shortgal

Hey Dee, Our Ct. banded family is growing! Nice to have you join us.

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So tell us how you really feel about this. LOL!! I did not have to do a liquid pre-op except two days of Clear Liquids before surgery and a low calorie, low fat diet two weeks before surgery. I think I lost like two pounds before surgery. I don't think all surgeons have patients do it because of the liver, it does have a mental boost to the patient, to see a few quick pounds fall off before surgery and since some people don;t get good restriction and can actually gain a few after surgery, that pre-op weight ends up meaning a lot mentally. And since many patients are so motivated to get their band they do follow the liquid diet as much as possible and lose some weight. I totally agree that all liquids for several weeks is very hard and have read many posts of people unable to stick to it and for many when they cheat, it's not pretty. A combo plan of one or two liquid meals and a small dinner of chicken and a veggie or salad would be a better compromise.

Maybe that's where my 1/2 inch went. I think I'll re-measure my height after I lose another twenty!

You described me except I describe myself as a binge eater... all or nothing. One small cup of ice cream... yeah right... not if there is an entire 1/2 gal. in the freezer. Anyway, this is the least I have weighed in over 20 years and I am the same age as you. Yes, weight loss is going slower now than it was in the beginning but I expected that and at least it's going down. Pre-band, I was struggling to NOT GAIN more weight. I learned years ago, I cannot be trusted with ice cream, defintely not tostitos and a few other foods like that in the house, so they are not in my house. The band has given me extra willpower to just say no to certain treats and defintely to choose portion sizes better. But you can eat around the band. you can eat around gastric bypass, too. Still, the band is better than doing nothing and continuing to gain weight. I need to lose 100 pounds for normal BMI, I'd love to lose 75 or 80 pounds and I'd be fine and happy if it ends up at 60 pounds that stays off. I'd still be fat but better off than before and already way more comfortable in my own "saggy" skin.

Well you must be doing something right. You've been banded two months and lost more than I have in over four months. But I understand completely about once you start.....hard to stop. That was always my downfall pre-band. I would eat perfect for weeks and let in one piece of cake and it was all over. The band does seems to help, now if I could just get to good restriction....:frown:

I do not have instructions before the fill, but I never eat, last time I had a Protein shake before I went. I am to be on full liquids for two days and two days of soft food. I generally make it about a day and a half on the liquids, this time it was one day and I caved for soft food. I sometimes get swelling around the band after a fill, so that alone helps me to stay on the liquids, but I don't feel much swelling this time, so I went to soft foods a day early. I can also judge by how well liquids and yogurt go down, what I can tolerate.

When the buttons on my pants popped off, I considered that a sign. when I saw my fat puffy cheeks in a photo, that was a sign. When the labels on my pants and dress size kept going up, that was a sign. YUP, plenty of signs all right! I decided to listen to the signs and now weigh 35 pounds less. Still not happy with the size the label on clothes are, but the number is going in the right direction.

So your over half way to goal and ate a half of piece of cheesecake. You didn't eat the WHOLE cheesecake or even the whole piece of cheesecake. No biggie, unless you do it everyday. Nothing to confess in my book. did you enjoy it? Hope so! This is life and some of it should be lived within reason and a little of it to excess. It's the balance that counts. I love cheesecake. Sounds like a place I should avoid until I'm closer to goal.

You left out curing all disease, but get back to me when you mature and get to a more ADVANCED age. The word advance generally has a positive meaning and in this case, I think it does as well. Yes, I'm advanced compared to you. A healthy weight has a range and on some people a healthy weight at the lowest range according to the "charts" can look too thin for my taste. Usually one can tell when someone carries that lowest ideal weight well and when they don't. Asian people tend to have very thin frames and those low end weights work on them, for others they just look bad, to me. I just don't try to preach to people that they are unhealthy becasue they don't reach a normal BMI according to some chart. I think it's rude and as someone that once suffered from obesity as you did, I would think you'd have more compassion and understanding. It reminds me of the people that suddenly "find" religion and yell it out on street corners with bull horns. We will never agree on ths subject. My opinion on this Normal BMI thing does not change the incredible work you have done to acheive your weight goals. If being a Normal BMI is your goal then you have acheived that. That's great. Please understand that other people have different goals and not just about weight. We all can prioritize our individual goals. I am not broken and don't need to be fixed.

Right now my goal is 140 pounds ( I'm five feet tall). My lowest weight ever as an adult was 128 and I was MUCH, MUCH younger then. My Dr said 150 or 160, but I reminded him how short I am. I guess I'll just evaluate as I get closer. It's easy to feel and look so much better when we drop 50 or 100 pounds (even if we have more to go) and so we settle in to that weight and that's ok, if we are happy there. I find myself doing the same thing. I prefer to work until I can get to a size that is easy for me to go into a store and find an outfit that fits well, so that is my goal. It's about being happy and comfortable with yourself. You'll know when you're there!

If your hairdresser notices you've lost weight are you obligated to tell her how? No, you just say thanks. If she asks how you say" diet and exercise" that's what it is. I believe the band just puts us on a level playing field with people that never had a weight problem. It's like a handicap in golf. But immediate family, yes. They need to know for any emergency. Just like a diabetic, you would disclose that info to a medical professional. I have told some people and some just don't ask. They comment on weight loss and I say Thanks! I told noone except my husband BEFORE surgery took place. After, I told a few family members and friends. I don't try to hide it and I don't run up and announce it, either. You'll figure out what works for you.

