gowalking

I didn't even realize as I was looking in my emails that you were referring to me...lol. Sweetie, I am not courageous. My motivation was self preserving. I knew I couldn't continue to work if I was in a wheelchair. I knew I would become a huge burden to my children and I couldn't live like that or with that. I did what I had to and have been amazingly successful in reclaiming my life. All I feel is grateful. Grateful to the doctors who've taken care of me, to my family who have supported me, and to my friends..those who I can see and touch, and those who live here on this forum. I did not do this on my own and I am truly blessed by everyone who has helped me to get where I am. I hope I never ever take walking or bending over, or sitting cross-legged, or being normal for granted. I'm a survivor and like many others, appreciate the littlest of things because was a time I couldn't be involved in any of it.

Do you think your MIL is trying to sabotage you or is she just not thinking of your situation and making sure to feed the folks who've come to her house? I ask because if she is trying to make your life more difficult, you may need to stay away from her while you are working on this. If however, she is just sort of clueless, then you will have to understand that you will find yourself in challenging situations alot. Whether it's a party, or a holiday, or dinner out. This is where you have to be strong and know that your success depends on your strength. It's not always easy, this journey we are all on, but it is worth it. There will be a time when you are able to eat food again and as you lose weight, you will find that the gains you make in terms of health and how you look and feel about yourself are worth more than the foods that seem so tempting right now. Hang in there...come to this site for support and find your strength. Good luck! You will do great.

Good luck to both of you and hope to see you at a future NYC support group meeting.

My sister is obese and she used to complain that she was getting fatter because I wasn't eating all my food and she was eating hers and some of mine when we would go out to dinner together. But last night, she suggested we share the entree as it was part of the dinner menu so it included Soup or salad along with two side dishes. That and the free stuff like pickles and cole slaw was plenty for her and more than enough for me. If I can change her eating habits for the better, even if it's once in a while, that makes me happy. Is this then considered a NSV?

Hi meggs. I was banded by Dr. Ren-Fielding almost two years ago. I worked during the pre-op and followed the program as I did not want to be one of those people who couldn't get the surgery because my liver wasn't shrunk enough. It kept me in line for sure. This is the tough part....and until you are eating mushies, it may be very challenging but you'll get a head start on the amount of weight you want to lose...that's for sure. I dropped 15 lbs. before surgery but I'm not sure how much while on liquids after. I stayed off the scale for a while because I didn't want to become obsessive about weighing.

Nope. I didn't have an upper GI. Turns out that I had a hernia as many of us did but Dr. Ren fixed it and that was that. As an FYI, I used to live on Tums and Rolaids but not any more. Haven't had to take an antacid since being banded.

You should check with your surgeon's protocol. Most of them say no but not all. Same for caffeine, NSAIDS, and other items. Not all doctors have the same opinions on what you should or should not ingest.

Terrific. My co-leader is Lisa and she's near Riverhead. So far we're having our meetings in the city but Lisa is working on having some on the Island and we're hoping to get some outer borough folks involved so we can do Queens, Brooklyn, etc. Here's the link with all the info. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/304888-ny-nyclong-island/page-12

I posted on a similar theme earlier this morning. My orthopedic surgeon asked me questions about the band when I saw him yesterday. The guy is a fellow and chair of the department and yet he had no clue really about how the band works. I know he thought it was like a 'set it and forget it' tool and I hope I made it understood that it's not nearly that simple. He kept looking at my 'before' picture which is what is in the system at the hospital. He said I need to change it because I'm unrecognizable. I know he's right because I'm still working on recognizing myself. No one can lose half their body size and not have body issues. At least he wasn't a jerk like your ER doctor. He was just totally uninformed.

Seela's right. I had to lose about 40 lbs. just to go from a 4X top to a 3X top and 28 slacks to 24 (and they were pretty tight). But once I got to about a size 14, I went down to a 6 pretty rapidly.

Hi Sunny. That is an amazing amount of weight loss in one month. Just remember that it won't stay that way and 1-2 lbs. a week is the average. I've lost more than 140 lbs. and never lost more than 2 1/2 lbs. in one week's time (other than the pre-op period when I was mostly on liquids). Good luck to you and let me know if you are interested in coming to our NYC support group meetings. I'm presuming your forum name is because you live in or near the city.

FYI, in case anyone follows this thread regarding the support group meetings, we have had to cancel todays meeting and will meet next Saturday instead. Feel free to PM me if you want/need information on time and or location for next week.

FYI, in case anyone follows this thread regarding the support group meetings, we have had to cancel todays meeting and will meet next Saturday instead. Feel free to PM me if you want/need information on time and or location for next week.

You know what I say Jane? Some people aren't happy unless they aren't happy. There are people out there who don't like to see others do well. I suspect it's because these folks are not doing well in their own lives. As another poster said...toxic.

