Dibley Dawn

they don't know why it flipped. I just woke up in pain on Saturday, so something must have happened during the night. I think i was dreaming that I was fighting zombies....it looks like they won! the doctor said it happens to 1 out of about every 100 patients and there is nothing to prevent it. they just have to go in, flip it, and stitch it back up.

well, even though I had my surgery in May of last year, my port flipped over the weekend, so I'm having revision surgery on monday....and I'm a May bandster again! Yippeeeee

you have to do what is right for you. there is no wrong or right thing to do. for me, i chose not to tell. it's no one's business but my own. My DH knows and one close friend that lives in another state knows...and nobody else. I personally didn't want the attention that it would bring, people watching every bite I put into my mouth or asking "should you be eating that???" food issues were one of my biggest problems. now, i can go out with friends, eat what I want (just in smaller portions) and nobody is any the wiser. i haven't had to lie because no one has asked. and honestly, if someone did ask me, i probably would just say that i've been working out a lot and eating better which is the truth and isn't a lie at all. I haven't had any fills, so i have no restriction..so i feel it is absolutely true. but again, that was my choice to not tell. whatever helps you. if people obsess over what i eat, then i get self conscious and I eat...if they don't notice, then i don't either. I know I have done the thing that is best for me.

Today is my 1 year bandiversary and I am 100 pounds from where I was a year ago. I never thought I could lose that much weight in one year, even with the band. I thought I would be successful and feel better if I could lose just 50 pounds, and when I lost 50 pounds I DID feel like a million bucks. I still have a lot of weight to lose to reach the state of not being obese, but honestly if I stay at this weight that I am currently, I am ok with that. I started this journey as a size 28 in tops, size 30 in bottoms and could barely walk a flight of stairs without becoming winded. I am currently in a size 16 top/ size 18 bottom. I haven't been in those sizes since high school, and we are coming up on my 20 year reunion this year. I went from wearing XXXL and XXXXL shirts to wearing some XL and L size shirts. I can actually wear some of my husband's t-shirts and it's overwhelming to me every time I put something on that looks a little small and it fits. I walk everywhere now and I do not get winded or tired. I have seemingly endless supplies of energy and most importantly, I am not controlled by food any longer. I used to think about food all day long. when is my next meal? when are we going to eat? what are we going to eat when we are finished eating this. My hungry head monster has silenced. I have had zero fills, so my band is exactly the way it was the day it was installed, and I don't feel like i need a fill. I'm eating like a normal person, eating normal portions. I haven't had to stop eating foods that I like, i just eat less of them and I never go back for seconds...... or thirds, or fourths I eat chocolate every now and again, McDonald's, fancy restaurants, junk food....but all of these are in moderation and not on a daily basis like they used to be. I haven't told anyone about the surgery except for my DH, so when I go out with friends once a month, and I order fries or something off of the menu, they don't monitor what i'm eating or wonder if i've had surgery. I just eat a few bites of this or that and i'm done. no more fries for another month and my friends are none the wiser. i realize that telling or not telling is a big debate around here, and i don't want to debate that. i simply just made the choice that was right for me and in the end, that is what we are all doing isn't it? having surgery because it is right for us? so anyway, i didn't want to go on and on, i just wanted to thank everyone in this community for sharing their triumphs, struggles and tips with me over this last year. they made a difference and they helped me shed 100 pounds. I can't wait to see what the next year holds for me.

my BMI was 58 and I chose the band....I've lost 100 pounds with no fill. We each have to do what is right for us, and the band was right for me. I didn't want a plication or switch or RNY or any of that stuff. My goal wasn't to lose as much weight as fast as I could, and at my size, that would be a bad idea. I would just weigh a lot less but be stuck carrying around my wibbly wobbly meat suit. Not a pretty sight. losing slowly, my body has at least half a chance to catch up, and while there is wibly wobbliness, especially in my arms, it's not as bad as it would be if i dropped 200 pounds all at once which is what i think would have happened with a more aggressive surgery....but again, you have to make the decision yourself and DON'T let any heath are professional bully you into something you don't want.

you are very welcome....we were all newbies once...all (or most) scared out of our wits. scared either of the surgery or scared that this wouldn't work, or what have you. 1 year out is still early days and anything could happen, but just take it one day at a time. thanks again everyone for the kind words.

