kgloverii

Carole, Just wanted to tell you I REALLY hope you get the aftercare you deserve... Sending big hugs your way!

Wanted to post some updated pics... the before and after are kinda crazy...

Thanks! I am so happy with my progress. It definitely went along a lot faster than I'd expected. And the pic I posted I see as a 'fat' pic now, LOL. Since I am only 2 pounds from my goal, I am almost inclined to go for even skinnier, but I am 'normal' now, so I will just take it easy and what happens, happens... Perhaps there is a size 4 in my future!! :thumbup:

Lellow, You and I are on the exact same page and our thought processes mirror each other. Your honesty will help a ton of people... people you don't even know... Congrats on being the walking advert of success!

Yeah, I would call billing ASAP. $450 sounds like what they'd bill to insurance, NOT to a patient.

I would highly recommend the DS, even though the side effects are a lot more than with the bypass. If you are not a rules follower, you WILL regain after a certain time. Regain with bypass is very common. Good luck with your decision!

Hot liquids always help clear me out... I start my day with hot coffee or tea. Opens me right up. If I am battling sinus issues throughout the day, I do sinus rinses throughout the day, and also drink hot liquids and eat hot soups. It definitely helps.

I wasn't having boobage issues until 10 pounds ago... and then woke up and they were... GONE! I lost 10 pounds in my boobs! I had thought of having a reduction, but now... I kind of miss them...

I eat like Jachut. I watch processed and refined carbs. I eat organic when possible. But if a McDonald's fancy strikes, I'll get a burger and peel the bun off and eat the burger. Nothing is off limits and now that I have restriction, my 'new brain' called satisfaction (which I never had before) does the work for me. It is really about getting to the right fill capacity and working the band. And making satisfying healthy, non-slider choices.

Congrats and HAPPY BANDIVERSARY! Feels great, doesn't it?!!!!!!

I had a very overweight lady make a return at the store I was working at... I was the one processing the return. She was returning a size 2x shirt and said "It was too small... but YOU'D NEVER UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT..." This was just recently, with me in my slim form. I was mortified, and said "I'd understand more than YOU'D realize..." Funny how the tables sometimes turn in the other direction and we have 'judgment' passed on us for being thin, too. LOL

I tell everyone. My thing is this: 98% of people who lose weight put it back on within 5 years. I don't want someone to look at me and wonder what I did to 'beat' that statistic. I want them to know there are options out there for the long run, but they are not for everyone. If people want to pass judgment, then so be it. I'm still the one walking around in my size 8's.

I think some people get into the mindset of losing weight, that this is going to be 'the fix' that they don't pay attention to ANYTHING else. It really is sad, isn't it? I'll admit, I am an information whore. I look everything up about anything. I just like knowing as much as I can. And it surprises me that some people are not like that. They just go with the flow, never asking questions...

I am a 32 year female from Michigan who is 1 year post-op. I had my surgery in Mexico by Dr. Ariel Ortiz. Pre-Surgery I was 235, 5'3.5". I am currently weighing in at 163. I am 23 pounds from goal. I am a mother of 2 small children, ages 3 and 5. I work part time in retail for some adult conversation. I believe there are 3 components to successful band surgery: 1) A good surgeon (and aftercare surgeon, if needed). You need a surgeon who you have good rapport with. Someone who encourages you in the way YOU need. A doctor who is realistic with you. A doctor who puts you on a fill schedule that is conducive to YOUR weight loss goals. 2) A Good support system. You MUST have people to cheer you on in your journey. You have to have people who 'keep it real' and will 'call you on it' if they see you not putting effort into your journey. 3) The right attitude. You MUST go into band surgery well researched, ready to make the adjustments necessary, and ready for accomplishments as well as disappointments. You will NOT lose your weight in a miraculous nature. It WILL be slower than you life sometime. But you must keep the mindset that this is not a diet, but a complete change in lifestyle.

I do the bath or shower thing every night... It warms me up from the inside for sure. And hot teas... keep me warm. I wore a turtleneck to bed last night! LOL. I used to parade around in shorts and tanks in the house during the winter... now I'd freeze to death. DH says "You used to have a 85 pound blanket on..." Good thing to remember! :tongue2:

Happy Birthday Justin... And go mom for making a decision that will help your children in the future!

I'm on board with RestlessMonkey... We're the same breed of Monkeys, I think. I don't count. NO NO NO. In fact (getting ready to be flamed here), when I wake up in the morning, I make myself some hot tea and eat one beautiful Lindor truffle for Breakfast. YES, Full fat, full sugar, chocolately goodness. My new perspective is: it sets the tone to my day in a delicious way. I savor it and enjoy it... I don't get a twinge of guilt. Before the band, having that in my house would make me have a stroke from the guilt. But now, I am NOT the same person. I eat a little bit at a time, and I eat what I want to eat. There is NO counting of anything. No measuring, no nothing. With my fill to the right level, I simply eat until I am satisfied, and it doesn't take much. I eat 800-1000 calories a day and am PERFECTLY satisfied. I make sure I don't eat a bunch of slider foods, but that's my only 'restriction.' My band took the obsession with food away. I don't wake up thinking of my next meal, or go to bed thinking of what is for breakfast. I only think of food when I am hungry. My brain was rewired. Thus, the self-control... and why I can stop at one truffle. :confused:

It is quite normal. DH laughs at me... he loves the 'noises' I make.

I seriously think this must be some sort of joke. I had NO appetite a couple days post op... Appetite didn't return for me, for about a week and a half... It seems fishy...

I had no problem eating chicken until I was at my 'sweet spot' and then it seemed to get stuck no matter what I did. I can rarely eat chicken, but have some luck in the following forms: chicken soup (I love the stuff from Costco, their deli), finely diced in chicken salad, and dark meat marinaded in the crock pot. Chicken breast is evil, no matter what I do.

I have a 'tight' band, so weather changes, barometric changes, etc. will affect it. I did not drink anything on the plane after I got super tight. It is just one of those things, that you just won't know, until you do it. I DO suggest that anyone who flies not eat beforehand, just in case. If in flight you are feeling fine, then proceed as normal. JMHO.

I am so sorry to see your are so beaten down. Have you had an upper GI lately to see if your pouch is stretched? That could make a difference... Hold your head up. You're in my prayers.

Ummmm... embarrassed, GOD NO. I just posted this on my Facebook account today, so this is perfect for this thread... Coming Out of the Closet I've gotten a lot of messages from people complimenting me on how good I look; as much as I would like to say that I was one of the 'few' who have found a great figure through diet and exercise, I simply don't want to perpetuate that myth. The statistics on losing weight and keeping it off are staggering. 98% of people who lose weight put that weight back on within 5 years. 98%... So basically, it is impossible... I've lived my life going from one diet to the next, losing, and putting it back on. In college, I became obsessed with the gym. I worked out 3 hours per day, 5-6 days per week in order to maintain a size 10. And I was ALWAYS hungry. My theory is this: Overweight people get more energy from food. A calorie is not the same to each person. Some people get more energy from said calorie. Also, people have a set point, as far as their weight is concerned. You lose more than a few pounds, your body goes into starvation mode, and your hormones get all out of whack, making you hungrier and hungrier, until you 'break' and 'act bad' (actually giving into NATURE) and EAT until your hormones are regulated again by gaining weight. It becomes a vicious cycle. Fat people walk around talking about how they are 'addicted to food' and they are 'bad' etc, but I truly believe that a vast majority of overweight people are like that because... nature set it up for them like that. If you look at twins, that were separated at birth, and meet 30 years down the road, their weights are virtually the same. Different upbringings, different diets, different activity levels, but their bodies are EXTREMELY precise in determining their weight. Science is backing me up more and more on this. Even if this is the 'unpopular' opinion, because America is by nature, a 'diet obsessed' billion dollar industry, I firmly believe this after talking to countless people who have struggled with their weight, and after having read tons of scientific studies to back it up. So, I said all of that to say... my husband Robert and I sat down and talked about what, if anything I wanted to do about my weight. I was not having any health problems, but I didn't want to put myself at higher risk for them. And I wanted for once in my life, to stop thinking about how hungry I was all of the time, and start thinking like a 'normal weight' person. I wanted to be the girly-girl and wear the fancy clothes... and not have to worry about clothes in the Misses section not fitting. So, we decided my best option was a Lap-Band. I was not 'fat enough' to qualify to have it covered by insurance, so we paid for the surgery out of pocket. The surgery itself was a simple procedure, but it was not something that was a 'quick fix.' In order to be successful, I had to eat healthy foods and following up with the doctor for adjustments is critical. Without follow-up, a person will remain at the same weight. It is not like gastric bypass, where foods don't absorb in your system, so you lose weight simply from not getting the full calories from the foods you eat, so I choose nutritious, organic food. After a few months, and a few adjustments, my constant hunger was cured. The surgery literally re-wired my brain. Someone who has never struggled with their weight cannot possibly understand what a completely different person you become after that food problem is fixed. I wanted to put that out there, and know some people will judge me for 'taking the easy way out' or whatever. But those overweight people who judge will continue to preach they will do it the 'natural way' and yo-yo up and down... and think about food more than 'normal.' I think and feel normal for the first time in my life. My grandmother gave me a piece of clothing for Christmas in a size SMALL and for the first time, I put it on, thinking it might fit... and it did. I think I was 13 when I was a size 8, and now I am between a 6 and an 8. It is truly a life change. But the thing is, that because I 'get more calories' than a 'normal' person, I will always consume WAY less than that person as well. I currently eat about 800 calories a day (and always will) to maintain my weight. Some people would think that is starvation, but for me, it is the right amount, and I have a ton of energy and no more hunger. Just wanted to share, because I want people to know the truth. There are options out there that can be explored, but they are not for everyone. And I surely don't want anyone looking at me, thinking I am in that 2% statistic that say diet and exercise alone works. Because I would be lying.

I ate 1/4 of a small burger before flying and I tightened up so bad I was MISERABLE on the plane. I stayed tight for about 36 hours after. I did not eat anything before coming home and did not have a problem.

Well over a year out and I use Miralax a few days on and a few off. It is a lifesaver. My doc said laxatives like the ones with senna promote dependency and highly advises against them. Once I had a few days with the Miralax, my body regulated...