GuyMontag

I lost all my weight while drinking tons of caffeine. I found that while drinking caffeine makes me go to the bathroom more I could easily offset it by drinking more. The ironic thing is that I eventually found out that caffeine causes me to have headaches and after I got past the initial withdrawal symptoms I have been completely headache free since quitting.

I've taken a very hands-off approach to my kids' weight. I feel that my parents made me too aware of mine growing up and I still suffer from that. There have been times that my kids have gained a little weight noticeably and it's almost always been followed up by a growth spurt. Now if my kids were obese it might be a different story and honestly I would probably still try and find a way to help them with their weight without trying to make a big deal of it. Maybe being burned at one end of the spectrum I lean too heavy towards the other side but so far my kids' weight overall has not been an issue and I hope it stays that way. That's just my perspective on kids' weight.

Well don't be a stranger in here Cort. You might not get it done as fast as you'd hope you'll get it done. I have faith in you and I know how much you want it.

That totally sucks. I had a hard time trying to get my surgery and failed at all my insurance options. Eventually I had to bite the bullet and get a loan through CareCredit which I've almost paid off! I have a feeling you'll find a way to get this done. It might not be tomorrow but it will happen. I am sorry you're going through this though. Getting your hopes up only to have them dashed out from under you is terrible.

Try switching up your diet. I found that an atkins/south beach/Mediterranean diet works well for me.

Liquid motrin and stick to liquids for a few days. I'd recommend finding a good protein shake you can drink. Every time you get stuck you make your stoma swell and you have to start all over again getting the swelling down. Go back to the basics of your band...fluids first...then try mushies...then go back to regular food slowly. Make sure your first bite is small and put your fork/spoon down in between each bite.

Welcome to hell. Lol. When I was in bandster hell I tried to 'eat right' but I definitely was eating more than one cup of food or whatever it was we were supposed to eat. When you're hungry, eat, and keep getting more fills. You'll make it out of Bandster hell eventually.

I hear ya. It's hard when you get stuck and the band tightens up and you just want to eat some nice comfort food but NOPE it won't even let you do that. Unfortunately, about all you can do now is try some liquid motrin and liquids for awhile. I do get what you are saying and it does get frustrating at times but in the long run it's worth it. I definitely feel your pain though and it's no fun.

We've all been there. And restriction will make things much better for you I bet. Also, while weight loss is of course good, your focus right now should be healing. It's hard to make all of the right decisions regarding what you eat when your band isn't really turned on yet.

Right after surgery I was most comfortable slightly upright in a recliner. After a few weeks the side was fine and now I prefer it.

It looks like you'll be dropping under 300 soon if you haven't already. For me getting down to 225 was the easy part. Getting under 200 was a b**** but felt great. I know you can do it!

You all will do great!

I like the Vitafusion gummies and they sell them at Walmart, costco, Kroger, etc.

I'm willing mine to any fat descendants I might have. I can picture it now, This lapband has been in our family for generations!

I felt pretty bad for the first four days. I could get up and around okay but felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Take the pain meds and anti-nausea meds if you have them. If you have any concerns feel free to call your doc's office. That's why they're there!

At least you got to eat the food in your dream without paying for it in reality!!!

That sucks man. The good news is you'll be able to eat most of that once you are done healing. A lot of times I don't want to go into the whole, 'I had lap band surgery' talk, so I just say I eat low carb and grab a hot dog without the bun or a hamburger without the bun, some mashed potatoes, etc. I definitely had some periods where I was literally mourning the fact that I couldn't eat certain foods anymore but that passes and the weight loss is totally worth it.

Personally I think hair loss is more closely tied with weight loss than protein. I kept my protein way over what I needed, took Biotin, and still had the hair loss. It's fairly common. While protein and Biotin may help, I think it's just an inevitable side effect of the rapid weight loss. The good news is your hair will thicken again and be fine in the long term after the weight loss stops.

Sometimes the band does it's just perfectly well and acts like a choker making you go, OKAY...I WON'T DO THAT AGAIN! Lol. Some things to think about, you may be swollen after a stuck episode. Also, even though you may reach a place where you think you are at perfect restriction, it may change as you lose weight and your stomach becomes leaner. You're doing a great job though. Keep it up!

I don't know about that. I've seen people get bypass and lose weight even though they eat like crap constantly. The main reason I didn't get bypass though is because they have no control over how much weigh they lose to a large extent. I know people that have gotten it and only lost 7lbs and others who have gotten it and almost look like skeletons. That kind of wide swing in results scared me away from it. But I can name a couple of people I personally know that have lost over 300lbs with bypass, have kept it off, and eat mt. dew and sausage biscuits all day long. It's not pretty but it's worked. Sure, I'm not going to all them healthy, but they did lose the weight with zero to no effort thanks to bypass.

Good luck on your journey!

Frankly, the band can be a pain in the ass but it can still be an effective pain in the ass kind like a personal trainer. When I see someone that's already bitching about how hard things are before they are even banded I start to worry. The band is not a miracle cure. If you're not willing to work your butt off then get another surgery. I think too many people get lapband surgery because they think the other surgeries are 'too invasive' or they don't want their stomach cut up. I'm sorry, but lapband surgery is still surgery and ask someone that's had a bad slip how non-invasive their surgery ended up being. Choosing lapband because it scares you less is not a great reason to get banded. A great reason to get banded is to be able to have control over how much weight you lose and to realize that it is an effective tool that with your help can get your weight down. It can't do it on its own though. There are many ways to defeat the band by not getting fills, living on cereal and milkshakes, and many other ways. Don't get the band if you want to sit at home all day, eat pizza (just in smaller portions YAY), and shed all those pounds without an effort. That's not what the lapband is and you're going to be disappointed.

I'm more of an enchilada or burrito kind of guy

Deja vu. Baby first, weight loss second.

I think I got to the surgical center around 9am and was out by 1:30pm. My wife just hung out there I think. Maybe she took me, asked them to call her when I was done and grabbed lunch. I can't remember for sure but it was pretty low key and casual as far as surgery goes. It wasn't like she was waiting on them to deliver a baby or anything. Lol.