aubrie

I did in college a LONG time ago with my best friend and the guy I was dating at the time. It was okay. Exciting. Unsual. I must not have enjoyed it to much though because the situation never came up again. But now that I'm married, I don't think I could. Even if my hubby wanted to...... I just don't think I could risk harm to our relationship in any way. It just wouldn't be worth it for me. Just my opinion.

I get hiccups whenever I've eaten enough. If eat even one more bite once I start to hiccup, I'm in the bathroom with some nasty slime and a PB. I'm over a year out, so yes, I still get them. For me it's a friendly little warning signal.

My DH keeps trying to convince me that the Protein content and texture would be band friendly...... Ha!! File me in the "quitter" section.....

I see only my surgeon. He does all my fills and we talk every time I go. He thinks discussing our problems is half the battle. We work out a plan of action and he makes me feel good about what I'm doing. I couldn't do it without him. He gave me a 10 lb. lifting restriction for 4 weeks and a 6 week swimming restriction. I had some stubborn sutures that kept popping through the skin and had to be trimmed.

I totally trusted my doctor, so I didn't worry to much about the band. I was more worried about ending up in a wheelchair if I DIDN'T have the band. I was concerned about not drinking with meals and not being able to drink carbonated beverages, but those turned out to me a non issue. I guess I was most scared that my insurance comapny would say no at the last minute. I waited 11 months for an approval and had to appeal twice. Either that, or have it done, and then them tell me it wasn't approved and I would have to pay for it myself.

Congratulations and keep up the GREAT work. Enjoy life!

It depends. If someone is just plain rude and nosey, I just skirt around the issue. If it's someone I'm bound to run into again, I usually say portion control and exercise. which is the truth. Total stangers that I have no reason to hide anything from, I tell the truth. I kept it secret for a long time, but someone from work announced it at a luncheon in front of the entire group. I was LIVID!!!! so the cats out of the bag at work..... I'm basically a normal person, eating normally, so the subject doesn't come up as much anymore.

I've been banded 14 months now. I've lost 70 so I'm about where you are. I did very well right up until last August when I had to have my gallbladder removed. I haven't lost one ounce since. I haven't gained, thank God, but I haven't lost either. I had to have a complete unfill and start all over again. It sucked, so I'm way behind. I just got a fill last Friday, and now I'm finally back where I had left off, so I should start losing again. I have 40 pounds left to go, and am so anxious to get it over with. I too have had the hunger monster nagging at me. My tummy actually growls. It's hard to ignore. Even other people can hear it!! Snacks after work are my weakness. I do good all day, and then when I get home from exercise after work, I'm ravenous. I can't wait the 1 to 2 hours before dinner is ready. So I hit the nuts, chips, crackers, cheese and Cheeze Its. I have got to get a handle on that. My doctor says to eat more at lunch, but I just can't. It won't fit in my pouch. So what do I do???? I'm hoping this last fill will fix the problem. Good luck to you. Hang in there!

I'm here. I'm here all the time. I was banded in November of 07 so I'm a little more than a year out. I've lost about 70 pounds so far. Had a set back this past August. I had my Gallbladder removed. Total unfill. I had to start over again with the fills. So I didn't lose quite as quickly as I had wanted, but I'm still happy with my results.

Don't get me wrong. I think a lot of Oprah. she's done a tremendous amount of humanitarian things that I greatly admire, and she freely gives her millions away to charities. BUT, I am also offended by her attitude towards WLS. It puzzles me. For crying out loud, she could be the poster child for yo-yo dieting!!!! She can serve as the prime example why for millions of people, dieting and exercise don't cut it. She obviously hasn't been successful at it (an probably never will given her age). So how can she honestly sit there and pass judgement on those who have had WLS, while she herself can not do what she so openly supports? I saw a time line of her on the internet the other day. It was done in photos every two years since she was very young. She definately has weight issues, and she definately isn't winning the battle. Personally? I'm PROUD of myself and all of you out there, for being strong enough to take the bull by the horns and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!! Instead of sitting there whining and blaming it on thyroid problems. I take thyroid medication too. All the more reason to get that extra help for myself. The end. I step off my soap box. Anyone else?

I do have a lot more gas, but it doesn't seem to be the nasty smelly kind. It's mostly just trapped air. I burp like a sailor now. Not very feminine or attractive. My husband just marvels. Just this past weekend I was on liquids for two days after a fill. After eating solid food again, I bloated up so badly with gas I couldn't even get into my jeans and had to wear my fat pants to a party. I was so bummed. By the next day, I was fine. I acutally easily zipped up my skinny pants with no problem after two days of liquids.... And it's the darndest things that cause me to burp and pass gass. Hubby says I even pass gas in my sleep. How mortifying!!!!

For the most part I don't miss the carbonation. I was never a big soda drinker anyway. But I did love my beer. I was a Shiner Bock junkie. Ha! I do great most of the time. My husband and adult sons drink it around me all the time, but I do okay. The only time I have a problem is in the summer, on a really hot day, when I'm sweaty and parched and someone pulls a long neck out of a cooler. The ice is sliding down the side, and I just groan.

