Dreamjeans

Lisa343, is your real name Lisa? Thanks for posting! I so know what you are going through right now. Do you have to lose a certain amount? I have to lost 10% of my body weight and I am only half way there. Originally I thought that I had to use the doctors information from the bariatrich clinic which I went to on March 25th which puts me at being able to sumbit August 25th as long as I have lost 28 pounds but then I found out they would accept the weight from my doctors office which was Feb 3rd so IF I was able to lose 15 more pounds in two weeks I could submit then but I don't think that is going to happen LOL seven pounds a week? YIKES! What plan are you on now?

I am officially obsessed! :ohmy: I've been reading stories on here and I want so badly to get my surgery approved!! I still have a long way to go. I need to lose 30 pounds and I'm down 9, which is good but I would like to see more, don't we all! I can't submit my papers until September 25th because that will be six months to the day I started my pre op weight loss diet required by my insurance. I've been reading stories on here about people who are scheduled in June and July and I can't help but to be so incredibly envious! I know this will be a process. I need to be ok with losing weight wether or not I get banded. I need to stop obsessing about the band itself and focus more on losing weight. THe more I lose now the more sucessful I will be! I was originally scheduled for surgery feb 5th but backed out a week before. I just didn't have that great of feeling about the doctor and I was also self pay. I found out that if I try to jump through some hoops my insurance might pay for it so I have to exhaust that before I put it on plastic. I know I'm doing this the right way but it's so hard to be patient! I've been looking into this since january and it won't be until October if everything is approved. It just seems so far away! sigh OH well... one step at a time. It's good for me to learn what it takes to do it right the first time. I so look forward to seeing the onderland again!

Sitting here on a nice quiet Saturday afternoon is nice. I'm listening to country music which I don't particularly like but my three year old son stole my husbands iPhone and is listening to his music library. He is all content so I can't tell him to turn it off because it's making mommies ears bleed So I just realized that I have two weeks left until my six month diet is complete and I have only lost half the required weight. BOO! I'm trying not to be hard on myself but on the other hand I really think I need to step it up! There is a ginormous bag of Cheeto's to my left and they want to whisper sweet nothings into my mouth. Stay back you orange little devils! Why does food make me feel as excited as.. ahem, other things? Ok, it's not the same feeling I'm just being a freak but I do have a party in my head whenever I see chocolate brownies at a BBQ, or if I find out that funeral potatoes will be served at the church social that night. I wonder if anyone else has their heart skip a beat when the pizza arrives? LOL On the brighter side, I planted an entire garden by MYSELF today with four kids. Pretty amazing if you ask me. The kids only screamed for an hour after I locked them in the closet... JK! It was pretty fun teaching them how to dig and water and not decapitate each other with the shovel and rake, good times. So in a six weeks or so we will have the following: cucumbers, zucchini green and yellow, bell peppers green, orange, and red, spinach, romaine lettuce, squash, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, pumpkin, radishes, strawberries and tomatoes! All in all today was a good day. Go me!

Sitting here on a nice quiet Saturday afternoon is nice. I'm listening to country music which I don't particularly like but my three year old son stole my husbands iPhone and is listening to his music library. He is all content so I can't tell him to turn it off because it's making mommies ears bleed :thumbup: So I just realized that I have two weeks left until my six month diet is complete and I have only lost half the required weight. BOO! I'm trying not to be hard on myself but on the other hand I really think I need to step it up! There is a ginormous bag of Cheeto's to my left and they want to whisper sweet nothings into my mouth. Stay back you orange little devils! Why does food make me feel as excited as.. ahem, other things? Ok, it's not the same feeling I'm just being a freak but I do have a party in my head whenever I see chocolate brownies at a BBQ, or if I find out that funeral potatoes will be served at the church social that night. I wonder if anyone else has their heart skip a beat when the pizza arrives? LOL On the brighter side, I planted an entire garden by MYSELF today with four kids. Pretty amazing if you ask me. The kids only screamed for an hour after I locked them in the closet... JK! It was pretty fun teaching them how to dig and water and not decapitate each other with the shovel and rake, good times. So in a six weeks or so we will have the following: cucumbers, zucchini green and yellow, bell peppers green, orange, and red, spinach, romaine lettuce, squash, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, pumpkin, radishes, strawberries and tomatoes! All in all today was a good day. Go me!

