marjon9

250 pounds is a long way to go, no doubt, but I've seen some people talk about losing more then 200. It can be done. You should probably look for the thread for high BMI bandsters. I know this has been discussed before. I also do not agree with you that at your weight 100 pounds does not make a difference. It will make a tremendous difference to your health and how you feel about life and your level of activity. And who cares of people only think you lost 40 pounds, or whatever. This is not a "slap in the face." Weight loss is a little less obvious on a big person. So what? Why is any of that important right now? You health and maybe even your life is at stake here. You have much bigger things to worry about than whether people will properly notice your weight loss. To me the question is this: Will it be easier to lose the weight with the band? If it will, then it seems like a good idea to add it to your weight loss tool chest. With 250 pounds to lose you are going to need to do many things on the road to recovery. You'll need to have a sensible diet, not involving starvation by any means, but sensible. You'll have to exercise. We are not talking about becoming a triathlete, but some amount of exercise is going to be necessary. At least a lot of walking. You will probably also want to look into how and why you got that large. It would not hurt to consider some of those psychological and emotional issues in this process. So it will probably take a combination approach. And it will definitely take time. But, will it be easier with the band? I think the answer is yes. And, frankly, it may be close to impossible without the band. So, if you go into this whole thing with a realistic view, I think you will be in a position to succeed. Don't go into it thinking that the band is a magic wand that is going to do it all for you. That will not happen and if you think it will, you are setting yourself up for a big disappointment. But even though the band is not magic, it is an extremely useful tool that will very likely make your journey much easier. It will be a big part of your weight loss package, and it may very well be the thing that puts you over the top in this battle and lets you succeed. luvmyiggy, your life is at stake here. 465 if life threatening. Stop putting your attention on the things that don't matter. Get out there and fight. Good luck to you.

Josephine, no one thinks badly of you, and of course there is no reason to apologize. Your weight loss is impressive and you should feel proud of yourself. My response was because I have been in the same place as pjrugby, and I wanted to point to the light at the end of the tunnel

I have to chime in here because, with all respect, I disagree completely with Josephine. Her post actually made me feel pretty irritated. Josephine changed her mind and was able to lose weight in a way that seems like the band was pretty much irrelevant. She decided to lose weight and she did it, without using the band. She never had a fill. That's great, that worked for her. I congratulation her for her great weight loss success, but I honestly think it is a highly unusual story, and not at all what the band is about. I really think that the last thing pjrugby needs to hear right now is that the band is all about dieting and willpower, etc. That is just not true. The band is about losing weight even though diets usually fail, and even though very, very few of us here have succeeded using willpower. (Hint: that's why we are all here.) First I want to say is that Josephine is flat wrong when she says that "it is very possible to feel restriction but it has to start with the mind first." That is wrong information and it is not helpful to pjrugby to hear that wrong information. Restriction has nothing at all to do with "the mind." The band is a belt around your stomach. You feel restriction when the band is filled enough so that the belt around your stomach tightens down and causes restriction. Period. That's it. That's what the band is for. It has nothing AT ALL to do with your "mind." It is true that the band is "just a tool." What people mean when they say that is that the band is not going to solve all your problems for you if you sit there sucking down milkshakes and ice cream all day. The band is not magic. You can still find ways to defeat the band by choosing the wrong foods, and by deliberately trying to sabotage yourself. But when people say that the band is just a tool, what they DO NOT mean is that losing weight with the band is all about dieting and willpower. That is just not true. I also disagree with Josephine's comment that "your mind is telling your body that you are still hungry and you need to overcome that." That is total nonsense. It is exactly the opposite of what the band is about. If you get proper restriction with the band, then you are actually NOT HUNGRY, after eating much smaller portions. That is the WHOLE POINT!!!!!! You absolutely do not have to conquer all your psychological and emotion problems around eating for the band to work for you. The purpose of the band is to help you to lose weight even though you have not conquered all your psychological and emotional problems with eating. Again, if you have extreme psychological problems you can find a way to sabotage yourself and defeat the band. But most of us are able to find success with the band because the band is a physical barrier to overeating. And it really works. pjrugby, you have the same problem most of us have had at the beginning stages of our band journey. You simply do not have enough restriction. To obtain that restriction, you need more fills. Some people obtain adequate restriction on just one fill. A few people have adequate restriction from the surgery alone. But most people need multiple fills, sometimes as many as five or six or more, before they reach the proper level of restriction. Once you have the proper level of restriction, you will then find that you get full on much smaller portions. So you are able to lose weight without being hungry. It really works. It has worked for most of us. It is too soon to feel discouraged. It's like you just bought a fancy sports car but it has no air in the tires. Of course it is not going to go very fast. You have not yet put air in the tires. That's exactly the same situation you have now with the band. You are simply not using the band yet because you do not have adequate restriction. Keep getting more fills until you have adequate restriction. Josephine, I congratulation you on your weight loss. But frankly, your story is highly unusual. And, frankly, I don't think you understand very well how the band is supposed to work. I don't mean to come down so hard on you personally here. You really have done a marvelous job with your weight loss. However, I think that when someone like pjrugby comes here asking for information and support, we need to provide correct information. It is not correct to tell her that she should not even worry about getting fills, because restriction is all in the mind. That is just not correct.

