lisah25

I thought about them both, and obviously choose the band. One thing I did that helped was read both lap-band and bypass boards, to see what people are living with day-to-day.

I think this is another of those things that don't have a "right" answer, it depends on the person. I do better if I weigh everyday, I just had to learn that yes, the number will flucuate and that's OK. I do write my weight down once a week, and use that to see how I'm doing overall.

Mine have been no big deal at all. No numbing, just the needle stick and done. In fact, I've gotten a lot more comfortable with needles and shots in general after a handfull of fills. I had a cortisone shot in my hip yesterday, realized I wasn't concerned at all. I've been desentitized I guess!

I had one of these for dinner last night, it was GREAT!:hungry: They come four to a box, in the frozen section. I thawed one out in the microwave, then cooked it in a non-stick skillet. Took less then 10 minutes total. I toasted a wheat english-muffin and used that for a bun, with a little light mayo and ginger spread(also from TJs). It was sooooo good, and a lot more juicy then I would have thought. It had a hint of citrus, and some heat but not a lot. The nutritional info - each patty has 110 calories, 30 of them from fat. It has 3g fat, 1 of those is sat fat, no trans fat. 55mg of Cholesterol, 270mg of sodium. Total carbs of 4g, 1g of Fiber. And 15g of Protein. I don't have the ingredients here with me, but TJs is usually pretty good on what it puts in things.

I totally agree with you aboug the fact it's a personal decision, and there isn't a "good" or "bad", "right" or "wrong" one! One reason I think I'm pretty open about it is that we heard about banding first from an aunt. At the time DH was thinking about doing a bypass, because it's all we'd heard about. And since we've been banded, other people we know have taken steps to be banded based in part at least on our experiences.

This one is a biggie, IMHO, so it's worth working on. For me, I don't have a drink nearby when I eat at home. When I go out, I've learned to not order anything besides Water, too tempting. If I want a glass of wine or something, I get it and drink it before ordering dinner. I also drink water right up to the food arriving. That all seems to help. Breaking habits isn't easy, so give yourself time, and make a very specific plan for how you are going to approach it.

Trader Joes. They are a fun grocery store we have in Washington state, and I think they are in some other states as well. Welcome to Trader Joe's - Your Neighborhood Grocery Store

I think in deciding who to tell you need to think about a couple of things. One, how much do what those around you say affect how you feel and what you do? The other is what are those around you likely to say? In my case, I knew I was doing the right thing and that what anyone thought else(outside of my doctors and DH) didn't matter. I also knew that most people would be supportive. So I told everyone. The only time I've regretted it is when I've been platued, and have to face those "So, how much have you lost now" questions.

It does bug me a lot, it's playing into old stereotypes. And I was surprised to see it in an old I Love Lucy re-run the other day. Plot was about Ricky mentioning an old girl-friend being in town and Lucy getting very jealous, having nightmares where he runs of with the former flame. So, she invites her over to check out the compatition, and the woman is overweight. When Lucy sees her, she's totally relieved. Because of course Ricky wouldn't be at all interested in *that*.

My experience has been that I have to learn some things the hard way, so I have had my PB episodes, and I do tend to keep an eye on where the bathrooms are in a restaurant. But, I really only have problems when I eat something I KNOW I shouldn't - soft bread, rice, Pasta for example. Or when I don't chew well. Or when I ignore my body telling me I've had enough. I eat mexican a lot, I never liked Tacos but can do Nachos, enchiladas and arroz con pollo. I can eat pizza, as long as it's thin crust. We eat out a lot, and most of the time, if I'm aware, I'm fine. And the REALLY great part of this is when I'm at a good fill point, I don't feel hungry at all between meals, I don't even spend time thinking about food. I LOVE that part. :car: I don't feel like a freak at all, and I would do my surgery again in less then a hearbeat.

It's an interesting question, I honestly don't know. But I'm not sure it really matters in the end. It's nice to be the best, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying to improve where we are. I know a lot of public school employees, teachers and others, and am almost always impressed with how hard they work and how much they care about their students.

I get tight the day before my period starts, and stay tight for at least 2-3 days. This last time, I couldn't eat anything at all for one day. I always can drink water, so I don't worry about it, since I'm OK/perhaps too loose still the rest of the month.

I think it's an interesting question! No, I've never felt any effect on my airway or breathing. When I get food stuck, I feel it in my chest. It's a pressure, not really painful for me. I also tend to "slime" a lot(Produce salivia to try and unstick whatever it is). You will know when you are going to puke, at least I do, and my advice is not try and wait it out much, esp. if you are out to eat. It's hard to really describe what things feel like, the best I can tell you is that I wondered about that also, and now I just know by how I feel.

To me, sliming is all that salivia and such my body produces, I've assummed to try and get whatever is stuck un-stuck. A PB is when it doesn't work, and it all comes back up.

