WASaBubbleButt

When you get banded you start losing weight. When you are on the post op diet (especially at first) you can't help but to lose weight. When the pounds start melting you suddenly find motivation that you never knew you had before. Between the weight loss and realizing that the band is working you come to know that those pounds really are gone forever. Then you want to see more pounds go. Exercise is a challenge for a lot of people but I think when we are banded it kinda comes down to how badly do you want to lose weight? If you want it bad enough, you'll exercise. Without a band we pretty well know we'll be wearing those pounds again in the future and it's hard to make yourself move. With a band you get a whole new look at the process and you want to lose, you want the pounds to go away. I exercise most everyday for anywhere from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours. That is treadmill. I just bought a bowflex and as soon as I figure out what the heck to do with it I'll start using that too. I want to get to goal and I'm busting my back side to get it done. I want it bad enough to do it.

I am treated quite differently in stores and people take me more seriously. I was banded in December and I've lost 83lbs.

All docs are different. Some will, some won't. Sometimes it is an insurance company requirement and in that case they won't operate.

I can't say I'm not still friends with anyone, we still do the same things and go the same kinds of places. But I have made lots of new friends, they are all fat too. Maybe it's a balance, but I don't think so. The balance is in my head, it's one of the issues I have learned. I can still go to a bar with friends but it doesn't mean I need to drink too much or snack all night long. The change is with me, not my friends.

Something to consider... After surgery you will essentially have a big stomach and a little stomach. Right? During surgery the surgeons sews the big stomach up and over the band. This leaves a pocket at the top of your big stomach where it is pulled up and over the band. When you drink carbonation the gas passes through your stoma (band) and this gas rises. It collects in that pocket and it HURTS! It's really quite painful, it feels like ... gas pains. For people that have no restriction they don't seem to have a problem with it but for those that have restriction it can be quite painful. Yeah, don't ask me how I know that one. Heh... It's up to you. People claim it will harm your pouch, I don't agree that it does. Your stomach is not an enclosed system, there are holes above and below your band and the gas will eventually go somewhere. But if you have restriction your stoma tends to act as a one way valve and if you don't burp, it WILL come out the other end. Not really overly flattering at a formal event.

It was HORRIBLE until I finally figured out the trick. Cut out ALL sugar and keep carbs exceedingly low. Then you don't get the blood sugar spikes that make you want to eat your frig and everything in it. After you go to foods that are more satisfying then you can put carbs back in there, but not sugar. For other reasons I ended up being on clears for three weeks instead of two, so my liquid phase was a total of 5 weeks. It isn't as hard as you might think if you cut out sugar and carbs.

Children... unlike banding pregnancy is not a problem. You get an unfill, have your baby, get a fill. Excess skin... depends on length of time you have been overweight, genetics, smoking, and age. You certainly have age on your side. But is excess skin less appealing than fat? Regrets... you will likely regret it the first month, we all do. Emotions run high the first month or so but when you lose weight you'll be okay. Foods... what makes you think you won't be able to eat food you enjoy? Feeling the band... I can feel the port if I touch my hand to my stomach, otherwise the only time you will be aware you have a band is if you eat too much, too fast, or don't chew and you barf. Even then you can't feel the band, just the effects of the band. It's similar to saying... can you feel your kidney? Diabetes... could very well go into total remission if you lose weight, many (most?) do. Infection... not if things are done well and you take care of yourself. It's just not likely. What would the risks be if you are morbidly obese for the rest of your life? Are those dangers less? If your doc has done between 250-500 bands, they are considered quite experienced. That is NOT a combined total, but individually.

You'll find that everyone has been told something different by their doc for hair loss. Some docs say more Protein, some say additional Biotin, some say carbs. Truth is, if it happens it happens and there isn't a lot you can do about it but wait it out. I started losing hair at 4 months after surgery and I'm 7.5 months now and it is just now slowing down. I started using "Density Therapy" (hair care stuff) and I could credit that but the truth is, it will grow back when it grows back. I hear all the time that hair loss comes with bypass and not banding. What a bunch of hooey that turned out to be. After some research I discovered that 70% of people have some hair loss after anesthesia. It seems to really kick in for most people at 4 months and slows down at 6 months. You can consume extra protein, you can take Vitamins, but if it happens it's going to happen. It will stop when it stops. While I'm using Density Therapy I also know I'm just spinning my wheels but at least I feel like I am doing something.

