MuffinBirdie

I am telling my coworkers that I'm having a gastric surgery that will effect my esophogus (this is true because my band slipped causing esophegul problems and this is a revision to a VSG). I'm letting them know upfront I have to be on a liquid diet for quite awhile after the surgery and that the bonus will be I get to lose a lot of weight fast! I don't like not being fully honest with people - but having had WLS before I know just how judgemental people can be about it... for your sake, I would come up with something to tell them that isn't a LIE so to speak but gets you off the hook so you don't have to hear any backlash or have people talking about you behind your back (and how you "obviously" have no self control and took the easy way out...). That's just my opinion though. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Profect Protein has no soy, no sugar, no carbs.

Quorn (sold at Krogers) is a good, healthy option. You could also get Profect protein drinks which have btw 25g to 50g protein and zero carbs. There are also high protein, low sugar/carb hot chocolate, soups and oatmeals available on most large health-food websites. I can't remember the brand name but if you do a google search you can even find high protein pastas.

Anybody know what % of people lose their love for chocolate post-op (I hope to be one... ? Do all VSGers get their normal appetite back at 1.5 to 3 years?

Ah! That clarifies it well. Thank you for taking the time to straighten me out. I agree though... why push the envelope!

quick note about below msg...I'm not trying to be argumentative here... I'm just trying to clarify since I don't completely understand. How would Fluid in a sleever make the food go through them faster when in a full size (un-sleeved) stomach fluid doesn't make food go through faster... or does it? Though I do understand how it could more easily cause stress on the seam if a person drinks and eats too much. I've read that the part of the stomach that is left behind is a much stronger muscle than the removed section of the stomach and less prone to stretching. Have you read the same? I've read that makes the sleeved stomach less likely to stretch due to over eating (though that's not really a problem I have since I'm banded). You've done so well with the VSG, I hope I find it to work well for me also. Thanks for your help! Mae

Why not? Since there is no band it wouldn't be an issue of making the food "go through" faster. Is it so sleevers don't fill up on liquids and not get enough to eat (whoops, I wrote Fluid there.. I meant food)? Thanks! *This is Ajalew posting again, I remembered my OLD password and username from several years ago on LBT and am using that*

My before and after pictures are in the thread: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?p=89392#post89392 Hi! I am new to the board so here is a little about me... I was banded July 4, 2001 in Sweden by Dr Lundegardh. I weighed approx. 250 pounds and got to my goal weight of 125 pounds, a size four. I have a website at www.myagb.homestead.com that has been up since before I had my surgery. The first six months after I was banded I didn't lose a pound. In fact, I gained back all 17 pounds I'd lost during the liquid and mush food phase. However, once I started getting the restriction I needed the pounds slowly started to fall off. In all it took nearly three years for me to get to my goal weight. The last 10 pounds coming off the slowest. I honestly did not expect to do so well. I would have settled for a size 10. But I'm even happier being a size four! People always ask me if I do a lot of exercise. I don't do any. I HATE exercising. However, I do make a point of moving around as much as possible. I do love to walk (but not if I'm forced to for weight loss!) so when its nice out I take advantage of the weather by walking my dogs. I don't use the closest parking spots at the grocery store and I try to use the steps versus the elevator. Those little things add up and I think they help a lot. I also always substitute low fat foods when possible. I use "Light Done Right" ranch dressing, I always use fat free or 2% cheese and light mayo with 99% fat free ham. Unless I'm really stressed out I try to stay away from a lot of chocolate. I don't eat greasy fast food often but I do get healthier foods like chicken with no skin - I practically live on El Pollo Loco Chicken. I drown myself in light healthy smoothies which taste like dessert and are good for me too! Jamba Juice's Enlightening Smoothies (get the smallest size) are the best! I was able to make those healthier food choices since the band made it so that I don't feel hungry or unsatisfied after every meal. I find it much easier to control what I put in my mouth. Its amazing the difference it made to have the "control" put back in my hands instead of my hunger controlling me. Its one of the best feelings in the world. The reason I am back in the "cyber space" band circuit is because my band has slipped and I am getting a revision August 4th with Dr Ortiz in Mexico. Having a group of like minded individuals to communicate with is a nice when dealing with something like surgery. I've gained back a few pounds since they took out some of my fill. I'm not the least bit worried about it though because I know when I have the band put back in place I'll be fine - AND it'll get rid of the acid refulx I've been suffering from (yippee!). My only concern is whether I'll have enough fill in my band before I take off for a long trip and with a six month stint in South Africa following it. I just don't think they have a lot of fill doctors in South Africa. Last few details - I'm 26 years old and I'm 5'4" Its nice meeting you all! Mae

