On May 28, 2012 it will be 8 years since my lap band surgery.  I am no longer obese, although my weight does fluctuate 10-20 pounds between a normal and an overweight BMI.  Never again will I be 424 pounds!  But, do I feel confident in maintaining my success and continuing to enjoy my life as a successful weight loss surgery patient?  Yes, No, Maybe?  All of the above…

My answer is that it depends on the particular day.  Some days I feel like I have this totally in hand, I know what I will eat, I know when I will work out, I just do it.

Other days I wake up feeling huge.  I look in the mirror and can’t seem to find anything I like about myself.  I get to the gym and get my exercise in and sometimes that is the cure.  I feel good when I’m done, I feel accomplished and strong and healthy and ready to take on my day.  Go get ‘em girl! 

Still other days I get to the gym, have a good work out, feel pretty good when I am done, and then, by the time I get to the office I am questioning myself again.  What would I give for a sausage and cheese biscuit?  Uh, oh.  Can’t think like that.  My band can have the sausage and the cheese, but the biscuit would be pure hell.  So it’s my yogurt, blueberries and almonds and on with my day.

Choices – will I have my smoked salmon for lunch?  Will I go for a walk around the building?  Will I stop at the convenience store in the parking lot for an iced tea and pistachios or pretzels?  What will I have for dinner?  Am I going to have dessert or am I done for the day?  Will I get in all of my water?  Have I gained any weight?  Have I lost any weight?   What are we doing this weekend?  What should we get our grandson for his birthday?  Where are we going on vacation?  When are we going on vacation?

The point I am trying to illustrate is that life is full of choices.  I can choose to get out of bed and greet the day with a smile, greet my reflection in the mirror with love and live each day as the best it can be.  These are my choices to make.  I know I feel best when I exercise in the morning, eat healthy foods for my meals and do not have processed foods or sugar substitutes in my diet.  Have I reached a point of being 100% all of the time – NO WAY.  I am a human being, I am not perfect, I can and do embrace those imperfections for those are what make me who I am, those are what make me unique, and those imperfections, that humanity is what motivates me, in the words of one of the dearest members of Banded Living, “To Keep on Keeping on.”

To stay in the game, to keep yourself motivated, enjoy each and every day.  Find some joy in your life, find an NSV to celebrate.  Saturday morning I took a new sundress in to be hemmed.  I was in the tiny dressing room at the dry cleaners where I get my alterations done and stepped out in my new dress feeling a bit self conscious.  I am 63 years old and shall I just say I was scantily attired under the dress.  The dress fits like a glove.  The nice 40ish year old gentlemen who I almost slammed the door into stepped back, looked at me, smiled and said, “You look gorgeous.” Speechless, I smiled back, said thank you and looked away.  Gorgeous, why not?  I’ll take it, even though I think he was just being polite.  Gorgeous, now I have to find an occasion to wear that dress- soon!  Gorgeous, will it be easier to choose grilled fish and steamed veggies over steak and potatoes, you bet!  I still don’t quite believe him, I think I frightened him when I suddenly popped out of this tiny closet like structure and he didn’t know what to say, but I will remember that smile and those words and use that little victory to help me believe in me and my ability to “keep on keeping on.”

Let’s start each day by getting out of bed, looking at ourselves in the mirror, and saying “You are gorgeous!” I dare you!

Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, the pollen is making me sneeze, and I am getting ready for the second of many trips that have suddenly come up.  Traveling is difficult because it means changes in schedules for eating, sleeping and exercising so I thought I would revisit some of what I have learned in the past 7 years 11 months and……days (but who’s counting) since I had my lap band surgery.  These are the strategies I use when I am traveling away from all of the comforts and security of home :

• Plan my mealtimes and plan my meals – I try to schedule my meals as close to my normal routine as possible and choose protein first when I eat
• Plan for exercise – I always travel with my bathing suit, bathing cap and goggles as well as my exercise clothes and my sneakers so I can take advantage of anything that’s available at my destination, even if it’s just a good walk in place of swimming laps or strength training
• Get enough sleep – with changes in time zones and early morning meeting this is sometimes difficult, but setting a self imposed curfew helps.  A quick shower or warm bath will relax me and allow me to settle in for the night.
• Take my vitamins/supplements – I pack one day more than I plan to be gone from home of my regular vitamin/supplement routine to cover “emergencies” and do my best to stay on schedule
• Stay hydrated – it is so easy to forget about drinking water when my schedule is interrupted

I’m not perfect, this doesn’t always work out exactly as I planned, but the operative word here is the PLAN.  Without a plan, all I can do is wish and hope.  With a plan I can work it and make it happen!  So, basically, what I do is keep my routine and my schedule as close to my norm as possible.  This works for me.  When I vary it I find myself reaching for cookies, or chips, or having another cocktail, or….well, you get the picture, right?

