Bandista

I'm a cook and love olive oils -- there are some really good ones out there. Don't know about Australia, but here we buy California organic olive oils due to the strict enforcement of regulations. Used to buy Italian, Greek, Spanish, etc. but there have been issues around misinformation, blending, etc. So get the good stuff and enjoy! Also you are reminding me how much I love flax seed oil and that it helps with my joint pain, which is up right now for some reason. I'm going to go take some. I like to mix flax seed oil into ground flax seed to make a little paste -- delicious.

Son's wedding, Julie -- so happy for you! And love it that the dress needed to be altered. My dress reminds me a little of upholstery, the fabric. Can't believe I didn't mention above that it was marked down to $12.97 and when I rang up at the register they took another $5 off. What? A really nice dress for $8.....for twenty years I missed out on this kind of fun.

Hi there, thought this thread was gone -- have not been able to find it these last few weeks. If I search for Banders #6 there is nothing. Weird! All good here. Did my lake walk this morning and had an extra guest along, which is always nice. Time flies and the flora and fauna are a little different each day. We are in black fly season -- brief but serious, keeping us walking at a good clip so they can't catch up. Gardening is somewhat abbreviated right now but lots in and lots coming along. I bought a snazzy dress last night and could not believe it. Marched right up to the clearance rack and took a half dozen dresses into the dreaded dressing room with me. One fit perfectly for an event we are going to in June. It's a fancy dress party, men in tuxes and the kind of thing that could send me off the deep-end (introvert). I love knowing ahead that I will look great. This is a new thing for me to be sure! And it's sleeveless. Wow, I simply cannot believe I am ready and willing to be baring my arms to the world.

Hi there you are doing great! There are a couple of links in my signature below that helped me understand how the band works and how to work the band. It is not about restriction, it's about the transmission of signals between your esophagus and your brain. Chewing is where it's at. If your appetite is dimmed it sounds to me like you're in the green zone. For me I'd be there then would lose weight and drop out of the zone and need a little fill. My surgeon was of the small frequent fills school of thought, which I think was good as I needed the time in-between to address behavior modification like slowing down, etc. every one is different. I kept all of my appointments even if I wasn't getting a fill -- that contact really helped me, having a partner in the process. No need to rush your weight loss and risk being overly-tight -- people gain weight in the red zone. No sliders, that's my policy.

I chose Lapband because I was not prepared to anything more drastic than that. There are lots and lots of successful banders. The founder of this site is a bander. Band requires followup with the surgeon -- 11 visits in the first year was what was put forward to me. Personally I liked that -- for the accountability and for the personal attention to what I was experiencing. Many surgeons don't want that much patient contact and hospital administrators and insurance companies sure as hell don't. What was I experiencing? A dimmed appetite and consistent weight loss. The main thing is that whatever you decide you have already decided to do something -- you are choosing yourself and your healthy future first and that is so important. Weight loss surgery is amazing. For me, the band has been amazing and I am very grateful. I was 52 and had never been an overnight patient in the hospital before. I am not some one who would ever co sides plastic surgery, for example. That's why the band was as far as I wanted to go. I already ate really well but just too much. The band dims my appetite so I don't do that anymore. There are two links in my signature that helped me understand how it works. Maybe they will help you, too. Also I don't know what all this foreign object talk is about. Yes, I have a silicone band and if anything goes wrong I can have it taken out or replaced. I was not able to get my head around the other surgeries so I think I was probably lucky to be so sure of the one right path FOR ME. We can only speak to our individual experiences here. Best wishes for smooth sailing and once again congratulations on deciding to turn your life around.

The ex-banders are so vociferous in their posts -- I find that very off-putting (stop scaring me with your one bad experience!) and of course I worry about new people who are just trying to get info. I'm very glad there was Lapband Talk when I was researching as I was able to see the whole gambit. I found the successful people and followed them. That's you, B-52. We need a thread for banders -- CG had one going for so long but she's not on here anymore. Just a place to check in and say hey, I'm going to the gym or whatever. Successful banders not defending our choices but just the day-to-day.

I can't tolerate artificial sweeteners -- they make me very crabby due to headache.

I hope the stars line up and she finds the worthiness to choose herself and her health but meanwhile she is very lucky to have a sister like you. So many of us struggle with issues around deserving happiness. I had no idea until after WLS that this would be such a change in my life. I didn't know how unworthy I felt. That has all changed and I'm so grateful.

Hi there, the links below in my signature helped me understand how the band works and how to work the band; maybe they will help you, too. I have read Dr. simpson's piece hundreds of times just to get it through my head: the LapBand is not about restriction. It is there to dim my appetite and that it does.

Hi there, I miss Lapband Talk -- great to have more banders on here as we are such a minority. Sorry about your back. My husband had PEEK cages installed a couple of years ago after some horrendous years -- this was his third surgery L4L5S1. He's doing great and it sounds like you are, too. Way to go regrouping to get the weight back down. I am working on the last chunk. You know how that is. I have become a major walker; don't think I can run due to joint issues. Love being an exerciser now and cannot believe that's me saying it. Band has changed my life.

I get Trader Joe's unsweetened cranberry juice and put a half cup into a 32 ounce bottle of water with a capful of aloe Vera -- makes a really nice healthy drink. I don't do artificial sweeteners but if I am craving sweet I can put in a little Steevia. Note, if you use Steevia be sure to get 100% as there are some brands out there mixing it with artificial stuff or malto-determine, yuck.

