kossde

I don't actually have a problem with the word 'fat'. I did at one point, though. There was a time in my life when I so uncomfortable with my weight that I could not tolerate to use the word much less hear it used in regard to me. But over the years, I realized that in all honesty, I was fat. It’s an easy word to say, one syllable, and makes very clear the fact that I was overweight. It was true – I was overweight; I was fat. The realization came over time; I couldn’t correct a problem I refused to acknowledge. Until I admitted to myself that I was fat, there was no way I was going to become not-fat. Ultimately, I had to realize that there was no way to deny and hide something that is as blatantly obvious as obesity unless you want to live as recluse. The other side of the coin is, it doesn't matter what word is used to describe the condition, it still exists. In fact, 'fat' is often such a gross understatement of the actual problem that it doesn't begin to describe the situation. Phrases like morbidly obese, self-destructive, self-damaging, and the most horrific truth of all, slowly killing ourselves, are more accurate terms for what most of us are in the process of undoing and overcoming. They aren’t friendly or understanding terms, but this is not a friendly or understanding problem that we are facing. This is a disorder that is hell-bent on destroying our lives. Sugar coating the terminology would equate to calling a tumor a pimple.

Ok so in all honesty unless the guy was waving his middle finger at you while he was talking he probably didn't mean to offend you. Infact he was probably trying to compliment you. No offense intended at all but why do so many people here get so offended over such harmless comments?

My doc used fluro too and it took three fills to get good restriction. From how I understood it, the fluro was used to guide the doctor to the port and ensure that he doesn't have to poke you over and over with that massive needle. Give it a few days - if you still feel like you don’t have any restriction, go ahead and call the doctor to schedule another fill. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking control of your band and actively scheduling fills when you need them rather than relying on scheduled fills and potentially losing morale and momentum in the mean time. Each of us are different. Some of us need a lot of restriction and others need very little restriction. While I do believe that doctors generally know best as far as what we should and should not do with the band, they may not know the kind of restriction we need individually. I personally needed quite a bit of restriction as I kept eating around the band. However, for me, restriction came easily and quickly. After three fills and 5 – 6 CCs in a 14 cc band, I’ve lost 173 lbs and am 7 lbs from goal. Some people get to 10 CCs or more before they get good restriction. Other people require very little restriction to lose weight and curb cravings. Good luck J Also – as parting advice – this never happened to me, but I’ve heard of situations where a person may not experience any restriction until two weeks or so after the fill. I can’t imagine why this happens, but I’ve heard of it enough times to suspect it’s quite legitimate.

1) Get insurance to approve surgery - happened Mid-March, 2008 2) Actually survive the surgery - accomplished quite uneventfully on April 11th, 2008 3) Drop below 290 lbs (started at 321.6 but lost 21 during pre-op stuff) - accomplished Mid-May, 2008 4) Drop below 250 lbs - accomplished beginning of Sept, 2008 5) Lose 100 lbs (drop below 221.6) Accomplished two days before Holloween, 2008 6) Wear normal size clothing - happened around Thanksgiving. 7) Drop below 200 - happened right around New Years 8) Wear a size 12 clothes (self-proclaimed 'no longer fat' clothing size) - happened about 2.5 months ago 9) Weigh less than my much taller / thinner little sister (she weighed 165 lbs at the time - she lost 10 lbs the very moment I pointed out that I weighed less than her LOL) - happened 2 months ago 10) Lose 180 lbs for a final weight of 140 or so lbs - will happen in the next 6 weeks. 11) Probably continue to lose until I reach around 130 or so - that seems like a happy, healthy weight for someone as short as I am. If it is gonna happen, it'll happen before winter- I'm running out of restriction quickly these days and am avoiding another fill like the plague (no reason to get a fill if I am still losing.)

You feel like a failure after only three weeks? You aren't giving yourself much time to adjust, are you? I didn't lose even a lb for the first month (in fact I gained weight). Since the, I've lost 172 lbs - I was banded about 15 months ago. Follow doc's orders, get fills, exercise and you will be fine.

I took off 3 days. I was banded on a Monday and was back to work on a Thursday. I think I did fine; I felt a little 'bleh' but I wasn't in pain. In retrospect, had I been following my docs advise and drinking Protein like I was supposed to, I probably wouldn't have felt even 'bleh' by that point - I just wasnt getting enough protein and my body was lagging because of it.

You will be fine :thumbup: I was gassy and generally 'bleh' feeling for about a week or two after the surgery. Luckily, I didnt have any significant incision or port pain, but the gassy feeling was enough to slow me down a bit. It went away completely within a few weeks and hasnt come back since. Don't stress, though. You had surgery! Surgery sucks.

