needtorecover

I have mixed feelings on it myself. On the one hand, I want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin. I don't think anyone should feel ashamed of their size. Everyone should be able to find flattering, comfortable clothes in their size. We should educate people who have never had a weight problem that obesity is not a choice. We should fight the lazy/clumsy/stupid stereotypes of obese individuals... all that I support. But there is something about it that rubs me the wrong way... I think it's the push to ignore medical advice and tell doctors they're being fat-shamed for being told to lose weight. I'm just curious. Do you think it's ultimately harmful or helpful to obese folks? Discuss

First thing you have to do is stop the binging. Are you able to take time off work? That may help with doing the liquid diet. If you're able to lay around your house and not have to worry about anything it'll be easier to stick it out. If you want to save your band, I strongly advise you listen to your doctor. Remind yourself that it's just a week. I'm sure it feels good to binge but it's self-destructive behavior. Go to the store, stock up on protein shakes, broths, and yogurt smoothies and tough it out for 7 days. Then move on to mushies, and then try to eat your lap band diet the next week, and then see your doctor. Otherwise you're just going to go back to the way you were before. It's unfortunate for us but once you're obese your body will do whatever it takes to get that fat back. It's not a matter of pure willpower. That's why we needed help in the first place. But you can do 7 days. That's all it is. Just a week. Take it day by day and you'll get through it.

I'm not sure about muscle protein synthesis but I know egg yolks are very nutrient-rich. They have a lot of fat and cholesterol but they also have vitamins and minerals like iron, B12, A, E, and D. Overall very nutritious. I always eat whole eggs because they're so healthy and very filling!

Hey y'all! So I fell off the band-wagon (pun intended) and bellied up to the holiday binge-fest which was filled with gravy-butter-and-chocolate-laden foods. Easy sliders that go straight through the band. I gained 13 pounds. I refuse to update my ticker to indicate this because I'm gonna lose that weight again, dammit. I decided to join Weight Watchers and I really like the plan. I've been struggling with food choices and ideas for meals, snacks, etc. and I really like their recipes. You can modify them to add or reduce points as you like. The hardest part so far is the fact that it's lower fat than I'm used to. I'm okay with reducing sugar but eating plenty of healthy fats from avocados, olive oil, and nuts/nut butters helps me stay full and those are high in "points" so I've had to cut that dramatically. But aside from that, the plan is easy to follow. I need flexibility in my diet or else I go nuts. That being said, when I allow myself too MUCH flexibility I don't lose weight. This plan is a very happy medium. Anyway, just checking in to see if there are any buddies out there doing WW or who are interested in it. Also interested to see if there are still bandsters around - I realize it's a fading surgery.

I mostly drink unsweetened iced tea, water, Crystal Light, and milk. I'll have a diet soda once in a while if I'm really craving it but it does hurt my tummy so I open it and let it sit for a few minutes, then sip it slowly. I drink them when I'm not eating, of course. I think it all depends on the person. I don't miss it too terribly so it's not a big deal for me but some folks are addicted and can't just have one every once in a while. There are just days where I see diet ginger ale or diet orange pop in the fridge and think "that sounds really good" so I'll pour it in a glass and let it sit and then sip it while I do something else. However, my weakness lies in sweets like brownies, cookies, cakes, and pies. EASY slider foods. Gotta avoid those at all costs. Everyone is different I don't advise anyone indulging in something that will ultimately derail them.

I'd discuss it with your doctor. If there are any abnormalities you should get them checked out and see what's going on. Otherwise, no advice here except to lay off the slider foods

Well, unless you're not human and can survive without food or water, I'm gonna say you'll need to take fluid out. How are you not suffering after 3 days without water???

I'm a big fan of research, especially when it comes to happenings in my body so I browse websites to learn more about weight loss. Seems like our bodies are doomed to obesity and it just blows my mind. Conclusion from the article: "Despite relative preservation of FFM (fat-free mass), exercise did not prevent dramatic slowing of resting metabolism out of proportion to weight loss. This metabolic adaptation may persist during weight maintenance and predispose to weight regain unless high levels of physical activity or caloric restriction are maintained." Here it is if you like reading this stuff, too: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3387402/ I wish all primary care physicians (and, hell, insurance companies) knew this already but they don't. You go to the doctor and so many of them are like "You need to lose weight. I recommend Weight Watchers and an exercise program" as if you don't already know that!!!! There is a very real reason why so many of us are fat. And it has nothing to do with willpower or effort. Obesity is clearly a biological imperative. Surgery is obviously the only solution and shouldn't be perceived as a last resort or the "easy way out." It is literally the ONLY way out. How many times have you lost weight and gained it back? Watched friends and family rebound? It's so frustrating but there's a cultural stigma around obesity which blames the individual for being fat because they're perceived as lazy and gluttonous. Wow. But the good thing is, the more I read articles like this the easier I am on myself.

