Rainydayz

You guys are the best! This is exactly the stuff I needed to hear. I am PMSing today but I so far I have stayed away from the chocolate and instead have been eating a lot of Protein and fruit. I have some ff ss pudding waiting in the fridge for after dinner when it gets really bad. I'm looking forward to meeting the nutritionist Wednesday. I have never been to one except for when I was pregnant and having problems from losing too much weight. (Yeah, those were the days!) So YES I can do this! But I bet there will be days when I don't think so. That's when I'm going to come here and cry on all of your shoulders and you'll tell me this stuff again and I'll get through it. So THANKS! You guys rock!!!

And fitday and myfitnesspal are better than doctors, nutritionists and the Mayo Clinic why? Come on, seriously. Think about it. It just takes common sense to know that liquid is liquid. Coffee, tea, etc. are just water with flavor. Even if it's caffeinated it would take a whole lot of caffeine to give enough of diuretic effect to offset the liquid intake. Maybe you should check some facts from dependable sources first.

You said yourself that this friend goes through "phases" and thinks it's the greatest thing ever until the next phase comes along. She is still overweight? Sounds like all her expertise is not working out so well for her. Please don't let someone like this influence your decision. If she brings you down you may just need to avoid her again for a while. Do your research like you're doing, weigh the pros and cons and make your best decision. As far as the saggy skin, I would prefer that to being 100 lbs. or more overweight. I'm almost at 300 right now myself and am going forward with the Band as soon as my insurance will let me. I too fear the saggy skin but I figure that can be fixed with plastic surgery if it really creates a problem. At least no one gets diabetes and heart disease from saggy skin! I too am a carb addict. I worry that I won't be able to change that after the Band. But I know I have to. It's the only way I will ever be healthy again. I want to learn how to eat healthfully and I'm hoping the band will help me with that. I plan to not keep it too tight that I can't eat meat and vegetables so I know that I will have to use a lot of self-discipline. I am ready to commit to that. I just want the extra help the band may give me. I have spoken to my primary dr., attended the seminar, done a lot of reading and research and talked to real live people (not just on the web) that have had it done. For me I believe the pros outweigh the cons. If you have come to that conclusion then don't let flighty "friends" sway you. Good Luck!

Do these games require the balance board?

I love Kohl's. Over the past 10 years I have been up and down the scale so I can't see spending a lot on clothes that I will only wear a few times before they don't fit and I give them away. Kohl's has some ok stuff and it's cheap.

I'm another Asics fan back when I was normal weight and running. They always seemed to fit me best. But definitely go get fitted and try several different brands. It's amazing how they can all feel different even though they are the same size.

Wow. That sucks! But are they still going to accept the psych eval. as valid toward the pre-req. for surgery? If they don't they would suck big time. Which is why I'm going to my PCP this Friday and getting a referral for the nutritionist, psych. and bariatric surgeon. Gosh, insurance bites.

Sorry to hear about the problems you've had. But at least that's the good part - it is reversible. Let us know if your insurance pays for it. In mine it actually says that it will pay for removal or repair if it fails, slips or erodes or causes other medical problems. So hopefully yours will too. Good Luck!

I'm seeing that the ones who are successful with the band are the ones who learn how to eat right and use willpower. How is that any different than any diet? Couldn't I just go on a 2-week liquid diet to detox then start Weight Watchers and get the same results? I really don't understand the people who say it's all about will power yet they got the band so ... why? Why did you get the Band if it's all about will power? And please, don't say "It's just a tool". If you want to talk about what that means I have a previous thread for that. Right now I'm looking for solid reasons that people got the band even though they have great will power. Thanks!

I'm looking forward to using the couch to 5k program as well. But like L12 said I want to wait until I'm a lot less heavy than I am now. I was a runner before too and did a bunch of 5Ks and the Atlanta Peachtree Road Race. But I've some issues with my feet, knees and back so I'm going to have to ease back into it after losing some weight. But at 23 and not so severely obese I would go for it. Just make sure you've got good shoes, really can't stress that enough, but I'm anal about my shoes because of all my foot issues.

