get another 30 pounds off by my birthday in June. I think it's realistic and attainable.

I found a new Spin type class between my job and home and I am going to try i out on Sunday morning. I am excited. It's called Evolution Cycle. It's a spin class, but the stationary bikes move, so it's a good core work out and calorie burner without being too hard on the joints. I will let you know ho it goes.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Christine

Happy Holidays. So all my babble about eating good and bad over the holidays certainly has not paid off. I weighed in tonight and I have definitely gained. This will come off come in the new year and then some. I would like to be down 40lbs by March. That probably is not realistic, but I will try. =) Happy New Year everyone.

Hi to all my Shrinking Shamrocks -- I haven't been online in awhile - still going through some stressful crap in my personal family life and the new job I have is involving quite a bit of overtime but I like what I'm doing and the people I work with. I have been overindulging in sweets over the holidays and junk food so I'm coming clean with the need to turn a new leaf for the new year. Hope to hear how the rest of you are doing out there. Its tough keeping going every day. I now realize how thrilling that fast weight loss was for motivation versus slow and steady wins the race. I am joining a WW class at work on January 13 and I'm committed to 10 weeks and hoping to nail a good 10 lbs in that time!

Hi Shrinking Shamrocks,

I haven't posted in such a long time. I also haven't lost weight in a long time. I am trying to get back to the things that helped to make me so successful in my journey early on. I feel like I've lost my way. But I am back and thank you all for still posting and being here. Almost 3 years out and I am still working on modifying my behavior. I hope to get back to posting regularly here again.

I'm also tracking what hours of the day I eat my WW PointsPLus to see if I am eating a little bit throughout the day including breakfast to fire up my metabolism and keep it burning calories all day.

Hi, guys!

Kathy (aka Special K) has nudged me back on here, but I SWEAR I was coming back anyway.

I've done pretty badly - I went a long time without a fill at the beginning, and was a hardcore bandster, and did really well. Then I got into a brief and damaging relationship, and fell off the ladder. Well, it was more like falling down a staircase - a sequence of disastrous tumbles and plateaus. I've gained quite a bit, always meaning to "get back on the wagon real soon"...

And then, finally, last week I learned I have high blood pressure. It's kind of a mystery to me why I haven't had it until now, but, whatever: it's an important medical issue, and jeez, I know how to fix it. So I'm taking my meds, and I'm back down to 1250 - 1500 cals a day. I'm now feeling pretty good, between the rapid initial weight loss and the medication.

I'd like to say I'm going to be on a lot, but I only really come here for you guys, and if there are no wildebeest gathering at the watering hole, the lion will prowl the wide savannahs of the internet...

I hope everyone's doing well, and to those that have slipped a bit, no time like right now to get back on board...

xFenton

I had a hard time traveling for work eating out every meal, they were ordering muffins for breakfast, pizza for lunch, etc. and then I found it easy to drink beer/wine to have fun with the bunch of guys I was traveling with so I was getting back on the bandwagon when I got home. I did lose .4 lb. when I weighed in at WW yesterday so its progress. Gotta do better this next week. Trying not to use my birthday tomorrow as an excuse to fall off the wagon too. I was so so excited on my birthday 3 years ago because that was when I learned about my lapband surgery being approved. I did make some good choices at Olive Garden last night for an early birthday dinner.

Come on Shamrocks,,,, let's finish this off !

Just a check in.....the holidays kicked my ass. I ate like a beast.....fortunately, I only gained seven pounds.....but I am finding it hard to get back on track.

I've managed to get 4 pounds off.....I freaking hate winter. It's depressing and it's hard to get out and I find myself reverting back to old habits. Been having lots of problems with reflux, too. I know it's from eating badly.....the last couple of nights I've been more careful, not eating after 7pm, drinking a lot of water...and the reflux has been better, so I know I can control it.

I had a guy come in to work the other day and we started talking and he told me he was getting ready to have lap band surgery, so I told him that had had it done.

It did me good to talk to someone who is just starting and wanting it so badly, made me appreciate what a gift I already have....and that I really need to get back to working it.

Hey Shamrocks!

It's like old home week.

Wish I had better new to tell but I guess its just best to say Im back trying to get healthy again. I hope to pop back in more often.

Ive updated the regained ticker(ouch!) but left the old one too to inspire me.

Amanda