saul

Mary youre not alone. I was banded March 6, 2006 and thought that this was the easy way out, little by little I started supplementing my food addiction with other bad habits that had been dormant inside of me. I strated gambling heavy again, I started drinking again and I started lusting again. I realized that by blocking the ability to overeat all I did was supress one addiction physically and bring out all the others that were in me but lay dormant. I started therapy about 2 weeks ago, I go to 12 step programs and I am coping "day by day" as they say. I will not preach the 12 step teaching here but I will tell you that if it was not for getting myself into therapy I probably would have been thrown out of my house, not see my kids and lose all my business. So bottom line is get the help you need...theres no shame.

So I was banded a few months ago and I have now lost over 55 lbs I work out every day and fit into "human size" clothes. OK I look damn good! At least thats what everyone tells me, that is everyone except my wife. Things are going down hill for us, the lighter I get the heavier she gets. The lighter I get the more my eye wanders. Is anyone elses marriage on the rocks?

I must say that reading all of these replys has helped me. I have already called a counslor and am just waiting for an appointment time that is convenient for both of us. I realize that now that I can run a mile without feeling like my chest is going to explode has also increased my libido 100 fold. I realize that even though there are a lot of "Saul bashers" out there, some of you can empathize with me. I realize that my wife is the best thing that has ever occurred to me and no blonde hottie is worth giving that up for. So yes, it feels great to be a sex object to other women and it feels great to be propositioned, but I AM STAYING HOME!

My wife is not overweight but she is not the 90lb ballerina she was when i met her 22 years ago. Sorry for sounding like an "ass", but I sincerely would like to hear from other couples who may have had similiar feelings. As far as the eye wandering thing is concerned....i always say that just because your on a diet does not mean you can't look at the menu. Only this time the items on the menu are actually taking notice of me as well. Its a NSV for me...thats just the way i feel about it....sorry for sounding like an ass I just want to be truthful.

Nothings wrong with it....I just physically can not do that anymore. Sorry if you felt I was coming off rude.

I feel it in the pouch itself and if I eat too much I feel it creeping up my esophogus and into my throat. Since surgery I have never felt full below the band.

Any white fish (sole, chilean sea bass, halibit) in butter sauce......and then it takes about an hour to finish it.

What is it with you guys? I have not eaten breakfast since my surgery. I have my first cup of coffee at 10 AM. Thats it.

sleep? Who can sleep before their surgery. I hope you have TV because tonight you will be watching it ALL NIGHT LONG! Good luck! Banding was the absolute best thing I ever did in my life.

Lunch? I am never hungry anymore...I just drink a protien shake. If I am out with a client its a bowl of soup or a yogurt.

Its the people who do not see you on a daily basis that will tell you how good you look that you lost weight and then always ask how you did it. Last night I took my wife out to a restaraunt near my office. I had not been there since before my surgery. I sat at my usual table and my usual waiter came to take my order (I only had a bowl of soup). He was shocked at how much I lost! He could not believe it. And ofcourse he asked how I did it. I dont mind telling anyone that I had LB, so i told him. I think he wants to make an appointment with my surgeon.

1. how long have you been banded? Since March 6, 2006 3.5 months 2. rate your level of restriction: A. NONE (fill or no fill you can eat whatever) B. Little (occasionally you will have a hiccup, your eating the same or a little less than pre-op) C. Moderate (have some restriction but not much!) D. Moderate/CLOSE to sweet spot (have good restriction but still need a little more) E. Sweet Spot!!! (perfect restriction) F. Too Tight (need/want a unfill) G. Too Tight (DONT WANT a unfill eating mosty liquids) 3. how long after you wake do you drink your first liquids, are they hot or cold: About 2 hours and usually its coffee, sometimes hot sometimes iced 4. how long after you wake do you eat your first food, is it solid or mushy? I eat food at night for dinner usually fish. if it is mushy, when is your first dense protien solid? 5. does your restriction change throughout the day? a. slightly tighter in the AM looser in the PM b. pretty tight most of the day- small SOLID breakfast and lunch, loosen up solid dinner c. pretty tight most of the day- small liquid/mushy breakfast and lunch, loosen up for a small solid dinner d. tight all day, if you dont make sure you are constantly drinking you will get tighter, have to REALLY work at getting food down. loosen up slightly with a careful mostly mushy dinner 6. how often do you PB? Every other day 7. is it mostly Slime/Saliva or is it the offending food or liquid that comes up? Slime 8. why are you PB'ing? a. i forget i am banded and try to swallow stuff whole (oops) b. i ate something dry c. i didnt chew good enough d. i chewed good but the texture didnt agree e. i sometimes do with first liquids of the day f. i am eating beyond the pouch capacity and I eat TOO FAST

My wife did not support me at all in my eandevor for LB. My dad did not support me but drove me to the hospital for the surgery (wife would not even drive me) and my mom was against anyone cutting into her baby. Now that I am 50 lbs lighter, more enegetic, more fun to be with they are all so happy that I did it. Its a lot easier with family support, but trust me in the end you need to do whats best for you and you alone.

