1unknownperson

Great Post... I buy all my clothes at Dressbarn so these are their clothing sizes... Pants Starting size: Very tight 16s and comfy 18s Shirts Starting size: 1x (Not to be confused with just XL as 1X is slightly larger) or 18/20 Current Pants size: baggy 14s or snug 12s Current Shirt size: XL or 16/18 First goal by Memorial Day Pants size: 9 Shirt size: Large Goal Pants size: 5 Goal Shirt size: Medium or small if I save enough $$ for arm surgery...

I always drive myself... It very simple... Fill days are just like any other day for me except I get to drink broth all day afterwards... I work, shop, excersise, drive.... I even eat a good Breakfast before I go... There's no problems or issues for me... But everyone is different... So you do what you feel is comfortable for you.... I was very nervous and scared the first time... Almost to the point of a panic attack and almost to the point of cancelling and rescheduling... But it turned out to be easy peasy....

It's possible that some Dr's set goals for you in the high range because they are attempting to set a goal they think you can manage... Kinda how we do small challenges, like the Easter challenge I joined to lose 15 or 20 pounds by Easter... Obviously thats not my end goal, but it's a number thats not overwhelming to me... Once I get there, I can set a next goal for like Memorial day, then July 4th, then Labor Day etc etc...... Once you reach the Dr's pre determined goal, if you choose to keep going, then that's great and you can show him you can do it.... Honestly, Dr's see so many people try to lose weight and not make it that they probably don't even set their own expectations too high for us.... My regular Dr has been trying to get me to lose weight and sending me to the nutritionist for years all to no avail... He doesn't know I'm banded yet since he was so dead set against it (I'm sure because insurance tells him to be) so I can't wait to go in and see him and tell him about it and let him see the results for himself! In A few months...... In the long run, you should lose weight until you feel comfortable and happy with yourself... Don't stop because others think you should... For my height and age on the Chart, says I should be about 140, But I'd like to get to 125-130 Pounds or at a size 5... I have always felt really good when I was a size 5... But hell for now, I have a "date" with a single digit... Size 9, here I come... I'll see you before memorial Day!

Haha.. This reminds me when I was going through something similar a few years back... So they fill me up with water (they just keep adding more til you feel like you are going to explode!) and then they tell me to go sit on the portable toilet like contraption in the corner of the room to and pee it out. There's a machine in the under the seat that measures the pressure/velocity or something etc when you pee... They also measure how much goes in and then measure how much comes out to see if you are able to fully empty your bladder... The Dr said "I'll step out side while you go and then I'll come back in a read the data.... Haha.... as I am going, I notice a puddle forming on the floor and there's no way I can stop once I start.... The Doc comes in and doesn't even notice the puddle yet (The floor is slightly unlevel and it's now all puddled up agains the other wall).. He goes to the machine and looks under it and looks perplexed.. Then he looks at the floor... Then he grumbles under his breath and calls the nurse in and tells her to bring those blue liners like puppy training floor pads.... Turns out he forgot to put the catch basin underneath.... Great.... We have to do the whole thing all over again... This time I ask him about the catch basin before he leaves the room.... Turns out I have IntersistialCictitus or some such thing... They gave me pills but After about a year, I quite taking them... I was feeling like an old lady with Those pee pills and diet pills and iron Pills and high cholesterol pills and sleep pills and anti depression pills.... One day I woke up and looked at my little daily pill thingy that had each days AM and PM pills in little compartments and I said "Thats it... I'm done with all of you!" And It's been 3 or 4 years since I've taken them..

OMG! I can totally relate... The same thing happened to me once... Well, okay, the crust probably wasn't ohhh and ahhhh worthy becasue I just put a flat crust over the top... But it looked great when it came out of the oven... However when my Ex Dh cut into it... It fell down into a million pieces.... Huh, Where did the apples go??? Ohhh there they are... What started as a 10 inch high apple pie is now anout 1/2 an inch.... Turns out that "delicious" apples aren't meant for baking and they shrink down to nothing but water.... It was now an applesauce pie with lots of crust.... Haha... Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) I became a very good baker and cook and always get to bring all the yummy stuff to every party... Haha... Now that I have everyone trained to expect this, I have decided I won't be doing this any more. I don't want my life to revolve around food and cooking for every party, get together and special occasion... I want to focus on seeing all my friends and just visiting with people and catching up with their lives... I'll bring the store bought veggie platters and lo-cal dip.... It was the obsession with making the perfect and most delicious food all the time that helped get me in the obese situation I am in now....

