Just stop and live your life!

[MyNewLife]

I just want to post some advice that I received from a friend of mine. Today is my fouth month banded. I wanted to post this. This was my response to one of social kids post.......but who knows, might help someone else.

I had lunch with a friend of mine that was banded two years ago and is a size 4 now. I have been getting so frustrated, today is 4months for me! I have decided I HATE SCALES. I was weighing everyday, then twice a week and then once a week. My friend told me to stop EVERYTHING that I was doing and to live, just live life. She told me that I have now went from being obessed with food, to know being obessed with scales, protein, fiber, weights, walking, everthing I do or say is about this band which will cause so much stress and depression. She could have not been so correct. I think I thought ok, I have the band, the weight is going to fall off, wow was I WRONG! The more I was wrong the more obessed with doing everthing correct the more discouraged I was getting because I was doing everthing correct and the weight was still not falling off. I hope that makes since, feel like I am rambling. I have decided to live, just live life. Keep eating the correct food with my exercise but just live. This has been for the past week or two. Well guess what. I went for my third fill yesterday and am happy to report I had lost 9 lbs of fat and gained 3 pounds of muscle since my last fill a little over a month ago.

Good Luck Everyone!

Carrie

[mona-camille]

What a great post! Thank you so much for this. I KNOW you are speaking the words I myself could be speaking. I am so obssesed that my scale refuses to move too. Funny, I am still 249 pounds but in a size 22 which are getting big. I KNOW I need to listen to this advice, to just live and stop obsessing. I KNOW it will help me. All the doctors at the OCC, all the doctors here, my new nutritionist I have just started seeing are saying the same thing. For some reason, I am sabotaging my own weight loss and need to just let it go and LIVE. I am trying!!! It is very nice to hear this again!!!!!

[robbynnoel]

((((((((((((((((Carrie)))))))))))))))))

Hugs. I couldn't agree with you more. What a fab fab fab post. Thank you! I needed to see this today.

[JazzyJude]

Ah Carrie sweetheart...remember me saying some focus too hard on the food, which could stress you to frustration? So glad your friend was there at the right moment for you to grasp what she was saying and it hit you at the right time.

Now you can go about your daily event, knowing what you've learned about food portion. You are doing great and so glad you are living your day.

I am doing (2) Spring Biggest Loser Challenges (on SparkPeople) right now and it's all about menu planning and fitness tracking for me right now and it's awesome! I can't believe the difference it has made for me and my band! I no longer worry about my food intake. I now can plan ahead and know how much proteins I am eating every day, the simpler way. I now walking a minimum of 5 miles a day - yeah! I drink 10 glass of water every day. With this and my newly colon cleansing I did, I lost 9 lbs in 2 weeks...so for me, it was great, as I was on a plateau for quite some time.

Carrie ~ best of luck to you babe. Focus on you living the life you want to do...

((HUGS!))...Jazzy!!

[Jnlebean]

Thank you so much for posting these words of wisdom. It is exactly what I needed to hear!! THANK YOU!! I'm going to do just that...live. I'm also going to take the battery out of my scale and hide it!

Jenelle

[nothereanymore]

Great job Carrie - your friend gave great advice. We've had the scale discussion here before - I'm one that tries to stay away from it at home (unless I can tell by my clothes that I need to check on myself) and leave the scale weighing for when I'm either with my doc's or my personal trainer.

I'm most likely more focused on food now than I have ever been, but just because I'm trying to become educated about it and have a better understanding of how it affects my overall health, not about eating it all the time (thank goodness). One thing I found is that we really need learn how to listen to our bodies; we do need to be careful as with as little that we eat, it can cause problems. So make sure you're in tune with how you are feeling and focus on getting out and enjoying life! (You'll know if you need certain foods just by how you feel).

