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I didn't go to any weddings until recently, but I went to many a dinner party and get-togethers at peoples homes and restaurants/bars. In the beginning I brought protein powders along with me in a mix cup and just added water at my destination. When I got to solid foods, I'd check out the menu before I went to a restaurant for stuff I could eat and if there was nothing I cared for, I'd just eat before hand and drink water when I got there. If it was at someone's house, I would make/bring a pot-luck style entree and/or appetizer that I could eat. Also, I always have beef jerky in my purse wherever I go. But back to weddings, since you mentioned it specifically: it may prove difficult to eat a full-on contraband meal at the table...so maybe eat beforehand and bring some small snacks in your clutch to munch on between dances just in case ...or if the invite allows it, mention that you have special dietary restrictions, and the caterer may be able to fix a special plate for you. EDIT: remember, this is not forever, it is just just for now while you are in weight-loss mode and taking full advantage of the rapid-weight loss stage

If I may, another resource is http://shrinkyourself.com whether you opt for the free or pay version. It's about emotional eating, not bariatrics or any particular method of weight loss.

Abby - Northern California Kaisers are in their infancy in regards to the lap band. I know, I went through the SSF Kaiser program and was banded 12/12/07. They've been at is a little over a year. This is why most of their recommendations and information is spill over from gastric bypass stuff. You need to do your own research so that you can peel the GB stuff away and find out what you need to do. Lap band patients aren't effected by alcohol like GB patients are. Alcohol no matter what form it is consumed in is still empty calories and if used more than occassionally will prevent your weight loss from being good if at all. But one of the nice things is you can plan a nice cool one into your day and enjoy it. I think that the reason your boyfriend might not be on board is because he may be afraid that you won't like/love him when you loose weight. As obese people we tend to have low self-esteme. He might also be afraid that you will try to pressure him into getting the surgery. You have to decide to do this because it's what you want to do and not because someone else approves or disapproves. If your relationship is good, it will survive. If it's not good, this might be the excuse he needs to leave or for you to leave him. Only you can answer that one. My DH was afraid for me because it was surgery and he didn't know how WLS worked. He went with me to my appointments and a seminar and learned what there was to know. He still sweated the surgery but he is so happy I'm finally loosing the weight and active again. He's been so supportive. Sit down and write out why you want to loose weight. Put on the list how it will affect your kids lives as well. Then do a list of why you shouldn't have the surgery. Then compare them. I'm so sorry about your friend. I am so happy that the lapband was an option for me because I think GB should be put in the category of only to be done if nothing else can help. It scares me. PM me if you want. I know how frustrating Kaiser's programs can be from first hand experience. They are so slow because they are so overwhelmed with the number of people wanting WLS. There are only 3 Kaisers in No. Cal doing the surgeries. I think there is less in So. Cal. Until they get more hospitals on board they will be buried. Good luck and whatever you do, do it for you.

Hi, I was just sleeved Dec. 20, 2014 and I'm afraid of gaining the weight back and I keep telling myself it won't be possible because I eat so little... How does one gain the weight back? Are we able to eat more later'? Thank you!

I was quite surprised to find out my thyroid level is very low.I have been on medication for about 15 years.I've been having alot of trouble for the past 8 mts getting the proper level.It's no wonder i find it difficult to lose weight!I was feeling like a failure. Now with a bump up of thyroid med (i take the new strenght for 2 mts before another blood test,that's why it takes soooo long) and a new fill tomorrow, maybe i can start losing like all you guys! Chantal

Hey sisterfunkhaus, I was on a liquid pre-op diet for 7 days and lost 8 pounds. I lost an additional 7 pounds during the post-op diet and, although I know people are right when they say there's a lot of water weight loss which may come back when you start eating food again, it hasn't happened that way for me. I've been steadily losing in small increments since I began 'real' food again! So, definitely be happy about the liquid diet weight loss, your surgeon will be happy about it too - and there's no reason not to hope for that weight loss to be sustained post op! Here's to hoping! Cheers! Good luck with your surgery and on your weight loss journey!

