JulieNYC

Susan, I'm so glad your port revision went smoothly and that you're not feeling too under the weather. Let us know how the recovery goes and we're all thinking about you. For recipes, I do a lot of stirfry! Sugar snap peas, Water chestnuts and baby corn (the kind that is more like a pickle than corn) all chopped up and stir fried with Pam in the wok with soy sauce and ginger. YUM. You'd hardly know it's a vegetable, and less than 50 cals/cup to boot (and I rarely eat a cup). For Protein, if I don't feel like really cooking (or adding tofu to my stirfry -- a girl can only eat so much tofu) I have found Mrs. Paul's "Healthy" fish sticks. 170 cals for SIX sticks and lots of protein (lightly breaded but baked not fried). I usually just cook 4. So easy and not at all fishy. Also, if anyone has an Applebee's, the Chili Lime Tilapia meal for 310 calories is a DREAM. It makes 2-3 meals for me and is super tasty. I had it when visiting a friend in Albany and it was like $8.99. I got back to Manhattan and it's $14.99 here for the same thing! Then again, it does make 3 meals....

That's fabulous!! Way to go!

Ok, warning to all that I'm having a bad case of bandster euphoria right now, so beware! I am 4 months post-op this week and as of this morning I'm -70. I still weigh more than many people who start this journey, but I just wanted to report in to those in my favorite group (Supersized Bandsters) who are a little bit behind me in their journey, as there seem to be a few of you in that category posting lately. At the beginning, before deciding to get banded, I felt so discouraged. I felt like nothing would work for me, and even if it would, I had so much to lose that the journey would be so, so long that it was depressing to even think about it. I had spent a long time (10 years or so) weighing 260, had lost down to 175 beore I started law school about 6 years ago, then quickly gained up to 358 just after law school and entering the work force for the first time. I felt like I was so far from my personal "normal fat weight" (the 260ish or so weight) that why bother. I knew how hard it was to lose 100 lbs, having lost 90 lbs 6 years ago and having just gained it back plus friends. In comes the lap band. WOW. It took me a long time to decide to go for it (like 3 years of research), but this is the tool I have always needed. I don't stay super tight, so I don't have a lot of PB issues or food texture issues, I just have a tool that is like a light switch that has switched off my hunger. I physically CAN eat a plate of nachos if I try hard enough, but most days I just could care less about food. I'm sewing more, playing my violing, exercising and working more. I sleep all night, every night and I feel great. So cool! All that is to say that My BMI is still in the 50s (14 lbs to go, I'm only 5'2), but at my height, life in the 200s is completely different from life in the 300s. My bones (feet and back) don't hurt at all. I don't constantly feel bad about myself. There's no exercise I can't do. What I'm trying to get across is that for anyone who has 200 or more to lose, don't think that it'll be 150 lbs before you start to feel good and that it's not worth the journey. There is something special about getting below every century mark that is, in itself, worth the journey, whether it's getting from 500 to 499 or 200 to 199. Relatively speaking, I think I feel just as good now having lost 70 as I did when I wa at the stage where I'd lost 70 before, even though this time puts me at 288 and not at 188. This is a meaningful journey and the journey itself is rewarding, even when the ultimate goal is far off. I would do this again, even if I never lost another lb (which, obviously, I will). Good luck to us all!

Tim, I did my very best on my pre-op diet and I still cheated fairly substantially on 3 occasions within the 2 weeks. I felt horrible about it, but in the end everything went fine. All you can do is your best. Stay on the straight and narrow until your surgery and remind yourself that it's just a few days and you're doing your part to make sure you have the smoothest surgery possible. It's not a predictor of success or failure. I cheated and am doing great now that I have the band as a tool to help me. Also, I would never tell you to go against your doctor's orders, but you have it harder than most in that you're not allowed any liquid protein. Broth and Crystal Light for a few days will weaken anyone's will to diet! Good luck. You're going to do great.

