Your bitching and moaning is not only hurting you, you're hurting others

[btrieger 21]

I do understand that this forum is a great place to vent. Especially with those that are in the same boat and as everyone know; misery loves company.

This is a lifestyle change and changing your attitude is a very important part of the over all lifestyle change.

Negative attitudes are like a cancer and spread quickly as do positive attitudes.

Instead of posting about how hungry you are during the pre-op and/or post-op diet:

• take that time to ask yourself if you are really hungry
  
• remind yourself that it is only for a short time
  
• find something to do to take your mind off of the hunger
  
• reassure yourself that it will all be worth it in the long run
  
• smile!
  

I am a bit on the opinionated side but I don't think Bandster Hell exists outside of your own head.

• Talk to your surgeon if you aren't satisfied on the prescribed diet.
  
• If you are gaining weight; keep track of what you are eating and drinking. If you don't see the cause, bring this log to a nutritionist.
  
• If you are plateauing less than 2 weeks, shut up!
  
• If the plateau lasts longer than a few weeks, once again, log your intake and bring it to a nutritionist if you don't see the cause.
  

More importantly, post your positive feelings as well!

Yes, I do recognize the irony in my posting negatively to tell people to be positive. Oh well.

[waynooo 1]

Great post! I tend to not even go in the threads with negative topics. Keeps me on the positive side.

[Tsaleen 1]

OMG I AM SO HUNGRY!!!!

:cursing::tongue2::cursing::cursing::cursing::tt2::cursing::tt2::cursing::thumbdown::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing:

[howdybooth 4]

Love your post!!! I love my band and I'm very happy with my results after 11 months - down 75 pounds! I've lost because of Portion Control, the type of food I put in my mouth, and exercise! Gee - just like my surgeon told me! :thumbdown:)

[YouGotBiggie 0]

This is a great post.

I was talking with a friend last night and was telling him about how much less I was eating now. I told him that I thought about eating all the time but most of it was in my head. I thought I was hungry but now I know that I really am not hungry.

The change that I have made in my life is not letting myself be ruled by food but to let myself eat to survive instead of survive to eat.

[Dave_NW 92]

Thanks very much for this post! You've said what I've been thinking. (And it's not just this forum. It's exactly the same over at VerticalSleeveTalk.com as well!)

As someone who is still researching whether to have band surgery, when I read ALL these posts about this or that band or eating problem, and complaint after complaint thread about people who claim they're starving and how miserable so many people are, I keep asking myself what the hell am I setting myself up for? I thought this band was a tool to help me lose weight, not a magic bullet that will make me perfect overnight. Don't people understand that, or do they forget?

Sure, I'd love to be tall and younger and have my balding head covered with the great hair I used to have, too, but for crying out loud - life goes on!

I'm actually anxious to have surgery, just so I can either:

A: Prove these naysayers wrong, or

B: Finally understand what all the whining is about. :thumbup:

Thanks, btrieger. You're the voice of reason in a crazy place. :thumbup:

Dave

[howdybooth 4]

Dave - it sounds like you have the right attitude to be successful on your journey! It is just a tool in your toolbox and if you decide to go with the band - you will need to learn how YOUR band behaves with your body! Good luck!

[btrieger 21]

Thanks very much for this post! You've said what I've been thinking. (And it's not just this forum. It's exactly the same over at VerticalSleeveTalk.com as well!)

As someone who is still researching whether to have band surgery, when I read ALL these posts about this or that band or eating problem, and complaint after complaint thread about people who claim they're starving and how miserable so many people are, I keep asking myself what the hell am I setting myself up for? I thought this band was a tool to help me lose weight, not a magic bullet that will make me perfect overnight. Don't people understand that, or do they forget?

Sure, I'd love to be tall and younger and have my balding head covered with the great hair I used to have, too, but for crying out loud - life goes on!

I'm actually anxious to have surgery, just so I can either:

A: Prove these naysayers wrong, or

B: Finally understand what all the whining is about. :thumbup:

Thanks, btrieger. You're the voice of reason in a crazy place. :thumbup:

Dave

If you convince yourself that you are going to be hungry and require 10 buckets of slop a day to get by, you will be hungry. The entire process will be an uphill battle from there.

If you know that this is for the best and are willing to take the Meal Replacement shakes in stride. You may be hungry or you may not but you'll probably be able to persevere.

Prior to surgery, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the shakes just to see if they worked as prescribed and was excited to find out they did. I did those shakes for 4 weeks and can't remember being hungry. I even accidentally missed drinking a couple of shakes.

Following surgery, when I was given the OK for "regular" food; I was not given a volume limit. I was told to cut food small; chew each bite 25 to 30 times and stop eating when I was satisfied. I did just that and was never hungry.