Way to go Erin! I absolutely did not choose this surgery to give up the good things in life like chocolate and brownies. I couldn't live without it every once in a while...but yes, as you said, the difference is i might have a bite or two of a slice of cake and not the entire cake. i can't really believe the quantities of food i used to eat and not only that, but i can't believe the feeling of constantly being hungry has gone completely. i now know what hunger feels like...i eat and then i'm done, for HOURS instead of minutes! The band, yeah, it's a tool, but it has been a lifesaver for me and has helped me tremendously with will power that I simply didn't have before. So, congrats again on your loss thus far and may you lose the weight you want to lose by the time his B-day rolls around.

today is one year banded for me. i've lost 100 pounds and the nsv's are amazing. -i had to change my car seat location to move it forward. my seat belt is no longer super tight on me, so i can move when i'm strapped in -i no longer neat a seat belt extension on flights! that was a huge nsv for me. -i walk and walk and walk and don't get tired the way i used to, so i can keep up with my friends. -i can sit in my chair at work and my legs aren't forced into the seat. the armrests of the chairs don't leave marks on me any longer ....the same with movie theatre seats -i can cross my legs comfortably -i have gone from a size 28 in tops/30 in bottoms to a size 16 in tops/18 in bottoms. i haven't been this size since high school. on a side note, i have been going through my closets and cleaning them out. i ran across a box dated 6 years ago that i had made a note on that read "do not open unless you lose 50 pounds". in this box, i had some of my favorite skirts and tops from 6 years ago. well, i opened the box this past weekend and the clothes in it are now TOO BIG for me. I have surpassed my "skinny clothes" box. HUGE NSV for me. -I used to wear XXXL and XXXXL t-shirts. now i can wear XL and some L sized shirts. I can even wear some of my DH's t-shirts...not that he's happy about me wearing his clothes, but I can! -My DH who was initially against me having this surgery because he was happy with the way I was feels like he has a new wife. I have energy to do all the things he likes to do, i.e. museums, riding bikes, taking walks, just being together. He has been a huge support and comfort to me this past year and I'm glad that he has a healthier wife to spend time with! there so many NSV's, it's difficult to name them all. they have kept me going even when the scale itself wasn't moving.

you can totally do 50 pounds by new year's. it is absolutely attainable......and thanks, i plan to enjoy my cruise to the fullest...and possibly drop a few more pounds by then.

Thanks for the kind words everyone! I'll try to answer your questions... @humming bird My 100 pound reward you ask? Well, when I lost 50 pounds, I decided that I could probably lose more, so I booked a cruise for my DH and myself. In September, we will be going this cruise, and not only that, but we will be doing some activities that have a weight limit. I am under that weight limit now, so that's what has really kept me motivated...knowing that if i don't get under a certain weight I won't be able to do a certain activity, and i want to enjoy our cruise with wild abandon. @phatkatblue, sunshyne068, & letubu- thanks for the congratulations. very kind of y'all @brlgirl- I haven't had any fills because I haven't needed them. When i go for doctors appointments, they weigh me and see that i'm on track and ask me about my eating habits and if i feel i'm eating too much or too little. I feel that I am in my personal green zone and therefore don't feel as if I need fills. They won't make me get them if i don't think i need them. @SashaWLS- you can do it. don't put too much pressure on yourself, don't look at the scale every single day, allow yourself a day to "cheat" or eat what might not be the best food choices, drink lots and lots and lots of Water

considering the fact that I have had zero fills, it's not a lie that i'm watching what i eat and getting more exercize. i have no restriction, so i am pretty much doing this the old fashioned way. no need to tell people i also have a band. for me, just having to get that band put in was enough to tell me that i needed to make a change. i don't need the fills at this time because the surgery was a head change for me. i don't think i will ever tell anyone unless they just come out and ask me point blank if i've had it done. but so far, no one has said anything.

