stateofzen

You're adorable. Congratulations on the comments-- it's weird how there seems to be some critical point at which everyone comes out of the woodwork to comment on your weight loss. I remember in the beginning, when I'd lost 40-60 lbs, people were most likely to ask me if I had done something different with my hair! Lol Not unless my hair was losing weight too. But then in the same week I suddenly got several weight-related comments. The whole process is bizarre. Yay for your accomplishments-- and enjoy the comments and the new relationship!

I have told my family, and two of my best friends (I work with them). No one else knows and I was very careful about who to tell- in fact, there is a group of 4 friends at work, and I chose not to tell one of them because of her eating disorder-- and so sometimes it is weird when we go out to eat and everyone but her knows, but we've managed it for almost 7 months so it is doable. I was on a high protein/low carb diet before the surgery, which people knew about. It has helped me explain my weight loss post-surgery, and it also helped explain why I was doing a Protein shake for lunch instead of something solid. Now, I often just eat lunch in my office at my desk, so there is not a daily viewing of my eating habits But the low-carb thing explained a lot for people. Also something that helped is that I did tell people I was having surgery, but I told them it was gallbladder surgery. So my other excuse was that my digestive system was sensitive while it figured out how to work without a gallbladder and I was just trying not to upset it while at work (gallbladder removal is pretty notorious for having associated diarrhea during recovery while things adjust). This may seem like a lot of work, but it really wasn't. Most people never asked, and the people who did accepted it at face value and moved on. Now I have everybody under the sun (especially a lot of my female college students, who are obsessed about weight anyway) asking me "how did you lose all that weight?" And I say, very honestly, that I've been working on it for a year now and I just changed my diet to mostly low carb and am eating a whole lot less than I used to. It is up to you whether you can handle the scrutiny of everyone knowing. Some people do it very well. I just did not want to be the center of gossip at the college I work at, nor did I want to be anyone's poster-child for lapband surgery. One more thing: If you choose to tell, and someone says it's the easy way out-- my answer to that is "so what?". Ignoring the fact that it is NOT easy, so freaking what if it is? It's a way out of morbid obesity and the related medical complications, period. Human beings invent things all the time simply to make life easier-- like cars, for goodness sake. There is no shame in using advanced technology to help you solve a serious problem.

Anesthesia has amnestic properties-- which means it interrupts your brain's ability to encode memories-- so you will not remember anything from seconds/minutes after they start your IV until you hit recovery. It knocks you out, but maybe not immediately (definitely before they start the surgery though). One interesting thing to know is that people often start talking like a motor mouth, or crying a bunch, or have some other cognitive response before they lose consciousness-- but don't worry, if you do something embarrassing, you won't remember it and your surgeon's team will have the good manners to never mention it They're used to it. I've been under 3x now. I'm not a smoker, so I can't comment on that. I will say that coming out, you typically have to wear an oxygen mask and they won't pull you from recovery until your blood oxygen levels get high enough. I imagine that for some smoker's with reduced lung capacity that this process takes longer, but that is speculation on my part. In any case, for the patient, it is usually easy peasy. They start the IV and you're completely unaware until you wake up in recovery.

I have been taking progress pics, though not in any systematic way. I'll tell you that they have come in handy on those days when I'm feeling down and "fat" and like I haven't made much progress in a while. All I have to do is take out the pictures and have visual evidence that I have changed quite dramatically. You might consider taking at least one before picture (a body shot, and if you do a second, a face shot). You might never look at it again, but someday you might want to and if you don't take the picture, you'll be out of luck.

Unfortunately, I doubt most insurance companies are going to follow FDA guidelines-- I believe those are more for the surgeons-- i.e., go ahead and perform this surgery if someone has a 30+ BMI. My guess is that, for the foreseeable future, we will not see insurance companies paying for lap bands under a 35 BMI. In fact, many insurance companies seem to be implementing MORE hoops to jump (like upping the supervised diet from 6 months to 12). I hope I'm wrong, but my belief is that under 35 will still mostly have to self-pay for the surgery.

I keep packets of instant oatmeal for "just in case". It is higher carb than I like, but I buy the low-sugar kind and it's super easy-- just add Water and microwave. I also have a fridge that I keep a Protein shake, turkey pepperoni, and cheese cubes in so I have access to protein the majority of the time. In fact, my lunch today is turkey pepperoni and cheese

Barbecue is big here, so I might go to a barbecue place, order a pork or turkey sandwich, and just eat the meat (no bun).