YES YES YES!!! Get some removed ASAP as that can cause erosion and slippage. Almost all band problems stem from over restriction. I just got .3cc's removed today because I was too tight to eat apples and grapes. Its important not to be over restricted because that, for one, will cause for problems with the band in the future and two, will make for a much less healthy diet. When I can't eat an apple to satisfy my sweet tooth I'll grab some ice cream since it'll go down easily. It's hard to get some removed because we think not being able to eat solids will somehow be better, but its not. Also, if you get ill where you vomit it could swell up to the point where you are not able to swallow even your own spit. It is very unpleasant - ask me how I know. My advice is its much better to not be as restricted as you could be then to be over restricted. Man was not meant to live on liquids alone. Mae

The trip is still on but keeps getting put off month by month. If life would hurry up and slow down I could hurry up and GO!!! I don't know of any doctors in S.A. I'm afriad. Check on the web is what I would do.

My hair is naturally messy - come people would call it naturally curly. I had "Japanese Hair Straightening" done (which is supposedly less damaging) and really enjoyed it. The only thing is if you have had any other chemical treatments done to your current hair it could make for a mess and cause major frizz problems and just all around not be good. It is damaging so if you have it done I reccomend you get it colored with a natural based color-enhancer that will coat the hair with some protective. That makes a HUGE difference. Basically you have to condition the heck out of it once you've had that done. But overall I was very delighted with it. My current longer hair is wavy because I had a bunch of wavy extensions put in since it's been awhile since I had it straightened and the new hair growth is wavy.

Here's me lately. I have long hair (well sorta long) again!

LOL! You go girl! You've got the mindset. Your turn is coming. Best of luck, Mae

Hi all! Sorry its been so long since my last post! I am sooooo happy I got the lower body lift. It's spectacular. Its given me a whole new lease on life! I can wear so many things I couldn't or wouldn't before. I may actually venture out in a swimming suit this summer. I'll have to buy one first! I love how much its boosted my confidence too. They didn't just remove the excess skin, they also plumped up my rear end! I had such a flat rear but now I really like it! My legs look better in the picture then they do in real life. Though they aren't bad at all. They aren't dimpled or anything, but they have a lot more "jiggle" to them then I'd like when I walk. I'm going to see if getting more leg muscles will help to firm them up. Other than that though I'm utterly delighted. It's made such a difference to me and the way I interact with others too. Last weekend I went to a concert and wore a little black sequined dress in a SIZE TWO and it wasn't tight or anything. It fit perfectly and looked amazing. I didn't have to wear any sort of support to hold in my gut or keep things in place. It was fantastic!!! I don't regret this one bit. However, the recovery took forever! I had to stay in bed for FOUR WEEKS!!! The pain wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be based on what I read. But I have a decently high pain tolerance. It was hard to not move for four weeks though!!! I didn't think the recoup time would be that long. But I'm all recovered now and so happy I did it. My body will be healing for another six months and I'll see little changes in my shape still for the next few months. The scars are gross but I have other scars that are several years old and hardly noticable unless you're trying to find them so I imagine this will heal up the same way. I'm just finally not looking quite so much like I got sawed in half!!! It's pretty gross at first. It's still pretty ugly but its healed up enough that I don't look like I'll split open at any moment now! But its worth the scar because no one but my guy will ever see it!!! I love it, love it, love it. I feel great these days! The picture I had to take myself so it's not very good, but gives you the idea! :eek: I weigh 123-125 pounds and usually wear a size four in fitted jeans but could probably switch to a two in regular jeans. Extra smalls can be a bit big these days. I think I am smaller then people who haven't lost a ton of weight and weigh the same. For those who don't know my story I was banded in 2001, took three years to go from 250 to 125 pounds. My band slipped and I had it replaced in August 2005. I gained about ten pounds because of the slippage but have since lost it. I currently have 2ccs in my band but am going to get some removed because I can't eat apples and grapes as easily and those where main staples of my diet. I eat a lot healthier now that I'm thin then I ever did when I was heavy. My first band surgeon was Dr Lundegardh in Sweden. Second band was placed by Dr Ortiz and Dr Martinez in Mexico - they are aweseome and I highly reccomend them! Dr Martinez does my fills and I just love that guy. He's the nicest, most caring doctor I've ever met. (www.obesitycontrolcenter.com) My LBL surgeon was Dr Quiroz in Mexico (www.cosmedsurgery.com). I really like Dr Quiroz! Next year I'm getting a breast lift and augmentation and I'll have him do that too. My LBL was about $5500 and the breast lift/augmentation will be roughly $3500. Mae

