lifegoeson...

I am a little over a year after my lap band, I am answering multiple questions since I have read all the posts. I was on liquids for 2 weeks, then soft and then foreworth. True I was able to eat anything after the 3rd week, I think I was just taking my time with the food, hence eating slower feeling full faster, because I had no fill in my band. It will take time. Now I am at 6 cc of fluid, and all it takes to fill me is a cup of food, I feel full. Hence, you can still overeat with the band, however you will get pain, I have had a fill for a year, and have cheated about 3 times, and eaten buffet style. You will get severe pain in the port, and shoulder area, from the pressure you are causing to your band. The feeling that you get is like swallowing a huge pill and getting stuck in your esophagus, inbetween your breast nipples. It is a throbbing aching pain, and it is very uncomforable, unfortunately the only way to get rid of that pain is to slim, which is allowing your food to come back out. It is not like throwing up because there is no stomach contents, or acids, because it never reached your stomach, just your small pouch. It is full of slimy fluids, hence slim. My starting weight was 356, now I am 230, this has been a very hard road, but if you eat it you will gain it. You need to change the way you eat, and you need to excercise everyday, if not you will gain weight. The band is a tool, not a cure for obesity. Don't get me wrong, I could have never gotten this far without it. I am thankful everyday for it, however because of me, people at work, have done it, and are failing. At first I felt awful, because the reason they did it,is my results (although, I told them it is hard hard work) however now I know you have to be ready, you have to really want to do this. Keep your head high, and excercise, excericise, eat protein always.

Ok. so I work night shift from 7pm to 7 am. I have had some issues with eating. Most of the time, when I am off, I can't eat till 7pm or later. Anyone else have issues like these? My doctor thought it was too tight, but the day before I ate a whole jimmy johns sandwich, so I think it is just my body is irregular.. Any thoughts Start weight 333/preop 303/now 242.5/goal 180

Hey coolness I am a RN too. The only issue is you have to wait at least 3 hours to eat after waking up. So that is a thought. Hope everything is going well.

I am a pretty lonely person, I think I have a good personality, and I am caring about others. Yet I seem to not have to many friends... My husband is my best friend. Yesterday at work everyone decided to go to six flags, they all worked around their schedules, except for mine. I keep thinking if they feel that maybe I wont be able to keep up with them, if they have to wait for me, or watch me take the walk of shame, because I wont fit into rides. I sometimes think well geez I am not that fat, but then when I had to ask for a seat belt extender on an airplane, I knew I was way fatter than what I thought. They all go shopping together, but I am not there size so I know there is no point in going, but I don't know how to tell them that it hurts my feelings when they don't include me. They are all really nice, and they don't want to humilate me when the event happens. -I just wonder if it is my size keeping me down or is it just me? -Will my life change, regarding making friends and having fun, once my surgery is over with? I seem to always be the friend that people want to go have lunch or dinner with. Does anyone else feel like that? How has is changed since you have lost weight. -Weight has stopped me from: *dancing in public *wearing a bathing suit in public *going to the pool *going to six flags *going up the sears tower *hiking up an ecuadorian volcano(once an a lifetime oppurtunity, to out of shape to do it) *going up a mountain ride *going rollerblading *going ice skating *going rock climbing *going to the mall, and finding clothes that fit me *eating in public and not feeling ashamed *running after my nice and nephew *driving a motorcycle *driving a 1972 mustang (couldn't fit, I cried) *going down a water slide * going on bumper cars, or any rides at carnivals *wearing high heels *running *jogging *going more than 3 flights of stairs *talking to people confidently I am going to change all this, I know that lap band isn't a miracle, that I will have to change my lifestyle. Before I decided to have this done, I wrote a list of pros and cons. My cons were 1. I could die.....My pro was 1. I will live longer, healthier. I hope this will give me that boost in life, I want to do so much in my life, yet there is this weight, this overbaggage, that I have carried for to long of time. My parasitic twin that invaded my body, and made others see it and not me. A burden, that makes me ache and groan every step I take. I WILL NOT LET WEIGHT STOP ME ANYMORE!!!!:thumbup::tt1::angry::angry:

That is the biggest reason why I decided to have the lap band, I want a child more than anything in the world. I am a nurse, and I have seen first hand, what happens to overweight moms, and their children. I want to give my child the best chance. Be strong!

Thanks for your words of encouragement!!!!