I had a hysterechtomy in 2003. After that I still had problems with ovarian cysts. They tried all the hormone therapies. They did work, but they would eventually come back. At times it was horible. The bloat. The pain and tenderness. I kept thinking they should have taken my ovaries when they had the chance. anyway. I've lost about 70 pounds with the band, and I have to say... After losing about 50 pounds all my symptoms have gone away and haven't returned. It seems the weight made that whole issue worse. I haven't had any pain or bloating in MONTHS. It's so nice...

Yup. I've got them. Look like mud flaps on a pick up truck!! I have loose skin everywhere. boobs, legs, tummy and arms. I can shove the boobs into a padded push up bra and put them back in the right place. I can wear skirts or slacks to hide the thighs. I can wear a tummy control panty for the tummy, but it's hot as hell here in south Texas, and wearing sleeves in the summer is awful. If I have ANY plastic surgery, it will definately be on my arms first. Jachut is right. The lumpiness does get a little better as time goes by, but the flaps are still there!! Yippee!!!

Still have your old baby monitor???? Just kidding..... I can totally relate to this thread. I went from no sex.... literally.... I went like three years and could count on one hand..... to mind blowing sex OFTEN. My libido increased. His libido increased. My flexibility improved. My self image improved. My engergy level and playfulness. It ALL got better. It's like being in a new marriage!! God, I love my band.....

Sounds like you worked out before being banded. You had a semi healthy lifestyle to begin with. You just ate to much. For many bandsters, they are exercising for the first time in their lives. It's hard to get into that mindset if you've never done it before. Others have issues with head hunger, emotional issues, determining portions, craving carbs, living with getting stuck and PBing. You're lucky it's been easy for you. I haven't had a real hard time either, but I do have bad days. Everyone is different and deals with it in their own unique way. That's why we need to support all those that are having difficulties. It sure helps to have a sympathetic ear.

I used to sweat like a pig all the time. Now I'm constantly wearing a sweater. My poor hubby. He is now my official foot warmer at bedtime. When he's out of town traveling, it takes me forever to warm my feet up!!

Yeah, there are a lot of things people do to themselves to look/feel better. The list is endless. In addition to the silicone boobs, botox injections and pace makers, what about harsh chemicals on the hair to cover grey? Tattoos? Piercing the ears for earrings? Nose jobs? Braces? I think of my band in relative terms. It's no different than anything else. Barbaric? I don't think so. Not any more than anything else. Progressive? yeah.

My surgeon told me that full liquids was anything you could suck through a straw. So I did shakes, liquid yogurt smoothies, cream soups, runny cream of wheat, etc. Refried beans was on my list of mushies along with cottage cheese.

Actually, my surgeon ENCOURAGED me to eat grapefruit for regular bowel movements. I've had problems with that since banding. BUT..... He gave strict instructions to peel the pithy skin off each section before eating it. He said that type of stuff is clingy and has a tendancy to get stuck. I've never had a problem eating grapefruit. I do the same thing with oranges. As far as BMs. It works like a charm!! (Sorry if that was to much information)

I was told NO CARBONATION, so it's never for me. I never even tried and I've been banded over a year. I did however have three sips of champagne on New Year's Eve. BIG MISTAKE. I thought I was going to die. I burped for a good two hours afterward, and my tummy hurt like hell. GREAT way to ring in the New Year..... Never again.

No white potatoes. No white rice. No white bread. 100% whole wheat only, and in very small amounts. That means no crackers, tortillas, pizza crust, croissants, rolls, cake, etc. I don't know how strict is is going to be on this but there are a lot of starchy vegetables too. Things like corn, beets and root vegetables, peas and beans, etc. You should consult your dietician if you have one.

you can also use canned SKIM milk. It works just as good. I use regular eggs. Good source of protein, then I just pour the mixture in a custard ramekin. I set it in a baking pan with water and bake for about 30 minutes. This keeps it from burning on the bottom since you're not utilizing a crust. It's like pumpkin pudding. Great when you're on mushies.

Find and gather all the information you can on the metabolism. When you starve the body, the metabolism actually slows down. You have to convince her that it's okay to skip occasionally, but you have to mix it up from day to day, to keep the metabolism up. The metabolism is tricky. She's going to have to kick start hers again or she really won't lose anything. Maybe the printed word on this will convince her, if not, she is doing herself such a disservice.

Quaker makes a product called Weight Control Instant oatmeal. They have two flavors at my grocery. Banana Nut and Cinnamon. Both are good. The reason I like it is that it also has 9 grams of protein in one little packet. It's a perfect breakfast. I love it. It holds me over until lunch. If I'm a little tight in the morning, I just add a little more milk after heating it up, and thin it out a bit. I do just fine. In the winter I also LOVE Cream of Wheat. I add a half scoop of unflavored protein powder to it after I cook it. It's a comfort food for me.