JaimeSTL

LOL Can you tell that to the people who tell me I'm losing too fast? :thumbup:

That's awful! Some people are just really nuts. I haven't really dealt with anybody like that here, but there are some that I just want to strangle at my IRL support group. I'm not a big exercise nut, but I've found that doing something everyday (cardio 4-5 times a week, strength training 3 times a week) has REALLY kicked my weight loss up a notch lately. June and July, things had really slowed down, but the pace has picked up a lot. Plus, I feel great. Even better than I had before. I'm not having up and down days anymore like I was before. I hated the thought of exercising before and waited far too long to start.

Every Christmas and birthday for the last, oh 5 years or so, I've had my mother in law pass on to her family that the kids would love a membership at the zoo or the local children's museum. Have they done it? Nope. It would be so much more useful to us than more toys. Our house looks like Toys R Us puked.

Well said! I don't understand WHY people who are trying to lose weight are eating ice cream, fast food, fried foods, etc., on a regular basis anyway. Do they really think that the band is some kind of magic wand that just sucks the fat and calories out? My nutritional instruction before surgery was complete crap (my doctor is great, but the NUT at the hospital was an idiot), but most of it is just common sense.

What about Protein? How many calories do you get in per day for the most part? Even if you "pig out" on veggies, you still aren't getting many calories. If you don't eat enough, that can also slow or stall weight loss. I think those who have had the highest losses would all agree that we eat small sensible meals and get in a decent amount of calories for the most part.

I agree with everything Melissa said. My diet is about 95% healthy, low cal, etc. and about 5% (if that) not so good. Every once in a while, I'll have a bite of something not so great, like mac n cheese or french fries. I've even indulged in a candy bar a couple of times and one night a couple of weeks ago, I had a whole small blizzard from DQ. When I think back over the last five and a half months, the "bad" things I've had are so rare compared to say, the five and a half months prior to surgery. I think not letting myself feel deprived of anything has helped so much. I don't completely pig out when I do have those things. I would talk to your doctor about the extremes of restriction you seem to go through. That doesn't sound normal. Have you had fills under fluoro? If not, maybe your doctor can do one that way and check on band position, size of your pouch, etc. Either way, you are down over 30 lbs. Where would you have been after 6 months without the band? I know that I probably would've been even higher than I was.

Whether Froggi was really there to get information or not, she didn't start off attacking them. I also find it amazing that people would actually choose a surgery with such, IMO, horrific side effects when there are other successful surgeries available. It isn't something that was made up on this thread--awful smelling gas and poop is a documented side effect. It really amazes me the lengths people will go to in order to continue eating like crap.

This isn't a DS board, though. And nobody is going to the DS board and baiting them there or trying to convince them that they should have a Lap Band instead of DS. I saw the thread that Froggi posted on and she wasn't baiting them. She was seeking information, and as soon as she said she was getting a lap band, they sunk their teeth in and tore her apart. They do the same thing on their own boards for other procedures. Yesterday, someone over there started a thread specifically about this thread and many of them were saying they should invade LBT over it. Why do they care if we chose the Lap Band? Why do they care what anybody else chooses? You know what they say...misery loves company. IMO, that's why they like to "recruit" for the DS.

You need more calories, period. How much Protein do you get in each day with only 400-700 calories? My doctor recommends about 1/2 cup of food per meal, but I think my meals are probably closer to about 3/4 cup or 1 cup per meal. I also like a looser fill than many, so I think that helps me to eat more. I am anywhere between 1000-1500 calories a day, usually between 1100-1200. I have at least 60 grams of protein per day, but lately with some changes to my typical meals, it has been more like 80+ grams. I get typically 80-100 grams of carbs per day, but it isn't something I pay too much attention to. However, if it is over 100, I'm usually not making great choices so I tend to limit that without even thinking specifically about carbs. I also drink a minimum of 64 ozs of Water each day, since it has been really hot more like 80-100 ozs a day. I do cardio 4-5 times a week and strength training 3 days a week--I do something active everyday. During my latest plateau (only my second so far, and each lasted about 2 weeks), I broke it by a) began exercising regularly, :Banane37: increasing my water intake, c) changing my food choices, d) increasing my protein (which was helped my changing my food choices), and e) increasing my average calorie intake just a bit (I had been closer to the 1000 calorie mark, but now I'm consistently closer to 1200). I didn't really consciously increase my calories--it just sort of happened because I was more hungry after working out. I've built more muscle and I'm burning fat more efficiently. After my plateau, I dropped two pounds one week then the next FIVE pounds. This is the third week following my plateau and I'm down about 8-9 lbs from the plateau weight. If you physically can't eat more than 400-700 calories, I'd definitely not get another fill and even ask for a slight unfill. The band isn't a starvation diet. You need calories and nutrients.

