sunshine412

Im too scared that carbonation will bust my band. I got banded last tuesday and i dont notice any restriction. If you have to drink cals or juice once in a while, id say drink a small amount before anything with carbonation. Im really going to miss diet coke in the summer!!

I just got home from the hospital. Was banded yesterday

I have 4. Was banded yesterday

Ok, coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride. It actually helps your body process sugar and helps your liver process and metabolize food/fat stores more efficiently. Dr. Oz did an entire special on it. Many women who consistently taken it have noticed a decrease in abdominal fat. At the end of the day, It all breaks down to good fats vs bad fats. I am getting banded Tuesday, and I bought a jar at walmart. I plan to use this in my shakes to avoide "starvation mode" as many bandsters experience. Coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride.. a natural oil. It has the same 125 calories and 13 grams of fat per serving as all the other oils including olive oil. It also has the highest heat tolerance.... most oils, such as olive oil, start to break down at a certain temperature. You don't have to be as careful with coconut oil. Do some research.... I'm looking forward to seeing how it helps. In all honesty, I think I'm in love. It can be used as a dietary supplement and organic body buter- no chemicals. Its tasty and smells great too! None of that artificial coconut smell. I got a big jar for $10 at Wal Mart. I'm excited!!!!

Getting banded Nov. 20th... this is about as prepaired as I am going to be.....

Hi there, I am allmost 28 years old. I have been heavy my entire life. I am in the process of getting approved for lapband. Im just wondering, how is this going to help me? I have lost 65 lbs from my all time highest weight. Ihave changed my diet and I exercise all the time, yet I still struggle as I have PCOS. I don't always eat alot. I try to take shakes with me to work, but it never fills me up. I do have the will power to do shakes and a healthy diet, but I want to be able to drink a shake and be full, not starving 10 minutes later. Will the lapband help with this? How does lapband affect your appetite and hunger? Do you stay fuller on less food longer? I believe that I have issues (mabe streached my stomach?) from when I was bigger.... I have also taken diet pills on and of for years. Funny, they have not really helped me loose the initial 65 lbs. I want a permanent solution thats not going to cause me to yo yo the rest of my life. I allmost backed out of this surgery. I had a double pulmonary embolism at age 22 and the doctor wants to insert baskets in my legs which scares me, but is a preventative measure. After speaking with another doctor, I have learned that it is not a big deal and should not stop me from getting lapband. My insurance covers 100%.... its hard to turn that down when so many would kill to have this surgery for free. I am dealing with alot of emotions. As I mentioned, I have PCOS, which is a horrible card to be dealt. Any ladies out there with PCOS? Can you tell me if it has changed/helped your condition? Im the girl that never had a date to the prom... im the girl everyone says "she would be so pretty if she just lost the weight." I've never looked in the miror and felt truly confident. Even though I have lost a ton of weight, I still have a long way to go. All I want is to be able to wear a dress and heals and look good... really, really good, and be confident. I look forward to your responses....

So if im banded Nov. 20th, 20lbs by new years is doable

WOW....NOW THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED TO READ! My surgery date is Nov. 11th....

Finally.... got a surgery date! November 20th, 2012. Not sure how i feel about it.... hoping this is going to be the extra edge i need.... i wonder what im going to look like...

Any ladies out there with PCOS? Banded or in the process? Curious to see how it has worked for you.... looking to get to know others in the same boat

Hello... My name is Liz and I am 3 months into the approval process. I am currently scheduling all of my appointments with the nutritionist and psych dr to get approved by my insurance company. I am attending a seminar next week. I told my mom the other day... she was supportive yet oblivious. She doesnt understand why I would want to get banded. I weighed 320 lbs (size 24) at my highest. This was after a double pulmonary embolism at the age of 22 from an allergic reaction to birth controll pills. Ive lost about 60 lbs on my own, which brings me to where I am. I have always been heavy and I have always struggled with my weight, even thoiugh I am athletic. I have PCOS, which makes it even harder to manage my weight. I am now 274 lbs, size 18, and eligible for lapband by 20lbs. At 27, Im tired of being big. I want to look good! I want my body to match my efforts! Im ready for a new life and I believe that I deserve it. Im tired of watching all my friends get married and have babys... and Im just stuck. If I am approved, my insurance will cover 100%. I figure why not, at the very least I'll loose 20 or 30 lbs minimum. Right now, I am dealing with alot of fears and guilt. I feel like I should have been able to do this on my own. I feel like I have tried and tried and tried some more. Im scared that the band will not work. I am scared that I will not look good. Im scared of what people will say. I am scared that I will have loose skin or that I will look melted. Im scared that I may have another pulmonary embolism after surgery. I am open to all comments and words of encouragement. I really need it. I do have a few friends who are really standing behind me on this.... my family is just uneducated. Also... can someone please share how much weight they lost their first month? First 2 months? Does it hurt when they fill the port with saline? What does it feel like? I assume that they stick a needle of sorts into theport. How far under your skin is it and where is it placed?