Now comes the “uber-planning” part.  I NEVER leave home for travel without bringing snacks and water and protein powder with me so that I have NO excuse for being starving and having to have just one xxxxx.  That doesn’t mean I never grab a cookie here or a pretzel there, or a glass of wine with dinner.  I am a human being.  I do not expect perfection 100% of the time and I am gentle to myself and treat myself kindly. 

Here’s a list of what I would bring with me for 3 days away from home when I travel by air:

• My empty water bottle (so I can get through airport security and fill it on the other side)
• 6 “baggies” each with a single serving of protein powder (so I can drop it into my water bottle, shake and have a meal on the go if needed- 2 per day)
• 3 or 4 protein bars (my current favorites are Bariatric Advantage dark chocolate peanut butter or Trader Joe’s high fiber bars)
• Turkey jerky
• Almonds in individual serving size “baggies”

In addition if it was a flight which needed to include a meal I might pack a meal to bring on board such as:

• Turkey slices and baby bel light cheese
• An apple or pear or banana (or all if I had the space in my purse or backpack)
• A prepackaged salad with chicken or turkey and a plastic fork

Sometimes I am caught at the airport early in the morning before a long flight and have not yet had breakfast, and would like to also carry lunch on board.  What to do in this case?  Not so difficult once you have given it some thought – A serving of scrambled eggs (no biscuit, no hash browns) at one of the fast food places, or some oatmeal will do very nicely.  I have been able to find yogurt (not those 500+ calorie yogurt parfait things, but regular, branded yogurt) in some airports as well as fresh fruit.  I have also purchased pre-packaged salads at airports to carry on, as long as the calorie/protein count was on the package, or I could just easily throw away the salad dressing.

When I travel by car I will take a small cooler with me and fill it with goodies from home (yogurt, sliced deli meat, fruit, iced tea, waters) in addition to the jerky, almonds, protein powder, protein bars that I always travel with.

Does this sound like a lot of hassle?  It’s not, it just takes a little planning at the market and as I am packing.  And yes, I do take more with me than I need and I do bring much of it back home with me, but that is so much better than getting aggravated and making excuses because I just couldn’t find anything “good” to eat.

WE RAN A GIVEAWAY CONTEST!

Prize: A randomly selected winner will receive
a product assortment from Bariatric Advantage

This includes: A Bariatric Advantage Tote Bag filled with;

• Full retail sizes of chewable multi-vitamins/minerals,
• 4 different flavors of calcium citrate chews,
• and 2 of their latest, and most delicious dark chocolate peanut butter super
  snack bars.

How to enter:  Leave a comment on this blog posting (don’t forget to include your name and email address, so that we can contact you if you win!) by —

Please…only one COMMENT ENTRY per person. Additional comments won’t give you a better chance to win!  Remember, we moderate our blog comments, so you may not see your comment for a little while after you post it.  We reserve the right not to post comments that we don’t think are appropriate, although as long as you follow our guidelines for comments, you’ll still be eligible to win the prize!  Our contest is only open to folks in the U.S.  For the full contest rules, please click here

Want extra chances to win???

Do any of the things listed below and mention in your comment what it was for up to five more entries per person!  (Each item below counts for one additional entry.)

• Like LapBanded Living on Facebook (or tell us you already have)
• Write a positive review of our book, “Is Lap Band Surgery for Me?” (or tell us you already have)
• Blog about this contest or post about it on a social networking or support forum with a link to our Contest Page and send us the URL.
• Suggest a member’s pick product for our Amazon store.
• Sign up for our newsletter (or tell us you already have)
• Become a member of
  Banded Living (or tell us you already are)

I often speak at the introductory seminars offered by my surgeon.  I do it because I want to pay it forward and share “The Impossible Dream” with those who are thinking it may exist in their future.  I get a surge of adrenaline every time I start my presentation with, “Hi, my name is Sandi and in 2004 I sat in your seat weighing 424 pounds…” It is both saying it out loud and the shocked response from across the room that causes my adrenaline rush.   The rest of my story is not written, rehearsed, or planned.  It is what feels right that day for the group I am speaking with.  I am thrilled to be a “beacon of hope” to many who have come to find out about weight loss surgery, and speaking my successes out loud helps keep me moving in a positive direction.  So everybody wins and that’s great.