My post-op depression lasted a little longer than what most people here are describing, so I wanted to tell you about it (and assure you that it does end) in case you experience something more like what I did. Basically, I felt like getting banded was such a huge decision. Then, it was over, yet I didn't feel any different at all, particularly around week 4, once I was back on solid food, per my doctor's instructions. Weeks 4-7 were very hard for me because I had no restriction without a fill. I went in for a fill on week 7 and it did nothing for me. I was SUPER depressed (like didn't want to get out of bed to go to work). By week 9, I'd gotten 2 more fills and had very good restriction. The depression lifted almost immediately, once I saw that the band WAS different from all the other weight loss programs I'd tried. That was all I needed to move on from the depressive episode, but it was a very, very hard time for me, waiting to get proper restriction. Just know that it is coming and that this IS different.

Marcy, I did the same thing getting stuck at 296-297 for what seemed like the longest time! Then I went on vacation, ate wayyyy off my normal routine and still the scale dropped 5 lbs. The band rocks! Molly, you're doing great. I can't wait to see what your September weigh in number is. I left an express pass for you with the border patrol at Twoterville and I just know you're going to sail through! For me, I'm counting down 17 more lbs until my BMI leaves the 50s. That's going to be a big one for me. I can't wait!

Booda, I've been reading several boards for more than a year and though I've heard many people say their doctors advised them they were at particular risk for having to have the surgery converted to open, I've only heard of one person who actually had to be converted. Some surgeons will not convert and will just not place the band (which is super rare too). Per my doctor, there's just not much of a chance of conversion to open with an experienced laparoscopic surgeon, particularly if you're not in the super, super obese category (i.e. BMI < 70).

Well, I was on vacation for a week and ate literally everything I wanted. It was my birthday week too and I ate the icing off of about 6 cupcakes over the week (no cupcake itself as I don't like it and it's probably not band friendly). Anyway, I was ready to come home and face the scale and low and behold, everything I wanted still let me lose 5 lbs in the 10 days I was gone. WOOHOO! (No worries, I'm back on a good eating plan of protein and veggies now....) My other news is that I'm trying hard to move my gym time to the mornings. I've never been able to do that in the past, but I'm giving it my best for 6 weeks, then I'll see how I feel about it for the long term. If I wait to the evening, I just feel like I have no time for anything else. by the time I leave work (around 7 or 8) and get to the gym, it's well past 9 before I get home, so dinner, bath and bed is all I have time for. I'm trying to do it in the morning so that I can get home and have dinner by 8 then have a few hours before bed to do things I want to do. We'll see how it goes. Eficka, you're a GODDESS. I'm still pissed that they won't fill you for a while (what in the heck is the point of a band with no fill!!) but I'm glad you're making it work for you. Susan, I'm so sorry about your port flip. Had you noticed something was up before you went in for that fill, or was it a complete surprise to you? LapBandit, a hearty congratulations on Twoterville!

Molly, It's ok to let your head catch up with your body. Twoterville is a big deal. Give yourself some emotional room to be ok with the change. Cut back on the scale time and just really listen to your body's signals of hunger and fullness. I bet you come over the border in no time. You're doing great.

Leona, I'm from Alabama but now living in Manhattan. Throw bandland on top of that and we have a lot in common!

I wouldn't recommend getting a scale that only weighs a few lbs over your weight because though they claim to be accurate to X lbs, my experience is that they're less accurate the closer you get to the high end of the scale's capacity. I bought my scale, which is consistent with my doc's scale every time, off ebay. Type in "obesity scale" and check out the scales sold by "Old Will Knott." They're inexpensive and very accurate. They talk to you too, if you like that feature. I turned it off myself. Good luck!

I couldn't find a picture from high school, which was the last time I was thin (though still felt fat) but I found one from 5 years ago, which was the last time I lost a significant amount of weight and was feeling pretty good about myself. I weighed about 200 in this pic. I'm the one in red, with the crown on (long story), on the right....