Get another date and go thru with it! I too ate everything is site before my band, I never enjoyed eating I enjoyed OVEREATING. I was never happy until my plate was finished and I then finished what was left on my wifes plate and my 4 kids. I too thought there was no way I would be happy eating a meal the size of a golf ball, I too thought there was no way I would be happy having only 2 or 3 potato chips when I used to finish 2 or 3 bags, but after the band my life has changed. I now enjoy my food so much I take an hour to eat dinner and actually talk to my wife and kids about there day rather than ask "are you gonna finish that?" I never have missed the overeating, I love the fact that I can go to a buffet and not even have the desire let alone the ability to eat a whole plate of food. The band changes everything, at first I noticed it in my clothes, I went from a 44 waist to a 40 to a 38 (which are loose on me). I then noticed it in the way people acted towards me, people seemed more patient and then I noticed it at work, I am a lawyer and now I see that the "skinny" lawyers get more clients. I am not sure if its because clients have more confidence in thinner people or because I am more confident in myself. Probably a little of both. I then noticed it in my sex life ...WOW!! I can last a lot longer enjoy it a lot more (but thats for a different thread). Bottom line....GO FOR IT! It will change your life for the better.

Its a symptom of slippage...get it checked out NOW.

What does NSV mean?

I too love tanning. I suggest you use SPF 50 on your scars, otherwise they will turn bright red and stick out like a sore scar (er...thumb)

I hate to admit this but I actually snorted the Vicodin. I crushed it very finely cut a straw in half put one end in my nose made lines of Vicodin and snorted. It worked. This is not for everyone...good luck.

I had a wonderful surgical experience. Like JulieNYC I had Dr. Fielding operate on me early in the morning so i could go home the same day. I arrived at the hospital at 7 AM I was in the pre op room at 8:30 AM and met with the anesthesiologist and Dr. Fielding and signed the consent forms. I walked into the OR which i thought was huge and lied down on the table. I had a gown on but knew as soon as I was under I would be naked and spread eagle. I had a nervous cough and the anesthiseoligist asked if I was sick, i told him no just a bit nervous, he joked why should you be nervous I am doing all the work. Next thing I remember a nurse in the recovery room asked me to turn to my side so she could inject me in the butt. OUCH! An hour later I was in my room and walking the hallways. Dr. Fielding saw me walking around the hallways at about 4 PM asked if I wanted to stay overnight, i said no and he said fine I will discharge you. The only pain I ever felt was like being punched in the belly really hard. I did not take nor did I need any pain killers, I was so happy to sleep in my own bed that same night. the next night I was actually at a dinner party at my sister in laws house and the 3rd day post op, I just had to go back to the office I was so damn bored at home. I never felt any severe pain and I am so glad I had the surgery...no regrets.