I just wanted to pop in and wish all the May bansters good luck. I was a May banster last year. I will be banded for 1 year on May 4th. ( I won't post my loss yet because I'm trying to reach a goal, but I'll post in on May 4th, just as a record.) anyway, just wanted to wish you all the best of luck with the band. I know it has been amazingly wonderful for me. This year has really flown by. I can't believe it's been year already. It seems like just yesterday I was kvetching about the liquid diet and the post-op diet. But really, just keep your chin up, keep plugging away at it. Don't look at the scale for the first month, or if you do look at it, just do it for record keeping purposes and don't get discouraged if it doesn't move for a few weeks. it will eventually move.....and a year from now you will look back and see how far you've come. Best of luck to all of you.

also, when you do start to weigh, only weigh yourself at the same time everyday. You will be 1-3 pounds lighter in the morning and at the end of the day, 1-3 pounds heavier.

stop looking at the scale for the next week at the very least. you shouldn't be weighing at all the first month. your body has had a shock and it will just go up and down. you will settle in eventually and the weight will come off. really, lock the scale up and have someone hide the key until you are out of the mushy phase and onto solid foods. this weight gain is totally normal.

To tell or not to tell...that is the question Just because you tell anyone and everyone doesn't mean you will be successful and have support or feel motivated, and just because you don't tell anyone doesn't mean you are setting yourself up for failure or that you can't be successful. It's a personal decision that only you can make and your reasons for telling or not telling are neither the right thing nor are they the wrong thing to do. I have only told 2 people, my husband and a very dear friend who is super skinny and a size zero. Nobody else knows. I didn't tell anyone else for several reasons. 1. because it isn't anyone else's business. 2. I already have enough people watching food go into my mouth and I didn't mentally want the extra scrutiny or comments from even well meaning friends. 3. my goal with the lap band wasn't to lose tons and tons of weight. my goal is simply to eat like a normal person. I am very social and now when i go out with friends, i eat the same portions and the same types of foods they do. I eat normally. I'm not on a diet, even though i try to get plenty of Protein first, I don't restrict myself from eating specific types of foods. I do eat healthy things the majority of the time, but when I go out, I enjoy myself the way a normal person would enjoy themselves. I feel great, I am losing weight, and no one is any the wiser that i've had a procedure done. as for people asking me if i've had something done, no one has, so i haven't had to lie or make things up. I don't feel that if a plus size friend asked me my advice on having any type of procedure done that it is my place to encourage them to go for it. I had to come to this decision on my own, weigh the pros and cons, seek my doctor's advice, do research on my own. I don't want to influence one of my friends to do something like this just because I might be successful. Not everyone will be. We are all different and someone's success or failure based on something i have said to them is too much of a burden for me to want to carry. So, for now, I'm not telling anyone about it. Like the lady with the good advice earlier in the thread said, once you tell someone, you can't un-tell them. When and if I ever tell anyone, I'll cross that bridge, but for now, I'm just enjoying my life as a normal person, eating normally.

The first 3 days are the worst part of it...so if you can just get through that, the rest will be a breeze. You will be surprised at how those drinks actually satisfy you. You won't really be terribly hungry. You might want to eat just because it's a habit, but if you think about it, you'll realize that you really aren't hungry. I suggest spacing the protein drinks out and trying to get on a schedule, drink them at the same time every day. In between shakes, make sure you are getting enough water. Drink, drink, drink. I made a game out of drinking water. i would try to get in 32 oz before noon and then another 32 oz between 1 and 5. it doesn't sound hard, but it can be. so drink your shake, try to get some water in before the next shake. Make some jello just to have on hand in case you feel like chewing something. it won't fill you up, but it will give your mouth something to do and it's zero calories! You'll be able to do this with no problems...you can do it! good luck on your journey.

it might last for a short while. Think of the band like you would think of a ring on your finger. If you wear it long enough, even when you take it off,there is a depression around your finger from where the wedding band was located. It will just take some time for that to go away.