Thanx everyone, thanx angela. Hopefully my surgery will be in august. BUT my insurance is changing, just found out today my coverage is going from 100% to 90%... so ill have to pay for some of it. Does any one know what the cost is with out insurance? I guess i should be thankful that i get 90% coverage... i kick myself in the ass for procrastinating. Had i gone through with my appointments in january id be banded by now. And covered at 100%.

Very true... before i was so big, i thought about getting implants but went back snd forth with the idea because a part of me thought it was selfish. Now that ive lost so much volume and my boobs sag... they are a wreck- i look at it as more restorative than anything else. Im going for the smallest implants available.

Very true... before i was so big, i thought about getting implants but went back snd forth with the idea because a part of me thought it was selfish. Now that ive lost so much volume and my boobs sag... they are a wreck- i look at it as more restorative than anything else. Im going for the smallest implants available.

Its nice to know that im not alone dealing with pcos. I had all of hormones tested recently and the only thing that came back elevated was my free circulating androgens. Im not the typical pcos case.... i dont even have cysts! I hope the band helps....

thanks for all the comments ladies... today is my apointment, wish me luck...

i have backed out of my appointment with the surgeon 3 times. I go May 14th. I think im ready... i just need to stay talking to the ladies on here to keep me going. So far ive done the 6 months of diet seen the psych dr...

wow, well said!!!!! So is it true that you can't eat bread once you are banded? Does it take your appetite away?

@ Shazam.... You know what, tell them to be accountable for their health. I knew I wanted this surgery but couldnt afford it so guess what? I got a job with phenominal benefits. My surgery is covered at 100% . And got a second job just in case I wasn't approved. I don't have sympathy for people who sit arround and complain. Turn your dreams into reality or at least work towards it!!!! If you want something really bad, you will do anything to get what you desire. I truly believe that. Mabe Im too much of a type a personality... lol. I just can't stand docile people who complain about their misfortune yet don't have the balls to go after their dreams.

just the fat friend lmao love it.... Cheri, not harsh at all... it is the truth. I have PCOS and its damaged me... so when my "friend" of 10 years saw that I got my teeth bleached, lazer hair removal on my face and planning surgery, in addition to loosing 60 lbs on my own.... she was spitting bullets. So instead of being happy for me, she started making snyde comments. If I asked her where she got a shirt, she would say "Express... but they only go up to a size large" even though I can wear a large from Express! She would just say things to bring me down.... and it worked. I feel alot better now that I don't have her abuse in the back of my head screwing with my thoughts. I call girls like her "Alpha Females".... they always have to be the leader, always have to feel superior, and always have to look better and have it better than you in life.

Oh, a side note about keeping it a secret.... I need to make this decision for me. Ive had to cut out a few people because I just got tired of everyone trying to discourage me or telling me that its dangerous or that they don't want me to do it...

Girl, I hear you loud and clear. Unfortunatley, I had a friend that I recently had to cut off. If she saw that I was loosing weight, she would do anything to sabotage my efforts. She is miserable with her own life and does not want to see me succeed in mine. She has 2 kids and is recently divorced and struggling with her weight. She is not sympathetic to PCOS and does nothing to accomodate my restrictions. She would ask me to meet her at her house and that we would drive to the gym together, then beat around the bush so we would miss our class. Or if we went out to eat, she would try to drag me down with her bad habbits by ordering cheese cake. When I told her I was going to get weight loss surgery, she told me I didn't need it and then would share all of the horror stories she saw in the ER with staph infections and such. I am honestly keeping my surgery a secret. I need to make this decision for me and my own good, and not base it off of what everyone else wants for me and thinks that I should do. Oh, and if you have "a pretty face" forget it! Thats when the real fur starts to fly because other girls see that you are going to look slammin which means..... more competition

You ladies really inspire me. Thank you for all of the comments. I had a double pulmonary embolism when i was 22, iam now 28, and absolutley terrified of surgery. I jst can't live my life like this any more. If Im on diet pills or aderall, it helps and I loose weight.... but I don't want to be rliant on that forever! I am on a roler coaster with my emotions and this decision. I feel like if I get this surgery, Im a failure. Scared of what others will think. Im so ready for a new life, I think that I deserve to be happy and to look good, yet despight my best efforts to eat right and exercise, here I am. On top of it, Im built like a line backer, very muscular, so at times I feel like a man.