gowalking

Welcome! As the other posters said, this site has been a tremendous support and wealth of information and personal experience. There aren't as many bandsters since the forums were all put under the BariatricPal site but there are certainly enough of us to get your questions answered or your worries eased. You can also PM folks if you want to discuss something offline. I've been on this site since just before my surgery and I have made some very good friends here..as @@JustWatchMe can attest. And @@KateP is a long term bandster who had maintained for many years. I hope to be just like her and stick around on these boards to let people know that WLS can and does work. Good luck and glad to have you here.

Great post Carol. Really great post. I started therapy when after losing about 75 lbs. I couldn't recognize the person staring back at me in the mirror. I've gone through even more changes since then. I had my crumbling hips replaced and in time, was feeling like a normal person with normal mobility. This was an experience new to me after having mobility issues for years. Then it became all about the outside...suddenly wearing nicer clothing, makeup, changing my hairstyle...and yes...the other big change. I realized after some time that men were looking at me. Yes..I've been married and yes, I'd had other relationships. But nothing in a very long time and these days, I'm back in the dating world..with all those bad triggers out there that could derail my success. So...to the therapist I go every Tuesday to work on the core behaviors that helped to make me obese in the first place and to learn how to not become obese again. One more thing to the OP...you will be a different person and people will treat you differently. Make sure you get help with this if you feel you need it. Nothing should stop you from your goal even if that is your own self. Lastly...check out my before/after pic. Wouldn't you treat me or see me differently when you compare what I used to look like and what I look like now...and how my life has changed because of it?

I've heard it all...been called morbidly obese, big as a house, five by five, fat as a whale, two ton Tessie, etc. I am now in the normal weight range based on BMI and any other determinating criteria and thankful and grateful as can be. My life is so much better in every way imaginable.

I saw the article and photos of the woman who had WLS and a friend of hers took those clever before and after pictures that showed her as famous characters from TV and history. It's called 'The Beth Project'. I also saw comments associated with this article and they were horrible. Alot of 'why not just diet' or 'just do it the right way'. Alot were even worse than that. It made me realize that so many people unknowingly think WLS is some type of cop-out. I didn't understand because my family and friends are so supportive but it seems that the vast majority of people have a very negative attitude about WSL...at least when it comes to comments online. My goodnes...such hatred out there for overweight people. It's very sad. Check out her pictures by the way. They are really good.

I'm not so much looking for advice because there's nothing I can do about this but I am really starting to worry about my sister. She is morbidly obese and I know that she has co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension. I can also see that she has trouble climbing steps and just moving normally due to her size. I also know that her joints are starting to bother her and while she is still much more mobile than I was at her size, she is heading down a very bad path and all she has to do to know that is to look at my scars from my bilateral hip replacement. My brother drove me home last night after we spent the day at my sister's apartment. My brother is a runner and in fantastic shape for a man of his age. I look and feel better than I have in 20 years. While driving me home, he told me of his concern for our sister's health. That scared me because he really does think her heart will give out if she does not start to take care of herself. I've been asked by both my dad and my doctor to speak to my sister about her weight and see if I can convince her to do what I did. I've already said that I would never do that and I won't. I know that if the situation was reversed, I'd hate it if my sister came to me even as a loving sister only concerned with my health and tried to talk to me about my weight. No one can make or even influence this decision for someone else. I know my sister will have to go through something bad in order to face having to make such a huge lifestyle change. I also know that she may die early because she doesn't want to do anything at this time. I love my sister and she is my best friend. I am starting to allow myself to think about her not being around for our retirement. It makes me so sad and afraid and yet I am unable to change anything. Anyway, I just wanted to vent. Again, there is nothing any of you can offer in terms of advice but I did want to share. I know others have or are going through this with their own loved ones.

Hooray hooray hooray Bandista!! Isn't it so wonderful to not feel the dread anymore when dealing with an event?? Oh lord...I remember so well how awful it was to know I needed to either find something or buy something knowing I'd look awful no matter what I bought. What a relief to not have to deal with that. It's a good thing to remember when I'm feeling the head hunger.

Excellent!! So many folks are focused on the losing part and for those of us lucky enough to have made it to maintenance, this is the real test. There's no positive reinforcement by watching the numbers on the scale go down. The clothing sizes aren't going down, and it just means we need to find other ways of staying positive while we deal with our issues on a daily basis. I'm glad you set this up Alex. I know I'll be in this forum plenty.

I lost around 150 or so lbs. It depends as I waffle between 113 and 117. I know how difficult it is to see the 'new person'. I've been seeing a therapist for more than a year to deal with some of these issues.

I was also worried about how the surgery would affect my social life which was also all about food and drink. Guess what...I am still a social person...still go out to eat and drink. I just no longer do it to excess. In fact, last week I went out to dinner six nights in a row due to family in from out of town and other committments. Even with a glass or two of wine, I still dropped a little bit of weight. I ate band sized portions and made healthy choices...fish, veggies mostly but small amounts of carbs as well. Stuck to broiled or baked..nothing fried. Wasn't hard to do and had a great time enjoying the food and company. I know you are scared of the unknown but try not to be. You may find like me, that things will be much much better than you can imagine. Good luck!

