Great Idea - I will do it right now !!

Hi

I am Janet and I am a recovering food addict :wink2:

I was banded 7/17/07 - My starting weight was 250 - I'm 5'4

Today (just over 10 months out) I am 154 - size 8 pants (was 18/20) Medium tops (was 22/24)

I got banded as I wanted to extend the years that I have left on this planet and to do that I knew that I needed to lose weight.

The band has been the tool I needed. For the first time in my life I have been able to achieve this goal (actually getting to my goal weight)

If you want a buddy - support - help - suggestions - Please feel free to call upon me - I will gladly share my journey with you - the journey is still on going and by helping you I will be helping me (staying motivated and accountable) and then one day you can pay it forward and help someone else.

Great Idea - I will do it right now !!

Can you help me?

Can you help me?

Spayneuter....what kind of help do you feel you need? Why don't you tell us a little about yourself and any troubles you are having. Indio Girl is unavailable this weekend but there are plenty of us around that can try to help. Just post and we will get back to you.

Spayneuter....what kind of help do you feel you need? Why don't you tell us a little about yourself and any troubles you are having. Indio Girl is unavailable this weekend but there are plenty of us around that can try to help. Just post and we will get back to you.

I was banded on Sept. 30, 2008. I have lost 40 pounds and have 20 to go. I 'm 63 and 5 feet tall. My initial weight was 187 and now I am 147. I am binging -- for the past several days -- getting worse. I can't seem to get control of myself. I feel like I'm just going to gain it all back. I'm really scared.

Thanks so much! Those are great words of advice! That was just what I needed to reassure myself that this is what I need to do to transform into the new healthier me. I guess that I needed to know that other people went through the same emotions that I am going through. For me, it is important to remember that this is not just a physical journey, but most importantly a mental and emotional one as well. I will keep you updated. Everyone sounds so wonderful here and I am happy for all of the positive feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful Easter everyone!

-Meredith

I could use some support from someone on here. I started out doing everything right in October 2008. But gradually got back to eating anything I wanted other than I have never touched soda pop. I lost 23 lbs and was so proud and have gained back about 7 and now getting the same old failure feelings back again as before.

I also am having feelings of fullness after eating bread and it comes back up if not it is very uncomfortable. I don't throw it up it just comes. I also am feeling a little nauseus after eating.

I really need someone to guide me back to what I need to be eating. Give me some examples of what you eat for meals. I have a 14 cc lapband and last time I got a fill was the end of February. It is at 6 1/2.

Happy Easter to All

Cheryl

I could use some support from someone on here. I started out doing everything right in October 2008. But gradually got back to eating anything I wanted other than I have never touched soda pop. I lost 23 lbs and was so proud and have gained back about 7 and now getting the same old failure feelings back again as before.

I also am having feelings of fullness after eating bread and it comes back up if not it is very uncomfortable. I don't throw it up it just comes. I also am feeling a little nauseous after eating.

I really need someone to guide me back to what I need to be eating. Give me some examples of what you eat for meals. I have a 14 cc lapband and last time I got a fill was the end of February. It is at 6 1/2.

Happy Easter to All

Cheryl

Good Morning, Cheryl, and Happy Easter!

It's possible you may need a fill, but I suspect you are not making good food choices as well. For instance, bread is a pretty big no-no for most of us. I very seldom try to eat bread, and if I do, in tiny amounts and nothing soft and mushy. I steer clear of sandwiches except on very rare occasions. Bread tends to swell in your pouch and that's what is causing your problem, I suspect.

My DH had his birthday a few days ago and wanted to go to his favorite Italian restaurant for lunch. So of course, there was toasted garlic bread sticks on the table. I broke the end off on that was well toasted and ate it taking very small bites and chewing it to death. If you must occasionally indulge in bread... do it like that.... very carefully, and don't do it very often.

In fact, in order to continue a successful weight loss journey, it is pretty important to stay away from "white" carbs as much as possible. Potatoes, rice, Pasta.... not our friends.

Follow the bandster rules.... Protein first, then veggies. Then if you have room... a little bit of your carbs, but suggest you don't do that on a regular basis.

My daily routine is pretty much like this.... Breakfast is a very small egg beater omelet that usually has a little bit of skim milk mozzarella, a little bit of artificial crab.... if you don't like that, you could use a little ham, etc.... some onion, maybe some mushrooms. It's very small, though... easily fits on a saucer. Lunch is usually a very small salad with a little protein on top..artificial crab, ham, feta cheese... whatever. dinner.... 3-4 oz protein... very often fish.... I only eat beef about once a week, veggies. Once a day snack of 70 cal Jello pudding... i like the rice ones, and usually once a day snack of a little cheese. My bad.... I usually have a small glass of wine in the afternoon.