I Just found your Blogs so am reading some pretty old stuff, But I think it's great to see the journey through your eyes and I can't wait to get to the more recent stuff to see how the journey was when you were at my current stage and to also see the near future stages that I have to look forward to. I'm not nearly so elequent with words but can relate to much of how you feel... Ohhh and I love how you call your DH Mr. Skinny Ass... Cracks me up... My Ex was skinny too... My Current BF is a decent size... He's almost 60 so he has a grampa buddah belly but the rest of him is perfect and I love to rub his Buddah Belly.... I never understood why those little round bellies are cute on men and disgusting on women... I can't ever imagine anyone rubbing my belly and "saying how cute!" Well, for one thing, mens bellys are more solid and my belly is more like a bowl of jello.... Now why is this? Anyhow, time to read on...... Thanks for sharing your story....

I'm losing in my Waist, Butt and legs oh and of course, the Boobs were the first to go.... I've also lost some in my face... The third chin is gone.... My ARMS are my worst enemy! They always gain first and lose last.... I HATE HATE HATE my arms...... However, the one consulation is that my Grandsons Love these arms and if they are lying down to watch TV or take a nap with me, they say, "Gwamaw, Let me lay on you comfy arms"... They make perfect pillows for 2 and 3 year olds..... If I can only ever afford one surgery after I lose weight, it will be to have my arms fixed and loose skin removed..... I have never had normal sized arms and would love to know what it's like.... Thats my Biggest wish/dream.... I'll even be happy to stay boobless if only I could have normal arms.....

I've never heard of such a thing but am curious now that you've mentioned it.....

Now thats cute... I'm sure if my BF knew I recently got banded and knew what the "rules" are, he would be very supportive like this... However, I choose not to tell even him....

Yesssss! :thumbup: :rolleyes2: Love those moments! Congratulations... Those of us who are going through this journey can certainly appreciate how wonderful such a milestone like this is....

Wow... Congratulations! Thats awesome... I went in yesterday and didn't get a 3rd fill... I can barely eat as it is so he said just give him a call when I feel like I need another... I think I actually gained a pound or two the first week after my second fill because I could only get cream soup down and I was having a cup of soup like every 90 minutes or so because I was getting hungry so fast, but the second week, things loosened up a bit and I was able to eat very carefully and by the time I went back to the Dr. after the two weeks I had a 3 pound lose from the prior visit... Keep us updated... Your doing great....

I never knew this was an option, so it got me to thinking..... "Hey, this may be a good skill set for when I travel on Business" so I ran to the kitchen and got my Turkey baster and I put about 1 tsp of Salt Water in it and guess what??? No Matter how hard I jabbed myself, the darn thing would not pierce my skin... I guess I won't be doing my own fills after all... If I have opportunities to travel, I will check this site first and see if I can get recommendations for what ever area I am going to, for emergencies sake.... Thanks for all the good Humor... It has been interesting to see what others think of this... I'm too Squeamish... I could never do it and I wouldn't trust anyone I know to do it for me.... I Like my Dr... He's really Cute and sweet so I look forward to my visits with him....

I was totally craving pizza today so I jumped online and ordered an American Legends chicken pizza on a crispy thin crust and BBQ Wings. I was terrified of getting stuck so I chewed each bite then discreetly spit it into a napkin and only swallowed whatever residue was in my mouth... When I was done, There was about 1 1/2 cups of Chewed Pizza in my Napkin and I ran it down the garbage disposal... The taste and feel of the cheese and chicken and crispy crust in my mouth was sooo Wonderful! I haven't had pizza since before I was banded on Dec 4th so this was just so delicious.... Since I knew I was spitting it out, I was taking normal sized bites like I used to take so I could really experience it in all its glory! It was so awesome to chew a real bite! It's like the different tastes buds around my mouth were getting to tastes so many different flavors at once... Haha... I had to be especially concientious to not swallow since they were bigger than my "normal" bites now... Am I a total Glutton food addict for enjoying this pizza so much? I feel sooo Guilty now even though I didn't swallow 90% of the food or more... I feel guilty for how much I enjoyed it, like a drug addict getting a shot of their favorite drug.... I feel bad for how much pleasure this brought me, like I haven't changed one bit and I'll always be a fatty fat fat because of how much I love food.... Has anyone else ever done anything like this? Does anyone else feel this way?