I have skin tags but not related to areas where friction occurs. I get alot of them around my neck and shoulders and larger moles on different areas. I've never snipped them myself. My dermatologist snips what she can get in 15 minutes and charges me $500 as it is considered cosmetic and thusly not covered by insurance. She even calls it the '15 minute special'. The only thing I have noticed is a huge change in the amount of chafing I used to get from the thighs rubbing together. These days, my thighs don't touch so there is no issue at all. Plus I don't get the rashes and other skin irritations from being heavy and sweating all the time. So much better now. I can wear pantyhose in any weather and no longer have to worry about fighting to get them up over the thighs and belly....

This post put a smile on my face @KateP. These are the stories that inspire me..and let me hope that this newly slender lady is not an anomoly but truly my new normal. Thank you so much for hanging around all this time so we bandsters can know that there are long term successes out there.

Big difference. Congrats!

I went to my Water exercise class last night and there was an extremely morbidly obese woman in the water struggling to get out of the pool. It took two strong men and her friend or sister to get her out. It also took several minutes. Our class had started thank goodness but I could see that there were still people watching this going on and all I could think was here was this woman at least trying to do something good for herself and I didn't know if she would ever come back because of this challenge to get out of the water. I wanted so badly to tell her to keep at it but I knew it was none of my business. Plus...I would have wanted to explain that I knew how hard it was to be so physically challenged and again, I would have been giving her my story without knowing if she was the least bit interested. So I kept my mouth shut but I do hope she comes back and they make arrangements with the staff to make sure she can get out of the pool without so much difficulty next time. All I know is that I felt so badly for her. Both because she was so obese but because there was no dignity to being hauled out of the water like she was. I don't know they could have done it differently but it wasn't a good thing as they were pushing and pulling.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I spent the day with my family. My mom and dad are up from Florida and we had a lovely afternoon by my sister. My brother was there along with some other relatives. A funny thing happened while we were eating. I was sitting at the middle of the table and was spooning out the salads and putting the slices of meat on my dad's plate as he was too far from the food to do it himself. I'm so used to band sized portions that when I gave the plate back to him, he said to me, 'can you spare it?' I said an oops and took the plate back and added more food to it. What a difference in how I perceive amounts of food now. I'm so glad some things are becoming my 'new normal'.

Sorry to hear. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk. Liz.

Maybe call Cigna and ask them for information. The last thing you need is a surprise regarding owing money for the procedure. Good luck!

Now that I've lost so much weight, the port sticks out like a golfball under my skin. Sometimes it's visible if I'm wearing a clingy top or dress. I may switch to a low profile port if I continue to be bothered by it.

If others are willing, think about sharing. I do it all the time and this way, I can take a little of this and that and not have to deal with a complete meal. It can work with one other person or a group. Went out last night as a matter of fact with my folks and my sister. We ordered two Soups, one appetizer, three main courses. I took a spoonful of my sister's vichyssoise because I just had to. Then had 1/4 portion of the beets and goat cheese salad..a small serving of fish, small serving of meat, and about a half dozen mussels. Saved my carbs for a slice of french bread dipped in the mussels sauce. I even has a couple of spoonfuls of dessert with coffee. More than satisfied and no leftovers to deal with. I remember when I would eat an appetizer and a full entree all by myself. And often a full serving of dessert as well. And I enjoy it more than I did before being banded as the portions are small and I savor every biteful.

I'm also a bandster and while I haven't had any fills, I know that the follow up care is as important as the surgery itself. Good to hear you have found another doctor who seems to be very band savvy.

Oh good luck sweetie! I'm rooting for you.

Welcome! What a young grandma you are. Just wait till you are also the healthiest on the playground. My second grandchild was born two weeks ago and I'm so excited to be able to keep up with him in a way I could not when my granddaughter was a toddler. I'm in New York City by the way.

Before the weight loss, I was a 44DD and now I'm a 32D. I thought I was a smaller cup size but the professional bra fitter said no. Problem is that I literally have to pour my breasts into the bra cups. They are nothing but skin. I may have boob surgery in the future but for now, I rely on the bra as I do all my foundation garments to make me look good in clothing. As far as out of clothes..well, that's for another thread..lol.

So sorry to hear of your husband's diagnosis. Wishing him a full recovery and many more years together for the two of you. Come back with updates when you can and to take whatever strength we can offer. You have lots of support here for you even if it's only virtual. Liz (gowalking)

Sashimi is usually cut thin. The block of fish is the piece the counterman cuts the slices from. I'm sure though, if you ask for thin sliced sashimi, they will do it for you. I was also going to recommend sashimi. The fish alone, without the rice or sauce or other toppings is very low in fat and calories and is a healthy option as long as you stay away from the soy sauce...or cut the soy sauce with Water. This is what I do and I find that I don't have much water weight gain from the sodium content. Enjoy!

I picked up a prescription last night and the pharmacist came around the counter and while I was paying for my meds, mentioned to me that she noticed a significant weight loss and asked if I was losing weight as part of a healthy lifestyle or if I was ill. I was a little surprised at her directness but realized as a pharmacist, she was just getting to point of her observation and not thinking about how it sounded. For whatever reason, this was a first for me...having a 'medical professional' question my weight loss who wasn't directly seeing me as a patient. I wonder just how many other folks I interact with are thinking the same thing but not saying anything as they know it's not acceptable to question something considered so personal. Maybe I need to have a tee shirt made up that says, 'I'm fine, thank you very much'.