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ok so after last week i was really excited, but this week just hasn't been good for me.. so here are my stats 5'7" hw: 265 gw:250 dos: 238.1 cw: 203.6 so here goes, today is week 8 for me and i only lost 3 lbs from last week.. and i know thats not really terrible except for the fact that before i left for vegas on 2-2-12 i was down to 202.1 which means i gained weight! OK OK i know.. it is definitely my own damn fault cuz i partied like a rock star in vegas.. not really eatting things that i shouldn't, but because of the alcohol.. total empty calories.. it is officially the price that i pay! I guess tho it has been buggin me because even before i left i realized that i hit a miniature stall.. and normally i don't worry if the number on the scale doesn't change a bit, because i work out so much that im sure that i gain muscle which is much more dense than fat meaning at some point yes im going to stall on the weight loss i guess i just didnt figure it would come soooo soon. Now i really need to get back on the band wagon with my workouts and cardio, so that i can break this stall that i seem to be in. On a good note tho!!!! I HAD AN AMAZING TIME IN VEGAS bought clothes, went to go see a show (beatles love w. cirque du soleil) it was freaking amazing!!!!!!! and we got vip treatment the entire trip! so thats good.. i've included some pics..

I have found that I can't drink because it burns too bad. And I loved beer, cocktails, not so much wine unless it was Lambrusco..so I have given up alcohol all together just because I can't tolerate the burn.

My hubby and I were sleeved, he is not a drinker, i am a social drinker. He said that in his last class with the NUT someone said that they took 1 sip of wine and had to be helped home. The NUT also said that you have a higher risk of addiction when you are sleeved. i told him it that the research I did said that was because people trade one addiction (food) for another and i really don't think that will be me! I just REALLY would like a nice margarita dammit, LOL. Any suggestions would be welcome....anyone know anyone that turned into an alcoholic after the sleeve??

My hubby has a bypass. Half a glass of wine, and he is drunk. Is this true for sleeves as well?

I have only vomited four times post-op (I'm well over 2 years out now). One was when my whole family had a stomach bug and ALL of us were throwing up, so nothing to do with my sleeve. The second time was my second Thanksgiving post-op. I ate too fast or didn't chew well enough and something got "stuck". I had tremendous pain in my chest and foamies until I finally threw up and felt a million times better. The third time I went on a pub crawl and drank WAY too much alcohol... definitely nothing to do with my sleeve and everything to do with me being an idiot. The last time was this past summer. I ate way too quickly again or didn't chew thoroughly again then proceeded to play Lasertron (fancy laser tag) for about two hours. By the end I was dying. Again with the "stuck" feeling and foamies until I was able to throw up and get out whatever was stuck.

I became an alcoholic after the sleeve. Started with wine occ. at 4 months out and by 11 months I was up to 2 1/2 bottles a day. One half box worth. Occ. got drunk ratherwise just loved the feeling drinking. Took a nap on the couch in the evening. I was a mess. Had enough stopped cold turkey Feb. 5th 2013. I occ. will take L-glutamine if I have cravings, works well. You can become a drunk quickly, never thought I would.

I went to the beach last week for a conference and things went pretty well. I was able to work out 4 days last week and I did pretty well eating with only a few cheats. I did drink too much alcohol and I know those are empty calories but I had a good time and I even lost a little weight. Ok so here is the thing that happened that is kind of weird. I could be wrong....It has been a while.....but I think that one of the docs was flirting with me. Yeah, I know! WEIRD! He was a McCutey! I DID tell him I was married and talked about what a great guy DH is. Expecially after he asked me if I was staying over an extra night. I asked if he had family (I promise I was wondering if he had kids, you know small talk). He must have taken it wrong because he told me he was divorced. I asked "No kids?" He said yes and I asked him if he didn't consider them family. He said he thought maybe that wasn't the question. I know I have been married a long time (almost 16 years) but how many different reasons can a guy find to touch you. Geesh! My arm, shoulder, leg, back and that was sitting at a table with 8 other people having a nice....not too personal conversation. I have to admit (but not to my hubby) that it was very flattering,(probablly because he was so damn cute and well put together....give me a break I'm married not blind) but it was also a little strange to be back into that group of the population that has to worry about some random guy flirting with her. My general goal for quite some time has been simply to blend in and not be noticed as the "big lady walking my way" or "sitting next to me." I have wanted to feel invisible, or that I look like the average person walking down the street. I have just begun to feel that way. I don't have to use a "professional persona" as my shield at business trips, but I guess now I have to see what happens when my real personality is out there in front of everyone. That is kind of scarey. I don't even know if I can let anyone really get to know me the "real" me. I am starting to wonder who that is....

