lisacaron

I do think we tend to work harder than most people to lose pounds. Your amazing though I would never be able to do all that every day. I just don't have the time. As it is I find the hour I spend in the gym, can be easily compromised by the demands of work, kids and family. I also think that we don't exercise the way we should be for our condition. We are overweight and trying to burn fat, and I think we tend to work out in extreme ways thinking the no pain no gain route is the way to go. When we should be focusing on our target heart rate to actually be in a fat burning state rather than an endurance state. Personally I think that the bariatric surgeons should add a physiologist to their staff along with the psycho dr. and the nutritionist. We all need some education on how to work out to most benefit our goals of weight loss and muscle tone and that aspect of this journey is definitely lacking.

I had to come back here again today and read all your posts. I have my days where I just don't want to get up and go to the gym. I am sitting in this chair at work all day. I lose my motivation but I read this and it makes me want to get up and hit that gym and keep on moving! On my way there now, at least a 45 min. walk and I'll be happy with the goal of 10,000 steps for the day. That's about 2x the amount I used to walk in a day.

I'm supposed to go for my breathing test this Saturday, but I don't need it to get my surgery. I'll probably cancel it. Don't cancel it! Asthma can cause real complications during and after surgery. The test is simple just breathing in and out of a machine to measure your lung input and output. Most anesthesiologist will ask if you have asthma and will want you to have the test. Sorry you had such a rough experience with the sleep study most are just mildly annoying, but think of all the restful sleep you will have now as a result of one annoying night. Best of luck to you.

Ah I do the same thing. When I have a long stressful day I like to sit and watch some mindless TV and not think about anything. I like to have a snack before I go to sleep, but I try to plan for that snack. I try to leave enough space and calories to enjoy something about an hour before bed along with a nice cup of decaf coffee. Sometimes the coffee with a sugar free flavored creamer is enough for me. If I am in a "snacky" crunchy or icy kinda of mood. The icy need tends to happen more in summer. I will have a no sugar fudge pop or a skinny cow low-fat no sugar ice-cream even a sugar free ice pop. If I'm in a pinch I can make a Protein shake smoothie with some ice and a blender. Or I'll have a Tablespoon of Peanut Butter or a string cheese, Protein Bar, sugar free low fat pudding is great too. You can get all kinds of flavors to whip up. I usually wait it out as long as I can to be sure I actually want/need to have that snack. For the most part it quiets my tummy down enough to get to sleep. I take medication before going to bed, and sometimes I think my tummy needs something at that time to help ease the digestion of the medication. If you are mindfu and plan your snacking after dinner or before bed, you won't exceed your calories you'll account for them and be ready to consume them at that time. That's what has helped me, cause I know after a long day I am not going to start exersizing and then try to go to bed, that would only serve to keep me wide awake.

Try not to stress about the tests. They are noninvasive, and anxiety could work against you in the results of the tests, so take some time to yourself before you get into the office and just take a few relaxing deep breaths. The pulmonary appointment is to make sure you don't have obstructive sleep apnea, he may send you for a sleep study if you do or if he suspects you might. That is not a bad thing either and it will aid in your recovery from surgery and your weight loss. Good night's sleep is VERY important for our health and wellbeing. (Not to mention the wellbeing of others who have to deal with me when I don't get a good night's sleep You may take a breathing test where they measure the input and output of your lungs, and see if you have any type of asthma or breathing issue that could be a problem during surgery or after. Mostly it's a bunch of questions and a breathing test into a machine, and you're done. The stress test, is just like walking on the treadmill. The doc will hook you up to a bunch of electrodes, like an EKG and they will run that EKG as you walk. They will make it harder and harder or raise the incline on the treadmill so that your heart pumps faster and they monitor the output of your heart while you are putting stress on it by walking faster and harder. Some doctors also incorporate a sonogram to this test and then you basically jump off the treadmill onto the table lie down and they take a sonogram of your heart to be sure that under stress there is no abnormality. That's it..sounds worse than it is. Even if you think that your fitness level is not up to it, just doing a bit of walking will raise your heart rate and the doctors won't let you go so fast you fly off or tip you up so high you fall down. If you're feeling pain in the knees or hips or anything like that just flag the doc and tell them and they will modify things for you. You will do great!

