GoingforGoal

lol Mamma, you had to restir the pot ey? ahhahaha Unfortunately, as you can see, she is more interested in being defensive than having enough introspection to reread the thread and understand that what she actually said and intended to say do not jive. Hence all the backpedaling. It is a very good lesson for everyone (especially newbies) to align themselves with people who are here to support and educate and not counter the advice/guidance of your own doctor. I will also reemphasize, that if you get information like this that completely conflicts with anything you ever learned, take it to your doc so they can either confirm or deny the new information. You'll come along alot of bad advice on here and veterans are quick to jump on it to correct it. That's precisely what you see happening here in this thread. I hope our responses helped lessen your anxiety. Just remember to read all the responses, acknowledge who is doing the talking and form an opinion in the end. Best of luck in your journey

Oh totally doable. Any concerted effort should yield a 5 lb loss each month. You can do it!!!! As for me, I just underwent Cosm. Surgery. I am 5 weeks postop which means I have a good idea of my bodies new shape/tone etc. I think I want to lose 5-10 more lbs. Can't really set a number because this is all new territory for me. But I think I could lose a few and would like to see my way to my ideal weight instead of focusing on numbers to get me there. Have fun on your run

Sorry babe, but excessive skin has to be removed surgically. I feel your pain, I just underwent 4 cosmetic surgeries to reveal the new me. In the interim, wearing things like body shapers can really help transform your figure underneath clothing if you are not already doing that. As mentioned, toning muscles will help slightly because it'll fill in some of the dead space. But unless you are putting on 150 lbs of muscle, the results will more than likely be subtle. Unfortunately what you see is what you get in the end. Some cope with it, just relieved to have lost the fat. Others are not satisfied because the skin makes you feel and look heavier than you are creating a never ending desire to get/look better. And than others address it surgically. Check w/ your insurance company to see if they cover any form of CS if you are interested in that route. Otherwise invest in spanx

Happy Vets Day

All wls sites merged into bariatricpal.com They just launched the site a few days ago and there are alot of bugs.At the very top of this site is a link for report technical issues. I would start there because I do not think admin reads every forum post

I'd like to look at your caloric intake and food choices. And if you are active, how active? This is the real crux of the picture, not timelines.

Yes it's worth it. One of the things I recommend to newbies is to measure and weigh their food so that you get acquainted with how much x ounces really is, or what 1 cup looks like on your plate. After some practice you'll be able to eyeball these portions which will help you regulate portion control in the future. Any scale will do, just make sure the surface is large enough to hold a plate or bowl easily (and be sure to zero out your plate/bowl). Even 4 years out I occasionally use the scale when I try a new food and need to learn how much x grams looks like so I don't overdo calories Hope this helps

LOL No worries, I'm not concerned by the easily offended. You don't know until you ride

Nonononoon you have to get your license.. Hubs took me riding and in less than 6 months I was like "no more riding on the back nonsense" He was sweet, took the motorcycle training class with me even though he's been riding for over 10 years Besides, nothing beats riding a big bike and have the guys go gaga <snicker>

Yep 9.5/10 to a 9

Jade, There is no easy solution. It's a misperception to believe wls does the job for you. No matter what surgery you get, you will have to abide by the rules 100% to reap the benefits. Revisions are great when you are suffering true complications and one surgery is not working out for you. But I know my doc wouldn't qualify someone who just doesn't want to put the work in. They'll predict it'll be the same scenario under another procedure which requires just as much diligence and compliance. Getting wls and getting results takes dedication and work. The difference between pre and post op is that these procedures can help you with things like hunger management, portion control which in the long run will be critical for maintenance. Also, counting calories and understanding how much you are putting into your body allows you to get an understanding of what it means to be on target or to overindulge. It took me years of counting to finally get to a place that I can estimate with accuracy and no longer count. But the reality is, if I consume more than my allotment, I will stall or gain. Weight loss has a very simple formula that cannot by bypassed- weight loss= calories consumed - calories burned. You either workout or you limit intake. No wls changes that.

Good luck

The fact that I own and ride a Harley Fat Boy should answer that question

Anyone going to be at the Atlantis/Bahamas? Just makes me wanna start up a lapband annual vacation, how awesome would that be?

Big thanks for asking. My Cosmetic Surgeon was Dr. Wolfe of The Center for Cosm. Surgery in Denver, CO http://www.thecenterforcosmeticsurgery.net/cosmetic-surgeon-wolfe.cfm He is an artist at his job, skilled and patient. He has great bedside manner and his staff provide excellent support- hands down.

