Sombra1718

Thank you I never even thought about doing an actual online journal. I will definitely look into that. I guess I should clarify that I am looking to buy a food log that I can write in by had. Something I can carry around in my super big purse haha. I looked on amazon and didn't see anything that great and the same with ebay.

I have been watching a lot of lapband journeys on youtube and I ended up having the following questions: I noticed that people don't talk about how they feel after eating as in depth as I thought they would: What does it feel like after eating the 1/2 cup of food? What does it feel like to be full? What does it feel like to be stuck? What does it feel like before you throw up? What does it feel like when you are throwing up? What does it feel like when you drink Water and if you drink it too fast? I also have not seen much from people who have actually reached goal: How do people deal with reaching goal? Currently (probably because I am barely starting to live the lifestyle) I imagine that when I reach goal I might be the person to say, "OK I can enjoy myself a bit now and if I gain a few lbs its OK because I can lose it again." But then I will get out of control and gain it all back. What is the thought process like once a person reaches goal? What is it like to stay on maintenance? How do you exercise during matinence? For example if you do 2 hours of exercise per day while loosing weight do you have to continue to do that much exercise during maintenance to keep the weight off or do you pull it back a bit so you don't continue to loose weight? I know everyone is different but I would like to hear the individual experiences so that I can get an idea of what could possibly happen to me.

I have not been banded yet but will be here in a few months. I am 24 and have no kids and have not dated in over a year and a half. My feelings are that I do not want to date until I have a handle on my weight situation and understand my band. I do believe that if someone comes along and they seem like the right person I would give it a go but I really don't want to date right now. I feel like there are a lot of stereotypes for bigger girls the worst of which is "bigger girls are easy" and that is an awful horrible thing to say about anyone but it seems like a lot of men believe it. I would rather avoid all that junk altogether if possible. I also feel that in my situation particulary it is unfair to bring all of my problems and struggles into a relationship. But that is just me.

I really hope all of you get to your goals. I get so excited when I am watching the youtube videos and people hit their 100lbs mark or their other goals. I probably look like a dork talkin the the computer screen. I have a very hard time believeing I will be successful and loose all the weight I need to lose but I am going to try harder at this than anything else I have ever done.

Thanks so much you guys. It seems like the throwing up part is different for different people. I guess with that I am just scared that I will make my band slip or something...like what if you get the stomach flu? I'm one of those people that throwing up is really hard to do so when I do get sick my whole body is sore after because it strains all the muscle...hopefully the band will change that. Does the food that has already moved through the band ever come up? And with the question about being full...I guess my problem is (and I don't have the band yet...hopefully in May) that I get slightly hungry sometimes...but when I do eat...even if it is a lot I don't have an actual full feeling...but at the same time I am no longer hungry...so it pretty much feels the same the whole time. I think if you don't really get hungry often and when you do eat and you don't get full there is no way to be satisfied. But hopefully the band will give me a distinction.

So I am still on the pre-op diet and am getting into the exercising. My issue is that my knee which has never given me any problems before keeps getting stiff and sore and it pops the whole time I walk. This is the biggest I have ever been and since I have never had problems I am assuming that the weight is the issue. I don't want to mess my knee up for life...so does anyone know what I should do to baby my knee until I loose more weight and there is not so much pressure on it?

Yes swimming does sound like the answer now...I will have to find an indoor pool. I used to be a competitve swimmer when I was younger and can't wait to swim like that again. Thanks for the help guys.

I have not had surgery yet but more than once my surgeon and nutritionist have told me that we can't have carbonated drinks because they expand in the stomach and can stretch your pouch.

I think you are absolutely doing the right thing. I am getting this surgery because I know that if I don't my weight will eventually kill me. I think it is more dangerous to keep the weight than to get the surgery. And as for your sister telling you to think of your son...she should realize that is what you are doing...your quality of life and his will be better and again...it is more likely that you will die from something else weight related than the surgery itself.

How do you control yourself when you spend days away from home. I ask because I went to spend four days at my parent's house and I even took my own food with me but I still ended up eating what my mother cooked instead. That lead to bigger portions and foods that I have been trying to wean myself off of before my surgery. I know self control is the biggest part of this or so it seems...but I was wondering what yall tell yourselves when your faced with these situations?