That's amazing, you look beautiful!! I fall on the other side of your story. I was at my heaviest when we got married 10/11/12. Hubby and I are looking forward to never being that size again, but to going back to Vegas 100 pounds lighter and maybe doing it all over again!!

There are several self hypnosis apps for iphone/ipad/android for hunger and weight loss and some are free! I like to listen to those for hunger and cravings. The best part is that I can listen to them at night as I drift off to sleep, or when I'm having stressful day and want to eat the fustrations away It's all a part of our mind body connection, and a great way to relax and gain some insight into ourselves. Enjoy!

This five day pouch reset or test that I have been reading about online thanks to your post sounds very much like what my Dr. advises after a fill. I also have found that when I lose track and I start munching on things mindlessly it helps to go back to this regimine to get me back on track again. It's also good when I have a crazy day and I might be in a place where I won't be able to make good choices or they aren't readily available. I don't think it's a negative thing, your getting all your protein, vitamins, and it's easy to track the calorie count. Seems like a win win for me.

It might help to check on the medications you are taking. There are some medications that relax the sphincter muscle in the esophagus and actually cause acid reflux. You might also want to check with your PCP and maybe follow up with a gastro-enterologist. Definitely follow up though so you don't have any damage that can't be corrected. Hope you feel better soon!

Happy Birthday! Enjoy a nice cold protein shake or two!

Hi Aunt Di, Thanks for reaching out and congrats on your decision to be banded. I know the decision and the process to move forward doesn't come easily. I love this board, it has been a great source of insipration, motivation and support for me as well. I wish I had found it long ago, I had so many questions as we (the hubby and I) were making our decision and going through the process, I would have loved to ask people on this board who are so awesome, honest and supportive in their responses I have just had to step up and do the same. Hope to hear from you more as you move forward.

Best wishes, deep breaths and lots of walking after really help.

You can go in for a revision to the port once you lose the weight especially if the original one petrudes and have a low profile port inserted, my surgeon told me. I don't know why they don't just put that one in to start. I think the top hat one leads to more port flips the low profile one is flat and even all around. I have seen it at the surgeon's office.

You my friend you are an inspiration! You have been down to 186! You know what you need to do. You know how to live with the band. You just need to remember that you are a strong beautiful person who is worth the time and effort it takes to take care of herself again! Get back up on the band- wagon, put the drinks down they are doing nothing for you but making you miserable. They are so loaded with calories I'm not surprised the weight came back on that fast. Check in with your doctor, check out your fill levels and find that comfy spot. 1 visit 2, 3 whatever it takes to get there. Start with the liquid Protein diet again for a couple of days and remind yourself that you have gotten that weight down before and you can and will do it again and keep on going because it makes you feel good and is good for you too! We are all right there with you, fighting the good fight every day.

Thinspiration! I love it!

Thanks for sharing! That made me feel better, my scale doesn't sing to me either. I can feel the weight shifting and my pants have to be made tighter and shirts are hanging off me. Keeping up the motivation!!

Hi Chrissy, While I don't have any insight for you on what your going through, I wonder if you might have some for me... Why did your bands fail you? It sounds like you lost weight with the band, how did it fail? I wish you the best on your upcoming revision.

