lisacaron

It's not a good thing that her kids ate all those Protein bars and Protein drinks. It could cause them some serious harm. Do not give your kids these items, it is not good for them to consume such high amounts of protein.

@@Darianna75 I get what you are saying 100% when my husband and I first though about surgery, I went out and purchased a mini fridge freezer that is in our bedroom locked up tight. We have 5 boys between us and they are all grown and they can EAT!! There would be fights in my house over who ate who's food and that was mine, and make me NUTS!! So we keep all "our" food away from them. I do have to say this...eating all that Protein and drinking that much protein in one sitting could defiantly make your kids sick VERY sick. The body can't process all that protein and it won't store it either. This could cause some kidney damage and liver damage if done too often. Hopefully they will never do this to you again, but keep these things out of their reach as much as you would medication or other poisons.

@@DanaKat it is normal to have some "cold feet", your making a change that will affect the rest of your life. If you don't think so, then think again. You will have all your favorite foods again, but you will look at food differently then you do today. You will use food differently than you do today. It is very much a marriage, and you are getting a little ring around your belly to remind you of that commitment. Are you ready to say I do? Do you love yourself enough? These were some of the questions I asked myself before my surgery and the answer to them was a resounding YES. I loved my life, and all the things I could and would be able to do in my new life and I was ready to make that commitment, and let me tell you the truth of it is that just like they say about the first year of marriage, that first year can be tough. You learn every day how to live this new life, with this new WLS partner and some days they are forgiving when you make a mistake and some days they can bop you upside the head for making the wrong choice. So my friend, are you ready to say I do? If so...then don your white gown on your surgery date and I wish you a long and happy relationship with your new life support tool!!

I will give you a bit of reverse psychology here...this worked for my Granddad when he needed to change some of his eating habits due to a heart condition and it worked for me when I tried it not long after surgery on myself. Eat nothing but cookies! Eat them and eat them and eat them till you are sick of them and you won't want to eat them anymore! My story... My Pop loved pickles, (not so bad you would think right? but they are loaded with sodium and that was a big issue for him.) so for Breakfast Nan gave him pickles for lunch pickles dinner yup you guessed it pickles. If he wanted a snack she gave him a pickle. After that he said to her are you trying to kill me?! He never touched another pickle again. I was having a serious skinny cow ice cream addiction. I was eating it every night not just one but 2 or 3. So one weekend I went out and bought a few boxes and ate nothing but that...ate it and ate it and soon I really didn't want that anymore I wanted "real" food...but I stuck it out and ate nothing but the ice cream. I started to feel sick to my stomach and guess what...no more skinny cow craving or even wanting. I don't have the desire for it, and when I have something I do want it's in moderation and I don't go looking for more because I remember how that sick feeling felt and I have no desire to go through that again with anything else

@@HaddocksEyes You are right having surgery is not the easy way out. Having surgery does not make it easier for anyone to lose weight or to keep that weight off. Having surgery does level the playing field, that is for sure. Many of us are obese and it is beyond our "natural" control. Our bodies have grown accustom to eating a certain volume and chemical combination of food, our genes may play a role in the way we store fat and sugar and often the combination of all these factors changes the chemical make up of how our body's metabolism works. Changing that with altering our diets for liquids and/or dieting works and we lose weight. We get on a fitness trend and we trick the body and the weight falls off. Then we go back to reality, and we stop "dieting" and we go back to living and the weight comes right back and often times with a few pounds of friends. Having WLS means making a life style change, not going on a diet. Sure there are some "diet" rules to follow pre-op and then post-op but true success comes from making a change to the way you think about and live with food, and the way you think and feel about fitness. WLS is not a miracle cure for obesity. It is a process that helps the individual prepare and focus on making a permanent life style change. If you are not 100% committed going into surgery it's not going to give you the results you desire. It is up to you, and it is work that will last a life time. It's a labor of love you give your self. Diets end but life goes on