The cheat sheet said something about eating bites the size of a pencil eraser. Is that really the size of a bite that most of you take?

Ah yes...those were some of the things I DID do: I didn't snack and I ate what I took for breakfast...it was just the big cooked meals that messed me up. I was able to stay with just one portion per meal but the portions were too big. But this was my first time away from home while I'm trying to learn these new habits. I guess if you really look at it I didn't do that horribly.

I am surprised to see this post because it is the same questions I have been asking myself lately. I don't know if you are the same as me but I always ate so much that I was never hungry (and rarely full). I have such bad cravings (but not stomach hunger pains) that I would eat constantly. I think that is what they are calling head hunger and I'm getting into threapy for it. But so far I am doing really good with my pre-op diet. I have been writing out my own menu every week before I go shopping and only buy what I need. And space my meals out the way people normally do.

I have not been banded yet so I can't tell you anything about the band but I have always been good at keeping my workouts interesting. It sounds like you have been doing the same work outs? Maybe you need to look at other ways to work out. Go get a workout dvd that teaches you to dance at the same time. Swimming can be very fun or learning to swim if you don't know already. Sometimes you can join swimming groups which helps you be motivated. Walk in different places than you already have. Try the different classes they give at gyms. I like to watch tv when I use my equipment...so I don't get bored staring at the wall. Getting competitive makes things way more interesting. Hope that gives you some ideas for the exercise part.

So I am doing my pre-op diet right now and so far so good (amazingly) but I have a ton of questions so here they are and there will be more. How big of a piece of food can get stuck in the belt. I know we aren't supposed to eat rice but could something the size of a grain of rice get stuck? If something gets stuck do I have to go to the Dr. right away or wait and see what happens? What can I do to help myself if something is stuck? What should I NOT do? When I sip water how long do I have to wait in between sips? How much liquid qualifies as a sip? If I take too big of a sip what will happen? I have been practicing chewing and my jaw is so sore. Will that stop eventually? What causes an erosion at the band area? Is there anything that I can do to avoid that? If I bump my port on something will it hurt? What are some ideas for bevarages to get my water intake but still have flavor? What are some good tasting protein drinks or recipies for them? Thanks so much you guys!

I am so relieved to hear that and so happy for you. I am afraid that I might find a way to bing and do it but so far I am having urges (only a couple weeks into pre-op diet) but I am controlling them. I have gotten a recomendation for a therapist who works with eating disorders and started OA so I think I will be able to handle it.

<FONT face=Georgia><STRONG>Hello eveyone, I am currently in my first week of pre-op diet. My insurance requires three months pre-op diet. The last three weeks will be liquid diet. If everything goes to plan I should be banded in April or May. I was weighed in last week at 354lbs. I am 5'5" and just turned 24. I have been considering surgery for many years but decided that I liked Lap Band the best about a year ago. I am not worried about the actual surgery itself but I am terrified about what might happen after I am banded. Background: My mother said I was born wanting food. She said she could not breast feed me for very long because I was always so hungry. I have always been an overeater and it became apparent when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade. I had some very traumatic events (just like everyone else) like parent's devorce and accident/coma/brain dammage/and finally death of my father. There was a large amount of weight gain after each of these events. I am absolutely a comfort eater. I have done many diets...and weightwatchers which I really enjoy but I never seem to last for more than a few months. I am capable of loosing weight and I do when I put effort into it but the big issue is that I have not found a coping skill for stress or anxiety to replace food. (I have very severe anxiety/panic attack and some depression) The first thing I would look forward to when I woke up was what I could eat and when I was on diets or weightwatchers I would almost be depressed and feel like I didn't really have anything to look forward to when I woke up. I constantly have cravings for food and when I can't have it I really really want it. It all sounds so very negitive but there are some things that are positive as well. I truly enjoy working out (although I have not been working out for the past couple years). I was a competitive swimmer in highschool and would love to find a swimming team of some sort once I am in better shape and not so embarrassed to be in a swim suit. I think that I was blessed with some good genetics because even though I weigh so much my body has kept an "hourglass" shape (just a thick hourglass) so with less weight I think I can be happy with my body. I know the band is just a tool and wont help with my mental issues with food. I am just very afraid that I will always crave food as badly as I do now and because of that be miserable. Did anyone else feel that way? Ashley