mrsto

When I was anticipating this surgery, there were a couple of people who also said that I wasn't that heavy; not heavy enough to warrant surgery. Though that was nice to hear, the reality was.....YES, I was that heavy, and the number continued to climb. I also went through the gambit of feelings over the months prior to surgery; many of those months just getting to the decision to do it. As difficult as it is to wait, it's a blessing. This is a huge life changing step, and not one that anyone should jump into. Once I decided against having a gastric bypass, the lap band (+ plication) wasn't as scary, and I never questioned my decision. My behavior, the scale AND the mirror told me ALL I needed to know; if I didn't do something, I would continue to gain weight, and eventually have some catastrophic health event......probably, death. I don't know how old you are, but ask yourself this..... Is there anything you are going to miss eating, more than you miss feeling good about yourself? Instead of focusing on what you'll be giving up, try & focus on ALL that you'll be getting in return; especially, a beautiful HEALTHIER you. Imagine not dreading getting dressed in the morning & looking in the mirror. Imagine how it will feel being lighter on your feet, not dragging around the ball & chain of the extra pounds. And the reality is, once you're well on your way with the band, on occasion, you can have a little bit of the things you love - in moderation. There is nothing wrong with fajitas, but you will only eat a small amount. Fried fish is never a good choice, but on occasion, if you have a taste for it, you can have a small amount. As long as you count the calories, and stay within your program, you are fine. However, with the band, Coke is something you will need to give up. Aside from all the sugar, carbonated beverages are a huge NO when banded. The bottom line is, you have decide what's more important to you; continuing to eat whatever you want when you want it....continuing to gain weight with more life threatening health issues, or putting the unhealthful lifestyle in reverse, and moving in the direction of good health and longevity. Type II diabetes is SERIOUS! In retrospect, is fried catfish really that important?

SueBee - I looked for a Centrum that specifically said sour balls, but all I could fine is these. Is it the same thing? http://www.centrum.com/centrum-flavor-burst#mixed-fruit

Maybe the key is having 2-3 different ones to switch off with, so one doesn't get sickening. Right now I've got the ones from Vitamin Shoppe, and some gummies from NatureMade. So far, neither are great, but I take them anyway :-)

Sour balls?? Sounds good! I'll check those out, too.

Thanks.... I'm going to have to try something different than what I have. I picked up a chewable multi vitamin/mineral at The Vitamin Shoppe. They're very sweet and pineapple flavor, but they're big and hard to take after breakfast. I like to take just about everything in the morning (except calcium.....I take 3 times a day), and they're chalky sweet, which is nauseating first thing in the a.m.

Is that the same as Miracle Noodles? http://www.iherb.com/Miracle-Noodle-Angel-Hair-Shirataki-Pasta-7-oz-198-g/37585?utm_medium=cse&utm_source=google&gclid=CIWCq6Kq_7YCFep7QgodKzcAVg

Good job! Great that you have pictures as a barometer. You can totally see the difference

I have every confidence that you will do just as well. Stick to the program, follow the rules of the band, you too will have great success

PS: I hate exercise, but have to admit, I feel SO much better because of it.

1800 calories sounds like a lot. And it sounds like the issue is too many calories, along with no exercise. The scale at my doctor's office is a computer that measures many different things. I think it's called InBody 520. One of the things it measures is lean to fat body mass, along with your BMR (basal metabolic rate); meaning, how many calories your body burns at rest. The last time they weighed me, my BMR was 1386 calories. There are many things that play into what amount of calories any given individual needs to maintain or lose weight. More lean muscle mass burns more calories. Less activity, less calories. During this time, if your goal is to lose some weight, I can almost guarantee that 1800 calories per day will not make that happen. And I can tell you without hesitation, when you're in your late 40's and older, exercise is 1/2 the battle. Metabolism slows down dramatically, and exercise is just about the only thing to beam it up to what once was.....normal. When your doctor says "just eat healthy", that leaves a VERY wide margin for interpretation. It doesn't address portion control, or better choices to make of healthy foods. Peanut Butter is healthy, but eating 1/4 cup is very high in fat and calories. It doesn't sound like your doctor gave you a specific road map of how to get where you need to go? IMHO, if you cut your daily calories down to 1400 at this point in time, you will see some results. Once you're banded, that number will be less. Regarding exercise... At the initial seminar, my doc told us some things to start doing right away, which was a LONG time before surgery. One of them was to start walking 20 minutes per day. He said "walk 10 minutes out, then 10 minutes back". He knows that so many of us have been sedentary, and asking people to start going to the gym, or setting the bar unrealistically, won't prove fruitful. SO - I did what he asked, and started walking 20 minutes.....not EVERY day, but many days :-) Now, I've elevated that to speed walking on an incline, for 30 minutes per day on the treadmill. Baby steps is the way; just stick your toe in the Water & see how it feels.