You know what I am still on the six month gnarly long pre op diet just to turn around and submit papers and hope that I somehow qualify. If I could self pay I would! Think of the huge jump start you have and I wonder if your insurance will cover it if you ever need a resurgery? That is a bit of a bummer but be glad you are on the way down :biggrin: YOu could still be gaining weight!

SO I am now down 15 pounds and am now half way, YAY! I messed around with trying to change my diets up. First low carb which is a Biotch to be on then tried this stupid lemonade diet cleanse that nearly made me go in my shorts! Cleanse, please. Right now I'm doing Weight Watchers. I go to the meetings and I el oh vee ee my leader, she is amazing. Sometimes in class they talk about the dangers of lapband and it makes me feel a little weak or stupid for that matter but then I realize that its my decision and if I think it will help then that is all that matters, right? I'm still not convinced that this surgery is right for me because I am worried about regaining the weight or just sucking down chocolate all day but I seem to be doing pretty darn good on WW so we will see. I have so much to lose. Thinking of losing only 1 to 2 pounds a week sounds so daunting. Ive seen people lose that much weight in six months but I guess they don't get to eat the same things I do. I'm acutally amazed at how many good quality foods I can eat now that I have cut out desserts. I think we can compromise a lot. OH, on another note I did find out that the doctors office will take my first weigh in and IF I had the thirty pounds off I could have submitted my information to the insurance on July 3rd. What do you think the chances are that I could lose five pounds a week for three weeks in a row? I'd say pretty low At least if you do it the right way.

SO I am now down 15 pounds and am now half way, YAY! I messed around with trying to change my diets up. First low carb which is a Biotch to be on then tried this stupid lemonade diet cleanse that nearly made me go in my shorts! Cleanse, please. Right now I'm doing Weight Watchers. I go to the meetings and I el oh vee ee my leader, she is amazing. Sometimes in class they talk about the dangers of lapband and it makes me feel a little weak or stupid for that matter but then I realize that its my decision and if I think it will help then that is all that matters, right? I'm still not convinced that this surgery is right for me because I am worried about regaining the weight or just sucking down chocolate all day but I seem to be doing pretty darn good on WW so we will see. I have so much to lose. Thinking of losing only 1 to 2 pounds a week sounds so daunting. Ive seen people lose that much weight in six months but I guess they don't get to eat the same things I do. I'm acutally amazed at how many good quality foods I can eat now that I have cut out desserts. I think we can compromise a lot. OH, on another note I did find out that the doctors office will take my first weigh in and IF I had the thirty pounds off I could have submitted my information to the insurance on July 3rd. What do you think the chances are that I could lose five pounds a week for three weeks in a row? I'd say pretty low :tt1: At least if you do it the right way. :thumbup:

OH man I so know how you feel! Im doing the six month diet too and Ive messed around with all of these different cleanses and diets its stupid and I"m only down 15 pounds and I'm suppose to be down 30. SIGH. Do you have to lose weight before surgery like me? We have to lose 10% of body weight.

I'm trying to work on mine right now and I feel so frustrated because I have been having a problem staying on track. I thought to myself that I had all the time in the world to lose 28 pounds (10% of my body weight) since I couldn't submit my claim for six months. I lose weight and then slip and gain it. NOw I'm only one month from it and haven't lost near what I should. I would have to lose five pounds a week at this point to hit my mark. I am doing Weight Watchers which I love but its not a fast wl program. What would you all suggest? Take my time and just do it slower at 1-2 pounds a week or do something a little more drastic to hit my mark quicker? Once I am approved they won't schedule my surgery for another six weeks after that so its a super long process and I don't want my insurance to change and lose that benefit or something like that. Thanks for any advice!

I'm so fascinated with anyone who has lost a lot of weight because I've wanted to for so long.. right now its hard to fathom how I would feel when I get there. For those who are there, how do you feel? Are you comfortable in your own skin? Do you have access skin? Is it hard to buy clothes in a size that small? How do people treat you? Do you surprise yourself when you walk by a mirror at the store and realize its your small body in the mirror?

It is sweetened with Stevia which is actually a herb. I am growing some in my backyard and if you bite one of the leaves it taste so sweet like sugar! Its so cool because artificial sweeteners are really not that great for us and its nice to have an alternative. The only thing you can't do with Stevia is bake with it but making drinks is perfect. Its my favorite drink!

Oooo I hate negative Nancy's that act like that. SHE does not know anything about that and its silly for her to have said anything because WHEN you get approved she will have to eat her words... and I'm sure it will be fattening :redface:

That is exciting!! What great news!! I'm so jealous! You are so close what is going through your mind right now?