AND.... you MUSt exercise!!

Thank you so much Phyl for replying to my post. It is people like you who take the time to give ideas that makes this support site work. I will listen to your advice and see where that gets me. I also have some friends I work with that insist on me going to lunch with them everyday. I try to come up with excuses and then I give in. They eat Mexican, Chinese Italian etc. Not only is it destroying my diet it also is hurting my pocketbook. I also have been ordering iced tea with lemon and take very few sips but I am drinking before and after meals. Is that all y ou eat for lunch is salads? Do you ever drink your Protein drinks anymore and how much protein are we suppose to be getting at this point. What kind of exercising are you doing?

Thanks,

Cheryl

Edited April 12, 200917 yr by cheryl1952

I agree with Cheryl, Phyl. What you said in your email to Cheryl was just what I needed to hear, too. I had gotten very lax. One thing I had forgotten was so important was to drink my 64 ounces of liquid a day. I drink the Crystal Lite instead of water. My having lost 40 pounds gave me the "big head." Now i'm humbled again. Thanks for being here.

Betty

I can NOT thank you enough for responding to my e-mails. I feel so much better after reading them. I only hope someday I can return teh favor.

With deep gratitude

Martyh

Mrs. Bubba,

What happened to you? Are you ok?

Cheryl

Hi everyone,

I am new to this group but I have been banded since July 08. I am teetering on 50lbs loss and feel anxious about it. Meaning I have eaten crap these last couple days because I am scared. Did or does anyone have this problem? Is there a weight goal you were scared to be at? Does anyone of you journal your food? Any suggestions on an easy way to do it or at least a format I can follow?

Cheryl, Meredith and Spay...Phyll has great advice. She has experience with this and is a RN so knows what kind of advice to give from that side of it. MAKING yourself follow the bandster rules isn't so bad once you make a habit of it. Start out fresh, get out your booklets provided by your doc, get your fluids in and be proud of your accomplishments. Put any bad habits behind you and forget about them.

Like Phyll said....hard proteins first (3-4 oz) and then a bit of veggies or fruit. By eating the hard protein, you will stay full longer. Wait the required time and then get your liquids in. I keep a running total in my head (or journal) on my grams of protein per day and make sure I get at least 60-70 grams a day. By doing this, I am more satisfied and am more successful on those days. I feel better and have more energy. You don't have to be so rigid that you cannot throw a treat into it once in awhile. I am not a believer in total deprivation. But, plan your treats. Make sure they fit into your daily caloric intake.

An example of my meals is: Breakfast I try to get in some fiber. Homemade steel cut oatmeal with raisins or chopped dates, Fiber One or Kashi chunch cereal. Lunch is usually salmon, talapia, chicken with some kind of veggie. Dinner is whatever I feed the rest at my table. I have learned to cook low fat for everyone in the household. It is easy to revamp almost any recipe to make it healthy. No pasta, bread or rice for me. My band does not like it. I am like Phyll. I might take a bite of DH's garlic toast (hard and toasted) if I feel like a treat. A small dose of it satisfies my. It's all about being prepared and planning meals.

Eating out is a pleasure. There's always SOMETHING on the menu that is band friendly. Cottage cheese and greens or tomato slices, chicken breast with veggies, eggs, chili, etc. I don't eat out often unless I can split a meal. I just have a really hard time feeling like I am "wasting" food. If I don't split a meal I order a side order of something healthy.

You can all change this around and get back to where you should be. We've all had bumps in the road. Sometimes there seems that we've lost focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. We all walked into this with goals and somewhat knowing what it would take to succeed. Don't sabatage this for yourself or let anyone else to it for you. You were all strong enough to go through the surgery and you can be strong enough to finish this journey and get to your personal goals. Take it a day at a time and celebrate each day and be proud of what you have done.

This journey we are on is for a life time. But, day by day, week by week...we can accomplish what we set out to do. Wishing you all the best. Check in with all of us daily. I know that I have found the best advice on this thread. There's always someone that has been through the same thing and ready to give advice.

Hey, Phyll. I took your advice and got some papaya enzymes. We have had extreme stress in our lives the last week and when I am stressed I have trouble. Had my first iffy meal today and popped three and it took care of it right away. What a relief! Thanks.

Thank you so much Phyl for replying to my post. It is people like you who take the time to give ideas that makes this support site work. I will listen to your advice and see where that gets me. I also have some friends I work with that insist on me going to lunch with them everyday. I try to come up with excuses and then I give in. They eat Mexican, Chinese Italian etc. Not only is it destroying my diet it also is hurting my pocketbook. I also have been ordering iced tea with lemon and take very few sips but I am drinking before and after meals. Is that all y ou eat for lunch is salads? Do you ever drink your Protein drinks anymore and how much Protein are we suppose to be getting at this point. What kind of exercising are you doing?