All the best,

Lisa

[KatyG]

I echo this sentiment exactly. Live your life and keep on going. Take the focus off the food, and when you're at the optimal fill level, you'll feel kinda like your brain has been rewired. I don't think of food 24/7 anymore. I think of it only when I am hungry, which is an AMAZING thing. Live your life, make nutritious choices but STOP THE MADNESS of counting everything. You'll get there...

[fat2nrml]

I guess that's what I thought too, that I'd be like some of the others on the forum and lose the weight in a few months. Well, I wasn't like them at all and I'm losing the way ' I ' should. I don't weigh that often, but I can tell with my clothes that I'm losing.

I think that's probably one of the biggest mistakes of made during this journey, comparing my success and struggles with others. I read on here DOZENS of times that we shouldn't compare ourselves to each other... IT'S SO TRUE!! I wish I'd lose faster, God knows, but I've lost 43lbs. in almost a year. What would I weigh now if I hadn't gotten the band??!! I was always overweight but just before banding, I was at my highest weight ever [without being pregnant.] I gained 50lbs in 2 years.... I'd probably weigh 250 or more by now!!

Carrie's right, we have to live OUR lives, try our best and dust ourselves off and try again when we mess up. We'll do this, with each others support, because I know that you all have helped me through some really rough patches!!

OK, I've rambled on enough.... I love you guys!!! Darlene >

[angela2662]

so tell me i just got my lap band march 3rd i have not got a fill yet i will in 4 weeks this is hard for me becuse i live around my family who eat alot of junk food , I wanna lose 90 pounds I wiegh 262 now I was working real hard at first but i am always hungry. But i try to eat only 1/2 to a cup of food at a time. I am gonna try to go work out again this monday and keep it up. I dont have alot for support, they used to alway watch what I ate, but after awile would get me mad.They would always eat good food like pizza and fried foods in frount of me , it would hurt my feelings becuse I could not have the foods they had. so in turn I stop telling them what leavel I am at I told them I can eat soild food now , I find my self all alone in this. I understand this is my battle. But how do I get back on track. please help . thanks angie

[nothereanymore]

Hey Angie,

Welcome, and lets start here, its not your battle, this is your life and an opportunity to start anew. Your surgery was just the beginning and the truth is you are in the middle of bandster hell, so we know where you are coming from.

I’m sorry you don’t have their understanding, the truth is I’m married with 3 boys, when I first got my band I had my two older boys still at home, I didn’t ask that they change their diet – I just removed their food as part of my new lifestyle (and watched them eat it). We can’t eat it and succeed and the truth is we can only change ourselves not them. And this is your time now, an amazing time just for you. And we all know how hard it is to pass up those things; however we also made the decision that we were making a change, and you have to realize that you most likely have an addiction to many of the foods you see them eat (I did) and that makes it even harder. You really just have to stay strong for yourself and keep up the hard work, many of us bought goal dresses or something to keep us on track. Once you make a firm change for a few months it does get easier, and once you have a couple of fills under your belt you'll feel differantly, but you do have to keep going even when its hard and you aren't at your sweet spot yet.

I’ve lost over 130 pounds, if I can do this anyone can. Set your sites on your goal and keep up the hard work, you’ve come so far already and your new you is just around the corner! So go have a nice stern talk to yourself and imagine what you're going to look like and how your life will change, all the new things you can do once you lose the weight! It’s incredible! One important thing, don't let others influence you, or allow them to change how you feel about yourself - that's what got a lot of us big in the first place - own your future - its yours just waiting for you!

You’ll be able to do it!!