I had something as you described done in June. I have lost 81 pounds. I had a stomach stapling in 1980....I only lost 11 pounds. The staple line came lose and therefore I had two stomachs. The doctor said that was why I was unable to lose weight all of these years. The Dr told me he recommended a combination (some call it a modified DS). Because of my stomach problems they were unable to form a sleeve and just made a small pouch. I haven't had any problems except when I eat too fast or don't chew good enough. You will need lots of Protein and be on Vitamins for the rest of your life. So far my labs have been good......just my thyroid is like it is on a roller coaster....still trying to level it out. I feel I am a slow loser compared to others on this board.....but I am older and probably don't do as much exercising. Losing slow is ok.....they say you are more often to keep it off. I have gone down three...almost four sizes.

I only ever had two criteria for getting a fills and I only got a fill if both were met. 1. I found it easy to eat too much and too fast. 2. I felt hungry too soon for comfort and self-control. Weight loss is not a criterion for me because we can have perfect restriction and not lose weight if we eat the wrong foods and, conversely, we can lose weight without restriction if we don't eat the wrong foods!

This is my first post here so I'm a total newbie! I wondered if anyone with Aetna can tell me their experience with getting Aetna to approve their surgery with just a 40 BMI, no co-morbidities, & not having a history of a persistent severe obesity? I currently have a BMI of 38 and haven't been to a consultation yet. I spoke with the nurse at the office I'm wanting surgery & she hinted that it might be worth it for me to gain 15lbs so that Aetna will cover the surgery & I don't have to self pay. I wouldn't have a medical history of being at a 40 BMI at all. Most of my history would have me at 35-38. Do you think that would work & be worth gaining the weight? Does the insurance just go through if you are at the 40 mark? I couldn't get many answers from Aetna when I called other than to reference their policy #0157 bulletin. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

My port is just above the waist left hand side, and when i lydown is noticeble, when turn it seems to have a large lump up. Had lap banding sep 2006, my surgeon says is normal as lose more weight. Has anyone had this problem will it go away to speek with less or more fill, embaresed if get a new partner. Help:wub:

Last time I tried to ride a bike was unpleasant. I felt re-donkulous, little bike, big person. My husband had bought a "big girl seat" for me which made things slightly less uncomfortable. However, I noticed the bike tires looked flat. I got off to check and they were not flat, just flattened by my weight. Good times... I hope that I will once again be able to ride bikes with my kiddos after surgery (fast approaching). Anyhow, congratulations, guess this is an nsv, yes?

Hello folks It's been 7 years this July since I got my band. I was losing weight (368 at surgery) really well until I got near my adult low which is 225. At that point I hit a mental block and stayed between 239-226 until now. Currently I am at 233 but I've had a breakthrough recently and I believe that I'm ready to lose the weight now. Part of my issue is that I've been at least obese since I was 5 years old. So much of my identity was that of the Fat Girl. I was always the heaviest one in the room. At my highest weight I was over 400 lbs. How much over 400 I can't tell you, that was as high as the scale went. It took quite some time before I was able to use the scale. Until recently I didn't become aware that I was no longer always the largest person in the room. I can't begin to explain how that messed with my head. With circumstances as they are now, it is doubtful that I will ever be able to have plastics done. Knowing this was another hurdle I had to get past. Finally I realized it was a matter of deciding if I'd rather look in the mirror and see the loose skin or if I'd rather see the slightly less loose skin and the progress I still want to make. I need to learn to love my body either way, so I might as well keep moving forward. And just because the universe has a sense of humor, two years ago I survived a stroke. Thanks to early intervention, I managed to avoid any lasting physical injury and remain completely mobile. I do have cognitive issues relating to speech and memory. One fun issue I have now is remembering to eat. After years of being obsessed with planning my next meal or snack, now I actually have to track my food to make sure I've actually put some fuel in the tank. Has anyone else had a mental block they had to get through before you were able to get to your goal? I'm thankful that for all these years I've been able to maintain. I guess I'd like to hear that I can make it from someone besides me (and my super supportive hubby who is always in my corner) Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was wondering how much weight you lost when you started to add walking /running. I am going to start doing cardio and just need some encouragement that people have seen great results when they added exercise.

