BeckyinTexas

Thanks for some of the suggestions. I can't wait to try some of them out! I don't mind telling someone with a quickness how much I've lost but I am just not comfortable tell them my weight. My poor sister-in-law was in the hosptial last week. She's hoping to have band surgery in December. But in her hospital room they had a chalkboard on the wall where they posted her vitals and her weight. She said that was the first time in over 35 years her husband knew what she weighed. I know where she's coming from for sure. Some things are just personal and what I weigh is one of those things. Thanks everyone for being so helpful and creative!

1. Bread - depends on the day for some reason. Crust though..never works 2. Pasta - no problem 3. Pop - haven't tried the stuff since the night before my surgery 4. Tortillas - hard ones only. Tired the soft ones and they stuck big time 5. salad - lettuce hasn't been my friend since gallbladder surgery 5 years ago 6. Steak - no problem 7. Roast - no problem 8. Cereal - no problem 9. Hamburger - no problem 10. pizza - half a piece and I'm so full I'm miserable 11. Apples - no problem 12. chips - I've only tried Pringles fat-free and they go down fine 13. cheese - not a cheese fan 14. Shrimp - no problem 15. Pop corn - haven't tried 16. pretzels - haven't tried I have found the most problems I have come when I eat too fast or don't take small enough bites. Also, for some reason, leftovers when warmed up, give me a problem, especially chicken. The one thing I have found that I can no longer eat and now I don't even want to are french fries. I tried them a couple of times and they got stuck and it hurt so byebye to them! I have found too that my band is a bit fickle, what is fine one time might give me problems another. I've heard a lot of people say that so I guess it's not in my mind. All in all, it's so worth it!

Glitterqueen....Congratulations and welcome! I so agree with what Renebean said...be so thankful you're getting your band before the scales got any higher! I so wish I had but I'm doing it now and that's all that matters. You're in for the ride of your life! I can't even begin to tell you how much better my life is since getting my band. I'm quite sure you'll feel the same way! Good luck and take care.

Ann....Congratulations!!!!! I just read this thread today and I'm so happy that it has a happy ending or should I say beginning for you! Good luck and take care. November 10th will be here before you know it and from then on...it only gets better daily!

Miranda....I also have United Health Care through my employer, Collin County. Luckily for me, the county doesn't have the exclusion of weight loss surgery. I know that UHC does cover it but it all depends on what restrictions your employer puts on your policy. I wish I knew what to tell you to do but I don't know. Hopefully someone else on here will have some ideas for you. Good luck!

Cassie....I live in McKinney, too. So welcome neighbor! Dr. Jayaseelan did my surgery at the Surgery Center of Richardson and they are both great! Dr. Jay is wonderful. He's done the surgery hundreds of times. He's very skillful and is such a very nice man. His staff is great also. The Surgery Center of Richardson from the outside is a little scary! It's in an old shopping center! LOL We drove up the day of surgery and I was about ready to turn around and come back to McKinney but trust me, it's all business inside. They do nothing but lapband surgeries so they know what's going on for sure. I was banded 5 1/2 months ago and I've lost 96 pounds so far. I told Dr. Jay that when I reached my goal weight I was going to do a commercial for him and now I think I've made a believer out of him! He really is a very kind and caring physician. He makes you feel so very comfortable. If you'd like more info, just let me know. Hey since we live in the same town, I'd be more than glad to meet you some where and we could talk about the band...that seems to be one of my favorite things to talk about now! LOL Just let me know if I can be of any help to you.

I so agree with what the others have had to say! I discoverd the joy of Culvers soft serve ice cream while on my mushy stage of the diet. I had never even eaten it before then but now I crave it with a capital C!!!! I allow myself to have it once a week. I look at their flavor of the day calendar and pick which day of the week I plan on having it and I do. I have to or else I'd make myself nutty thinking about it. I find that after a few spoonfuls I am satisfied. That's the wonders of having the band. I don't depreive myself of things, I just have a few bites and I'm good to go.