Best,

Lisa

[MyNewLife]

so tell me i just got my lap band march 3rd i have not got a fill yet i will in 4 weeks this is hard for me becuse i live around my family who eat alot of junk food , I wanna lose 90 pounds I wiegh 262 now I was working real hard at first but i am always hungry. But i try to eat only 1/2 to a cup of food at a time. I am gonna try to go work out again this monday and keep it up. I dont have alot for support, they used to alway watch what I ate, but after awile would get me mad.They would always eat good food like pizza and fried foods in frount of me , it would hurt my feelings becuse I could not have the foods they had. so in turn I stop telling them what leavel I am at I told them I can eat soild food now , I find my self all alone in this. I understand this is my battle. But how do I get back on track. please help . thanks angie

Angie,

I am sorry to hear that your family is not being supportive of you but you will have WONDERFUL support hear. I think everyone on this board has gone through frustrating times. I will say this is one of the hardest things I have done. I have to make the decision to what food I put in my mouth and it is not easy at times. The band does not prevent me from eating the no no foods vrs something high protein, that is MY CHOICE. The band has helps me with the amount of food I can eat, however there are foods that I think I could eat my weight in,(chips and dip, anything sweet) I just have to stay away from them. As far as the fills, I just got my third fill on Friday and it has help. I am now at 3.0ccs in my 4.0cc band. Everyone is different but until my second fill I pretty much had no restriction.

You have made the FIRST CHOICE to change your life, now you have to make the choice to work with this WONDERFUL tool that we have. You can do this.

Good Luck!

Carrie

[MyNewLife]

Lisa,

Wonderful post, everything you said is so right. We can not change the people around us, this is our time. Sometimes peoples words can change the littlest things. Thank YOU for posting this repsonse to Angie!

Carrie

[skinnyagain]

=D> =D> =D> You go girl! Words to help anyone live by! =D> =D> =D> =D>

Kim

[SoCalKid]

BINGO! Very well said....

Socal Kid

[nazish]

very well said .. you go girl.... few words that can encourage everyone of us.....

angela2662... dont be dishearten

let me tell you something

I got banded on the 16th of Feb

I was there with my mom who was

very much supportive...

we came back to my moms home

on the 18th. and guess what happened

my sister bought Chinese food for my mom, my kids and her kids..

that food looked soo good and delicious, i cant even begin to tell you how i felt

anyhow, but I said no, I cannot do this to my self

so I didnt even touch it...

next day they went to Sizzlers .... I did the same things

didnt touch any food.. just pure liquid diet....every time I talked about food my sister said you will never loose weight if you think of food...

although, my weight did not change until the 10th day ...post op.... not even and ounce..

anyways, it was on and on until I was there with them..... when I was leaving for my house

my sister said to me .. which I will never forget...

she said to me ... YOU WILL LOOSE YOUR WEIGHT... IT MIGHT TAKE SOME TIME BUT YOU WILL

WHAT WE DID TO U IN LAST WEEK.. EATING IN FRONT OF YOU..ALL YOUR FAVORITE FOOD

WAS YOUR TEST... YOU WERE BEING TESTED FOR YOUR WILL POWER AND YOU DID IT........

I was blessed

NOW JUST HAVE FAITH IN YOUR SELF

NOW: I cook every day for my family... hubby and 3 kids... trust me .....since that day .. I havent touched carbs or any other food items which I am not suppose to....

sorry for this long post !!!!!!

I KNOW I HAVEN'T LOST MUCH

BUT I HAVENT GAIN ANY EITHER

[Guest erinmohr]

i really needed to hear this all, thank you for the great posts!

[Danah1975]

Hi All,

This is my first post and I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but I will try. I got banded March 15, two days ago, and all I have been taking is water, protein water, apple juice, broth, and sometimes a cup of tea. I have to go back to work soon. Will I have enough enerygy? Is there anything else I should include in my liquid diet for the next 7 or so days to keep up!

Thanks for all the encouraging thoughts.. Right now all I want to do is cry.. I don't regret the band, I don't know what I'm thinking actually.. I'm too scared to eat anything that will affect the band so that's not it, I might just still be in pain, and want to be normal again

Thanks

[nothereanymore]

Hey Danah,

I had my surgery on Friday and was back to work on Tuesday, I'm not going to lie, it was hard, but it was doable. And I was tired, I went out and bought some protein water from GNC to help and I made sure to take my liquid supplements. That will help with your energy level.