Absolutely fabulous! You look incredible, and I'm sure you feel amazing. Good for you! Very motivating

He's a man - THAT's his secret!! And he's a YOUNG man. Men lose SO much faster than women.... Very frustrating My husband, who isn't really overweight; more of the over 50 belly; when he decides to go on a diet, he loses the first 5 pounds just making the decision! Argh....!!

WOW is right! A-mazing!!!

I went off of my blood pressure meds this past week. I was shocked, because I'm only around 6 weeks out! I was feeling SO lethargic every day, so I called my doctor & the nurse told me that it could very well be the blood pressure meds. I checked my numbers, and sure enough.....it was low. She told me to stop taking the drug for a couple of days & see how I feel. Well, I feel much better! Granted, I was taking the lowest dose possible, but I'm still surprised that I could stop them after only a 17 pound loss. It feels great! Is this what they call a NSV? I also have a bad knee. I'm sure from too much weight over time. I've got other issues as well, and PRAY that some of it subsides as more weight comes off. I know that some won't resolve completely, but I have to imagine that it will be better without all the excess baggage My next plan of action is to start working with a physical therapist, who can put me on a program to strengthen what needs strengthening, to stretch what needs stretching; ALL without causing further damage to what's already injured and weak. OMG - I really messed myself up trying Curves about a year ago. That place is for people with ZERO skeletal/orthopedic issues!

Stepht04 - I so completely understand how you feel, and I think it's totally normal. It's a huge step, and will change the way you eat and relate to food. It's very frustrating sometimes, but I see the pounds coming off, and it's well worth it! We've all been through the ups & downs of weight loss, and it gets to the point where it feels futile; nothing will work. WLS is a huge undertaking, and the reality is, weight can be gained no matter which procedure is chosen. As you've read all over the site, the band is a tool, and you have to work with it. And I'm telling you, if you DO work with it, the weight will come off. Ask yourself this.....if you don't go through with the surgery, where do you see yourself in another 2-3 years? Do you see yourself continuing to gain? If you stay right where you are, can you live with it? I've had days when I felt like I was going to be out of control with food. It's scares the sh-t out of me, because I also have fears that after going through ALL of this, I might fail the band. Notice.....I said I might fail the band, not that the band would fail me. I'm not going to paint a picture of sunshine & roses....it's hard sometimes. But after SO many failed attempts at losing weight.....at this age, the weight is finally coming off. FYI - I was scheduled for a gastric bypass, but freaked out a couple of weeks before the surgery. Talk about fear! My decision to go with the band (+ plication) was one I could live with. It is very scary to read of the complications people have, but that is far from the majority. There are thousands of successful band patients that don't participate in these online forums. And the ones who post of serious issues, are a small minority. Although, some of those posters want you to fear the worst band doom possible, the reality is, they are a small minority. And the beauty of the band is, it can be removed should something go terribly wrong. I feel for you, and trust that you will come to the decision that is best for you.

Great that you have pictures to compare :-) I've avoided cameras like the plaque for a long time, but can probably dig something up from a few months ago. Actually, I take it back......my surgery was on 3/25....the first night of Passover, and pictures were taken at the hospital. Needless to say, this year no seder pictures, but for good reason!! And I'm SO glad to hear that you're off of so many meds. That's fantastic! I know you feel fabulous I look forward to being where you are. I started this venture at an older age, too (57), and so far it's been the best decision I've made about anything, in a very long time.

