Bandista

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery -- and on navigating the pre-op phase. You are going to do beautifully! Keep us posted on your progress. Spring is such a great time to get banded and begin this new chapter in your life. Best wishes!

I agree with Joanne -- the weight loss center or hospital should be able to help you with the billing questions. Keep at it -- choose Sandra first! You deserve health and happiness and you're going to get there. So many people here have similar stories. I am so glad you found this forum. Keep us posted!

Congratulations on your surgery and I hope going back to work is going well. I feel quite private, too. Very few people know about my band and I am just at the point where my loss is getting noticeable. So far no questions. I think people get it that I have struggled for years with dieting and I am an exerciser. If any one thinks anything at all, maybe they think it's finally working!

Congratulations on nearing Onederland but even more so on tuning in like this and examining your emotions. I have not lost enough to offer anything by way of experience but you have my best wishes and support. Know that you absolutely deserve all good things -- the weight loss, the healthy body, the new clothing and just feeling good. Some people have issues with attention -- the weight that kept us a little at a distance is disappearing and that layer of protection is no longer available to hide behind. You are doing beautifully and choosing your healthy self first and foremost. Thank yourself in the mirror for the amazing job you are doing. And I thank you for the inspiration -- hopefully right behind you into Onderland and the next goal soon to follow. One bit at a time......

Ugh, bad timing on the period. Hope you can get some good rest at home soon! Just think, next month this will be a distant memory. And next year.......keep your eyes on the prize and the prize is a healthy you!

I went shopping on Saturday -- a big deal for me as I've always hated shopping. Could not believe the difference in being two sizes down -- the reality of trying things on in the dressing room and not feeling desperate, the choices! I was a 2X at Coldwater Creek and now I'm an XL imagining my next shopping venture a few months from now when XL will be too big. I didn't get much but now have a few nice things to tide me over -- pants that fit and pretty tops, yippee! Went to Boston yesterday to lunch with friends then a museum and I felt like I looked good. And I'm not in a panic about suitable business attire -- I generally work from home with occasional meetings out in the world. I don't feel afraid of dressing for the next one of these. What a relief!

Thanks, 2muchfun, for posting these video links -- I got so much out of those when you out them up a few months ago when I was just post-op and still struggling to figure it all out. Also this helped so much: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html -- many good points on how to work optimally with the lap band. Bill, you are wonderful to be helping your father get this together. It will all click into place but this is a critical juncture. I was surprised not to have more education through the hospital -- it's really this forum that gave me what I needed to know about the right fill for me and how to get there, plus all the behavior modification. Does your father have a small spoon with a long handle -- that may help him slow down. And I use a shrimp fork, small bowls/plates, too. It's become second nature now but I had to really practice at first as my instinct was to shovel my food in at a pretty fast clip. The tiny unfill suggestion sounds very valid. Important to be able to eat real food chewed well. Maybe your father needs some one to go to the surgeon and nutritionist with him and insure there is good communication, that the medical team is aware of what's happening and that your father is understanding the protocol. They want him to succeed but they may not be connecting enough. The whole fill thing can be so subtle. Best wishes to both of you -- let us know how it's going!

Thanks, Connie -- I have not thought about Caroline Myss' work in a long time -- need to go look over my bookshelves and see what's there for me now that I am four months post-op. It is definitely a way more powerful decision than I anticipated -- this choosing of myself and my health first. I'm so happy! And thank you for bringing up negative self talk and how important it is to turn that around.

There are no Shoulds -- 29 lbs is great! The band is designed to dim your appetite and if you're still not feeling that it just means. You haven't gotten to the right adjustment yet. This varies for every one and some people start with some fluid in the band, etc. Doctors vary on fill strategies. Mine was of the small frequent fills school of thought and it took me six to get there. The good thing about the time it takes to achieve the green zone is the opportunity for working on behavior modification, identifying triggers, etc. For me this was a great time to examine the hunger and what it brought up for me as I had not experienced hunger in so long. At the first sign or at many emotional intervals I'd tamp down that feeling of supposed hunger (or stress or boredom or anxiety, etc) with food. So I'd have a little dialogue with myself to notice more about what was really going on with me. Also I worked on the physical aspects like using small utensils and putting them down between bites, practicing let a minute go by between bites just to get a sense of time and learning not to shovel shovel, measuring into a half cup measure and making it last. Then later this has helped me now that I am tighter and have to listen to my body more and be so mindful as not to get stuck, to chew a lot before swallowing, not drink and eat, etc. Sorry I'm rambling but you get the idea -- you are right on track and doing well. Keep all your followup appointments and you will get there!

I am noticing some loss at four months out. Some one posted on another thread about a possible correlation to anesthesia and hair loss at exactly this time. Where's my biotin! Must be sure to get that in each day. Who knows, may be a placebo effect but I want to do whatever I can. I'm not too worried -- know it will come back in better than ever, and in my case probably whiter than ever, too. I started going white with one stripe in a black head of hair at 16. That was a long times go!

Top of the morning to you!

GREAT post! So motivating. I am going to get a bike this spring and start riding......that cinches it!