I have been extremely reflective lately as I approach my eighth “surgiversary”, never having maintained a normal weight for this long before in all of my 63 ½ years.  What did it take to get me here, and what am I doing to stay in this wonderful place called a normal weight?  Some of the answers came to me as I was swimming laps for 50 minutes this morning at 6:30.  This is what I did to lose 250 pounds :

• For the first year I followed The Lessons Of Successful Lap band Patients.  I was religious about it, as were most of the other “results not typical” WLS successes that I have met.  This meant I was 

1. Eating good, quality meals and not grazing
2. Getting enough protein every day
3. Not drinking with meals
4. Not drinking my calories
5. Taking small bites chewing thoroughly and putting the fork down between each bite
6. Avoiding the foods that were difficult for me to eat like bread, rice, and some fibrous fruits and vegetables.  I was learning about my food choices and learning how to dine and enjoy food. 
7. Always planning for how to use my tool, no excuses
8. Keeping a food, feelings, and eventually, an exercise journal daily
9. Seeing my surgeon monthly and attending support groups regularly and calling successful patients with questions as they came up for me
10. Making myself a priority

Following these lessons for the time it took me to lose the 250 pounds was key to my success.  I needed to know what my “job” was in using my tool, and I needed to reinforce myself constantly. 

Anyone who has weight loss surgery of any type who follows these lessons can lose weight.  How do you keep it off once you get there?  No, this is not a trick question.  The answer is the same – follow the lessons, adapting them to your life and defining and refining them as you go along.  Many people choose to have a surgery, get the weight off, and then totally disassociate from the weight loss surgery community.  It works for some of them.  Others are the ones who have 50% and more regain.  I choose to remain connected to this community to both provide and receive support, clear in the knowledge that I do it for myself as much as I do it for others.  

Here are some examples of “adapting” The Lessons:

1. I now know that I need a protein drink in the morning so I make one and have half on the way to the gym at 6 am and the other half after the gym.  This gives me the energy for a better work out, and the requisite protein after the workout for optimum results.  It also puts some more fresh fruit into my diet.  This means I have 4 meals per day and need to account for them carefully so I did not just add 200 calories to my day without making accommodations.
2. While I do not frequently “drink” my calories as either coffee drinks or alcohol I do have an ice blended, no sugar added mocha latte from C B & T L once a week, and a glass of wine on Saturday night.  I found that I can make accommodations in my eating plan for this.  I do have to pay attention to make sure that neither becomes a daily ritual because the calories start adding up quickly.
3. Currently I only journal when I need to get back to basics because I have not been paying attention.  I have the kind of brain that can track what I am eating throughout the day and be 90+ % accurate on a calorie and protein count at the end of the day.  I can do this BECAUSE I spent a year journaling daily and know many of the calorie/protein counts of the foods I put in my mouth.  So I only use a written journal once in a rare while.
4. While I currently only see the surgeon about once a year, I still attend support groups monthly and have a group of friends who have also had surgery and we can support each other’s successes

So are these Lessons all it takes to be successful after weight loss surgery?  I think we all realize the answer to this question is a resounding NO.  These are just the lessons that make up the persistence part of the equation.  If we persist in following these lessons we will lose weight.  However, it wasn’t just the simple acts of putting food into my mouth and chewing and swallowing, that created the obesity I lived with for 55 years.  I am still working on recovering from obesity and will probably be doing so for the rest of my life…….and, by the way, that is perfectly okay.  As I peeled away the layers of fat I learned things about myself daily and I continue learning.  I learned that food was comfort for me.  It was a reward for successes as well as a means of dulling the pain of failures, real or perceived.  I could hide behind it, stuffing how I felt with each bite and not have to “deal” with whatever the issue of the moment was.  I could make food the center of my life and revolve around it, instead of living life and eating to live instead of living to eat.  I could turn over control of my life to food and not take the reins in my hand, make my choices, and live with the results I chose.  Both my mind and my body were so “sick” with what I was feeding on that I could deny that food had this control over me, even as I sat in my car while my husband went grocery shopping because I physically could not walk around in the market any longer.  I was college educated, owned a successful business, was married to a wonderful man, yet still lived in this world as addicted to sweets and carbohydrates as any heroin addict is to their drug.