I'm fairly new, and still struggle with the "feeling" I'm looking for that signals me to stop. I eat pretty slow, and listen closely. I'm SO afraid of the episodes I read about; getting stuck, PBs, vomiting.... I do not want to experience any of this, but I'm guessing that one day, I will. I never feel "full" the way I used to. My signal to stop comes before I'm sure the food is actually registering in my stomach. It's a bit frustrating, because sometimes I want to feel that stomach satiety. But when I stop eating, I realize that I'm really.....done. I'm not hungry, I'm not stuffed.......just..done. Please try not to be too fearful of failure. Fear many times becomes a self fulfilling prophecy "you pull in what you resist". It's hard, I know. But just take it a day at a time, and focus on the process. I remember so many times, living in fear of something or other. Then BOOM, my biggest fear would happen. The good news is, I'm still here to talk about it - LOL.

I had also lost 85 pounds about 15 years ago, and maintained the loss for 6 years :-) Then (like you), various life events slowly knocked me off my foundation, and I gained all of the weight, plus another 9 pounds. Like so many here, I've been up and down so many times; my biggest swing from lowest to highest - 100 pounds. When the last round came back on, I couldn't believe I allowed it to happen. As stated in my above post, we're never really cured from this curse. We can only stick to our program.....whatever that is.....one friggen day at a time

YES to all of the above comments. I'm close to 6 weeks out, and I can see how easy it would be to eat around the band. I don't do it, but there have been 2-3 days where I ate my usual 1/2 to 3/4 cup, and then shortly after ate something like graham crackers. Though still staying within my calorie range, I did not feel well; too much too close together. But I actually thought to myself, that I could totally graze all day in between meals, and really F things up. But I (we) have to remember why we took this path in the first place. It certainly wasn't to cheat around the surgery, which was a pretty drastic step to lose weight to begin with. BUT, we're all certainly not perfect people, and never really cured from this disease. (I'm going to get 12 step on ya)... we're always "in recovery", never recovered. We can slip and go the other direction at any time. That's why we have to be diligent with our program, and when we slip, get right back on track without beating the sh-t out of ourselves. This is a long term solution, not an immediate fix. I had plication with my lap band, and I'm really glad that I did. I've found (like with the graham cracker fiesta) that even though something slides through the band, the smaller stomach size gives me a big wake up call.

This is the email I received: Hello, my name is Diana i will like to be your friend, please send your email address to my box,(dianamartinfaye@yahoo.com) so that i will send my photo to you and tell you more about me, i want for your soonest reply, have a nice day.

I got one of those two weeks ago. I thought it was so weird, and deleted it. Is there NO safe place people can go without cyber-harrassment?!

I haven't had it yet, but my diet progression says I can at the 12 week post-op mark. If you're allowed to have it, try a small amount and chew it really well. I love brown rice & can't wait to have it back in my diet

I take Mobic (meloxicam-generic) for herniated disc issues. I take it about 2-3 times a week, over the every day prior to surgery. The doc told me that's one of the drugs that is okay, along with Celebrex & a couple of others. They're still not great, but the reality is, so many patients have orthopedic & arthritic conditions, and they can't tell patients to live in pain because of the surgery. He told me to continue taking Pepcid or Prilosec if I take Mobic on a regular basis.....to protect the stomach lining. But the huge NO NO is the over the counter NSAIDS. I used to live on those, and really miss my ibuprofen.

This week I asked the nurse in my doctor's office the same question. I was concerned that I've only had one fill since my 3/25/13 surgery, and I've already got 6.4cc's. She told me that the more fluid in the band, the less it takes to tighten it. So now, as little as .5cc can make a big difference. Given that information, I can't see where anyone would have the band filled to capacity.

I was told no NSAIDs, period. Whether liquid or pill form, they still end up digesting in your stomach, which is where the damage is done. Apparently, having a lap band makes the potential for ulcers and bleeding worse. However, I have read in these forums that some are using the liquid. If you do it, I don't suggest it on a regular basis. Also, it's probably a good idea to take Pepcid or Prilosec to protect your stomach.