So, my mom sent this article to me from her diet website. After I reading it I'm really frustrated by the way they portrayed everything. I guess I think that some of this is true and sometimes the truth hurts. My Mom means well, she is being polite about the surgery but I know she does not want me to get it at all. I'm sad because I really don't think she understands me and I"m sure she feels like I don't understand her. She won't even talk to me about it, probably because it hits a nerve every time we do. Anyway do you guys really think that eventually everyone regains in the long run? I really feel like crying now, maybe I shouldn't have told her and found someone else to take the kids when I get my surgery. Is Weight Loss Surgery For You? You've been trying to lose weight for years. Every time you think you think you've got a handle on eating -- you blow it. If only there was something -- anything -- that would prevent overeating and force you to stick with smart food choices. Are gastric sleeve, Roux-en-Y, stomach stapling or Lapband your best answer to lifelong obesity? You're tired of dieting. You're tired of falling off the wagon. You desperately want something that will guarantee weight loss for good. So you figure weight loss surgery (WLS) will give you automatic portion control? Don't bet on it. People considering WLS have a distorted impression of what WLS can and can't accomplish. WLS can limit portions of certain (not all) foods. WLS cannot solve why you overeat. Those are important facts. If you're considering WLS you should know there's plenty of high carb high calorie foods that are easily chewed to a liquid and slide right through your new 1" stomach opening: potato chips, mashed potatoes & gravy, chocolate, Cereal & milk, cheesy nachos, candy, milkshakes, rum-wine-beer, ice cream, cheesy grits -- you get the picture. Unlimited high calorie choices. If you love these foods now, you'll still love them after WLS. If you have a problem with portion control with those foods, after WLS you'll still have a problem. WLS won't stop you from putting junk food in your shopping cart. You need a coping strategy. Expectations from family and friends can be enough to stay strict (you do know you can still cheat after WLS, right?) Or, will the guaranteed inquiries from family and coworkers, "So, how much have you lost this week?" be bothersome (especially if it's less than expected)? Will your stress levels increase and trigger stress eating? Are you OK being the center of attention? PRELIMINARY STEPS TO TAKE * Go to a few internet WLS support forums. See the posts about "stalled weight loss" (wow, so many!) * See how many WLS patients are using Alli and diet pills (what was the surgery for?) * Notice how many have regained after WLS. How will you feel if this happens to you? * Read the posts by people who had medical complications after WLS. * Do a Google search for "Lapband failed" or "WLS didn't work" (there's lots). Before you make a decision you should definitely talk to WLS patients -- especially those who have had problems. Ask your surgeon for a list of patients who lost weight initially and then stalled. Talk to them and ask why. PITFALLS After WLS your "new life" probably won't be exactly as you imagined it. Here's a few highlights: Don't expect the "full feeling" from eating 1 oz of food to be like the pleasantly full feeling you have after eating a sandwich -- it's not. It's more like a heaviness in the middle of your chest. Food need to be fairly liquid to pass through the new 1" stomach opening. Some favorite foods will be hard to eat and cause blockage. This is painful and triggers vomiting. Before WLS food was held at the bottom of your stomach in the middle of your torso. After WLS 1 oz stomach is closer to your heart in the middle of your chest. When you don't chew well enough and there's a blockage, it can feel like angina until the food finally passes or is vomited. Actual "bypass" patients report eating fried, greasy or high sugar foods trigger "dumping syndrome". Gastric bypass is a procedure where a section of the intestine is removed and the remaining intestine is attached to the small stomach. Stomach stapling, Y en Roux and banding are often referred to as "gastric bypass", but aren't. Foods WLS patients report as problematic: beef, chicken, Pasta, bread, rolls, rice, fiberous veggies like asparagus & celery and fruit with skin or membrane (apples, grapes, oranges, grapefruit). See for yourself: For the next 72 hours chew everything until it's a liquid. See which foods don't break apart easily. See how quickly you get tired of chew, chew, chew. See how different the food tastes after chewing it to death. See how less enjoyable "labor intensive" food becomes. Ahhh, so you think that might be a good thing? You'll be forced to eat less? Not necessarily. Human nature dictates we avoid discomfort if there's a alternative. Remember the high calorie yummies that go down fast and easy. This is why some WLS patients regain. If you haven't solved your food demons, you'll fall back on old eating patterns when your personal triggers flare -- a fight with a spouse, loss of a loved one or job stress. Do you eat when you're bored? That won't change with WLS. WEIGHT REGAIN AFTER WLS Every diet has success stories. Every diet has regains. It's no different for WLS. Al Roker and Carnie Wilson admit to falling back on high calorie still-easy-eat-with-a-stapled-stomach favorite foods. There's plenty of WLS/Lapband success stories so it works for some people -- but not all. Here's a quote from a WLS patient who regrets the decision: "Bottom line is it wasn't what I thought it would be. I already wasn't a big eater. I was a grazer who picked the wrong food when I was stressed, forgot to go shopping or felt nervous at a social event. I was eating a lot of calories -- but only a few ounces at a time throughout the day. Mini meals took me to 288 pounds. Weight loss stopped because I was tired of chewing a million times. I started eating what was easy and even though I lost 100 pounds it all came back eventually." Kimkins has many Lapband patients who join when weight loss stalls after surgery. Regaining after WLS and needing support to continue their journey are primary reasons for choosing Kimkins. Rarely does overeating have to do with true hunger and WLS doesn't fix psychological hunger. If you're reaching for easy-to-eat foods when stressed, bored or during PMS, you'll still be reaching for them after WLS. Weight regain happens because the underlying lifestyle change that's needed for permanent weight control still needs reinforcement and structure. Until you discover why you overeat and resolve it, weight regain is practically guaranteed -- even with WLS.