I got my darn sporran caught in the zipper. Hasn't been the same since.

You mean some undies are not edible?

I'm currently soaking in KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce

All that can really be said is that most people have the same feelings and it is perfectly normal. The thing about the band is, if you don't fill it, you won't have restriction. So, if you really regret doing it in the long run, you can just leave it unfilled and it will probably be almost like it is not there. And, of course, if you really want to some day, you can have it taken out. However, what will probably happen with you is what happens with most of us. That is, after a few days or a couple weeks, we start to remember why we had the surgery, and the huge price our body will pay if we do not lose some weight, and then we begin to be pretty glad we have this tool to help us deal with the weight issues. That will probably happen with you as well. So, for now, just keep reading the forum, take it easy, know that most people have the same concerns you have, and don't worry too much about the long term right now.

I'm just grateful that I had the good sense only to eat uncontaminated fecal matter.:heh::heh::heh: I do so enjoy those frozen South Beach Low Carb Sh*t On A Shingle

I say that to my wife all the time, but with an Australian accent.

This whole thing makes me so sad, because I know that there is an army of people out there who believe that they are guided by the "Word of God" and they make it their business to force people to suffer. And there is no hope of communication in that type of situation. If "God" tells you to do something, well, I guess you do it. And you feel justified, indeed, obligated, to force other people to live by the same rules, against their will. It's just so sad to think of the immense suffering this causes.

I'm Scottish, but I have an Australian accent.

I had one fill so far and it did not hurt at all. But I do want to add that it is not necessarily guaranteed that you will have restriction from the first fill, or second, or fifth. Each person is different. I had no restriction from the first one. I'm going for my second tomorrow. I'm hoping restriction will begin with that one.

Don't worry marcyinak, most people don't get my jokes. I'm used to it. :biggrin1::biggrin1::biggrin1: A Veg-O-Matic is a hand-held, non-electric device that is used to "slice and dice" vegetables. Ron Popeil, King of Infomercials from about 50 years ago, used to sell them on television. I figured, since Dr. K is getting so busy and all, he could use one of these Veg-O-Matics to save some time on the surgery. Now that's humor.

We should all chip in and get him a Veg-O-Matic

It's a theory, anyway. It seems like they both disappeared around the same time, but perhaps I am mistaken. In any event, I look forward to their return.

Lately I also find that I have posts showing up in my e-mail box and then when I click on the link and go to the thread on the forum the post is not there. Seems like a gremlin is loose somewhere in the system.:heh:

Yeah, I've lost a couple myself in the last day or two. I just chalked it up to premature senility, but now that you mention it ....

What voices? [begin Twilight Zone theme song]

Ohio lethal injection takes 2 hours, 10 tries - CNN.com I am so proud to stand with the few countries left, like China, North Korea, Syria and Saudi Arabia, that still allow the death penalty. :note2: I'm proud to be an American, :note2:where at least I know we can still execute people :note2: we may be totally incompetent at doing it :note2: but who cares, no one can stop us anyway :note2: because we're American :note2: and our flag has stripes on it :note2: and we let people go to the bathroom if it takes too long :note2: :note2: :note2:

I'll toss in a few comments. First, as for your doc, you have not said why your doc is against the surgery. If you are obese and have a high BMI, and if you have other health problems or feel them coming, then your doc better have a good reason for this resistance. Sometimes docs are just ignorant, prejudiced, and wrong. If your doc is against the surgery for some stupid reason like "it's the easy way out," or something equally stupid, then I would just get a new doc, because that type of resistance is ridiculous and unhelpful, and can actually end up being a serious risk to your health. As for the smoking, I quit about 10 years ago. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I failed many times as well. I used Nicorette gum, and that helped. I don't have any great words of wisdom on how to quit. But I can say that, in my opinion, quitting smoking is even more important for your health than getting the lap band. Smoking is just the worst thing you can possibly do for your health. If you are worried that you are going to fail because you are trying to do everything at once, then I say postpone the lap band surgery. Quit smoking first. And when that is fairly well under control (which could take quite some time, like many months), then think about the lap band. Those are the priorities that I see. Try to do it all at the same time if you want, but you are correct to be wary of that. Doing all of that at the same time would have been too much for me, I know that. It does sort of sound like setting yourself up for failure to try and quit smoking and get the lap band at exactly the same time. As for the sacrifices that go with the lap band, there are some, but not that many. I have found that I just stop wanting the things I should not have with the band. I know you think you will always want the diet dew, but I bet you find that it's not that hard to give it up. The band is not about suffering, willpower, dieting, and battling constant cravings. The band is actually about losing weight without doing those things. Once you have proper restriction, you just get full on much smaller portions, so you lose weight. That's pretty much the whole story. You really don't suffer. And you will probably find that you don't really miss too many of your old favorite food and drink items. So, there are a few of my thoughts on these questions.

It's similar to the ones that you stick in your nostrils, but it's a little less intrusive because it sits up against your nostrils, instead of going in. Here is a link to a page that shows it. Resmed Mirage Swift Mask

I'm sure you've thought of this, but I want to ask just in case. Are you sure you have the right mask for your CPAP? As you probably know, they have some that rest under your nose and don't sit on your face like a Darth Vader mask. I use the Swift mask, but there are several other light masks that are like it. For me this lighter type mask is much easier to use. And the CPAP in general helps me feel a lot better. Like I say, I'm sure you've thought of all this. Just wanted to toss it out there.

Wow, I guess that means Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama are going to burn in Hell for eternity. Bummer.

zengirl, it seems to me that you are jumping to conclusions at a time when you have not yet really even started your band journey. In many ways the band journey begins when you have proper restrction. You've just had one fill!!!!! It's the rare exception that proper restriction is achieved after just one fill. Didn't your doctor tell you that? I would contact your doctor and discuss this. Also, on this forum you can find many threads that talk about restriction and how many fills it takes to get there. I have no way of knowing whether the band will actually work well for you in the long run, but it is definitely too soon to start reaching the conclusion that it is not working. As I say, in my opinion you really haven't even started yet. The last thing I want to say is this: You asked in your post above how a person stays motivated in their decision. Here's the thing about the band: You really don't need to worry so much about staying motivated. The whole point about the band is that it works whether or not you are motivated (unless, of course, you deliberately try an sabotage yourself by drinking McDonald's milkshakes all day). The band is a physical barrier to overeating. It works because you get full on much smaller portions (once you have proper restriction, that is). The band is not a "diet" that requires will power and "staying motivated." The band is a device that works EVEN THOUGH you can't stay motivated and stay on a diet. That's the whole point!!! So, please, calm down and don't feel too disappointed yet. And stop worrying about "staying motivated." The thing you need to focus on right now is working toward getting enough fills to achieve the proper degree of restriction. Once you have proper restriction, then your band journey begins. Then, after a year or so, you will begin to have a true feeling for whether the band is or is not working for you.

That's why it's no fun having these debates with the fundamentalist types. There's no give and take. They believe that when they speak, it is essentially The Word Of God. Things like logic, open-mindedness, persuasion, sense of humor, personal growth, etc., are completely off the table. Offering any of those things in these debates is like flying a small plane into a granite cliff. It's true that my mind is pretty strongly set on certain ideas as well. But at least it is possible for me to change my mind without having to feel like I am betraying God. For a fundamentalist to even consider having an open mind, it involves a total rejection of everything they have lived for, and probably what their parents lived for as well. This mindset turns these debates into a pretty useless exercise, and it causes these debates to compare disfavorably to a barrel of monkeys on the "fun" scale, if you see what I mean. :tired