I will fully admit that I am new to this. I have never blogged before. I'm fairly new to weight loss surgery. But one of the ways that I think I can help hold myself accountable for my weight loss is through this blog. If people read, great. If not, that's fine too. At least it's a spot for me to journal what I'm going through. So here I go... Lap Band. I've got one. I'd thought about getting one in the past as my weight continued to balloon out of control. But I was always so nervous about it. I didn't want to be one of those people that couldn't lose the weight on my own. So I would diet. I would exercise. I'd lose weight -- 20 pounds here, 50 pounds there -- but it would always come back. However much I lost and then some. So I finally decided I needed to do something to save my life. I set up an appointment with Dr. Hung to discuss having a lap band. I hadn't been on a scale in a couple years. Even at my annual physicals, the physician stopped weighing me. I think they knew I was big. Real big. And they didn't do much more than that. So I stepped on the scale at the doctors and there it was. The number I was dreading to see. 345.7 pounds. I immediately thought -- I have no idea how I got this big. But that's a lie. I knew exactly how I got that big. Mindless eating, fast food, eating way more than one person should, drinking alcohol to the point of excess, late night food, not exercising. There was a list that went on and on. And I could have stopped right then and there. But the nurse that weighed me knew what I was feeling and knew what to say, "Okay, that's the last time you're ever going to see that number." So fast forward through the doctors appointments, through the pulmonary specialists, the psychiatrists, the physicians, the pre-op diet, the actual surgery to six months later. Here I am. I have lost weight ... quite a bit of weight ... and I'm happy with that. But not happy enough. Today I weigh 287.8. I've lost 57.9 pounds since that first day at the doctors. And I'm ecstatic about that. I feel better. I look better. People have commented how well I'm doing. But it's not enough. I have officially stalled. I weighed 286.6 before Christmas. Since then I've fluctuated between 283 and 290. That was seven weeks ago. In almost two months I haven't lost anything. Fortunately, I'm not completely upset with that to the point of quitting. I try to be positive about it. It was the holiday season. It's not an excuse. It's an inevitability. And looking at the last how many years of my life, I've never continually lost. It's always been an increase in weight. But I'm not settling for 60 pounds. I want another 60 gone, and then some. I was a self-pay patient for this surgery, so my wallet has lost $16,000. I don't want that to be for nothing. I know all the tools. I know what I need to do. I know the band isn't a cure-all. It's a tool to use in order to help you lose weight. So I'm getting back to basics. I'm journaling all my food and drinks. All day every day. Not just during the week and then letting things slide during the weekend. I'm not going to sneak food off of my family and friends plates like I have been lately. I'm going to start exercising again. I'm going to make this work for me. I have to. Sure 60 pounds is great. But I'm still obese. 287 pounds isn't where I want to spend my life. I want to be able to feel more comfortable with myself. So here we go, band. Let's get this journey going again. The six month honeymoon period is officially over. Now the real work begins. And I want it to. I want to be successful and hold myself accountable. Which is why I've started this blog. Time to be accountable for my actions. February 9, 2011 ... 287.8. Let's see how it goes for the next six months!!

