gowalking

I wonder why he's surprised that sleeve and bypass folks ask about the band. None of these surgeries are miracles...you have to be compliant and work the program regardless. I'm sure it's easier for the surgeons to do the sleeves and bypasses but they are in no way superior to the band. I know what the literature said when I was investigating WLS....expect to lose 60% of your excess weight with the band. So I did the math and that was only about 75 lbs. max. I needed to lose at least that much if not more. So I got banded because it was the least invasive of the procedures and would lose as much weight as I could. I didn't do anything crazy afterwards...I just kept my calorie count around 1,100 daily. And...I did almost no exercise because of the hips. Yet I lost 117 lbs. and hit goal. I know that the band does for me what it's supposed to. I do not get hungry like I used to. I am not starving and when I'm done eating, I feel enough satisfaction to allow me to eat less...alot less. It's really just that simple. You have to fight the head hunger but it's just that...head hunger. I know the difference between actual hunger and head hunger and I do what's appropriate for each of them.

I was thinking just that the other day...a few calories here and there and how they add up. I was in the doctor's office the other day and made a cup of coffee. (they have a coffee/snack station in the waiting room because alot of people are there for daily treatments) They also had graham crackers in a basket right next to the coffee machine so I picked up a packet and I looked at the calorie count. 60 calories for the package. I thought about it for a moment and decided I really didn't need the 60 calories...and just had the coffee. Felt good to make the right choice.

Tracy.....I feel like I wrote this. Even though I'm having success at the moment, I still worry constantly about screwing it up again. After the museum, my sister and I grabbed dinner on the cheap...we just went to a diner closeby. I looked at the menu several times to make sure I didn't order something not healthy even though I drifted towards those poor choices. I finally decided on a BLT wrap expecting to eat half along with a few fries. Well...I ate the whole wrap and told myself it was still OK because it was mostly lettuce and tomato and I added the mayo myself. I also had about 5 or 6 shoestring fries. Well...my subconcious must have been on high speed last night because I had a nightmare. What was it about? I actually remember. I was at a picnic table and there were pizza's on the table. I dreamed I ate three slices of sicilian. I also remember in my dream how horrible I felt after pigging out like that. I'm going to have to know that at times, I'll eat more than I normally do but as long as I don't use that to go down the slippery slope of overeating all the time, I hope to be able to live this way for good. Plus....I have an empty band that just like you, can always get some Fluid in it if needed. Hang in there! We need to organize a girls day as soon as the crappy weather is over, OK? I'd like to see the Rockettes show at Radio City or Bridges of Madison County... I keep looking for discount offers...LOL.

Hey Destiny...I just posted the other day that my primary doctor also wanted me to have the sleeve or bypass because I needed to lose more than 100 lbs. I went with the band despite what she said and if you look at my ticker below, you can see that I lost 117 lbs. and just reached goal. You can lose however much you want to lose as long as you work the program. And...you can run into trouble no matter which WLS you have if you do not follow the rules. Good luck with whatever surgery you decide on.

You should have complained to the manager. The clerk had no right to say anything to you. Her job is to sell you books, not comment on your purchase. Really...you need to go back there and say something. I worked in retail for many years and that was totally unprofessional.

I went to my primary doctor today for a checkup. When I finally caved and said I'd move forward on the bariatric surgery back in the summer of 2012, she did everything to convince me to have bypass or the sleeve because I needed to lose at least 100 lbs. and she said none of her other patients with the band ever lost more than 60 lbs. She said to me that if I could get to 150 lbs. she would be thrilled and she just didn't think that would happen with the band. Well...today she ate her words. I am at 150 lbs. and uh.... six pounds less than she weighs.

Congratulations on the wonderful news. As far as your concerns regarding the band...call you doctor.

I lived in Middlesex county for 15 years madamsoul Where in Central Jersey are you?

For me..head hunger if often partnered with passive behavior. If you sit and watch TV, you will probably look to get a food fix even if you are not truly hungry. Try doing something to take your mind off food. Exercise is a good idea but if you aren't into that, even something as simple as polishing your nails, taking a bath, reading a good book, talking on the phone, or doing something, anything to distract yourself should work. I used to come home from work, sit in front of the boob tube and eat like there was no tomorrow. Now I go to the pool two or three times a week, read, post on this site, and listen to music (always makes me stop thinking of food). I also get a massage once a week as a little gift to myself for working so hard. Non-food gifts are a good thing and they can be anything that makes you happy. Good luck and hang in there!