It would be lovely to have a BMI of 26! As a fat person, I recommend doing whatever it takes to avoid gaining weight. That's when the real problems start. If you're never morbidly obese, your battle will be much, much easier. All you'd probably need to do is halve your carb portions and double your fruits/veggies and you'd be fine. Conventional dieting advice generally works well for people who just need to lose a couple pounds. Hang in there - I know it's a struggle either way. Stay active, drink your water, and try to alter your diet so you're consuming less sugar and you'll be fine.

Yeah, I opt for general movement over rigorous exercise anymore. Gardening, playing with my toddler son, gentle swimming, walking... My primary reason to go to the gym is to drop my boy off at their in-center childcare facility so he has some kids to play with and I can take a break listening to music and watch some TV while I use the equipment! It's great! But simply going on Weight Watchers isn't the solution to morbid obesity. If it were that easy no one would be fat, right? It took a lot of self-control to work full-time and earn my master's degree part-time but it was doable. I had no problem disciplining myself to read articles and write papers, attend (and pay attention to) 3 hour lectures after working 8 hours, and spending my weekends in front of a computer. But for clear biological reasons I couldn't stick to calorie restriction without the help of my band. It wasn't from lack of trying.

Same here! I have a gastric band and I know this is bad but there are days when I think to myself "I've been good, I'm going to cheat!" Years and years of conditioning is very difficult to overcome. You know how you diet for a couple months and all you want to do is go to McDonalds and go nuts ordering 2 cheeseburgers, a large order of fries, and a large milkshake? Then you eat it all and still want pizza so you order a pizza to go pick up and take home? That was me. I HAD to fill my stomach until it hurt. Thing is, even if I WANT to cheat, I CAN'T. If I try, it hurts - badly. If I eat too fast, food gets stuck and I'm miserable and no longer enjoy the meal. If I eat slowly, I get full after 6-8 bites regardless of what I'm eating. If I try to eat beyond the "satisfied" signal, I get a stomach ache. And worse, the ache lasts for hours because I'd have distended my pouch and it takes hours for the food to filter into the larger part of my stomach. That's why it works - the satisfaction lasts several hours and the amount of food is small. It's great. But it can suck sometimes if you really, really want a good binge but you cannot do it anymore. It is mostly a blessing, though. No one should want to eat like that.

Grilled shrimp very disappointing because I absolutely love shellfish. Even if I chew it a million times into a fine paste it still gets stuck and/or makes me feel very full too quickly. I substitute with scallops now, or I'll eat crab or salmon if I'm craving seafood.

This! I tried everything before surgery. Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins, DASH, adding cardio, weights, and eventually tried to practice mindful eating. All of these worked, for a few months. But then my biology would win and I'd start overeating. It's astounding the lengths our bodies will go to keep us fat. I chose the lap band for a variety of reasons: first, it was the lowest risk of major complications (albeit highest in minor complications but the pros outweighed the cons in my opinion). I have a 2 year old and I was terrified of leaving him without one parent if I had a fatal complication. Second, it was the least extreme option. I started with 160 pounds of excess weight and yes, that is a lot, but like you I was otherwise healthy and felt good but I knew I was running on borrowed time (someone else mentioned that too). I know I have to lose weight to live a healthy life and I wanted to try something that didn't completely alter my anatomy. I also like that it's adjustable (I can get a fill if I "get used to" the restriction I have now) or I can have all the fluid removed if there was a medical emergency. It works great for me. Losing weight nice and steady again after my recent fill and my hunger is greatly diminished. It's a great tool for folks who are volume eaters and like ALL foods and not just carbs. I always ate a balanced diet before surgery (lots of fresh produce, protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, and also plenty of treats). It's just that I ate way too much. Big platters of food and not the little salad plate I eat off of now. I would also urge you to consider a second opinion. My third (and final) reason for choosing a lap band is feeling secure in the knowledge that I can get a revision in the future if necessary. Selecting the least extreme option gives me choices for the future in case the band eventually fails. I'd probably do the VSG next if I had to have my band removed. But yes, DS is the "nuclear option" of WLS so I would reconsider it, personally.