Ok so it's been a while since I last blogged but a lot has been going on. I'm from Iceland. An island way up north. So I just came back from travelling to Spain, a Mediterranean country and let me tell you, things there are different from what I'm used to. I've been to Spain 3 times before and never thought that much about food. I just ate what ever and loved it. But having the lap band is more difficult. The town I was staying at didn't have that many restaurants but when I went to them, they carried BREAD BREAD BREAD. They loved serving bread or huge dishes! I love tabas mmmm but it's served on bread, thick slices of bread. I can only eat thin slices. So when out eating, I ended up eating fries, omelette and lasange. But only found one restaurant carrying lasagne. But I tried cooking at home as well, so I wouldn't starve and didn't really want omelette or fries for every meal. The temperature! Gosh it was HOT. That mean that my polar body was swollen ever day with extra fluid and that also meant that my stomach opening was a lot smaller. I had to make a lot of trips to the bathroom spit out food that got stuck in the opening. The Productive burping was terrible! No matter what I ate. My worst case was a tomato!! Hello!! A tomato, a very well chewed tomato! I just had terrible time with it. That's why I was afraid to eat what ever was on the menu. But fries, I know they are deep fried and not that healthy, but I could chew them into baby food! What does a hot woman need in a hot weather??? ice cream. mmmm love some good ice cream. And I had a lot of it. It was a guilty pleasure. But it was so good in the hot weather. Alcohol. I was very very careful with that. I wanted a cold beer very badly but I stuck to cocktails with no carbonated liquids in it and yes that was just fine. And never got drunk or tipsy or what ever. Did not want to add hangover and throwing up to the PB!! I even at once point thought that it would be best to finish the trip off by eating only chocolate and ice cream because that went down very well haha. Also the company I was with. They were so nice and understanding but I was giving myself hard time for making them wait for me while I ate really really really slowly. We could never eat anywhere in hurry, ever. I came with a solution though, I sometimes grabbed a banana because that's easy to eat on a go. Now at home, I'm still swollen from the travel but I couldn't wait stepping on the scale and no weight gain!! to my surprise! I'll see how it went after my body has adjusted after the travel. I have to tell you though that for the first time in my life, I had lots of left overs at the restaurants I ate at. I felt like apologizing for it to the waiters, for not finishing my food. I've always finished everything at a restaurant but I was very careful, even though the portions were big, that I would only eat until I was satisfied (not full) and I'm proud of that. Overall, I did enjoy my trip very much and Spain is a fantastic country. And I've always enjoyed the food there before the lap band. But this was a difficult trip food wise and not that healthy I'm glad it didn't set me back tough. I'm happy to be home and on Monday hopefully my body has recovered and that I will not have any extra fluid.

In Iceland we are big on traditions, at least my family. Ok probably all countries have their traditions. On Christmas, we always have this special drink, it's Orange Soda (kinda like Fanta) mixed with a Malt drink (non alcoholic) Both are carbonated. I love this drink. I could drink liters of it every day for Christmas, and well yes Easter as well. But lap band doesn't allow carbonated drinks. I tried one glass of it last weekend and I didn't feel that good. I had nausea that didn't go away until I let out a huge burp 3-4 hours later! How am I going to survive without that drink??? But I will I know I will. I will just find something really good instead. I tried a hot apple cider the other day that I made myself. It was seriously good but full of calories. I'm going to make that drink for Christmas as a special occasion. Then we LOVE our smoked meat. I love it as well. My fave meat actually. Nope, can't eat it. Had it last weekend as well (dads bday) and I had problems with lunch all week. I could get some down and wasn't hungry but I had Productive Burping every day and I had to deliver some in the toilet. And I was at work! OMG but I eat by my desk so that I can eat at my own speed and not worry about other people. I think this week has mentally been the most difficult since I went off liquid diet at the beginning. The smoked meat gave be lots of edema and I can't follow food tradition anymore. But I saw the weight go down anyway! 0.4 pounds or 200 grams. Not a lot but with edema, it is something. It made me happy, yes that tiny weight loss did everything for me. I'm always learning, maybe a slow learner and I do the same mistake twice or ok three times haha, but I have to avoid smoked food and salt. If I do have those things, I have to suck it up and well feel bad for a week. Is it worth it? nope not worth it. I even thought while this was going on, if I regretted the lap band, but nope, still love it. I can survive the productive burping, the slime and the fluid. I already feel overall better in my body. My underwear is even too big now! gosh haha, what a lovely feeling. Ok very bad for my bank account but it feels so good that my panties are about to slide down by itself if you get what I mean And today I saw that I have a follower on my blog a woman who had the surgery at the same time I did and my blog is helping her. I saw her comment 1 month late. But wow that made me happy. I always thought I was just blogging for myself. Talking about my failures and how my mind works through all this. I'm glad someone like my blog For those who don't know what edema is, it is excessive fluid in our body. Your face is like a balloon when you wake up and your fingers are like sausages. When you touch your skin, it doesn't feel like your own body, feels like jelly in there. Then the longer you are awake, then the fluid goes from your upper body and to your feet. But that doesn't bother me as much as when it's in my face, fingers and around the band.