If someone would have told me a year ago that I would be talking about slimy goo :cursing: and stomach digestive processes in such detail I would have been grossed out and said no way... Haha... Funny how I have this whole new outlook and information/discussion topic in my life....

I have not found this to be the case... If I swallow something that is not chewed well enough or is not small enough, I feel it immediately... It feels like it is sitting right in my throat and I have terrible chest pressure and I start salivating tremendously and I know then to grab a couple of napkins because in about 2 minutes or less it comes rolling right back out. Mostly its a bunch of slimy goo with bits of food in it... The food hasn't really gotten down so there is no decomposition from digestion.... It's pretty gross but ahhhhhh the relief when it comes up and out.... It's not really like throwing up... I don't feel my stomach squeezing like when you throw up.... Does anyone on here have experience with food getting stuck after it has begun digesting and is trying to move from the small pouch to the larger one???

Woo Hoo. Congratulations! I can't wait until I hit the big 50!!! I'm halfway there!

I have told 4 people... All of whom are people I don't see too often, but who are close enough of friends who will help me with the support I need.... I had initially only told 3 but then I was talking to a friend who is about 50 pounds overweight and is going for Gastric Bypass and I asked her why she was doing that instead of lap band... SHe had so much false information that I decided to share with her, to help her see it wasn't nessacarily the monster she thinks it is.... She has Kaiser and was told they cover Gastric bypass but not a lapband? But she was approved because she is diabetic Even though she only needs to lose 50 pounds... I have not told my family including my grown children or my boyfriend whom I live with... I have not told my Bosses or co-workers... This is my business.... Hell, my Primary Dr doesn't know yet however I'm sure I'll have to tell him at my next physical... Thats probably something he'll need to put in my chart in case of emergency...

I have read that chili is a slider food so I made it super thick... I actually thickened it with a large can of refried beans instead of the Masa packet that comes in the six gun seasonings mix... 1/2-3/4 cup is very filling and because of all the protein, it sticks with me for about 4 or 5 hours.... I used Black beans, White beans, Kidney Beans and refried beans plus ground turkey, sauted onions with red, and orange Bell Peppers..

I made a huge crock pot of chili last week and have been enjoying that at least once a day every day.... I put lots of beans in it, but Man, I was just thinking about that pizza and craving it sooo bad.... But I made it through... Thank God it's Monday and a whole new fresh start... Plus I see my Dr. Tomorrow... I don't think I need a fill... I think it's perfect just the way it is....

This is a very common practice. The Hospitals, labs and Dr.s always charge more if insurance is paying the bill.... My Boyfriend lost his insurance for a few months when he was out of work and was due for his PSA Lab work for his prostate so he called asked how much it would cost and they told him if he had insurance it would cost $134.00 but if he was paying for it himself it was $25.00... All for one little blood test.... I have heard that the standard cost of lap-band paid by insurance is upwards of $75,000.... This is what really pisses me off... If they charged the insurance company the same as a cash/self paying patient, then maybe more insurance companies would allow it as preventative health measures... It's no wonder so many won't cover it at such an outrageous cost forcing people like me to take out a 6 year loan with Payments Higher than a new car! The surgery was $16,000 plus 13.999% interest on the Care Credit credit, Card and when all is said and done, I'll be paying $22,320 for my lapband!!! Considering I had roughly 75 pounds to lose, thats almost $298.00 per pound! The same goes for anytime the government is paying the bill as well... if you have section 8 (Low income Government subsidized house), the home owner will turn an $900.00 per month rental into $1,800 dollars per month where you pay about $500.00 dollars and the government pays the balance... Or Government subsidized Child Care... My Daughter is a single Mom with two children so the government pays her childcare while she works... They pay the daycare school, $9.00 Per hour per child for a 10 hour day (They include the time you need to commute after you drop the kids off or after work to come back) But for the two days a week I have them (on my days off from my real job), they will only pay a max of $4.00 per hour each for family to care for the children..... Thank God she found a new school that is open 7 days a week so I can have my weekends back. I love my Grandsons, but I have raised my kids and I need time off to do my own stuff.... It's not a pretty picture! Big business has learned how to cheat the system... And I can see the pros and cons in some of the thinking. I understand that Day care schools have overhead and insurance costs and people who rent out homes need to have a cusion to cover damages done by the renters.... But geezzzz.... Dr's charging the insurance companies 3 or 4 times higher? Whats up with that?