Every day I peel back the onion a little more, feeling my feelings, making choices both good and bad about food as well as every other aspect of my life.  You see, now I have a life.  Am I going to go bike riding on this beautiful afternoon, or work in the garden, or play on the beach with my grandkids, or eat a bag of potato chips?  The good choices are obvious, but my obesity is “in remission”, I am in the process of recovering, and this is a lifelong process, so the choices, all of them, are there every day for me to make.  I am grateful I have my tool, my lap band, because it helps me with some of the choices, and I am not alone.

When I started this journey I weighed 424 pounds.

As of 5/28/2012 I will be eight years post op.  I can’t believe it.  Where has the time gone?  Surgiversary days are times for reflection, for looking back at successes, failures which have turned into successes, and reassessing goals.

Let’s start with goals.  When I started this journey I weighed 424 pounds.  I knew that the average weight loss with a lap band was 50% of excess weight so at the time of surgery I was happy to set 299 as my goal.  That would be 125 pounds down and 2 big scale numbers down- the 4’s and the 3’s.  This seemed reasonable and attainable.  I knocked that one out of the park in about a year and just kept right on going to double it to a 250 pound total weight loss.  Results not typical?  YOU BET!

I have a plan, and I am following it.

What are my current goals?  Well, I got on the scale for the first time in a while this week and, as I was well aware, I am 19 pounds over my lowest weight and I am no longer satisfied with that.  So, my current goal for weight is to lose those pounds and reassess by mid-May.  Where did those pounds come from you ask?  Mindless eating I answer unequivocally.  Reflection has me looking at what I ate and why…I allowed myself to fall back into very old habits and feed my stress, and then create more stress, intentionally or not, to have something to feed.  And, guess what I was feeding my stress with?  Not carrots or celery, not apples or bananas…yup, you got it pretzels, potato chips and chocolate.  Where did I get it from you ask?  Easy answer, the store…There is a convenience store across the parking lot from my office and there are supermarkets all over the place so there are no shortages of places to procure this particularly perilous portions.  Okay, enough about weight.  I have a plan and I am following it.  No more junk food allowed is only part of it.  Walking around my building (away from the convenience store) is another part of my plan, as is having tasty, aromatic teas and chicken broth available for me to use in lieu of noshing on chips or pretzels.

I need a calorie deficit of 739 calories per day to achieve my goal.

So 19 pounds gone by mid May – that gives me 90 days to reach my goal.  When I do the simple mathematics it means I need a calorie deficit of 739 calories per day to achieve my goal.  (one pound is 3500 calories, etc, etc).  A small bag of Sun Chips is about 210 calories, a single serving of pistachio nuts is 170 calories.  When I went to the convenience store I wasn’t satisfied with just one of these- I would get both….easy way to cut 380 calories out of some days.  Limiting my fancy coffee to one day per week- it had crept up to about 3 allows me to cut out 200 calories a couple of times a week.  Adding time at the gym, in the pool, or on the bicycle is good for burning at least an extra 200 calories per day.  I am there already so it’s not difficult to push a little harder; as a matter of fact it will help me get to a new level of fitness which is another of my goals.  I refuse to get older, I’m just getting fitter!   There we go, new goals stated and plan in action to make them happen.

My health and quality of life are what I wake up grateful for each morning.

Now let’s look at my health and quality of life.  The gains I have made in these areas with each pound lost are absolutely, positively, AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, WONDERFUL, AWESOME!!!!  My health and quality of life are what I wake up grateful for each morning.  These are the NSV’s or non-scale victories that we get to celebrate each day.  Here’s a list of the significant NSV’s I have attained over the past 8 years:

• Got rid of all of my prescriptions medications
• Can see my toes and tie my shoelaces
• Can hike for miles (started one step at a time)
• Can bicycle for miles (started one block at a time)
• Can fit in a restaurant booth or a chair with arms
• Can fly on a plane and fit in the seat, don’t need a seat belt extender and can fit in those tiny closets they call bathrooms on planes
• Can wrap a regular size towel around me
• Can fit on rides at an amusement park
• Can swim laps for an hour without stopping (started one lap at a time)
• Can work out on the elliptical for ½ hour in my target aerobic heart range
• Can keep up with my grandkids
• Can scuba dive again
• Wrote and published a book to help others
• Have a website, Facebook pages and a blog…and a following of awesome people
• Was a C.H.O.I.C.E.  contest winner
• Can shop in a normal size store
• Can speak in front of groups and hopefully inspire others
• Can cross my legs
• Can wake up each morning and be grateful for a life filled with wonderful opportunities and challenges and look forward to creating new challenges and new opportunities.