OK folks...here's the god's honest reason why I chose the band. I expected it wouldn't work. I was sure it wouldn't work. Nothing worked so why would a friggin' piece of plastic work? I was getting the band so that I could remove it in six months and continue my downward spiral towards being wheelchair bound and likely suffering a premature death. So...when people talk about being in the right frame of mind to tackle this process and be successful, I was so not one of them. I was awfully cranky during the pre-op phase...and then sick and tired of the monotony of post-op liquids. Thinking about having to watch every little thing that went into my mouth was overwhelming for me. I used to scarf down two bowls of spaghetti without taking a breath. And then I'd eat Cookies and candy and still not be satisfied. Awful...just awful. Well....guess what happened? I realized not long after the surgery that I was no longer ravenous. I didn't trust myself to eyeball my food so I weighed everything. And when I was done eating it.....I didn't feel hungry. I didn't feel full either...but I didn't feel hungry. And holy mackerel...the weight started to come off. The knee pain didn't get better....and now my hips were hurting bad as well, but I kept thinking five more pounds, then five more...then yes, five more...and I'll feel better. Well it took 70 lbs. off to finally find out that I needed both hips replaced. The orthopedic surgeon told me he had no idea how I was even walking..that's how bad it was. I knew that by the skin of my teeth, I barely avoided that damn wheelchair. I had the surgery in October and there's barely any hip pain. That alone is a miracle. Unfortunately, I have residual back issues and continue to see a sports medicine/pain management doctor whom I've been a patient of since the summer of 2012. Today he said something to me that felt so good. He knew what I looked like at my heaviest because I started going to him six months before being banded. While we were talking he asked me how much weight I had lost in total and when I told him I was down 115 lbs., he said that he can't even remember me that much heavier and that he's gotten completely used to seeing me at this size. All I could think of was how much I hoped that would really be my new normal and that eventually, no one would remember the old me and then I could finally bury that fat bitch once and for all. So what's the point of this story? Easy... if I can manage to be successful at this, well so can you. No excuses. Have a great night everyone.

I also have Cigna and almost the same requirements as Jim. I had to be under a doctor's supervision for three months rather than six but it was never about losing.

I have Cigna as well. Didn't matter though as my BMI was a staggering 50 so gaining or losing, I was approved for the surgery no problem once all the documentation was provided and the paperwork submitted. Congrats on your surgery date.

Count me in on the scary maintenance phase. My goal weight was also fairly arbitrary. My PCP said to me at the start of this journey that if I could get to 150, she'd be thrilled...so that was the weight goal I set. I too was one of those who lost alot of weight once before and swore I'd never get heavy again. Of course I eventually gained it all back and some. All I can do is recommit to keeping it off and knowing the band is there to remind me not to overeat. Everything else...like what we eat, is a choice we make and for many of us, the band wll not change that. I bet if I wanted to consume half a box of chocolates, I could. Same for other slider foods...cookies, chips, etc. I'm presuming it will be a lifelong 'one day at a time' kind of thinking and getting back on track as soon as possible if I find myself wandering off the straight and narrow. All I know is that I don't want to be obese anymore. I love this feeling of being normal and not worrying about my size anymore.

So true. Great post.

OK Alex...looks like folks are interested. Lisa and I have been discussing the topic offline and we can certainly help with whatever you might need from us. Yes, an agenda driven meeting would be better than just sitting and chatting. It worked for us because we were a small group. Larger numbers and it runs into issues where people bunch up into smaller groups and it's just a gabfest. I very much like the idea of guest speakers from the medical community, nutrition and exercise community, and even psychological community. We could have discussions around topics we talk about here..not just what should I eat and what should I be losing but things like body image, spousal/family/friend support (or lack of) stress and avoiding emotional eating, how to deal with nosy coworkers...oh gosh there's so much out there to talk about. Have you discussed any of this with Dr. Ren or anyone else at the practice? I'm thinking in terms of a resource of both medical professionals and bariatric patients. I understand Dr. Fielding used to take folks out to dinner to give them hints and guidance on how to eat out. Alot of people are afraid to eat out and I thought it was a great idea to take people and show them that they can eat out successfully. I don't know if I'd want to be a leader or co-leader especially as I couldn't speak to the majority of bandsters with fills, but I'd be more than happy to work more behind the scenes in terms of organizing. I seem to be pretty good at that as long as I call ahead to make sure the cafe is actually open.... OK then...just let me know what I can do to help.

Great post. So excited and happy for you.

Hi all. This is a very common issue with many of us. I bet if you searched 'constipation', your PC would crash..lol. All suggestions noted in this thread usually work. I take a prescription med called Linzess along with a stool softener and yes...Miralax once or twice a week. I've struggled with this since being banded and I suspect I always will. I know I don't get in enough Water though I do try my best. Good thing though is when I do find success in the bathroom, the scale will also show success..

