wanna let my mind catch up with my body.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

ok.. I keep seeing this term and I have NO idea what it means... PBing... what is PB'ing??? Thanks!!

Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - FAQ: Lap-band Abbreviations

that should help you! :biggrin:

[untfluter 3]

Thanks Restless... yes, that DID help.. LOL and I have bookmarked it.. LOL

Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - FAQ: Lap-band Abbreviations

that should help you! :biggrin:

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Coloradobanding: your stance is one common in people who are just researching. Most think "I'll use it and then lose it". And as I said it MAY work for you! But it doesn't for most.

If you could keep it off without the band you should be able to lose it without the band. The band controls portions and most people aren't happy, satisfied, or even functional just eating 1/2 to 1 cup of food. The band doesn't make you choose healthy stuff; you should be able to do that without it (ergo you don't need it) the band doesn't make you exercise, you don't need the band for that. The band just provides Portion Control and satiety on less. Once most of us lose that built in "STOP" signal, we regain. I hope you don't. But I still believe that if you can eat just 1/2 to 1 cup of healthy food per meal without the band (ie once you get to goal) then you didn't need the band to start with.

I hope your plan works for you; truly. It just doesn't usually. You may be the rare one; I don't know you from Adam. :biggrin: Stats, though, show that people who have the band removed generally regain. Again, if you can control your eating on your own "at goal", you should be able to do it "before goal". Those are the successful dieter who don't "need" any additional tools, and they are in the small minority.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Thanks Restless... yes, that DID help.. LOL and I have bookmarked it.. LOL

Some of them are interesting, aren't they? I found that FAQ section when I'd already been on here a while, but it's a little gold mine of info! :biggrin:

[coloradobanding 5]

Coloradobanding: your stance is one common in people who are just researching. Most think "I'll use it and then lose it". And as I said it MAY work for you! But it doesn't for most.

If you could keep it off without the band you should be able to lose it without the band. The band controls portions and most people aren't happy, satisfied, or even functional just eating 1/2 to 1 cup of food. The band doesn't make you choose healthy stuff; you should be able to do that without it (ergo you don't need it) the band doesn't make you exercise, you don't need the band for that. The band just provides Portion Control and satiety on less. Once most of us lose that built in "STOP" signal, we regain. I hope you don't. But I still believe that if you can eat just 1/2 to 1 cup of healthy food per meal without the band (ie once you get to goal) then you didn't need the band to start with.

I hope your plan works for you; truly. It just doesn't usually. You may be the rare one; I don't know you from Adam. :blushing: Stats, though, show that people who have the band removed generally regain. Again, if you can control your eating on your own "at goal", you should be able to do it "before goal". Those are the successful dieter who don't "need" any additional tools, and they are in the small minority.

Everyone has an opinion, and I enjoy reading your posts. However, I still don't understand how you can equate learning a new lifestyle with the band vs. should have known it all along.

Maybe you're not understanding me, or I'm not understanding you. Either way, here is an example of what I'm trying to convey.

All my life I've been told to eat my veggies, avoid sugars, avoid fats, fast food, etc. All my life I've been told I need to exercise to be healthy. All my life I've been told to eat less and I will lose weight. Are all these true? YES! Did I follow this advice? NO! Why? Because that was not what my body was "trained" to do. I "trained" it to eat fatty foods and be sedentary. Did I know that by changing my behavior my weight would change as well..YES. But did I do it? NO. WHY? I didn't know how to start or maintain it and got overwhelmed so I just "threw in the towel" and decided I was destined to be fat my whole life.

THEN WAIT...Weight Loss Surgery :biggrin: The answer to my prayers right? I will just have the surgery and won't have to worry about diet or weight anymore, it will just come off...WRONG! Those misconceptions I had before I got educated about the surgery were hard to deal with. But I decided I was serious about losing weight, so I would do "whatever it took" to get the surgery and take off the weight.

Fast forward to today. After almost 9 months of eating the way I should to be healthy, and working out the way I should to be healthy, I'm smaller than I've been in over a decade!

The band PROHIBITED me from eating large amounts, and the Dr. PROHIBITED me from eating things I shouldn't as it would damage my body from the surgery.

