gingerjane

I am 34 and would have done it 10+ years ago if I could have. I didn't know about the band until the past few years and then it took a card in the mail and a kick in the butt to go for it. I am SO glad I did. For anyone that thinks they'll wait - DON'T. Do it as soon as you can.

WOW! That is awesome! :thumbup: You'll find friends of all ages on this board. I'm 34 but like to think I'm still in my 20's. LOL!

I was experiencing a lot of hair loss and I started taking Biotin in addition to making sure I get my Protein and Multivitamin and I think (hope) it has slowed down some. I was freaking out when I first noticed it because I have always had really thick hair. I would recommend getting biotin supplements and I think there is something called Nioxin you can try from beauty supply stores. I'm still waiting on my soon-to-be niece to get me some.

Self-proclaimed scale Whore here, too. I weigh myself every morning and not just once, but usually like four or five times until I seem to get a number that is consistent. (Because the darn thing never gives me the same number two times in a row) But, I made my "official" weight day Monday mornings. I think if you do that, it makes it a bit better. So, you'll fluctuate during the week but one day a week it becomes "official". :thumbup:

I agree with Trish. I've ramped up my exercise which includes some strength training and my pants are loose but I have only lost 1 lb. I think that you convert some of the fat pounds to muscle and muscle weighs more than fat, but building more muscle also helps your metabolic rate because you burn more calories while resting. Wow...I just rambled there, but you get the point. :thumbup:

For me it was less than a week. But, I was also the chick that was pawing at my husband about 3 weeks after giving birth, so I don't know what that says about me. LOL!:thumbup:

I felt the same way the week of my surgery and kept thinking "Am I sure" and then the "what if I fail" - all sorts of things go through your mind. I will tell all of you, that it has been the SINGLE BEST DECISION I have ever made for myself and has been the one thing that has helped me to lose more weight than I ever have before. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love my band. I have changed my eating habits, but not so drastically that I'm miserable. I actually ENJOY my Protein first and find myself craving it. I don't miss soda pop and I was never one to really drink alcohol, so I don't miss that, either. Wiggling into a size 16 dress today made it all worth it for me. One day I hope to see a 12. Trust me - the surgery will be over and you will be so happy with the results in about six months or so. :thumbup: Good luck to everyone and if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. I remember being a new bandster and feeling so lost!

I was worried that I wouldn't see a loss this morning because all week I kept going up and down, but I think my body finally let go of a little bit - I saw 223.9 on the scale. I started walking up and down flights of stairs at work and doing more workouts, so I think my body was either holding on to my fat or it's muscle tone from all the up and down on the steps. I see my doc for a fill on Friday. I'm hoping to get like a .1 in there. They didn't fill me the last time but I know I'm eating more now than I was two months ago at dinner, etc. I don't want to PB, but at the same time, I don't want to be wide open in the evenings, either. Hope everyone else is doing well! :thumbup:

Ok - I'm sort of on the other side of this so hopefully my position helps. I dated someone (we weren't married but almost were) for three years and I've been married to my husband for 12 years, but there are times when we go over to his brother's house and he is there and we have grill outs, etc. Was it weird at first? Yea. But, he and I are just friends, there are no feelings there (at least on my side) and he and my husband actually get along well. Now, I will say if it were reverse where it was my husband's ex, I'm not going to lie, I would be uncomfortable just like you. So, I can TOTALLY see your side, too. What does he say when you approach him about the subject?

Whoo hoo!!!! :wub: It's so funny how we have to mentally change our thinking. I was on a plane two weeks ago and I was panicking about the seatbelt and how much I was going to crush the person next to me and it fit with ease and had slack! Now I'm curious to see how rides at an amusement park will go. It's sort of sad the things we deal with as "fat people". :alien:

I know I am just coming in on this but I agree - stay strong and stay true to yourself. You have done everything you need to do and sometimes you can't make someone else happy but in that same vein, don't let them make YOU miserable. You deserve to be happy. Not worry about whether or not your husband is going to want to leave. Hugs to you!

I've just been buying what I can at a thrift store. I basically have about 5 pair of pants and maybe 10 shirts. LOL! I have this huge, overflowing laundry basket of clothes that are too big right now and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with them. I've also hit up clearance racks just to get me through the season. Of course, I've been a bad bandster this week so I better get back on track (LOL!), but yes - I've dropped a number of sizes and pants were literally falling off when I walked.

As someone who used to never EVER eat salty things (I was a "sweets" person) I realized recently that I was craving saltier things and was trying to figure out the issue. I was missing a few minerals in my diet. A simple Vitamin helped that. HOWEVER - I do think that avoiding the item (cut out a lot of your salt intake) will help as well. That's what I had to do with sweets and the cravings have subsided tremendously. It was a total pain in the beginning because your body WANTS it, but it pays off in the end. :thumbup: G

I would think that the two co-morbidities would help your case. (High blood pressure and triglycerides) The best thing to do is call your insurance carrier to see if they 1) Cover the weight loss surgery because some companies do not carry that coverage and 2) see what their qualifications are. :thumbup: Good luck to you! Ginger

I do agree that a lot of girls (and I mean A LOT) make poor choices when it comes to guys, but I do know for a fact that the girl that I work with (We're talking 5'7", 120 lbs, blonde - STUNNING girl) was sleeping with the heavier set guy and she said sex with him was great. I didn't go into details with her but she did say they had a lot of "fun in bed". Maybe she's more of a special case and not the norm, but she did sleep with him more than once. The one thing I will say (and please do NOT kill the messenger) is that I have had a few girlfriends talk about how their partners lost weight and their "package" looked bigger when they were thinner. Not sure what that is about, but I have heard that. Either way, I think that sex is sort of like pizza. Even when it's bad, it's still pretty good. LOL!

