jensmallwood

I was self-pay, and it was so worth it to me. So, so worth it. I wish I had been able to do it when I was in college and start out my "new" life with this new tool. On the other hand, you could do some math and come up with a cost-benefit kind of thing with waiting. How much will the time off work cost? How much will the travel cost? You won't really need to tell the new co-workers unless you want to, though. Me? I am impatient, but I also had the money. You'll make the choice that's right for you!

Yeah- the stomach is way higher than most people think. Most people think of the stomach as being down by the belly button or below. That's where our intestines are. And the top of the stomach is more like just under the ribcage, at the center of the chest, where it meets the esophagus. It is weird to feel fullness there, but you get used to it!

Oh, Angela, I'm so sorry for all of your losses! You're right though- there's no day like today to start living a healthier, happier life. Most of the diseases that are killing people, at least in this country, are related to the way we live our lives. It's hard to get that stuff under control, but we got a lap-band to help us do just that. Life is precious. Thank you for reminding us!

I was banded on 2/26/10, and have lost 62 pounds since then. I lost 40 pounds before that, on my own.

That's awesome! And you look absolutely fabulous! Very, very cool!

For me, I knew that I could lose weight on my own. I just couldn't KEEP it off. I lost 110 pounds through diet and exercise, and before I had surgery, 60 pounds of it was back on. If you've never dieted before, then perhaps you should stick with the dietary changes and see how that goes. But if you've been dieting and regaining over and over again for your whole life like I have, you know that it doesn't work for you. But changing the diet does work for some people, and if you think it might for you, then go for it!

Just keep your eyes on the prize... keep your eyes on the prize!!

Huh... that's a new one to me. I guess it can't hurt to check with your doctor about it. I can only think that it's some weird nerve related thing-- but that would probably only make sense if it was pain at a specific spot, right? Like I get pain in my shoulder when I need to stop eating. Does it happen every time? Maybe start keeping a journal so you can see if there is something related to what, when, etc.

Celebrate ALL the successes, big and small!! Congrats- you're doing great!

I think it's possible to use WW, but like the others said, the focus has to be on your doctor's recommended eating plan-- protein first, veggies and starch after, small quantities, chew well, or whatever. If you're given a points range on WW, you may or may not be able to get to it, based on y our restriction. If you've got little/no restriction, counting the points might give you a "stopping place" that your band isn't giving you yet. And even with WW- to succeed, you have to plan and bring food with you. I'm a part time student and I work part-time and my schedule is different every single day. I have to plan to take food, in a small cooler lunch box, to be available when I need it. It's a pain, but it's worth it. I keep fruit, pre-measured almonds or walnuts, tuna fish or whatever, some protein bars or shakes(if I'm working out), or whatever good leftovers I have. I use the crockpot a lot, which makes dinner and leftovers easy. I'd suggest looking at your weekly schedule and schedule out a time for meal planning, meal shopping and meal prep and get together a whole week's worth of healthy eating together at once- maybe on the weekend. I used to do WW before the band-- and it worked for a long while, and then not so much anymore (I just wasn't working the plan). I always try to remember-- "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got." So if it works for you, go for it. If not, don't be afraid to try something else.

I'd ask your doctor this question, but off hand, I'd suggest waiting until you are at least on full solids before doing so. You want to be healed up before adding alcohol to the mix.

Be careful when you choose a trainer, though. There are all kinds, some much more qualified than others. Look for one with a college degree in exercise science or a related field, and a certification through an organization like ACSM or NASM. Look for a trainer who wants to see how you can move BEFORE he or she starts loading you up with weights (which can just make your knee problem worse, not better.) You want to look for someone who knows how to do a "movement screen" to look for things like whether your knees come in when you do an unweighted squat, or if they go out. To me, it sounds like a pretty severe muscle imbalance between the inside muscles of your hip (the adductors) and the outside muscles of your hip (the abductors). My knees tended to go in, demonstrating that my adductors were stronger than my abductors and my abductors were overstretched due to this. This caused both the patella-femoral thing and eventually HORRIBLE ITBand problems. I never felt anything like the pain of IT Band syndrome-- like a hot knife stabbing me on the outside of my knee. You might look for a practitioner in a practice called "muscle activation technique." Sometimes physical therapists are certified in it... sometimes a chiropractor is (or maybe someone else.) They work to get the underactive muscles to start firing properly, which will then allow you to strengthen them properly. Sometimes, a physical therapist will give you corrective exercises to do to fix a muscle imbalance, but if it's been going on for long enough, the weak muscles may not even be responding properly to the exercise, and it will allow other muscles in the area to do its work for it. That's where Muscle Activation Technique comes in. It gets more to the root of the problem and helps get that weak muscle firing again. Something to look into. (just so you know I'm not making this all up-- I am about to graduate with my degree in the exercise field). good luck!

There are also a lot of books about the procedure and what to expect. You can look for them at amazon, or better yet, at your library!