Misty, Thank you so much for taking the time to pick apart that article, for some reason your comments made me feel a lot better. After I read it I realized that there were a lot of truths to it and that if its what people decide to do the "party of emotional eating is over." Its not a quick fix and it's not a guarantee like I thought it was going to be. I've been researching the band for THREE YEARS and I just finally got it. I felt silly posting this after I reread my post but then I realized something. Instead of going to food to deal with my emotion I came here. Feeling silly or not I did the right thing! I love my Mom so much! I guess that's why it burns a little that she doesn't want me to get it. She has lost a lot of weight on her plan and its a wonderful plan. Especially for learning how to eat long term. I am proud of her. I know I need to make my own choices and she will just have to deal with what I decide and then I will have to deal with her dealing with me haha! Right now I want to cry out for a Peanut Butter sandwich on white bread but I had an egg and veggie scramble instead. This weight has to come off whether my lap band insurance is approved or not. Thank you for listening to me. I'm sorry I sounded so whiney.. I'm still learning :thumbup:

Right now I'm on a high Protein diet/low carb and sometimes I feel like not eating and other times I get a full sensation. Is there a difference pre and post banding of what "full" feels like? Do you just go about your day or do you think about sweets or Snacks too? I have a stomach that can always eat more even when I know I've eaten too much so I'm just wondering how you all do with that feeling after the band. Thanks! :smile:

Sarah! YAY! You got your band. I read your profile last week and I'm glad the surgery went well. Thanks for answering! btw, what is a blended porcupine? LOL :smile:

Before my insurance will approve me I have to go on a six month doctor supervised diet and lose 10% of my body weight. I just found out that they will let me use my doctors appointment in February as the starting point but I gained 10 pounds in March because of stress so I have lost that but I still need to be down 10% of what I was in his office. The soonest I can submit my papers in July 3rd which is exciting but that also means that I can't mess around, I have to lose an average of five pounds a week to hit that goal. No one really understands what I am going through right now. I keep hearing the "you'll never lose that much" and "its just not safe." I know more about all of that than anyone but in the long run it will help me out so I'm willing to try it. Right now I'm doing the Master Cleanse for three days. Its only the afternoon of the first day and I'm already starving for Cheerios but Ihave to keep reminding myself that it's not going to be a picnic on the liquid diet either and at least I'm priming myself for what is up ahead. I just pray that I don't have another melt down like I did a few days ago LOL.:redface:

Does your mom still feel restriction? Do you think her tummy stretched out or is she choosing not that great of foods? Is it possible for her to be banded after a gastric?

Kelin- You know, that is probably my problem, waiting too long to eat and then wanting to eat a deep fried shetland pony! LOL Lynell I would love to come and see your you tube, thanks!

Stephanie- How is your mom doing with her gastric bypass compared to your band? Is she still in the losing phase? Thats funny that she thought you were stuck for life LOL. That just goes to show that most people just don't understand the band yet.

What does PB, NUT, and sliming mean? Thanks!

Very informative, thank you very much :eek: