babsyintx

Hi Everyone, Today is my two year bandiversary!!!! I was hoping to be at goal today but I had a very long plateau and a slight weight gain due to the fact that I quit smoking in preparation of plastic surgery in August. So now I have six weeks to get to the 170's!!! There are lots of things I want to share, but many of been said by other tenured bandsters here on this board. The most important change in my life is that I can do most anything!!! I fly airplanes regularly, go to theme parks and do all the coasters, go to Water parks, play with my kids and chase them around and I have lots of energy!!! Plastic surgery is the last part of my journey and then I need to maintain my losses. The one thing I have found is that if you really want to gain weight with the band, it is quite easy to do so. No matter how long you are banded, you have to stick to the plan. meat and fish first, then veggies and last carbs if there is any room left. And exercise is so important. No matter how big you are, it is possible to get exercise if you really want to do it. NO EXCUSES!!! LOL SO today for my second bandiversary, I am going to see my plastic surgeon to finalize all of the details of the procedures that he will be doing tag team with another plastic surgeon. I am having an abdominoplasty, medial thighplasty, breast augmentation with implants to help my saggy boobs! I am excited, but also nervous. It is anticipated that my surgeon will remove about 14 lbs of excess from my stomach and thighs. Yucchhh! But hopefully the results will be worth the pain!! I am scheduled for transformation on august 3rd. I changed the date from June 15th cause I am moving, packing and in the process of building a new house, so the June date didnt work. I want to thank everyone who has offered me great advice over the last two years!!!! Babs in TX 334/18-/170 -154 6/23/03 :rolleyes :laugh :rambo

Hi Everyone, I went to see if I could get another fill today. I have been gaining weight since I quit smoking and I cant seem to get back on track. I explained to the radiologist how hungry I am and that I am snacking between meals, eating more etc. He looked at my present level of restriction on the flouro machine after I swallowed barium and said if he closed me up anymore, I would not be able to swallow. I guess I dont understand. i dont have pouch dilatation, I dont have a slipped band, I dont have leakage, I dont barf and PB very often (maybe 3x per year). I can eat bread both toasted and untoasted, any kind of meat or vegetable and I dont get full til I have eaten at least 5-8 oz or more of food. So whats the deal? Where did my satiety go? Last year, I ate 4-6 oz and I was full. Or is it just me not listening to the signals? To prove a point, before my fill appointment, I brought a small Wendys Chili and a 3 pieces chicken nugget and 2 packages of crackers with me so I could eat it all in 5 minutes and show them how much I can eat. I ate it in the waiting room and then found out that my radiiologist was not there for the appointment and had to wait an hour to see another one. I had a lengthy discussion with the radiologist, but I am sure the guy thought I was crazy. He did compare my restriction after my previous fill with my present restriction . He said that I had more now than before , but he was absolutely sure based on the flouroscopy and barium swallow that I did not need another. I grabbed the thick barium and proceeded to guzzle it to show him that I wasnt upchucking or refluxing anything I drank or ate. Altogether, I drank 6 oz or more quickly of very thick barium the consistency of yogurt. He watched it, said it was going through slowly, it was sitting in my pouch comfortably and said everything looked normal. I explained that I quit smoking. He thinks that this is the only reason for the gain. I guess I will have to find low calorie oral fiaxations!!! LOL Anyway, he sent me on my merry way. So back to basics for me. My plastic surgery is scheduled for August 3rd 2005. I am going to attempt to lose the weight I have gained before surgery. I was really hoping to be in the 170's now, but quitting smoking was more important for my overall health. I am a little depressed and frustrated. It seems I am maxed out at fill, not at goal and slowly gaining weight. This is not making me feel too good.... Any ideas? Babs in TX

Hi Alex, I was thinking that too, but you said it more eloquently. I think with the passage of time long term bandsters become accustomed to the restriction and the signal to stop is a more vague feeling. I am still eating far less than I had before. I also believe as we get further out we know how much we can tolerate and push to the limits. Afterall, we all have an incurable disease here and I still love food as much as I did before. Nothing has changed there! Babs in TX

