Humming Bird

I have told everyone. There is no secret about how I dropped all this weight. If anyone is offended they have not said anything to my face. I have really only had good comments.

It is so hard to just pick one choice in the poll. We are so messed up in so many ways right now. I think jobs are the most important on my personal list right now. My grown son has been unemployed for months now. My husband's and my jobs are hanging by a thread. So, jobs it is for the poll.

Adjua....................347...............337...........240......... ....97 Amy......................289................226.5..........160........ 66.5 Angie64.................270................270...........210....... ......60 Astrasmom.............254................254...........170............ . .84 Babe.....................265................265...........199.... ..........66 Band_Groupie.........172.5..............157.5..........0-148........0-9.5 BetsyB..................226.6..............206.8.........109...... ......97.8 BigMomma..............209................209...........135............ . .74 Bklynike.................258...............258...........150......... . .108 BobbieND...............224...............207...........150..... .......57 Bree99..................259...............234...........155..... .......83 Brigette................198................198............150.... ........48 Bristlecone............157................145............130....... .....15 crzytchr................217................217............180..... ... ...37 Dana36.................233...............229.............160....... .....69 daqui26.................274...............274..............200....... ....74 DDGALARZ..............185...............183............150............ .35 destined4thinness..215.5.............215.5...........150.............6 5 5 Diamondgirl81........317...............270..............225........... . 45 ericanda1973.........198.5............198.5...........130.......... ..68.5 Fourme.................189...............168.............145.......... . ..23 Healthy-me-in-Az...242................183.6..........139.............44.6 HummingBird..........204...............161.............150............ .11 jenibeni.................224...............188.............165........ ....23 Jennih...................232...............232.............130.... .......102 Jeni 85..................185..............192..............150............. 35 KDEE....................240................240.............150...... ......90 kyleegirl01.............245................194.............160...... ......34 Lady LAP...............217................217.............125...... ......95 Lisa65...................174.5............165..............145..... .......20! Liz........................193.4............174..............155...... ......19! lotzasunshine..........271..............269.6............225.......... ...46 MaggieGT..............238...............236..............208.......... .. 30 newdicarlo.............187...............174..............135...... .. ...39 Northernmist..........289...............265..............175.......... . ..90 ol55andahalf..........184...............184..............144...... .......40 Peggy1.................308...............308..............225......... .. ..83 RandaPanda...........194...............161..............150........ ....11 RAYNE913.............234...............210..............160....... ......50 RobinAnn.............232.4.............185.4.............154...... ....31.4 scoutmama...........270...............270...............180........ ....90 shadst8................333...............291.2.............233........ ....58.2 skinny31................261...............236..............182..... .......54 SNDYCNRD.............207...............194.5............150........... 44.5 sueinne.................220................226.............180.... ........46 swjtlongdrive..........242................217.............179......... ....38 Tabithan................244...............234..............190....... .....44 TARASGIRL.............305...............259..............225....... .....34 tdtucker................256...............256...............160...... . ....96 Teacher2010..........192...............174...............150...... . ....24 Tealeaves..............305...............289...............150...... . ...139 TeriLu....................215...............212...............150.. .... .....62 TIGGER71G............224...............224................130....... .....94 Tinksmom..............256................213................145....... .....43 unshackled............277...............277................180....... .....97 Valerie.................190................190................150... . .......40 wonderwoman2009 175...............175................160..............15

OMG! That is great! I agree, relax and enjoy yourself. This counts as an NSV!

My stomach and the band make the rules for me on this one. I can not eat any pasta, bread, rice... It will only cause much discomfort. When this is how things are it doesn't matter what the NUT or Dr. say. The stomach is boss.

Great NSV Melody! Oh, your trip sounds so fun! Atkins will be so much better for your trip. Going in very tight band mode would not be easy.

My left shoulder pain from pressure on the phrenic nerve lasted for months. It also became my full signal for awhile. I used OTC pain patches and they helped quite a bit. The pain will stop after you drop some more weight and the pressure on the nerve eases.

vicodin comes in liquid form

At this point I think the band was the best thing I could have spent the money on for myself. I reached my sweet spot with my 2nd fill. I guess you could count it as my 3rd fill because they put some in at surgery. My fills were free for 3 months and then only $20 after that. $10,000 well spent in my case.