Jamilyne--you have raised an important and essential point regarding obesity and societal prejudice. Yes, it is indeed discrimination to single out a fat person and imply, covertly or overtly, that they would not be capable of high job performance. (Unless that person is an Olympic athlete competing in a sport that requires slimness to perform.) I have zero skin in this game politically speaking, but as an educational exercise, why don't we subtitute "African American", "Jewish," or "Hispanic" in this discourse and see how insane and non-sensical this line of thinking is? "Oh, he'd better lighten his skin, it's common knowledge that Blacks are lazy and we don't want a lazy President." "Oh, he'd better convert to Protestantism; everybody knows Jews are insular and will favor their own people." "Oh, his Hispanic origins will be a major obstacle in doing his Presidential duties so he's not a viable candidate." THERE IS NO REASON WHY AN OBESE PERSON WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM WELL AS POTUS. While there are many obese people who have obesity-related illnesses once the obesity catches up with them, there are also---and I'm sure we all know some of these--people who live long lives while also being obese. The fact Gov. Christie has a high BMI is not predictive that he will keel over while serving the country. I'll wager a bet that, with his daily agenda as it is currently, he's more active that many on this forum, and more active than the overall population, certainly the population sharing his BMI. I agree very much with jamilyn about how inappropriate, indeed, hurtful many of the comments on this thread are. We are the last people who should be discriminating against the obese. We should have enormous empathy, and actually admiration, for someone as overweight as Gov. Christie who it out there doing public service. I am certain that society's fat-discrimination held me back professionally when I was younger and not yet working in my chosen field. Now an academic at one of America's most prestigious public universities, I'm grateful that I work in a field where my colleagues are educated to a degree that they would never pre-suppose that because I [was] fat, I was stupid, lazy, doomed to die while on the job, or many of the other comments I'm reading on this thread and in the media regarding Christie. Had my hiring committee looked upon me as I'm seeing people look upon Gov. Christie, I would never be educating America's best and brightest and turning them out into the global marketplace with a heightened sensitivity to other cultures and lifeways. That includes people whose weight is aesthetically unpleasing, but whose minds are just as sharp and analytical as those with more-pleasing exteriors. I have over 25 years experience in my position, most of those years fat, and (to my knowledge) I never died while on the job. Lastly, I hope very much that "Tikvah" will grow into his/her username (a Hebrew term which means "hope"), and that he/she will gain a kinder perspective for those whose paths differ from ours. We are all tied together here, despite our differing choices regarding our surgeries, and I sense that we all have vivid memories of a time or times where we were subject to fat discrimination. Let us be the Hope, Tikvah, that we carry a different message and that others will model us. Well said.

My heart's desire is to travel. My mobility has been an issue for years and I missed out on being able to take trips that weren't out of reach due to money but due to not being able to walk and keep up with those more able bodied than me. I needed to lose 70 lbs. minimum and have joint replacement surgery. I lost enough weight to have the surgery in October and as my ticker states, I've dropped an additional 45 lbs. I still have residual issues that make travel still a difficult thing but I am trying to be patient as my doctor is the first one to say that I didn't do this damage to myself overnight and it won't get better right away. I fear it will never get better and I try to keep those thoughts buried. But my sister wants me to pick a time period when we would spend time in London and the surrounding areas. I want to see in person, the places I've only seen in pictures. That is my hearts desire. PS: After.London, onto Paris....

Good for you!

He used the same practice that I used and they do almost exclusively lapbands. And all I know is that the waiting room is always crowded....

How wonderful to see health issues resolve. Congrats!!

Hi Rose. Boy does your story resonate with me. I also have arthritis and joint disease. I'm only 55 and expected to get one or even both knees replaced in 2013. To my surprise, I needed both hips replaced even before the knees. As I'm sure you can imagine, I was besides myself..blaming myself same as you. My doctors say no but I know better. Carrying around all that extra weight may not have impacted the joints affected by disease, but the knees were absolutely worse due to the obesity. I tried to lose the weight in 2011 and after a year on a food plan, I lost a total of 25 lbs. In one year with the band, which was placed in January of 2013, I was able to keep to very small portions without feeling like I was starving and lost enough weight in six months to get my surgery scheduled. I had both hips replaced in October and while I still have residual issues, my joint pain is gone and even the knees are amazingly better due to the alignment of the new hips. I too am a cautionary tale but I wanted to let you know that things have changed dramatically and between the new hips and weight loss, I can move better than in years. I bet you will as well so good luck and keep us posted.

Spectacular!!

Beautiful....just beautiful.