So...heard these two recently and can't stop thinking about it. First was my physical therapist who was massaging my hip area to try to ease the tightness and pain. I was on my side and my pelvic bone was quite prominent. As he was massaging, he said, 'you're nothing but skin and bones...we need to get you stronger'. Skin and bones....OMG...me..he was talking about me. Amazing. Second was at Burlington Coat Factory last Saturday while looking for a winter coat. Asked the saleswoman where the women's coat are. I realized she might have thought I meant women's as in larger sizes so I clarified I meant for women but in misses or petite sizes and she said of course she knew that's what I meant and that looking at me it was obvious I wasn't looking for larger sizes. Again...so great to hear. Here's the problem though. I feel like I'm 'passing'. It reminds me of when light-skinned people of color passed as white back in the day. Not that I really have any experience with that. I'm white and have never really known that type of predjudice. But the feeling of not really being one of 'those' people...well, that I do know how it feels. I feel like a fat person passing for a thin one. I'm still not there in my head. Sorry for going off topic, but it's what's going on in my brain these days..and like I've always said, if I'm thinking these things, so are others. Guess I should mention this when I see the psychologist tonight...

Soup has alot of sodium in it. It's probably water weight. I used to eat soup alot and now it's a very rare meal where I partake. We tend to think calorically, but we need to think about the sodium content as well. Good luck on your WL journey and yes...stay off the scale!

miss you most: not a damn thing. don't miss: walking with a cane, horrific joint pain, struggling to walk one simple block before having to sit, being unable to buy nice clothes, being fat, being ugly, being out of control, sitting on the sidelines and not being able to participate in anything, not being able to get down on the floor with my grandchild and get up again, not having a man in my life, looking like an old woman at 50 but now at 56, looking like I'm ten years younger, not having to worry if I can fit in a booth or in a chair with arms. Do I need to go on? I can you know...the list of 'don't misses' is a mile long.

You'll be amazed by the difference. When I look at pics from when I was heavier, it really looks like someone pumped up my face like a balloon and now everything has shrunk. Just know that at your age (and mine...56) you may see a turkey neck where the double chin once was. I even saw more lines in the face, not less. But that can be fixed. I had filler injected in the 'comma lines' and it looks much better now. My mouth doesn't turn down at the edges like it used to. It's subtle, but I can see the difference.

I come on to this board with hopes of helping others the same way the people before me had helped me. I have to admit I am not as active as I once was because I get even more tired of the band versus sleeve versus bypass arguments. Jim...I know these and other types of threads are annoying but please stick around. When I was new to this process and fortunate enough to have stumbled onto this forum, it was mostly you, Missy, and CG who I followed because you all were successful and what you wrote made sense to me. I never meant to stay on this site so long but I truly feel that it helps me as much as it helps others. And now I am like you guys...once morbidly obese and now living life like everyone else in the sense that nothing holds me back anymore. Not my size, and not my mobility. I think about that whenever I get frustrated and it reminds me why I'm here. Thanks for all you've done for me. Liz.

Same thing here teacherlady. I had to have both hips replaced and am still dealing with back, leg, sciatica, tailbone, and other assorted pains. I have to learn how to redo everything based on my new size. I still walk with my legs far apart when there's no flesh there anymore. Even the physical therapist has told me that I must work on getting my 'core' stronger. I've been at this for more than two years so know that it's not an easy fix. The good news is that I am still 1,000% better than I was prior to WLS and hip replacement surgery.

Came across these two shots and had to post them. Like I said in my title, there are just no words...except that this is the result of being banded, not bypass or sleeved. Not that there's anything wrong with those surgeries. Whatever works for you is my motto. But for those morbidly obese and not sure they can go with a band, this just shows that it can be done.

With all due respect, I think the OP was trying to bring out the fact that there is much 'shame' in something that should have no shame attached. For those old enough to remember, a breast cancer diagnosis was once only whispered about. There was a tremendous amount of shame involved and I still don't know why except I guess because it was the breast. These days, there is no shame at all and alot of that has to do with people coming out and being honest about their diagnoses. In some way, we need that same thing when it comes to WLS so that there is no need to feel that people are judging us and finding us somehow 'lacking' because we are having surgery to help with this problem. It doesn't mean you have to tell if you don't want to. But in time, with enough people talking about it, this surgery might also be seen with less or no negativity one day.

My whole body has become so much smaller..I'm short to begin with and now after such a huge weight loss, I am very petite all over. My face looks much smaller since the weight is gone...if you look at pictures, my eyes are much more open because my cheeks aren't so darn fat now when I smile. I don't have a big nose to begin with so it doesn't feel or look any different. My feet however, have undergone a great change as well. I used to be an 8 1/2 wide and I am now a 7 1/2 regular width.

If you're willing to come into the city, I'm recommending my group at NYU. They have fill offices in other locations...maybe Westchester is one of them. PM me if you want further information.

I know you're nervous but I'm excited for you. You are starting one heck of a journey and you will be so happy once you start to lose the weight, get healthier, and feel better. Keep us posted and let us know when you've made it to the other side.