I laughed out loud just now... Why? Because I can relate! Taking a whole 1/3 at once is way to obvious so you just keep going back for more... When I have my Grandsons, It's easy to "say" its for them...... as Gramma gets a big bite and baby gets a nibble... Bite... Nibble... Bite... Nibble... Bite... Nibble.... Before you know it, it's gone and darn if baby doesn't want more.... LOL... No more though. Now its reversed. gramma takes the nibbles and babies get the bites. ANd the ratio is more like three or four bites for baby to each one of grammas nibbles... Hehe...

I apologize in advance... I just discovered the happy faces, so if you have the graphics turned on beware... I had fun discovering the various ones and playing with them... LOL... Okay, So I'm a big kid! If you get offended by adult content, please don't read any farther.... In My Experience it does cause changes... In the 90's, I lost 80 pounds :hurray:on Phen Fen and a lot of my friends didn't like me after that... As a fat person, I have many self esteem :huh2: issues and go out of my way to be a people pleaser so they will like me... When I lost the weight, I gained a ton of self confidance:dita: and I guess I wasn't the Jolly accomodating person they were all accustomed to. Instead of being available to always babysit while other people went out, (and sometimes on only a minutes notice!) and always playing the host to our gatherings and cooking the huge meals for everyone and their heathen kids (who would run around my home creating havoc! and Me getting to do all the before and after clean up) I learned how to say No once in a while and suddenly my husband was telling me so and so says you are a "Batch" now etc etc... I gained so much confidance that I even started college! However, I was kinda cranky :sad2: from the pills and I'd forget to cook for MY family and my kids used to say they didn't like skinny mommy because she didn't cook anymore... My Husband became even more possessive than he already was and we fought :frown: like cats and dogs and he made me wear baggy sweats and big floppy tshirts.. He was terrified of losing me... I used to tell him that if he was so afraid of losing me then maybe he should be nice to me... Anyhow, after Phen Fen went off the market and because it was such a hassle dealing with all the haters, I ended up gaining all the weight back within 2 years... My Husband was again content, knowing that as an unattractive fat :smash: woman nobody else would want me.... However, I had the last laugh... I left him a few years later once the kids were all grown and I continually have a steady stream of gentlemen callers... Even though I have a boyfriend whom I live with, Men still constantly ask me out... I have a very vivacious personality and make friends easily. Most men act like they don't notice I'm a fatty fat fat... I'm now 43 years old and have had guys ranging from 25 to 70 Years old asking me out! The 25 year old is someone my eldest daughter went to school with! I was very flattered but had to turn him down... I prefer the older gentlemen... My Boyfriend is almost 60 with the body and sex drive of a 30 year old athlete! Yeehaw!!! :huh2: Save a horse ride a cowboy! Ohhhh Myyyy... I've gotten off track here... :thumbup: Okay, so my whole point in this is that the Doctors realize the fact that there will be emotional and phsychological issues in dealing with weight loss and thats why they have you go to Group therapy type of meetings or have one on one meetings or staff on hand to help you when you have issues like these to deal with... Mine (assigned therapist)called me the day before surgery and gave me his phone number and told me to call him anytime if I wanted/needed to talk... Hope this makes sense and I hope it helps... :sad:

I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time, but it sure sounds like it was comical! Fortunately all of my stuck episodes have resolved quickly with PBing within 2 or 3 minutes... I just have to grab a handful of Napkins and stand by the trashcan and out it rolls slime and all.. Glad you found something that works well for you each time... And thanks for the chuckle to brighten my day...

Miss melissa, Every time I am at My Dr. office for a fill or follow-up, Theres always at least one person if not more carrying their scale along with them to Calibrate it against the Dr's.... If you think yours is off, take it in and weigh yourself on both. That way you'll know exactly how much it is off by and you can account for that when you weigh at home... Or you can calibrate it. There might be instructions with it to tell you how to calibrate it to be accurate...

When I was given the go ahead for these things I ate them like normal... It was past the Mushie Stage... I had no problems eating anything (I ate Meat, Bread, Scrambled Eggs... Everything!)... I just made sure meat was tender and took very small bites and chewed very well... I have a very small appetite so the amount I used to eat could be divided into 4 complete meals now.... Thats the part I love!