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I basically just need to vent. And if anyone has encouraging advice, or is feeling the same way... all inputs are awesome! however, don't get snooty. This is a forum, and I am allowed to say what I want, so please for the sake of just being a decent person, don't put me down. -With that being said.. I feel like the band is disappointing. I have been heavy my whole life. I went from the chubby kid, to the overweight teen to the obese adult. My mother had always been heavy too, so back..many years ago she got her stomach stapled. She lost 117lbs in six months. She was so young (my age, 21) that she didn't even have any excess skin. So when I turned 21 I decided I was SICK of being the fat person in the room, so I got a appointment with a weight loss surgeon. He told me about the lap band. He said it was the best bet at my age, due to the possibility of having children. So, my surgery date was Jan 7th 2011. I did A LOT of research on the band, and realized that it really wasn't much like my mothers surgery. I just figured I would get it so tight that it would be like hers, and I would drop the weight off the same way she did. Yeeeeeah, not so much. I went from 306lbs to 266lbs. I am stuck. I can't seem to loose anymore weight. A couple months ago my band was WAY TOO tight and I got sick, so I got it unfilled...and have been scared to get it filled since then. I am what I think is a good fill, HOWEVER I can still eat a WHOLE double cheeseburger and a medium fry.(Yes, I do go to McDonald's every now and then, because I freakin' love food. Obviously) So, my doctor tells me last visit (after me not losing anything for three weeks) that I need to start calorie counting...... ....seriously?! Truth is, if I wanted to calorie count I would have NEVER gotten a surgery. If I wanted to calorie count... I would have NEVER gotten fat in the first place. Will power is something that I obviously don't have. And the exercise? Again; if I wanted to go to the gym i would have. I would not have spent the money and the recovery time on a surgery. Everyone says that "The Lap band is a TOOL"... my thought on that?! I did not want a HAMMER to start building a new house... I just wanted to move into a new house! Nobody wants to go to the gym when they are over weight. I don't know if you've ever drove by a bally's(where there is a HUGE front window and you can see all the people on the machines)...they all look like they could be modeling the equipment. And I know that you can exercise without a gym. But, I live in a state where it was 107 today, so... unless I want to have a stroke i am not gonna power walk. I actually feel a lot better now that i have gotten that WEIGHT (LOL) off my shoulders and vented! Again, i understand that some people may want to respond to this with 'Your STILL going to MCDONALDS, you DON'T exercise, no wonder your still fat!', but if you are going to reply... maybe reply in a nicer way than that?! I know it's hard to keep your thoughts under control when you hear/read something that just boggles your mind. I am VERY out spoken, so I know how it is. But... I feel like instead of being mean, I could use some encouragement.

Hi Kitty, Glad I can help (I do tend to have quite an opinion and do tend to lean towards my dr being one of the best...so take my advice as you'd like to. I don't mean it in a bad way or mean that you're wrong and I'm right! Everyone is different in what works for them. A few things...you said you got creamsicles and fudgesicles – check with your nutritionist on when and if you’re allowed to have these (even though they’re SF) they’re not a clear liquid, you would need to be on full liquids. Creamsicles and fudgesicles are also quite a bit higher in calories than SF popsicles. (Just a thought…it’s still up to you though). As far as the syrups, walmart and bed bath & beyond have sugar free snow cone mixes that are good in the blenders. (If you want a snowcone machine, go for it! I personally love my magic bullet and I can use it for lots of other stuff too!) I LOVE iced tea as well! I drink mine with truvia and it is so good! The truvia is quite sweet, so generally you won’t need as much as if you were using actual sugar. It is a little pricy but when you see how much you’ll actually use, it’s not too bad. Also if you didn’t know, crystal light has some REALLY yummy iced tea flavors (the regular is 99% decaf and the decaf is 99.9% decaf – so not much difference, regular should be okay). I love the lemon decaf iced tea by crystal light, it’s so good! Any type of stevia should be okay to try, but I do love truvia so I haven’t tried any others at this time. J The chewable Fiber is pretty good (IMO) I buy fiber choice (I’ve had 2 flavors – the orange is very good and there is also one for weight management and it’s strawberry flavored) Both of them are good. Amazon has some great deals on fiber choice if you find one you like. I get my Vitamins through Bariatric Choice, they have great prices and quite a variety of items. The liquid Tylenol isn’t that bad, they don’t have an “adult” option, just get the children’s Tylenol and calculate the dose of acetaminophen that you’ll need. I think I take 4-6 tsp of the children’s Tylenol (double check on my math for that…I use a pre measured thing and figured it out the other day). The bubble gum isn’t too bad.