It's almost been 6 months since I had the lap band surgery. Still the best thing I've done for my body! I admit that I'd like to have lost more weight specially when I read about how much other people have lost. But I'm at 15 kg or 33 pounds. I had 1 month set back because of sickness and travel, I have to remember that. I also have to remember that this is not a competition, that I'm doing this for myself and nobody else. Also that I'm only 3 kg or 6.6 pounds away from a personal milestone. Can't wait. I also have to remember that for the first time in 20 years, I'm living a normal life. I chose to live normal and not diet. I eat like other people do. Ok I eat a LOT less than what other people do but I now can enjoy food like other people do. I allow myself to have a cake if there is a cake at the office, or ice cream if there is some at the office. Just a small amount for the taste and no seconds! Before the lap band, I NEVER had any sweets and it was mentally destroying me that I never allowed myself to do anything and still gain weight. Yes I did and by over eating normal food. But because I allow myself to have a cake, ice cream, candy.. (no not too often!! seriously) then I loose weight slower than I could. But I also always check if the cake (omg love cakes) are worth it, worth the calories. For example 2 days ago at work there was a store bought chocolate cake. I like home made more, so I decided it was not worth it. I mean it would have tasted ok but not worth it since it wasn't a fantastic cake! Also there was ice cream for desert at work and mmmmm I wanted some really badly. But nope, I decided not to have some since I was going out in the weekend and there is a birthday party I'm going to as well. So I do have self control I went partying yesterday for the first time. I was a bit nervous so I decided not to go to a club. Just stay at the party at a friends place. I had white wine. There was beer but nope no carbonated drinks. I had read that some people don't need a lot of drinks to get a little tipsy so I was kinda expecting that. But nope, it was the same as before the lap band. I had to drink the same amount to feel a little tipsy. I didn't want to get drunk and loose control and throw up. My doctor and reading about the lap band have all warned about that. But I never get that drunk anyway so I wasn't that worried. I always just get a little tipsy and happy But I don't like alcohol that much so I was hoping I only needed 2 or 3 glass of white wine. Maybe when I loose more weight, I will need less. Oh gosh this is such a luxurious problem haha. So this is the day after, slight hung over as in head ache and no binge eating or wanting really greasy unhealthy food so yay I've been a good girl. That's it for now

Bridget, this is Penny.......the other scared girl on your thread. I can relate to what you say about "I eat because I want to eat." Actually, that is what scares me. That is what I hear from alcohol and drug addicts who are fighting treatment. Even though their health, career, family are on the line....they won't consider stopping the destruction. It's the addiction that has them convinced that they are drinking or drugging because they want to. The fact is, they drug and we eat because we are addicted. You and I are faced with early deaths and yet we still are hanging on to the lifestyle that will take us from our families "just because we want to." I agree with IndigoGirl, you and I need to have a plan beyond just the band and diet. We need to have a plan to address our addiction. I am glad your husband loves you just the way you are but with your family history, he won't have that luxury for long. I am a health care social worker, I watch young people (50's and 50's) die every day from earlier life choices. It isn't pretty and the families suffer so deeply. Love yourself and your husband as much as he loves you and be healthy to grow old together. Maybe now isn't the right time for the band, but it is the right time to do your addiction work. Here's to us and our future!!! Penny

I would ask her if she yells at alcoholics for having their disease; trying to stop for a moment in time to lower risks during surgery has nothing to do with lifestyle change. If it were that easy, modern medicine should have come up with a cure for food addiction a long time ago. Makes me mad to think insurance co's are allowed to dictate how much out of control are bodies need to be in before they "grant" approval. Seems like the medical people ought to be dictating this decision. but don't get me started. personally, I'm going to pay out of pocket and go to Mexico for my banding next month. Wish me luck! Sufina