Frankly, I dont like surgery and wanted to limit the risks as much as possible. I had 180 lbs to lose and I'm down 172 - I'm 8 lbs from goal so obviously the band was the right choice for me :thumbup:

I had a cold the day I was banded and for several days afterwards, I had rather frequent sneezing and coughing fits (not fun for someone who just had surgery.) As far as I know, my band didn't slip - I'm sure I would have noticed something wrong after a year and a half. I wouldn't worry too much about the variables you can't change and rather focus on the ones you can (like eating right and not drinking sodas)

My father works with a woman who had lap band surgery three years ago. She came back after work and promptly began losing mass amounts of weight. My father came to me a year and a half ago and said, "Jenny at work had Lap band surgery. She used to weigh about what you do now but now she's much thinner and you should see how much happier she seems- she absolutely glows." Ok so I thought to myself, "Lap band? What's that?" and did some research. Boom! A year and a half later, I have lost 170 lbs. I'm much happier and I absolutely glow. What if Jenny didn't tell her co-workers how she lost her weight? Would I have ever researched it and decided to have the surgery? Or would I still be overweight and very unhappy? I don’t believe anyone here has a responsibility to tell others how they lost weight but I will never keep it a secret. This surgery has made my life so much better that I couldn’t fathom keeping that from someone else who might benefit from this knowledge the way I did. As far as your mom goes- she’s being unrealistic. I would just explain to her the truth. This isn’t an easy surgery to keep secret. Besides, there will be times before and after the surgery that you may sincerely need the support of your family and friends. You will never have that support if they do not know what is happening. Also think of the health risk. What if you are hanging out with your step dad and are in a car accident? Your step dad is ok but you are seriously injured. They paramedics ask your dad, “Are there any health concerns?” and he, not knowing about the band, says “No.” Could you imagine how much damage they could do to your stomach and band if they decide to stuff a tube down your throat and punch a hole through the stoma?

Ok, it's time to pat myself on the back. Six months ago, I was able to jog 30 seconds non-stop, yesterday I was able to complete a nonstop 5k in about 30 minutes. I know a lot of people run further, but this was a big goal of mine and I have achieved it! It's SO awesome to be at the gym running 30 minutes straight with a skinny preppy chick on the tredamill next to me panting and wheezing because she is thinking to herself, "If the fat(ish) girl can do it, why can't I?" I AM THE WINNER! YAY

Really, as long as you aren’t endangering yourself why is it the doctor’s decision how and when you get a fill? I know that sounds kind of rebellious, but I went in for three fills within a 9 week time frame (I lost about 20 lbs during that time) and my doc didn’t say anything about it except, “well this third fill will certainly curb your appetite.” Oh he was certainly right. The third fill was my last fill – I may never need another one. I’ve lost a collective 170 lbs and am 10 lbs from goal. I made the right decision by getting fills when I did and my doctor made the right decision in trusting me when I said, “I need a fill.” That said, you need to –exercise-. I’m very serious about this. I would not have lost half the weight I did without exercise (and I have extremely good restriction). You used the opportune word, “tool” when you described the band. It will not do all the work for you. If you rely only on fills to lose weight, you will eventually get to a point where your body just shuts down and goes into starvation mode. You will grow weak and tired and become agitated and possibly depressed. At that point, exercise will be very difficult because you are already so exhausted. Don’t fret, though, exercise isn’t as hard as we all seem to remember it being. Start out very slowly. Allow yourself 15 to 20 minutes of ‘movement’ a day, perhaps 3 to 4 days a week. I don’t meant like vacuuming or gardening (although that’s a nice chore should you decide to undertake it) but rather like walking along a track or trail, riding a bike or using an elliptical – anything that will increase your heart rate (even if it’s just a bit) for a measurable period of time. After a month or so, pop up from 20 mins to 25 or 30 mins a day. As the weight goes off, exercise will become easier. This will allow you to challenge yourself more by walking faster, taking up jogging, or riding your bike further. On a personal note, pre-band I would never have been able to exercise for any extended period. I had to start out incredibly slowly (like walking at 2 mph for like 5 mins). I now run 30+ minutes a day and it’s not hard at all. The binge eating will be easy to fix. You need another fill (probably just a small one). Once you have your next fill, as long as you follow a few very simple rules, your eating should be easily controlled. Rules are as follows: 1) Eat meat and veggies first. Sure, have your carbs if you crave them, but save them for last. I’ve personally discovered that carbs are physically easier to eat than meat and veggies so by eating meat first, I fill up and no longer crave the carbs. After my third fill, I spent literally hours staring at food going, “I really want to eat those French fries SO bad….. if only I had room in my stomach.” Eventually I would always give up and throw the food away. It took me forever to realize it was less wasteful AND expensive to just NOT buy the French fries. 2) Get your protein. This isn’t the same as ‘eat meat’ because you will want to supplement your protein intake with either shakes or some kind of liquid. This keeps your body burning calories. Without enough protein, exercise is also very very difficult. Most importantly though, protein seems to curb a lot of cravings people have throughout the day. 3) Try to avoid easy foods like baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, cakes, chips and pretty much any other type of food that goes right through the band. It’s ok to have a baked potato or mashed potato every now and again, but make sure you are following rule #1 (meat first) in those scenarios. I’ve seen people sabotage weight loss time and time again by eating only things that were easy to eat. 4) Don’t eat and drink at the same time. This was a biggy for me; drinking while eating tends to do one of two things: either it causes me to PB or allows me to eat too much food. Good Luck! I'm certain you will do just fine with the band :wink2: And congratulations on the weight loss successes so far!