“Princess Sandi”

I could go on for hours, or days, or, after 8 years, probably weeks.  Enough said.  I have resolved many medical issues, reclaimed my life and am currently fitter at 63 years old than I was at 35 years old.  While I have 63 years behind me, I have an incredible number of active years to look forward to, and so many things I want to do, and so many places I want to see.  The best part of it all is I CAN!

Prize: One lucky, randomly selected, winner will receive
a Wellesse "Basket of Health from Wellesse
We are happy to announce the winners of our Banded Living/Wellesse GiveAway Contest:

 I hope all of you enjoy your products and we’d sure love to have your reviews of the products at www.bandedliving.com

We’re running a give-away contest to introduce you all to Wellesse liquid vitamins, minerals and supplements.

Most of us have been told by our surgeons that after weight loss surgery it is essential to take certain vitamin and mineral supplements, either because we have had a procedure that inhibits absorption of them, or we just don’t get enough of them in the food we eat.

Many of us have trouble taking pills, especially giant size pills like multi vitamins and calcium.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to get everything in a good tasting liquid form that is easily absorbed by our bodies regardless of the type of weight loss surgery we have had?

Wellesse offers over 20 years of product excellence to ensure their quality liquid supplements are the solution to help you achieve your daily nutritional goals that are critical before & after surgery.

Wellesse supplements are:

• Fast absorbing & bio-available
• Great tasting, easy to take
• Small daily doses

Prizes:   

One (1) Wellesse “Basket of Health” containing:

• 16oz bottle each of all 9 Wellesse products –

1. Glucosamine,
2. Calcium,
3. Vitamin D,
4. Digestive Health,
5. Aloe,
6. B Complex,
7. B12 (this is a 2 oz. bottle),
8. Iron, &
9. Multivitamin,

• Stainless steel Wellesse water bottle,
• $25 gift card,
• Insulated lunch bag,
• Pen,
• The book “The Vitamin D Solution” by Dr. Holick

In addition to this fabulous gift we will also give away:

Three(3) additional gifts of Sample Packs (2 ounce samples that you can fly with) which contain:

• Calcium,
• Iron,
• Multivitamin
• B-12

How to enter:  Leave a comment on this blog posting (don’t forget to include your name and email address, so that we can contact you if you win!) by —

Please…only one COMMENT ENTRY per person. Additional comments won’t give you a better chance to win!  Remember, we moderate our blog comments, so you may not see your comment for a little while after you post it.  We reserve the right not to post comments that we don’t think are appropriate, although as long as you follow our guidelines for comments, you’ll still be eligible to win the prize!  Our contest is only open to folks in the U.S.  For the full contest rules, please click here

Want extra chances to win???

Do any of the things listed below and mention in your comment what it was for up to five more entries per person!  (Each item below counts for one additional entry.)

• Like LapBanded Living on Facebook (or tell us you already have)
• Write a positive review of our book, “Is Lap Band Surgery for Me?” (or tell us you already have)
• Blog about this contest or post about it on a social networking or support forum with a link to our Contest Page and send us the URL.
• Suggest a member’s pick product for our Amazon store.
• Sign up for our newsletter (or tell us you already have)
• Become a member of Banded Living (or tell us you already are)

Sailing into the holidays

There I was, my eighth holiday season after weight loss surgery reaching out for “just a little bite” of all of those evil demon holiday foods constantly thrust in front of my face within a simple grasp of my hand.  Yup, that’s right.  I reached….not only did I reach, but I bit….not only did I bite, but I chewed…not only did I chew, but I swallowed…A LOT!

What was different about this holiday from the 7 other holidays I celebrated without grabbing for everything that was put in front of me?  In hindsight, with just a little introspection I have come to the conclusion the operating factor was MINDLESSNESS.  If I wanted a taste of something, instead of a bite I grabbed a whole or a handful, took my bite and kept right on eating.  I fell back into old habits of mindless eating.  In previous years one bite or one taste was enough.  I savored that and was done.  I thought I had it licked.  (pun intended).  I thought I had the demon food cravings cured.  Boy was I wrong!