I can relate. I am a private person too. I really haven't had a lot of questions about my weight...just some comments about how good I look. I just smile and say 'thank you' and go about my day. with your hubby supporting you, this will be much easier for you to get through. I know I couldn't have come this far without mine helping me and being there for me. It's nice to know that we don't have to do it alone. It really has made all of the difference in the world.

my insurance didn't have me do any kind of a diet before I had the surgery either. I really found out pretty much everything I know about lap band from reading this board and talking with my doctor/nutritionist. My hubby was NOT on board in the beginning, but I told him that I was having the surgery with or without his blessing. While he wasn't thrilled with my decision then, he's coping with it now and he has really jumped in helping me with food choices and not eating some things in front of me. when we go out to dinner, we will split an entree or i will bring leftovers home and he is totally ok with it. He's been a real trooper and now he doesn't even consciously think about me having the band. to him, we are just living normal lives. i think that is true for me too. for the first time in my life, where food is concerned, i feel like a normal person. i eat normal portions and not huge mounds of food. looking back at what i used to be able to eat i'm amazed that i could eat that much food! no wonder i was so fat Anyway, besides my DH, the only people who even know about my surgery are the people in my support group. we meet about once a month and i haven't been in probably the past 3 months because of having to work late. I decided not to tell anyone about it and so far I'm happy with that decision. I like the fact that people don't monitor what goes into my mouth or constantly ask me for dieting updates. It has been liberating really. Anyway, didn't mean to bombard you with useless information, but just wanted to say that this website was and is a great resource. read as much of it as you can, but also realize that every person is different and what some people experience, you may not experience. for example, I had zero gas pains in my shoulder that everyone talks about having. Nothing, nada. No pain except for just the wounds healing and even they didn't hurt that bad. I am able to guzzle Water and drink through straws, I enjoy a beer now and again with no trouble. I eat bread and shrimp and burgers and pizza every once in a while (not every day) some people can't tolerate those things, but I have no trouble. Everyone will have a different experience. Always follow whatever plan your doctor has for you and you can do it! Best of luck to you.

please keep us posted on how you are doing.

also another tip while you are in this phase of the diet (not really for post banding, but for now) you should make lots of sugar free Jello. It WON'T fill you up, but it WILL give your mouth something to do if you just feel like you need to chew something and it's zero calories. i did it for my 2 week pre-op diet and it really saved me in between shakes. the first 3 days of the pre-op diet are really the hardest, after you get into the swing of things, it will get much easier. ....and try your best to stick to a schedule. try to have the shakes and solids or broth or whatever at the same time every day...and in between, try to make a game out of drinking a certain amount of Water. for me, it was try to get 32 ounces of water in before noon and another 32ounces between 1 and 5:00. it really gave my mind something to focus on besides food...and something to look forward to, like i have a Breakfast shake at 8am...i drink lots of water to pass the time, another shake at 11am...drink, drink, drink....broth or veggies at 12:30...drink, drink drink....shake at 3pm, drink, drink, drink.....etc....

Hey, I agree with what Jim above said. You will be under 500 pounds probably after the first 3 or 4 days of that diet and then you will be amazed at how fast that weight comes off. the heavier you are, the faster the weight will drop in the beginning. You can totally do this. As far as Protein drinks go, I used (and still supplement today) with Muscle Milk Light and Glucerna. To me, the chocolate Glucerna is sooooo delicious and tastes like a treat. I tried a few other Protein Drinks (not the powders that Jim has tried) but others like Special K and another one that I don't remember and they were so chalky and gross that I thought I would die. you really have to experiment and find what works for you. I know you can do it and even though this thread is old, we are still around to encourage you This community is wonderful and has helped me through many, many struggles by just reading some of the posts. We are here for you.