LilMissDiva Irene

Hello! Sorry I have been out for awhile. I have been super extremely busy and needed to get some things taken care of. I am doing really well and *thank you* tap, you are sweet to check in on me! (((((hugs))))) I just have limited time now, especiallys since we are moving this weekend... ugh! It's a nice house though, and maybe when I get it all pertied up I'll take a few piccies for you all. :frown: Ezma, I am so truly sorry to hear of your loss. Just know you're in my thoughts and wish you a speedy mental recovery. It's not easy - I do know that, but you have just gone through something much worse than I ever have. Therefore, I totally understand your sliding back. No worries, just hang in there. You are doing good already, with the first step being ready to take action once again. Shiny, best wishes on finding a house! Your cakes sound and look fabulous. Now, to get those yummy images out of my head! LOL!! Good luck on getting your own little bun in the oven... hehe ;o) tap, sounds like you are staying strong, and thank you for keeping us up and adam! We need you - you are like the glue of us VV's. *thumbs up!* angie, nice to see you! Keep up the great work! RSG, miss you!! VV's, check in!! And a Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommies out there. :-D

Just curious. True the lap-band is supposed to help curb appetite, but my band doesn't seem to be that much of a miracle worker when it comes to that. I have good restriction and I stop eating when I should, but I just don't seem to get that 4-5 hours worth of satiety. Never have. I don't want anymore fills because I've heard that remaining overly tight can lead to many problems down the road. I want to keep my band for as long as possible. That said, I've noticed a natural appetite suppressant, that comes in liquid form. It looked enticing, and in last weeks Sunday paper there was a $5 discount coupon, along with it being on sale I got it for about 20 bucks. The box has 30 shots in it. Apparently to get the full affects, you take one in the morning and again in the afternoon. So, one box will last you 2 weeks. Kind of expensive, but if it helps it might be worth it. It's like maybe 1oz. and looks like a little coffee creamer. https://www.slimshots.com/howitworks.asp Anyway, I bought one box to see how it works. So far so good. Usually by now I'm ready for a small banana snack and I'm not feeling that at this time. I took it at 5am with my Protein shake. The taste isn't that great, and I'm not sure there would be any covering it. They mix palm and oat oil, and try to sweeten it with the ingredients of Equal. It's really chalky so next time I'll probably just down it and chase it with Water instead of mixing it in my shakes or food. I was just curious if anyone else out there has tried this? What did you think? Did it work nicely with your band?

I'm listening to Pat Benatar, We Live For Love. Oh yeah! :mad2:

Hi adrienne! Welcome to LBT!! This place is so great and has helped me more than maybe I even realize. I've been here since Sept of 2007 which was 5 months before I even had surgery. I found it so nice to learn everything a bandster might go through. Hope to see you post more!

Well my surgeon just said he required this of all his patients, including his GBS ones. He didn't give any other explanation than just the simple fact he is giving us this surgery to better our lives and to be more healthy. We all know smoking is very unhealthy. So why not make a change in that area too?

Well, to be fair - some people (including myself) really do have some bit of problem where we can't do some things. For instance, I was diagnosed with arthritic knees. I found out the hard way in that I hurt my knee so bad one day while running on the treadmill and had to go to the doctor and see an orthopedist, take xrays, etc. My orthopedist said I was definitely not to run anymore. I was devastated! I had found something I truly loved to do... :thumbup: anyway - I'm just saying sometimes this is justified. If I could run I would run. That being said, I get my workout in other ways that is approved by my orthopedist. I just wanted to speak up for those who this might be a legitimate problem. I'm sure you weren't talking about those people though.

Yes I do this as well and it helps every time. Tiny sips though! Take a few, then wait it out. I also do a position on the chair by putting my two hands down by my side. Then I extend my arms straight and elongate my midsection. I don't know why but this helps too. Getting up and walking around and getting your burps out helps too. I call it "burping" myself, like you would a little baby after it eats... LOL!

gamy, Do not frustrate yourself by worrying so much. What is happening to you is very common with the band. Post surgery and whenever you "graduate" to new foods, this can show up on the scale. I would not let that affect your mood. Stay positive, and relax. Time will pass and weight will drop, as long as you are staying on plan. Band patients tend to lose slower, it's just the way it is. LOL! I was watching Oprah yesterday. She had a man on there who is losing hundreds of pounds. She asked him if/when he expects to get to his goal. He replied "I wish it were yesterday!!" Well, isn't that true for all of us? :thumbup:

Hello copjock! You're not likely to get many differing opinions since this is a lap band forum - so maybe just to get more of an idea, you can also visit other forums where you can hear from patients with GBS. For myself, I DO NOT regret getting the lap band. So far my band has not had any major issues. The only major issue I have come accross is myself. My head - and you will hear this many times, "They don't band your brain!". This is so true! For the Gastric Banding you have to be willing to completely change your lifestyle. You have to be committed to exercise, eating right and you must be accepting of taking the good with the bad. It's not easy living with the band, you have to chew extremely well, take tiny bites and you won't be able to tolerate some of your favorite foods. Some you will likely never be able to eat to some extent. You won't lose nearly as fast as if you got the GBS, and you will have to work twice as hard for every pound lost. The only things it will help you with is eating less. Some even claim it helps with hunger, but I have yet to experience this myself... LOL!! Not saying it isn't true, just not for me. It won't wake you up early to get a good workout in, it won't help you keep those ice-creams out of your mouth and it surely won't help you tackle those mental issues that got your where you are now. All that said, I am grateful to my band, because before it - I could out eat any man (truly) and now I eat "like a bird" as I've been told. I never thought I'd ever hear that being said but it's true now! Just a side note too, there are other Gastric Weight Loss Surgeries out there besides these two. You might want to look into those as well. There is no perfect one, only the right one for you. Good luck! Let us know how you do! :thumbup:

I was not allowed salad until after 6 weeks, which would be normal eating program. However to this day I do not eat alot of lettuce, I just can't seem to chew it enough. HTH

I totally agree. Aside from that, I couldn't hurt a fly. It's nice to dream though isn't it? Ahhhh... it feels so good to be the BETTER PERSON!! How is everyone today? Sorry if I didn't read everyone's posts. :smile: If anyone is in a bad way, hope it gets better soon! If anyone is doing excellent, GREAT!! Give me some of that you got huh? Pass it here on the left side, would ya? LOL!!

Ron has just as much control over his son as ever. He orchestrated to whole "voting Kristin off" perfectly. I knew it would happen eventually anyway. Brown team is just plain dirty - maybe that's why they wear brown? I thought the same thing. Oh, now shucks... they can't mention that right? That blasted EVIL WLS!!!! I agree, thanks Mac! I didn't know all that. ...and that was such a special moment for Biggest Loser. Heba's face was priceless!!

Good morning all! Tap, good idea with trying to get in touch with all our MIA VV's. It will be really nice to hear how they are! SHM, no worries - you will get to your workout when you have time. One thing I know for myself is I'm always able to pick back up where I left off. I have no doubt it will be the same for you as well. RSG, thank you girl! I need to hear that. I just don't understand how some poeple can be so poopy to others. I try so hard to be fair, honest and kind to everyone, even when they are completely nasty to me. I'm really being tested right now, I believe. I will pass though (trying to get those mean thoughts out of my head...) :thumbup: Other than that I'm just enjoying being me! I'm STILL avoiding those dreaded chips. Who knew I could actually do it if I really REALLY tried? LOL!!

I find them in the Diet Aide section of Rite Aid. Not sure which drug stores you have near you, but I'm pretty positive they can be found there. Maybe Walgreens? Great job on the workout! I still am like that too - getting started is tough, but once I start and by the time I'm done I'm feeling great... LOL!

Sapphire, good on you for opening up! The thing to remember now is we cannot change the past, we can only change our future. Your future is looking bright now that you have admitted to failing lately. You can change your bad habits back into the good healthy ones and the intentions you had when you were first banded. I living proof of that! Don't beat yourself up, it won't do any good. Just keep in mind you are worth it, and only YOU can make things happen - or not happen for that matter. Maybe you can challenge yourself with weekly or monthly goals, like I have done. It has worked wonders for me! I have a bad obsession with Doritos, and I'm taking it day by day to stay far away from them. In fact, I have sworn of all chips, potato OR tortilla! It's been a test of my will power, but so far I'm winning! You can too!! Take it daily, and go easy on yourself. Today is a new day, and so tomorrow will be.

Hi! Welcome to LBT!! It sounds like you have it all laid out. You're doing awesome and I'm sure you will do fantastic with your surgery.

Oh I do love shoes and my heels are really tall. In fact the ones I'm wearing today are 4 1/2 inchers. I'm 5'6, so I guess that makes me 5'10 1/2 today. LOL!! My husband is barely scratching 5'8, but he never minds me wearing the heels. He loves them, and he thinks that any man that can handle all that much woman is a Roman God to any other man who sees it. Yep! That's Right!! LOL!!

Well I haven't tried Alli no, I've heard it has a nasty side effect - so I never gave it a shot. I know what you mean though, needing a kick start. I've been taking the Slim Shots, comes in a blue box and they look like little coffee creamers. I give it 4 of 5 stars! It would be a 5 if it weren't for the terrible taste. Maybe you could try those too. It really helps alot with hunger, and that for me included head hunger. Food just doesn't seem all that appealing after drinking the stuff. It coats your stomach with natural oils, and maybe it calms the ghrelin? I don't know but it works for me. That along with exercise and the band keeping me from eating too much, I seem to be headed in the right direction again. THANK GOODNESS FINALLY! LOL!! Best of luck, I know it can be really dumpy when things stall.

Hang in there Susan! I hope it works out better with your new surgeon too. We all want you to get better and back to what you know.

Haha! Now that's funny!! :thumbup: I would have said, Really? THANKS!!!!

Hi vam! Welcome! From what it sounds like, yes you do need a fill and maybe as quickly as possible. Do not worry about what the doctor tells you, and I doubt he/she would be overly negative. That is what they are there for - when you need a fill. In the big picture gaining four pounds isn't really all that bad. I'm sure your doctor will note that and say, "Thank goodness you came in for your fill!". In my opinion you aren't really doing all that bad. Some just don't lose as fast as others. That doesn't make you a bad person, just an individual. :thumbup: HTH!