My food cravings were kind of in remission (like my obesity) rather than resolved.  It was my resolve that was lacking this past holiday season.  Am I happy about that?  Will I beat myself up about it?  Will I do anything about it?  You bet…so listen to this…..Sandi you feel awful and you did it to yourself.  You know what you did and you shouldn’t have done it…Okay, I’m done beating myself up and ready to move on to doing something about it….Hmmm, this part looks vaguely familiar….Here’s my plan:

1. Remove all temptation from my house and my office
2. Start journaling everything that goes into my mouth
3. Plan 3 meals and 1 snack for each day this week
4. Continue with my exercise program and add time if I am able
5. Make sure I eat mindfully, tasting each bite, putting the fork down between bites, and chewing thoroughly
6. Find an accountability partner

So how am I doing so far you ask?  Here goes my self-evaluation :

1. Check
2. Not yet on paper (or electronically), just in my head….this needs work!
3. Check
4. Check -added a little swimming time because I love it and it feels good- no more elliptical time ½ hour is all my body wants to do – the pain in my arthritic knee is too much if I do more (I listen to my body and push, but within reason)
5. Doing better- I give myself 80% here so more work necessary to get back to just eating- not working or reading or…..
6. OK so this entire community is my accountability partner – Need to find one individual that I can bond with who will help me hold myself accountable without being judgmental.  Hmmmmm..

After a week of working my plan my body has more energy, my mood is better and my jeans are looser.  All good results.  I will continue to work my plan for…….the rest of my life.

This commitment to my personal health and well being is not a get to goal weight then do whatever I want.  It is a commitment to LIFE for LIFE.  I need to gently remind myself of that each day as I get on with the business of living.  You know, all that business that I wasn’t doing (because I couldn’t) when I weighed 424 pounds just 7 1/2 years ago.

WE RAN A GIVEAWAY CONTEST!

Prize: Two lucky, randomly selected, winners will receive
a Deluxe BariBowl^™ Set from BariWare
And, the winners of our BariBowl™ Giveaway contest are, Joann B. and Cynthia S. Congratulations!! Enjoy your new BariBowl™ — …a new innovative tool for accurate measurement of food for weight loss surgery patients.

The BariBowl^™ was designed by a Bariatric Surgeon and Surgical Physician Assistant to take the guesswork out of properly measuring food for weight loss surgery patients.  It has been proven that “eyeballing” portions is not an accurate way to diet and hundreds of calories can be missed per meal without accurate measurements.  The cofounders found this to be true in their practice as they noticed that patients who measured their portions were more successful because they were better able to communicate to their surgeons/doctors the true quantity of foods they were eating.

With the BariBowl^™, accurate measurement is a SNAP!  Simply move the sizers to create the desired quantity (1-4 oz per side), then just fill the space to the rim of the plate.  One side of the bowl is intended for a protein source and the other for vegetables and with the quick reference food guide that comes with your BariBowl^™, you’ll never have to wonder how much protein, fat, carbohydrates or calories you are eating.

The BariBowl^™ makes it convenient to carry hot and cold items together.  Just place cold items on one side; items to be warmed on the other.  When it’s mealtime, just “SNAP” out the half of the dish to be warmed.  After warming SNAP the dish back into the tray and you’re ready to eat!

Before the BariBowl^™, items like baby plates, saucers and diet plates gave a good reference of portions in the horizontal plane but offered no assistance in the vertical plane.  This convenient, easy-to-use tool takes the guesswork out of accurate measuring.  The patient simply fills all of the “real estate” in the pre measured section for a very accurate portion.

This product is ideal for dieters, diabetics, babies, toddlers, weight loss surgery patients and anyone else who is trying to “cut back”.

How to enter:  Leave a comment on this blog posting (don’t forget to include your name and email address, so that we can contact you if you win!) by Thursday, January 12, 2012 11:59 pm East Coast time.  Your comment will automatically enter you in the giveaway contest.  Within two days, we’ll select a winner, using Microsoft Excel’s random generator feature, and announce the winner of this prize on the main page of the Banded Living website, as well as on our blogs (GloriasBandedLiving and SandisBandedLiving) and on our social media sites.  We will also email the winner at the address included in the winner’s blog comment.  The winner has one week to respond to our email notification.  If that person doesn’t respond in the one-week period, we will choose another winner using the random number generator.

Please…only one COMMENT ENTRY per person. Additional comments won’t give you a better chance to win!  Remember, we moderate our blog comments, so you may not see your comment for a little while after you post it.  We reserve the right not to post comments that we don’t think are appropriate, although as long as you follow our guidelines for comments, you’ll still be eligible to win the prize!  Our contest is only open to folks in the U.S.  For the full contest rules, please click here

Want extra chances to win???

