Jodi_620

Patty, you either have issues comprehending or you simply cannot accept the fact that your ways are predominantly viewed as sanctimonious. We all understand your stance on whether prostitution should be legal. We don’t argue your stance and some…many even, agree that prostitution should not be legal. The point that, pretty much everyone has tried to make in this thread and others is that the way you convey your opinions and beliefs are often insulting judgemental and belittling. It is a huge turnoff and not the way God would have someone behave when representing him. Do yourself a favor and open your mind and try to see that your attitude could use a little adjusting. You obviously love God and could do a lot more in serving him if you were willing to accept and improve on your faults. Continuing in the way you are going now is only turning people off.

I had the acne problem too for a short time and I never have been big on the shakes because of the taste. Although even when I do have shakes, I avoid the soy. I think for me, the acne was more of a hormonal thing induced by weight loss. It was temporary though.

hair loss in our case is usually caused by one of three things. It is temporary and it usually starts around three months post-op and stops within three months of resolving the cause. Here are the three causes and the fixes for each. 1.) Protein Deficiency: Make sure you are getting a minimum of 60G of protein per day. 2.) Vitamin B/Biotin Deficiency: Make sure you are taking a high quality daily vitamin and add a good Vitamin B supplement with around 3000mcg of Biotin. There are several "Hair, Skin and Nails" formulas that are easy to find in most pharmacies and stores. 3.) Shock: Surgery of any kind can cause some bodies to go into a sort of shock. Rapid weight loss can do the same. The shock causes the body to go into survival mode. It shuts down unnecessary processes to focus on processes needed to survive and hair is not one of them. Eventually the body calms down and all processes start back up. So the fix for this cause is simply "time". Like a couple others in this thread I was worried about this. I have baby fine straight hair. I have also had bouts of hair loss from being hypothyroid and so any type of hairloss is very noticiable on me. I stayed calm, made sure I was getting the recommended supplements and nutrition and gave it time. The hairloss stopped in the timeframe mentioned above and now I have the thickest, healthiest hair I have had in years.

I had a fill yesterday afternoon and boy did I do some gurgling last night...the loudest in my seven months as a bandster. By the time I got home and got everything done I didn't get my shake in until almost 8 and I went to bed at nine which caused to wake up with a little reflux ( I need at least two hours from meal to bedtime or I can have reflux...especially right after a fill) I got up and took a Pantaprozole, its a tiny pill but I took it with a couple good swigs of water and that water took a while and a lot of noise to go down. At one point the gurgling episodes were so long and loud it woke my DH up. He was half asleep and all paranoid asking did you hear that?...what was that noise? It made me laugh and think about this thread.

Lie on your back and lift your feet straight up, then feel around near your port incision (my port is about and inch above and to the right of my incision). I had a lot of belly fat too and he found it just fine using that method. They are pretty experienced at finding the port. (Lifting the feet makes your abdominal muscles push the port to the surface) The fluro didn't help him find the port, he put the needle in then I walked over to the x-ray machine the fluro was used to look at the band while doing the fill.

You're Welcome...Good Luck!!!

I would say that those people got where they did by ignoring their doctors instructions, obviously no doctor in his/her right mind would advocate or approve of that kind of lifestyle. And of course having a program is not a bad thing. Most bariatric surgeons provide the patient with a program, I just don't think getting surgery then joining Weight Watchers or one of the other diet programs is necessary...my opinon, take it or leave it. (And BTW, for what it's worth,my surgeon agrees.) I really am not sure why you keep replying directly to me, we each have our own methods, we are both doing well so I don't think there is a right and a wrong here. Each individual needs to do what will work for them. I say let everyone read through the various methods then come up a game plan that works for them.

It is hard but just take it one day at a time and you'll make it through. Good Luck!!!

Oh yeah, all those bones are hard to get used to. My wrist bones, hip bones, ribs and I actually have collarbones now! And if forget that I have less padding on my behind and sit down too hard on a hard surface, it hurts!

Hi Sandra, "seen" you in while... Just wanted to say your doing great!! :laugh:

Pretty much all of us have been where you are now...Bandster Hell. As others have already said, when you get a few fills you will really begin to use your band and then the results will come.

The strangest discovery for me would have to be that my shoe size went down 1/2 size. My feet never looked particularly fat but I guess that I even had a little fat to lose there.

Your doctor should have an insurance coordinator that can deal with the specifics of insurance coverage and getting pre-approved. Your doctor should also have staff to teach about the procedure, pre-op and post-op care, diet and all that stuff. I would be surprised if they didn't but IF they don't, you should find one that does.

My surgeon had me on the Calcium Plus Vitamin D pre-op. I am able to eat most foods. Red meat does take some work, all foods take more work with the band, but it will go down. I watch my carbs so I don't eat yogurt because of sugar content but I get plenty of calcium with other foods. Try to incorporate foods like low fat cheese, dried beans,almonds, spinach, canned salmon and tuna into your meals. Many cereals are fortified with calcium and vitamin D, add the milk and you are getting a good amount ). Just a cup of plain milk with your vitamins will help. I know I couldn't eat my regular lunch plus a yogurt too but I find other ways to incorporate calcium into my diet, that plus the Calcium Plus D supplements and multi-vitamin have been enough.