My rant is that I find school supply lists to be completely ridiculous sometimes. I have one going into 2nd grade and one going into kindergarten. They only "allow" certain brands of crayons (Crayola) and scissors. My kindergartner's list asked for packs of 16 crayons, which are about $2, while 24 packs are 22 cents. Hmm, I wonder which I bought. I stock the kids up in August so I'm not paying 3-4 times as much in January for the same stuff. WHY are these things so important? Doesn't a 24 pack of crayons have the same colors, plus some, as the 16 count? Yes, I'm a complete cheapskate and I LOVE getting stuff on sale. Right now, I am sitting here labeling every individual crayon, pencil, and marker that my kindergartner needs for school because it was on the list. What the heck?! Does it matter whose blue crayon or yellow pencil it is, as long as everybody has a blue crayon and yellow pencil?

When I first started the process of having surgery, I signed up over at OH. I didn't start posting until I had insurance approval. I started posting right in the midst of HUGE drama between the band people and the DS people and said the hell with it and came here. They seem to move from board to board preaching their method and their R&R is full of DS vs. ____ posts. It's crazy.

I'm sure glad there is!!

My cat could totally use a band.

I have your address. I'm sending you some Depends.

:crying: No comment.

:crying:

:crying: OMG, it does sort of look like that! LMAO

I couldn't agree more with all of that! I think it is a very unhealthy way to eat and live. The DS is a surgery for people who can't give up their unhealthy lifestyle but want to be thin. I wouldn't want the level of malabsorption it must take to eat like that and maintain a lower weight. I also noticed that many look unhealthy, much older, and just...sickly. I commented on that to the friend I mentioned before (the one drawn to the DS) and she thought they all looked great because they are thin. Being thin isn't all that matters.

Speaking of the type to be drawn to DS....

When you have a fill, does your doctor check your current fill level before adding more? If not, I would ask him to do that. If you have a leak in your tubing, that would cause loss of restriction like you are describing. All he has to do is pull out the saline before adding more. After my second fill, even the first day or two, I felt like I had less restriction than I had before the fill. With my third (and most recent) fill, I've had pretty good restriction for the last few weeks, but I feel it slowly waning so when I go back at the end of the month, I'll get another fill. My doctor already said he will draw all the fill out then replace it next time because at my last fill, the connection between the syringe and needle leaked a bunch of Fluid out so he didn't know how much I really got. I also have the 14 cc band, and have between 6.5-7 cc or so.

I think those things are definite advantages because when you have a complication with another type of surgery, you can't go back and just remove, repair, or replace the permanently altered stomach/gut.

That's one thing I love now! LOL The biggest difference to me is just the smile, period. I used to hate pictures so there aren't many and those that do exist don't show me smiling.

I have two small kids, both with special needs. I didn't feel comfortable making a decision that I felt was risky. I went with the band for many reasons, but the first was that it was the safest. Four months before my lap band, I stopped breathing during a routine surgery, which scared the crap out of me and prompted me to look into the band. I'd researched RNY and hadn't heard of the band so I just forgot about WLS because I didn't want my insides rerouted. I was terrified that I would fail--I'm still terrified of it. When I wanted to eat something before, I NEVER said no, I ate it and didn't even care. I ate when I wasn't hungry, when I was happy, when I was sad, when I was angry. I was so worried that I was destined to be obese forever. In the days leading up to my surgery, I sat down with a family member and expressed my wishes for the worst case, gave her the information needed for life insurance, financials, etc. The morning I went into surgery, I bawled like a baby because I was so scared. The surgery prior was the first time I'd ever had surgery and look at what happened. When I had surgery, something just clicked in my head. Food no longer controls me, I control my food. I can have a small portion of something "bad" and I'm satisfied. Seven months ago, I never would've guessed I could think this way. I'm sorry to ramble. The point is, it is ok to be scared and nervous. Of course we question ourselves--how many other times have you tried to lose weight and either failed or gained it back? This is a huge step. I don't think it would be normal to not be worried and nervous.

Aww, thanks, Froggi! :thumbup:

As much as they call us uninformed about DS, they are uninformed about the Lap Band. Look at my stats in my sig. Look at so many other people on this board. Don't let those idiots influence you. Not everybody PB's, vomits, slimes, gets food stuck,etc all the time--I have NEVER done any of those things, save one small food sticking issue that was my fault because I ate too fast. It is ALL about compliance, IMO.