Michee

Sleep Apnea, like type 2 diabetes does effect people of all sizes that is true. However if the person is obese or overweight, losing weight can and often does lessen the symptoms. Before I got the band I was taking meds for diabetes and high cholesterol. After losing weight with the band, sensible eating and daily exercise, I am off all meds and I am no longer considered diabetic. During my pre-op for the band, I had to do a sleep study. It showed that I had moderate sleep apnea. My GP said, "don't bother getting a Cpap machine, it is likely that the sleep apnea is caused by the weight in your neck and chest, when you start losing weight, you will be fine" Happy to report that thanks to the band, I no longer have sleep apnea. I am sure the OP will notice an increase in energy levels, as she starts to lose weight, I hope she is fortunate enough to overcome sleep apnea through weight loss.

It is time to go back to science 101 literally. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat (weight) A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat (volume) Just like a cup of lead weighs more than a cup of feathers.

Hi Heather Sorry to hear that you are having trouble. I love dates and figs and eat them quite regularly. I know everyone's band experience is different. You seem like a very sensible person, and whatever is best for YOU is between you and Allah (sp?) I am sure you will be guided to the right answer. I hope you are feeling well soon.

Don't worry Dionna you are in very early days. I was banded last august I needed several fills until I got good restriction, it took me until february. Hopefully it will be faster for you.

Wow it's great that you guys are looking for ways to make this work! I do not fast, but I suggest doing a little research on low glycemic foods, and foods that take longer to digest. I am thinking that they will make you feel satieted longer.

There is someone in my support group who had a revision from a Gastric Bypass to a Lapband a couple of years ago.

I had my TT 2 weeks ago. Doc said I would need 2-3 weeks off work, so a saved the vacation time. I had my surgery on Wednesday, went home the same day, and then returned to the clinic on Friday to have the drainage tube removed. I honestly could have returned to work on the following monday. (desk job) I was working from home the day of the surgery as I got phone calls from 2 of my staff with a problem that I had to sort out. I think everyone is a little different, so the 2-3 weeks that the doc recommended was "worse case scenario" in my opinion.

I live near a Catholic highschool, and the pic you posted is exactly what the girls look like when they walk to school. When they get to school property, they "unroll" the kilt, and button and tuck the shirt in. To be honest, my friends and I did the same thing, when we were Catholic school girls back in the 80's. I agree that they shouldn't have hosted 2 "special events" at once. I imagine some of the younger kids would have been really scared if the Halloween Costumes were super scary instead of super slutty. It kind of seems like a no-win.

Sadly Patience is Required I was banded in August 2007, I started off at 224, I lost weight quickly initially (thanks to the post op diet). After the initial healing, I had no restriction (or very little) I went back for several fills, and finally by early February I had found my "sweet spot". For me it was 7cc's. Once I hit that I actually felt that band was working. The scary thing is that now I am totally unfilled (and will be for 5 more weeks) due to TT surgery. I hope it doesn't take until February again to get proper restriction. Hang in there folks.............it will happen!

Hi Ezma Don't beat yourself up. We've all done it. I don't know if there is a magic time when we stop making mistakes or doing things we regret. Hopefully those "times" just more and more infrequent! This is coming from someone who ate 4 popsicles yesterday......after one year of being banded, I should know better.

That is Sooooo awesome. You sound like me, except you are a few steps ahead of me. I started running in June, same reason as you. I entered a couple of 5k races and felt like an olympian when I crossed that finish line! I am recovering from my TT so will not be back to running for some time. My goal is to finish a 30k (18mile) run in March. It's called "around the bay". Apparently it is quite difficult due to the number of hills and the fact that we could be running through mud/snow/ice (i'm in Canada). I will be sending you lots of good thoughts................and if you wanna do the Disney 2010 Marathon, I'll be right there with you. p.s. Give Mickey a hug for me when you cross that finish line!

When my doc looked at my skin, he knew (as did I) that there was no way this skin is gonna retract naturally. I have carried extra weight for a long time, so the skin had been stretched for years, also I carried most of my weight in my stomach so it had the most "loose skin". I think for people who are young, or who were only overweight for a short period of time, or who had 50 pounds or less to lose, perhaps the skin will retract. For a lot of us bandsters I think the knife is the only thing that is going to "retract" that extra skin.