NOW that I have done this for this long (many months with no fill at all) I STILL maintained my diet regime and exercise WITHOUT the NEED for the band. HOWEVER, that said, having that "safety net" if I were ever to "fall off the wagon" is WONDERFUL and does help me to stay on track.

If you're implying that I could've lost the weight I've lost and changed my lifestyle without the band, you are COMPLETELY WRONG!!!! There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I would've done this without surgery, and I am so thankful it helped me get to where I am.

I NEVER had this surgery to use it for restriction alone. I looked for it to do what it was "advertised" to do. Which was to begin with restriction, all the while helping me make better choices. No the band doesn't do that, but the counseling and follow-up doctors visits and support groups DO! I agree that people can "eat around the band" and other things, but I believe that those people are in the minority. People who go to this extreme (surgery) are serious about losing weight and will change whatever needs to be changed to achieve long term weight loss success. This is just my experience and opinion. But please don't assume that because the band "taught" me how to eat and what to do to maintain weight loss, that I could've done it without the band, that is absolutely the farthest thing from accurate I can think of.

I understand you way of thinking and reasoning, but in my case, and many others I'm sure, that reasoning doesn't apply

[RestlessMonkey 7]

As I said it may work for hyou. I hope for your sake it does. But for most of us, counseling, a good diet, being told "what" to do, none of that ALONE works.

You could've gotten into a weight loss program, or done WW, joined a gym, and gotten therapy, without the band. Apparently you feel you needed the surgery to make all that happen and for you I'm sure you're correct!

However not everyone looses without a fill, and most gain weight back if the band is removed and no other surgery takes it's place.

Again I hope it works for you. For most of us the band is needed throughout to provide Portion Control. Not just to "learn" a new lifestyle (I haven't learned diddly frankly; I'm 54 and had a year of therapy plus nutrition classes, health classes, etc. way before I got the band. What I've learned about diet and exercise with the band is nothing I didn't already know) Maybe people who never gave weight loss a true honest try in the past would think the band isn't necessary long term? But again for many of us after years of diet, exercise, classes, therapy, the band is the missing link. I'm not tossing it out once I get to goal, it's what will help me stay there. And that is true for most bandsters. It's not FEAR, it's knowing what works.

[coloradobanding 5]

I do better understand your point, thanks for the post.

To clarify, I had already done everything you listed and much, much more. I have been overweight since age 7. I saw 3 doctors before the age of 13. I was on 17 diets before the age of 16. I did WW, Jenny Craig, 6 week makeover, Atkins, South Beach, had 2 trainers, 2 gym memberships, paid for a nutritionist, went to a weight loss doctor, did phen-fen (back in the day before it was banned), phentermine, hoodia, 2-day diet, and the list could go on and on. So I'm hoping that will take me off the list of those who "never gave weight loss a true, honest try in the past."

For some reason, I think the severity of the decision for surgery, has kick started something in me that nothing else has. Maybe the risk of the surgery, or the fear of not following the doctors orders and hurting my body did, I don't know, maybe all of it maybe none of it. Maybe somehow it got into my head and "flipped the switch" so to speak I don't know but it worked.

I needed to take off an enormous amount of weight and that was just too overwhelming to even think about without LBS.

After I took it off, I certainly didn't want to live the rest of my life "fighting my food." I wanted to confidence to eat pizza if I wanted it, just not 2 pieces..only 1. I wanted the ability to go on vacation and NOT have to wonder "can I eat this, should I eat that" etc. I always wanted to be "normal" which to me was eating without restriction or fear. But being able to make sensible decisions and be confident that I am in control, not my mind, not the band, but ME.

I like the point you made about not learning "diddly." You stated it perfectly I think. You stated that you had therapy, classes, etc. but it wasn't what you already knew. SO TRUE!! The big difference for me, is instead of just "hearing" it, I "listened" and decided to take action to change.

So far it's working like a charm, and I think anyone who has TRULY changed their lifestyle (not just heard what they SHOULD do and NOT do it), but truly CHANGED their lifestyle, life without fills is TOTALLY attainable!! Just my .02

[Jachut 487]

I've been crazy busy too lately, and frankly I'm really disappointed in how badly I've handled it eating wise. I have eaten nothing but sugar and fat for about three weeks. Many many days I've not eaten a proper meal but snacked all day. I've simply not had the time to think about it and prepare it and with a band, you cant so easily grab something quick and healthy like an apple becuase when you're stressed and tight, you cant eat it!

