ragdollx19

You can certainly have a few drinks, the band does not change that. You can still have a good time eating out you just have to eat smaller bites and chew more which takes more time to eat less food than before but you still finish the same time as other people. If youre asking if its weird eating out with people when you have restriction I would say not if you dont over do it. I learned a lesson this week where I was with someone who was really watching what i was eating because it was just he and I. So I tried to eat a few more bites when I knew I should have stopped. I ended up having to pretend to go pee so I could spit in the toilet for a few minutes. It really wasnt worth having to slime in the toilet so that someone would think I could eat more food than I can. Why in the hell do I care how much people think I can eat? What an idiot moment i was having! Lesson learned. Overall though I have eaten out a lot with my band and never had it be a strange experience. I also enjoy getting my to go box that lasts me another 2 or 3 meals!

Any surgery has a risk of death with it, the lap band is one of the lowest but it also depends on your overall health. I fully believe that if you have gotten to the point that the lap band feels like your only hope that there wouldnt be anything that could stop you from doing it. I knew I was on a road to bad health problems if I stayed heavy. It was worth the small surgical risk to gain control of my future health. With every pound I lose my risks go down for things like diabetes, heart disease, and a host of other diseases! The lap band has given me back who I used to be physically and my self esteem.

My insurance is paying $560 PER FILL! I am required to pay a $40 copay. It just seems like the insurance is getting really ripped off considering their cash price is only $150. It really irritates me!

I have never had that happen personally but did have a child get an infection at the needle site of a shot she received. Her skin and the area around it became very hot and red and she also ran a fever. I would call my doctor to be safe they may direct you to a GP but I would call them anyway. Hope you feel better!

Weazer- Sounds like you are on your way again I had to drink protien shakes for about 4 days with my last fill but am back to eating normal foods again. I keep forgetting to take my Vitamins though because of small children I keep them up in a cabinet. How do you all remember to take them? I am STILL losing gobs of hair! I am ready for it to stop already I am kind of getting worried. Melissa- I am so sorry about your friends loss. I cant imagine how that affects you also. I will be praying for her family during this horrible time. I dont know about you but I am absolutely an emotional eater. I was given this article at a support group meeting and it really made me think. Try to keep on track during the stress of your wedding and everything else going on! Weight Loss Surgery Coach: Head Hunger and Emotional Eating

Change something you are doing. Are you working out? If not, shame on you get moving! If you are try changing your workout up, the body adapts to doing the same thing over and over. Are you gaining muscle mass which weighs more than fat? food, you can follow the rules and still eat like garbage or be eating worse than you realize. Try tracking your food intake for a few days on a site like sparkpeople.com. Maybe you arent getting enough calories? If you dont get enough your body goes into starvation mode. Good luck! I had about a month worth of no weight loss at all around 3 months but the inches kept falling off.

Congratts that is fabulous! It seems like such a longgggg way from Obese to just Overweight. I cant wait to get there next. 27 more lbs for me. Way to go on your accomplishment!

I think I am coming down with it right now. I have felt yucky since yesterday. I plan on taking some of the prescription meds they gave me for after surgery for nausea if it comes to it. If you dont have those they sell Emetrol over the counter it has a rainbow on the box and is liquid.

Do what your surgeon advised you. Mine told me I could use straws and drink carbonated beverages if they didn't make me feel ill. I have not had any issues with them!

I agree with the others find exercises you CAN do with bad knees. Water aerobics? I think the more weight you lose the more likely you would be able to build up your muscles. Can you go to a physical therapist now and work on things you can do to strengthen those muscles?

My best friend is overweight also, because our heights are different I have always weighed more than her. We also carry our weight in different places. I get lots of comments about how I am anorexic now and how she is finding the weight I am losing. My friend is sure that surgery is not an option for her, which is fine by me. I just hate knowing how she feels being overweight and not having the willpower to do anything about it. I think for me and my friend it was a comfort to have someone so much like yourself that you didn't feel bad eating bad foods around or feel bad about how you looked and could sympathize with feeling so overweight and tired all the time! I know our friendship will survive a weight difference, our relationship just wont be focused on food anymore. And I would LOVE some of my newly found healthy habits to rub off on my friend but its her choice and I will not be pushy.