I would say go ahead and get the fill. Clue your doc in on what's going on, though, so he or she can judge how much fill you need without making you too tight. Good luck, congratulations on the excellent weight loss :thumbdown:

Something is wrong with me. I don’t think it’s serious or dangerous or anything like that, but I would desperately like to find out what is going on and remedy it. I was banded 14 months ago at a weight of 321 lbs. I now weigh approximately 155 lbs. I am a size 10 in clothing (down from a size 30). I have had 3 fills, the last one about one year ago. And although I honestly feel like the weight loss has not been difficult at all, I have consistently worked hard to continue losing (no significant plateaus for me). I began exercising at about 270 lbs and began jogging at 250 lbs. My muscles and joints were and continue to be in good, normal working order. At one point I did suffer occasional muscle strain, but that has gone away in the last 50 lbs or so. So, what’s my problem? About a month or so ago, I started feeling a bit run down. It’s off and on but its wrecking havoc on both my work out routine and my daily life style. But it’s more than that: 1) When I stand up too fast, sometimes I get very dizzy. I haven’t passed out, nor do I feel I’ve come close to passing out, but the feeling is rather absurd and I’d like to get rid of it. 2) I tend to get very weak after I exercise. This didn’t used to be a problem and I have cut back some on my routine in order to keep it from happening. I do not want to do that! 3) I have either overcome my addiction to food or I have lost my appetite. My band is looser than it has been since before my third fill but I am still not consuming more food than I used to. I will start to eat and after a few minutes, get ‘bored’ with the food and go find something else to do. 4) I find myself consuming more chocolate than I used to but ironically I seem to crave all other carbohydrates much less than I used to. Ok, so I’m thinking malnutrition but I don’t know exactly what I’m missing. As I’ve stated already, I do eat a lot of chocolate (about 200 – 300 calories worth a day). I am off and on with the protein but more on than off. I get at least 50 – 60 grams on an average day. Carbs like fruits and grains seem to have become a thing of the past. I no longer crave them (and I used to be a starch junkie) and I have to force myself to even COOK them when I’m cooking dinner for the family. About 4 months ago, I developed a taste for orange juice but within 8 weeks, I had a kidney stone and various people have suggested the two are related. I still drink about 1 to 2 glasses of orange juice a day. About 6 months ago I was diagnosed with ADHD (it was a shock to everyone) and began taking Adderall. That could have something to do with it too. Ok, here’s the point I’m getting: I am still losing around 10 lbs a month even though I have tried to slow down (although not very hard). I don’t and never have counted calories so I have absolutely no idea how much I consume a day. I don’t hold back or deny myself anything I want. Anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to get to feeling better? I don’t feel sick or miserable, but I am certainly slowing down internally a bit. I’m almost 99% sure it’s my food intake, but what can I do to make sure I’m getting all the nutrition my body desperately needs? I am open to anything at this point – I want to continue losing weight but it’s more important right now for me to be healthy.

Mine is 14 CC and it's like 6 full or something - I probably will reach goal before another fill

Initially I wanted to reply and say, “Actually I don’t count carbs at all. I eat whatever carbs I want along with my meals.” But out of no where- it dawned on me. I may order fries with that chicken nuggets, but they get thrown away. I may fill my plate up with potatoes, corn, and bread but somehow I never manage to touch them. I may bake a cake, but it’ll just sit there uneaten until I give up and toss it. I’ve even stopped ordering sandwiches, wraps, and burgers because the bread-portion was, “a waste of space.” Without ever realizing it, I have been avoiding carbs. It’s obvious that my body is actively seeking out protein and vegetables. I just never realized it until now. I’ve been eating this way for about a year now and I’ve lost 160 lbs. I’d have to say, it’s working.