Margo...I love some of these ways to handle comments! I get them, too and they also make me a bit angry. My fiance is honestly the worst at it and that drives me nutty! I'm forever hearing you can't have this or that and now I simply reply...."Well, 90 plus pounds in 5 1/2 months says I can!" He's also the tackless wonder that when I weighed in last week at my doctor's and told him that I had lost 95 pounds so far his reply was....is that all! A couple of the other patients sitting around him told him he was in the wrong place to make a dumb comment like that! I remember our first potluck dinner at work back in July. I was dreading it so much cause I thought everyone would be watching what I ate and how much. Well, I was right. They watched me like I was so sideshow freak and made some of the dumbest comments. I ended up leaving the table in tears. After that I just decided who cares what any one thinks or says! I'm losing and it's working so thank goodness I must be doing it right no matter what other people say!

Teresa...first off, I just love that dancing banana! It makes me giggle every time I see it. You're doing great, too! 50 pounds in three months...way to go girl! You and I both started out at nearly the same weight and it helps boost my theory that us "big girls" seem to lose a little faster than our smaller band sisters. Do you ever look on some of the posts and see the starting weights and think man if I weighed that I'd feel positively skinny? LOL My older sister weighed 223 the day of her surgery and now she's below 200 but I can't help thinking I just long for the day that I only weigh 223! But, the good news....we know we'll get there! Thanks again for starting this thread. It has helped me more than I could ever say knowing I ain't the only one in this boat!

Teresa....no real secrets to it, just blessed with a fast metabolism! I lost 106 pounds in 6 months about 5 years ago on Atkins but gained it all back and about 50 more. So I knew I would lose fast with the band and by doggie, I am and loving it! I basically eat whatever I want, just really small portions. I try to make wise choices and most times do but if I get the craving for something I eat it, just LOTS less than I used to. I try and stay around 1200 calories a day but somedays it's more and somedays, less. I just know it's working for me and thank the good Lord it is! I exercise but I'm not real regular with it. I walk as much as possible and I lock myself in my bedroom at night and turn on music and dance myself silly! I hope no one ever peeks in the window or they might think I was having a seizure! I just know I don't particularly like to "exercise" but dancing is fun and I don't mind doing that. I had no major health problems before surgery and I've told my surgeon that with my luck, now that I'm losing weight I'll probably start falling apart! Hopefully not though. I have set myself a goal that within 2 years I want to be at my goal weight and I want to go to work as a patient counselor and show people that this DOES work even for people that started out weighing as much as I did!

Congratulations! Get ready for the ride of your life! I can't even begin to describe how wonderful this band is and all the positive changes already in my life. Good luck and keep us posted.

I am so glad that you started this thread...I don't feel so all alone and that's wonderful! I went in last week for my 3rd fill but they were unable to do it cause my port had flipped. Hopefully the doctor will be able to do it without surgery but if I have to it'll be OK. The good news is I'm now down 96 pounds! I only have 4 to go to reach the 100 pound mark by my 6 month anniversary Oct. 29. I so hope I can get there. It's just nice knowing that someone else is walking the same mile I am. I have a lot to go but I know without a doubt, I'm gonna get there. It's just nice knowing I'm in such good company doing it!

You know, as many of us that live in the same area, we should be able to put on some kind of clothing swap meet. It would be fun to get to meet people and hopefully walk away with some new and better fitting clothes.

First off my good, or should I say great news is I'm down 95 pounds since my surgery 4/29/05! I may make my at the time very flippant goal of 100 pounds in 6 months! At the time I thought it would be impossible but now I sure hope I can do it but if not I'm still very pleased with the loss so far! Now my bad news...seems my port has completely flipped and when the PA tired to do my fill she said she was hitting the backside of my port. Well, 6 needles and 30 minutes later, she decided she couldn't do it. Needless to say today I'm sore as all get out and I have a bruise the size of Rhode Island! My doctor had done my first 2 fills but was unavailable yesterday so my next step is to see him on Monday and see if he can do the fill but if he's unable to, they'll have to correct it surgically. That is something I so want to avoid! Has this sort of thing happened to any of y'all and if so what did you do? I'm really bummed right now about it cause surgery is the last thing I want to do. The PA said that the doctor might be able to do it by getting the port to turn a bit. Sounds painful to me but it would sure beat the heck out of another surgery! I'm just to be honest a bit scared and knew if anyone could make me feel better it was y'all!

I knew if anyone could make me feel better it would be y'all and darn it, I was right. My doctor called me last night and he thinks he'll be able to access the port but he said I probably would eventually have to have it repaired. Vines, you're right, he even mentioned that it could be done using twilight sleep. Heck, if that's what they use at the dentist, they could cut my head off and I wouldn't even know it! Thanks all of y'all for never ceasing to amaze me that I'm a member of such a wonderful group of people and darn proud to be!

