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Here is a response I posted today in the forum regarding a fellow bandsters question about emotional changes encountered after banding. I think what I wrote makes a lot of sense and I'm really proud of this post. Plus, it just kinda came out. I didn't even know what I was writing as I was typing it. I got done and got a little teary-eyed over it. I think I've finally had my revelation and I put it into words for the world to see. Enjoy... ********************************************************** Of course that makes sense! For many of us, we are overweight because food is an addiction. Much like a heroine addict or someone addicted to cigarettes. It's in the same class of addictions. One is not better than another...they are all the same in that they all engross a person physically AND emotionally. We become addicts for mental reasons, not physical ones. I've been rather emotional since getting my band. I am entering an epiphany of sorts, where I can clearly see now where I went wrong in the past. I immediately turned to food (I always denied that I was an emotionally addicted eater). The reason I can see it so clearly now is that the first thing I do when I'm upset or confused or angry...is walk to the kitchen and begin pacing because there isn't much I can have anymore. Before, I would walk in there and build a huge pile of nachos, toss them in the oven and then soak my sorrows in glory as I ate the whole thing. Now that I'm medically and physically unable to do those things, I find myself almost lost...but please note that I said almost. I'm only 2 weeks post-op and this is by far the greatest and most severe life-changing event I've ever gone through. Even more so than having my children! That's saying a lot. That proves to me and shows me that having this surgery was THE RIGHT decision for me. Otherwise, I would have eaten myself into an early grave. Now I must find other things to turn to during moments of my emotional roller coaster. This is a long road for so many reasons. I have to change my whole way of thinking. I have to now learn to love myself more than food. I have to figure out another way to channel my emotional energy when the going gets tough. I can do it. I'd be so proud if I could one day call myself an exercise addict! It's true. Find a counselor or therapist to help you get through it. I don't have one right now, because I really feel like I have a handle on things. I even stopped taking my antidepressants before my surgery. I wanted to feel every emotional moment of this journey and maybe there are days when I really should be taking my Zoloft still...but I'm glad I decided to drop them the way that I did. Not everybody is the same and not everybody is as nuts as I am to be able to say that they are GLAD they are riding this emotional roller coaster. I really am happy about it. It means things are on the move...things are changing...I'm changing inside and outside...even when the scale doesn't say so, it's okay, because I know better. Best of luck...you are not alone. **************************************************************** Of course I also must track my food for today: BREAKFAST: 1 cup Weight Control banana bread oatmeal (made w/ water) = (320 calories, 14 g. protein) SNACK:

WEEK FROM HELL Hubby started new job Monday (YAY), he came home early from work Tuesday cuz he was barfing. I start barfing Tuesday night. HOLY HELL it HURT. My old stomache came up thru my new stomache and damn, did it hurt. The last thing I ate was Tueday around 7pm... yacking around 11pm. I was up all night sitting on the toilet, barfing in to a bucket (sorry for the visual). I didnt go to work Wed (neither did hubby). Back to work (for me) on thursday only to find out late in the afternoon that the hot water heater let go and we need a new one. Hubby HAD to go back to work on Friday, so I stayed home to wait for someone to come replace it. What really brings me here is the fact that I'm NOT losing weight. My last fill was good... til wednesday of that week. I got it on a sat and could eat without restriction on wed??? Thats not right is it? I had an appointment with the doctor on wed but was still way too sick to go and I havent called to reschedule yet (been a bit busy). Hubby saw his sister and came home and told me that something was wrong with me (duh). I dont know how much she has lost but she is in a size 12. I'd KILL for that. I'm not really jealous, just more concerned about whats going on with me. Granted, my fat ass hasnt exactly gotten on a treadmill but I am eating very well and 1/4 of what I used to consume. I went to my pcp for a physical and all my blood work was good. IDK. I just want something to work out for me here. I am soooo tired of constant disappointments in my life. SIGH

I'm so depressed!! I chose to have sleeve vs rouine-y at last minute and REGRET it!! I havn't lost weight in 2 1/2 mnths! I had my surgery May 23,2012 and I feel like I should go back and have the rouine-y now...does anyone know if this is possible? I exercise daily, eat right and still No more weight loss!! I didnt go thru this to still be 245# after 6 mnths. Any suggestions??

You have done a great job. I really appreciate you that you performed it. Can i ask, What kind of exercise and diet plan you follow to achieve your goal. It will be really appreciable and helpful to others who want to loss his weight.

Im a 26 year old that has stuggled with weight my entire life before getting married and a class 2 ac joint seperation pretty ruff sports injury i was on my way down in weight to 240 from 300 in 12 weeks time then the injurys and 3 kids later the sames things dont work .im scheduled to see my doctor on dec 27,2011 to set up my lap band surgery . im currently around 370 pounds . how fast is weight loss expected after the prcedure . and are contact sports out of the question.

