jamilyne 102668

For me it hasn't changed at all! I still love food and I'm afraid I'm always going to have this love/hate relationship with it!

I still feel a little uncomfortable also when someone talks about my weight loss, but I'm trying to just take the compliment. I also feel a little weird because I feel that when I was overweight I never got attention. It also feels a little weird when men look at me or compliment me. (I'm happily married)

I have got to get motivated - listening to all of you I'm going to make a promise to myself to get back to the gym! I am having a lull and I need a some kind of jump start! You all are very inspiring! Thanks

I have had this issue off & on since my surgery. I use suppositories and it works right away but it's gross - what do you do? lol

I have migraines and have had them off and on my entire life. I honestly get them about the same as I did before, just not as intense. Some of my headaches were caused by tension in my neck and back, since losing weight that is a little better.

Name, real or screen~ Jami Goal weight for May 31st~ 182 Weight on May 1st~ 187 Age~ 45 City/State~ Miami, Florida Dietary goal for May~ Prepare foods in advance Exercise goal for May~ Gym at least 4x week Personal goal for May~ get myself together Date banded~9/13/13 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 63 pounds Favorite Flower? Calla Lilly, but I love all flowers!

April 1 -188 April 30- 187 Been struggling all month with my weight I've had a really bad month personally & it shows. Better luck next month

Been there too! Doing the pull up the girdle dance! lol Does it bother you a little at your port or is it high enough? I still have prob with constriction in my stomach area?

That was so sweet!

Martha - You mentioned the cost. You will notice that you are going to eat dramatically less than you did before surgery. There are even some ads on this site that mention that you get Protein shakes through your insurance company. I'm not sure if you would qualify for that, but I would check. I'm also not sure if you do shopping only for yourself or for others in your family. Walmart has Protein Shakes and you can get a tub of powdered protein for not much at all, they have different flavors. Also as far as the broth goes, if you go to the grocery store, you could probably get supermarket brand broth. I eat WAY less than I did before surgery. My portion of the grocery bill has gone down considerably. My thinking is that you may have to shop around, but I would bet that your grocery bill goes down for yourself. I do eat better than I did before surgery, but less. I hope that this helps your anxiety. I know that there's a lot of people struggling out there and I hope that this will make you feel a little at ease.

I've read all of your answers to this question and there are some really sad stories. I feel for all of you and the very valid reasons that you chose food to help soothe some of your pain and this is why we need to be here for one another! Well - here's to us! Here's to trying to beat the addictions & the scars that are within us!

Please don't take lightly the need for Water - I was in the emergency room recently with a migraine for 3 days. Come to find out I was severely dehydrated. I had to get two bags of fluids along with migraine medication. The emergency room physician told me that almost every person who has had weight loss surgery is dehydrated. If I was more dehydrated than I was, I would have had to be admitted. I wasn't thirsty, I was drinking water - just not nearly enough. I bought a water bottle and carry it around everywhere I go. If you are pre-surgery, please get used to drinking water beforehand.

Reasons I became obese: 1. Heredity - almost every single one of the women in my family are overweight or obese. 2. Kids - After I had my first child at 23 I started gaining weight and after having 4 kids the pounds just kept piling up. 3. Emotional eater - any time that I am stressed I eat and eat and eat and eat & I love love love food! I craved carbs & sweets - can you say ADDICTION! lol 4. Depression - I struggled with depression in 2009 and I didn't care about myself at all. I just wanted to sleep and cry. I didn't own a scale and gained a lot of weight during my depression also. So glad that I don't have to deal with the weight because it weighed me down physically and emotionally! I still struggle with the emotional eating, but I am aware of it and I try to stay on top of it!

That's so GREAT! I am so very happy for you! I wish you a speedy recovery - if you have any questions just ask! Wishing you the BEST!

I can relate with the pain - before I had my surgery - my knees, legs and feet ached so bad. I still have some aches and pains, but it is so much better! I know that excess weight can have an affect on your back and knees - I'm hoping that you will feel better after you have your surgery as well! Just a sidenote - ** One of my NSVs (Non scale Victories) was when I first ran. I hadn't ran in a really really long time (at least 10-12 years). My daughters and I were going for a walk and I raced my little one and I actually ran - I was so excited. Now I jog all the time - not for long distances, but I can do it! I could never ever do that before I had surgery. Its important because I definitely couldn't do it before I had surgery because I was in so much pain - and now I can jog. You will have lots of these little victories that will mean so much in your every day life after you have had surgery! Wishing you the best

Yes, the fills are $200.00. I had my operation in the surgery center and not a hospital, I did not spend the night. The total cash pay for me was $9000.00, which didn't seem that bad to me. I got two free fills included. The aftercare is expensive with lapband, if you are cash pay. However, I have heard of some people getting a year of aftercare included in their cost, and other type of "deals." Just see what you can get! And yes, the fills are just saline, but that is what they charge where I live. I have heard some people say more, some less - I live in the Miami area. I did not followup every single month with the surgeon. I started going to my family doctor for my check-ups. I only have gotten one fill, most people get more than that. I have continued to lose weight with just the one fill, so I didn't need to get fills every month. However, EVERYONE is different. If I were you and you were trying to decide on which wls to have, I would check the costs of all of them, including the aftercare and then just see. For me - there was no way that I could afford the sleeve or the gastric bypass. In my area, it was over $25,000-$30,000 for the procedure and the one night stay at the hospital. Its good that you are checking around and seeing what you can do. I DO NOT regret this decision.

2 Much Fun - Thanks for keeping me in line ! lol have a great day

I am on my fitness pal too, and it has always said - "starvation mode." I just ignore it because we are being doctor supervised (like someone else said). I go with the calories that my doctor has prescribed for me - between 800-1000. Sometimes I go just a little above, sometimes below - but I stay right around that spot. I also do not add calories back in for exercise.

At the doctor that I went to they have a lot of different payment plans. I actually was able to borrow from my employer and pay them back from my paycheck. But, I was qualified for financing and I think it was about $200 a month. I know it seems expensive, but it really is worth it. Before you go with cash pay - ask the drs office what kind of aftercare plans they have, because aftercare is expensive. But, I've only had one fill. My doctor charges $200 for fills.

Welcome ! I have been where you are and I am happy that you are making the decision to change your life! If you read any one of our stories it sounds just like yours I just know you are going to do really well. If you ever have a question, just ask - we are all glad to help! Congrats on you graduating from college, that's so great! ** If anyone read this earlier post, I mentioned "I don't know what this crap above is." There was a long advertisement that was posted just above mine. I reported it and Alex must have taken it down.** Was not referring to any of "our people."

I only had to do the pre- surgery diet for 1 week but I was scared that I didn't lose enough weight to have surgery, but I did & I was worrying for nothing. You are probably going to be ok!

Also, don't give up if your insurance doesn't pay for wls. Mine didn't pay for my lapband surgery and I was cash pay - they have affordable plans. I wasn't going to take no for an answer.

I am so happy for you - I really am. I love hearing how you are progressing and how well you are doing. I also take public transportation every day, and I posted an NSV about fitting in one seat cushion on the train. I can totally relate & its these little things that we all take for granted and it all means progress!

Yea - I had 4 peeps yesterday - and I did count them on my fitness pal - lol - I am not perfect either!