You are lucky, two weeks is nothing. I had to do two weeks of clear liquids, two weeks of full liquids, two weeks of soft foods, and then gradually reintroduce solids.

Oh my goodness! A C-section is about 500,000,000 times worse than banding. Okay, so that is an exaggeration. If you can do a C-Section and dare to get preggers again, banding will be a piece of cake. With banding no muscles are cut with the incisions and that makes a huge difference. Each person is different but usually those with desk jobs can easily go back in a week or so. Many go back in 3-4 days. For me the one issue I noticed most of all was that for two weeks I would simply get tired easily. Very easily. I am not one to take naps but I was the first two weeks after surgery. Lifting your kids will be a different story. Many docs don't want you lifting anything over 10 lbs or so for a few weeks. This is something to ask your doc.

I've never heard of a "true" migraine being caused from a lack of food. Migraines are typically caused from food triggers, not a lack of food. Now, people do get headaches from not eating. It's a blood sugar issue. But I'm not familiar with actual migraines from a lack of food. Migraines and a typical headache are not the same thing at all.

I agree. It's important to know that "X" cc's feels like this yet "Y" cc's feels like this... I disagree with the doc.

I've lost 83lbs and it is getting harder and harder. I have to do double (or triple) the exercise just to get things moving again. 19lbs to go and I can have a TT. Can't wait.

Sometimes your stoma acts as a one way valve so if you swallow air it won't come back up. The real trick is to learn not to swallow air. It gets better with time, you have a lot of new sensations and feelings that you will be experiencing. You'll learn to burp when the air is in your pouch vs. your stomach. It just takes time.

You are still in range of 1-2 lbs weekly. Also, if you continue exercising it makes a WORLD of difference!

That's the body suit. Julie mentioned Spanx here on this thread so I got two of them. They are kinda weird looking and they look quite difficult to put on. I got the body suit and the ... I don't know what it's called. It goes from your thighs to you mid stomach. After lots of looking, I found the cheapest place was ebay, 2nd cheapest was Amazon.com, and most expensive is retail.

Is your doc cooperating with you on this? I mean, is he supportive?

Almost there!!! I have 30 minutes to reach this month's exercise challenge!!! YEEHAWWW Does this mean I can be a slug for the rest of the month? :confused: I think I need to increase my challenge for August.

As a meal or with a meal? :confused:

Something to consider... We got fat because of our love of food. We like the way it tastes, we like the textures, we like the spices, we like the crunch, we like the full feeling we strive for. It's like a drug addict, they are always looking for that high as we are always looking for Thanksgiving Day full. Sometimes in life things are simply not good for us and we have to start finding new things in life to love. My point is not that you can never have Mexican food again, my point is quite different. The hardest part of banding is not the surgical part, amazingly... that is the easy part. The hard part is overcoming the head games and the way we manipulate ourselves while justifying our behaviors. Trying to figure out how we can live our old lives and become thin anyway. THAT is the hard part. Let's face it, if we made good food choices we wouldn't be fat. But for whatever reason none of us can do that so we get get a band or we already got one. For me I took a photo of a pizza and a photo of a normal size person. Then I had to decide which I wanted more, old eating habits or being thin. I opted for thin. Again, the head games are the hardest part of banding. The surgery really is a piece of cake, no pun intended. :confused: Maybe start changing the way you think. Instead of wondering if you can have Mexican food (and yes, you likely will) start thinking about new things you can try that will still taste good and yet won't maintain your fat. Remember, the quantity of food you will be able to consume will be drastically different from now. You HAVE to make wise food choices because if you don't, you'll just be eating small portions of crap. That isn't a change in lifestyle and that is what we all should be aiming for. A complete change in lifestyle.

One of the hardest "head" parts of being banded is getting used to not eating huge quantities of food. We've done it for years and that is what got us fat. And let's face it, if all we ever ate was salad, we wouldn't be fat. We eat huge quantities of everything. So it really does come down to a choice, small portions/thin or large portions/fat.

The guy who owns my local Quizno's lives down the street from me. As for Walmart, I agree with you. I refuse to shop there.

Ohhhhhh, sorry! That was another "bubble has her head up somewhere" moment!

LosingJustMe... From your sig: >>i wanna change this ticker ... << Did you know that if you clear your Cookies you have to completely redo your ticker in order to change it? I just figured that out this morning.

Bread is a no-no for many people. Most? Perhaps? Take smaller bites, chew well, follow the rules, and if you still get stuck you'll know bread is not going to be in your diet especially with more restriction.