Loly, You mentioned you're drinking milkshakes...I'm not trying to give medical advice but I hope your dr told you that you probably shouldn't be drinking milkshakes. High calorie drinks get right past the band and defeat the purpose. The Protein in the milkshakes does not even come close to outweighing the calories. I personally am not allowed any milk products (aside from fat free cottage cheese and some cheese added to my meat). If you are allowed milk products, I still wouldn't suggest a milkshake. If you want something of that consistency, try using your Protein powder with skim milk and some ice cubes. This will give a similar consistency to a milkshake. I'm not trying to be rude with this, but hoping that you have as much success as possible! Try not to drink your calories away.

Beautiful AND smart... this is what i look for in a woman

I'm so glad that you could vent and that it's making you feel better. I suspect that what I've put below is already "in your radar", but I'm certainly trying to offer support and perhaps a way out of this place of frustration. It is human nature to want maximum gains for minimum output. I get it. And I know you're not alone because there are lots of people who have said the same words "if I wanted to count calories and exercise, I wouldn't have gotten surgery!" or "If I had any willpower, I wouldn't have gotten surgery!" This is not uncommon and probably has a lot to do with a lack of real education on what it is actually like to be banded. Even when you ask questions and try to educate yourself, if you don't know what questions TO ask, you're probably going to miss out on a lot of important information. I'll bet you can be a real voice of education for pre-op bandsters-- let them know your misconceptions so that they can be better informed. You're in a position now where what's done is done, and you have three real choices that I can see: you could decide that you're going to revise your expectations of the band and start working with what you've got, even though it means diet and calorie counting; you could decide that you're going to pay to have it revised to something that's more in line with meeting your expectations; or you could do neither and instead stay stuck where you are feeling disappointed and betrayed and frustrated. You've done really well so far with a 40-lb loss-- that's right on track with where you could expect to be and it's a good sign that you'll continue to lose at the expected rate if you don't give up hope and maybe take a look at doing some of the things you stubbornly don't want to try now (and I know all about stubbornly not wanting to do stuff too-- I pretty regularly refuse to exercise myself). You can do it! You just need to have a little adjustment in your outlook. But of course, you may decide it's more comfortable to stay where you are right now, and that's an option too. The only options that are NOT available to you are to change the past and never have the surgery, or to wave a magic wand that makes the weight melt away with no effort in 6 months. Believe me, I want that freaking magic wand sister

Hey I am a mommy of 2 boys 3 years and 2 years. I am six months post surgery and feel amazing. I love my band. Good luck. Check out my blog WWW.bandedme.blogspot.com

Papillon Princess, Thanks so much for sharing your experiences!! That is very valuable to me to hear how others are doing!! As for the liquids, last night hubby and I took the kiddos to get snowcones, and I had a small sugar free pink lemonade that I could only eat half of, so I told DH that next week when I'm on liquids that I would send him to get me one but also to buy a second cup of just ice, since they put WAY too much syrup in it!! (I'd probably also ask for half the syrup, since too much grosses me out!) I've already bought a box of SF popsicles (the variety pack with creamsicles and fudgesicles) that I hid from my kids, but will go back and get a few more boxes of the plain SF ones just in case!!! I'm also thinking of buying a little snowcone machine to make our own, I have a friend that makes her own syrup, so I bet she could hook me up with some good recipes..... Also already have lots of Sobe Life Water 0 calorie and the Vitamin Water 0 and a huge variety of the crystal light packets...I am a huge iced tea drinker (decaf sweetened with sweet & low, but I have heard I need to change that to either stevia or truvia, according to people here on LBT; I will ask my nutritionist when I see her on Thursday!)... Do the chewable fiber supplements taste good? Worried about that!! Now I just need to go buy liquid tylenol!! Yuck!!! Thanks again for the motivation!!!

hello I feel I had good results. 5 months now and down 50 pounds. yeah I get the the stuck episodes but it is my fault for not chewing slowly n eatting way to fast. I started out 22/24 n now im in a 16. All blood pressure problems are gone n I am happy as a clam Sure I wish I coulld do better n read other ppl n see they are doing alot more but this is our own journey n each one of us is diffrent. Good luck

Glen remember the band is a tool, nothing more nothing less, you can sabatogue it too if you try. However, the band can keep you honest as you learn to eat and make choices that are the best. As for being nervous, try not to be. Dr. Yau is one of the best. I flew from BC to toronto and back within two days. Just take loose fitting clothing, gas X and you should be fine. Without the band, you know you have failed the in past but with the band you more than likely will not. I have had the band 4 years and although I have had my ups and down (recently gained) my overall loss for the year was 7 lbs. I have never in my life lost weight 3 years in a row. I am a slow looser because my choices are not so good at times, but the band can not be faulted. If you post on your clinics website, you find find they have terrific web cam chats and support. Good luck

I don't believe there is a whole lot we can do for the skin. I believe it is mainly genetics, age, and amount of weight lost. The muscle tone underneath helps a little bit, as does hydration, but overall...you either have the elasticity to snap back or you don't. So sad. I have a beautiful pair of bat wings myself...ugh. I use them to threaten my husband if he misbehaves! Whip! The wave that keeps on waving!