At 300+ lbs, having to get surgery to lose weight and be healthy, you’d think I would have noticed and acknowledged that a long time ago. Nope. Just call me “Cleopatra, Queen of de-Nile”. I’ve had every excuse and reason except the simple truth: I have an eating disorder.

They say admitting you have a problem is the first step. O.K. I did that. Now what? I did a little online research and have found very little information or support for eating disorders, especially what they call “Binge Eating Disorder”. If you have any sites you could recommend please leave a comment to this post or email me.

I’m going to check out the local TOPS chapter. I need some local support and accountability. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Incredible video about the relationship between a father and son…. and God’s relationship with us. more

I watched videos, read hummus blogs and scoured the internet for the perfect red pepper hummus recipe. I didn’t find it. I ended up using this recipe from You Tube and just added a jar of roasted red pepper and used a little less Tahini (sesame seed paste, I found in the Oriental foods section at our local store). It turned out pretty good, especially for a first try. What I like best about Hummus is that I can experiment with all kinds of variations. Next I’m going to try roasted tomato and feta. YUM!

In the past my health and diet were always on the back burner to everything else going on in life. Plus, I used food as a reward (ice cream at the end of a hard day), an escape (dinner out at a nice restaurant with hubby– pasta, steak, yum!) and to just cope with feelings (busy my fingers and mouth eating chips while watching a good show). All very bad habits and coping mechanisms. With my band, even on busy and stressful days I HAD to stop and think what I was eating, how I was eating it and was limited in how much I could eat.

I had a couple of set backs. In my eagerness to lose weight fast, like many of my fellow August 07 bandsters, I rushed my fills and had to get unfills twice. The problem is that it can be hard to tell when I’m in the office if the fill is too much, especially with being so new to the band. The first one wasn’t too big of a deal. The tightness feeling that I sometimes have after a fill didn’t go away and I was only able to eat liquid and mush. The band was too tight and I just needed a small unfill.

The second one was much more serious. I thought the fill went well and was on liquids for two days, mush for a few after that and went to chewing chicken a veg really well. About a week or so after the fill I ate chicken, maybe didn’t chew well enough, and had a major PB. After the PB the symptoms didn’t go away and I wasn’t able to swallow my own saliva! So, the next morning we rushed to my Dr (2.5 hours away) for an unfill. In a case like that they would normally completely unfill but I begged that they only take half and they did, thank God!

After the swelling went down I started to FEEL my stomach again. I was H-U-N-G-R-Y! I hadn’t felt that feeling in a while. How annoying. Needless to say I gained a bit of my weight back before getting in for the refill.

I went in for another refill yesterday and finally have my restriction back. I actually relish the soft foods, tiny amounts and tight feeling. It was so hard after surgery but now I feel comfortable with it.

I was feeling disappointed that I gained some of my weight back after the unfill and haven’t lost nearly as much as many of my fellow bandsters. Then I realized having my band is for life. This is only my first year and I’m still learning. I didn’t gain all this weight in one year and it’s not good for it to all come off in one year. So, this is me: Bandster for life and learning!

The Lap Band is changing lives and families all around the world. The Bandsters that have the Lap Band realize the big step they are taking but their kids might have a harder time understanding what exactly a Lap Band does. This is how I helped to explain the Lap Band to my little sister and how our family coined the phrase “Mommy’s Zip Tie”.

The best way to explain to your kids is by comparing your Lap band to a Zip tie. Most kids know what a zip tie is, but if not then I would suggest getting a zip tie so you can explain– kids learn wonderfully through visuals they can relate to. Tell your child that you needed help getting healthy so you went to the Doctor and got this zip tie on your tummy. What the zip tie does is goes around your stomach and squeezes it to make it smaller.

If you have a zip tie you can give a little demonstration. You need a zip tie and a loosely inflated plastic bag. You want it to have enough air in it that it has some shape but not enough that it will pop when you put on the zip tie. (If that were to happen your child is likely to end up more afraid and confused than before. Oops!) Tell them that a smaller tummy helps you to eat less and get into better shape. Explain that when you are in a better shape you will be able to do more things with them and you will be happier.

Kids understand more than you think and will be happy for you. My kids have been so supportive and happy for me. They make me very proud.

That’s a total weight loss of 155 lbs! Congratulations, Brandy!

How did you come to the conclusion that the lap band was right for you?
Brandy: I decided that I had to do something and researched the R En Y. I decided it was not right for me, well because I just don’t like commitments. I was concerned what if the Dr. made the pouch too big or too small? I choose the band because I felt I had the most control.

What kind of insurance did you have or were you a self-pay patient?
Brandy: I am the wife of a Disabled Veteran and have ChampVA insurance.