JustWatchMe

Picture yourself thin with the worst baggy skin you can imagine. Then look at your obese body now. (I mean that in the most loving way.) Which one wins? For me it's a no-brainer.

I'm dealing with head hunger lately and I didn't have that come up early in my post op period. A lot has changed for me this summer and my calming mechanism has always been food. I'm trying to be aware of it each day and substitute a different calming mechanism, like taking a walk.

I lost 130 pounds at age 28. Loose skin, not so much. I'm 53 now and have lost over 80 so far. Loose skin, oh yeah. Batwings, turkey neck, wrinkled thighs, belly apron. It's age. I'll probably look into plastics somewhere down the road but doubt if I'll be able to afford it. Maybe a panniculectomy if insurance covers it.

So sorry about your injury.

Welcome to Bandland!

@@Melanie123, you can't keep vomiting every day. You're going to do serious damage to your body and may well end up in a medical emergency. Please find a clinic or hospital that can assess your situation and recommend something for you, even if it's an unfill or removal. You can go on liquids for now until you get an appointment but don't wait.

Sorry if this has been asked before. I use the mobile app and I can't reply to a personal conversation. It acts like it's submitted but it freezes up and doesn't send. I end up starting a new conversation in order to reply. What's up with that? Am I doing something wrong? I haven't tried it on the desktop. I use BPal on my phone 95% of the time.

Lol Debbie. You can call me JustWatchMe or you can call me wristwatches. Just don't call me late for dinner!

Alex on the spot! Great to hear.

Hoping for the best with my band but always watching for possible issues. Thanks for your post.

Good luck and stay connected here. It helps me every day.

@@Bandista, Family. Can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em.

Like @@gowalking, I've had to replace most of my clothes and shoes recently. I've given the old ones to charity, bought a couple of nice blouses, and go to Goodwill for the rest. I'm losing pretty fast and the clothes won't fit me for long. I also moved, and that forced me to get rid of stuff I might have otherwise pushed into the back of a closet. I hated shopping when fat. I don't really like it now either. I do like trying on something that fits. Last week I bought 9 blouses at four different Goodwill stores and paid 38 bucks for the bunch. Three of them are too small but will fit me in a month. I've never been able to do that before. They were cute and just a tad too tight. It made sense to buy them when I found them. I can switch addictions. I'm built that way. But I agree that some shopping for us is not only normal and healthy, but required!

I like politics. Slate Gabfest, Democracy Now, Rachel Maddow, Thom Hartmann.

That's very cool. Congratulations! You've inspired me today!

@@VSGAnn2014, "In your shoes, I'd start a bloody fantasy document of *everything* in the world you want to be different. Keep it private. Make it honest. Be as outrageous as you want. Pretty soon you will realize that the sky is the limit. " Exactly what I needed to read today.

I'm a big believer in education and this site has been a godsend. I also read books outside of this forum. If you are scared about the complications of LapBand then do discuss them with your doctor. After all the doctor sees the good and the bad and will have an experienced opinion on what would be best for you. Also, until my final surgery scheduled date, my team asked me repeatedly if I was still opting for the band or for one of the other two surgeries. You can choose what is best for you and what your insurance will cover. I chose banding because I was willing and able to do he patient follow up and discipline the band forces you to do to be successful. Some people aren't suited to the maintenance requirements the band has, and they should not be banded. If you've researched and know yourself and are willing to do the legwork this requires then you should have great success. That said, sometimes things do go wrong even when people do things right. But I've read of complications with all of the surgeries. Good luck to you!

Don't focus on the weight loss for the first three weeks. You'll go up some due to the surgery. You're healing and swollen and inflamed and recovering. Follow your team's rules and the weight will come off at the right time for your body. For real. Do get exercise. Walking is magical. The more you do the more you can do. Congratulations on your band and welcome to your new life! It's going to be awesome!

Yikes !! I've had recent lightheaded episodes but not passing out. I've come to realize my blood pressure has gone down with my weight loss and I've already kicked one BP med to the curb and it may be time to reevaluate my other one. Anyway sorry you were injured. My daughter has low BP and can faint sometimes. She noticed that when she takes Claritin for her seasonal allergies it raises her BP a little and she's has no episodes this summer.

Important.

Appetite will come back. Note that right now you're best to follow your team's protocol even though you don't feel like it. Meaning, we think the pre op liquid diet is the hardest. Nope. The post op period was hardest for me. I had six weeks of liquids. After my appetite came back I had to clench my teeth and follow directions. For six weeks. So right now you'll force yourself to eat. Later you'll force yourself to not overeat. Then you'll get a fill and finally the WLS will start to help the process along. Until fills start it's a diet. Take the long view and you'll be successful. Focus on how it feels today compared to yesterday or tomorrow and you'll go crazy. I reread this and it sounded harsh. The up side is that I lost a boatload of weight when I followed those directions post op. I also was told by my NUT that the strict diet post op was intended by my surgeon for maximum weight loss while healing. Liquids only and no more than 800 calories a day. It was hard but it worked for me. I was so grateful for food by the end of the six weeks and it coincided with my first fill. I then went on an Italian vacation and actually maintained my weight loss there. So it had its purpose and I'm glad I trusted the process. Good luck.

It's hard not to rely too much on my daughters too. I am constantly reminding myself that they still need to be my kids, not my pals, and they need a mom. This mom needs to rely on my own friends for adult support. That said, they are happy I am getting healthy. They're also a little older (20 and 19).

Yay!

@@Nursemandyrn You have am amazing attitude and I am so glad you are staying connected here. You're my BPal hero. Kick cancer's butt! God bless you. ***hugs***

Started at 302 in February pre-op. Lost 27 pounds before March surgery at 275. 3 months post-op I lost an additional 36 pounds which put me at 238.6. I'm now 5-1/2 months post-op and total loss is 89 from my high pre-surgery weight. No regrets.