Lunch at the mall food court...and a question

So today I go to the mall and my partner wants lunch.  UGH, lunch in the Mall food court!  Taco Bell, Wendys, Sbarro, all the fast food stuff.  Then there are the chinese food buffets and all those guys trying to give you bites of chicken.  Good Friday!! Not doing it, no way no how!  So I search and find that one of the chinese food places has blackened fish.  Not sure what kind of fish, something like a cod or whitefish I'm sure.  So I order that with a side of sauteed green beans.  It tasted GREAT but I left most of it on my plate because I was feeling full.  Interestingly enough for me, when I burp I know that it's enough.  Even without a fill yet I feel this tightness in my chest when I get to my okay point. 

So this begs a question.  I am tired of explaining that I am ONLY a month from surgery.  I know that I have adopted some good habits already and have not cheated one bit yet.  I know that we all diet like champs for a little while, and no I am not looking at this with rose colored glasses.  BUT, did you find that even these early days set the stage for your success or your failure?  Did you know right out the gate you were going to make this work, come hell or high water.  Or did you always try to eat around the band and/or consume slider foods?  

I guess some downright honesty is very important here.  I'm a curious type!!

Thanks for putting on the thinking caps going into this great weekend!

For me, personally, I was 100% commited and determined to make this lifestyle work for me. Surgery was a very serious decision for me, as it was for most of us. There was NO WAY I was going to put myself through all the prep work, major surgery, etc. and then "cheat" or not follow the rules.

I still feel this way, just as I did the day of my surgery. Granted, at 8 months out I'm still considered a "newbie." But I think my head was in the right place from the get-go. I was under no pretenses that this would be an easy ride, or it would be effortless. I knew it would take a lot of hard work and determination on my part. And I am proud to say that I'm giving it my all.

Now, of course, I am human. I have made mistakes. I have taken 1 - 2 too many bites of something yummy when I should have stopped. I have indulged in desserts and sweet treats now and then. I have made some choices that were not the most nutritious option. But it's all part of the learning curve.

Thanks for the response dawnmarie!  I feel much like you do now. I am doing this as my last shot at really losing this weight.  I don't want to keep trying and trying, I'm getting far too old for that.  I know never say never, but I really don't want this to just start off and then revise down the road.  I'm in this one for the long haul -- and I constantly pray that my band doesn't freak out like it's done for so many others I read about on here.

I am sure my humanness is going to come out after this really new period.  I know that I will make some poor choices. But I hope that the very good ones will far outweigh the bad ones.

Well the first year I was a model bandster, followed all the rules worked my band as hard as I could and lost 20 lbs., yep that's it. So second year still worked at it but not really into because of the disappointing first year and I lost 0 lbs. Three years out I give up had my band emptied and I still have restriction but can at least eat more varieties of food, not necessarily more food just more different kinds. My band constantly tightenend on me and I could never get a good restriction level so I decided I'd rather be happy and fat than fat and miserable. So far no weight gain or loss, hey just like with the band! Only now I'm not miserable !

Hislady,

People like you scare the bejesus out of me.  Not in a bad way but in a "I really don't have complete control over this" way.  My heart goes out to you and others that really just did not have a good band experience.  I have been researching all of the WLS's since 2005 and I just could not not not wrap my head around the idea of having my stomach cut.  I looked at Lapband as the "least invasive" surgery, when in fact it is probably the most invasive as it leaves something behind!!!  I never quite thought about it that way until recently. 

I am not filled and honestly the thought of a fill makes me a little nervous.  I guess I am tight now even though there is no fill I can't eat more than 4 ounces at a sitting, sometimes even less as with the fish today and then my 4 oz of salmon that i just had for dinner and ended up eating maybe 1/2 of it! 

Did they ever explain why your band constantly tightened on you?  I've read about that a lot and I have to admit it concerns me. 

They don't really know why it tightens just that 20% of bandsters can't get good restriction either too tight or too loose and that was me. I'm guessing and this is purely my opinion, that maybe as scar tissue forms if continues to tighten. I know band folks who have had their bands removed have had horrible scar tissue around their stomachs.
I don't put this out there to scare people but I really don't want newbies going into this thinking it's all an easy ride with no issues or that anytime the band doesn't work it is the person's fault. Too many people have beat themselves up over bands that just don't work and it isn't always the case. My best advice is never let your band get too tight, that causes more problems than anyone wants to deal with. I truely wish you the best of luck and hope you are in that magic 80%!

Im a little over 2 years post op.  The first 6 months Id say, I was PERFECT!   But, life sometimes gets in the way, we're busy, and on the go, work full time jobs, have families, etc. 