I just need to say it... My name is Breanne, and I am a food addict. *sigh* I believe my addiction began at the age of 17. I had always been an over eater prior to age 17 but it was more emotional eating than addictive eating. I got my first car in May of 2004. I remember the freedom finally! It started out being able to go to whatever fast food place whenever I wanted. I remember always loving KFC, but my mother never let me go, so the first week I got my car I couldn't get the place out of my head! I stopped there everyday after work on my way home and got the BIGGEST popcorn chicken they had and ate it before I got home, and then hid the container. I think that when you hide food is when you become truly addicted. I met my husband the following year. We fell in love and got married just six months ago. Let me rewind......from the time I met him to the day we got married, I gained 60lbs! A lot of people ask me why, and until now I didn't know the answer. Much like alcoholics, a food addict is unaware that they have a problem! I tried to blame it on my PCOS haha. In all honesty, I was the one to blame. We ate out constanelyy, but the biggest problem was, I was eating the same amounts as a 6'3 250lb man! What was I thinking, I can totally relate to that Dierks Bently song! :cursing: "I knew there'd be hell to pay, but that crossed my mind a little too late!" I want to be open and honest about my addiction. If anyone has any questions or feels as though they may be a food addict as well, don't hesitate to contact me! I don't have all the answers, as I am just starting the journey to recovery, but I'd love to hear from some people who think they might have a similar problem! Stay Strong!:rolleyes2:

I just need to say it... My name is Breanne, and I am a food addict. *sigh* I believe my addiction began at the age of 17. I had always been an over eater prior to age 17 but it was more emotional eating than addictive eating. I got my first car in May of 2004. I remember the freedom finally! It started out being able to go to whatever fast food place whenever I wanted. I remember always loving KFC, but my mother never let me go, so the first week I got my car I couldn't get the place out of my head! I stopped there everyday after work on my way home and got the BIGGEST popcorn chicken they had and ate it before I got home, and then hid the container. I think that when you hide food is when you become truly addicted. I met my husband the following year. We fell in love and got married just six months ago. Let me rewind......from the time I met him to the day we got married, I gained 60lbs! A lot of people ask me why, and until now I didn't know the answer. Much like alcoholics, a food addict is unaware that they have a problem! I tried to blame it on my PCOS haha. In all honesty, I was the one to blame. We ate out constanelyy, but the biggest problem was, I was eating the same amounts as a 6'3 250lb man! What was I thinking, I can totally relate to that Dierks Bently song! :thumbdown: "I knew there'd be hell to pay, but that crossed my mind a little too late!" I want to be open and honest about my addiction. If anyone has any questions or feels as though they may be a food addict as well, don't hesitate to contact me! I don't have all the answers, as I am just starting the journey to recovery, but I'd love to hear from some people who think they might have a similar problem! Stay Strong!:thumbup:

I am now past the 6 month mark and I'm down close to 60 pounds. (55 to be exact) I am starting to get comments from people about looking like I've lost weight and I'm down to a size 16 on bottom and a 14 on top. I tend to struggle the most with stopping when I'm starting to feel full and also not drinking calories...must remember to stay away from high calorie alcoholic beverages and to keep my Starbucks drinks to a minimal amount of calories. I tried eating more protein as my doctor suggested which prevented me from losing and stopped the hair loss...as soon as I stopped eating as much protein then I started loosing again and my hair started falling out again. It's a Catch-22... I am looking at old photos to see the difference from now to then and I do see some but not as much as I'd like to see. I really don't think I'm going to be really pleased until I get below 200...17 more pounds. My goal is to lose this by my birthday...July 28th. I am a little concerned because I'm up to 8.3 cc's in a 10 cc band and I've barely just gotten to the point of restriction. I still can and have always been able to eat more than the 1/4 cup so...I am the proof that you have to use the tool correctly because it is only a tool and not a be all end all. I also started going to a local support group so I can remind myself to stay on track and give back to other people who are just starting out. Aside from that...I'll check in next month.

I am now past the 6 month mark and I'm down close to 60 pounds. (55 to be exact) I am starting to get comments from people about looking like I've lost weight and I'm down to a size 16 on bottom and a 14 on top. I tend to struggle the most with stopping when I'm starting to feel full and also not drinking calories...must remember to stay away from high calorie alcoholic beverages and to keep my Starbucks drinks to a minimal amount of calories. I tried eating more protein as my doctor suggested which prevented me from losing and stopped the hair loss...as soon as I stopped eating as much protein then I started loosing again and my hair started falling out again. It's a Catch-22... I am looking at old photos to see the difference from now to then and I do see some but not as much as I'd like to see. I really don't think I'm going to be really pleased until I get below 200...17 more pounds. My goal is to lose this by my birthday...July 28th. I am a little concerned because I'm up to 8.3 cc's in a 10 cc band and I've barely just gotten to the point of restriction. I still can and have always been able to eat more than the 1/4 cup so...I am the proof that you have to use the tool correctly because it is only a tool and not a be all end all. I also started going to a local support group so I can remind myself to stay on track and give back to other people who are just starting out. Aside from that...I'll check in next month.