Jachut, I agree with what you are saying. My issue is that we are on a forum for people that have a problem with weight and food (as you and chickie once did). They work so hard to change that with the lapband and changes in lifestyle etc and for many on here, they will just never be a "normal BMI" and it feels to me that it is a BIG insult and similar to bullying when the reference to healthy and overweight are continually being made, when the original subject of some of the threads has nothing to do with that topic. Yes, that girl is overweight. Yes, she could be headed for severe obesity as she ages. But she is also an oppsoing example to all the Nicole Ritchie's or one of the Olsen twins that weigh 95 and less and can also be a bad example to young people as well. To tell people on a forum like this that the only way they are healthy is if they acheive a BMI of 24.9 or less is insulting to the many people that work hard but cannot acheive your definition of healthy. I agree a healthy weight should be everyone's goal but weight ALONE should not indicate health. Chickie: You way overestimate yourself. And are you unable to have a debate with someone on a topic without childish comments and attacks? And who died and made you GOD of everyone's ideal weight?

Linda, I understand! I'm kind of an all or nothing type, too. It's better since I've been banded, but I would not trust myself with certain foods in the house. I must limit how much and how often I am around certain foods. It's tough for sure and many of us have been or are still there. Hang in. Maybe read a motivational book or buy a new outfit, hang an old, really bad photo of yourself at your highest weight on the cabinet, to get your self back on track and focused. Or just come here and we'll kick your butt with our Kendra cancer kicking, cowboy boots.

My husband is a cancer survivor too. It's such a shock to hear a diagnosis like that and so many scary things go through our minds, all the what if's and thoughts of our families, but we're stronger for having been through the experience and you seem to have gotten a lot of strength and appreciation for life, A true survivor story! You will truly appreciate your band and how it will change your life. Best Wishes to you!

I kind of like doing laundry and at one point I had two cats and two dogs ( down to one dog now) and had towels and little blankets or mats for them that I was constantly washing, so I get it. At least towels are easy to fold! But my husband helps by doing our sheets. He loves hanging them on the line to dry ( especially if it's breezy). so lucky me on that!

No I am NOT dense! Are you? A healthy weight does not always equal good health and the smoking is just ONE EXAMPLE. I am asking if you saw two people that you did not know walking down the street and one was normal weight and one was overweight would you automatically assume that the thinner one was healthier? That is my point, what you SEE, is not always reality. A thin person might have cancer and be thin because of chemo, but most people would not consider them to to healthy. I'm just not hung up on some ambiguous chart to tell me what normal is and you are. And you seem to keep implying that all people that are thin are heathly. And that people that are not "normal" BMI are not. An anorexic is thin, but not necessarily healthy. And YES, some people are both THIN and HEALTHY. And some overweight people can be healthy too. The BMI charts do not take into account some with a lot of muscle mass.

You were banded eleven weeks ago and have lost at least two pounds a week. That seems good and normal to me. If you wanted even more rapid weight loss, then gastric bypass would have been the WLS to choose. Opps, just caught that too. Do you mean 2007 or Jan 2008? If you can;t tolerate most foods you might be too tight and many banded people do not lose weight if they are too tight. I guess we need more info/clarification to offer suggestions/help.

I would say you need to continue to drink more slowly until that feeling goes away. You probably have post op swelling around the band.

Would it be better if I smoked to keep my weight down to a normal BMI or be slightly overweight and not smoke? As I have said before, there are other factors. I've know thin "normal" BMI people with very unheathly eating habits, too much drinking, too much smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. My SIL is normal BMI, but the amount of chocolate she eats in one day, is ridiculous, so other food must be being avoided to be "normal" weight. i would not say that makes her any healthier than someone a little heavier. Of course I would agee that obese is not good for most people, but a little overweight is not always such a bad thing. Perhaps it's the difference in acceptance of this theory, between the US and Australia. I think the angle of the photo of the girl in the bikini is an unflattering angle and makes her look larger than she might appear in person.

I am always too hot OR too cold. My comfortable temperature range seems to be very small. I get hold flashes from menopause, but just being in the humid bathroom can make me sweat at anytime of the year, no matter the temp. I do not have high blood pressure or a thryoid problem.

I understand. I think I would not do a complete unfill, but have some taken out. Maybe someone on the forumcould advise you on how much. Or you could base it on your previous restriction/fill levels. Maybe removing 1 cc would work? But I guess a complete unfill wouldn;t make much difference if it's only a couple weeks. I hope you can have some fun on the trip!

Do you want an unfill because you are very tight right now? You don't have to have it all taken out, you can have just some taken out. I have found that people don't really pay much attention to what others are eating, but when we know we might have trouble we think they are watching. Many people just eat very slowly and push the food around on the plate, take small bites, say they aren't feeling well, stomach ache, that kind of thing.

Two bags of clothes is a great goal to get to. That should keep you on track. I'm getting bored with my choices and my closet is almost empty. At least I have lots of room for the smaller size clothes later!

I'm staying on plan today becauseI have a Dr's appt and hope to get a small fill. I have to be on full liquids after a fill and I always get tight for a couple days after a fill and then the scale always goes down! Maybe I can see the 170's soon.