Hmmm...changed my goal for this month from 208 to 202 but that may have been a little ambitious! It's okay if I don't make the number two weeks from now but I am kicking into a higher gear this week to see how close I can get. Today having Protein shakes -- feel like I need a little reset following too much socializing, too many empty calories, Goal for March 31st - 202 Weight on March 1st - 216 Weight on March 8th - 212 Weight on March 15th - 211

Hi Lapper, hope you're feeling better! Those first couple of days can be hard -- finding a good position, etc. Some people find relief by rolling on to the left side, and there is the "happy baby" yoga pose on the back with arms and legs up, like a baby. Of course you have to be able to get on the bed for this, but if you're there anyway.... I also had to roll off the couch at first but this all changed very quickly. Hope this is your turn around day! The walking really really helps with everything, including digestion and releasing any trapped gas causing pain. You may need to take something for the constipation. Pain meds are notoriously binding and your system is still adjusting post-op. You may want to call and talk to some one in your surgeon's office for a recommendation. I used Milk of Magnesia and finally "went" on day four or five. It was a little violent, but boy did I feel better after. Drink lots of water, etc. Let us know how you're doing! Congratulations on your newly-banded life. I am just four months out and so happy. Plus I can barely recall those first few days so there's that, will soon be a distant memory.

Ramble away -- this is a great place for that. We all get the emotional roller aspect, that's for sure. It's a very powerful thing to choose yourself and your health first. Think about a year from now and how great you'll feel. And keeping up with those boys! We only have one, now 18, and I'm so glad to be on my road to better health. I use a CPAP, too, and long for the nights when it won't be needed.

I'm new at this and of course we are all so different, but to me it's very important that I am not on a diet. Hallelujah! Out of food jail. I am trying to listen closely to my body and if I'm hungry, I eat, if I'm not hungry I don't eat. Surprisingly complex in all of it's simplicity because of all those years of severe dieting which got me mixing up signals, not responding to healthy hunger, holding off from eating, etc. So now if I'm hungry I examine it -- first need to rule out stress-eating if I'm feeling anxious -- then it's just a matter of which good choice to make. I love good healthy food and want to have a good healthy relationship with it.

Great posts above -- all so true! I've only been banded four months but when I started researching last June and my husband saw the fierce determination to reinvent my life, I think there was a teeny part of him that worried I'd shed him, too, along with the weight. Not going to happen -- together 25 years and we still hold hands in the car. There is a strong bond but even with that knowledge he just needed some extra reassurance from me that he will always be my mate, no matter what. We've navigated many hurdles together but this is one I had to do myself. He can help a little but it is so absolutely in my domain and of course he's had to weather me on every dietary regime known to man in the last two decades. He probably didn't want to see me setting myself up for disappointment. He was neutral but now he's pretty gung-ho as it's all working, I'm feeling better about myself and I'm on my way to the happier healthier future we all long to share with the ones we love.

Gorgeous! So happy for you -- you are exuding health and vitality. I'm still at the stage when I have to be careful not to beat myself up when I see pictures (or the mirror, eeek!). Want to cross over to the "look what I've done" phase instead of "OMG how did I ever let myself get so fat" stage. You continue to inspire me -- thanks so much for posting!

Congratulations! Such an ironic thing but way to go on having an additional health problem to address at the same time as getting your band placed and winning the insurance battle. Here's to choosing yourself and the renewal of health. You are making it all happen! I had a hiatal hernia, too, and I have a feeling that getting that fixed was really important in the overall scheme of things. And of course I love my band. Hope you get your date soon!

Tonia, you don't ever need to worry about having an adverse effect -- hopefully you will chime in whenever you want and know that you don't have to be a cheerleader or winning the races all the time. We all struggle and it's good to know that no one is alone. It is a difficult thing, the battle of weight issues and all that involves -- and you are in good company. Best wishes to you!

Hey there, congratulations on being a week out! Glad you are feeling better and getting ready for the next stage. My protocol was full liquids and the surgeon described those as anything that would slide off a plate turned on its side. Check in with your medical peeps to see what they have in mind as post-op instructions and food plans vary so widely. I enjoyed potato leek Soup, miso soup, and egg drop soup -- but eggs may not be recommended by your particular surgeon so do check. Best wishes!

Nice blog post, CG. Walking -- being able to -- is a beautiful thing. Sometimes I can really rock the exercise (in less pain) and at others I just do the best I can. I notice now I plan exercise -- I'm thinking about it in a positive way -- and I feel proud of myself for that. Thanks for the continued inspiration that is you.

I've been stuck four times. For me there is a pain in the solar plexus area that won't stop until I can spit up the food from my pouch. Sometimes this is preceded by violent hiccups. I've learned to look out for rubbery foods -- anything I can't chew up really well (had an episode with cold fish right out of fridge and another with mushrooms) -- or super slippery foods like beets. I've been stuck twice on steamed beets and think they just slide down too fast or something. Now I can detect a slight sensation in my chest before everything goes too far -- yesterday, for example, reheated chicken curry. Many people report difficulty with chicken but this was a lovely dish I had no problems with the night before. I think it was the reheating that did it. But no episode, just one bite and I knew it would not work. When the band says no it's no!

Congratulations -- your big day here at last! I was banded four months ago and I am so happy with my new life. Best wishes for smooth sailing and a speedy recovery!

There definitely are some Plication-only people, just fewer and you may have to search on Plication to find them. There is a study going on as well, and a guy who is part of that. He only had Plication. Also there are Lapband people with Plication who have never had a fill, so it seems like it's the Plication that's working for them and the band is just a backup. Sorry yours has to come out but you are doing really well 48 down since November is terrific! Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing. Sending best wishes your way.