Isn't it grand? Love seeing the changes -- whole new chapter has opened in your life. Way to go choosing yourself and your healthy future.

Great post, Kate -- I feel the same way about so much you describe. Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary and on enjoying life without being obsessed by food. Way to go! So glad you're here on the forum.

So glad you found some one to work with -- and she sounds rather heroic at that!

I had my GB out prior to my band being installed.....found them to be similar surgeries, really (laparoscopic).

I want long strong lean toned arms.....and geez, how to get that core. Maybe it's time for some professional input! Summers and falls are very outdoorsy for me but after this last brutal winter I realize I need a strategy for those cold months. I'm going to start investigating the possibilities and find out about personal trainers and various gyms in our rural area. Great thought, thank you! I need this for my head as much as my body. I've been doing PT and obviously there is crossover there. I think having an appointment and making the investment creates a kind of accountability that I cannot achieve solo at home.

Yippee! Best wishes for all that is ahead!

i live in a rural area and the hospital has a mandatory information session every other month. I missed the June one (this was 2013) and had to wait for August. Longest summer of my life! In retrospect the extra time was good for me as I did so much research. Also I decided to see a therapist so I had some one to go through the process with me who was completely objective. We worked on identifying my triggers and really broke them down. I am in my fifties and done a lot of work on mysekf already but this time it was different. Choosing surgery was an act of brutal self-honesty and the admission that I could not do it on my own. The other thing I'm glad I did was up my exercise. I didn't want to but I did it -- just walking and a little more, a little further. Is kind of prepping for surgery helped so much. I knew everything I did woukd make it go smoother and help me heal faster. Good luck to you -- all of you. Weight loss surgery changed my life in ways I wasn't anticipating.

I practiced on a clock -- a bite a minute. It was great to notice everything, like how resistant I was to putting my little fork down. I didn't want to let go of my implement! I was such a shoveler. Love being a dainty eater now. Good luck to you and congratulations on choosing to get healthy! Way to go practicing ahead of time....smart cookie.

I got the dreaded left shoulder pain around day four or five -- before that it was just incisional discomfort. I did a lot of walking and for the gas pain windmill arms helped. Also the "happy baby" yoga pose while in bed -- goal was to move around as much as possible to dislodge trapped gas from the inflation that took place at surgery time. Get some one to do karate chops on your back, etc. a heating pad provided some comfort. Gas-X etc. is for gas in your stomach; this is gas in the abdominal cavity.

PEEK cages saved my husband's life -- his were installed in a third back surgery in the same place over a twenty-year period filled with pain, epidurals, alternative therapies, PT, pain clinics, etc. His issue was L4 L5 S1 but we know a few people who have had cervical PEEK cages installed, our dental hygienist for one. Getting out of pain can be life-changing. (PEEK stands for polyetheretherketone). I hope you get the help you need! Another resource that has helped us a lot is Mackenzie Technique physical therapy. He is a Kiwi (New Zealander) and has authored several inexpensive books such as Fix Your Own Back, Fix Your Own Neck, etc. Many PTs get Mackenzie training now -- it's pretty much the opposite of traditional disc work. Good luck with all and of course your WLS will help everything in the long run. Best wishes.

Work it, baby! FABULOUS....

Hi there, I hear you on getting the last chunk off and how hard that can be...... Do you exercise? I only ask because if you are not currently exercising and you are able to add that in you will be amazed. Unfortunately I already exercise as much as I can so I don't have that avenue open to me. Instead I need to find ways to cut caloric intake. Evenings are difficult for me. Sigh. Good luck sorting this out. I never want to be too tight either. It's just not worth the risk.

Hi there, glad you have an appointment to discuss this with your surgeon. People have different comfort levels as far as restriction. The band is designed to dim the appetite, not to prevent foods from going down. That said, we all have our foods that don't go down well. Many people can't tolerate apple peels. Slippery foods were problematic in the beginning for me because I let them go down too fast before they were chewed well enough. I was such a gobbler and it took me a long time to learn how to really slow down and listen to my body. I mostly cook with chicken thighs now or I pound the chicken. If I'm out I avoid chicken completely because reheated chicken doesn't work for me and I have worked in enough restaurant kitchens to know that it can be tough. It's just too fibrous for me. Beef has to be pretty soft and I chew it very well. I treat myself to a filet mignon once in a while -- figure we are saving so much on my measly little meals that I can have whatever I want. Fish always works and I love fish. And I don't really do breakfast in the morning, although today I was hungry so I had my Greek yogurt with nuts and seeds, etc. If I'm hungry, I eat. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat. If I don't have mix-ins in my yogurt it is a slider for me. Oatmeal is on my slider list as well. I have to have the chewing going on in order to achieve satiety.

Hi there and congratulations on your surgery and the beginning of this new chapter in your life. What does your doctor say about this? I don't remember any specific instructions about speed of drinking. I've always been able to drink well but there are many people who cannot go too fast for whatever reason. As far as thicker liquids like shakes, etc., I sometimes have trouble with those. Not sure why. I rarely do a shake anyway but sometimes I make one and then my band is finicky. Perhaps it's temperature related. Good luck in this healing phase and learning to listen to your band. It's a great time to be tuning in........