Misty, I haven't been banded yet (2 weeks to go) but I do have PCOS. If you feel you have PCOS, you should try to get it diagnosed! I was diagnosed 15 years ago but was never treated. One of the complications of PCOS is insulin resistance. THis means you make enough insulin but your cells are resistant to it. This is ONE of the reasons we have difficulty loosing weight. About a year and a half ago, I was treated for my insulin resistance (I was given metformin twice a day) I lost about 25 lbs very quickly without changing my diet or increasing exercise. I've been stuck at my current weight for over a year now and decided to get a band to help me out. I'll let you know how I do! Marsha

Misty, I was not diagnosed with PCOS but Insulin Resistance...one of the lucky few who has regular periods... I've been banded a little over 3 months and am down 41 lbs...this has been the easiest thing I've ever done to lose weight...I just don't have the appetite, especially for carbs as I did before I was banded. To get diagnosed with PCOS or IR, most likely your physician will take a fasting insulin...if you exhibit any other of the signs, weight gain (which we all have) skin tags, excessive hair growth, acne, messed up cycles, etc, you most likely have it if your results come back with impaired fasting glucose. I was being treated with Glucophage XR (brand name of metformin) and that was working well for me...lost a few lbs in the three months I was on it but felt 100% better...I was having dizzy, sweaty, nauseaous episodes everytime I ate something... Just so you know PCOS goes hand in hand with obesity...it's the chicken and the egg syndrome...your more prone to PCOS or IR if you are obese and vice versa PCOS and IR could make you overweight...generally losing a small amount of weight can help resolve many if not all the symptoms of PCOS and IR. If you have more questions on PCOS or IR I highly recommend the website www.soulcysters.com. There is tons of information and extremely helpful people on this website for those of use who deal with PCOS and IR. I would also highly recommend you contact your physician to run some basic labs on you to determine if you have PCOS. Good Luck!

2 more weigh-ins left and sleep study tomorrow! Ahh getting close.. Random FYI: this month i actually lost some weight vs gaining. So scared ins will deny me. Maybe if i can lose a few lbs and be less than the initial weight it wont matter if i gained in between? I had gained weight (3lbs total over 3 months) due to a depo shot, but lost some weight since i stopped getting the injections.

I’m a previous lap-band patient gone haywire, thus causing it to be removed several years ago so I’m larger now than when I had it placed. I’m going to have surgery. Researching options and costs right now. How many of you would recommend the mini bypass? If so, why and is there a difference in percentage of weight lost and cost? I know that it has less chance of surgical complications. Thanks in advance.

I'm bummed that after a Year out I can now eat anything. Although it's smaller portions, I am losing control of the healthy life style. Argg. I was down from 220 pre sleeve to 147 today. But I was 143 and now I'm gaining. I try to stay under 1200 calories. Should I go back to my books and do the post sleeve surgery diet?

My heating pad has been my best friend! In fact I just put it in a drawer tonight and I'm 25 days post-op. HW 312, pre-op (lap-band) 294, pre-op (RNY) 255, surgery date 2/11/13, goal weight 154, current weight 231.4

Congratulations on choosing yourself and your healthy future -- weight loss surgery is all about that. Only you can decide what's best for you with the help of your medical professionals. The band has worked beautifully for me and I'm very happy with it but we are all different. I didn't want something too drastic surgically. I'm some one who ate a very healthy diet before, just way too much. It's been great to have my appetite dimmed so I can make good choices. It helped me to see a therapist to help sort out pre-surgery options and the process as well as to identify my triggers and address food issues. I was a restricter and a professional dieter. Very happy to not be on a diet now! I eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not hungry. The links below in my signature may be helpful.

Look, I thought I was too old 2 have this done & I have been loosing weight on their diet. So everyone wants to know why I can't do it myself. I'm having the sleeve on June 24th & I turn 70 on July 1st. I have been going for test & classes for 1 & 1/2 yrs. but I know that it'll be worth it. Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

You can google BMI calculator to figure it out for yourself, but based on the weights I've looked at for my BMI at 5'3" I would say you're probably around 36 or 37. Do you qualify? No one can tell you except your insurance company. Your card should have a number on it that you can call to verify benefits. Call the number and ask them what their requirements are. They can give you specifics about BMI and co-morbidity requirements. Even someone with the same insurance can't tell you for certain since your employer may choose to exclude some benefits (like weight loss surgery) in exchange for cheaper policies.