I am no super man. I have nearly no will power. Therefore, I am convinced that if I can do it, anyone can.

My biggest issues with the whiners are that they are poisoning the minds of people like you who are just now starting out. They are also hurting each other because they insist on justifying each others complaining instead of thinking.

[JMinDallas 1]

I couldn't agree more! As another poster mentioned, I rarely go into ones that start with I'm hungry. I too never went through a Bandster Hell. I ate smaller portions, and have always lost weight each week.

I know at times I make mistakes and eat things I shouldn't, but overall I'm really proud of myself and the decisions I've made.

I've also never thrown up (except once 2 wks post op when I made a dumb decision and ate too much ice cream and dry heaved), and have never had a stuck incident where it wouldn't go down (might have been lodged for a bit, but with the help of the chicken dance it went down!).

If we look for the happier outcomes, we CAN be successful!!

[Manda87 3]

Great post!

I also think there needs to be a thread about vomiting vs. productive burping. I've had my band for over 6 months and have yet to vomit. In fact, I think the last time I vomited was 2 years ago because of some stomach flu. Vomiting requires pretty much your abdominal muscles to push the food up. Productive burping is like when a cat is trying to cough up a hair ball (with or without the added noise, lol). I saw a thread and the woman was like "I'm scared because I'm not vomiting like the rest of you!" WTH? Really...

Thanks for your great post. I think you need to post it in the pre-op section too!

[Manda87 3]

I've also never thrown up (except once 2 wks post op when I made a dumb decision and ate too much ice cream and dry heaved), and have never had a stuck incident where it wouldn't go down (might have been lodged for a bit, but with the help of the chicken dance it went down!).

!!

I love you. :thumbup: lol I've NEVER thrown up either. If I ever vomit, I'm going to drop everything and run (or drive) to my dr's office! I do bring my stuck food up some of the time. I kind of push it up like I would do with mucus. A lot of times it does go through though.

[msdv 5]

Thank you for this.

I put off my surgery for close to 3 years because of coming in and reading so much negativity about the band.

I am going through a rough time with my band now but I know what I'm doing wrong. I am calling it "bandster hell" because that's all I've heard around here .

I still love my band and I have a hope now that I have not had for years.

Thanks for keeping it real.

Dee

[latin_starr 0]

i thought this was a place to share feelings and stuff? I do have to say that i was scared to death after reading some of this stuff BUT who else will tell me what to expect. i mean i can't ask my husband what should i do with i get stuck or i can't call my sister coz neither one of them have had it done! SO i think this is a good site..everyone is different so just coz i read a 'i'm hungry or i'm sick' is not going to affect me but i do feel some kind of calm knowing i'm not the ONLY one going through it!!

[btrieger 21]

i thought this was a place to share feelings and stuff? I do have to say that i was scared to death after reading some of this stuff BUT who else will tell me what to expect. i mean i can't ask my husband what should i do with i get stuck or i can't call my sister coz neither one of them have had it done! SO i think this is a good site..everyone is different so just coz i read a 'i'm hungry or i'm sick' is not going to affect me but i do feel some kind of calm knowing i'm not the ONLY one going through it!!

It is the place to share feelings and I was sharing mine. :thumbup:

I am not trying to intimidate anyone from posting their feelings. I am just trying to make people think a little more. I don't see anything constructive in post that say, "I started my liquid diet 8 minutes ago and I am starving" or "I only lost 30 pounds in the last 4 days" or "I had surgery 2 days ago and didn't loose[sic] any weight in the last 3 minutes."

I would never ever criticize anyone for saying they were sick and I don't think anyone else is.

[lellow 1,713]

This is a great post. I too see posts that say 'I hate my band, I wish I'd never done it' and I wonder how it will impact on those researching the band now. I wish I had had mine done years before I actually did, but had there been as many of those types of posts when I finally did decide to get my band, I wonder if it would have scared me into chickening out, which would have been disastrous for me.

The surgery hurt, the discomfort made me feel awful, but now, two years on, all I can think of was 'f&%K, that bit of discomfort was NOTHING in the scheme of my entire life!'. And for that horrible discomfort of a few weeks, I then went on to go from a BMI of 37 to a BMI of 21. It was entirely and completely worth it!

I try to go into threads like that and sugguest things that worked for me to get over the discomfort, but there is so much complaining going on, no one's actually paying attention to the vets who are trying to help.

Oh well, I guess there are all sorts in the world. But if you're researching the band right now, this thread is the counter-balance to all the negative threads. There are plenty of happy, satisfied bandsters for whom the lapband has worked, and worked well, but who are now off living their lives and not posting as often as they used to. I am one of those bandsters!