I do follow the Lap Band program that was my point. I eat small healthy solid meals, don't drink with my meal, eat slowly and get my fills. I have allowed the Lap Band to help me learn to eat healthy and watch my portions. As I said in my original post, I watch my processed carbs. But I don't do a "low carb program". And I have lost 76 pounds in 7 months eating from all the food groups so I must be doing something right. I don't feel like I am on a diet. I don't count calories, keep diaries or weigh or measure. I don't crave or feel like I am missing out. I allow myself the occasional treat and there is no doubt that I can do this for life. My orginal post did not say that anyone should follow bad habits like starving then binging, I only meant that I did not find it necessary to join another weight loss program. I completely agree that watching carbs is a great way to keep the head hunger away and if you go through many of my past posts you will see that. I don't think that extreme Atkins-like low carb is necessary. I eat whole grains, dairy, fruit, veggies and meat. I watch starches, sugars and bleached white flour and being insulin resistant (PCOS), that alone has gotten me off my meds and put my PCOS in remission. Following one diet after another helped contribute to my weight problems. I chose Lap Band so that I could finally get out of the dieting cycle. If following Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins or any other program is the way people want to go and it is something they imagine doing for life then more power to them. The OP asked for opinions and in my opinion, learning to eat sensibly and allowing the Lap Band to help me control portions is the way to go. I would like to add that in the beginning I felt like I needed a program too. I was so used to being on one diet program or another I felt lost. But my doctor assured me that if I followed the Lap Band rules I would be fine and he was right. Now that I see that I don't need those diets anymore and the weight is still coming off, I feel so liberated and for the first time in my life, normal.

Welcome! Congratulations on getting approval!! And good luck on the rest of your journey!!!

Bearbelly, Your sweet spot is when you reach perfect restriction The gurgling is happens when you swallow food or drink and it goes down very slowly. (kind of like the gurgling a drain does when when the last bit of water goes down) I gurgle too. Mine feels like it is above the pouch, like the food or drink is backing up a bit going into the pouch. It is really bad right after a fill.

I go to my first Curves visit today. I am hoping that this will help me to tone up a bit. My goal is to go a minimum of 3 days a week.

Constipation seems to be common. There are many ways to deal with it. Increase Fiber either with Fiber powders or in your diet (unfortunately that will add to the gas problem) :thumbdown: Use a non-stimulant laxitive (experiment with the dosage until you have a comfortable movement-not too hard or too soft) Prunes or Dried Apricots are a popular way (I can't tolerate dried apricots though) Stool Softeners. I use Mirilax, three days on then three days off.

It is definitely a learning process but eventually it becomes second nature to eat and drink slowly. And a huge congratulations on getting the meds cut back...THAT IS GREAT NEWS!!!!

Amended List... NAME------------------------START----------------CURRENT---------------GOAL--------------TO GO 1000words..........220............214............210...........4 annjones...........277............264............267..........-3 AuntieGG...........286............282............270..........12 BandedCG...........273............236.5..........220........16.5 Barb12590..........185............180............175...........5 Bea1128............190.5..........189............180...........9 Bonnielass.........168............166............159...........7 Brandy.............198............198............190...........8 crzytchr...........250............243............240...........3 CubsGirl...........150............147............140...........7 Cutiew/booty.......224............222............212..........10 Fordgal88..........274............208............198..........10 Imgoingdown........239............199............189..........10 janesays...........230............225............215..........10 Jodi_620...........160............158............148..........10 karebare714........283............276............265..........18 kikival315.........219.5..........218............210...........8 LauraP.............170............170............155..........15 lcwils01...........227............225............213..........12 Leslie2lose........229............223............219...........4 LilMissDiva........253............244.0..........239...........5 Long2BThin.........216............210............205...........5 Loveislovely.......223............216............208...........8 ltgordon...........264............263............250..........13 Mair...............231............225............220...........5 Mamanmidwife.......264............260............250..........10 misskitty84........313............263............243..........20 mominlv13..........270.2..........267.2..........260.........7.2 SanDiegoPhotog.....263............191............179..........12<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> Sistergrl25........359............289............264..........25 Tabithan...........246............246............236..........10 Terilynn112........224............224............200..........24 Tuger..............192............192............185...........7 twinmommie.........207............206............193..........13 wowox7.............173............169............163...........6

You are starting out almost exactly where I did. (I was 5'4" and 234) I was not required to lose a fixed amount of weight prior to surgery. I had my surgery on a Friday and went back to work 1/2 days the following Thursday and Friday. (I work in an office). There was not much swelling for me. The worst of the pain was in the first three days. It progressively gets better and was very tolerable in about a week. The pain at the port incision was the worst. Mine is just above my belly button and it was quite sore in the beginning, tolerable in about a week and completely gone in three weeks. I had my surgery done at Advanced Weight Loss Solutions in Reston, VA .

How much I eat is not exact. Some days I am more active and need more. I don't measure but would say I eat on average 3/4 cup per meal three meals per day. Sweet spot is not guaged just on the amount of food and we all have different requirements on how much we should be eating. You need to also look at how long you are staying satisfied and whether you are losing and of course the quality of food you are eating. When at a good restriction I stay satisfied at least four hours and lose around 2 lbs per week. I disagree that you guage it by saying if you can eat bread you need a fill. Food tolerance is an individual thing. A lot of bandsters can eat bread even at restriction. There really isn't anything that I absolutely cannot eat--some items just take more work than others.

I am not sure that it would cut costs that way. I did have both together and the surgeon did not charge for the hernia repair since he was right there anyway.

I get my Protein supplements at the local Vitamin Shoppe, they also have a website Vitamins, Nutritional Health Supplements & Herbal Remedies - VitaminShoppe.com Worldwide shakes are my pick, they taste good and have 35 grams of protein. Search Results - VitaminShoppe.com Different doctors have different programs. Mine was liquid Protein (broth, shakes, etc.) for two weeks pre-op, the same for two weeks post-op then mushies for two weeks.