jen_1381

I don't know if that's entirely accurate...again, talk with your doctor. I would think that staying as you are may be hazardous to your health in the long run (the over-eating, esophageal pain, etc).

I don't have answers but I can offer support. Take a deep breath. Recognizing your mistakes (binge eating) is honestly the first step in the process of fixing them. I myself have been a bad bandster the past few weeks; not necessarily eating too much just eating small amounts of the wrong things. The one thing I've learned is that losing weight won't fix problems, it just gives you a smaller body to use in dealing with those probelms. If I were in your shoes, I would meet back with my surgeon and also maybe check into seeing a counselor or therapist. Try to get to the root of your binge eating. Good luck and keep us posted!

From experience I've learned that being honest with your doctor is the best thing. Tell him of your issues, and together work on a plan. Maybe I'm lucky to have such an involved surgeon, but he told me in the very beginning that he wants to know every little thing because it's all important, so just be honest with him and he will be honest with me. I let him know of my struggles and strong points and we go from there.

I have tattoos - 7 of them. They all mean something very special to me, they each have their own story. My last one I got right after surgery when I was feeling like I finally had my life together and could start living for me. It's a butterfly with flowers around it and the quote (From Kelly Rae Roberts) "She could hardly believe all that was waiting when she finally opened her heart". I don't worry about what they will look like in 40 years; I can look back and think about the memories they hold.

I've been in a funk, and part of that funk involved laying low and not coming on here. That funk also involved a little bit of a tale-spin with my eating, trying the theory of eating whatever I want (within reason) just limiting portions, as other successful banders have done. Turns out, that plan doesn't work for me. But, I still didn't lose or gain. I have officially hit a plateau, my weight hasn't changed in almost 2 months and it's causing me truck loads of anxiety. I became a Super Star at managing anxiety until a few weeks ago, and it all came back with a vengance. So I started seeing a counselor again, this morning, and feel like I'm working towards getting on track (I'm not a crazy person, I just get so nxious that I feel like I can't sit still and never let myself relax or sleep because there are things I HAVE to do). We talked a little about my surgery and she asked me how I was handling the weight loss. I told her that I still had a ways to go, I still want to lose another 30 pounds and she really questioned me. She said that I don't strike her as overweight at all, and why would I want to lose more if I was fit. I quickly corrected her, I am far from fit, and I feel like my weight loss journey is just starting. We talked a little about the emotional attachment to weight loss, and how even though I've lost over 50 lbs I still don't see any difference in the mirror. She assured me that although it's very common, it is something I have to work at accepting. I certainly don't feel any smaller, the only thing I've noticed changing are the numbers on the scale and my clothing tags. I still look in the mirror and see a fat somach, flabby thighs, and huge arms. So apparently, this girl has some self-image work to do.

I drink the Body Fortress protein mix with skim milk. If I want to mix up the flavor a little, I'll add a splash of sugar-free coffee syrup to it. Throwing some SF carmel in with the chocolate powder, or some white chocolate syrup in with the vanilla really changes it up. I also had to play around with the temperature a little - I can't really drink ice cold things so I would let mine sit for about 20 minutes before I would drink it. If you like cold, try adding some ice.

Watching Monday Night Football? Go Seahawks!!

I completely understand the theory - don't eat anything that doesn't grow in nature (be it animals, fruits, veggies, etc) but they're splitting hairs with some of the Paleo recipes I've seen. I thought about trying it for a while, but it's actually rather complex to come up with healthy, low calorie meals. The thought of a caveman whipping up a pumpkin spice latte is pretty amusing though!

Anxiety is something that I've had my whole life but not recognized until just a few months ago. That constant feeling of always having to be moving, and feeling like I'm going to explode if I have to sit still, is apparently anxiety. That need to always be busy has essentially controlled my life - not only did it contribute to my obesity (if I had to sit still, I would eat to keep my hands/mouth busy), but I gave up many fun things to do things I "had" to do, like clean the house. I got my anxiety in check with the help of a few therapy session before surgery. The past few months have been great...until this past week. My weight has been at a stand-still for about a month. I weigh myself every day, and when the scale doesn't move I get frustrated, which leads to nervous energy, then anxiety. Next thing I know, I don't want to go to bed until my last bit of laundry is folded and the house is shining clean. While it's very efficient, it's not practical. I was talking with my husband this morning about how I think my anxiety is back, full-blown, and he told me that he didn't think that weighing myself was beneficial at all. He made me promise to eat 3 meals a day and not weigh myself for one week. He said he was going to hide the scales until next Thursday. He encouraged me to restart some of the techniques the therapist suggested and see if I feel better in a week. So, I guess I will give it a try. I've never gone a day without weighing myself since my weight loss journey started. That alone stresses me out

To me the band fit right along with my goals. I wanted to lose about 85 lbs and wanted the least invasive route possible. I didn't feel I wanted something as durastic as removing or stitching off part of my stomach. I'm not sure why, but I felt like I had more control over my body with the band, and I looooove control

I would give your doctor or nutritionist a quick call and ask them. Some programs are more strict than others. With my WLS program, you were either in or out. No gray areas, no exceptions.