I'm 24 and ready for surgery in January. No set date yet and haven't started the 2 week liquid/protein diet yet but I'm mentally preparing myself for these big changes! If anyone can give me advice on how to keep my hunger down before and after surgery that'd be awesome! Idk what all the letters mean but at my heaviest I was 355 I am currently 322 and a healthy goal weight overall is for me to weigh 180! I want to be really toned not just slim. I've always been really active and have lost weight earlier this year doing Crossfit, even earned the nickname Cross-Whit But now when I just go walking my knees start to hurt and I'm just ready to lose weight and get rid of the weight for good. I'm mostly just typing my thoughts to connect to others and find out what's helping others lose the most weight the fastest! Haha Also it'd be nice to have support from others that have already experienced the surgery. I have always wanted to be smaller and healthier and have always tried to lose weight but living in Louisiana it's hard to stay away from all the good eating! Hahahah Most recent full body pic! December 2016 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm following this thread to get the same info. I'm 27 and at 350 right now. I'm scheduled for January 18th, which means that I would start my liquid diet on January 4th. However, I work during the week so I think that I may actually start the liquid diet on New Years Eve. I've heard that the first 4 days are rough, so I want to start over a period where I have a 4 day weekend off from work, so that if I'm exhausted/cranky I can just be at home and go to bed. That way, when the 4th rolls around, I am passed the more difficult part. Plus, I would like to lose some extra weight prior to surgery! Let me know if you want to be accountability buddies, since we have a similar surgery date and starting weight! Also, I love that top in your picture. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

How many of us have been "on a diet" for most of our lives? Too many, in my opinion. Not just because it's bad for our health or because diets don't work. It's bad for our mental health too. It leads to something I call "Dieter's Mentality." If you have Dieter's Mentality, you need to cut it out because it's going to sabotage your success. This is true whether or not you have had Weight Loss Surgery, are on your pre-op diet or are doing it the traditional way through diet and exercise. Diet Mentality is evil and it puts you in a bad place! What is Diet Mentality? It has four major components: 1) Putting food into Good and Bad buckets First of all, food is not Bad or Good -- it's just food. Some food is a better choice than others, but even then it's really just all food. If you are getting in enough of the essential nutrients and you account for your calories each day, you are doing good no matter if you have a bite of dessert once in a while or not. All food is bad food if you eat too much of it or only eat one kind. It's just as unhealthy to eat nothing but Protein as it is to eat nothing but birthday cake. A healthy diet is balanced and can even include a certain amount of junk food as long as it's a small amount and it doesn't trigger you into bad behavior. 2) Judging your worth by what you eat Making bad food choices does not make you a bad person. Your self-worth shouldn't be tied up in what you eat. Good people make bad choices all the time. Instead of beating yourself up when you make a bad choice, hating yourself, seeing yourself as a failure and otherwise engaging in destructive behavior, just figure out how to make a better choice next time. It's not easy to be dispassionate about your own behavior, but telling yourself that you made a bad choice and next time you'll make a better one is a good start and much healthier than telling yourself you are a bad person and you'll never lose the weight and you hate yourself. 3) Judging your worth by how much you weigh/how much you've lost this week The scale is just part of the picture. If you get too tied up in the scale, you get a distorted view of the world. Weeks where you lose are good weeks even if someone close to you died. Weeks where you don't lose are bad weeks even if you got a big promotion at work and did everything "right" in terms of diet and exercise. One of the dangers of measuring everything by your weight on the scale is that you can convince yourself that making bad choices is okay because sometimes you can make bad choices and still lose/maintain. You can also convince yourself that making good choices is pointless because some weeks you make all good choices and the scale doesn't move. But clearly making more bad choices than good will lead to weight gain in the long run. Anything thinking that leads you to conclude otherwise is destructive thinking. 4) Waiting until you are thin(ner) to start living Stop waiting until you get to goal to start living or loving yourself. Love yourself now. Live your life now. It's easy to fall into "when I lose 25 pounds, I will start..." type of thinking. It's a fine line between thinking about how you will reward yourself when you meet certain goals and putting your life on hold until you meet certain goals. Many of us have had the experience of thinking we were so fat back when we were in HS or college or a young adult and not being happy. But then we got even fatter and we look at those pictures from back then and we realize that we were actually pretty hot. In fact, we'd give anything to be "that fat" right now. Why not love yourself now while you're living your life instead of waiting until 10 years later to tell yourself how good you had it back then? What happens when we stop "dieting"? One of the best things I ever did for myself was to decide I was never going to diet again. It really allowed me to examine my relationship with food and to start listening to my body and figuring out why I eat what I eat. That would never have happened when I was caught up in "Dieter's Mentality". One of the things I found is that my approach to food was that of a child. I wanted people to make me or bring me food because I associate being fed with being loved. So I got myself to a point where all my meals were either quick things that require no cooking or can be zapped in a microwave or are made by my husband -- who does all the cooking -- or were purchased. In other words, other people had complete control over what kind of food I ate and how it was prepared! I never saw anything wrong with this until I decided to grow up about food. I realized that by approaching food this way, I was giving up tons of control over what I ate. Someone else buys the groceries so it's not my fault that there aren't healthy Snacks in the house. It's not my fault that I had that ice cream cone -- there was nothing else to eat and I was HUNGRY. Once I saw this pattern, I vowed to change it and start being an adult about food. I now plan out what I'm going to eat before I go to work. If I'm going to work late, I bring extra food so I'm not eating out of the vending machine. I don't eat lunch at the Cafeteria every day so my food choices aren't limited to what they want to make for me. I have healthy snacks in my drawers at work so if I do end up working late without having planned ahead, I'm eating a Protein Bar instead of a Snickers bar. This change in attitude and behavior has made a big difference. Which is not to say I haven't got much farther to go ... I still don't cook and I still eat way too much prepared food (because I don't cook). But I'm much better than I used to be and it's great to feel like a grown up! You may relate to what I said about having a child's approach to food or you may not. Not everyone gets fat the same way or has the same issues to work through. But one thing I can guarantee is that once you throw off the shackles of Dieter's Mentality, you will have the brain cycles available to see your relationship with food more clearly. You will be on the road to having a healthy relationship with food.