Dr George Fielding of NYU Hospital operates on adolescents, heres an article from the New York Post about his work. June 5, 2006 -- Some severely obese teenagers are shrinking. Eighty-one supersize 14- to 17-year-olds who enrolled in an NYU Medical Center fat-busting program have collectively shed 7,300 pounds after undergoing gastric-band surgery that reduced the size of their stomachs and curbed their appetites. On average, they weighed 300 pounds before the surgery. One tipped the scales at 530, three others at 400. The average loss equaled 90 pounds of body fat. And the total loss - 3.65 tons - was equivalent to the weight of an SUV. The procedure "controls the patient's hunger," said Dr. George Fielding, NYU's chief pediatric gastric-band surgeon, who first performed the surgery in his native Australia. "Not being hungry is the key to the whole thing. The size of the stomach goes from a football to a golf ball." An adjustable white silicon ring, attached to a wiry, inflatable prosthetic belt, is fastened to the top of the stomach after small incisions are made and tubes inserted during a laparoscopy. The "LAP-Band" creates a smaller pouch, or stomach. A balloon inside the band helps control the size, which can be adjusted by injecting a saline solution in the stomach wall. Retiree Ira Harris, who was a patient of Fielding's, donated $2 million to pay for the surgery and follow-up treatment for the 81 kids, 35 of whom are part of an FDA-approved clinical trial and all of whom had been diagnosed as morbidly obese. A significant majority in an NYU survey said that they were no longer short of breath, fit in better at school and now play sports they never had. Plus, once-large girls can now shop in regular stores. "It's very hard being a fat teen-ager," Fielding said. "Being a morbidly obese teenage girl is as close to being in hell as you can imagine. This surgery gives them a shot at a normal life." Three-quarters of his patients are female; most are white. Many come in with ailments more often associated with the elderly: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint pains. Dieting has failed these kids. And the alternative, gastric bypass, or intestinal rerouting, is more invasive and more dangerous. "We want to show LAP-Band surgery is a valid treatment for kids. It is much safer," said Fielding, who himself went from 330 to 215 pounds after undergoing the surgery. There is a risk of infection from excess skin, and some doctors fear the bands may dissolve or break over time. But there's been no evidence of that, Fielding said. And, in any event, the bands are easy to retrieve and replace - unlike one's teenage years. carl.campanile@nypost.com

I had my surgery 3 weeks before Passover and my first fill one week after Passover. I ate as much as I wanted on Passover and now I am the happiest guy around. Dont sweat it! You will be fine after your first fill. Enjoy life now you will be getting thinner and thinner every day.

The problem is you see the alchohol as Sabotaging yourself rather than ENJOYING yourself. We give up so much with the band lets try to enjoy somethings in life. I used to hardly drink before I got banded and now I find that a drink of wine or a shot of vodka once in a while really actually helps with the fact that I can not eat as much as I used to. First of all with less in my stomach it takes a whole lot less alchohol to get me buzzed, I am sure its the same with you. Second, as we all know liquids go down and stay down, so we tend to have them more often than solids. Youre not going to get fat again from the alchohol, as a matter of fact take a good look at severe alcholics, the majority of them are super skinny, the beer belly guys are eating wings and pretzels with those beers and thats causing them to get fat. The super models are drinking up a storm and NOT eating and thats allowing them to have fun and stay skinny. So in summation drink up, your a beautiful girl your only going to get more beautiful and enjoy life and your new figure. The weight will come off, just stay away from higher calorie liquids (ice cream etc.) and you will look and feel great. Enjoy your new skinny life.....Lord knows I am.

My wife was against the surgery from the day I mentioned it to her. I was 265lbs, and needed help desparately, every night in bed she would beg me to lose weight and I would promise to start my diet the next morning. As we all know that just doesn't work for people in our situation so I chose lap band. I did all the research on my own and went thru with it without her consent (not needed of course) approval or even her ride to the hospital (my dad drove me). Now I am getting thinner I went from a 44 inch waist to a 38 (and still lowering) and I get tons of attention from other women. She wont admit it but I know she is getting nervous, now she asks me at night to help her on her diet, now she asks me what she can do to look better for me. The surgery is life altering in many ways, you will look better feel better and enjoy life more. I recently started dressing very differently, I wear a t-shirt with an open button down shirt. I am no longer hiding my gut but rather showing off my physique. My wife sees that and tells me I am not quite a model yet and should button up my shirt. TOO BAD!

Hi all: I had my lap band surgery March 6, 2006. I have lost 50 lbs so far and I look and feel great. My only problem is I am constatntly re-learning how much and what type of foods to avoid in order not to vomit up after a meal. When will I finally figure out this formula...eat slow...avoid certain foods....eat even slower.....When will I finally get up from a table and not run to a bathroom to puke? I would like to hear from post ops who had a similiar problem and let me know when they stopped puking for good. thanks all Saul

I read your post and can't wait to try some Cheetos....LOL. But seriously, how many cheetos can you eat at one sitting, I was addicted to potato chips before my surgery and now after 2 or 3 chips I am full and wouldn't even think of eating a third. I allow myself the chips because I enjoy them and now can only eat at he most 3 chips whereas before surgery I ate 3 large bags at one sitting. Perhaps look at the Cheetos as a small snack rather than a cheat and only eat 2 or 3 a day. Try to eat them after you have had some protien or a shake rather than instead of protien or a shake. Theres just so many ways we are changing our lives from this band....live a little enjoy the Cheetos in moderation.