B-52

One of these days, but not this one...

Over 4 years in, and I still have not gotten used to it....the other day I put a shirt on and it felt a little tight....told myself I need to lose a few pounds.....

You can purchase scales and hand held devices for around $100 that will do it, but I have read they are not very accurate and people wish they invested in the more expensive models. The health club I go to used to have one out in the open for all to use...free of charge, similar to the method you describe...bare feet, grip with both hands.... Now they figured out a way to make extra money, so they purchased a real fancy one hooked to a lap top, and gives you print out of a full body analysis...not just fat. but all sorts of things....also tells you if you are drinking enough Water... Costs $10...I do it about once a month.... calipers are not very accurate, they will only give you subcutaneous and then only in certain areas of the body...then it is averaged out....that's the method we learned and used in college 35 years ago. The killer is Visceral fat, which is in the body and you can't see.... layered/marbled in your muscles and choking your organs....a good body fat analysis will tell you your entire fat %,....and an accurate state of health. A series of low voltage signals are sent throughout the body and resistence/impedence is measured over time.... As you can see, BMI's are worthless...except getting you in the ballpark...it';s like asking someone directions to their home. and they give you enough to get you to their state, and then town....

Welcome all to "Bandsters Hell" During my entire weight loss experience with the band, this phase was definitely the hardest time of all...not to mention frustrating. My first fill was 4 week after surgery...after my first fill, I started to GAIN weight. I can't begin to say how upset I was, all the preparation and anticipation for nothing! To add insult to injury, the staff at the bariatric center started giving me handouts and lectures about counting calories, measuring portion sizes, and all these little self help do's and don'ts to help me stay on track.... I've been on every diet imaginable over my lifetime, know them all inside and out...and what they were telling me was no different! That really got me angry!! I did not need weight loss surgery just so I can do all that again! You think I wanted to have this surgery if I felt I didn't need it??? I'm going to say somewhere 4-6 months after surgery, a few fills later, a lot of hard lessons learned the hard way, (stuck, sliming, pain) and it all started to fall into place.... One year after surgery and I could say it was the EASIEST, most EFFORTLESS thing I could have ever done to make sch a major lifestyle change in myself... I learned to let the band be the band and to get out of it's way... learned to "Listen: to the band" and follow it's lead. Four years later and it is still Heaven! And it keeps getting better as I keep accepting this new way of living..

I spent years there while in the US Navy...had an apartment near Balboa Park....would love to go back some day....

If we could loose weight, why then would we need surgery??

For me, drinking IS the way I get it out and un stuck.... Also, I feel it is a valuable and necessary lesson....it WILL force you to break the old bad habits and adapt new ones, which will lead to a new successful lifestyle. I read here all the time where people feel something is wrong...(perhaps there is by trying to eat like a fat person eats) call their Dr.'s and get some Fluid removed....then they can what they want when they want, and go back to traditional diet planning....

I cannot comment on converting from band to sleeve...can't hurt...any WLS is better than none... If I read your posts correctly, the band got tight after cosmetic surgery...I can understand that. So, the Dr. did a complete un-fill....I can understand that also. But then you got pregnant....after which you never went back to get Fluid put back in your band?? If that's the case, then your band is doing nothing....it is to most people as though it's not there at all.... Whether it's Lap band surgery, or the sleeve, or whatever, it is apparent that WLS is needed for us to loose weight and keep it off... Good luck on your revision to the sleeve...I'd be curious how it all works out.

So sorry for your loss.... I'm 63 years old, had my heart attack when I was 58...but I was Obese and had fat oozing through my arteries...(cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.) I lost my Father to a MI...he was not fat, and was in his 50's...then lost my Brother, sister and finally my mother. So now I'm an orphan. I belong to a Face Book group made up of my High School class....seeing and listening to some of these people....it's very sad what shape many are in. I went through a surgical procedure to help "Fix" some of the issues with my heart....it was then my PCP recommended WLS...which I did....best decision I ever made, and I will NEVER look back!!! When I feel reluctant to go to the gym, or get on that treadmill, you can see all I have to do is think on these things to get motivated....very motivated. Again, sorry for you loss....

I answered the first choice....however, I was never baffled where I did everything right and nothing happened... Doing something right was changing things up a little....increase my workout activity, decrease my calorie intake, etc. So stalls never really lasted too long...took a week to realize I was in one, then another week to 10 days to get it going again. Stalls, IMO, is when your body catches up and adjusts to the new lifestyle you've adapted since having WLS...it's then you have to shake it up a little.... I'm at a point where everything is at a constant...my eating is pretty much the same day after day, as is my workouts. I have not gained, nor lost any weight in 3 years, and I am OK with that at this point.