Yesterday: two hours of technical mountain biking, plus one 25-minute walk. Today: 55-minute walk (2.5 miles), and the first day of a new job, back to work after 2 months of unemployment. I wanted to do some weight work tonight but just couldn't do it - at this point I'm happy that I managed not to sedate myself with alcohol or comfort myself with food - it was a *hard* day!

Quest bars are my favorite, I eat one every day. Vanilla Almond is my favorite, soooo good! Not only are they delicious, but they have the most protein and fiber of any I have found, with no sugar alcohols. Love them!

That interesting idea,Alex Im quit alcohol because i had history sezuire at 12 years old im been on and off drinking alcohol and im chose quit alcohol drinking for my health reason.. I don't wanted cheat drinking alcohol after surgery bad idea! Im on post op two weeks after my surgery january 9 My mom's family didn't drinking alcohol because of religion i have respect that but im chosen follow her family..

Obesity bias. We all hear about, and some of us experience it, in the workplace and in social situations. But obesity bias lurks elsewhere, in places where you’d least expect it because the people involved are so well-educated. It lurks in what I call the “helping professions”. Teachers, ministers, people who ought to know better. Because of that, I addressed the last chapter of Bandwagon to medical professionals. Telling them how I feel about obesity bias is important to me personally, and awareness of the issue is important to us all, fat or thin, young or old. Politicians, educators, and the media can help (if they can just get their heads screwed on straight), but those of us who suffer from obesity can help by refusing to tolerate it. That’s why I’m reprinting my obesity bias chapter here: I want to put the fire in your belly. Curious? Read on. AN OPEN LETTER TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS You wouldn’t guess it to look at me now, but I was once obese enough to qualify for and have bariatric surgery. I was so fat that I got stuck in turnstiles, had to use handicapped stalls in public restrooms, and dressed in drab garments that looked like they were made by Omar the Tentmaker. I was so fat that children would point at me and giggle. So fat that I couldn’t fit in a booth in nice restaurants. So fat that fellow airline passengers groaned when I sat down in the seat beside them. Despite all that, I think I've been pretty lucky. I haven't suffered as much of the obesity prejudice that others like me have faced. My career might have been more successful if I was thin, but I was never aware of obesity bias in a workplace and I advanced further in my career than I ever could have dreamed possible. But I have experienced obesity prejudice, and some of that has come from you: the health care professionals with whom I've entrusted my physical and mental health, and that's a special kind of betrayal. I’m not a doctor; nurse; nutritionist; dietician; surgeon; exercise physiologist; physical or occupational therapist; medical, laboratory, radiology or surgical technician; or psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker, so I can only make assumptions about what motivates you in the practice of your profession. It’s probably a mix of things: the need for a paycheck; love of science; the expectations of your families, teachers and employers; laws and ethics (both written and unwritten); the desire to relieve suffering; and compassion for your patients. In reality, compassion seems to be undervalued in both the medical community and society at large. I'm told that medical students undergo training so grueling that it would be considered inhumane in any other environment. Then they leap into a practice that requires them to balance patient care with business, financial, insurance, legal and ethical issues that their formal education did not fully address (if at all). Americans of any profession live in a paradoxical society. We praise the athlete who finishes out a game despite a serious injury while we pop pain pills for the aches in our own inactive bodies. We give our children television sets, video games, cell phones and junk food, but don't have time to play with them or encourage them to exercise. Our government mandates the publication of nutrition information on food packages that we are unable or unwilling to understand. We admire the underweight women pictured in celebrity magazines while we wait in line at the supermarket to purchase a cartful of super-processed, calorie-rich, nutrition-poor food. During our daily trip to McDonald's, we recoil when we see an obese person enjoying the same meal that's on our own tray. We think, "What a pig! I would never let myself get that fat. Why doesn't she go on a diet? She must be too lazy or too stupid." Then we stuff another fistful of French fries in our mouths, take a big swig of Coke, and secretly loosen the button on our own straining waistband. The meal we have just eaten could feed a third-world family for a week, but neither our greediness nor their neediness concerns us. Somehow the careless eating habits of a normal weight person, the anorexic eating of an underweight actress, and the starvation of an impoverished child are all okay, but the overeating of an obese person is reviled. Despite the societal stigma associated with it, obesity isn't the shameful plight of "other" people — lazy, unlucky, immoral people. It can happen to anyone. It happened to me, and it can happen even to well-educated medical professionals like you. I am by no means lazy. God has given me many blessings, and I do my best to live in a moral fashion, but through a mysterious combination of nature and nurture, I suffer from the chronic disease of obesity. It is no easier for me to cure myself of this disease than it is for someone to cure herself of asthma, epilepsy or diabetes. I find it ironic that the only current "cure" for diabetes - gastric bypass surgery - is so often considered to be unnecessary “cosmetic” surgery when an obese person seeks it as treatment for their disease. When I asked him for a referral to a bariatric surgeon, the physician who diagnosed my Type 2 diabetes (who happens to be morbidly obese himself) told me, "You don't need something that drastic. You just need to try harder." Telling me that was as helpful as telling a patient with a broken leg, "Let's just wait and see if this gets better on its own. If you concentrate hard enough, that bone will mend itself." That same doctor told me many times to exercise more and eat less. We live in a small town and I see him and his family in local restaurants and stores, but never at the health club owned by the hospital with which he is affiliated. The most