I can't take ibuprofen, so I often take Aleve for my cramps. My doc had recommended that and it's Naproxen Sodium, which back when I was a teen and needed Anaprox for my cramps, that was what they game me - the Naproxen. I would try aleve and then a warm rag over your abdomen when you get home.

Whoo hooo!!! You go! I think both of those are AMAZING NSVs! Two that I hope to accomplish in the next few months. Awesome job!:thumbup::thumbup:

Ok guys - I know I shouldn't chime in here because I'm a girl but I have to. I have three older brothers and well...I'm a girl, so I can help you a bit. (Just don't judge the fat girl, ok?) LOL! I have a lot of friends that are gorgeous - I work with one that is a total 10 and we always chat about guys since she's single and looking to mingle. I've been happily married for years, so I'm one of those girls that just likes to help a brother out. I really truly honestly (and I'm not making this up) think that you can have game as a bigger guy just as well as you can as a thinner guy. Here is why: Girls like guys who are funny, make them laugh and have some sort of charisma to them. Think about Kevin James. (King of Queens) He's not a small guy. But, you would not believe the really gorgeous women that I know who think he's totally hot. Reason why? He's funny, confident and has that "guy next door" charm. Girls love men who are attentive, who aren't trying too hard to impress, who aren't complete douchebags (and when I say that, oftentimes those stick-thin guys wearing their Ray Ban aviators walking like they are hot with their ascots - yea - these girls think they're total douchebags) Also - regarding your friend that you have the hots for. What is stopping you now? Is it YOU stopping you because you don't feel worthy, or is it her telling you that she doesn't like you for anything but a friend? Because if it's YOU thinking she might not be that into you, you could be wrong and she might be regardless of your size. She might love your personality and those are the type of chemical things that attract women to men. (I know - it's not a men to women thing - guys are much more visual, but I'm being completely honest here) Girls are just wired differently. Think about ugly, thin men, too. Ever see a totally ugly guy with a girl and think to yourself "what's he got?" Well, I'd say 9 times out of 10, it has to be some sort of personality trait that she ADORES. Sorry to jump in here and "girl it up" but I didn't want you guys beating yourself up over something that is probably not as accurate as it may appear. I've seen my gorgeous 10 friend talk to guys that were hot on the outside and she ended up thinking they were total jerks, whereas I have seen her go on a few dates with a guy that was average (and a big guy, probably 6'0, 300+ lbs) and she had WAY more fun and was way into him. Don't flame me. :thumbup: Ginger

I had a 2 week pre-op diet of Protein shakes and soup broth, etc. It was the medi-fast diet and by day three I was ready to eat my arm. I called my nutritionist at the practice and she let me have "pure protein" which basically meant I ate nothing but lean turkey, chicken and lean cheese for the two weeks and supplemented with Protein Shakes and broth. I just drastically cut my carbs to less than 15 per day and was fine for surgery. My liver was good and flat and I lost like 15 lbs. The carbs and sugar are what makes your liver fatten up. You could call your nutritionist and ask. Mine was more flexible and honestly - I think that helped. Then I went back to liquids after surgery for the first three or four days and then pureed protein after that. :thumbup: Good luck - it will go fast. I promise!

It could also be the old concept of "Misery loves company", you know? She might feel like she made the wrong decision and might want someone else on that journey with her. I think that if you feel the band is right, you should stick with the band. I've had people tell me that I should just "try diet and exercise" and I've had others tell me that I should do the bypass. Everybody has an opinion. As annoying as it is, they all do. I literally had a girl in my office tell me that I would be miserable and hate life. She never had weight loss surgery but that was her feedback. Obviously, she was wrong. Welcome to the wonderful world of people telling you what to do with your body. LOL! You'll do great. Stick to your guns.

WOW! You go girl! I was banded around the same time and I am just a little over halfway to 100 lbs. WOW WOW WOW! What an awesome job! :thumbup:

I don't know - I wish I could help. I'm in the same boat. If my scale doesn't move for a few days, I totally freak out. One of things that we're going to have to face one of these days is maintenance versus losing - that will probably drive us crazy. LOL! Hopefully someone else has better advice for us. G

I think today is your surgery date so I wanted to stop by and wish you luck. It will be great, I promise! Also - regarding the pre-op diet, I supplemented a lot with Protein shakes, but I ate a lot of turkey slices and string cheese. Basically cut my carbs down to less than 15 per day and had a nice, flat liver for the surgery. (Which is why they have you do the pre-op diet) I was like you - starved all the time. The first three days are the worst. I am not kidding! The headaches and just general irritability because you're body is going "WHAT THE HECK?!" because it's used to getting what it wants and now all of the sudden it's not. Good luck to you! You'll do great !

Congratulations on your success! I'm almost 6 months out and I agree - it was the best decision I've ever made.