Koala

Hi, I go to private therapy as often as I feel I need to talk. We talk about whatever issues come up, and I feel it's been very helpful in many areas of my life. I think most of us "get" what our demons are as far as why we overate, but the issue you mentioned and others are wonderful points to work out with someone who has only your interests in mind. The issue that has floored me is how other people change. There came a point, around 50 pounds or so, that my coworkers didn't want to hear about my losses. They'd ask, then I could feel a resentment at the answer. It's taken me some time to realize that, now, my success is a reminder of their own weight issues. At first, my losses were a reminder of hope that they, too, could beat it. Now, I keep my numbers to myself unless someone really seems interested. I really believe having my therapist has been a great resource for keeping me together.

Be sure to take a few prescription pain killers. I had mine done by Dr. Ortiz, too, and the pain meds he had didn't do the trick once I was back at the hotel. In fact, of the four of us who became banding friends, we agreed that was the one thing we wish we had brought with us. Be sure to bring them in their original bottle to avoid problems at the border, though.

Oh my, has it EVER changed my world. I know I won't get through this without crying because the changes have meant so much to me. Prior to getting my band, I had managed to diet myself up to 360 pounds. My knees had begun hurting, my back was rebelling, and I'd gained a lovely cpap machine to help me breathe at night. I was pretty lucky that those were my only medical issues. I was taking antidepressants, but they were unable to take the reality out of my existence. I was avoiding outings with my family pretending I didn't want to go or coming up with excuses to keep them from fully knowing how unable to keep up with them I had become. How I wanted to go to a concert or Disneyland or to the beach! After awhile, I began to close those experiences out of my list of possibilities for the future. So, the larger I got, the smaller my world became. Some of those walls closed in because of my lost ability to haul around my own body, but even more closed in due to my intense protection of my family. I didn't want to embarass them. All it took was a time or two of not fitting into seats, to have to be moved to a handicapped section, and to know my loved ones had done nothing to deserve that embarassment. They never complained. They loved me. They worried. They tried to encourage me, but I had hit a place where I knew I couldn't afford to diet one more time. My body couldn't hold one more extra pound from the regaining phase. I was locked up afraid to go any higher. Sometimes, I would look at my beautiful children and wonder if they would have been better off without me. It was my love for them that pulled me through when I thought I couldn't go another day carrying that weight. Three months ago, I got my band and changed my life. I've really worked with the band to be darn successful, and I've lost 74 pounds. I'm not apologetic anymore about that success because I've earned it through putting together every working aspect of all of those diets from the past to make it work. And how my life has changed. Last night, I took the first long, hot bubble bath I've had in a couple of years. I used to love a long, hot bath and found them to be so relaxing. All of a sudden, it occurred to me that maybe I could get in and out of the tub again. It was the BEST bubble bath of my life. I can buy clothes in plus size shops again. I had gotten to the point that all my clothes had to come from catalogs. THAT was a plus. I can keep up now. I can go with my family now, and I don't need excuses anymore even though I'm still a big girl with a lot of weight to lose. Imagine how much energy I have after losing the equivalent of 7 1/2 ten pound sacks of potatoes! Mostly, I see me emerging from the heavy face that used to stare back at me from the mirror. I see my hopes and dreams opening up. Possibilities are opening up that I had closed off years ago. Has the band changed my life? Yes, it has.

Yesterday was my three month band anniversary, and I've lost 71 pounds thus far. Please add me to the totals board. :biggrin1:

Hi, I have 19 more pounds to go to get to 275 for Christmas. Congratulations to everyone who has recently arrived here in Twoterville! What a wonderful accomplishment! Lets all remember to enjoy the ride through the twos as much or more than we focus on getting to Onederland. It's all about the ride!

Has anyone else noticed their shoes getting too big? I wouldn't have dreamed that would happen, but I guess it make sense since pregnancy can cause the need to buy bigger shoes. Also, I thought of a NSV I'm looking forward to. It will be nice when I can hang my pants on ANY hanger and not have to bypass the ones with the little supports built in. What a journey! I'm much happier taking the time to soak in the sites on my journey rather than focusing only on my destination.

Thank you for my happy parade. It really made me smile! You guys get the significance of being under 300 more than anyone!

I made it!! Boy, the last few pounds to Twoterville just kept hanging on, but I'm here now. Can I join the Christmas challenge? I'd like to be at 275 by Christmas. Woo HOOO, NEVER 300 anything again!! What a happy day.

I had my first fill last weekend, so I've only been on solids for two days. Tonight, I ate scrambled eggs with cheese. NOT a good idea. I experienced this pb'ing thing and, may I say, it SUCKED!! I've never felt so very sick so very quickly. Please tell me how to NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER experience that again, and if anyone has suggestions about how to best handle it if that does ever happen again, I'd love to know them. Death to pb'ing!!!

Dr. Ariel Ortiz does lapband surgeries after bypass. You might do a google search to find his website and start reading there. My cousin has the same situation as you, and she's considering doing the lapband. Good luck to you.

I posted the very same experience with scrambled eggs 4 days after my first fill. Doesn't that hurt??? I've sworn off of scrambled eggs for now. No big loss, but the whole experience has me being MUCH more careful about chewing and thinking about what might make me feel that horrible again.