strenuous exercise I've seen him do is to repeatedly lift a fork to his face as he plows through a plate of Mexican food. Do I sound bitter? I suppose I am, and you would be too if you had been treated by your fellow human beings, including medical professionals, the way I have been treated. To hear me talk, you might think I'm nursing a grudge against my doc, but I'm not. My obese doctor is a really nice guy, and I have genuine respect for the talented, hard-working people who practice the "helping professions". But not for one minute do I believe that any of them are qualified to judge me. That privilege is reserved for God. Sometimes it's the most kind and well-intentioned people who inflict the most hurt and humiliation on an obese person. To suffer that at the hands of professionals who ought to know better has been especially hurtful and disappointing. When I first moved to Tennessee, I went to see Dr. X, the family physician recommended to me by a local friend. He gave me a prescription for my high cholesterol (essential, he said), refused me medication for depression (not necessary, he claimed), and told me I must lose weight (also essential). I asked him how I should do that. His response was, "It's simple. Put the fork down. Eat less and exercise more." When I said, "That's easier said than done," he answered, "You don't need to talk about it. Just do it." (He also inexplicably refused to give me a referral to a nutritionist, psychotherapist or weight loss support group.) From this experience I could only conclude that my obesity was due to a fatal lack of willpower. I reported that conversation to my friend, who said, "That's probably because Dr. X used to be very heavy himself, and he thinks if he can lose weight, anybody can." The fascinating thing about that factoid was that although Dr. X was specially equipped by his own experience with obesity to give advice, support, and compassion to an obese patient, he was unable or unwilling to offer me any of those things. I don't know what his problem was, because I never got to know him better. I found another family doctor (the obese one) and never returned to Dr. X for medical care. I've also experienced obesity prejudice in a mental health setting. For a year or so I attended a support group meeting for behavioral health patients at our local hospital. The woman who facilitated the group was an addiction specialist - entirely appropriate considering the high proportion of drug and alcohol addicts in the group, but even she laughed when I told the group, "It's all very well for you to talk about abstinence. You can completely give up drugs or alcohol and survive just fine, but if I completely give up food, I'll die." I'll admit I often say funny things with a serious expression on my face, but how was that statement funny when tears were running down my face? I've even experienced a subtle form of obesity prejudice in a bariatric medical practice. In the past five years, I've used the services of two different hospitals with well-established, well-respected bariatric surgery programs. I won't name them because medically I have no bone to pick with them, but I will describe them because they reveal a lot about themselves in their bariatric facilities' design. One facility is supplied with plus-size patient gowns; wide benches and chairs; wide hallways and doorways; big exam tables with sturdy step stools beside them; large, easy-access restrooms; specially-equipped operating rooms; large-size blood-pressure cuffs; and many other accommodations for large-sized patients. The other facility has none of that, and if a patient is too large to fit through the door that leads to the exam rooms, his or her consult may take place in the waiting room, in the sight and hearing of other patients. So much for patient confidentiality, huh? Both of these facilities have given me excellent and considerate care, but only one of them gives the impression of having thought deeply about what its patients really need. And speaking of what bariatric patients really need, I also have a word for the general surgeons who are jumping onto the bariatric bandwagon in hopes of increasing revenue: please, please don't lift that scalpel until you've established a complete patient education and aftercare program, employing the services of the experienced nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, exercise physiologists and other bariatric professionals who can make or break your patients' success. When you have your team assembled, please make sure they're all singing from the same sheet of music. One of the most common complaints I hear is that staff members in a single bariatric practice issue conflicting instructions - for example, the surgeon says you should eat 1/2 cup of food per meal, but the nutritionist says you should eat 1 cup. My response to this is always: follow the surgeon's advice until you're able to clarify the issue. But bariatric surgery patients, especially new ones who are trying to learn dozens of new facts and behaviors, do not need their bariatric team adding to their confusion. Just as you should not underestimate your patients' need for education and support, nor should you underestimate their intelligence. Surely as a scientist you can acknowledge that human intelligence is not inversely proportionate to body size, any more than it's related to skin color, ethnicity or religious belief, but I must remind you that mental faculties do not decrease as body size increases. While I appreciate any efforts you make to communicate clearly, it is not necessary to talk down to me. And baby talk is out of the question. I will never forget the doctor (about 15 years my junior) who explained to me that while I (age 50) was catheterized for surgery, I would "go pee pee" into a bag. I am not a child, and I will thank you to treat me as an adult. If you want me to call you "Doctor Smith", please address me as "Ms. McMillan" (or, if you are of a southern persuasion, "Miss Jean"). By now you may be thinking, "I don't have time for any more of this nit-picking," or, as a nurse practitioner once said to me, "I don't have any more time for you today. I have sick people to see." But before you run off, I also want to say this: Thank you for all that you do, for your arduous studies, hard work, and long hours; for the risks you take, your research, your continuing education; for being willing to treat a complicated and chronic disease like obesity with an expensive medical gadget that's being refined and improved even as I write this, even as you walk through the operating room doors to perform weight loss surgery on another patient. Keep up the good work, partner. None of us would get very far on the bariatric bandwagon without you!