Exactly! it's a big world and I wish I had the good manners to post in Italian as good as you do in English if the situation was reversed. Last thing we need is a bunch of people looking down their noses and instead of paying attention to what someone is saying, they are critiqued and graded on how well,or not, they say it. I'm not their teacher or mother. I'm here to offer my experience with WLS....so you can talk to me. I will listen. I saw 6 patients and their families yesterday....2 were Spanish and needed interpreters,,,,and one family was from India. The father from India is a big shot engineer that makes our education system look silly.! But if he posted here he would be slammed because he did not use commas in the right place and because of his English spelling.... I can say people from the south have bad grammar...does that mean I won't talk to them? How about Aussies? Are thy to be ignored also? Asians? Those that are dirt poor and have no education? Perhaps we can institute some sort of questionnaire before we let people join this group of the "Elite" There...that's my rant. My forum etiquette beef is all the self proclaimed experts trying to make themselves feel better than the next person....I get it...you're wonderful...you're perfect! I bow down to your ivory tower! Just share your weight loss successes and experiences ( if you have any) with others who come here to glean information.

I used to see at least 5 Dr.'s on regular basis, and a dermatologist was one of them for the reason you described... I also had severely cracked skin on the soles of my feet. Also, I was prone to infections such as cellulitis which led to staff, which put me in isolation in the hospital on at least 2 occasions.... All that on top of my diabetes and it was not very pretty.... And yes...all that is behind me since I lost weight. Have not seen a dermatologist in years, nor my endocrinologist because my diabetes has been reversed. I'm sure to take Vitamins, plenty of Water, and skin moisturizer twice a day..... Winters were the worst for my skin, and this year went without a problem. I still have those steroidal ointments in my medicine cabinet that I have not used in years....

I go to the gym every day, and the first things I noticed was first, how easy it became to put my socks on and tie my shoes, and second, I could wrap a normal size towel around my waist and have it stay there. There were may other things, but those popped up immediately.

I can let the grammar and spelling go, it's a big world out there and the doors here are wide open. So you're going to read posts from many people from many different backgrounds, etc. There is one thing that I have noticed, and I wanted to point it out but wasn't sure where. So I'll put it here... Is it me, or am I reading the same post over and over again, posted different places on different days, and perhaps by different people?? And they all have post counts of less than 8.... I just read a post 10 minutes ago, and I could swear I read that same post, a slight variation, last week.

Hiccups are one of my signs to stop eating....people around me say "drink some water...they'll go away" little do they know the reason behind them and if I did drink water, especially at that point, it would not be pretty.... As you get restriction, you will also have to become more and more aware of what you're eating in terms of what works with the band...not necessarily calories, but types of foods...for instance, peanut butter for me will not pass through the band very easily....but it s something I love to add to my morning smoothies...along with a banana and maybe some chocolate. I also have to be careful of cheese....those things, no matter how well you chew, they still go down as "Gobs" You learn new things as you go along.

Same here...I was taking oral meds plus daily injections....No Mas!!! There is a direct correlation between diabetes and body fat...in simple terms fat builds a barrier making it difficult for insulin to work at the cellular level....less fat, more effective insulin becomes Talking Type 2 here obviously...

Me too...I can parachute in and be the "Bully" to them....

I drifted away for about a year...now I completely ignore almost all posts from people who have had weight loss surgery less than a few months....I find they don't have a clue what I'm talking about, and just too early for them to understand...so I just got tired of saying "Hang in there"..."It gets better" all the time....

I was never told not to....but then again I rarely use a straw except maybe while driving...

I'm not 5 years, but over 4.... Restrictive??? Diet??? those are 2 words I do not use. How about "New Lifestyle"? I have had lap band surgery,,,yes it restricts the amount of food, portion sizes, I can eat.....does it bother me? No, because it also took care of my hunger, and my tastes have changed to where a lot of things...MANY things, do not appeal to me anymore. I have no desire, no cravings. Also, the Lap band has made certain foods difficult to eat, so i gave them up entirely rather than gamble....looking back, all the foods, or most, where not that good for me in the first place. And if I was on a diet they would be "Red Flag" foods like cakes, breads, rice, etc, etc. Over 4 years later, I take a day like any other day...perfectly normal, don't even think about the fact I had weight loss surgery....all those lessons I learned early on have now become not just a habit, but it is who I am and what I do instinctively Sure, every now and then I will drink Water too fast, or swallow something too large or too quickly...but it is nothing more than a little reminder....not the sky is falling!! You may read many posts from people who are struggling...but if you can read between the lines you can see why they are struggling..."Have not seen their Dr in over a year" for one example.....and the majority of them are from people who are new to this... Granted, there are legitimate unavoidable problems with this surgery, some dangerous....just as there is with anything in life. But I am at a "Normal" weight, in excellent health ( was not always so) and I have more self-esteem, motivation, and energy than I ever have.... Would I trade this off??? Not a chance!!!