Joyce! That is FABULOUS news! Congratulations on reaching the 60's. You'll be in the 50s before you know it. I make my goals based on BMI too. My first goal was 337 (BMI 59) and my current goal is 274 (BMI 49). May seem random to some people, but it's very significant to me. Hugs to you,

I love my lap band. Liek everyone, I considered RNY, for years in fact, but it just felt wrong for me. I just wanted a little push downhill to weightloss. I didn't want something that I couldn't control. I felt like RNY was a free pass for about 18 months (free pass being a good thing) but that if you didn't learn proper habits, so many gain it back. Whereas, with the band, I'm in CONTROL of my weight loss, for better of for worse. I have major control issues and being able to turn it on and off is very important to me. That said, like many of you have said, I'd likely convert to RNY or VGB if I had a complication and couldn't be rebanded. Good luck to everyone on your journey. Goodness knows, no matter what route you take it's a hard road.

You might be a redneck bandster if... ...you're having dinner alone with your banded husband and your brother says "geeze, hon, I sho' miss drinkin' beer with my dinner." (I'm from Alabama, I can make these jokes!)

I have the 10cc band, which feels so different from what I read about the 4cc band in that I don't feel different restriction from the morning to night, don't really have pain with golfballs, etc. BUT that said, stress is the one thing that really makes my band differ in restriction. If I get stressed (usually at work for me, no small kids yet), it tightens up to where I just cannot eat. It usually takes several hours (i.e. overnight) to release as well. Oddly, I kind of like that about the band. I guess I was a stress eater before, so it makes me feel like I'm in control (even though the band really is).

I'm so sorry you were treated so poorly. The flight attendant will get what is coming to her in another way, I'm sure. I'm flying on a small plane this weekend, so I'll be sure to take my extender. Thank you for the warning. I think older planes have smaller belts too. The belt fits on a 777 every time, even at my heaviest, but not on a 1980's 747. Boeing/Airbus must know that people are getting bigger.

Danie, I felt like the job interview was for the surgeon, not for me. That said, I think a LOT of people feel like you do! My surgeon requires that new patients bring a spouse/friend to the consult with them because --in his words-- you're usually so nervous and all you care about is hearing that, yes, you can have the band. So, you're definitely not alone. If you think it'll help your nerves, type out your list of questions and bring a copy for the doctor. He'll be glad to see you're serious about the process and it'll make sure you get all your questions answered, even if you're nervous. Good luck!

This is exactly how I feel about it. I've been seeing a therapist since I decided to get the band, who helped me with the emotions of the banding process and is helping me with the changes in my life. For me, this has helped with the emotional eating, as has the band itself. What the band does is keep me to eating a reasonable portion of whatever I'm eating. It also cuts out the noise that used to be in my head that was always thinking about food. I still have pockets of noise, but it's only about 10% of what it used to be. 10% I can usually quash on my own. And if I can't, well, now I give in to the unhealthy food 2% of the time instead of 98% of the time. The band doesn't go to the gym for me, but losing weight is a motivator itself. It's like a drug you want more of! I really wouldn't trade my band for anything. For me, it's a life saver and it helps, but doesn't cure, emotional eating.

Debbie, I'm glad you've found us! Your stats are very close to mine. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the April 2006 groups as well. We have a chat thread as well as a number of lbs lost thread. I enjoyed your blog. Your husband is precious! I loved your list of things you want to do on your own again once you've been banded a little bit longer. I've recently started being able to paint my toenails without having to hold by breath on certain toes. Also, I flew without a seatbelt extender for the first time in forever last weekend. Exciting stuff. Take care,

Wonderful idea LapBandit! I love this thread. It was the first place I came to share the news.

You've done amazingly well! I have no doubt that you'll reach the goal you've set for yourself for year 2. I look forward to following your progress, which is an inspiration to all. Take care,

Thanks Bluehill! I had a 2 week plateau, but it finally broke....

The big difference is that the mini-bypass is reversible. However, I've only seen one group of doctors doing it. I'm sure there are more, but there's no one in NYC who does it. I wasn't willing to do something where the aftercare wasn't local for me, so it wasn't a real consideration. Before I gave up on the band, I would change fill doctors. You might think you have proper restriction, but if you're not losing weight and you're not making really poor food choices, my money would be on not having the right level of restriction (in either direction -- too tight or too loose). In any event, here's a link to one of the mini bypass sites I found in my research. I don't specifically recommend it (as you know, I chose the band), it just might give you a head start in your research. http://clos.net/mgb_drawing01.htm Good luck!