stateofzen

Oh yeah, Talbots is a good one. I think Jones New York runs big too.

Congratulations, Shirley!

It sounds to me like you know the score and you're just venting. Vent away! It IS frustrating and counter-intuitive and we all want to be the exception to the "healing period" rule. I think no matter how educated we are pre-band, there is a still part of us that really thinks that we'll wake up two weeks after surgery and have lost 30 lbs overnight. Don't go cray-cray on us (It's not the oatmeal)

Totally cute! Great work

I love my calves- I look great in a skirt now. I also think my backside looks pretty good. My waist and rib-cage are super tiny-- I had no idea! When I wear the big-belt-over-shirt look I sometimes need a size small belt. Holy crow! (Unfortunately I still have the double belly roll + FUPA so that kills some of the excitement)

Congratulations!

Fran, I'm so happy to hear that you are ok. You have always been such an inspiration-- and you've done it again

I've lost 100 lbs. I think the most important thing to be realistic about is not that you can lose 150 lbs (you probably can, or very close to it), but that how FAST you lose it might vary dramatically. I am, without a doubt, completely lucky about how my body has cooperated with taking off the lbs. I've lost over 100 lbs in a year and I've done it without exercising and without having a tight band. I did spend the first 8 months or so pretty strictly low-carbing, which undoubtedly helped me lose. However, some people for whatever reason don't lose so fast even when they are following every rule and exercising like a mad woman. That doesn't mean they aren't losing, or that they can't take off 150 lbs-- it just means that instead of one year maybe it will take three. I believe Cindy is an example of someone who didn't lose much her first year, but has since gone on to lose the rest. Be realistic about the time it might take so that you don't get discouraged and give up. But losing over 100 lbs-- it's definitely realistic.

This looks good! For lazy low-carb stuffed mushrooms, I suggest getting a pre-made artichoke dip (watch the carb count-- should be 2g carb per tablespoon), stuffing the mushrooms (a couple tablespoons go a long way) and topping with a smidge of shaved parmesan. Easy and yummy. I do another version where I saute a little onion and add chopped up seafood (crab or shrimp), then stir in the artichoke dip.

That's a huge fee-- what do you get for it? I do think program fees often go to pay your support staff-- your nutritionist, your counselor, and other professional staff who help you through the process who are not allowed by the insurance companies to bill for their services. I would be willing to pay program fees if I knew that it wasn't going into the surgeon's pocket, but was going to actual services above and beyond the surgery and fills. But then again, you better be getting A LOT of extra services for 4 grand!

I'm so excited to see the September group-- I was banded one year ago in September and it was one of the best things I've every done for myself. I remember spending time looking at pics to try to imagine where I might be and finding them inspirational, but I could never really imagine what might happen for me. These are pics of one-year's progress ( I started a low-carb pre-op diet in August a month before my surgery, so my surgery weight was 264 in September). Good luck to all of you!

I knew I could lose the weight on my own because I've done it before, it's the maintaining I have habitually failed at. I'm not yet at the point of maintenance, so I can't say yet whether getting the band will be what I think it will (a maintenance tool), but I will say that this is the EASIEST I have lost weight before. By all means, if you want to give it a go on your own, do so. I think being mentally ready is the biggest key to success with surgery. But there is a reason that bariatric surgery is the #1 recommended medical treatment plan for severe/morbid obesity, and it isn't because we don't know how to lose weight-- it's because only 2% of us can keep it off for 5 years.

Don't make a habit of using laxatives, because then your body becomes dependent on them. Use them only on an "as-needed" basis. I do benefiber in my morning coffee, and take a probiotic every day (generic store brand- those things are expensive!). It seems to help. Protein rich diets can be hard on the bowels-- we have to find a way to get in the Water and the Fiber without eating lots of carbs. It's tough. Also, remember that you will probably just need to go less now than you used to. Less in means less out It is totally normal to go a while after surgery without a BM, because your diet is liquids.

I was a Diet Dr. Pepper addict. Now that I've been off the juice for a year (ha!), it tastes disgusting. I wouldn't drink it now if I could. I used diet sweet tea (made with splenda) to replace it at first, which worked really well. Now I mostly drink Water and crystal-light type drinks. Oh, and lots of coffee.

As of today, 100 lbs down from surgery, 129 down from my pre-op diet high weight. My surgery was 9-17-2010, so it took 11 months.

I think the best thing I did was get serious/get my head in the game BEFORE surgery. I put myself on a super low-carb diet a month before surgery and I stuck to it so that on surgery day, I'd already lost over 20 lbs as a head start. That meant no "last suppers", etc. I made that commitment to myself that I was going to work within the rules and learn how to eat and I wasn't going to cheat myself or my band by trying to test how much I could get away with. I am nowhere near as "good" as I was in the beginning (I follow a "anything in moderation diet" now, but only because I've lost the majority of my weight), but I absolutely believe that my mindset early on was the key to success. I would recommend not looking at pre-op prep as a burden or something to cheat, but as an opportunity to get full-force on the bandwagon and jump start your success.

I've been tracking for 10 months, and I ALWAYS lose 2-4 lbs at the onset of my period. Every month, without fail. I can't explain why I lose when other people stall or gain, but I won't look that gift horse in the mouth.