I am a pretty lonely person, I think I have a good personality, and I am caring about others. Yet I seem to not have to many friends... My husband is my best friend. Yesterday at work everyone decided to go to six flags, they all worked around their schedules, except for mine. I keep thinking if they feel that maybe I wont be able to keep up with them, if they have to wait for me, or watch me take the walk of shame, because I wont fit into rides. I sometimes think well geez I am not that fat, but then when I had to ask for a seat belt extender on an airplane, I knew I was way fatter than what I thought. They all go shopping together, but I am not there size so I know there is no point in going, but I don't know how to tell them that it hurts my feelings when they don't include me. They are all really nice, and they don't want to humilate me when the event happens. -I just wonder if it is my size keeping me down or is it just me? -Will my life change, regarding making friends and having fun, once my surgery is over with? I seem to always be the friend that people want to go have lunch or dinner with. Does anyone else feel like that? How has is changed since you have lost weight. -Weight has stopped me from: *dancing in public *wearing a bathing suit in public *going to the pool *going to six flags *going up the sears tower *hiking up an ecuadorian volcano(once an a lifetime oppurtunity, to out of shape to do it) *going up a mountain ride *going rollerblading *going ice skating *going rock climbing *going to the mall, and finding clothes that fit me *eating in public and not feeling ashamed *running after my nice and nephew *driving a motorcycle *driving a 1972 mustang (couldn't fit, I cried) *going down a water slide * going on bumper cars, or any rides at carnivals *wearing high heels *running *jogging *going more than 3 flights of stairs *talking to people confidently I am going to change all this, I know that lap band isn't a miracle, that I will have to change my lifestyle. Before I decided to have this done, I wrote a list of pros and cons. My cons were 1. I could die.....My pro was 1. I will live longer, healthier. I hope this will give me that boost in life, I want to do so much in my life, yet there is this weight, this overbaggage, that I have carried for to long of time. My parasitic twin that invaded my body, and made others see it and not me. A burden, that makes me ache and groan every step I take. I WILL NOT LET WEIGHT STOP ME ANYMORE!!!!:angry::angry:

I never knew how much I thought about food till I started my 6 month diet, I woke up thinking what I'm I going to make for breakfast, I wonder where I am ordering out at work tonight. I haven't gotten banded yet, but I hope that my mind set will change.

Well hello everyone first and foremost.... I am 23 a newlywed and have been overweight all my life....I never ate as much as everybody in my family, but i ended up being the fat one. I started seeing nutritionist at age 6. I had to get my meals counted out even thru high school. It was definetly embarrasing, not so much the diets, but all my classmates knowing i was on diets and asking, "Aren't you suppose to lose weight." I have been use to being fat all my life, I was ok active and tried to watch what I ate. My self esteem for a morbidly obese person is pretty darn good most days. It wasn't until I met my husband Dean and fell in love with this wonderful man, and realized I wanted to have his child more than anything in the world. I graduated nursing school one year ago, so I knew everything that can go wrong if your morbidly obese and pregnant. You risk not only your life but your childs. I decided to do the lap band, because I diet and lose 20- 50 lbs, I have never been close to being thin or average. I am 5'2 was 333 in JAN 10,2009. So I started my lapband diet that diet, till May 10th I had lost 34 lbs. I was down to 299. Very hard work with diet and excersice. Since May 10th though, I have not lost anymore weight. I gain pounds then lose pounds but never more than 2 or three. So these last four days I increased my cardio to 35 minutes, weights, 1 hr. Now my fat butt gets on a bike for 15 minutes, and started doing 30 minutes of TAE BO. Haven't lost one lb. My diet consists of protein shake, snack: nuts, lunch salad with 3 oz chicken lite honey mustard, snack: pear, dinner crab salad with light mayo, mustard. Diet pop and green tea, lots of water. I am just wondering what if lap band doesn't work for me. What if I am doomed to be morbidly obese for the rest of my life. I just feel so discouraged and upset. I don't know what to do.:thumbup:

Well hello everyone first and foremost.... I am 23 a newlywed and have been overweight all my life....I never ate as much as everybody in my family, but i ended up being the fat one. I started seeing nutritionist at age 6. I had to get my meals counted out even thru high school. It was definetly embarrasing, not so much the diets, but all my classmates knowing i was on diets and asking, "Aren't you suppose to lose weight." I have been use to being fat all my life, I was ok active and tried to watch what I ate. My self esteem for a morbidly obese person is pretty darn good most days. It wasn't until I met my husband Dean and fell in love with this wonderful man, and realized I wanted to have his child more than anything in the world. I graduated nursing school one year ago, so I knew everything that can go wrong if your morbidly obese and pregnant. You risk not only your life but your childs. I decided to do the lap band, because I diet and lose 20- 50 lbs, I have never been close to being thin or average. I am 5'2 was 333 in JAN 10,2009. So I started my lapband diet that diet, till May 10th I had lost 34 lbs. I was down to 299. Very hard work with diet and excersice. Since May 10th though, I have not lost anymore weight. I gain pounds then lose pounds but never more than 2 or three. So these last four days I increased my cardio to 35 minutes, weights, 1 hr. Now my fat butt gets on a bike for 15 minutes, and started doing 30 minutes of TAE BO. Haven't lost one lb. My diet consists of protein shake, snack: nuts, lunch salad with 3 oz chicken lite honey mustard, snack: pear, dinner crab salad with light mayo, mustard. Diet pop and green tea, lots of water. I am just wondering what if lap band doesn't work for me. What if I am doomed to be morbidly obese for the rest of my life. I just feel so discouraged and upset. I don't know what to do.