MY FRIEND GOT SLEEVED AND ONE LIL MIX DRINK AND SHE WAS ON A GOOD ONE . BUT I WOULD WAIT A WHILE AFTER YOUR DONE RECOVERING .AND REM ITS EASY TO GET ALCOHOL POISON NOW SO DONT OVER DRINK

I dont know about this... I know alcohol is supposed to hit you harder but this i'm not sure

I second what f14aman324 said...be careful if you do drink. I am not a drinker anyway but with dinner every now and then when we go out I will have a cocktail...talk about knock me on my $^(@#(@. Holy cow. Pre-band, I could drink several mixed drinks and be ok. I drank one...thats right one and was buzzing horribly. You forget that you don't eat as much and alcohol really does affect you differently, at least in my experience....talk about a cheap date! Hehehe

Maybe I'm kidding myself, but I dont think so. I just dont really have "issues". Oh, I tend to eat inappropriately, boredom being a main factor and I love those sweet carbs. But what person DOESNT have some bad eating habits? I truly believe I was fat because I simply cannot eat as much as the next person without gaining weight. I *only* moderately obese at a BMI of 35 as I simply never did the sort of eating that would take me further. I ate basically healthy foods, with too many extras, simply because it was an enjoyable thing to do when I went out, when I went to the shops, when I was with friends. What I ate made me fat, but it didnt make many of my friends fat. The higher alcohol intake you tend to have when you're young and and at uni and first working made me fat, it didnt make others fat. I gained appropriate weight in pregnancy and lost it so i cant blame that, but after the babies were born and I spent long hours at home, I ate more Snacks and did less exercise, so I gained a bit. I also believe that breastfeeding (which I did for six years in total) caused me to gain a fair bit, it never worked as a weight loss tool for me. That's all there is to it, I simply needed to eat less. I really havent had to change a long with the band, I just eat less than I did but basically in the same way. I had no trouble adjusting to that. I have managed to break a few bad habits and increase my exercise. I'm very lucky really. There simply has been nothing to really deal with. I have a childhood, adolescence and early adulthood as being "heavy" but not obese, and I tended to diet a lot to try to get skinnier, and I think that was detrimental as well but I dont really have self esteem issues, bad memories of my youth, traumatic experiences related to my weight other than just not feeling attractive.