I have a full time job, a husband and a little girl who does ballet on Mondays, gymnastics on Wednesdays, and cheerleading on Thursdays.   We're BUSY!  In addition to this, I always had to find the time for ME.   Often, I'd have to MAKE time for me.

There are days I eat stuff I know I shouldn't (chips, cookies, candy, etc) But thats LIFE!   I'm sorry, but sticking to a protein and veggies 100% of the time just isn't realistic.  At least not for me.   I eat what I want, when I want, in moderation.   I believe in Moderation NOT deprivation.  If I want ice cream, dammit I have ice cream. Same with cookies, candy, cake, and french fries.    

I still eat Taco Bell... just now it's 2 hard tacos and that's it.  Instead of 3 tacos, a nacho bell grande, and a chalupa all washed down with a 32oz Mountain Dew.

I still eat McDonalds.   Instead of a Big Mac meal, supersized with a Coke and 2 apple pies on the side...I have a 4 piece chicken nugget Happy Meal.

You get my point...

However, being ONE month out, stick to the rules.  Stick to them as if your life depends on it, because frankly my dear.... it does!  

Best of Luck!

Thanks Jacklyn!

I know that life is going to get in the way.  I have a pretty demanding job and a couple of times I've found myself on the road, ill prepared and unable to eat what I wanted and unable to drink my water for fear of having to pee in a palce where there are no bathrooms!!!!  I know that I am going to be challenged in the future and frankly, the idea that I will never ever again be able to eat a cookie is enough to make me sob. LOL

I am so sticking to the rules.  Even without a fill I don't drink after meals, I chew, chew, chew and I follow the 4-6 ounce rules put in place by my surgeon.  It is WAY too soon for me to even think about taking liberties.  I'm so going to take advantage of the time when losing is a whole lot easier than it will be a year or more out!

Thank you for your reply!

Hello

Well I will tell you I am the opposite of the many people on here that started out great only to start going off plan as time went by.  When I started I had no restriction at all for the first year.  I wasn't satisfied with just 4 oz of lean protein and a 1/2 cup of veggies.  In fact I was starving all of the time.  There is only so long you can do this before you finally break.  I would get so hungry I would end up cheating.  Pretty soon I was cheating more and more.  Cheeseburgers, fries, cookies, cakes...it's a wonder I didn't gain weight.  But I didn't lose any weight either.  I got more and more frustrated.  I hated my Band and I considered it a huge mistake 

I least I still went in for my fills...thank god.  Because one day finally after 8 or 9 fills I got my optimum fill.  I was about 15 or 16 months out.  I started to lose weight just because I couldn't eat too much and I was full longer!!!  I remember thinking "hey this band thing is working now why not go back to the rules"  So I started with a vengeance.  I followed the rules and went to a nutritionist.  My nutritionist introduced me to and educated me on organic, whole foods...and how bad frozen, prepackaged convenience foods were with all of the sodium, fat, carbs, chemicals and preservatives in them.  So I started to make my own meals...I have stream lined the process and I can almost make my homemade meals in the same time you make a frozen crap meal and it tastes better and it's healthier.  Funny thing is the longer I have stayed away from greasy, fried, fattening, carby food the more it upsets my stomach when I eat it.  A couple of weeks ago I kind of had to eat a McDonald's (I don't eat fast food anymore...they are nothing but chemicals) cheeserger...well needless to say it gave me diarrhea....so did chicken fingers a few months back and peanut butter cookies last year.  My system doesn't like this junk anymore.  Although, I still want it...oh well the cravings never really go away!!! 

More importantly I started to exercise and the weight loss I got from that motivated me to eat healthy.  I mean you think twice about eating that 300 calorie candy bar when you realize it takes 20 minutes of jogging to burn it off!!!  The more weight I lost the more I exercised and the healthier I ate.  I now exercise 6 days a week, 90 minutes a day...I am training for my first 5K!!!!   

I have since lost 140 lbs and my BMI is down to 33 (it was 54).  It is possible to really screw up badly at first and turn things around and lose weight and be a Band success!!!!

Thank you for your honesty!  I can only imagine how frustrating it was at the beginning when you were so very hungry and the band wasn't working.  I'm so glad that it turned around for you!

I have been doing some walking but have VERY VERY bad knees and walking makes my life miserable the next day.   I have had a gym membership since 2002 and have used it on and off over the years, sometimes 4-5 times a week and then there were entire months that I missed!!  I am heading back there on Monday, been back once since my surgery on March 29.  I am ready to get back to the place where I was when I was at my most fit!

That is awesome that you are training for the 5K.  Alas, I will never be able to run, which makes me sad, but I envy those that can!