Hi nancy, I noticed you mentioned the smartbandsters poll. I was trying to say that I can eat 6-8 oz of solid Protein. If you add all the other stuff I can eat with it, it would be far more than a cup of food or even a cup and a half. It is true that I am not making wise decisions, not exercising as much, but I simply dont feel full for a long time when I eat. I think I need to do liquids for a while, get rid of all the trigger carbs and start all over again. I have 6 weeks til my plastic surgery!!! Babs in TX

Hi Megan, Yeah, I wished I could get more fill, but I fear the radiologist may be right. I have 2.50 in my band now. The last time I got up to 2.6, I refluxed one time and had it taken back to 2.0 by my doctor. (not intentionally). I think I am walking the fine line between too much and too little. I dont know if more fill will help me or just trying to go back to the basics. I do have some restriction since I get full with about 6-8 oz of food. I just wish it were less. I see some bandsters that get full on half a chicken nugget. Last year, I could go all day without food and not be hungry. Now I wake up and want to eat Honey Nut Cheerios! Babs in TX

Hi, THere was another guy who died in Massachusetts right after surgery. He woke up and then had a heart attack from the anesthesia. Yes, it was after a lapbanding operation, but he was high risk to start with and they must have missed the heart problem. THere arent too many deaths due to the lapband itself. I only know of the Congresswoman in Michigan that everyone here is referring to and the guy in Boston. I dont know of any others. Babs in TX

Hi, I can eat pretty much anything without a problem. The only food that gives me trouble if I eat it too fast is hot dog buns or that kind of mushy wonderbread. IT gets stuck. Babs in TX

I find this to be an interesting topic. My son is overweight. He is almost 10 and weighs about 95 lbs. He was big since he was born and has always been in the 95th percentile since he is 3 months old. Since he was only getting breast milk and formula, it is safe to assume that a lot of his problem is genetic. He has always been big. My three year old is normal weight. He is 3 1/2 and weighs 36 pounds and is 38 inches tall. He was chunky as a baby, but thinned out and although he still looks like a bruiser, he is definitely not fat. My brother in law has two boys 13 and 10. They are both overweight. They get plenty of exercise ,but cant seem to thin out. They also eat very healthy food, but quite a bit of it. I was born a preemie and weighed about 4 lbs. So I dont necessarily see the correlation between birth weight and present weight. No one on my moms side f the family is overweight, but on my fathers side, there is definitely an obesity problem. Babs in TX

Hi Alex, I have had lots of highs and lows, but then again, I am a melodramatic person and tend to overdramatize things. I have had tons of plateaus and weigh fluctuations that range from a couple of pounds up to 10 pounds. If I deviate from a bandster food plan, I gain weight. If I dont exercise, I gain weight or cant lose. So this is for the long haul and it is a lifestyle change. THe liquid phase for me was torture. I was always hungry, even at the hospital!! I did not start mushies til week three. I was hungry often and very discouraged. Now as I come close to my 2 year bandiversary, I can look back and read my diary and laugh at some of the things I thought were earth shattering events when they were happening to me! As we have all heard before, the band is just a tool. You get what you put into it and you have to continually work at improving and changing and working with the band to maximize the result. Babs in TX

Hi, Sorry you are feeling down. 27 pounds is a lot to lose in less than a month. It sounds like you are not getting enough Protein, so your energy level is down. Why dont you add a few Protein shakes to the menu? Every doc is different with their post op diet. Follow your docs plan and dont compare yourself to others. When does your doc say you can start mushies? Babs in TX

Hi , Yup, very normal. Usually some of the gurgling will subside as the fill loosens up, but my throat still somtimes makes embarrassing noises!! Babs in TX

