needtorecover

Lol I've always said "Never trust a skinny cook" but I should amend that to say "unless they've had bariatric surgery."

I'm not a veteran (6 months out and just hitting my stride) but I will say buffets suck now. I went to three this weekend (1 wedding, 1 retirement party, 1 work lunch) and instead of just happily loading my plate with any and everything and going back for 2nds (and 3rds and 4ths if I was feeling particularly hungry) I have to take a walk around the food bar and mentally decide what's going to go on my plate and how much I should portion it out. The wedding buffet was at the Golden Corral (don't ask). The adult price was $15. HELL NO I am not paying $15 to eat one single plate of food! I was able to negotiate the kid's price (highly recommended) and I ate prime rib, seafood, and a couple scoops of veggies. I've decided my strategy is to ask for the lowest price possible and select the most expensive and highest Protein options available. Seemed to work out fine but it was still hard seeing all the mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, rolls, pastries, cakes, pies, Cookies, stuffing, and fried chicken piled in enticing heaps all over.

I'm an excellent baker, too. Not so pretty (always wanted to learn how to design) but I always manage to bake my cakes to perfection and I've learned multiple frosting recipes. It is dangerously easy to whip up a quick cake. I make delicious butter Cookies, chocolate chip cookies, Peanut Butter chocolate cookies, and snickerdoodles. I do not allow myself to bake except for the holidays. Then I make a ton of stuff and distribute it to family and friends. That way I can enjoy a taste of my dangerous talent and schlep the rest off on everyone else. Oh, and my pies. I pick fresh apples in the fall, skin them, slice them, fry them with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Freeze the filling and make the pies over the holidays. I usually yield 5 pies a year. My family asks for them every year. See, being fat has its advantages. No one can accuse me of being a terrible cook I am normally not a sweets person except for when I make cake. I do specialty cakes like on the tv shows and over the weekend I made my daughters wedding cake. There was a good bit left over and I made sure that it didn't come home with me. My husband was upset that we didn't bring it home and I had to explain to him that it was a trigger food for me. If it's in the house I'll eat a bite here or there every time I go in the kitchen. It's the only thing that does that to me. So I totally get the cake issue.

This is me with cake! Cake goes down so easy, it's so good, and I can eat SO MUCH of it. Luckily, I only see cake once in a great while when there's a special occasion. Went to a wedding this weekend and we were sent home with wedding cake. Happily, the cake was dry and the icing was nasty so I will not be tempted to eat it. Not worth the calories. Now the chocolate cake that came free with my lunch yesterday due to a long wait... that went down the ol' hatch, no problem. I cannot have cake in my house.

I'm fairly open about my surgery and will tell anyone who asks. What I hate most is every time I tell someone, they come back with a horror story. "My niece got the lap band and didn't lose any weight." "I know someone who had gastric bypass and they gained all their weight back." "My coworker popped his lap band after overeating too much." My response is always "I'm sorry to hear that. It's working great for me." That's usually the end of it. What I do know is oftentimes the folks who fail typically are the ones who don't listen to their surgeons, do not receive follow up care, or think it's some kind of miracle cure where they don't have to make any effort or change their habits. Knowing this helps me shrug off everyone else's stories!

I once heard something that sounded like a pair of ghosts moaning "Ooooooooh! Ohhhhhhh!!!! OOOOOOOOOH!!!" It was coming from my basement and it scared me to death. I went down to see what was happening and half expected skeletal ghosts to chase me back upstairs but then I saw my cats sitting at the window with their hackles raised and tails all puffed up, moaning at a raccoon outside. Animals can make some pretty spooky sounding noises!

No, that's certainly not normal! I hope by now you've called your doctor and gotten some Fluid removed! It is not safe to not be able to drink Water as you risk dehydration, which is very serious.