I pack an insulated lunch bag with food for when I go to work. I usually include: berries, 1 hard boiled egg, a package of budding lunch meat, sliced veggies with hummus (I like tomatoes, cucumbers, and kalamata olives, plus a little drizzle of olive oil over the hummus), and a sugar-free pudding. I have a protein shake and a banana for breakfast. I'll eat the egg and berries for mid-morning, lunch meat and veggies for mid-afternoon, and pudding for late afternoon. If I'm still hungry when I get home I snack on a quarter cup of nuts while I prepare dinner. Other suggestions: avocado, canned tuna (though the pouches probably taste better!), beef sticks, and string cheese. Apple slices and nut-butter are good. Celery with cream cheese. All kinds of good stuff out there!

I get it - I love food, too, which is why I needed the surgery. I don't have a "stop" button when it comes to eating, but my band became a "stop" button. Even with this awesome tool, I get frustrated because I WANT to eat more, but I CAN'T. Like last night we had a work dinner with prime rib (YUMMMMMMM) but I could only eat a sliver of that, some green beans, and a few bites of potatoes. I wanted a lot more, but it wouldn't be worth the pain. I'm very averse to vomiting, so I guess that's a good thing. But I'll admit it, sometimes I miss being able to have a good binge when I'm having a terrible day. Point is, I understand where you're coming from. Being fat sucks. Wanting food all the time sucks, too. No surgery will stop that feeling, even the sleeve or RNY because it's mostly psychological. I still get mad when I grab my small plate and put a couple ounces of meet and a cup of veggies on it and think to myself "this will never fill me up" but it does. It's just different now. Anyway, I'm glad you're taking care of yourself. Make sure you're talking to a bariatric surgeon when asking about revision. I don't know how that works with lap band erosion (might be dangerous to remove the band and revise you all at once) but it's worth asking. Also, check with your insurance! They very well might cover the revision cost due to band failure. Good luck!!! Keep us posted on what you find out and what they'll do for you.

Holy Hell... I know you're not asking for advice, but I feel you need it. 1) I hope you're joking when you say you'd rather be dead than fat. How would your mother feel? Do you have a spouse and/or kids? How would they feel? Do you think they'd rather visit you in the cemetery or keep loving you regardless of your weight? 2) FIND A BARIATRIC SURGEON FOR GOD'S SAKE. Get that band out of your stomach. There's a wonderful thing called "revision" and hopefully your insurance will cover it if the band failed you. If not, assuming you'd rather be dead than fat, I believe you'd rather be poor than dead so you can always take out a loan. 3) Throwing up was NORMAL for you?? Girl, that ain't right. I do my best to chew my food so well that I don't have a chance at barfing because that is no way to live. If you're going to get revision surgery, you need to nip that habit in the bud. You could cause yourself some serious damage if you ripped the incisions on your stomach after a sleeve or RNY. 4) Actually, before you do anything else, SEE A PSYCHOLOGIST. You have some issues you need to work through before surgery works for you. Your goal all along should've been health, not size necessarily (though being able to fit into cute, smaller clothes is a happy side effect). Your doctor shouldn't have performed surgery on you from what you're saying here (that you'd rather be dead than fat, which indicates you're majorly hung up on the superficial aspects of weight loss and not the deeper, positive effects of reduced blood pressure, reduced risk of diabetes, and slashing your chances of getting cancer). 5) Shame on your doctor for giving you the surgery and then setting you loose after filling you too tight. My surgeon would never have done that. He filled me too tight at my last appointment and wouldn't let me leave like that (the water I drank to test the restriction was gurgling in my throat). Filling so tight that you can't eat healthy food without making yourself sick should absolutely not be the goal of this surgery. Fat is bad, yes, and it's uncomfortable, unhealthy, and unattractive - BUT it is better than being a corpse. Okay, that's all I got I think. Even if you don't want this advice, I hope if anyone else comes along with the same issues as you reads this and gives their surgery a second thought or seeks mental health assistance, I will be happy I wrote it. I do wish you luck and health, and pray you take care of yourself if only for the sake of your family. I would be sick with anger if my mom did this to herself, or my spouse, or especially my son.

I only bring up my surgery when people ask me about it. I went out to lunch with an acquaintance I volunteer with and she noticed I didn't eat much of my meal (I ordered a salad and frittata combo and only ate the hard boiled eggs, a few pieces of lettuce, and some tomato and took the rest to go). I told her I had surgery and she was like "WOW, I wish I had something that would stop me from eating so much!" It made me uncomfortable because her weight problem is not nearly as severe as mine so I just kind of laughed it off and changed the subject. I think it produces less speculation if you are just up front with the surgery rather than saying you're on a diet. People have questions about what you're eating and "aren't you starving yourself?" if you're sitting there nibbling on a carrot. But if you say it's because your stomach literally cannot handle more than the small amount in front of you they'll leave you alone Good luck on your surgery! I bet you're excited!

My son is naturally active so I have no problem getting him outside moving! And luckily he's a healthy eater (enjoys pretty much all types of food) so I don't have to worry much about his diet. Of course he's only 2 but as time passes I plan to pack healthy lunches for him at school (he doesn't need to eat that nasty square pizza I used to eat!). Between that and signing him up for the sport of his choice then I think he'll stay slim and won't suffer as I did!

You must feel amazing - way to go!

You mean for the IV? I had my IV put in while I was sitting in a bed before going in the operating room but the anesthesiologist didn't administer any medication until I was on the table. He said "This might sting a little" and I felt a burning in my hand and was out before I could say "ouch." Woke up what felt like an instant later and I had a nurse hoisting me up and urging me to eat Jello. Did not want the Jello but I had to eat a cup of it before they let me leave. I was on my way home within an hour. My advice is to take it easy when you get home. They tell you the surgery is easy - and it is, relative to other surgeries. But it's still major surgery. I overdid it because I felt fine so I had guests over the next day but it was just too much. Between not being able to eat anything and your body working overtime to heal the incisions you'll need to stay in bed for a few days. After that - all uphill! You'll do great enjoy the benefits of the surgery! It is so, so wonderful feeling satisfied on small amounts of food and losing excess weight.

Will your surgeon advocate for you to get a revision? In my insurance policy, if the band fails I can get a revision (due to the fault of the equipment or malfunction, not failure to lose weight). It sounds like you've already lost the weight but if you need that restriction to keep it off I'd argue for a revision. Have you gained weight since you lost your band? Document it and tell your surgeon. It's his (and his office's) job to speak up for you!

You know what's really good is Halo Top Ice Cream. 240 calories for an entire pint! But I'm not much of an ice cream eater so I eat a few bites to satisfy the sweet tooth and it's great. I'm not a fan of "diet food" at all but Halo Top is probably the best healthy version of ice cream I've ever had. You should give it a shot! Comes in tons of different flavors. According to the reviews, red velvet and peanut butter cup are the two favorites.

Yo-yo dieting. When I was 10 I told my mom I thought I was fat so she put me on Weight Watchers (really, she was doing the best she could and she felt sorry for me and she thought it would work but it set me on a very horrible path). I was a little chubby but not fat by any stretch of the imagination. I was conditioned to think my baby fat was ACTUAL fat, though, because I read those magazines with beautiful, perfect teenage girls and I wanted to be just like them. What I wish would've happened is my mom tell me I'm perfect as I am (though I'm sure I wouldn't have believed her) and then have her scale back on the sweets, add more veggies to our meals, and not mention it. Have her say "Hey, let's go for a bike ride together!" a few times a week. Maybe then I wouldn't have associated food as a coveted reward earned only by skinny people who can keep off weight and exercise as punishment to atone for my sins as an overeater. This was the beginning of my disordered eating habits. I'd starve myself, be unable to bear it any longer, binge, and repeat. Eventually I found diet pills and those worked great for a couple years until I started to have heart palpitations. I got to college and gained a few pounds but nothing terrible. The weight really piled on, though, when I went to graduate school part-time and worked full-time. Lots of stress, very little time to relax, and food and beer were great comforts for me that I could enjoy while reading and writing when I got home at night. Then instead of losing weight I started to buy into that "health at every size" nonsense. I used it as permission to stay fat, get fatter, even, and eat what I wanted. After I had my son I realized I need to do better for myself. I never want to be That Mom who can't keep up with her kids. Worse, I don't want to have debilitating health problems that make him worry about my mortality. So here I am. I am very grateful for my lap band. It's really helped me control my eating.

Have you talked to your surgeon? They would be best equipped to handle any weight gain issues. I'm only 1.5 years out so I can't say I've had reflux issues... do you eat small meals? Chew really well? I'd have your band checked for problems like dilation or a slip or erosion. If there's a problem like that the surgeon can probably do a revision, right?

I learned how to "eat around" my band and went a little nuts with it. Happily I didn't gain any weight but I didn't lose any either. I was too loose, I realize, and went in for a fill last week myself! It really made a big difference and I'm working hard at eating mindfully. It's so hard to pace myself and eat slowly (a problem I've always had) because those first few bites you don't even feel hit your stomach for a good 5 minutes after you swallow. My issue was I'd eat too big of a bite, swallow, and rapidly eat the next bite because I just wanted that hungry feeling to go away as quick as I could. With the band, though, I'd feel the food get stuck and take a few swallows of water to wash it down. Do that every couple bites and you can eat a pretty big meal. No more water with my food! Anyway... I'm right there with ya. If you lost 108 pounds before you can do lose the 55 pounds again! Important thing is to stick with your surgeon. He/she will get you through and they're there to help if you have problems.