Do any of the things listed below and mention in your comment what it was for up to five more entries per person!  (Each item below counts for one additional entry.)

• Like LapBanded Living on Facebook (or tell us you already have)
• Write a positive review of our book, “Is Lap Band Surgery for Me?” (or tell us you already have)
• Blog about this contest or post about it on a social networking or support forum with a link to our Contest Page and send us the URL.
• Suggest a member’s pick product for our Amazon store.
• Sign up for our newsletter (or tell us you already have)
• Become a member of Banded Living (or tell us you already are)

Here it is, the start of a New Year.  It’s a time for reflection, to look at the past year and see which of our resolutions we managed to “keep”.  It’s the time when we all make new lists of promises to ourselves that we have all sorts of good intentions of keeping.  Lists that include things like:

• No sweets
• Exercise 2 hours daily
• No alcohol
• More family time
• Lose 100 pounds
• Get out of debt
• Get organized
• Travel to new places
• Reduce stress
• Quit smoking

Many of us (I am definitely on the list) make resolutions for the New Year because we know we SHOULD.  Everyone needs goals, right?  Right, but with a few “caveats”.

I remember all of the diets I started on January 1^st, after spending New Year’s Eve overindulging in food and drink.  I would pledge to start a diet and lose weight- be it 10, 20, 50 or 100 pounds.  I would do it because I needed to and knew I should.  Hmmm how long did that last?  Until someone offered me a cookie or a piece of candy.  Well, maybe I held out with the first offer, but by the time the offer came for that next cookie, just how was I supposed to say no?

How about exercising 2 hours a day?  If you are like me you might do it once and then, when you woke up with your body in excruciating pain, you clearly had an excuse to take a couple of days, or maybe the rest of your life off.  But I should exercise, shouldn’t I?

Getting out of debt is another good one.  I would usually start off this resolution singing the “if I can’t pay cash for it I can’t have it” song.  But then, look down the list….I see travel to new places on that list.  So how am I supposed to travel if I can’t use my credit card to get there?  And, I have to have new clothes if I am going on a vacation adventure, right?

Reduce stress.  Ok, that sounds great and could be easy for some of you out there, but for me????  If I am on a diet, exercising until my body is tied up like a pretzel and having to shop for new clothes so I can go on my adventure trip to an unknown place, well this is all SO STRESSFUL.  I need a drink…and a cigarette.  I have clearly bitten off much more than I can chew and have sabotaged myself into inaction.  Yay me?

You get the picture.  Actually it’s many pictures if you stop and analyze.  That is, unless making lists is one of your resolutions.  Then you will have succeeded.

There are a few things going on here that are sure fire indicators of failure.  The first being this list is probably identical to last year’s list of resolutions.  What makes you think that repeating the process year after year will get you anywhere?  I spent 53 of the 56 years I lived before having weight loss surgery dieting and failing.  Once I had a tool to help and the resolve and a plan of action I was able to succeed in losing weight and keeping it off.  Are you making lists of things you are not going to accomplish or do you want to set a plan in motion to get something done in the next 12 months?  Are you only listing your “faults” – what needs fixing, or are you going to reflect on what you have accomplished in the past year and how you did it?  Are your resolutions a wish list, a list of “shoulds”, or are they actionable items that you can reasonably accomplish given where you are in your life at this moment?  Even though the sky is the limit and we have the ability to do amazing things, we have to step out of the clouds for a moment, however briefly, set ourselves on the ground and figure out how we are going to soar higher and farther than we ever have before.  I call this a plan.

Let’s look at these typical New Year’s resolutions with a plan in mind and see what they can morph into.