From one Texan to another...welcome and howdy! I normally wouldn't say "howdy" but the State Fair is going on and that's how Big Tex welcomes everyone so I found it very fitting. Good luck on your surgery! You mentioned building your confidence, well hopefully that's only just begun! I was like you and very hesitant to tell anyone about my surgery for fear of failing and having all the "I told you so's." Not now....I'll talk to anyone that'll listen to me about it! LOL Keep us posted and good luck and most of all, you have come to the right place to talk to people that definitely understand your every thought or feeling or even fear.

Terrilen......Good luck tomorrow with your surgery! I hope you have as smooth a time as I did. I almost couldn't believe that I had even had surgery cause it went so well. I know you have to be a little nervous mixed with so much anticipation and excitement. Just know that you are about to begin the most wonderful journey. What a wonderful thing to have your Dad with you to help you out after your surgery. Just a bit of advice. Get you some chewable GasX and have them ready when you get home if you need them. Also, walk as much as you feel up to. Walking definitely helps with the gas pains and the GasX does too. Keep us posted and once again.....good luck!

Katie...Great list of NSVs! I know one thing, life with the band is pretty darn great! I not only feel like I've lost weight, I feel like I've lost years off my age! I sometimes have to remind myself that I'm a grandmother and I better act my age. I missed out on so many years being fat and miserable and now I want to make up for lost time! Congratulations Katie!

Teresa....You and Tony have nearly a foot over me in height so needless to say, I don't carry my weight real well at 5'2". I always wanted to be taller but I missed out on that gene boat. My son is 6'2" and his wife is 6'1". Whenever I go somewhere with them I feel like a shrimp! Congratulations you two on your loses so far and the NSVs. The best part about having my band is knowing that never again will I weigh over 400 pounds!

Teresa....I too started out over 400, 427 to be exact the day of my surgery. I celebrated my 5 month bandiversary yesterday and I have lost 89 pounds and 4 dress sizes! Life is so much better, not that it wasn't good before, but so much more enjoyable now! It's just simple things that most people never think about that I can do now that I've lost weight. I can bend over while sitting at my desk and pick stuff up off the floor whereas before I would have to stand up and then bend down to pick it up or pretend I didn't see it and hope someone else would pick it up for me. Seatbelts fit. I can walk without getting winded. I can actually see that I have a waist afterall! My fiancee has taken to calling me curvy and I love it! Fitting into clothes that are 4 sizes smaller is awfully nice, too. But the best part is being able to get down on the floor and comfortably play with my precious 1 year old grandaughter, Hannah Rose. I had mentioned this in another post I made previously, but the only thing now is that I've lost 89 pounds and I'm almost ashamed to tell people how much I've lost cause I'm still so darn big. But what the hey....I'm losing and that's what matters! I love this post cause sometimes I get so discouraged thinking I'm the only one that has a whole lot of weight to lose. Let's all stay in touch, please. It sure helps me to know I'm not alone!

The next support group meeting is Thursday, September 29, 7:00 p.m. at El Chico's in McKinney. It would be great to get to meet y'all! Come on out...the more the merrier!

Dr. Jay is my surgeon and I think he is great! Not only is he a skilled surgeon he's just one heck of a nice man! He's even come up to McKinney the last two months to attend our local support meeting. This was after he'd worked all day and then had to fight traffic on Central. I think that shows how caring he is towards his patients. He is in my book a wonderful choice and I am very lucky to have found him.

Dena....Congratulations and I'm glad to hear that you're doing so well. Take care and keep us posted.

Kathy....One of the most wonderful things about having the band is there are really no foods that are that bad for you because it'sl all about portion control. Don't get me wrong, there are foods you know you should stay away from but in general, most foods are fine as long as you consider the amount. I'm 3 1/2 months out and I try to make healthy choices but sometimes I don't but I don't fret any more cause I can only eat such small amounts even of the so-called bad foods. Now quit beating yourself up and get back to work! LOL

Thanks for posting this. I've seen the commercial and wondered if they were any good but now I know they must be. I'm going to the grocery store during my lunchhour and buy some for supper tonight.