Hastings

I had surgery at 8 am and was home by 1 pm and that is with a 45 minute drive (I didn't drive, by the way :wink2:)).

What I regret is letting myself get so damned fat that I had to have my body surgically altered so that I can lose the weight. I do not regret the having the lap band.:wink2:

In many ways, it's like sensory deprivation. Just let yourself feel it and then move on. Remember that it's for a short period of time and keep your eyes on the prize!:wink2:

Name...................Current.......Goal.......Lost.......Still to Lose KarenG..................174..........160.........0...........14 (by 7/4) kathystrick.............318..........288.........0...........30 Leslie2Lose.............233..........208.........0...........25 (by 7/4) LessNLess...............151..........140.........0...........11 Luu2008.................215..........185.........0...........30 (by 7/4) luvinke.................217..........190.........0...........27 Marissa's Mom...........388..........358.........0...........30 (by 7/4) Nettie..................193..........170........42...........65 Newhope4me..............177..........160.........0...........17 nurse7263...............244..........150.........0...........24 (by 7/4) Sunshine2...............179..........160.........0...........19 (by 6/29/08) TexasFire67.............170..........145.........0...........25 Hastings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253. . . . . . . . 228 . . . . . . . 0. . . . . . . . . . .25

If you ever doubt that heavy people are "overly" nice take a look at some before and after pictures. Lots of angry looks in the before pictures. I love to see the smiling and proud faces in the after pictures. I don't think your particular character changes, but your behavior might.

Nothing tastes as good as success feels and every pound lost is a success. I try not to enable my addictive personality. :glare: Slimmy is that enough weight to be considered a gain? Does your weight ever fluctuate?

Not everyone is goal oriented. If you are comfortable with not having a goal, then that's fine. I set smaller goals and non-food prizes for reaching the goal (generally art supplies I would never otherwise buy). It works for me. It might be a good idea for you to commit to living by band rules and to make sure you are actively participating in your weight loss. Not having a goal does not mean that you don't have to participate, because a band by itself will not necessarily get you to weight loss paradise. :glare:)

Hang in there, Brandy II. The most important thing is your health. I enjoy reading your posts, too.

I would say many have had success with the band, but to say that it has come easily is wrong, in my opinion.

I have found that food tastes different to me, thank goodness, so it's easier to give up things, or just to delay things.

I had 3 ccs put in a 10 cc band during surgery. I haven't felt hungary yet and have as much restriction as I need.

I think that people can be addicted to food, to feeding behavior, to satisfaction and to many other things that surround and accompany food. Being hungry is NOT an emergency. I think that people need to understand that. Not eating when hungry is NOT a disaster. To say that people with food addictions cannot succeed without restriction, I think is not true. If you say you CANNOT do something, then you have already written the ending to your story. Addicted people are not incapable of making an attempt or an effort? They will have to do just that. I fear very much for those who have made no effort to deal with their relationship to food. What if the band doesn't work? What if they lose their band? What good is a band if it doesn't change anything in someone's life other than restrict their eating? It may not be permanent, after all. The unexamined life and all that . . .

I have had a horrible time swallowing air since I was banded. Funnily enough, I find that when I use a straw, I don't seem to. However when I eat food I still manage to swallow air. Strange.

I don't really have a size goal. The sizes are different now than when I last wore a 14 or 12.

Walking an hour every day and will soon start the gym.

Just about all the information on here is anecdotal. Everyone has a responsibility to deal with their own insurance carriers and doctors. You could have found out about your policy with just one phone call.

I use sparkpeople.com because, among other things, I can add in a recipe and get the nutritional info for it. I keep a small digital scale in the kitchen and weight food, also two sets of measuring cups. I know where I stand and what I have eaten. If I go off the track, I make sure to record that too.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding bingeing here, but if you are the sort of binger who sneaks down after everyone is asleep and eats a chocolate cake and some chips and drinks a lot of soda or something and then purges it, a lap band is not going to resolve those issues. Anyone who wants/needs to purge is gonna be in big trouble with a lap band. I think that anyone who has emotionally-based eating disorders will still need to resolve those issues. Perhaps one doesn't doesn't need to diet (restrict eating), but many are banded who do not have healthy eating habits in place (me included). I have had to change my habits and just eating what I normally cook would not suffice. I am searching as much for health as for lower weight. I think that it is healthier, mentally and physically, to deal with those issues in conjunction with banding. One thing none of us wants to say (knock on wood) is that we may not have the band forever and if we have not dealt with issues (relearning food choices, dealing with emotional issues, etc.) we are almost guaranteed to end up in the same place without the band. We might have a fighting change to retain weight loss if we have learned new behaviors and dealt with eating disorder issues and then lose the band.

I use the databases at sparkpeople.com. You can run reports on weight, measurements, etc.

In the words of a banded pirate, "The band is a fickle bitch."

Haha, there is only one thing I hate more than being baited, and that is taking the bait. :sad::tongue2::tt1:

I have UHC choice plus and all it requires is that you have a bmi over a certain limit, I think 40 with no co morbidities and 30 with 2 morbidities and a five year history of obesity. The whole thing took two weeks. It depends on what your employer has chosen in their contract.

Exactly at what age do you reckon people ought to give up hope?

The gas could have been caused by the splenda.

I would just say the smells and commotion are a huge problem and interferes with your work . . .