@@ladykatie_ you got some good advice from those above, and I won't even begin to tell you what when or how to live your life. That is something only you can do. I would like to say it's awesome that you are feeling great and having success with your WLS. There are many mental and emotional hills and valley's along the way, and when other issues compound on you as they tend to do, it can feel overwhelming and often prompt larger then life emotions and emotional responses. I think that's more to the point of what the person who was telling you not to make big decisions during WLS was trying to say. I have found for myself that the best way to deal with these kinds of stress's and pressures as they rise up is to take a minute to myself. Even if I have to run to the ladies room and hide in the stall for a moment or two, I will collect my thoughts and my feelings and put them in check. I try to separate out how I am feeling about an issue from how I am feeling overall. If it's an off day for me, issues can tend to appear larger then they are if I focus on them in that perspective. If I put my "day" or myself in check and deal with just that issue then it's taken some of the largeness out of it and brought it down to size and a little easier to deal with. Mostly friend, try to take time for yourself. Get away from "things" and people when you need to and just keep breathing. Deep breathing is a great help for your mind and body. Find time to do things you enjoy, reading, writing, biking, kite flying what ever and make time for YOU, then you will be better able to deal with decisions and things that I'm sure you would rather not have to deal with. I hope everything works out for you, no matter what.

I agree with all of the above posted they are on your side and they want to be sure that you are ready for the changes and the commitment that is required. There is always lots of patient compliance in WLS. They want to be sure that you are mentally and emotionally ready for your surgery. I know when I was going through all the testing I really didn't understand why they had this as part of the criteria, but as I went through the exam and my husband went through it as well I understood more about why this is part of the criteria for surgery and I'm glad that it is. I left feeling even more prepared and committed to taking that step. Not all Dr.'s and insurance companies require this step...but I think they should modify that because though it might not seem to be it's truly a helpful step in your preparation for surgery, and an available option should you face issues on the journey as some do with body image and self acceptance etc. Best of luck to you!!

When I started my journey as a Weight Loss Surgery patient it was never my goal to "get fit". My goal when I started this journey was to be healthy. To take all the years, of pain and sickness and put them behind me. It wasn't about losing weight, though of course I knew that would be part of getting healthy, but I never really thought about what being healthy really meant. Being healthy, is more then the numbers on the scale or the inches of your waist. Being healthy is much, much more, it means eating right, and more then that it means having good nutrition to fuel your body. Not just the right number of calories but the right kind of calories. A balance of carbs and Proteins, micro and macro nutrients that help keep your body in harmony. Adding in the WLS tools changes the tone of the body's natural symphony and I realized as an obese person that my body's natural symphony was so out of tune it was not music to my ears. It was noise. It was like the noise of nails on a chalk board or a seized engine grinding and trying still to chug along. As my weight climbed I tuned out that noise more and more and kept pushing that engine harder and harder. In 2013 I went in for WLS and had the lapband and plication performed. Adding these elements to the mix, seemed to bring everything in line, and for the first time in years and years I could hear the noise again and this time I could hear the melody being drowned out in the background. It takes time to find all the elements to bring out that melody and then to get that melody to harmonize. Just like many voices in a Choir or many instruments in a Orchestra you have to find the perfect selection and get it all to work together to make something beautiful. So getting healthy became more then just having surgery, it became more then being compliant with the Dr.'s rules. These were stepping stones, and with each step I could see more and more of what was needed. Gathering the knowledge and learning the lessons, I keep moving I keep stepping. Getting healthy is about finding that perfect balance, creating that symphony of mind, body and experience. Being healthy is maintaining that balance on the ever changing surface of life. Today it may be an open field wide and flat, tomorrow it could be the roughest face of a mountain with the challenge of making it to the top and back down the other side. You could find yourself out at sea, the ocean vast and wide as you try to keep your head above Water and maintain that balance. That is my view of what being healthy is today. Yesterday was a big accomplishment for me in my journey. I walked in my first 5K! Over the last 9 years I have watched as others took up the challenge and got out there and participated. I looked on with envy I wanted to participate too, but every year there was always a reason I could not. Surgery after surgery and so many health issues who was I kidding...? Would I ever be able to do this? I was lucky I could walk from my car to my office without feeling like I was having a heart attack! This year 2014 I am so happy to share with you that I WAS able to participate! I laced up my sneakers and donned my number and got to stepping! I didn't start this journey with the idea of fitness in mind. I didn't count it as part of my WLS journey. I was focused on food, then on eating and on not eating food. On changing the way I ate food, changing the foods I choose to eat. As I made these changes and my body started responding to the changes, it naturally wanted to move more and become active. Fitness is the harmonizer. It brings all the other pieces together and helps to set the tone, and from there you can bring in all sorts of new elements, add flair and flourish as you go. Make it loud bring it in low, but fitness is what brings it all together. Here are some photo's from yesterday's walk! Today my friends, though you think I would be tired, or sore I feel great! I am bolstered by this accomplishment in my journey and I am looking forward to making it across more finish lines in the future!!