LOL! That made me laugh so hard. Thanks for the compliment!

Excellent question Jack! There is a huge difference in me now that I am 125 pounds instead of 250. I feel "worthy" in my own eyes now would be one way to put it. Some people are comfortable with their weight, it doesn't hold them back. They still go out and have fun and have some semblence of confidence. That was not at all me. The heavier I got the more inverted I became. I spent as little time outside of my house and office as I could. I lived under a rock. Now I LOVE going out. I'm sooooo girly and everything I own is pink and purple instead of black or navy. I own one pair of ugly shoes and everything else has heels. I've gone from bag lady to a lady with class and style. The people I run with now never knew me overweight. They all ask me for style advice and I even get the occasional "she can wear that - she looks good in everything" comments. Sooooo not me before. I have confidence that I can truly accomplish anything I want and I know my life will not be lived under a rock anymore. I have HOPE which is something I did not have when I was overweight. My weight didn't just weigh me down physically it weighed me down emotionally. I never felt "right" being overweight and that misalignment of who I felt I SHOULD be versus who I was (overweight) caused a lot of pain and basically paralyzed me. Now I am living out the reality of who I was meant to be. I find I am much more loving, I much more touchy-feely and enjoy letting my guy touch me whereas before I didn't want anyone near me for fear they might discover how fat I really was! Like I could somehow hide it... right. So internally the only change is I no longer imagine living life - I DO live life. And I enjoy it thoroughly. I doubt everyone has such an issue with their weight, but it bogged me down big time.

Thanks for correcting the link! Ya, four weeks was two weeks longer than I had planned. Luckily I seriously have the world's greatest boss and he gave me PAID work leave! Can you believe that?!? I totally had not expected it. He's amazing though! Best job in the WORLD!

I had no work done to my legs, only tightening on the sides just above the hip bone. The scar I have goes nearly all the way around with about 6 to 8 inches between the ends on each side. That smoothed out and tightened my legs enough that I didn't have them do anything else there.

Thanks! No children yet and no, they didn't tighten the muscles, just the skin.

Thanks all, I really am pleased with it. Two to six weeks is the norm. Had I been more careful and not moved so much during the first two weeks I probably would have recovered faster. But I was too active and that's why the doc confined me to bed! Basically you need to just sit in a recliner all day long, getting up only to use the bathroom! You won't want to be in a car for a while because every bump you hit will HURT! No lipo. But I did try to get my weight as low as possible before getting it done. I had gained ten pounds when my band slipped and I made sure to have that off prior to the LBL. Many docs reccomend going slightly below your ideal weight (if possible) because the lower the weight the more excess skin they can remove.

Wonderful wonderful wonderful!!! You are at the beginning of a journey that will change the rest of your life! Blessings!!

Well, I'm in Long Beach - kind of close to you. I am a self pay and went to Dr Ortiz in TJ Mexico - I HIGHLY reccomend him. He's an amazing person and an amazing doctor.

Hi! I am a freelance art director (i.e. glorified graphic designer). I love my job. I have clients all over the US and am able to work from anywhere. I also work for a ministry - which I like more than my freelance job! I wish you continued success with your weight loss!