Has anyone been successful in gaining coverage for lap band with a written exclusion for it in their policy? I have Coventry of KS - and have been denied. I decided to self pay (4 days until banding:)). Any advice on filing anyway, just in case they start covering it in the future? Thanks for your insight!

Hi B-52 I was so happy with your story. I was banded in March lost 52 lbs in the 6 month pre opt program only lost 14 lbs sense surgery having a hard time maintain ing what I have lost. I go in for my 3rd fill next week 4 months post op. I was getting really discouraged because I feel like I have no restrictions. I have 5 cc in 10 cc band. I have 43 lbs to go to get to goal weight. Sent from my ALCATEL A564C using the BariatricPal App

If you are fat, you want to be skinny, Skinnies want to gain a few pounds. Have curly hair, want straight hair, have straight hair, want curly hair. Have small boobs, want big boobs, Have big boobs, want small boobs. Tall people want to be short, Short people want to be tall.... Is it just me or is it that we are never happy????

I feel pretty good about not having 1 this yr..its seems like I'm getting my weight issues under control..

Not sure what ticker you are looking for then. Your ticker now shows weight to go.

i found a third story different scenario. Thanks for all the replys! I have had problems with the band from the beginning! 2 days after the Surgery I was admitted back into the hospital! I could not even keep my own saliva down. After a week in the hospital I had lost 25 pounds and of course I could not even have a drink of water! All I had was an IV. When they took a picture of the band it was not quite placed where it is normally on most patients but they felt that it could work! For the first 2 months I was on mostly liquids and soft foods. All together I have lost 45 pounds! I have never been able to keep down chicken no matter how many chews I chew. I have vomited almost everyday since I went to solid foods, 3 months after surgery. I don't think I have lost alot of weight because I will eat ice cream many times after I vomit to soothe my throat. At first I thought it was me, maybe I was eating too much or not chewing enough. Then my best friend had the band done it April and she is DOING GREAT!! We can sit down and she will eat more than me, same kind of food, and her band is tighten and mind is completely empty and I will still vomit. So I realized that the band is just not working for me! This had caused me to have bloody ulcers and I am on a double dose of previcid. The Drs have decided that my band needs to come out. I was hoping they just revise it but the Dr says there is no guarantee he could do that! Thats why I have decided on the RNY. I refuse to go back to my old weight. For all you bandsters to be: my Dr says that my case does not happen very often! Like I said before, my bestfriend is doing great and she hasnt vomited once! Best of luck to everyone!!!!!!