If you go to Google, search for "resting metabolic rate." The more you weigh, the more calories you require to maintain that weight. Do you have MyFitnessPal? It calculates how much you should eat based on your weight and how much you move in a day. If I do nothing but lay in bed, I would require 2050 calories to stay at my current weight. Because I move, I require closer to 3000 calories to maintain my weight. If you lose 10% (or more) of your body weight then your metabolism panics and sends distress signals to your brain causing a sharp increase in appetite, which is why dieters always fail unless they have the grit to ignore this biological imperative. Once you're fat, your body wants to STAY fat. It sucks. If you're a man, you have the advantage of testosterone and higher muscle mass, which is why men tend to lose weight faster when they make the effort (drives my mom nuts when she and my dad compete). Women can counteract this by lifting weights (and men can add fuel to the fire the same way). More muscles = more calories burn. The larger you are (even if it's fat), the more calories you require to sustain your weight. You learn a lot when you're fat and don't want to be anymore. I've spent years trying to figure out why I have this problem and why I can't fix it. It's impossible to change hardwiring, but it is possible to alter your anatomy in favor of weight loss! Hence, WLS is the only proven way to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. On crashing metabolisms: I don't think that happens unless you *severely* restrict your calories (such as only consuming 1000 or less per day and/or overdoing it on the exercise). There comes a point when your body slows its processes to conserve energy and if you continue to push yourself beyond your limits, that's when you risk the crash and cannot repair it. This is why the Biggest Loser contestants have wrecked metabolisms It's sad.

The majority of the complaints I see on this board about the lap band are usually from folks who get the band placed and then don't see their surgeon anymore. Then they get all defensive when you tell them they need follow-up care. I think that's really the only way to succeed with it. It's likely losing popularity due to updated surgical methods (bypass used to be somewhat dangerous and from my understanding the sleeve is fairly recent relative to GB and LB). It's also losing popularity because of the intensive follow-up that's required (i.e. adjustments and dealing with complications). The lap band works great for me as a volume eater and a Protein lover. I think if simple carbs are your kryptonite it may not be the best option. Last Saturday I had too much to drink at my dinner party and cupcakes looked very appealing. It was shockingly easy to scarf down two of them without any trouble. However, eating 6 ounces of steak and a side salad for dinner kept me full and satisfied until bedtime. There are legitimate complications (like erosion or a slip). But oftentimes folks come on this forum and complain about the band after having it placed for months without seeing their doctor and wonder why it's not working.

I got approved for surgery in 2012 and I panicked and cancelled it. It's very natural to be scared. I was mad at myself for "needing" surgery to lose weight. Felt like a failure to myself and told myself I could do better than that. I was scared I wouldn't be able to have a baby if I had WLS. I tried to lose weight on my own. Failed. Got pregnant and had my baby. Then decided I'm done with trying to lose weight on my own and I am so glad I had the surgery. You need to be ready for it. If you're discouraged because you're gritting your teeth through your pre-op diet, believe me when I say it gets better! You won't always feel like that. WLS takes away a majority of the agony that goes along with dieting. food cravings still happen but they're not nearly as intense as they used to be. I still WANT to overeat, but I don't because it hurts if I try. It's much different than before. If I tried to limit my calories to 1800 I'd be crawling out of my skin after a few weeks and then binge like there's no tomorrow. I'm plenty satisfied with that amount now and usually eat less than that over the course of the day and don't have any trouble. Weight comes off readily. And this is just with the lap band (the gentlest procedure). The sleeve and bypass are even more powerful. Try to keep that in mind because I know it's hard now but it won't always be this hard, you know? Whatever you decide, I wish you well.

Quitting smoking is a great accomplishment! Be proud of yourself for that. My band feels like it's disappeared when I have PMS It really sucks. I had a tightening recently and it's a good restriction when I don't have PMS... nervous about when PMS strikes again since I can't just tighten it for the 4-5 days when I get the progesterone-induced munchies. Anyway, if you've been at the green zone before you'll get there again!

1/50?! That's a 2% chance you'll die, which is much higher than the standard 0.01% chance I'm used to hearing. I'm very curious to know where you got that statistic as well. As others have said, surgery is safer than obesity. Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are all the major causes of death in this country. Having obesity exponentially raises your odds of suffering from one of these three killers. WLS is the only proven way to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off for the long-term. I may have only lost 35 pounds so far but I've never been able to get my weight this low organically and keep it off for more than a month or two. And I'm still losing steadily with much less suffering than I did in my dieting days! In any case... these days, death during WLS is very rare. Used to be much higher when the surgery was new but techniques have improved. Talk to your doctor - he/she should reassure you!