My husband and I used to go out to eat a lot. Since the band, we have toned that way down to once a week or so. I find it hard to stay positive and content with eating less if we are in a restaurant with food I used to overindulge in. It makes making good choices seem like work to me. Now, we really appreciate our meals out much more though. We really talk about where we are going and what sounds good, and we also share plates sometimes, too. In our experience, the band has changed the situations you mentioned. For me to be successful, we choose to adjust anything that brings temptation too close because constantly saying "no" to myself makes me feel deprived, and that doesn't contribute to this being a positive, happy change in my life. Here are a few changes I've made on my own that help me: I tivo everything I watch so that I can zap through all food commercials. You'd be surprised how much this stops a person from obsessing about pizza or hamburgers. I don't eat in the faculty lunchroom where I would have to see a variety of food that I used to eat. I prefer to have a few people in my classroom, to eat my lean cuisine meals, and to have some quiet conversation. Everyone walks a different path with the band. For me, I'm a much happier person when I'm not constantly having to turn down food that really appeals to me.

When my little girl, Marcie, was 4 or 5, her favorite song was a country song. She'd sing along: Lord, Marcie baby's got her blue jeans on! It was really: Lord have mercy, baby's got her blue jeans on. It really cracked me up to hear her sing it with such conviction.

Thanks for telling me about the magazine. I'm gonna get a copy today.

What a wonderful accomplishment! You are inspiring!

If you had any other medical condition, would the same people tell you that sheer willpower would cure it? Would they expect you to forego medical help and tough it out so that you could be proud of beating the problem on your own? I'd just bet most of us heard this same talk in one form or another from one person or another before we were banded. I heard it put this way one time: If you take the blame out of the equation, what you have left is a serious medical condition. For any other serious condition, you'd seek medical intervention. It really is that simple. Support is nice, but if it isn't there in the beginning, you may find it comes later on as your success makes it impossible to stand by the sidelines naysaying. Ultimately, this weight battle is an individual battle of such proportions over 90% of those who lose the weight regain every pound. It isn't a battle someone else can talk us into winning. Though the weight problem is a very public outcome of the inner battle, the battle is ours alone to fight. My band is changing my life. Every pound that comes off is taking one step closer to health. I chose it. I had the courage to go through the operation. I'm choosing the foods I put in my mouth. My success is just as sweet with the band as it would be without the band. The only difference is that, this time, I know it won't be a temporary win.

Nobody could use 7 pairs of brand new 32 tall pants?

... please private message me.

Eating sugar causes a craving for more sugar. I've learned it is easier to stay away from it than to fight hunger a short time later. All the diets I've been on in my life have given me a bit more wisdom about how to eat and how to best help my band take this weight off. The best thing I've learned is that it is working. That time between scheduling my banding and having it done was a time of second-guessing my decision. What would make me think this would work after everything else hadn't? Maybe I should give dieting one last try. Now, I realize that this band IS changing my life in a way that I have dreamed of my entire life. I had given up truly believing that I would ever win this battle. Enjoy the ride rather than living each day dreaming of when you hit your goal.

Ohhhhh, I'm close. Just 10.4 lbs. away, and I want to be in this club SO badly. I just want to never say "three hundred and..." ever again in my life. It's sort of like the 200's are this long stretch in between where I was and where I'm going. The faster I get on that stretch, the quicker I can get through it. I'm giving away my bigger clothes this week except for a couple of "before" outfits I'm saving to take pictures in when I've finished my journey. Thank you to everyone who has shared on this thread. I've been lurking and waiting until I was close enough to see the lights of Twoterville before I posted to tell you I'm coming. :clap2: I'm so excited!!

Here is an excellent site to learn more about PCOS from the women who have it: www.soulcysters.com. PCOS can make getting pregnant harder, but it can be done. I have a 4 year old that proves the point. However, anyone who has PCOS who doesn't think they can get pregnant needs to be really careful while dropping weight. The weight loss can change the insulin resistance part and you might find yourself staring at a plus sign when you weren't expecting one. Of course, the flip side is that it can bring that blessed plus sign when it's what you are praying for, too. The term, polycystic ovarian syndrome is misleading from what I learned when I first found out I had it. You may or may not have cysts, but the other symptoms can include: Hair growth in unwanted places depression darkened elbows thinning hair skin tags

I know this is a silly NSV, but after I got ready for work this morning, I looked down and noticed that my shoelaces are tied in the middle now, and I didn't even think about it. No more "tie to the inside" for me!!

Interesting posts!! My revelation isn't about fault at all. It is about the hunger being so different. I'm simply not hungry ALL the time like I was. No wonder it was such an uphill fight.

Since my banding, I have had a revelation. I am shocked to learn that "skinny" people aren't hungry all the time! I thought everyone was always hungry, but thinner people just controlled it better. Unless someone has experienced the change, I suppose it would be impossible to understand how different the hunger feelings are, but there is definitely a difference for me. I still have head hunger at times, but the constant tummy hunger has changed. Does anyone else feel....I don't know....like they were fighting an unbeatable foe prior to the banding? and... ...it WASN'T our fault!!!!!!!!!

My insurance doesn't cover any wls, so I was self-pay. I'm blessed in the fact that I could afford to pay for surgery here, but I chose Dr. Ortiz in Mexico for all the right reasons. So, the answer to your question is, no, not everyone chooses a doctor from another country due to financial reasons. Sorry.