The other day we had 'jeans' day at work and I wore a new pair of blue jeans that I have. In the elevator on the way to lunch, one of my employees looked at me and said, "How do you afford to keep buying new clothes every month with all the weight you've lost?" It wasn't really meant to be a compliment but this kid has never mentioned my weight loss to me before and because I know he was thinking to himself, "Yesterday she was overweight but today she isn't..." it really made me grin. Also, on the same day, one of my male co-workers came up to me and said, "You look really good- um- but not like in a sexual harrassment way - uh or anything. You just look healthy, you know? uh... bye." I laughed so hard I almost cried. This particular man has known me since before I began losing any weight so it was really nice to hear that from him.

I drank soda every day since I was old enough to hold a can without dropping it until I was 19 years old. Then, one day, I quit cold turkey. I have a suggestion- one that worked and continues to work for me every day. Drink ~WATER~. I know you are thinking 'duh.' But, hear me out. I don't mean replace soda with Water (although that's the ultimate goal) but rather, tell yourself, "Ok, I can still have soda - one or two cans a day for now - but I must drink 64 oz of water daily along side the soda." This means you will need to drink 64 oz of water + whatever soda you want. Why does this work? Because your body craves soda whenever it's thirsty; it has learned to drink soda in order to quench the desire for liquids. If you can keep from being thirsty, you can go a very long way in overcoming the desire to drink soda. It's a much easier process than trying to simply give up soda, because you aren't depriving yourself of something you want but rather giving yourself something you need. Eventually soda should become so unimportant to you that you can just give it up cold turkey without really missing it at all. Ok, so onto the caffiene addiction. I empathize. That's a difficult one. I neglected to note above that when I first went off of soda, without realizing it, I replaced the caffiene in Soda with caffiene pills - No Doze. Eventually (2 years ago) I overcame that addiction as well. To ovecome that particular addiction, I had to do it very slowly. I began cutting the dosages of No-Doze that I took every day until eventually I no longer needed caffiene at all. It took a solid month to get to that point, but it was worth it. I can't stand the idea of living life each day on a rollercoaster of caffiene ups and downs. I actually suggest kicking the soda habit before the caffiene habit. Soda is easy to overcome, caffiene is a real drug and will take time to overcome. In the mean time, try drinking black ice tea or coffee on occasion to keep the withdrawal symptoms from rearing their ugly heads (and they are ugly- I know because I've been there). Once you no longer crave soda, you can begin working on the caffiene addiction if you feel you need to.

I gained 20 lbs in the first 6 weeks post-surgery. I have since had 3 fills and have lost 160 lbs. I am 30 lbs from goal :party: I had surgery about 13 months ago. So you see? you have nothing to worry about! If I can do it (and I am seriously addicted to food) then you can do it too!

What was so weird was 2 weeks ago I was at 2.5 miles non-stop, 4 days ago I suddenly couldn't run even a 1.5 miles without stopping- then all of the sudden 2 days later, I way past 2.5 miles, all the way to 5 k non-stop. I have no idea why that happened, but I'm ok with it now.

My diatition told me to chew-chew-chew until it was mush. I agrew completely with Dr. Vuoung because really- if you chew to the point that it's a mushy food that slips right through the band- why have the band? Now that said, I do chew more thoroughly than I used to, but I certainly don't chew to liquid or mush.

OK what Im about to say may offend some people and I apologize in advance. I've been overweight since I was old enough to microwave my own food (4 years old). I have had the lap band for one year and 2 days. I've lost 145 lbs and I have about 45 lbs more to go. It was easy. It was insanely easy. Of course as they say, the band is a tool and it's a decision I made quite consciously and after months of research. But the weight has fallen off. I still work every day at it- I still tell my self, "No you can't have that chocolate. No, you dont get McDonalds for lunch..." But there is a difference now. Before the band, all I had was my common sense to stop me from overeating. Obviously that never did any good. Now I have my common sense, my drive (motivation), my pocket book (BIG motivation - why pay $6 to eat two chicken nuggets?? seriously... it makes me cringe), and a big rubber band around my stomach that tells me, "FYI YOU ARE FULL- STOP EATING!" You see- this band is a two step process for me. 1) it stops you from over eating. 2) it forces you to chew thoroughly and eat very slowly. These put together produce the result of "I am pleasantly full and know that if I take one more bite, I'll become uncomfortable." That's not an area I knew anything about before the band. I can stop eating now!! I can stare down at my food and think, "I really REALLY want more, but I doubt there is room so I won't try." I think the biggest cause of failure in lap band would probably be to not listen to your body. You shouldn't be PBing like ever really. You shouldn't be able to eat however much you want. You shouldn't be living on mashed potatoes because nothing else will go down. you WILL want to exercise (trust me- exercise is easier as you lose weight). If you are willing to make a commitment to yourself to LISTEN to your doctor and follow his or her guidelines about successful weightloss with the band, you will probably be ok. Just make sure you know exactly what you are getting into.

Hey just a quick update - I am now down 145 lbs- in the last month, my double chin has begun to seriously disappear. My cheeks are kind of deflated and I look older than I am, but I am working on my vitamin and water intake and am hopeful for good results. All in all, I'm incredibly happy with the results!

I was banded in April, 2008 and have had three fills. I have lost about 135 lbs and have 45 to55 lbs left to go before I am down to around 130 lbs (my goal). I’m very proud of myself for what I consider an overwhelming success so far with this band, but I have a few questions about completing the weightless process and maintenance afterwards: Question 1) In recent weeks, I’ve begun eating more food. It’s nothing major and I’m not concerned that I’m going to begin gaining weight at this time, but it is a noticeable difference. I’d say where as I was at around 900-1200 calories per day about two months ago, now I’m at around 1200 – 1500 a day. I do exercise regularly and am working to maintain a fairly healthy diet. But I’m wondering if I should go ahead and schedule for a fill. There’re some things to take into consideration in regards to determining whether or not I should get this fill. First, I’ve dropped 100 lbs since my last fill and have reason to believe that if I get another fill, a time will come when I will have to have a slight unfill because I am afraid I may just continue to lose weight until it becomes unhealthy. Second, my surgeon has this wonderful little assembly-line thing going in his office. If I call for an appointment today, it’ll take at least a month to get the fill done. This is important to me because I am still very much addicted to food and am concerned about what impact being able to eat a substantial amount of food for an entire month would have on my weight loss goals. So the question is – Should I call my doc and schedule a fill? I’m leaning towards no right now, but I’d really like open, second opinions. At least one member of my family has been telling me quite frequently these past few weeks that I need a fill. She’s only 18 and is trying to be helpful, but honestly, I still can’t eat half what she can eat. Question 2) Once I reach my weight-loss goal, what do I do? I’ve never had to maintain a weight before- I always just watched it go up and up. Is there a trick to it? Do I weigh myself every day? I’m very interested in knowing what people generally do to maintain their weight. Question 3) Will this double chin ever go away? I have a neck now, and shoulder blades, and beautiful slender wrists and ankles, but I still have a small double chin. It’s not very prominent, especially considering how I looked prior to the weight loss, but will it go away? Will it be one of the last things to disappear? Do a lot of bandsters have to have a face lift after weight loss? I’m 27 years old but I’m worried that I’m beginning to look older. Don’t get me wrong- I’m INSANELY happy about how well I’ve done and how beautiful I am now, but I am curious. Question 4) Are there any solutions to flabby skin other than plastic surgery? Reasonably, I don’t intend to get rid of the extra skin right now and will probably have some surgery done- a boob job definitively (these babies are all out of whack) and maybe an arm lift and thigh lift. I’m not worried about my stomach because no one ever sees it anyway. But until I become rich or save up enough money (we’re talking a few years), is there anything I can do to minimize the extra skin? Question 4) Anyone have any advice at all about reaching my goal? About life after goal? I’m open to all suggestions! <-- isn't that cute?

Get-A-Dog. Get a spunky little chihuahua or a terrier- something small and insane would work best. Then, leave them cooped up in your house all day while you work. By the time you get home, the dog will be running around screaming like a two year old with a sugar high. My dog and I go jogging together every night. When I get home from work, she actually goes and finds her leash and starts dragging it across the house. There's no way I can say no to that kind of enthusiasm. It actually keeps me going - even if I could say no to me, I can't say no to my pets. Then- to make matters worse, I actually have four dogs- not one. The other three are either too small to run that far on their tiny little legs, too overweight (we’re working on that.) or too old. So when I get back from my two mile jog, I have to gather up all four dogs for another mile walk. I absolutely get my exercise in every single day. Seriously though. If you have trouble motivating yourself to exercise, find a way to exercise where not only you are counting on you, but someone/something you care about is also counting on you. Take your children walking in the evenings. Take up Tennis with your teenager. Play soccer with your husband. Run with your mutt! Off the topic- and because I love my dogs so much- check out this youtube video of my little mutt (the one running around like crazy) and my little Chihuahua (the one chasing the crazy mutt) They didn’t used to have this much energy. I think the exercise is doing them all a lot of good too.