For me, the band is a "Magic" way to loose weight....but getting there was pure hell...sounds like that is where you are right now...trying to find that "Right" combination of band adjustments, choice of foods, and applying a few simple rules to until everything starts to fall into place....it can be frustrating, and from what I read, some people either give up (choosing to believe it does not work) or staying within "Their" comfort zones....(I don't want to say good-bye to some things) Hang in there....IT DOES WORK! BTW, the less weight you have to loose, the closer you get to your goal, the tougher it is.....and vice versa. Least that's my viewpoint...

I read many posts here from day to day...and every so often I feel I need to get my story out there...if anything, a declaration for my own edification... Before this WLS, I literally had one foot in the grave, there were so many medical issues and my prognosis was very bad...I'll not get ino it now, but I have in the past...in the 3-5 years prior, I had to bury my Sister, and my Brother...both who died too young from complications from being Obese...and I was walking right in their footsteps... My PCP seriously talked to me, more as a friend, to be sure I had some funeral plans in the way of expenses, and also asked me if my family would be Ok and taken care of.... ANY type of WLS, (in my case it was Lap band), was a LAST RESORT....DO OR DIE (maybe that explains my aggressiveness...no fooling around, dam the torpedoes) That was 3 years ago, I am now 100% successful with my body determining what my weight should be....very low body fat %, in the "Athletic" range...I simply have no more excess weight of fat to loose...any more would be unhealthy...a true starvation mode not unlike the psuedo one everyone talks about. ALL my medical conditions have completely reversed, (other than the permanent damage to my heart muscle from a heart attack), no more Med's, all bloodwork #'s perfect right down the middle.... I am a Poster Child at my Bariatric center, often asked to talk at support and first time introduction meetings...(I'm careful to explain ALL people are different and choose their different weight loss paths) I'm 61 soon to be 62, run 5 miles a day...go to the gym 5 days a week...I feel like I am 30 years younger... I have NEVER had a single complication....I DO NOT consider this a "TOOL"...I consider this corrective surgery...I cannot over eat no matter how hard I may try...I am never hungry 24 hrs a day with no cravings and actually, have very little interest in food altogether....It's a mental thing for me because of the placement of the band.... A "TOOL" is something I can control...I cannot control this, it has complete control of me....If I was in control, and can "Use" this as a tool, I would surely screw it up and fail.... I DO NOT count calories, measure portions, keep logs, etc...in other words, I have been set free from DIETS!! I now live a Normal LIfestyle, I eat, work and play the way a person is supposed to do, not the abnormal gluttonous lifestyle I once used to live that made me sick and fat... But now, I find this the easiest thing there is..absolutely No work or struggle.... of course, during the first post-op phase, which took me 4-6 months of adjusting, was pure hell and frustrating to say the least...but I did not back down, and fought through it...it was that important to me......it has now become day to day, a way of life I do not think about that much anymore...as if I had my gall Bladder taken out 3 years ago... Of course there are things I need to know and certain rules I must follow...but they are new habits...no longer a list....I don't have to think about what foods I can or cannot eat...I just know...I don't have to remind myself how to chew and take my time...I just know..and if I should forget, the band is there to immediately warn and remind me... IF I should ever encounter any complications, I will deal with them when and if they come.....better than being dead! One thing I have noticed to be a truth...the lap band is adjustable, and it seems all people have different levels as to where they want to be with this...for me, nothing less than maximum "Green Zone" life will do...and my Dr. understands....IMO that does not mean one person is right or wrong...as long as you're successful in your path, that's all that matters....I HATE IT when someone says the way they are doing it is the ONLY WAY, then goes and instructs people just starting out...doing more harm than good...no matter there are so many confused people....all anyone should ever do is give their own personal experience in any given situation...if they have none, then keep quiet and let someone who has experience speak...I love it when someone who has been banded for 6 weeks is going to tell me how I should be doing things... Anyway, It's 5am, I'm off to the gym soon when they open at 6 on Saturdays. ALL THIS because I chose to have the Lap Band Surgery....it could have been one of the other procedures, I don't know...this is he only one I have any experience with....so this is the only procedure I can talk about....