Does your surgeon require a pre-op diet? If so, that will do the trick. Start it now. If they do not require a pre-op diet start Atkins diet. (Atkins was my pre-op diet)

Too funny ......had to laugh at a few of these posts. Thanks for the smile! It's all about the learning process. I really have learned to chew everything well and when I'm full without thinking about it much. A few stuck episodes or bites past full will teach you well.

I think one of my fav tips was about Vitafusion Fiber Gummies from Target. I eat one every day and it keeps me going regular. This last time I got the "weight control" ones and they are a little harder to chew, but still not bad. I think they have some added vit-B. Both types are sugar free.

When you weigh enough to qualify for WLS, it is just too big of a task to take on without help. The band gives that help. Sure, people who have 2-25 pounds to take off will be able to do it with good old fashoned diet and exercise. I knew there was no way I could take off over 100 pounds without taking drastic measures.

Hey! It's the I-heart-BetsyB thread! I enjoy all of Betsy's posts and tips along the way too.

I'm not really a "long term bandster", but have been banded since July 2009. Getting banded was taking drastic measures for me, but I was at my wits end. I have tried everything else over the years only to gain back the weight plus some. I had accepted the fact that I was obese and would live the rest of my life that way. It really made me feel like crap. I know a couple people who got the band and it worked so well for them. I did a little research and talked about it with the friends. It didn't take long for me to make up my mind. To be honest, I put very little effort in and still took off 102 pounds! It is a learning process for sure. There are some foods I will never eat again, but at this point I don't really miss them. The "rules" become second nature. Not drinking with meals and taking tiny bites is really no big deal. One of my friends that got banded before me can eat anything, but just smaller portions. The other friend and I have some foods that we just can't eat. We are both ok with that. There are plenty of other food choices. IMHO I think you may have researched it too much. There are risks with anything. There is a risk that something bad could happen to you if you leave the house today. Only you can make the choice to be banded or not. All I can tell you is how it has worked for me. Everyone has a different story. This has been the easiest way to take off weight I have ever tried. The nice thing about it is I think I am going to keep it off this time.

The coughing at night is a sure sign of being too tight. You will be amazed at what a difference a .1 or .2 unfill will make. I think you should go get a very tiny unfill and enjoy that sweet spot you will be at for many months. I think you are so very close to your sweet spot .... just a tiny bit tighter than the spot.

The prawns, the eggs, and the skins of the tomatoes would all cause a big problem for me. If the discomfort is in the sternum area and it isn't severe pain, chewing about 3 papya enzyme pills helps me. I found them at walmart. If I am in severe pain in the sternum area from eating one bite too much or getting stuck, I know it won't be long before I have to search for a place because it is going to come back up. Thank goodness I have learned to not let that happen very often.

It's a big YES for me. I would have never taken off over 100 pounds without the band. It has worked out very well for me.

I have to laugh every time you talk about Steve like this because my husband's name is Steve. My first husband was Steve too and he was really the tempermental brat (that is too nice a term for that Steve though).

I'm on the fence about a 14 year old getting the band. I'm for it when I think of a kid being obese for most or all of those 14 years. That is not a happy or healthy childhood. I'm for it if the 14 year old needs to take off 100 or more pounds to have a "normal" BMI. I'm against it because I have known many 14 year olds that are very immature still. It would be too much of a commitment for them to grasp.

I have never been to Disney.....FL or CA. I would love to see one of them some day before I have to go through in a wheelchair because I'll be 100 and it will be my last birthday wish. There are many places I have not seen. I always have to do something else with money when I have it.(like pay for lapband)

I had my surgery in Denver, but don't live close enough to Denver to go to the support groups. I use LBT as my support group. You might call around and get some ideas. There might be a group at one of the hospitals where it doesn't matter who your Dr. was or which WLS you had.

I watched ..... It looks like it will be pretty good. I hope they don't do much WLS bashing because it has worked so well for me.

That is one of the great things about the band. I can't feel it. Oh, I know it's there if I don't chew my food well or try to eat too much.

I don't weigh, measure, or count anything. It is up to you if you want to do it that way. Many bandsters weigh, measure, count and journal every day and it works out great for them. I just find it too overwhelming and time consuming.