You've been doing great, keeping on since January! I did a very low carb diet for a month before my surgery (on my own authority). So I commend you for your dedication to do this for three months! I don't know if this will work for you, but this did work for me and didn't stall my pre-op weight loss (30 lbs). Every two weeks or so, I would have a carb-filled meal (usually Pasta, a love of mine), completely guilt free. After that "whatever I want" meal, I got right back on the wagon for the next two weeks of Proteins and low-carb veggies. It helped me feel less deprived and dedicated to staying on track. Now that you're approved, hopefully you won't have to keep it up for another 3 months. I promise, everything you do now is such a big help for after surgery.

Sorry you are having to "restart" but it sounds like it's just going to take some more trips to the doc to get to the right fill level again. I've heard of people who have had to be unfilled for one reason or another often can't just go right back to the previous fill level and get the same level of restriction-- it takes messing around with, just like in the early days after surgery.

Oh how I hate my belly! For me it's my tops that are not going down in size like I want them to because of my "top" belly that just sits there all poochy and muffin-toppy even when I'm not wearing anything to cause a muffin top (lol). I don't know about you, but when I was at my highest weight, I was wearing pants that were a size too small because I didn't want to go up to the next size (this was even more true of my tops). Plus, plus size pants are cut very generously so that it takes a long time to go from one size to the next in terms of pounds. I've found that as I've gotten smaller, I'm going through pants sizes quicker-- I practically skipped 14's into 12's and the other day I had a pair of 10's fit me out of the blue. You will get there! Congratulations on your awesome loss of 80lbs gone!

I don't shoot for full- I shoot for "not hungry". In other words, I stop before I HAVE to about 95% of the time (i.e., I could take another bite or two, but I'm not hungry, so I stop). I consider myself in my green zone because I am consistently losing weight and I do not have any issues associated with a too-tight band (i.e. getting stuck, PB'ing, sliming, acid reflux). I still struggle with making healthy food choices all of the time, but that's a head thing, not a band thing. Today I ate a Protein bar for breakfast, 5 chicken nuggets for lunch, four whole-grain crisps with spinach artichoke dip for snack, and half of a hamburger patty (no bun) with 1/2 cup fruit for dinner. The hamburger and fruit have made me uncomfortably full-- I should have stopped with the burger, but I wanted to get something other than protein in. I do not weigh or measure my food. I do eat off of small plates and out of tiny "fruit" bowls. I eat every 5 hours or so, I'd guess. I think I eat around a cup of food most of the time-- and I lose on that amount so everything's good.

I had my surgery around 11 a.m. and was home by 9:00 p.m. Even if you can't stay, you should still be able to get the surgery, unless it is your surgeon who is refusing. Talk to him/her and see why an overnight is essential-- it could be that you have complicating factors that I did not and I don't want to give you bad info.

Oh, I'm with you today! Protein bar for Breakfast. Small piece of pizza and a side salad for lunch. And then I came home, and in the process of making food for some guests we had over, just picked and picked until now I am stuffed and feeling gross. It was mostly healthy stuff I picked at-- homemade fruit salad and Pasta salad (though I try to low carb so both of those are a bit of aproblem). But there were 3 or 4 kettle chips that made it in my craw and one small but delicious chocolate chip cookie. I feel gross. But I tell you what-- I'm not feeling guilty. It actually makes me feel pretty accomplished since this is the first time I've grazed to the point of ick since surgery. I count that as a victory-- and tomorrow is a new day.

I was reading a post from a fellow bandster who is having trouble with a "friend" who is jealous and lashing out about her weight loss. Of course, we all know the phrase people like to use when they are passing judgment: You're taking the easy way out! Well, let's put aside for the moment that being banded is hardly easy, nor does weight magically fall off. I would argue that it is, in fact, EASIER (or why else have your body cut open and a foreign object placed inside?). Here's my question: So what? So what if it's easier? So what if it's easy? Why the heck is that bad? The band is a piece of technology that makes work easier (or, even makes it possible, period) than it was before. We, as humans, have invented millions upon millions of pieces of technology to make our lives and our work easier. It's what we do. Driving a car or even riding a bike with gears is taking "the easy way out" when you have two legs and can walk. Yet I don't hear too many people willing to give up their gas guzzling, environment and natural resource draining cars so they can "do things the right way". Look, people who have this attitude are not hard to read, they have a simple motivation that isn't at all about you and completely about them: They want to judge you for being fat (which equates to lazy), and feel superior for not being fat (or feel comfortable because they are also fat and you make that ok by your very presence). It isn't about YOU. It isn't about your health, or your well-being, or your self-confidence. It's about how your changing size affects the individual and either their need to feel comfortable or their need to feel better than you as they sit in judgment. if it were about health, as people always claim when they stand loud and proud in their open prejudice against "disgusting" fat people, then they'd all be more than happy to have everyone banded, losing, and healthier by any means. Don't let them fool you that this is concern about you and your health. It isn't. It is about THEM. So here's my answer. So what if I'm taking the "easy way out"? It's a way out, period. So bring on the easy.

