PattyGirl66

whoohoooooooooooooo - Congrats!!!!!!!

Hi Steve, Welcome! Firstly, no weight loss surgery is foolish. If this was the case all of us would not have a weight problem. We are all in the same boat as you. We fought the good battle throughout our lives and now its time we take charge of our own bodies! You said it best, you have two small children who need their father around, your wife needs you around. People are bias when it comes to going under the knife when it comes to weight loss because they see us as failures, when indeed we still have to work hard at succeeding the weight to keep it off. NoOOO weight loss no matter what surgery you choose is going to be a miracle fix or cure. My own brother had gastric bypass, lost tons of weight, looked very ill and in a matter of 2 years gained every single pound back and then some. Well, I guess he found out the hard way that no matter what, bad habbits can come back if you don't take control. For so many of us, having the lapband is a personal reason and choice. If you keep reading through the threads, you will find tons and tons of success. You will read how hard many of us are putting into losing weight as well. You will work hard at it, and you will be proud of the work YOU done all by yourself to get there. Lastly, sit down with the wifey and explain to her about the procedures,both of your research all options together, get her involved, sometimes that helps the other perwson to understand better. Most importantly we are talking about your health! and for that very reason she should be 100% supportive and there for you! I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose to do! -Patty

liquid softgels -- very tiny and super super easy to swallow, they just slide down. I took a picture for you. I take 2500 mcg. Hope this helps!

ohhh 2lbs a week is fabulous! I had a week where I didn't lose anything. It seems to even itself out so far when you do the math. As long as you know you are doing everything right and if you have a setback, its not your fault and it will make itself up at the end of the month. It always appears that way.... Great job!!

Hi Georgia, Your pouch will not stretch when drinking fluids only, it streams through the pouch. Are you drinking soon after eating? I had my surgery July 25th and can now drink water/fluids normally. However, there has been a few times I drank sooo much Water and it caused discomfort in my stomache, but it did go away. I was just mindful not to throw a picher of water down my throat all at once. I would deff. consult your surgeon about this if the pain persist and since you have an appt. just mention it to them. Just beware of how much you are drinking all at once and if you waiting your time after eating doing so. Let us know the outcome,

ohhh, I always buy them at www.shoebuy.com You can always find a coupon and save big time, and the shipping is always free!!! I find all my coupons at: www.retailmenot.com

I am a skechers girl, always have been. They are soooo comfy, high thick soles for low impact when walking. Oh, don't forget stylish. I may be old, but I am rockin my kicks!! LOL

Because I have been on this forum 7 months before my surgery I read everything including hair loss. What I did to get a big head start I started taking Biotin around January of this year, as a precaution. Its a small dose and I haven't noticed any hair loss since. I continue to take the biotin pill (can't hurt) its good for hair, skin, and nails. I have straight stringy hair to begin with. Yes, I shed but I always have. More in the summer. I also heard that hormones and age play a big part in hair thinning as well. So, I am pretty much screwed cause I am old and got messed up hormones, LOL.

whooohoooooooooo! congrats!

Amazing! thank you so much for sharing and congratulations on your success.

wow! did you lose any weight before your surgery?

yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I am going to be nice and not say it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

oh all the time, I would beat myself up about it. I am just glad I finally took the steps I needed to do to finally get help! I know people would look at me and say, "how did you ever let yourself get this big". It can happen, I never thought I would be this big, never! When I use to weigh in my 200's I would say I will never get to 250, then when I was 250 I would say I will never get to 300. I really started to weigh over 300 the last year. My body seemed to be comfortable at 280-289 for over 10 years. Last year in april is when i started to tip the scales sloooowly over 300. I saw 304, than 310 and by October 2011 I weighed in at 367. I also was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in November of 2011 and wondering if that played a big role in that big weight jump. Either way, no more excuses I am sooo done with carrying this load....

I didn't do a last supper persay, however when I knew when I had to start my pre-op (2 weeks before) I went to my favoriet Italian homemade deli and had a 6 inch italian loaf with fresh moz, turkey, roasted peppers, and balsamic vinegar. that was my last hoooooooray! hmm, wonder if they miss me, LOLOLOL

I sometimes miss a straw, LOL weird the little things we miss...

you could be experiencing morning tightness, or even some heartburn .. keep an eye out for the feeling, if it continues call up your surgeon. Best of luck hon

I pretty much think all surgeons either discuss, or even 'push' the sleeve or gastric bypass. When I told my surgeon that I wanted lapband, I was asked why? Actually I believe they asked me twice. They didn't push the other surgeries on me, they just wanted to make sure that I understood how the band works compared to the other surgeries. Basically, its a tool that will help, but you will be doing a lot of the work. It can be done as you can see from other bandsters. Like Mis73 said, you need to do extensive research on lapband surgery. You can google or go to youtube for more detailed information. Best of luck

I have an underactive thyroid and am losing with the band, as long as I take my meds and stick to my food plan given I am good

I am so sorry sweety! ugh, my eyes swelled up reading your story. I can't even imagine! You are right though, there is a reason for everything and I can tell you are not a quitter! I wish you nothing but the best of luck, and I hope you share your journey with us, because this is not the end of the road for you, and we are all here for you ((hugs))

I miss my club soda with lemon wedges. I never did drink any diet sodas so this was my comfort. I too miss the bubbles and getting that full feeling once it hit my stomache. However, I will not take any chances at all swigging or sipping one down knowing what those cool refreshing bubbles do to our stomaches. It makes sense, we like it because the carbanation gives us an almost a bloated feeling when we drink it, well thats because their are gases inside that once inside the stomache 'pushes' upwards and expands (don't you notice everytime you drink one you have to let out a belch), its gas. This can cause our new pouch to stretch, sometimes even causing the band to slip! Oh, how I miss the bubbles, but you won't catch me taking that chance now.....

No, I don't want it.. it just stays in my closet in a plastic bag... It was given to me.

You are right, it is only available on qvc, well was...

Sending good vibes your way.... Good luck and don't forget to post your progress (hugs)

Your main priority right now is to focus on healing not weight loss. Many many new bandsters have experienced the same thing you have, as its very normal. Your new stomache is healing and will take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to do so. Get in plenty of fluids, this is going to be what you need to heal, especially when these weeks are crucial. Water, gatorade, apple juice, keep yourself hydrated. Make sure you focus on Protein as well. When following your food plan your surgeon or nutritionist gave you, your weight will come off. Patience, patience, patience... Best of luck and see you around the forum