Hi Everyone, Since my upcoming plastic surgery is June 15th for my extreme makeover, I have to quit smoking and be smoke free at least 4 weeks prior to surgery. So yesterday (drumroll) I did not buy a new pack of ciggies. I went from 5:00 pm yesterday until 8:00 am today without a smoke. I only have one cigarette in the pack and when this one is gone, I am going cold turkey. I have never really tried to quit seriously. I beleive for me the only way to go is cold turkey after I smoke the last one. I did buy some tablets you put under your tongue that have nicotine in them. I will only use them as a last resort. So pleeeasse, if I get bitchy over the next few days (time of the month and cessation of smoking will do this to ya...) please forgive me and dont hold it against me!! Babs in TX

Hi Everyone, I have been gone for a while. Last Tuesday morning, I found out that my father in law died. I flew to FL with my kids and my hubby. I arranged the funeral, service and also the "at sea" ashes distribution. My father in law was cremated and this was his wish. I also organized a service at the ELks llodge in St. Augustine FL. I packed up my mother in law last Saturday. My husband flew home with the kids and I stayed and finished packing. My mother in law did not want to throw anything out and it took me two days to pack up a one bedroom apartment. We donated the furniture to charity. I drove the two of us back in her minivan with all her worldly belongings. It was a 12oo mile drive and it took me three days to complete it. As you know I quit smoking in preparation for my upcoming plastic surgery in June. Surprisingly enough, I have remained cigarette free since May 4th, even though I was sure a few times from the stress that I would start again. I did gain 6 pounds from eating buffets and restaurant food for the last two weeks. I am sure some of my intense hunger is because I have quit smoking and some of it is because I am taking Welbutrin to help me to quit and a lot of it is stress eating. I have since gotten myself back on track and hope to be back where I was before I left. My mother in law is staying with us until Tuesday next week. We found her a great place in a retirement community that she really likes. She is not accustomed to cooking since she was previously living in an independent living community that provided 3 meals a day in the dining area. Naturally, she expects me to cook meals and she refuses to drive even though she has a car and drivers license. I do understand that she is going through a tough time. She was married for 46 years and this cant be easy for her. She keeps making me feel guilty though. She threatens to jump off a pier, she slaps herself when she makes a mistake or talks too much and constantly tells me how guilty she feels that she is a burden to us. The truth is she is a burden, but I understand that this is temporary. She can be quite demanding and the demands start at 7:00 am until 9:00 pm in the evening. She wont even get herself a cup of coffee or attempt to do anything for herself. I did her laundry yesterday, made all her meals, cleaned up after her , bought her new furniture and household goods, took her to a dozen different retirement communities and wheeled her around in a wheelchair even though she has never needed assistance in her life to walk. Anyway, I am ranting here. I am glad to be back. I am also waiting for my insurance appeal for the medial thighplasty to come through. I called my insurance company and legally they only have five more days to give me answer in regards to the external appeal that I asked for with a board certified plastic surgeon. So although I am definitely having plastic surgery, I dont know whether it will be only the stomach, or the stomach and the boobs, or all three at one time. I am really frustrated. Babs in TX

Hi Yall, I am back again. I am really tired. I have been helping my MIL all day with her new apartment. I cant see straight. Thanks for all the support. I will be gone for 9 days starting on Thursday this weeek. I will talk to you guys when I return!!!! Babs in TX

Hi Again: Paula: I do have a job but I work from home, so no escape really from the MIL. Its just a couple more days. Then she is in her new home and I am off to Cancun with the family for 9 days of sun and fun. And as for the rest of the summer, I will be in compression garments from head to toe!!!! No swimming or sunbathing for a few months after the plastic surgery! Babs in TX

Hi, Jonathan and Leatha : I have been on the Wellbutrin for many months now (3 months). I was planning on attempting to quit smoking a while ago, but did not commit until 3 weeks ago. I have not lost any weight since I started with it and I have been having trouble to maintain my weight. I really dont need an anti depressant. IT was for the cessation of smoking. Now that I have accomplished this, perhaps I should just wean myself off and not pick a new medication. I believe the hard part is over on the quitting smoking issue. Thanks for all the hugs. Babs in TX