Thanks,

Cheryl

Cheryl, It is very important not to drink with your meals. when I eat out I just order Water, but just because when you say nothing it seems to throw the waiters off. You can still do Mexican and Chinese but just have to do it different. For example at Mexican you may just want to get some refried Beans or one crispy taco (the crispy shells I have no problems with but have gotten stuck on the soft ones). Chinese you could get some chicken and veggies. Usually when we do Chinese I just order some egg drop Soup and then eat a few pieces of chicken off of my husbands plate. Many times we split an entree. Phyl offers some great advice. Bread is a big no no and in fact too much bread or Pasta can stretch the pouch, or so they say. My day looks like this: Breakfast - used to be an egg beater omelet but I was having such fiber/constipation issues I've now switched that to Kashi Go Lean cereal which is packed with protein and fiber. Lunch - usually some type of chicken, dinner - some type of meat and a veggie. Portions are about 1/2 cup to 1 cup max. I usually have one or two small Snacks in there. If you are able to eat more than 1 cup it might be time for a fill, but before knowing for sure, try a few days on strict bandster rules. By that I mean the small meals, hard protein first, then veggie, then a possible carb. If that doesn't fill you or keep you full you may need a fill. Good Luck!

Hope everyone had a great Easter. I know I did and got many comments on my weight from folks who hadn't seen me probably since Christmas.

Hey Long...again we posted at the very same time and almost the same post. How many times have we done that?

I am sure you looked just beautiful for Easter. Did you buy a new Easter outfit? I just have to tell you again that you look amazing. I bet you feel just great. Not too far from goal. Looking forward to your next "Yoohoo"!

Hello to everyone, happy Easter and welcome to all the newbies! I am just back from my trip to Vegas to visit DS and family and had a very nice time. DS and DIL house is lovely, up in the hills of Henderson and brand new. My step daughter and her hubby joined us for 2 days. We had never met our SIL before (they were in Spain for 4 years when he was in the Navy). Their work schedules have prevented them from visiting us since they've been back. I had to pay to use the gym at the Rio and so I made sure I used it each and every day that I was paying for! I also jumped in the pool and did my water aerobics every day as well. Most of the time we met everyone for a big dinner every night (usually a buffet), but I just ate the protein -- crab legs, salmon, sliced turkey, etc. The other foods don't even tempt me anymore -- except for the desserts. I managed to limit these temptations to mostly a "bite" here and a "bite" there and did have some low fat frozen ice cream a couple of times. Won't know for sure until I weigh in on Tuesday, but hopefully I didn't gain any weight. I walked more than normal, so that probably helped also. Long, your pic is beautiful -- you look gorgeous, bet you found some great clothes on your shopping trip. Julie, so glad you are doing better, keeping you in my thoughts and prayers and hope you can go home soon. As someone else said, your health is what matters, there will be lots of other Easters and holidays with your family. Just take are of yourself and get well. Don't forget that positive thoughts are important when you are ill, although it can be hard to be positive when you are so sick. Apples, you are so wonderful -- and thoughtful -- what a beautiful, generous soul you are. Cheryl, Phyl gave you great advice -- I usually eat about what Phyl does -- usually a small egg beater omelet -- I use Morning Star Sausage Crumbles (only about 1/4 of the serving size) and a slice of 2% Borden American cheese. For lunch usually a piece of fish or homemade salmon patty or a small grilled chicken breast with soured green beans (or small salad) and the same for dinner. I love fruit and have a small bowl of mixed fruit (fresh strawberries, melon, mandarin oranges, etc.) once a day. I also eat a non-fat yogurt and a low fat,, sugar free pudding as a snack at night because I don't drink milk which helps me get some calcium in. That's usually between 800 to 1100 calories a day depending on what protein I've had. I track all my foods on thedailyplate.com which I know Janet recommends -- it's a good way to be accountable for the foods we put in our mouths. Someone asked how we figure out how many calories a day to eat -- I use thedailyplate.com for that as well - you put in your current weight, height and how much you want to lose per week and they will give you the number of calories you should eat for that formula. It's easy and it's been very accurate for me as I've averaged 2 lbs. per week since my surgery. I also exercise 3 to 5 days per week. Oh, I almost forgot -- I was worried that no one would notice my weight loss -- I hadn't told my DS or DIL that I had the surgery or that I was losing weight -- when they got to the airport, they couldn't believe the difference -- my DS showed me a pic he had of me when I was in Hawaii just a week before my surgery and then took a new pic of me and showed me the difference just to prove it to me. I did look so much better! LOL. Just one of those moments we all need. It gave me a boost for sure. Linda