Dave and Jack, I think both of you have done an excellent job of explaining the way the band works for you. I am really getting the idea of the difference between full and satiety. For the past few years I have been in the search for the Holy Grail of fullness as well. (Love that line). I know the panicky feeling of not knowing when I'll be able to eat again. I would love to have the power to stop after a normal amount and be satisfied for hours. Wow. Now that's the Holy Grail!

I want to hear all the stuff that could happen. This is something I'm voluntarily doing to myself. To turn a blind eye to the bad would be irresponsible I believe. Just like giving birth I wanted to know what could happen so I would know what to look for and be prepared. If I have this surgery and my band slips or erodes I want to know that I knew the possibility ahead of time and have prepared myself for that and not have it be a complete surprise if it happens. I never want to be in the situation of something bad happening to me and saying, "But no one ever told me this could happen." And it helps too that even when the bad things happen there is usually a solution. This thing can be removed. But so far in my journey I have heard more positive things than negative. Just like childbirth there are horror stories but I had 5 perfectly successful births so I know that all the bad things don't happen to everyone. And yes, people do tend to be more vocal about bad things than good. I can imagine that for every poster here with a bad experience there are hundreds that never post and are happily losing away with their perfectly functional bands. So I listen to the bad stuff for educational purposes but I don't dwell on it.

700? Wow. That doesn't sound like very much. I think I probably just ate more than 700 for dinner! OK, so when you start to feel the hunger and cravings come back you go for a fill right? What happens when your band is totally full? Does that ever happen? Would your body adjust to it and make it ineffective over the long haul? I'm just really concerned about the long-term.

The reason I went off them was because I felt deprived and hungry. Will the Band keep those feelings from coming back after 5 or so years?

And so is this a sensation you never felt before the band? Could it be that you feel it now because you have decided that you've put this much into the Band and you're going to make it work and you're really, really trying to listen to your body now? Or is the band really making you feel that satiated feeling with less food?

Thanks for the input. It's great to see a professional here! So tell me, what is the longest-term success you've seen in your patients using the various types of bariatric surgery? Oh, and yes I have my appt. scheduled for 2 weeks from now. I'm just still going to be weighing the pros and cons up until the moment of surgery I suppose. Thanks!

Which is exactly the question I'm asking about the Band. I know from past experience that I can't stay on the WW plan or any-other weight-loss plan I've tried for the long-term. And I mean more than 3 years by long-term. What I'm wondering is if I can stay on a weight-loss then maintenance plan by using the Band for the long-term? If not then I should save my money and not take the risk. But if I could then I will be knocking on the surgeon's door in the morning. The problem is, I guess, no one can answer that yet. That's going to be my main question at the support group meeting I'm going to pre-surgery. I'm anxious to see who there has had the Band successfully for the longest. You can believe I will be that person's new best friend!

Really? I had no idea the Band was indicated for any condition other than obesity. Between Shirley's Fluid retention issue and this I'm really getting an education. That's wonderful that it can help with other issues too. And also great if your insurance pays 100%, which mine will not do, so I will be putting a few $k into this out of pocket. I think one of the problems I'm having with understanding some responses is that I'm incorrectly thinking of a "diet" as simply eating less food and using willpower to stop yourself from eating more. I don't consider it a "diet" when I use pills because there is absolutely no will power involved. I have absolutely no interest in foods when I take them so it's not hard at all not to overeat. When I "diet" whether it be on my own or with Weight Watchers it is extremely hard because my appetite is screaming all the time. The way you are using diet is of course the correct way. A diet is whatever you eat day in and day out. Someone could have a diet of ice cream and marshmallows and that would be a correct use of the word if that's what they ate. Sooo... yes, using the LabBand depends on your diet to lose weight. It doesn't somehow magically cause the fat to disappear just because it's a piece of plastic around your stomach. I get it. What I'm actually trying to ask, (and doing poorly it seems), is how much EASIER does the Band make it to follow a diet that will cause you to lose weight? And, (and this is probably my most important issue), how long does that effect last? I mean in years. We really can't know because the band was only started in the early 2000's (isn't that right?) I realize no one here can really answer that. I'm just more or less bouncing thoughts around and it helps to type them out and if someone can add anything to my thought process that's great.