If everything is fine with your band then I'd recommend finding a bariatric center that does fills and can monitor your progress. The lap band really only works when you have the support and monitoring of a surgeon and nutritionist. I've have 5 cc's in my band and the restriction is good for me. I eat 1600-1800 calories a day and I've been losing weight steadily. If you can eat quickly and easily then your band is definitely not tight enough. The difference between a tight band and a loose band is pretty dramatic. Eat Protein first, then veggies, and finally carbs if there's still room (that's my strategy because I can't imagine a life without the option of Pasta or potatoes... but it's more psychological than anything else because by the time I finish my protein I barely have enough room to eat my vegetables too). After you've reached your optimal restriction, that's a good time to decide if the band is working or not. If it's not working because it just isn't right for you then you should be able to have a revision. At least that's how my insurance works. If weight loss is unsuccessful with the band, or if it erodes or I have another complication not due to over-eating or not following my surgeon's rules then I can have a revision if necessary. I hope you find a good doctor and get some fills going soon! You may be surprised to see how well it works once your restriction is in the green zone

No joke! I lose about a pound a week but it sure feels like I should be losing 10 pounds a week I have to remind myself that it took a long time to get this fat and it's gonna take just as long to get back down to a normal weight. *sigh*

Excellent advice - both the Listerine strips and making the kids clean!

This is the most socially acceptable form of discrimination! It's hard to make people understand why losing weight isn't as easy as "eat less, move more." If that were the case we'd all be thin and there wouldn't be a multimillion dollar diet industry.

If you ask most bariatric surgery patients what they regret most about their surgery, it's that they didn't get it done sooner. The difference between dieting and WLS is HUGE. It is still hard and you still need to make good choices, and there are ways to sabotage yourself, but I can tell you that I'd never felt this good on a regular diet/exercise regime. When I restricted calories in the past, my body fought back hard. Hunger was unbearable. If you compare hunger to noise, pre-surgery hunger was a deafening roar. Now it's just a little whimper. The signal's there but it's not making me pounce face-first into a platter of food. You will feel different, and it will feel fabulous (once you're past recovery and liquid diets!) Hang in there, folks

They're basically looking to make sure you completely understand that this is a long-term lifestyle change and that you have realistic expectations. As long as you are committed to making a huge change in your life and you are comfortable with what to expect after surgery you won't "fail" the exam.

Under the right care, with the right education and with an ethical doctor I could see this being beneficial. But some quack could open a clinic in LA and advertise this device to hungry women with a little pudge promising a thin, taut body while being able to eat as much cake and ice cream as they'd like. I guess you could argue the same thing for bariatric surgery, but there's just something that seems off about this type of procedure. To me, it's the moral wrongness of consuming more food than you need to purge it later. Certainly, I'm guilty myself of eating more food than I need which is why I got fat in the first place. But I had the sense to feel terrible about it later just because I felt like I was feeding my hedonistic pleasure centers rather than nourishing my body (partially why I sought a restrictive procedure in the first place). I still don't understand how this would effect long-term change as well. If I had to take my lap band out I'd do a revision at the same time because I know if I don't have my band I will go back to my old ways. This seems similar to the balloon in that sense (though the balloon doesn't cause food waste). I'm not sold on it but I could see its applications being beneficial in certain cases. I just worry about abuse because even though there are safeguards in place, I'm sure someone out there could tamper with it and turn it into an efficient bulimia device, market it to people who shouldn't have it, and make a bunch of money.

Um... start working out and stop eating sweets? 70 pounds is a fairly dramatic weight loss for a lap band patient over 4 months. Are you eating enough? Make sure you're getting enough calories or else you will turn to sweets since your body is asking for more. Start slow with the exercise and try to get more steps in. Drink Water if you're craving something sweet (works for me sometimes).