I agree!! Looking forward to it.

@@Jerseydiva15 don't be disappointed. Take this as a learning lesson and take it back to band basics. Remember how excited you were with the idea of surgery looming ahead and a huge change to your life? Try to remember how it felt to be that 288 pound lady that was just starting her journey. Give yourself a mental reset and a band reset. Take it back to basics. Your starting out right on the liquids, then go to mushy and then soft and then solids. Work on your eating mechanics and your choices. Take some time to plan what you are going to have before you decide, but don't wait till your starving or super hungry to think about it because that's how you end up with what ever. Think about the day ahead, the same way you do in the morning when you choose your outfit for the day. Sometimes your comfy and sometimes you wish you had worn your favorite jeans and comfy sweater or wish you could have stayed in your PJ's all day and you know what...when you get back home you can do those things. So if you have a mishap in a choice remember you can always make a change and do it right! Don't wait for tomorrow or Sunday or Monday take back control with your very next meal and your very next choice. You got this!

Oh and the shirt...I ordered by size wich they said ran small 3 months ago. Happy to say YES today is defiantly oversized!!!

the clock is 1 hr 15 min. My actual time was 45 minutes. The competitive runners start the race first. You have to run a 9 min. Mile to qualify for that. They start at 7 with a wheelchair race and then competitive runners. The winner ran the course I 19 minutes. Hubs could not participate but was there for moral support!

Completed my first 5k today!! My company had the largest amount of participants this year.

OMG I love this! Where are the photos???? COME ON SHARE!!!!

I would not think that you have bulimia, if you did have it you would have been diagnosed as having an eating disorder by your psychiatrist and be in treatment for it. From your post it sounds like poor eating mechanics that causes you to regurgitate food. I would work on those, pacing your bites, making sure they are small enough and chewed well enough, take 20 minutes to finish a meal. Sip don't gulp and then see if you are still having an issue. If you are, I would suggest a visit to the doc to check your band and your fill level which may need an adjustment. I vomit about 4 times a week with the band. It's not really full on vomiting. Maybe just the amount in my stoma. Sometimes it's only Water when I drink too much or too fast. I don't feel as though I have bulimia ! I think his statement was reckless and irresponsible. This is what I mean by follow up care and maintenance. It requires it from both the patient and the doctor to ensure that the apparatus is working correctly and the patient is compliant and healthy most of all. Some doctors want to have a one stop shop. Operate make the big bucks and push the patient out the door. Lapband is not a quick fix or cure all for the disease of Obesity. It is the first step on a life long journey.

@@sfie9669 I'm not a sleeved patient, but I want to encourage you NOT to compare yourself or your journey to anyone. You are uniquely yourself, and though we can all offer advice, inspiration and experience the experiences we share are purely our own. To find what works for you, is to keep going and not give up. Try it and see and if not keep moving until you find what it is that works for you. As for Protein, there are some pretty awesome protein shots out there by Body Fortress, they literally are 2 oz of liquid and you knock them back just like a shot. They give you 20 grams of protein and they go so quick you don't have time to taste or smell it Protein is important to your body and your health so try and get that in, and let your body work. It will figure out you need to burn some fat to keep your energy high. If your putting in carbs even if you are drinking them your body is going to choose that first, and you want it to choose to burn fat and not muscle. Good luck sounds like your right on track!!!

@@NolansNana if your severly uncomfortable or in pain call your doctor and fill them in on what your experiencing. Sometimes in the early weeks/months of banding you can be more swollen. I have allergies and as a result at night I sometimes have a post nasal drip, which can wake me up with that feeling of something stuck in the band. This also happens if I have a bad cold. It took some time for me to figure it out though. Now in the morning I will start my day with a nice warm cup of coffee to relax the stoma a bit. If you have changed anything over the last few days take that into account as well. For example I was taking Advil for a sprain and I was having that feeling again the mornings and later at night when I would be winding down for bed. I called my Dr. and it was actually swelling in the stoma as a result of taking the Advil. So I switched to Tylenol and that went away. Some foods can be an irritation as well. Keep an eye on things, let us know how your doing and note anything that changes and the best thing to do is always to give your doc a call and get their professional advice.