Interesting. I may go too. I am going to get her book at the library this weekend.

I wouldnt mess around with something like that, call your doctor and get it handled. You should be able to drink liquids! A slight unfill will not make you a failure or anything else. Maybe you just need smaller fills to get you to the restriction you are at now? I know with my last few fills the week and half after the fill really makes eating much at all hard to do. Then the swelling goes down or whatever and it gets better. I have never had issues when drinking something though. That would really concern me.

Putt putt? Mexican food restaurant? You will be able to celebrate it the way you normally would? Mashed potatoes, chew other foods to a mush?

We have a candy bowl such as this in our small office. It is always filled with the mini candy bars, star bursts, mini m&m's, on and on. I have REALLY struggled with staying out of this because we have it out for customers that come in year round. The last few weeks have been very hard for me, I have limited myself to one a day which is not good but beats the handful or two pre-band. We went through a phase where we were filling it with small peanut and pretzel packs but that was short lived due to the high demand for chocolate. I hate it and wish it would go away for ever.

Let me start by saying my husband has been VERY supportive the entire time. He has been fabulous about giving me compliments and being sincere about them. He has made me feel much hotter than I really am at this point... but I am on my way! Well yesterday I had a pair of pants on that I bought new and had been way too tight a month ago, I had to tighten the waist on them to make them fit! He tells me "wow babe you are starting to look normal." I know this was a compliment and I thanked him as if it were one but really it hurt my feelings and knocked my self esteem down a notch or two. I didnt tell him this because I dont want him to stop complimenting me for fear of saying the wrong thing. I guess sometimes it hurts for someone else to point out how awful you looked even though you know the truth and you are changing. This is as much of an emotional journey as it is physical I guess. :cool:

I dont have diabetes or know much about it... I do know I am walking in a 5k for Diabetes this weekend with a lap band group and was told 84% of diabetics who get the lap band have their diabetes cured? Best of luck to you on your decision!

I dont go crazy making sure I have a protien drink or anything but I like the pre-mixed ones and they are handy for breakfast. I dont have a lot of time in the mornings and am usually not hungry until closer to lunch time so its perfect for me. It cant hurt? I also agree about the exercise... step it up and the scale will move.

I would tell her because its your Mom and I would like my child to tell me they were having a surgery no matter how simple it was. She probably will have all kinds of negative things to say because she is ignorant about the band and how it works. If its possible teach her about it and how it works? I realize this may not do a whole lot. You sound pretty grounded in your decision and like your sisters will support you so any negativity from your Mom shouldn't affect you too much. You will always have your sisters to unload on when she does say something that sets you off. And of course... WHO CARES what anyone else thinks this surgery is for YOU!

Liz- That is fabulous about the jeans! I personally have never been able to eat bananas with my band Since my fill last week I have been afraid to eat much of anything. Sometimes I can eat a small amount of food just fine, other times a bite or two is all I can take so I have a protein shake instead. Melissa- THAT SUCKS! I have never had them but they sound very painful! Manatee- Congratts on Onederland. How does it feel really? Do you feel like you won a big contest??? I cant wait to know that feeling! I think I am going to buy myself a new pair of Nike's as a gift to myself when I get there.

CONGRATTS!!! That is awesome!

I personally think you are just nuts. j/k

I was at a dinner party this weekend and though absolutely NOTHING of sitting around spitting into a cup in front of people. What in the world????

Count me in Melissa! I cant wait to be able to take those pics. My personal trainer keeps telling me he is going to have me in a bathing suit by spring for some ads he wants to run... I dont know about all that craziness but I will be looking good!

I bought some Centrum Chewables which dont taste so bad, as well as some Viactive Calcium chews which taste like candy. (OK honestly I got the store brands for these two and they are identical) Centrum®: Wyeth Consumer Healthcare VIACTIV® Calcium Soft Chews