The health club / gym I go to is selling a "Cleanse" kit.....I noticed it this morning. Although a little pricy... it still got me thinking... I may ask for more info when I'm there tomorrow.

Have no idea what may be your problem.....all I can say, for me and my experience, I have to be very selective with fruits and veggies, not all are band friendly for me.....so I cannot simply eat anything I want in that area.... Second, when my band gets irritated for whatever reason, possible from eating the wrong foods, or right after a fill, (I was told to wait 24-36 hrs before solid foods) to continue to try to eat only prolongs the problem, never giving it a chance to calm down and heal....and yes, if I don't stop it will get to the point where I can't keep anything down....not to mention the pain!.....so during that time it is nothing but the softest, gentlest foods I can find, including Soups...perhaps cold things like ice cram also... Like spraining your ankle, if you want it to heal you simply have to stay off it.... For me, one of the most important lessons is really getting to know my band, how to pick up and pay attention to the smallest signals. When he band says stop eating, I stop eating...or else...does not matter how much or how little I ate. When the band says slow down, I say slow down....and most importantly, when I take a swallow of a particular food, the band will let me know if that is a type of food I want to continue with...some foods i avoid for good...and that can include foods that are healthy...just need to find other foods that are healthy.... But again, cannot tell what you are doing or experiencing through the internet......

(Re-printed from my Surgeon's website) 1. Your co-worker heard a strange noise and doesn’t bat an eye…knowing it was your stomach. Patients often ask me why their new pouch makes odd gurgling noises. It could be too big of bites or eating too quickly. It could also just be your stomach moving around and making noises for all to hear 2. You have a space heater under your desk in the middle of July. It may be in part to losing some “insulation” but many postop wls patients are colder than they’ve ever been using more blankets at night and space heaters to keep warm. 3. Your alarm just went off for the third time today to remember your next Vitamin. While bariatric Vitamins have become much more simpler in recent years, it still takes reminders to get in your vitamins. Your family might even hear the alarm and hand you your calcium! 4. Protein is always first on your mind at your meals – it might as well be plastered inside your forehead. Protein…protein..where’s the protein? Protein is what fills you up and keeps you full! You get the most out of your surgery when you focus on lean and solid protein sources. 5. Your waitress keeps asking if the food is okay. And if you’re sure you don’t want a drink. When you can only eat an ounce or so, the wait staff may think something is wrong with the food. And what do you mean you don’t want anything to drink?? 6. Your pants are barely holding on but you’re still holding off to go shopping. Just make sure you don’t carry a heavy object and walk up a flight of stairs. At least not around anyone 7. Speaking of shopping, you still go to the plus sized section first out of habit. It’s hard to wrap your mind around your new body. Leave plenty of time and stay patient with yourself as you find out what size your body is. Take a good friend to be your “runner” and someone to talk it out with. 8. You get overjoyed at the release of a new Protein Bar flavor…or a sale on your favorite Protein Bars. Quest® has a new flavor?!?!??! Ahhhhh!!!!!! 9. You rejoice at the small things like crossing your legs or getting a pair of boots that zip up your calves. Some things you’ll never take for granted again. It may seem like nothing to others, but to you it’s something big. 10. You use lingo like “wls”…”bariatric friendly”…”pouch”…”vsg”… You gotta know the lingo to be in the club! 11. You smile as you think of how far you’ve come and get excited to think of where you’ll be soon. Patients wonder why they didn’t have their surgery sooner.

I don't hate Fat people..... I used to be smoker...2 packs a day for 30 years...finally, with my heart attack, I decided to do something and turned my life around....and that included WLS Now, when I see a bunch of smokers huddled behind the building, I don't hate the person, but everything else I find repulsive and never want to go back there....that's my defense mechanism...it's dirty, disgusting, and I do not want any part of it...I Hate it! The same is true for other addictions I suppose, and I guess it's true for obesity, and all the bad habits that got me that way....eating like a fat pig, is something I was, and never want to go back to again... Like watching smokes huddled outside, I get the same experience watching people in a restaurant...unbelievable!

Any foods you swallow, will eventually get broken down and pass..... I can't see a wad of gum digesting very well. In my entire life, I have never end swallowed gum, but that does not mean it can't happen.