This is rewarding gluttony! NO! Awful! 1) I am very, very conscious of food waste and have been working hard to control my portions so I don't end up throwing food away because there are hungry kids out there and it makes me so sad. Also, chickens, cows, and pigs die to feed me - the least I can do is be respectful enough not to waste what's been killed for human consumption. 2) How is this teaching ANYONE good habits??? Sure, go ahead and fill your stomach to its max capacity, all you have to do is excuse yourself to the bathroom and bam, problem solved! 3) NO! I am all for researching new, less invasive ways to manage over-eating but this is absolutely not the solution.

I, too, went on a bender after I moved out of my family's house! No kids' cereals, EVER, so I stocked my pantry with Count Chocula and Cookie Crisp. Along with spaghettios, corn dogs, frozen pizzas, and all kinds of other goodies my parents didn't keep in the house. This is why I am fat. One of my chief goals as a mom is to ensure my son never, EVER experiences the same food issues I had. Growing up with a mom who was always "on a diet" set a very bad precedent for me. ANYway... for me, the lap band works great because I definitely have portion control issues. My diet is generally good, just voluminous. I'd fill a whole dinner plate to near overflowing with equal parts veggies/starch/meat and eat every last bite. Plus dessert, of course. Now I eat off a salad plate and eat my Protein first, then veggies, and if there's any room left a bite or two of starch. I cannot get through all my veggies most of the time. Then I stay full for a long time. If I eat too fast, it's painful. If I eat chewy breads, rice, or anything doughy, it's painful. That limits my carb options at dinner. I could easily eat around the band, though, as others said. Ice cream goes down nice and easy. So does mashed potatoes, fattening gravies, cake and Cookies (especially with milk)... These foods are easier to avoid when you're full, and the way to get full is on protein and vegetables. This is why WLS is much more successful than dieting alone. Yes, there's still plenty of work to do and I must be vigilant and aware of what I'm eating. But the painful hunger, the nagging cravings, the dissatisfaction of eating less, that's all much more manageable with an altered stomach.

Sounds fairly conservative to me... my fills are usually 1 cc each visit. I'm at 5 now. They probably are being cautious since you're losing weight. Lap band isn't like bypass where you can expect to lose 10+ pounds a month so 5 pounds is actually a really good loss! I stopped losing weight after my 2nd fill and am just now feeling decent enough restriction to keep my calorie intake at 1500-1800 calories a day (which was the recommended number from my dietician). I'd ask for a 1 cc fill next time you're there. They should have you drink a bottle of Water to make sure you're not having troubles with liquids (since dehydration is so dangerous). Hopefully that makes sense. Sorry you're having troubles but congrats on the weight loss! 72 pounds 6 months out is a big accomplishment!! I'm only 34 pounds down after 6 months myself. I suck at dieting without restriction

Having food get stuck is definitely painful! That's one of the reasons I like the lap band, though. It's a staunch enforcer of two key rules, "slow down" and "chew well." When you eat, make sure you're eating Protein first, then veggies. Chew as well as you can and pause between bites. Then the food won't get stuck and it won't hurt, but you'll get full faster. If you're still getting stuck even after eating slowly and chewing well I'd visit your doctor and see if you need to get the band loosened a little. If you're too tight, you'll resort to slider foods which go down easy but are higher in carbs and calories. Don't call yourself names - that's not going to help anything! Some folks opt to do a liquid or pureed diet for a few days to get back on track. Good luck!

I am proud of myself for taking the (very) big step in deciding to have WLS, and I'm proud of myself for following through. I am grateful to my surgeon and the inventors of the lap band for designing a solution that actually WORKS. After so many failed diets and dangerous diet pills and drastic measures I took that just never did anything, I am happy I've found something that makes weight loss bearable. I've never lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off for more than a month. I'm 34 pounds down 6 months strong - a first for me. I've got much more to lose and I'm at a good restriction now so it will keep falling off. Next milestone for me will be getting down to 273. That will be my lowest weight in the past 7 years. 10 pounds to go!