Neither did I until this morning. I was tired of reading the same old thing in the Lapband forum and decided to see what was happening in the general weight loss forum and to my surprise, we have VIP up in here up in here. LOL

Hi Im Bob. Im not required to do a liquid diet but am doing one anyway. I started yesterday(Sat) and my surgery is scheduled for Wed. the 10th. Im hoping 5 days is enough to help "shrink liver". Anyway I went to Walmart and bought a couple cases of protien weight loss shakes called "Equate", I believe theyre walmart brand and they taste very good, I bought chocolate and strawberrys & cream. Ive only tasted choc. so far, they also had fr. vanilla. It has 230 cals., 10 gr. prot., 2gr fat per 11oz can. The 2nd best part is it was only $5.00 a pack(a few cents/I believe 8 cans). Im very impressed with the taste. The label says"compare to slimfast", so its very similar.

Ok...I'm so worried I won't lose no more weight but I guess its just me feeling guilty for eating too much. My father n law is on life support and we drove to see him and everyone was so upset and I just been hungry every since. I think its all in my mind:(

while every insurance policy is differnt, weight loss surgery and true complications are mutually exclusive. if you have wls and you are indeed dehydrated and go to the ER or are admitted that is a true "emergency" and the diagnosis of dehydration is made and you are give IV fluids and that really should have no bearing on them paying for that er visit. Mila

Do you have any op shops? They are a great place to get cheap clothing whilst you are still losing weight.

Hi, I am new to lapband talk. My name is Brittney. I am an overweight young adult who is in the process of getting approved for lap band surgery. Even if I'm not approved through insurance I will still have the surgery. It is not an option. Both my maternal and paternal family genes are obese and the health problems go on for a mile. For me I am hoping this will be life changing in helping me reach my goal weight and maintain a healthy weight for the rest of my life.

You are probably only eating liquids right now, and on that stage calories are low and yes, you can lose it fast. Be prepared, it definately slows. I'm on pureed foods right now and I have noticed my weight loss slowing. I'm still losing, just at a slower rate cuz I'm getting more calories, fat and carbs.

Yes, entirely normal when you're afraid of what might happen if you eat! I've only dim memories of the post surgical phase, it was over five years ago now, but I've recently had a bowel obstruction and that was pretty darn painful. I was 3 days of nil by mouth in the hosptial, then onto post procedural fluids. It took me 2 weeks to get up the courage to move off mushies, and only at the urging of my surgeon and oncologist who were threatening sustagen (urgh) because I'd dropped to 58 kgs which is well and truly in the underweight territory for me. I was really scared of a recurrence and felt quite sure I could live on mushies indefinitely, lol. But naturally everything was absolutely fine. Post lapband - you might find your weight does strange things as you move through phases. I mean you've done pre op - and probably had significant weight loss - then pre surgical fasting, then a while with no food and then liquids, move onto mushies or solids and your weightloss will most probably stop, that's if you dont actually gain a couple of pounds. Be logical - you CANT gain 3 lb of fat overnight, its physiologically impossible, you know its got to be Water weight. Dont let it get you down, try not to weigh yourself daily, stick with the progam and you will succeed at this, but know that weight doesnt drop steadily, logically or predictably week by week and prepare for that fact

I underestimated what we can do with this 'tool'. You've had approx. 85% of your tummy removed, permanently. It's not sectioned off, it's not a 'pouch'. It's GONE. The sky is the limit if you work it. At the seminar we were told, this is not a diet, it's a way of life. That's fine and dandy, but until I reached goal, I treated it as the most important, serious diet of my life!!! I wasn't hungry, so it was easy really. I am 31 months out and I still, most of the time when I'm home, will weigh or measure my food. Until I reached goal, I rarely ate any bread, none at home and only a nibble if we were out. I ordered dinner out, without added butter (they brush butter on almost everything) I never had a bite of anything fried, NOTHING sweet at all. I started getting all my Protein in within 2 months and I kept up the protein. I was fanatical about sleeve surgery and being successful. I had two goals, one, to lose weight, two, NOT to lose my hair. Mission accomplished. If you approach this like I did, or similar, then you can lose to a healthy BMI, I'm sure of it!!! Good luck!!!!

I have lost 105 lbs in 4 1/2 months. Which is an awesome feeling ! my question is starting off at 400 lbs. how much can I expect to lose. Is it likes certain amount that the sleeve allow you to lose or percentage ?? Just wondering ?? my mom said she thought the doctor said I Would only lose 150 then I would have to have another surgery if I wanted to lose more. I mean what else can I do but cut the other stomach out.

I have hypothyroidism and was diagnosed when I was 8 years old -- I've had it for 32 years now. I'm currently taking 200mcg of Synthroid. I am 3 weeks, 2 days post op and have had a good loss (30 lbs.) so far. I'm worried that the weight might end up coming off at a really slow rate, but we will see.