It just goes to show, we have behaviour patterns embedded which will probably always be there to some degree.

Its important to just keep plugging away at that one. TRY to do better, sometimes I succeed, sometimes I dont.

As to getting your head around your weight loss, well, yours has been remarkably fast! I dont doubt that you need some breathing space. I think the reason for waiting 2 years after hitting goal to have cosmetic surgery isnt really to let the skin shrink its to let your head catch up, get used to the new you so you can make sensible decisions. There's things I would have done to myself 18 months ago that I think I probably would have regretted now - if only for spending unecessary money. Its taken me a LOOOOOOONG time to accept what I am, how I look, what can change and what cant and come to a happy place with it all.

So, you do what you feel you need to do.

[FailureIsntAnOption 0]

Jennifer,

You know yourself and your body and you know what you are suppose to do. If you feel you need an unfill at this point in your life then you should do it. You don't need anybody's permission to do what you feel is needed for yourself.

Good luck to you girl! Hope everything works out.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Colorado, I honestly really really hope that it works out exactly like you think. Like I've said, it may! I don't know it all! LOL I don't even play a know it all on tv.

If it doesn't, though, at least you have the band to use as you see fit, right! So it's all good.

[JENNIFER7375 3]

i really cant ever picture getting a complete unfill myself either. I think i may get to a point where i need less restrictio0n, but i can't see most of us maintaining without some kind of fill.

Oh and i called my doc today. Going for an upper GI on wed then to see him afterwards. Hopefully he'll be able to help me feel better. I do think a lot of the problems i'm having a re stress related so i'm gonna try to calm down a little. Right now I just feel completely off

[HappyHomeCC 2]

i really cant ever picture getting a complete unfill myself either. I think i may get to a point where i need less restrictio0n, but i can't see most of us maintaining without some kind of fill.

Oh and i called my doc today. Going for an upper GI on wed then to see him afterwards. Hopefully he'll be able to help me feel better. I do think a lot of the problems i'm having a re stress related so i'm gonna try to calm down a little. Right now I just feel completely off

good for you, get checked out and Breathe! you are my hero ;o) I go for my re consult tomorrow and I hope I will be banded sooooooooooooooooonnn!

[JENNIFER7375 3]

thanks for all your concern guys. I went for an upper GI today then to see my doc. I wasnt slipped thank god. but my doc said i was way too tight and swollen and that he was surprised that i'd been able to keep any solid food down at all.He also said it was good that i came in because i was tight enough i was at risk to do some serious damage to my band. So ended up having 1cc of Fluid taken out. He scheduled me to come back in a few weeks. He said he'd see me sooner and take out more if needed or to put back if i started to gain. So all in all i'm pretty happy with my decision to see my doc. I think i did the right thing. i know i've been eating way too many slider foods the last few weeks due to being too tight. So now i wanna take the time to start eating better. if i do things the right way i think i can still cont to lose.And again thanks for all your covcern. Right now i still feel like a bit of an overtired emotional train wreck. But i rhink i'm heading in the right direction.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I'm so glad you got checked out, and caught it fast! Bless your heart, give yourself a hug, ok?

[untfluter 3]

Glad to hear that everything worked out so well. Good luck and keep us updated....

thanks for all your concern guys. I went for an upper GI today then to see my doc. I wasnt slipped thank god. but my doc said i was way too tight and swollen and that he was surprised that i'd been able to keep any solid food down at all.He also said it was good that i came in because i was tight enough i was at risk to do some serious damage to my band. So ended up having 1cc of Fluid taken out. He scheduled me to come back in a few weeks. He said he'd see me sooner and take out more if needed or to put back if i started to gain. So all in all i'm pretty happy with my decision to see my doc. I think i did the right thing. i know i've been eating way too many slider foods the last few weeks due to being too tight. So now i wanna take the time to start eating better. if i do things the right way i think i can still cont to lose.And again thanks for all your covcern. Right now i still feel like a bit of an overtired emotional train wreck. But i rhink i'm heading in the right direction.