Hi, I presently own a franchise for Management Recruiters International. My website is www.thesciantgroup.com. Before I was a headhunter, I lived and worked in Europe in full scale production, live shows, concerts and casting for tv. And before that I worked in publishing for 12 years as a Marketing Director. I like to reinvent myself every 5 years or so..... Babs in TX

Hi Vinesqueen, Lovely post. But I think you misunderstood. I did not PM any message cause everything I needed to say I said here on the board. I think that Jenna was referring to someone else who PM'ed my response to her. DIdnt quite understand that myself! Anyway, well said!!! Babs in TX

Theresa, Congratulations on your bandiversary!!! You are doing great and you look sooooo happy! Keep up the good work!! Babs in TX

Jenna, I was fine with your ranting until you said this: " If you felt beautiful at 350, then great. But everyone else looked at you like a fat pig." THis was uncalled for in an effort to make your point. At 334 pounds, I owned my own company with 11 employees who respected me, I am still married to the same man for 10 years with whom I have had two children. He has been with me even at my highest weight. I had friends who respected and cared for me and I was successful. Most morbidly obese people are classic overachievers and are successful in every area of their life with the exception of their weight. I still had successful good looking men hitting on me at 334 lbs. I traveled around Europe, Africa and the Middle East as part of my job, sipped on champagne in the French Riviera and networked with some powerful real estate executives and government officials. And yes, I still had people tell me that I was beautiful. Confidence and self esteem were not my problems, but low self esteem appears to be your problem and no matter how much weight you lose, until you resolve your self worth issues it wont change anything at all whether you can get into a bikini or not. Admittedly, now at 180 lbs, I still feel fat. Yes, I am overweight. Do people stare less? I suppose, although I really dont recall people staring at me before. I think I was hardest on myself. Do people treat me differently? Most definitely. Now I have even MORE men hitting on me. But my friends treat me the same. My husband treats me the same. And the people who cared for me before still treat me the same. And all the assholes who had an issue with my weight, well I dont know who they were. I have only ever had one man in my life tell me to lose weight. I was 19 years old, weighed 192 in a size 16 and he thought I was fat. SOunds like a personal problem.... And as for your second remark: "Babs, I am not really directing this at you but for those that feel the need to be so chicken shit as to PM me your nasty words rather than post here and be heard." My words were not nasty in my first post. But yours are and your hostility is shining through. I bet you are one of those people that look at morbidly obese people in restaurants and think they should have their jaws wired shut.... You are the worst kind of hypocrite because you say you understand the differences between your situation and someone who is morbidly obese, but you really dont and you dont respect my opinion at all. I was never mean or vindictive in my response post. I was just pointing out that there is a difference of perspective. There are people who have had this surgery at weight of 600 pounds + who think , "If I could just get under 200 lbs, be healthy and not have my feet aching and I can wipe my own butt, I would be happy"..... I certainly do not begrudge you the chance at happiness. If getting into a size 6 again and wearing a bikini will do it for you, then by all means, set your goal and get there. But dont be angry if people with real health issues (regardless of BMI) have a difference of opinion about whether someone should have a lapband procedure for cosmetic reasons only or health reasons.. I say if someone is willing to pay to LOOK better, then so be it. Kudos and have a great life. Just dont insult my intelligence. Babs in TX