I share your confusion with some of the responses. That's why I keep asking. I'm really wondering if the successful ones have just mentally psyched themselves into believing the Band does something for them. For every one that says it keeps them from eating too much another comes along and says that it doesn't - you have to just use willpower. I KNOW I could lose the weight. I have no doubt in my mind. The problem is that I don't believe I can keep it off and when I regain I will regain more than I lost. That is what is keeping me from doing it again on my own. If I could have some assurance that the Band will help me the rest of my life to keep it off then my decision would be made today. I'm just not sure that if I do this I won't simply regain the weight again anyway. AND I will be out thousands of $ and have the risk of a foreign body inside me. It's a very difficult decision for me. The best thing in its favor is that it is completely reversible and all the problems that relate to the band itself are easily fixed. So far. But what if it causes esophageal cancer 20 years down the road? However, the chances of that are slight as there is no evidence so far, and the chances of me dying early due to obesity-related causes is large. These are the conversations that go on in my head all day long over this thing. One minute I'm convinced, the next I'm not. <<sigh>>

Well it feels good to me right now to eat to the point of bursting and keep eating like that every day. I believe I am going to have to suffer at some point for the long-term good.

If it's a diet like all the rest, why were you willing to pay big bucks and go under the knife for it? Why not just diet?

I love cabbage. These all sound really good. I'm not even banded yet and I will be doing some of these soon. Haven't had cabbage in a while. I've never had spaghetti squash. Maybe I will give that a try too!

You don't have to go to the gym to exercise. I know when I was working full time and going to college full time I often came home from work, threw on my shoes and shorts and shot out the door for a 30-minute run. Add 15-min for a shower and then off to class. Of course I've never been one to do a lot of hair and makeup so it's easy for me. Or one of those 10-minute workout videos can be squeezed in most anytime. I knew a teacher friend that ran during her lunch/planning period and just toweled off and went right back to class. I couldn't do that though, I NEED my shower! I know it's easy for me to say now since I'm not working, just going to school and I'm still not exercising very much, but I'm looking forward to getting back into running when I lose some weight and don't have to worry so much about my feet and knees! Good luck! It's exhausting fitting it all in isn't it? BTW, here's another tip I've started doing to make studying possible while commuting or exercising: I record myself reading the salient points in my text or record the lecture and play it back during my drive or while walking.

It's a book I saw advertised on another site written by two women who had the Band. Has anyone read it and can they recommend it?

It looks like the responses are from mostly newly banded or soon-to-be banded folks. Except for Elfiepoo - and Fran - way to go! Not that I discount anyone's opinion but I really wish I could hear from folks who have had it for more than a few years. If the definition of "successful" is to lose excess weight and keep it off for 3 years then I have been successful on my own. I lost 50+ lbs. and kept it off for 3+ years. I weighed between 135-142. Then I got pregnant, then I injured my back and the rollercoaster started again and I gained way more than I lost. I'm just scared to try again because then I might gain even more and I really can't stand the thought of being even fatter than I am now! I hear all of you and it makes sense that the band would help with stomach hunger and not head hunger. That's where the willpower comes in. OK. I get that now. So would this help me is what I have to figure out. When I'm hungry I go for the real foods like meat and vegetables and bread. I eat way too much regular food - I like the feeling of being stuffed. Then after the hunger is sated I start craving the sweets. No, not just sweets, CHOCOLATE! I can look at a piece of apple pie or a sugar cookie and it not do a thing for me, even when I'm hungry. I want real food when I'm hungry. When I'm craving I want chocolate. I can act like a normal person as far as turning down Cookies, candy etc. until the chocolate comes out. Then it's like showing an alcoholic a bottle of whiskey. So do you thing this would help me? I'm trying to be as objective as possible because I don't want to be disappointed by having unrealistic expectations. Thanks for all the info!