• No sweets – Once I tell myself NO it makes me want to do it more, whatever it is.  I guess I enjoy defiance.  How about I will plan my meals and my snacks for one week at a time and stick to the plan?  A little easier to swallow perhaps?
• Exercise 2 hours daily – So I am expected to get myself out of my Lazy Boy Recliner, where I have been enthroned for the past xxx years and just go work out for Two hours daily.  No Way!  Not happening.  When I started swimming laps at over 300 pounds 7 years ago I started for 5 minutes 3 times weekly then worked it up to 15 and then continued from there to 1 hour daily 5-6 days a week.  Five minutes, NOT two hours.  How about starting out with 20 minutes 2-3 times a week and increasing it from there.  Set up interim goals with dates – by March I will be exercising for 30 minutes three times weekly, by June 45 minutes four times weekly.  There is both clarity and possibility here.
• No alcohol – Here comes the defiant child to the NO word.  When I started on my weight loss surgery journey I knew I would not give up alcohol forever.  I just wasn’t sure how I would be able to integrate it into my life again.  I did give it up completely for 6 months while I learned the new habits of dining and tasting and enjoying my food for the first time in forever.  At 6 months I allowed myself a glass of wine with dinner on Saturday night or on a special occasion.  That’s where I remain, a glass of wine with dinner on the weekend or on a special occasion.  Once in a rare while I will have a martini or a margarita but I have to be aware of the excessive calories these have and do “extra time” at the gym the next day and adjust my other food intake accordingly.
• More family time – I translated this into dinner with my daughter and grandkids at least once a week.  It has become almost a ritual for us.  We get to spend time together AND I make chocolate chip cookies for my grandson who tells me I make the best cookies in the world.  By the way, I believe him.
• Lose 100 pounds – All those years that this was a should and then grew to 150 pounds, 175 pounds, 200 pounds and more I did very little but diet and lose some and then put more back on.  Once I decided that I wanted to lose weight because I was choosing LIFE over the downward spiral of not being able to move or enjoy anything, and had my weight loss surgery as the tool to assist me this became possible.  I also learned that this was not about dieting, but about changing my relationship with food.  I enjoy food, but now I actually taste it!
• Get out of debt – Once again, when this is a should I put up all sorts of barriers and no plans to make this happen.  How about sitting down, creating a budget and checking once a week to make sure I am staying within budget and adjusting as necessary.  I can do that.  But I’m still going shopping at the outlets….
• Get organized – Nice statement, but what does it really mean?  I can organize my desk by the end of January, the upstairs closet by the end of February…..get the picture?
• Travel to new places – Does this mean go to Bakersfield, or to the top of Mt.  Whitney, or just to be able to travel on an airplane with no seat belt extender, or fit on the rides at an amusement park?  At 424 pounds, before weight loss surgery, traveling to new places was actually walking through a department store.  I couldn’t do it without pain and a tremendous output of energy and a lot of embarrassment at being stared at by everyone.  Now I travel all over the world.  It’s exhausting, but gratifying to have the experiences my obesity previously denied me.
• Reduce stress – The setting of specific, measureable and realistic goals is step one for reducing a lot of stress in my life.  All of the “shoulds” miraculously disappear.  I have bite size chunks of things to do that I choose to do to enhance my life.
• Quit smoking – This is something I did years ago, both because I should and because I WANTED to.  It was the first addictive behavior I was able to lick and I needed support to get out of the habit, much as I need support of people and my weight loss surgery tool to stay “clean” of my food addiction.  I left this in because it is a noble resolution that anyone who is still a smoker should resolve to do.  If your mission is to be healthy you will find a way, make a plan and reach for the support you need to achieve this goal.

This list of resolutions appears a little more manageable to me once I have put context to each of them.  I just picked some of the most frequently made resolutions to make my point.  Take life in small bites and chew thoroughly.  It is one of the Lessons of Successful Lap Band Patients that can be applied in all areas of life.

As we start this New Year, my 8^th year after having my LAP BAND® surgery, my 8^th year with a tool that has supported me on a journey I never thought possible full of amazing accomplishments that we in this community of weight loss surgery patients call NSV’s (non scale victories) I would like to take a moment to acknowledge all of you who have achieved your own personal victories that may include, but are definitely not limited to any of the following:

• Saw my toes
• Tied my shoelaces
• Fit in a booth at a restaurant
• No seat belt extender required
• Shopped in a regular size store
• Fit a towel around me
• Fit in the rides at Disney Land, Disney World or any amusement park
• Walked a mile
• Ran a mile
• Swam a mile
• Bicycled a mile
• Bought a bathing suit
• Wore pantyhose
• Made a muscle and saw and felt it
• Played on the floor with my kids/grandkids
• Had a lap for them to sit in
• Hugged by my significant other and their arms fit all the way around
• Got a second look as I walked by

There are so many, many more I can’t possibly cover them all.  My personal favorite, for me, this year was realizing that I was putting on my jeans without sitting down or leaning against anything – I was balancing my own weight.

Now that I can see how far I have come this past year I can think about what I want to accomplish in the coming year.  My #1 New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to continue to learn how to love myself so that I can continue to achieve amazing results in my life, one bite at a time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!