I have it very easy compared to the struggles some people on here seem to have. I have had 2 small fills (I'm at 2.5 in a 10 cc band) and that is my perfect spot. Enough pressure to curb hunger, but not tight enough to cause me a single problem so far. I can eat what I want, but because I'm not hungry and I'm losing weight at about a 10lb a month rate, I'm continually reinforced for making good decisions. I absolutely do not feel like I'm on a diet. I don't count calories or anything else, and that, to me, is what makes this easy.

I do a Protein bar every morning for Breakfast. A Protein shake would give me more protein, but I just want to chew something and I can't make myself get up early enough to go through the production of cooking something like eggs. They aren't the best source of protein, but they do the trick for me.

I've finally started exercising a bit after about 6 months. I've been doing Zumba twice a week for about a month, then added belly dancing once a week about three weeks ago and on Friday, went to my first yoga class. Well, the yoga on Friday followed by Zumba on Saturday kicked my abs butt. I am super sore, and have some twingy pain around my port. The problem with Zumba is that with all of the jumping around, my belly moves in sometimes painful ways (I need to wear a compression shirt under my t-shirt to do it to hold everything tight). So with all of the ab work I did in Yoga, followed by the belly jostling with Zumba, I'm feeling it two days later. I guess I'm anxious about doing something bad to my port. It feels fine (meaning normal) when I press on it. I skipped Zumba yesterday and just went on a walk instead, but now I'm wondering about my belly dancing class tonight since it obviously is all ab work. Is this something I should be worried about or am I being a bit of a freak?

As of today, I weigh 100 lbs down from my high weight of 293. It is not technically 100lbs since surgery ( I weighed 264 on surgery day), but every pound I lost was in preparation of surgery and a part of this weight loss journey, so I'm counting it

I told people I was having my gall bladder removed. So they knew I had surgery, but didn't know the real reason why. It also helped me post-surgery with explaining away my "weird" liquid diet I stretched the truth-- I did have laproscopic gallbladder surgery-- 10 years ago. But with the digestion issues that causes, it was really believable to use it as the reason I was being super careful with my diet. I just told people who asked that things were "running right through me" so I was being careful. Worked like a charm. I don't know if something like that would work for you since it's your parents you're trying to fool.

Breakfast: Zone Perfect Protein bar and 2 cups of coffee (coffee first, waited 30 minutes, had the bar) Lunch: 3 meatballs with marinara, cheese, and some mixed veggies on the side Snack: whole grain cracker with spinach artichoke dip Dinner: Italian baked pork chop. i'm not all that hungry, so probably just half the pork chop. Maybe I'll add steamed cauliflower to the side if I'm still hungry when I've finished the protein. haha- I just read the other responses-- today was clearly meatball day!

Yum, I love quinoa-- I would love to see recipes for additions. Last time we stirred in a tiny bit of basil pesto and some fresh parmesan. It was heavenly. I've got to give that oatmeal recipe a try-- it sounds delicious.

Congratulations

I'm going to be really frank here-- my experience is that sex is not only fine, but so much better after the lapband. I did have port pain for at least a month after surgery-- I think i was on the longer end of things with that. But, after that, no problems. Sex is more enjoyable now, because as I've lost weight,I've lost it everywhere-- and it's much easier to get the stimulation to orgasm during sex than it was at my heaviest. Not only that, I have more energy and more interest.

If you can't eat enough to maintain, you'll probably have to get a little unfill until you can. In some ways, figuring out maintenance will probably be like figuring everything out post-surgery-- lots of trial and error until you get it right. Congratulations on being so close!

Sometimes after a big loss in a short period, the body seems to need a "readjustment" period. This happens to me every month-- nothing nothing nothing, boom 5lbs. And then it starts over again. That was particularly true right after surgery, where I dropped so much in such a short period of time-- I probably went 3 weeks after my first big loss without losing another pound. Given some time, you'll notice your body's pattern of losing and these stalls after big losses will be old hat, nothing to worry about.