My take on this is, that doctors don't like the extra work that is involved in the Lapband procedure. It's not about weight loss expectation because they are wrong in that regard. Take a poll here and see who has lost weight and who has lost over 100 pounds with the band. Complications..well I will take an infection over my death and malnutrition any day. Also think this is a bit of reaching on the Dr's part to find something "wrong". If surgery is done well by a trained surgeon in a hospital setting the risk for infection is negligible to any surgical procedure. Addressing the issue of Bulimia this Dr. should go and see a psychiatrist (for more then one reason) to get his facts right. Bulimia is a psychiatric and mental disorder with the way a person views their intake of food it is not forced on anyone by anything. The band does not force you to vomit. If in fact you are vomiting after eating you should see your doctor because this is not normal. You should not be vomiting food any more then you should with the sleeve, or bypass. There is WORK involved in patient care for the Lapand by the doctors, their offices, and the facilities they operate out of. You can't just nip, tuck, staple, sew, pat the patient on the ass and send them on their way out into the world with no follow up care or guidance. You have to maintain your apparatus, you have to monitor the patients fill levels and compliance. There is WORK involved in the band and in my humble opinion there should be more work involved for all weight loss surgeries. I have read comments and hear from patients all the time about their lack of follow up care. I see patients who have had their surgery lost X amount of weight and found themselves 2-3 years later well on their way back to where they were before surgery, and worse. Not only in weight but other health issues as well. Why is that? Is it the patients fault? the doctors? the insurance company? When you have cancer, diabetes or heart disease you follow up and your doctors follow up with you right? They check to see if you are still in remission, if your heart is functioning in the right way, what your sugar levels are... Obesity is a disease too, and it needs the same kind of monitoring and follow up care as the "big name" diseases that it leads to. If we keep obesity in check maybe we won't have to work so hard to keep cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc. in check, but those are the money makers for the Dr.'s, hospitals, and drug companies right? Can't mess with that.... A little plastic band, that requires follow up and the dreaded accountability...that's the devil.

Did you have a fill recently?

Glad to hear that you are making it through this!!! Your a trooper don't let it get to you, we are all in your corner!

That is some good news! The next step would be funding some legislation to change the way BMI's are looked at when it comes to health insurance and approvals. BMI should not be the only indicator for need or approval, it is in fact a poor indicator at best.

@@Ga Gurl your doing great, right on track working with your doctor is the best way to find your sweet spot. I have had multiple fills and am high in the number of CC's in my band before it kicked in for me. Hubby who is banded at the same time is much lower in CC's and the number of fills. There is not "right" formula for everyone. We are all different there is no generic one size fit's all or average take on it. I personally like that, cause it means that every time I see my Dr. there isn't a cookie cutter formula that they dispense out and send me on my way. I get personalized attention, and we all deserve that

@@RedStorm what everyone above said is right on target! I will add this, as you start to move more getting your heart rate up and building muscle you will find that you are more hungry and your body is going to initially start looking for that "quick fix" meaning the calories you put in. The body would rather burn the carbs and food you are eating then dip into it's fat reserve, so for a few weeks you will see resistance in your body as you keep pressing it for more output and giving it less intake. It will balance out and start going for the fat stores, if you stay the course and don't give into that "hunger" it is real hunger but you want to try and stave it off. Hydrate, when you have that "hunger" feeling after a work out hydrate, give your body Water and let it dip into fat stores for the energy. If you have a hard time staving off that hunger, follow the advice above and talk to you doc about a fill. We have the band as a tool to help us so use it and let it work for you and with you! Best of luck to you, sounds like your doing amazing!

@@NolansNana you go girl! I know how you feel when I see my boys eat a meal I can't even look!! I have to tell you though they are all three fit and thin but oh BOY can they eat when they are hungry! Takes my appetite away I'm lucky I finish one crepe and some fruit.