Yep, your life will change. You will have a little friend implanted in you, and you won't be able to eat like you do now, and there will be some foods you just won't be able to eat. You'll learn to keep on eye on where restrooms are in restaurants, just in case. You'll learn to drink slowly, and not to drink while you eat. And it will become second nature after a while, a new normal really. My life has changed in other ways as well. I can fit into a chair with arms. Or a booth in a resturant. I can wear clothes in styles and sizes I had given up on. I can go through a day without being totally pre-occupied by food. I can climb stairs and carry on a converstation at the same time. When I go to the Doctor now, I hear about how much healthier I'm getting, instead of dire warnings about what I was facing if I continued to gain weight. I can take my niece to the park and play along with her. So overall, well worth it. Doubts are normal, I sure had them, but I'm really glad I did this. And I'm only just over 1/3 of the way to where I want to be!

Yeah, you will make it. It sucks, but you'll get through and it will be worth it. Vent here all you want, that's what we're for. It helped me to picture my liver getting smaller and happier(hey, it was my visual!) and ready for surgery day, so it could just dance out of the way of the surgeon. Ok, it didn't make it easy, but it really did help.:heh:

I do miss my old way of eating still sometimes. For DH and me, eating was entertainment and a shared interest/guilty pleasure. It was also a way to self-medicate, to avoid dealing with emotions that I didn't want to. However, it was also stealing my health, so I knew I needed to do something. I'm not sure I've learned how to cope really yet, it's an ongoing process. And yeah, it's scary at times, but it beats staying in a place that I was all too used to. I do still use taste at times, when I'm feeling restless and bored, but things like herb tea or crystal light.

I would say all of us who've been banded have failed at "traditional" weight-loss plans. Many of us have years of history at it, before we decided to try something different. I can only tell you what I experienced. Yes, I do have less desire to eat, and less cravings for some foods then I used to. Now, you have to make good choices, and follow the guidlines most of the time, but it makes it possible to do so for me. You also have to be willing to do the follow-up and get and keep a good level of restriction. That means paying attention to how you feel. But it's worth it.

Yes, a fill is what really "turns the band on". Until you have a proper fill level, and yep it may take more then one or two, it's not really doing it's job. Some people are lucky and have restriction from the start, most of us don't/didn't. I was told over and over by my clinic that the first 6 weeks were not about losing weight. They were about healing and setting myself up for sucess later. That helped me get through it.

LOL- I love friends like that. :whoo: I was wondering if maybe that was a side-effect of the diet?:heh:

Yeah, I've seen this before, but it's still funny. The tip-off would be that your female friend probably doesn't have balls to lick...:-)

I've been thinking about this, and it's kind of hard to answer because I haven't really thought about what people's impressions of me are, and what might surprise them. Things that surprise people I know IRL include the fact my first serious boyfriend was 27 years older then me, that I played violin all through Jr high and high school and that I wanted to be a jockey as a kid.

I know it's frustrating, but really this time is to let everything heal up well, not lose weight! Think of it this way, you have the tool now, but it's not turned on yet. Once it is, you'll be on your way!

A story huh? Once upon a time there was a not-so-young, not-so-princessy girl. She was VERY tired of being too big to fit into a ball gown, forget about those glass slippers. So, looking around she realized that her prince charming was losing weight with the help of a magic band, so in early June of 2006 she decided she wanted that wonderous device for herself. She went to see the healers of her town, and everything looked good. Well, expect for her mean ole boss who said she couldn't take leave of her duties until September. So, she got everything all set up to have the band on August 31st, and started the wait. The looonnngg wait. Feeling like Rapunzel stuck in a tower...:faint: Then one day she read a post on a board, and it hit her that not only had she made the wait to surgery, but that almost a year had passed. And she weighed 65 pounds less then she had then. It had not always been easy, but it was an interesting journey to say the least. She realized that ball gowns and glass slippers were not in her future, but a pair of jeans bought 4 years ago in a fit of hope fit for the first time. She realized she could just about climb up that tower and still breath and even talk at the same time. Her doctor told her she was much healther, and she knew that her future would be happy. Oh, and Prince Charming is happy with the changes in her as well. Lets just say that feeling better and having more energy affects all part of life!:whoo:

One word really jumps out at me reading your post, and that's "luck". I think it struck a chord with me because I've had somewhat of a "magical thinking" approach to losing weight in my life. Kind of thinking that if I want to lose weight, and think about it, the scale might go down even if I'm not eating what I should. I'd get on the scale and wish for results. So I've learned luck or something like it has nothing to do with this. Yes, our bodies are different and we will lose weight at different paces. Some of that I suppose is luck in a way, but you also can do everything you can to give yourself the best outcome. We all have a lot more control then I think we realize, and I find that exciting.