I think we are all kind of saying the same thing. We are making healthier choices, eating fresh real food. Naturally by doing that we end up eating less sugar and fat than we did pre-band. I think eating all those sf/lf substitutes, such as diet soda, diet ice cream, SF Jello, SF puddings, low fat salad dressing, weight watchers Desserts etc etc is a NOT the way to a healthy lifestyle. For me getting banded was all about a change in lifestyle as Airforcewife said. Since I eat dessert so rarely (less than once a month) I just eat half of the portion given. When I look around at my normo friends, that is what they do. Maribelle, congrats on getting banded.......this is gonna be an awesome journey.........start saving your pennies, in the near future you are probably gonna wanna buy yourself one of these flat stomachs

For me sugar free does not mean loaded with aspartame. I have trouble with eating low fat, because it makes me constipated. I eat normal, healthy foods. I avoid processed foods, I always eat REAL food (butter instead of marg etc, i NEVER eat deli meat, buy real meat at the butcher and cook it at home). I have lost 77 pounds in one year. Perhaps I would have lost more, by substituting sf/lf "diet" foods for real foods, but for me it was not a choice I was willing to make.

I am confused was this a school sponsored event or a major league baseball event? My opinion on this would differ, based on the above info.

One of my standbys is canned fish; tuna/herring/sardines and a bag of frozen veg. It takes seconds to microwave some veg, and open a can. Another quick thing, is to hardboil some eggs at the start of the week, then leave them in the fridge. I can just grab a handful of salad mix and put a sliced egg on top. Another thing that I do is have a cooking day once every few weeks, I roast some chicken pieces, cook a roast, make some rice and veg. then I make little portions and used freezer bags. That way I can take a bag from the freezer in the morning, and by the time I get home from work, it goes on the plate and and in the microwave for 2 minutes. Bonus, there is only one plate and one fork to be washed.

Hi Josephine I was thinking the exact same thing. Most "normal" sized people I know cannot finish a "chain restaurant" portion. When I have travelled in the US, the portions are even bigger than they are here in Canada. When I hang out with my normo friends, I eat about the same amount as they do. As for the buffets, I KNOW that when I went in the past I ate WAY MORE than I paid for. If I eat less than I pay for now, it just works out even. Imagine if these same restaurants charged a surcharge when we ate too much. "Excuse me ma'am, but you ate twice as much as we figure a normal person should, so we have added a 25% fatness surcharge" Also, be careful of the childrens menu, in the local restaurants around here, it is usually frozen food or crap or both, thinks like chicken nuggets/pepperoni pizza/mac&cheese. What I have found to be very effective is to order an appetizer instead of a meal. I have also learned that it is not a crime for a plate to go back to the kitchen with some food left on it. Just my humble opinion!

paid 16k Canadian one year ago. Price is inclusive of fills/defills aftercare

US/Canadian sizes are VERY generous. I am "overweight" according to BMI, and on friday I bought a pair of size 4 pants. (okay, I am NOT complaining) So conceivably I will be in a size 0, and will be in the high end of "normal" according to BMI I think in European sizes I am probably a 10/12.

I'm with Jashut on this one........ I mean if you are on a budget, perhaps consider buying cheaper toilet paper or clipping coupons for discounted dishsoap. Earlier today I watched a program called "vanity insanity" it featured a woman who "saved" money with a "discount" PS. Turns out the guy was not even a doctor, and the "real" doc they interviewed said that she paid less for her surgery, than the docs have to pay to PURCHASE the implants. He wondered what they implanted in the poor woman. Now she has no money to pay for the extensive revisions needed. Even if she did have the money, she said that she could only find one doctor in her area (San Antonio) who even takes patients with "botched" surgeries. I know this is an extreme case, but it is an example of "you get what you pay for" I would like a breast lift in the future, but since I am still paying for my band and my TT (and will be for a few years) I am just going to invest in some really good bras to hold the girls up.

Awesome Babs I had my TT less than 2 weeks ago, despite the swelling there is already a HUGEh difference. You are gonna be thrilled with the results

the binder is a huge elastic girdle that you do up with velcro. You can take it off to shower and then you put it back on. I have 2 so I can wash one, wear the other etc. Mary, a year will go by faster than you think...... I knew I would get a TT, and it was a good thing to think about when I was going to the gym at 6:00am in February. Twice my car got stuck in the gym parking lot, because I got their before the snow plow!

Get the lapband NOW If you spend some time in this forum you will see that for most of us, the only regret was not getting the band sooner. The more years you invest in yoyo dieting or obesity the more your health will decline. When I think of the things I missed out on because of my weight, it makes me sad. There were countless summers of wearing a T-shirt over a bathing suit, and looking around to realize I was the biggest one at a beach or pool, the years of dressing much older because the plus size stores only carried "old lady" clothes. This does not even include the type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol....... Run, do not walk to the doc and get the band!

As has been said most PS will not work with OHIP on the TT thing. They get paid a lot more if you self pay, and they dont have to do the OHIP paperwork. If by some miracle you get OHIP approval, you will have a hard time finding a good PS to work for a fraction of what he would earn if you were self pay. I got a TT last week, paid $6750.00 - it's already worth it. Yesterday I bought a new pair of pants to wear to work on my first day back -----------size 4 wooohooooo