Hi Kelly, The cost can vary between doctors and programs so look up a few in your area, you can even use this site to do that for the lap band or at lapband.com. and ask them what their rates are for an out of pocket surgery. If you have insurance, you could give them a call and ask them what the criteria would be for them to cover the cost of your surgery. The reason my husband and I chose the lap band over gastric sleeve or bypass is because it does not alter your biology. Everything stays where it is. Nothing is cut out, something extra is put in, and it can be used flexibly as needed. Different people require different amounts of restriction or Fluid in their band, what works for me does not necessarily work for my husband or my neighbor. I like that about the band it's tailored to me and for me. I have a family member who had the gastric sleeve, and while he continues to eat things he always ate before and did lose weight, over time he has stretched that sleeve a bit. That happens over time naturally and weight loss stops and even some gain is expected. If habits don't change, weight re-gain is guaranteed. There are people I have read on this blog who have had the sleeve and the bypass only to come back and have the band added to that because of re-gain. With any of the surgeries there are dietary changes and restrictions. You eventually can have all your favorite foods, and yes you will have less of them, but you also will have to change your eating habits and the choices of foods you make regardless of what surgery you opt for. Some are even more restrictive of certain foods, such as fatty foods and sugary foods. Definitely do your research, and check in with a few doctors and groups that do different types of surgery and see how they and their patients feel about it. Most surgeons have support groups that are free to attend and you will get a lot of information there that should help guide your decision. Best of luck to you! Lisa Caron

Congratulations on taking such a huge step! It is not easy to write what you did and share it with others. You are taking the first steps in making your life healthier and in making yourself a stronger person. I am an emotional eater, I think you would find there are a lot of us and you are not alone. Guy has a point and it's not easy to deal with our food issues. The band is there to help remind us we have issues to work on, and to give us the tool we need to do it. It's like a not so subtle friend that will make you miserable if you let it, so don't let it. Use it to your benefit and follow the rules on the post-op diet. That part doesn't end, the pre-op diet ended after surgery. Post op is forever now, and you're in control. Best of luck to you! You have a great bunch of supporters here whenever you need us.

Yes your right, studies are just that, it's where a small minority of the population is taken in and Doctors and behaviorists try to understand why certain criteria exist for them and not others. I am overweight. I have been throughout my children's whole lives. They however, are not. My youngest son who is now 18 does not have one ounce of fat on his body. He is lean, fit and active. I am learning a lot from studying his behavior. The way he eats and knows when to stop eating etc. My boys grew up in the video game internet generation, I would have had to lock them out to force them to stay outside. Even with every toy known to man, jungle gyms, swing sets, bikes and swimming pools they wanted to be inside on their butt playing games. I think that it's the choices we make and the reasons we make them that contribute to our weight. Just because I ate poorly didn't mean the kids did or had to. I had/have my own issues and try not to put those on their plates. (Literally:) I think that is another reason why parents spank, and why overweight parents beget overweight kids. We have a tendancy to press our issues onto others instead of taking them up ourselves and working through them. Just more of my 2cents.

I can understand what they are trying to say in this study. The stimulus one receives from being punished in a corporal sense alters the brain chemistry of the child in question. (This may be true for an adult where corporal punishment or other similar stimuli such as domestic violence is involved as well.) There by changing the development of the emotional state, sense of security and self-esteem of the individual in question. An altered state of being, one that is out of balance and dysfunctional can and is the one of the leading causes of most dis-ease, including and not limited to obesity.

Jen, let me say thanks for doing that study! I think there are a lot of things that are still unknown about the band and why it works for some people and yet not for others. Part of the reason is that I think obesity is not just a physical issue it is a mental and emotional one as well. I am fairly new to the band, but I can tell there are days when it is not just the physical feeling of having the band. There are aspects to the way it affects the nervous system both the central nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system or the reactive emotional nervous system. Finding that delicate balance for each of us is not an easy task. Everyone's "green zone" is as different and diverse as each one of us and seems to change as we do. So what worked for you before the study may have shifted a bit, and needs a little tailoring till you find that balance again. You're doing amazing and thanks again for taking the time and the challenge of that study to help all the rest of us learn more about the band and how it works.

Why are you so stressed friend? I have some of those issues with stress also and it is so bad for us. You are in the very early stages of the band and you really need to convalesce and try to relax. If you can not drink the shake because of the smell, try putting it in a closed cup and just sip at it. Try some frozen ice pops they help with the swelling and they taste pretty good too. If you’re a chocolate lover try some sugar free fudge pops they go down easy and they feel pretty good too and they all add to your liquid intake for the day. Most of all give yourself some love, put your feet up and turn on your favorite movie and let go a bit. Let it take you back to happy times and memories and forget for a few minutes about the surgery and let your mind and body heal. We are here for you!