Hey September babes-- anyone interested in a surgery-anniversary challenge just for us? Our one year dates are coming up and maybe we could set personal goals and make a commitment to come post in this thread for the next month or two for support and for accountability. Your goal could be weight loss related, or it could be behavioral-- like drinking your water or even just logging in here and talking about what you're eating. I'd really like to make a "normal BMI" by my anniversary, but with my slow down in weight loss over the last several months I don't want to set an impossible goal. So I think I'd like to set a water and vitamin goal instead. I don't know, I'm going to think about it while I see if anyone is interested.

I had a bunch of satin Victoria's Secret stashed away that were still in good shape, but my cotton undies are ridiculous on me- saggy butt! It makes me laugh though, so I still sometimes wear them I have mourned for my favorite t-shirt and Everlast yoga pants. It makes me so sad to get rid of them for some reason, even though they literally fall off of me. I have yet to find an equally awesome pair in my new size.

I completely understand and can sympathize. I had a plastic surgery consult last week, and now I'm just depressed I have to wait another year to save money/have the time to take off before I can get it. Looking in the mirror does bring you down sometimes, but I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

is surgery painful at all when you wake up Pain is very subjective. That said, you will have some pain, but it is completely manageable with the post-op pain meds they give you. My pain in the hospital was pretty well controlled, my first night at home was pretty intense because the liquid Lortab made me nauseous, but once we got that taken care of I was ok. The gas pain was the worst for me-- felt like a pinched nerve in my shoulder and I just had to wait for it to go away on its own. I wouldn't let the pain stop you-- it's liveable. does the wait fall off of you at first Because you're male (I'm assuming), you'll probably lose more quickly than the average female. But no, I wouldn't say the weight falls off at first. The first month after surgery your body is healing and a lot of people find their weight loss slows or even stops for a few weeks after surgery, even though they really aren't eating much. It's completely normal. Unlike bypass, which will have immediate easy weight loss, the band takes tweaking and for some people, it can be a while before they start to lose a significant amount. That said, others have an easier time of it-- I'm one of them. I didn't exercise at all for the first 80 lbs or so, and I am still not exercising much. Just don't go into it expecting to lose the weight super fast-- you didn't gain it over night and it isn't going to disappear over night. can you still enjoy food when you have reached your goal I still enjoy food, I just eat a heck of a lot less of it. I wouldn't go into this thinking you'll change the way you eat until you reach goal, then go back to how you eat now-- if you do, you'll just gain it all back. The band should help you make a lifestyle change that will last for the rest of your life-- think of your dietary changes as being permanent. When you go for adjustments, find the point that you have a curb in your appetite without being too tight to eat solids. Some people search for a tightness level that is unhealthy so that the band will physically stop them from eating-- my advice is not to be one of those people. Look for hunger control only, and you can enjoy the food you love in moderation for the rest of your life and you can do it at a healthy weight can you have the band eventually removed when your lifestyle has significantly changed? Most surgeons consider this a permanent surgery and will not remove the band unless there are complications that necessitate it. It is reversible only in the sense that if there are problems, they can take it out. But if it's working, why go through another surgery to have it removed? What makes the band amazing is that it isn't only a diet tool to help you lose weight, it's a lifelong maintenance tool to help you keep from gaining it back. Edited to Add: I have never thrown up since my surgery and I am 10 1/2 months out. My band is fairly loose, which helps. I do have to be careful with bread and I avoid it for the most part because it isn't good for weight loss and I really don't want to break my no-stuck-no-puking streak

I pretty much follow the rule, though when I drink wine with dinner I do drink while eating. I was on vacation two weeks ago and started trying to drink water while eating because I was trying to stay hydrated. BIG MISTAKE. I have never been fully stuck or PB'ed but I came super close at least 3 times because I took a drink of water on top of a bite of food. That taught me my lesson I don't know why the wine is different. I will say this-- because I don't drink while I eat, I never get in enough water. Some days none at all-- all I have are my morning coffee. It's something I'm trying to work on and fix now because obviously it's not a healthy thing.

What you're describing is danger zone tight. Way too tight. I suggest you look at your reasons for WHY you want to be that tight and start working on the mental issues that seem to be driving you to want an unhealthy experience-- because what you are seeking is an eating disorder.

Just got back from the DR and bought insurance through here: http://www.insuremytrip.com/plans/index.html We ended up getting an MH Ross Advantage Asset plan-- can't tell you if it was worth it or not because we didn't need to make a claim We got a comprehensive, "cancel for any reason whatsoever" plan, which may be what you're looking for.

I'm sorry you're having a hard time and are hungry, OP. Are there plans for a fill? If so, keep that date in mind and work toward it so you don't get lost in the "I'm always going to be hungry!" mentality. Your walking is excellent. I'm going to be the sound of dissent and say that if you're truly physically hungry and having to restrict your intake, I would not add more exercise at the moment- that can come later. Exercise is excellent for weight maintenance, but calorie deficits count MORE for losing weight and often when people exercise a lot they use it as an excuse to consume even more calories because they are hungrier (effectively cancelling out any benefit from the exercise, or even overeating because they overestimate how much they are burning). I think your current hunger level makes adding exercise a potential red flag.