Jenna, No offense, but I think you are beautiful in both sets of pictures. Now the question is: Would I prefer to look like the first picture or the second /third picture? Well, of course I would prefer to look like the first picture. And a person would have to be blind not to be able to see the difference. We live a superficial world where there is a huge premium on being slim and beautiful. Heres my dilemna: If someone told me I had a choice to be healthy, no comorbidities, no edema, no hyperinsulinemia, no diabetes, no high blood pressure and no medications, but the trade off would be that I would be the weight you are in the second picture and that was the best I could do, would I have had lapband surgery? Well, you betcha. I know lots of very happy and healthy people with 30-32 BMI's that exercise daily and have a body fat index that is less than 25%. They would be considered obese by insurance charts, but healthy if you looked at their fat index. I would say that the majority of us folks who had lapband surgery did not do it with the expectation that we would ever be able to wear a bikini bathing suit, get to a size 4 or have the surgery cosmetically to improve our appearance. And yes, this is coming from someone who is scheduled to have plastic surgery and remove 5 lbs of excess off my stomach that is hanging to my pubic area, 8 lbs of skin and fat off my thighs so I dont have skin infections anymore and throwing in a breast augmentation with implants just for me. Despite all this, I will still have massive scars from knee to groin, hip to hip and pretty much everywhere else as well. I am doing this to improve my quality of life and my insurance company sees two of these three procedures as medically necessary. (The new boobs arent, but I am paying for it) So there is a big difference between truth and perception. THat is why insurance companies pay for surgery for folks with 35 BMI with comorbidities and 40 BMI with no cormobidities. If someone is self paying for their surgery with a lower BMI and they are disturbed by layers of fat, I say kudos to them if they can afford it and they want to better their life and stop the yo yo dieting. And yes, I can understand that the pictures (at least to you are disturbing). THe last time I weighed 150 was when I was 15 years old. Yeah, I looked hot in a bikini and yes I can remember what I looked like. And yes, I have pictures of me at 160, 170, 180, 200, 247, 260, 270, 300, 325, 334 etc.. I know it can be disturbing and each person has a point where they wake up and are terrified of what they have become. I was just hoping that you could also see another perspective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I believe that I am just as beautiful now as I was when I weighed 334 lbs. Yeah, I was miserable because I could not walk up a flight of steps without stopping 3 times to catch my breath, not because I didnt look good in a bikini anymore. I had the surgery because I was sure I would be dead in 10 years, have a heart attack and die and never see my kids grow up. I guess its all in perspective.... Babs in TX 334/180 -154 new goal: 170 or less if my body wants to be there....

Hi flower, My doc did not give me a percentile, but I have lost over 90% of my excess weight. So dont go by statistics. If you follow the program and stick to bandster guidelines, you can lose 100% if you want to... Babs in TX

Hi paula, First, I dont think there is a surgeon out there (even in Mexico) that would band someone with a 31 BMI. You would have to have some serious comorbidities for anyone doctor to consider this. Please understand that I am not unsympathetic to your situation. If a tool like the lapband was available when I was "only 35 pounds overweight", perhaps I would not have ballooned up to over 334 lbs. Yes, I think banding is an extreme measure for someone to consider that is overweight or borderline obese. I think what most people are trying to tell you here is that the band truly is just a tool that helps with satiety. Unlike a bypass where you have dumping to prevent or discourage you from eating a piece of chocolate cake, you dont have either malabsorption or dumping with the lapband. So having the band wont stop you from eating a bowl of ice cream or Cookies or tortilla chips or soft high caloric foods or candy etc... It will help you with portion control if you stick to the solid Proteins. If you are eating watery mash potatoes, you probably could eat a similar portion after banding if you wanted to..... Babs in TX

Lisa, Happy Bandiversary to you!!!! I never saw your before picture. What a change woman!! You look great and I am very proud of you. You have done a great job despite all the problems you have had. Hugs, Babs in TX

Hi, I am really depressed again. Spent a whole week being good, eating right and exercising. Went from 185.5 back down to 182. I was really convinced I would get in the 170's this week, since I have been plateauing for more than 2 months now. I get on the scale this morning and I am back up to 185.5 again. How is this possible? I exercised for almost 4 hours at thge gym and jazzercise last week, walked on Saturday for about 4 miles or so and I am back where I started a week ago!!! I did not have a day where I ate more than 1200 calories except for Sunday when I ate at a CHinese buffet. For the most part, I made wise food choices except for dessert. I had a piece of cake and some chocolate ice cream. How can I gain 3.5 lbs from that? God I want to screaaaaammmmmmm!!!!! Uggggh! Give me some love here.... I am struggling and I feel like I am ready to go on an all liquid diet for two weeks to see if we can jump start this baby already. Babs in TX