Long Term Lap Band Success – A Mother’s Day Gift Of Life

May 4, 2011

I’m sitting here thinking about the month of May and what it means to me.  first of all, this month marks my 7 year “Bandiversary”.  On 5/28/11 it will be 7 years since I made a choice that has given me back my life.  Whereas 7 years ago I could only drive the block down [...]

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Lap Band Success – Why Did I Choose Lap Band Surgery?

April 27, 2011

Back in 2004 when I chose to have weight loss surgery nobody asked me why I wanted a lap band.  As a matter of fact, not even the doctor asked me why I wanted the lap band.  I think I just told him, but not before he told me that I might be a good [...]

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Lap Band Success – What Havoc Has The Easter Bunny Wrought?

April 21, 2011

It’s springtime.  The birds are singing, the flowers blooming, the sun is shining and it’s time for an Easter Egg hunt for my grandkids.  That also means the Easter Bunny will have baskets for them filled with sugary treats.  So, what I want to know is who invented Peeps and why?  Wasn’t a chocolate bunny [...]

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Lap Band Success – Pushing Through A Set Back

April 14, 2011

So here I am, 6 years and 11 months post-op, working to maintain my weight loss as well as continuing to increase my strength, add more muscle and improve my health on a daily basis.  So, if I sound like Charlie Brown’s sister – you know- wa-wa-wa-wa-wa bear with me, I’ll get to the point.
Here [...]

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Lapband Support – Finding, Easy, Inexpensive, Delicious Lap Band Friendly Recipes

March 31, 2011

One of the most important things about living with my lap band has been to find foods that taste good and are band friendly.

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LapBanded Living Setbacks – Rebooting After Those $@#! Girl Scout Cookies

March 24, 2011

Even though the days were getting longer, and brighter, and warmer in the last weeks I found myself finding reasons (ok, excuses) to fall back into some very old and very bad habits.

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LapBanded Living – Advocating For Obesity Treatment for A Healthier America

March 17, 2011

I have been honored by being invited to join the Advisory Board of the OAC (Obesity Action Coalition).  The mission of the OAC is to elevate and empower those affected by obesity through education, advocacy and support.  A mission I can certainly address with passion!  I spent this past Tuesday on Capitol Hill educating legislators [...]

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LapBanded Living – How Much Is Enough?

March 10, 2011

So we’ve all heard the words “super size it” and many of us have actually asked for our meal to be super sized. Of course, that was all in the past. (OK, last week can be the past too).

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My Lap Band Journey – Learning How To De-Stress With Food The Right Way

March 3, 2011

After seven years on this Banded Living journey, after working really hard to lose 250 pounds and maintain that loss I should NEVER use food to de-stress, right? Yup, it’s a trick question. Because the answer is, last night I did just that. I used food to de-stress and it worked like a charm.

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LapBanded Living – Understanding Nutritional Needs After Lap Band Surgery

February 24, 2011

Many of you know that as a “winner” in Allergan’s C.H.O.I.C.E. campaign I was able to go to Washington DC and, along with other contest winners, and OAC representatives, advocate for weight loss surgery to be considered as a viable treatment alternative. That trip was amazing. I met some wonderful people and realized just how passionate I was about obesity being treated as a disease without discrimination in the medical arena, social arena or workplace.

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My Lap Band Journey – An Unexpected Side Effect of Weight Loss Surgery

February 17, 2011

All of that is truly a blessing, but there is more, there is a side effect that I never considered for a moment when I was signing that consent for surgery. The thought never even entered my mind as I attended support group meetings to learn how to better use my tool.

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Eating With My Lap Band – The Difference Between Being Satisfied And Being Full

February 10, 2011

So in our banded living community we refer to full as having too much and it’s coming back up, satisfied as having enough- I can comfortably push away from the table and not worry about being hungry again in 15 minutes.

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My Lap Band Journey – What I Ate For the First Year

February 3, 2011

Lots of people ask what to “eat” right after surgery and how to graduate to solid foods. The best advice I can offer is to get some ideas by working with your doctor and nutritionist so you can stick to their prescribed plans, but I also thought sharing my first year of foods may be helpful. I remember missing chewing so badly in the liquid stage and then being afraid to take my first bite of soft food, and then really wondering if I could actually eat a bite of chicken. Well, it’s 7 years later, I’m here blogging about it so I guess I made it through with no real scarring.

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Lap Band Success Finding Humor And Fun In My Lap Band Journey

January 27, 2011

Looking back at seven years of struggling with my weight, making the decision to have surgery, experiencing surgery and then living my transformation into a healthy, normal weight person for the first time in years I could get all serious and sappy (oh wait, I have, that was last week), or I can look back on the “light side”(now isn’t that an appropriate choice of words?). I choose the light side since some wonderful and some funny things have happened to me along the way, and reviewing them will help me reach one of my daily goals for 2011 which is to laugh out loud every day.

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Lap Band Success – Paying It Forward Brings Unexpected Rewards

January 20, 2011

As most of you know Gloria Samuels and I have created BandedLiving.com as a means of paying it forward.  That is, we “mentor” other lap band patients who are at various points in their journeys and try to provide them with helpful information, some inspiration and motivation to do their very best to use their [...]

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My Lap Band Success – The Value Of My Lap Band Support Network

January 13, 2011

I still hate the current picture of myself, but the main thing is that looking at “me” side by side I can see how great my accomplishment was. I couldn’t see that without having it done for me. That turned my entire day around and put a big smile on my face. Thank you.

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Maintaining After Lap Band Surgery – Rebooting My Lap Band After Some Seasonal Variances

January 5, 2011

OK. So now what do I do? Go to the doctor for a fill? Nope, I am definitely tight enough. I know this because when I am selective about the food I choose, put the proper portion on my plate, put my fork down between bites and pay attention to my body’s signals I am satisfied with a small portion of food. I just finished lunch where I did just that and I am totally satisfied.

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