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Being Banded has NOT changed me.



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GRAM... It's WORTH IT! Please please please know that I adore my band. My band saved my life. My band restricts my eating, it really does. My whole problem stems from being a worry wart. I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, so I worry about everything, and I constantly worry that I will lose my mind over stupid food. I worry that I'm stretching my pouch and damaging my esophagus. I worry that I'll completely lose control and jump off a bridge. But it's all in my head. I started a thread called, "Why are you fat" awhile back. Turns out that each one of us is oversweight for different reasons. I fall into the category of night time binger. It stems back to childhood when I hid and ate. Oh my gosh, I'm rambling and can't get the words out as fast as my head is spinning right now, but I'm SO SO SO glad I posted this thread.

Last night I suggested a Chat, but nobody was there at 5:00 or 5:30. But I came back later and found one of my favorite Bandster friends and two more new bandster buddies. They had suggestions up the ying-yang, but I didn't think anything could help me at this stage of the game. Teresa kept suggestiong healthy Snacks, as if I didn't already know that, but I refused to believe I had any willpower left. After I logged off Chat, I went straight to the kitchen and grabbed a candy bar - but then this shiney red apple twinkled from the counter, and I saw Teresa's face in it. So I put the candy down and ate the apple.

Babs - the stupid apple nearly made me PB. Yep, my nightly Snicker's fix slides right down with the chips and ice cream, but an apple won't go down. The good news is that I did NOT eat the candy thanks to this support board.

As far as the rumors and lies that kept me away, let's move past that now and drop it. I'm famous for editing and deleting my own words, but that's something I'm trying to stop doing, so I won't edit my original post, but I'm so glad I came back home. I'll be in Chat tonight. I'm not sure what time, but I WILL be there. LOVE YOU GUYS!

Thanks everyone for making LBT the safety net I need.

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Don't be offended, this is meant to be an encouraging post!!! Let me explain...

Okay, so I'm standing in the kitchen this afternoon with little man (age 2) and we are eating Jello out of the bowl, little spponfuls of it, taking turns, sweet! So I get a little bit of that really thick, at-the-edge-of-the-bowl Jello that doesn't melt in your mouth, you know what I mean? So, not AT ALL thinking like a bandster, and ONLY thinking like a mom, I avoid giving little man the yucky thick stuff and do what? I eat it my self, so quickly I stuck that spoon in my mouth!!! Totally not thinking.

The next 2 minutes are all slow-motion. I'm standing at the sink, both hands on the counter, praying to God to take away the pain in my chest, saying to myself, "this is a PB, I can't PB, I'm only 5 days banded, do I drink some Water? no, yes? OMG please make the pain go away, please go down, please God!" and what surprised me the most were the short waves of nausea that overcame me. I knew I had to get the jello past the band, and maybe I could have gotten away with very warm Water to help melt it, but I sipped water, stood there, then PB'd so fast in the dang kitchen sink...the pain relief was instant, and I stood there, breathing saying to myself "this thing is gonna control my LIFE!!!! How can DeLarla not be changed after getting banded?!!!"

And so I know what you mean by the band not changing your core food "Issues", but I also know that there is NO WAY you have not made habit changes regarding your eating that have been of benefit to you. Okay, think back to when you were in my shoes...life HAS changed, and in VERY MANY ways it IS better. I know you know this, just thought some perspective might help and give you some encouragement, even if it did happen during a PB. ;)

Today's Lesson: DON'T eat the thick yucky part of the jello, and if you can remember to squish it through your teeth before you swallow, rather than gulping down whole chunks of the stuff, you'll find the thick parts and not swallow them. SIGH. Warm chicken broth for the rest of the day.

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I have thought about this post for days now and pondered Humm.

And here is where I am at with food it still has it's hold on me no matter what it is or where it's at I can eat it. But will I eat it is the question? I am doing better at making good food choices but when I fail and yes eating that snickers bar or filling the bowl to the brim with Ice Cream I know that I can always make a better choice tommorrow. I do not have to kick my self or be down in the dumps because I again failed at another diet. I have come to love my band and take care of it no matter the cost. I have gotten a new lease on life and when I sit and think what I was doing last year at this time I really cannot remember. But I see my kids and how happy they are that Mom is not sitting and watching TV and snacking but actually asking them Hey lets go bike riding, Lets go fishing. I am still the same person who loves to crack a joke about myself in the middle of a serious conversation to lighten the load. I love all my coworkers and love to make them laugh and at the same time I love the new friends I have found here on LBT that makes my day go faster in my job it's a place I can sneek away to take a break. So I am the same ole me just me with a band.

And as for you Missy Lisa I love to see your post ( You enlighten us all) :cheeky

Now that there is more daylight don't know if Vegas changes times but go for long walks like the other suggestions eveing workshops. I would love to try something new..

Paula - Spanish thats cool I need to learn proper Spanish I make up my own words funny cause my husband understands what I'm saying.

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Warning: slight hijack

Kathy,

Did you vomit or PB? It sounds like you were vomiting and not a PB at all..... Are you in any pain now that you vomited just 5 days after?

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I am not banded but i, feel your pain! hope life is treating you better. And don't worry

about what people say! if they are talking about you. then there talking about some one else. at night I try to eat no later then five pm of very lite.Maybe try drinking more water! hope this help's and most of all God bless you! John

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warning: hijack redirect:)

Jenna, I was going to re-post my little episode on my "OMG I didn't die thread", (which, btw, I still haven't managed to get that awful title changed) so look for it there...too much really good stuff here to hijack, maybe later we can delete our little posts here...thanks!!! Please go there cuz I have questions!!

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So far today is mostly good (except the large McFlurry that fell down my throat.) It's 8:23 and I'm here at LBT and not laying on the couch eating. I took the dogs to the park after work and did some weights. I'm here because I can't eat and type at the same time.

I started this thread because an hour can ruin my life. All I need to do is stop eating for an hour. Is that so hard? YES. If I can make it till 9:30 without eating I'll be fine. Big friggen deal, less than 2 hours yet my head screams at me to eat when my Band is full and my belly isn't hungry. Any word on the Brain Band yet? Anyone else out there struggling to stay out of the kitchen. Kitchen.. Kitchen... that's a funny word, isn't it? We should go back to the old days where we keep our food in a root cellar. I doubt I'd drag my fat ass to the root cellar for a jar of pickled rutabagas right now, that's for sure. I'm trading the freezer in for a root cellar. Donali, is that something you could build?

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Thank you for the wonderful response. I'm new at all of this, chat rooms,computer, banding,everything. I printed your response so when I FINALLY get the band I'll have it to refer to. Maybe I'll start a folder .Again Thank you.....

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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