We're always afraid of the unknown, but just think, thousands of Dr Ortiz patients have gone before you and we all made it through and very few have complications, the ones I know of that had complications were people who ate during the liquid stage. It’s normal to worry but also remember, worry does take energy and makes us more tired so try and manage it, and focus on what's coming down the road for you.

Don't cry, you're on your way to change your life! This is going to be awesome!

Take care!

Lisa

[determination]

Lisa,

I remember you once reminding us to to eat a certain amount of fat or protein to avoid hair loss. Do you remember what the amount of grams were for this? Again just like others have said, I really appreciate your info from your experience on the lapband.

[nothereanymore]

I had one of my nutritionist put that together for me - I'll pick it up from him tomorrow and re post. I'm really out of the diet part of it now and more focused on just eating real food with maintenance and its got me in a new mind set.

(I also just walked in the door from crossfit training and it was painful..... My mind is mush) its 45 minutes of extreme workout and by the end I thought I was going to keel over.... But I made it!

[Danah1975]

Lisa,

I appreciate all your input, I do have a couple questions:

1. Are slimfast and Ensure shakes considered liquids really for the first 10 or 15 days? What if Im not taking any sort of protein shake? or supplement?

2. Can severe coughing cause the band to slip?

3. I know this is gross, but is it normal not to have a BM at all after surgery?

Anyone else can jump in.. its nice to get immediate responses

Danah

[nothereanymore]

Hey Danah,

Protein shakes are not considered a clear liquid, so not approve right now (Its been 2 and a half years since I’ve been banded so if anything has changed someone jump in). You really want to try and take a liquid supplement; Costco has a great on that's pretty inexpensive. And that protein water is good to make you feel whole again, also no blended foods.

I have never heard of anyone slipping their band due to severe coughing, and Dr. Ortiz puts his in darn good. So I wouldn’t worry too much about that one.

And yes its normal not to have a BM, prune juice helps and it’s actually really good for you so it may make you feel better. It’s also normal to have very liquidy BMs once you start. (I’ve been drinking prune juice for the last month and it works great, BMs are an issue for us and a constant discussion on the board so no worries)

Best,

Lisa

[nothereanymore]

Lisa,

I remember you once reminding us to to eat a certain amount of fat or protein to avoid hair loss. Do you remember what the amount of grams were for this? Again just like others have said, I really appreciate your info from your experience on the lapband.

Here it is - this is his latest:

“1200 calorie diet;

40-50 grams of protein. Higher end of the range if regular strenuous exercise.

30-40 grams of fat.

The goal would be to avoid a fatty acid or a protein deficiency—getting even the minimal above should do the trick. Some people need to take a fatty acid supplement—Evening Primrose Oil, Omega 3 oils for example. “

Best,

Lisa

[MyNewLife]

Hey everyone...

I wanted to give everyone an update. It has been a week yesterday since I had my third fill. When I left home I weighed myself, which I had not done in two weeks and I was at 221. At the doc I weighed 220, had to use that one for my ticker... . Anyway I weighed this morning just to keep myself in check due to this new attitude I got and to make sure I am ok. I weight 217!!!! I am so happy that is is moving and I can honestly say this has been one of the nicest weeks I have had. I have not counted calories, not weighed, have not even thought about the scales, justed lived~!

Thanks for everyones support YALL are great!

Carrrie

[KatyG]

Hey everyone...

I wanted to give everyone an update. It has been a week yesterday since I had my third fill. When I left home I weighed myself, which I had not done in two weeks and I was at 221. At the doc I weighed 220, had to use that one for my ticker... . Anyway I weighed this morning just to keep myself in check due to this new attitude I got and to make sure I am ok. I weight 217!!!! I am so happy that is is moving and I can honestly say this has been one of the nicest weeks I have had. I have not counted calories, not weighed, have not even thought about the scales, justed lived~!

Thanks for everyones support YALL are great!

Carrrie

Carrie,

Congrats on the success! Not being concerned about food is a sign of the sweet spot, so milk it for all its worth!