Jim1967

Addiction is a terrible thing. My Wife knows a friend of friend who a week and half after bypass was blending crab rangoon because the craving for Chinese was so bad. No idea how he's doing now but that is some serious issues that need to be addressed if there any chances for a long term success. I hope he made it as I hope we all do.

sugar coat it and tell me it's OK....swallow the pizza...I will

Hi Candace, Do not let a high BMI deter you. It is hard but it can be done if you want it bad enough and you're willing to put in the work and listen to your health care providers. I started at 488lbs and this morning I was 179!! My story is further down in this forum but here is a direct link if you care to read it... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/310313-300-pounds-lateram-i-living-a-dream-or-is-this-in-fact-reality/ Best of luck to you....we are all here for you!!

Congratulations on your big day. Take plenty of selfie pictures today as down the road they will be a great motivator and reminder to your future self of how far you've come. I would even suggest writing yourself a letter today only to be read much later into the journey. I have plenty of pictures but wish I had written a letter to myself. Good Luck, You'll do great!

On those rare occasions I get that sweet tooth usually a tablespoon of Peanut Butter satisfies me. Also once in a while I will have half of Oats N' Honey Granola bar. One thing I have learned for myself is deprivation is not the answer. If I want it then I have it. BUT..have a little now and put it away. I can always have more later.

I couldn't sleep on my stomach for the first couple of weeks after surgery but no issues after I healed up.

That is true as well. I finally phone the green zone after about 6 months. I did not need fills for a very long time but eventually got one because of the weight loss and my band not being snug as it once was. My satiety went from 5 to 6 hours to 2 hours.

Hi Christina, Sorry to hear you're having this issue. I agree with booflu. My Doctor has me sip Water immediately after the fill to ensure I am not so tight that water cannot go down. That said I am on soft foods for 24 hours. Back when I first started with fills it was liquids 24 hours following a fill. Only way to tell if you have what you need in there is time. Days need to go by with monitoring closely to see if you can notice/feel the difference. Not to be downer here but it took me 6 months to find the green zone after surgery. Of course that doesn't mean it will take you that long. Also, I had a couple of false positives where I thought I was in the green zone only to have the feeling dissipate after a week. My only recommendation is slow and steady with the fills. Little fills with at a 3+ weeks a part until you find the right spot. I know it can be frustrating but getting over filled and now having some taken out you're in what I call a "see-saw effect" making it even harder to find the sweet spot. What does the Doc say?

Any chance you could elaborate? You're suggesting bypass but your profile says Sleeve. I would love to hear about your experiences. That said, I am a bander true at heart because that is what I have and that is what worked for me. Someone said earlier all WLS work and all WLS has failure. It is very situational. Not everyone succeeds with their chosen method so they revise. I believe the original posters intent was to ask about experiences. I am also interested in hearing experiences. Just because I am a successful bander doesn't mean I don't crave and value WLS knowledge and I do think about options that could have been. I will be the first to admit I know nothing about DS or RNY and couldn't give one ounce of talk on it. Opinion or otherwise..... It is really easy to be on here to project negativity and get into peoples heads who have zero experience with any of this stuff. We all need to be cognizant of that fact. Thanks...I'll get down from my soapbox now.....

Also with that said, You may want check what their policy is on revisions and whether it is covered. May never need it but it would be good to know and and it can factor into decision making.

I've noticed since I have lost weight my port has become more noticeable to me and if if I push it a bit it does have a dull ache. Funny, I can remember when I was real big I had a hard time finding it.

Don't let a high BMI alone dictate your choice of surgical options. Any procedure can and will work if your head is in it. I started out with BMI of 78 at 488lbs. Regardless of which option you choose just know it is going to be hard work and it is going to take time. WLS is not just about weight loss and physical change. You need to change mentally and if you don't any option you choose could wind up being temporary.

Check out the Lapband Success Stories forum here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/177-lap-band-success-stories/ you will find tons of good stories there including mine http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/310313-300-pounds-lateram-i-living-a-dream-or-is-this-in-fact-reality/

Looks like all spam to me. You'll see that each of those people joined the site around the same time of those posts.

Happy Bandiversary Alex!!

Mikee, you're doing wonderful!! There will be ups and downs but the important thing is to keep going and not let those downs keep you down. You're doing great...keep going and and a year so down the road you will look back and be reading this through the eyes of a smaller framed person. One of the biggest challenges in all of this is learning the process. Learning the new life then comes the Second biggest challenge which is time. Time in which to let the process work... best wishes..

2213+304= 2646

Body Fortress whey from Walmart is pretty good. 8oz of milk 1 scoop of power and ice and blend away. chocolate and Peanut Butter chocolate is pretty good.

Yea I don't put much stock in the BMI charts either. Heck I have lost over 300lbs and I am still in the overweight club. Sucks being a short guy at times but whatever. I feel pretty damn good for an overweight guy as opposed to a morbidly obese walking time bomb.

Everyone has already said it in regards to averages. All walks of life make up statistics and averages that everyone throws around but your not a statistic. You are an exception to the rule! Choices you make will dictate the life you lead period. Any surgical option you choose will merely be a tool on that road of life. I know a few people who had some form of weight loss surgery and failed but it was not because of their surgical choice but because they never got their head on straight. Sure most lost the weight but the weight loss was temporary because the lifestyle change was not implemented. My Wife knows this person who had gastric bypass and two weeks after surgery he was blending crab rangoon to get his Chinese fix. He just had to have it like it was a drug. This is true story... I'm not trying to scare you or come off like a preacher but it really is hard work. Anyone who ever said this is the easy way out clearly has never dealt with obesity. Anyway, I am a band patient and I started with a BMI of 79 at 488lbs. First 38lbs was on my own and the band helped me with the rest. I have lost over 300lbs but I am still not within "normal" BMI range but I am OK with that and I so much happier now than ever. I have my life back. Good luck with whatever decision you make. Getting hung up on numbers is going to make the road even longer. I stepped on the scale daily and I had a lot of miserable days along the way because of a number on a scale. Jim

This is why I don't post much anymore either. People don't want constructive advice or hard truth. They want to be coddled and told they can keep on doing things like they have been their whole life and the band will do it all.....Next up will be a revision to sleeve or bypass cause their band failed them all the while making absolutely no changes to their lifestyle.

Hi There! I am actually from Salem, NH but I had my surgery done at Lowell General.

I am a band patient and I only drank decaf for first 6 months. Now I drink high test. I would suggest talking with your Doc about it and see what he/she thinks.

Only thing I miss is the extra fat to keep me warm during the Winter months. I am cold all the time (and no I'm not anemic) but I would rather put on extra layers of clothes and tough it out then go back to the way it was. I could make you a two page list of things I do not miss. If you embrace the life style changes that come with this you will see in time that there is a new normal and most likely things you think you'll miss now will simply be an after thought down the road. We are however all different as are our journeys.