Hi Friends! I'm two days away from flying to Vegas for a relaxing, exciting vacation, and once again, I'm SICK!! Bottom line is, I need my tonsils out, but am avoiding that at all cost. So I have a viral cold-type sickness (swollen glands, sore throat, headache, congestion). What I'm wondering is - - is it okay for us to use things like Airborne and Emergen-C? When they're mixed with Water, they're fizzy. Not quite carbonated, but fizzy. I've taken the Airborne 3 times now and it just donned on me that maybe it's not okay for the pouch? It's not causing any pain or bloated-feeling.

I chug water all the time. I try to take small drinks but that doesn't satisfy my thirst. So I take big drinks Never had a problem though.

I work at a medical office and there is constantly treats. On Thursday, a neighboring office brought over two dozen donuts, then we had two pudding cakes and catered Panera. I just take a deep breath and tell myself I don't need it. If that isn't working, I avoid the break room all together. The second I finish the lunch I brought, I go for a walk. It's not easy though!

I'm kind of a professional when it comes to having surgery. I'm a quick healer and have a high pain tolerance. I was able to come back to work on post-op day 3. I have a job that's about 75% desk 25% up moving around. I wasn't completely comfortable and feeling back to myself for about two weeks.

I don't think there is any normal, since every surgeon and center is different. For me personally, my first fill at 4 weeks post-op was 3 cc's. My second, at 8 weeks, was 1.5 cc's because I had been doing so well. My third fill, at 12 weeks, was another 1.5 cc's. I'm at 6 total, and feel that I'm in the Green Zone. My surgeon gives me a range of cc's and asks me at each fill appointment how aggressive I want to be, and we go from there.

First of all, welcome!! Alrighty....so any surgery has potential risks, and one of them for every surgery is death. I haven't heard of the 11%, that seems awfully high. You also need to consider the risks of living your life obese. Feeling scared is completely normal, I would be worried if you weren't a little doubtful. I went into this journey only knowing one person who has had lap band, and she was had completely failed. She thought the band would be a magical cure for her obesity (she started out at 475 lbs). Had the surgery in Mexico, never had fill, never followed any dietary changes and eventually made her band slip and removed. She didn't lose any weight, but she also didn't change her lifestyle. Seeing someone fail at this was very daunting, but I used it as inspiration. I KNEW I could be a better bandster than she was. I have been banded almost 4 months now. The surgery itself wasn't bad at all. I recovered quickly and don't remember the pain (which means it must not have been that bad!) It wasn't a walk in the park, but I've been through worse. I have completely changed my lifestyle. I use food now only as fuel to make it through my day. I look at things like donuts and candy with disugst. I can't believe I used to put that in my body! Exercise has become theraputic. The pre-op process alone was life-changing. The past four months have been the best of my life - - besides that, I've lost almost 55 lbs. That was just a side-effect of all of the healthy changes I made. I've never felt so good. Living the bandster lifestyle is a huge change and on that is not to be taken lightly. Do your research, take everyone elses opinions with a grain of salt, and weigh your options. I wish you all the success in the world!

Thanks for the input everyone! I think I will ask my surgeon for a refill of phenergan next time I see him, just in case. I had uncontrolled migraines for about 3 years, vomited with them, and had at least 3 a week. The excessive vomiting does a toll on your body - it wore down the enamel on my teeth, as well as caused the hiatial hernia which lead to years of heartburn. Throwing up is no joke! I'm so thankful I found a good migraine med - after years of trial and error - and feel like I got my life back.

...throw up? Like, full on, I-have-the-stomach-flu vomit? This is probably way disgusting to most, but I've heard conflicting information. A lot of bandsters say they can't throw up anymore (I'm not talking PBing, I mean full on puke). Can they "not" just because they're scared to, or can you physically not throw up anymore? Thinking about it logically, there is essentially a very small opening for the vomit to pass through, but wouldn't you physiologically still have the vomiting process? I'm not a fan of puking by no means, but there is nothing worse than feeling MISERABLE and knowing that vomiting will help, and not being able to do it.

Surgery 5/18/12, down 54 lbs...and stuck there!! Ugh plateaus really stink.

Some days just suck. Sorry you're going through all of this. For the last few years I've felt like a Professional Patient (love how you worded that!) myself, the end result being a hysterectomy and two heart ablations. You feel like you're getting ran through the ringer...your voice gets lost in the process somehow, it becomes a juggling act with insurance and doctors. That's why I opted for the Lap Band at 28; I figure I'm going to just bag my 20's, chalk it up to life sucking, and live my 30's to the fullest being healthy, pain free, and comfortable. I wish you all of the best in your future adventures. Hopefully after you're settled with your back and lap band, you'll be able to stay away from doctors, hospitals, OR suites...for a long time!

My biggest challenge has been being prepared; I was never big on packing snacks. On road trips, we'd hit a drive-thru or mini mart and just grab. There are pretty limited healthy options when you're shopping the convenience store. It took me a few times of being "stranded" without healthy, or correct consistency, foods to learn my lesson. Plan ahead!!