I do love you Carolina

Hey Steph, I'm going to be zero help here. I live in Canada right now. The store I went to was a full time swim and lingerie store. I think to support people doing things like Water aerobics when it's -30 here hahahah. I thought I was going to have to wait to pick one up when I got to FL but found this store instead. Good luck and where are you going?

For pix, see my profile

Unfortunately, in the beginning, fill restriction doesn't last very long. Usually after 1-2 weeks you feel less restriction than you felt initially because inflammation subsided. You just need to continue getting fills until you reach green, but this can take 4+ months on average. Take advantage of those early periods after a fill. When your hunger returns, focus on Protein to curb your appetite. Be cognizant of how many calories you are taking in. If you feel it helps w/ hunger to eat Snacks during this phase, do so, but track calories, dont' add to what you are already consuming. Hang in there hun, you'll get there

Hi gowalking, I know the feeling well. I underwent cosm. surgery and I have abdominal, breast and arm scars I have to face daily. Yesterday I posted about buying a bikini. And I needed help from the associate. All I could think about was how terrible my arm scars must appear. Than that evolved into what I'm going to do cover them if they are still this apparent when I go on vaca in Dec. And as for face/neck wrinkles and such... I know I'm only 36 but the wrinkles are coming in. AND when I rode my motorcycle this summer, my neck skin flapped in the air (first time ever). OMG!!!!! That's disgusting. Now I have all these face/neck moisturizers and tighteners which are helping actulally. It's just that it's a hard pill to swallow. It's not just age, it's losing so much weight and the skin is lax everywhere. You know just as well as the rest of us, that post surgery is stressful and is no time to harp on the scale or any other number for that fact. Take it easy, practice moderation and get yourself through the next surgery. Focus on recovery than all the aesthetics can be dealt with later. You look marvelous. And if it makes you feel better, just think of me on a beach (white as can be) in my first bikini walking like my arms are fused to my body. That has to help >< a little ahhaha

ButterTHEBean has just met his match. This is the evil that lurks when you merge sites....2 like-minded people in one forum..it's just too much... Hence we are partners in crime. Muahahhahaha And Butter, even partners have to earn this pics (evil grin)

I know of many bandsters who became pregnant with the band and carried to term. I don't think there's any correlation, and certainly no data reflecting % of bandsters pregnancies resulted in m/c. I'm sorry for you loss. Due to your history did you use progesterone? If not, talk to doc next time you conceive- every little bit helps. Again, so sorry hon

Here Here! I too am excited to meet new people, hear their stores, share my own. I figure we all made the right decision, the best decision for ourselves and that's all that matters. I hope that as butter mentioned we can see ourselves as a community of wls patients, regardless of which procedure we undertook. We all need the support and encouragement, the education and discussions and most times you can find me in the chat room yucking it up about anything but wl or wls Cheers to our new friends

Hey Sarah, Short answer, yes For some people, they start with lots of restriction and as inflammation subsides the band gets loser. Than approximately 2-4 weeks later they go in for their next fill. However, another group of people will start with a tad of added restriction but as time passes it will get tighter. I fall into that category. If in the future this continues to happen, be sure to not be too aggressive with your fills and give yourself time to reach your full restriction before adding more. Some docs allow fills every 2 weeks and for some of us that would be too early before determining if our last fill was good enough. If you want to make it a positive thing, think of it as a 2 for 1 fill (snicker)

Ahhh geeze. Everything you described sounds avoidable. What a terrible start to your journey. I'm just sitting here shaking my head. Like mentioned, both band sizes are usually at the bedside and the doctor makes a final determination during surgery based on your specific anatomy. Additionally, priming occurs prior to putting the band on and the fluid is removed. They may do a 2nd priming after installation to verify that the apparatus has not suffered any damage. Some docs leave (usually up to 3cc, no more) as an initial fill, while others take out all the fluids as a conservative measure to allow everything to heal and for inflammation to subside. Never, have I heard of anyone getting more than 3cc at the time of surgery. WTH!?!?! I'm very curious, did he sound apologetic? did he claim that's never happened before? Please keep records of your conversations and a timeline of events/studies/results etc in case this does become a financial war with insurance vs doctor liabilities. On a positive note, I'm so happy to hear all is better and you can finally start your recovery (take 2). Take it easy, I'm sure you stoma is not a happy camper. Keep us updated