Blogs

11 weeks post op

The longer time is passes since the surgery, the less stuff there is to blog about. This Friday it will be 11 weeks since I had the lap band. I‘m still very happy about the lap band. It has changed my life in so many ways. Yesterday and today I've had blocking issues. The food gets stuck, even though I chew and chew and chew. Today at work we had chicken breast for lunch but it was dry and I could feel that I was a bit tight. I just stopped eating the chicken I just ate the veggies and potato. I don't want anyone to know I have the lap band so I have to be careful not to get BP at work. I can have a bite of chocolate or a small slice of a cake without wanting to have more. I feel that for the first time in about 17 years or more, I can eat like a normal person. I eat the same portions as my „skinny friend“, no wonder she‘s „skinny“ I use the „“ because to me she‘s skinny but she‘s a normal looking girl. I also love that when there are deserts or a cake, I am at piece with just one slice, small slice. Before the lap band, I was always hoping that people wouldn‘t take big slices so that I could have 2 or 3 or even 4. DON‘T EAT MY CAKE! I was always worried that I wouldn‘t have enough. Today I find my self sharing! I had some people over for dinner and I had a dessert. I actually gave them the rest to take home. OMG that would NEVER have happened before. I would have eaten the rest alone! Ok let‘s talk about summers. This season is difficult. People have more time to prepare stuff to eat. Always baking and having people over for lunch or dinner. And ice cream omg!! seriously who can say no to ice cream. I‘m not behaving well in this area. But I‘m still loosing weight and my doctor is happy about my process. But then again, I don‘t eat like I‘m starving. I just have a taste. I bought two sorbet ice creams in May. Small boxes and they are still in my freezer, I haven‘t had half of it. Before surgery I would probably have bought 4 or 5 more boxes or more.. My biggest problem still is that I‘m eating too fast!! And oh my the PB is terrible! I‘m finding out more and more what I can‘t eat and I avoid that food. Because PB is not worth it. I‘ve also found out that if I get too hungry, I eat faster and I get PB. I have to remind my self always to eat sloooooooow! That‘s it for now J

Laurie's Adventure in Life

July 23, 2015

Kelsey Marie's Blog

Started in Childhood, Now I'm Here

I clearly remember the first time I thought about my weight. I had spent all summer having slumber parties with one of my best friends the summer between 3rd and 4th grade. We would stay up late eating pizza and ice cream and soda and it never once dawned on me that maybe I shouldn't (and I was a kid, I'm glad it didn't). That year, her and I were on a new basketball team together, and unlike the year before where we ordered the same size, I had to get the size larger. A few years later, I remember my mom rewarding me with shopping trips if I could lose weight every week (although I think part of that was her pushing issues of her weight onto me). A few years later, I remember hating my friend for complaining that she had gone from a size 4 to a size 6 when I was a whooping size 12. By high school though, things leveled out for me, I only had a few more pounds on me than other girls (I was still a size 12, sometimes a 10) and I was totally okay with it. Once in college, I even lost weight instead of gaining that rumored "Freshmen 15." But by the time I was 20, things were beginning to go the wrong direction for me. This was the first time I looked into weight loss surgery (although at this time I doubt I would have been a candidate because I was only 30 overweight at this point). I never made an appointment, instead I did Weight Waters and lost 20 of the pounds. So began the True Battle of Weight Loss. You see, at this time, I was getting out of an emotionally, and towards the end physically, abusive relationship and my trust in everyone, including myself, was gone. This lead to me flunking out of college, befriending an equally emotionally unstable Marine with a sex addiction, going to cosmetology school and drinking my way through it, jumping from job to job, and eating my emotions because I was "totally okay with everything in my life." Four years later, I had gained 30 more pounds, dropped all of my toxic relationships, moved back in with my parents and decided that I needed real help because Weight Watchers and Adkins and working out and "just being happy" weren't cutting it anymore. I was done having to try on the next size up because I'd outgrown the size I'd worn for the last year. And I was done ordering clothes online because they have a better selection of "Plus Size" clothes. And I was tired of looking in the mirror and seeing that I had formed yet a new dimple in some unflattering location on my body. I couldn't take the looks I got when I went to an amusement park with my nieces and the ride operator telling me that I'm over the weight limit. I'm tired of not being able to run around the back yard with my nieces in general, I don't care where we are. In April, I saw my GP. I wanted him to run a blood panel to make sure that I had no thyroid issues, or any other health issues, that could be causing my weight gain. Nope! Aside from my weight, I'm a totally healthy 24 year old American girl. So he put in a referral to the same practice where my mom had her surgery. I swear it was only a week later when I got a call to make my appointment. It didn't seem possible. That Friday, I would be meeting my surgeon. When I went in, I took my mom. She's been there, she knows what questions to ask, she tell if the situation feels right, and she's great emotional support. Dr. Henke was great. He asked me routine questions, asked if I had any questions, and went over the different types of procedures. I told him that I need to lose maximum weight, and that I need the Bypass. So that's what's in my plan. I have done all of the insurance requirements (although I'm still waiting on my last dietitian appointment next week). And then it's waiting for their approval. That's what's killing me the most, waiting for them. I wish once I finished my appointment with the dietitian, I could just call the doctor and ask for the first surgery date available. Although, I'm sure that's all of us that go through insurance. My mom tells me not to worry about that, that it's out of my control, that they have no reason to say no, etc. But my brain goes into overdrive anytime I can't control the outcome. And this outcome is quite important for the rest of my life. Well, I guess I'll check in later, let you know how it goes with the dietitian next week.

Kelsey Marie

July 22, 2015

13 days post op

I've been feeling a little depressed. My son gave me is chest cold. For a person who has COPD, those germs tend to settle in my chest. So for the last week I have been coughing like crazy. Anytime I lay down, the coughing is so much worse. I did some research about some of the symptoms of acid reflux. wheezing, and coughing when laying down. I'm going to try some Zantac tonight before I go to bed. Before I had my surgery I prayed that whatever happened I would give God the glory and I would do more volunteer work with my church. When will I have the energy to do that? I'm tired of feeling like crap! I'm tired of not having any energy.

littlebuddy213

July 19, 2015

Stacey Mo's Story

OMG It is Real Now!

OMG, I can hardly hold back the excitement and fear that today's news of final approval brings. I will be scheduling my surgeon appointment in the next week and will have the surgery within the next month. I know so many things need to change in my life for the surgery to be a success. I plan to start decluttering my life in the next few weeks to prepare my home for my new life. I need to freshen things up so that mentally I am prepared for this journey. I am so thankful that I have the support of my family and friends. I know that with their help, my determination and God on my side I can do this. I have been struggling so much these past few years with my self-esteem and am truly praying that loosing some weight will help me to regain some self worth while also allowing me to do more of the things I love. Feeling hopeful.

staceymeaux

July 15, 2015

lucky1gg's Blog

10 Weeks Post-OP

So, I just decided to blog and I am at week 10. This is just a recap: Week 1: Mexico was good to me. No surgery issues and felt amazing. Week 2-4: Was not hungry... but did try to maintain protein shakes and water. Week 4- My one month before and after pics were great! Down to 188lbs! Week 5-7: So exhausted!! Got down to 185 lbs and hit a stall. Week 8: No more weight loss, but my 2 month pics are telling a better story. Down from 18/20 to 16 (even some 14). Week 9: Feeling constipated again (ongoing issue since surgery). I use the Smooth Move Tea but it is not smooth.... it makes me sick half the next day, but it works. I have read forums and tried different remedies with no help...so miserable tea it is. Week 10: Scales are moving again! 181 lbs. I also got a FitBit and am starting to exercise more. Should have been exercising more all along but between the tiredness and the rain I was unmotivated. Monday will be Week 11 and I will try to post more details as I go. It has been a challenging time. I am happy with my progress... I read a lot on the forums about revisions being slower to lose. I am so happy to not be puking and back to losing that for right now I won't complain!

lucky1gg

July 11, 2015

lucky1gg's Blog

Backstory

This is my story... I have been overweight since age five. I don't recall this specifically, I have just seen the pictures. I never really felt any of the negativity that others associate with being 'fat'. I had friends and did everything I wanted to do. When I hit teen years, I had friends and I suppose I could blame a lack of boyfriends on my weight; but truly, I was shy. I did try every diet imaginable from age 20-36... but nothing really stuck. I liked food and it would always win. Over the years, I became successful in my career in banking and never felt passed over for promotions because of my weight. Life was moving along. But, I began to feel tired... really tired. I was a single mom of a two year old managing a full-time career and a mortgage. I told myself that it was normal. Eventually, I decided to see my doctor. After many tests, I was diagnosed with many things: hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep apnea, etc. All these things were manageable with meds... but the root seem to lie in my weight. I got medically approved for LapBand. I had surgery in Dec 2009. At my heaviest I was 262 lbs. I did lose a lot of weight and got my energy back. I stopped all my meds (not with my dr support). I landed at 199-210 range and stayed there for years. The band had been amazing for my health, but I did throw up occasionally and have "stuck" moments. Eventually... it was a regular occurrence. So, in May 2015, I decided to have my band removed and revise to gastric sleeve. My friend and I went to Mexico together and had the surgery. I weighed 211 before surgery. The surgery went great and I am happy to be free of the band and looking forward to getting to a healthy BMI.

lucky1gg

July 11, 2015

Second fill and a chat with doc

I got my second fill on July 8th. I now have 6 cc/mm in my band. I was very very nervous since the first fill was very painful because of the area around the port being swollen. I had a huge black mark around it for about 2 weeks. Now I didn't feel a thing and I could drink a cup of water without any problems. Dr. Paul O'Brien is one of the doctors that has developed the lap band, he says that you can drink with food according to a new study. My doctor follows his procedure. I asked him about what he thought about drinking water with food. My doctor said that if I had to drink water, I should always wait for 30 sec after I swallowed my last bite. I was very happy since sometimes and some foods I just have to have a drink. Like if the food is too dry, spicy, hot/warm. I had a tiny bit of water with a spicy salsa.. it caught me by surprise. I don't like spicy food so the salsa was thrown out. I was at the canteen at work and didn't know it was going to be that spicy. But I'm going to be careful with drinking while eating still. Second question, can I take Ibuprofen. Yes I can!! But only in liquid hmmm that sucks because normally Ibuprofen liquid is made for children so the dosage is very small. That means I have to take a LOT of liquid to get 200 -400 mg. So if you live in America, UK or Spain and know about a high dosage Ibuprofen Liquid, please let me know. I have a bad back and need my Ibuprofen from time to time. Third question, what does my doctor feel about bread and pasta. Well he said they can cause blockage and he doesn't like bread at all (for us). I asked if he was ok with me trying it out to see if it would cause blockage. I told him I was having a craving for pizza. He told me that us humans, we love to eat the food love. I could try pizza but he wanted me to limit how often I eat it, if I could. So tonight, we grilled some Pizza on our BBQ. We made a very thin crust pizza for me. I had two slices and it went down without any problems. But I was chewing a lot!!! I was still on my first slice when everyone else had about 3-4 or more (didn't count). I didn't eat the end of the pizza since the crust was thicker. But omg!! I can eat pizza yay. I'm going to limit pizza eating though. Maybe once a month. But then again I don't know how I will be after the next fills. My doctor was happy about my weight loss. He told me it was a slow process. I'm ok with it being a slow process since the skin will adjust more. But I can already see my skin becoming loose on some parts of my body. I see more body change than weight change. I still have to learn how to chew slowly. PB (Productive burping) is terrible!! I hate when that happens, specially around people that don't know that I have a lap band. It happens maybe twice a week and I normally have to spit out the food or kinda pressure the food up in to my mouth and spit out. Why? because when food gets stuck, there is a lot of slimy stuff there as well and it makes it worse. So I like to get the slimy stuff out. I don't know where the slimy stuff comes from but it doesn't help the food going through the band. Other than the PB, I'm so happy I got the lap band! So happy! even if I could never eat bread or pizza again, I'm still happy

Laurie's Adventure in Life

July 11, 2015

Mexico vs Cuba en vivo

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Lomplei Roka

July 9, 2015

Post Op Day Two

Today is Post Op day 2. I'm still a little sore. I am drinking the Zero Carb Isopure Protein drink. There are 40 grams of protein in each bottle. I can't guzzle, chug or slam it, so I nurse a bottle most of the day. I had planned on drinking two full bottles every day plus the water. Guess what? It didn't happen. I can drink 1 1/2 bottles in a day. I am down 14 pounds from when I first went to the surgical weight loss center. 11 lbs down from when I started my pre-op diet and zero pounds lost since the surgery. The nurses reassured me that is completely normal. They had pumped me so full of liquids, so when I go pee, I go pee!!! I still haven't had a BM yet. That has me concerned a little, but it's not a big concern just yet. I pray everyone is having an excellent day! Go out and make some good memories!

littlebuddy213

July 8, 2015

Two recipes that I made pre-op that helped me

Two recipes, (and a few techniques), that I found helpful Pre Op Let me be clear, My pre op diet was a maximum of 1000 calories a day and went as follows: Up to 5 protein shakes, depending on the brand. I had trouble drinking any more than 1 most days!
Up to 2 cups of vegetables a day, as long as they aren't too starchy. Stuff like tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, broccoli, squash, and mushrooms.
A limited amount of vinegar, sugar substitutes, mustard, and salsa.
Lots of water, crystal lite, tea, coffee (with a splash of milk, so no lattes, which sucked for me), even seltzer and diet soda. The problem is that post op, you can't really drink diet soda for a while, so I tried to avoid it.
"Honey Mustard" Dressing 3 or so tablespoons of mustard. (I used regular old spicy brown mustard, but you could probably use any kind of mustard you like.)
1 tablespoon of water. (I used this to thin out the mustard. If you don't like the way your tap water tastes, you should use bottled water of filtered water.)
2 teaspoons or so of Splenda™, or whatever sweetener you like. (adjust it based on how sweet you like it)
Refrigerate for a while, or overnight. Pour this over 2 cups of a mixture of diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and diced red onion. It was really, really good. European-Style Sugar-Free Cucumber Salad 3 large American cucumbers, peeled and cut wafer thin with a knife (if you're a pro), a mandolin (always use the hand guard and be careful), or the slice blade of your food processor.
1 red onion, cut wafer thin also.
(Optional) 1 red pepper, sliced relatively thin (not diced; cut it like the onions and cucumbers)
2 teaspoons of Splenda™ or whatever sweetener you like.
2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar.
Salt to taste. (I put in probably like 1/4 teaspoon or so.)
Refrigerate this at least overnight, (the longer it sits, the better it gets), and a serving is 2 cups. This recipe makes a lot. I found that the most delicious way to make pretty much any veggie you want is to roast it in the oven at 425°F (220°C) for 35 to 40 minutes with a sprinkling of salt. If you're worried that it'll stick, put a little water in the bottom of the tray. (Note: This diet allowed no oil whatsoever, not even the cooking spray oil.) Comment below!

July 7, 2015

My Adventures on a Fast day and Eating Breakfast

<h1> <b>Fasting </b> </h1> <div> This Sunday was a Jewish fast day, and, without getting into unrelated details, it started before 4 AM and ended after 9 PM. Because I often do things contrary to what anyone else would do, I decided to fast just 10 days post op. (Pretty stupid, huh?) Well, the fast went very well, (almost no dizziness, nausea, or tiredness) but the trying to eat after the fast didn't go so well. </div> <div> My family and I usually have a meal that is somewhat big after a fast, not as elaborate as some Iftar feasts (Ramadan Karim to anyone observing!), but there definitely is food. I made the mistake of trying to eat a meal akin to a lunch immediately after the fast. (Bad habits die hard!) Needless to say, I had to drink a lot of water just so that I felt ok enough to move on with my night. </div> <div> <i> Lesson learned: Note to self: </i> <b> Make believe that right after a fast is breakfast!! </b> </div> <div> You might be saying, "Duh! It's called <i> break-fast </i> for a reason, idiot!" Well, I guess I'm not that smart. </div> <div> Which brings me to another point, I have had some trouble eating breakfast. I've gotten a little too ambitious trying scrambled eggs, and I couldn't eat much of it. But today, I had cream of wheat with Walden Farms sugar free pancake syrup and cinnamon. It was really good, and I was able to tolerate it. </div> <div> Anyone have similar experiences? Please comment below. </div>

July 7, 2015

Pac-woman's Blog

Milestone

Well, I haven't been on the site for a long time and thought to check in. So far i have lost 83 lbs. I am in a state that I don't know where to buy clothes. I go to the plus size section out of habit and can't find anything. Then I go to the junior section and I am baffled about how I can now fit into a large or xl in junior size. Amazing?! I am now running on the treadmill which has shaped the body nicely so far. Also I have been doing weights: leg presses and shoulder lifts.

Pac-woman

July 4, 2015

Pre op process

My Pre Op Process As part of getting approval from my insurance company, I needed to do the following things: 6 months of going to a doctor that will supervise your "weight loss," which in my insurance's case, didn't actually require me to lose any weight, but to show that a doctor told you what to do. I went to my surgeon for 6 months in a row, once a month.
A letter of clearance from a psychologist, who needs to do a full evaluation. This was done by a therapist associated with NYU. They made me fill out a bunch of questionnaires, and asked me personal questions.
A letter of clearance and recommendation from your primary care doctor. (known in medical parlance as "your PCP,") He/she needs to write a letter with your information (such as your BMI, how long they've been your doctor, any diseases you may have (known in medical parlance as " comorbidities", (which sounds really, really scary for no reason) etc.)
A consultation with a nutritionist, which I did through NYU.
Now once, I got clearance through the insurance company, (in my case, Health Republic of New York/Magnacare) I needed "Medical Clearance," which is a whole new set of requirements. Here's that fun list: A trip to the cardiologist (aka the heart doctor) which may include any of the following:
An EKG , essentially a bunch of waves which tells the doctor whether or not your heart rate is elevated.
An echocardiogram which is a sonogram of your heart (like the machine they use to look at the baby in a pregnant woman, except it's of your heart, and not the baby, and I'm a guy so...)
[*]A trip to the pulmonologist (aka the lung doctor) , who makes you do a breathing test to check for asthma or, more importantly, possible sleep apnea. (As an aside, my PCP made me do a sleep apnea test.) [*]Pre op testing , which includes the following: An esophogram , which is an X-ray of your lungs and stomach area. They're looking for signs of breathing problems.
A comprehensive blood test , to make sure that you're healthy. When I say comprehensive, I mean it. It looked for things I didn't even know existed.
An extensive interview , to make sure they didn't miss anything the 5 other times they already asked all these questions. This took more time than the blood test, esophogram and miscellaneous administrivia combined.
I hope that this helps people. Please post comments below.

July 3, 2015

A Little About Myself

A Little About Myself I am an Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn, NY who has struggled with his weight for as long as he can remember. I have been encouraged to lose weight by absolutely everyone anyone can imagine, including family, friends, rabbis, teachers, etc. Last week, I had the adjustable gastric band procedure (known colloquially as "the band surgery," or "the lap band"), and feel great. But first, a little about how and why I got to this point. After being in denial throughout high school and throughout my gap year which I spent in the Holy Land, in my sophomore year of college I finally came to the realization that I need to do something about my weight and that this was getting ridiculous. My rabbi and his wife referred me to a doctor that they were seeing that provided weight loss support as well as kosher food that they made that was to be purchased alongside the program. I was able to follow this program for a year and lose over 100 pounds. However, I feel that this program didn't adequately support me in the sense that the doctor did not carefully monitor my blood workup, and as such, some of my numbers were somewhat off, and the doctor told me the equivalent of "Don't worry, you'll be fine." That didn't sit well with me. Another problem with this diet is that it was essentially no carb, and when I finally hit a major plateau at 100 pounds, I was never given guidance as to how to overcome this newfound roadblock. For these reasons, I left that diet program. Even though I left that program, I turned to a dietitian for support. It was at this time that I got into exercise and started walking 5k races to challenge myself. In a period of about 2 years, I completed around 20 of these things, maxing out at a 5 mile run on Thanksgiving Day, which I finished in a respectable 20 minute/mile pace. It is my most coveted medal, as it is my crowning athletic achievement. (I've never been on a team or athletic enough to really be part of one.) My family and friends were worried that I was maxing myself out, and pushing myself past my limits. In one of those "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" deals, I got sick with ulcerative colitis, which had me stop exercising regularly, and took a year and a half, roughly speaking, to get under control. Needless to say, during this time, I gained all the weight back that I had lost, and slightly more. It was around a year after I got sick that I started looking into bariatric surgery, and the NYU-Langone Weight Management Program was recommended to me by a family friend who lost a lot of weight with the band. (I don't really know her all that well, so maybe it isn't saying much when I note that when I saw her in a restaurant recently, I had no clue who she was.) It is my intention to briefly explain the pre op process in another post.

July 3, 2015

The big test

The past week has been a HUGE test for me. I don't eat candy often, about 3 times a year. Christmas, Easter and then on one family trip every summer. I just came back from the family trip. Before the trip, I went shopping for food. I bought some candy, but only like 5% of what I usually buy. I also prepared egg muffins (egg, bacon, ham, veggies) for breakfast. I can tell you that the trip wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I ate VERY little candy. I came home with almost all of it. That's the first time!! I did have Ice cream twice. But food was more difficult. There was always BBQ, every night, with baked potatoes, veggies and meat. Then there was some snacking through out the day, something I haven't done since getting banded. The last day was specially bad. We had some cake, Dorritos, Dip (cream cheese, salsa). Wow she's bad you might think, but I did have a taste of it all but didn't eat a lot. AND it was my birthday 5 days ago. I bought a cake, because you have to have a cake when it's your birthday! But I didn't even bring it out!! I didn't feel like having a cake. But I brought it out the day after. I also brought some other sweets to have at my birthday but they all came back home with me. Now the result of the test. I should have done less snacking. I can eat more now than after my first fill so I ate bigger portions than I'm used to. I don't think I failed though but I've learned a lot through this week. I went on the scale when I came back home. I hadn't gained any weight but I hadn't lost any weight either. I have a lot of edema, something I haven't had a lot of since the surgery. Now it's back to work, eat 3 portions a day. No snacking. I have my second fill on Monday. I'm a bit stressed since the first fill was very uncomfortable. I have a few questions for my doctor: Dr. O'Brien says you can drink with food.. what will my doctor say What happens if I eat a thin crust pizza (I'm craving it) Can I try some pasta? What about toasted bread? I'm noticing now that my diet was based on bread! And after 2 months of not eating bread, I'm feeling so much better. No stomach pains like before. So I will NEVER go back to my past bread diet. But 1 slice of pizza... grrr I want. Edit: Today Friday is my step on the scale day and I am so surprised but I did loose 1 kg this week or 2,2 pounds. I am so surprised that I turned backwards on the scale, and forwards and I would have stood on my hands if I could. This means I have lost a total of 8 kg or 17,6 pounds since I got the lap band So happy

Wood's Weight Loss ADVENTURE!

July 2, 2015

Who says Pre-Op Diet isn't delicious?

Low carb pre-op diet has not been too shabby. Just gotta get a little creative! 3 days into it and I've dropped 6 lbs! Tonights din-din: 3 eggs, 2 slices of cheese, spinach omelet. Fresh bacon bits to top it off. #nomnomnom #breakfastfordinner

alisawoo22

July 2, 2015

Wood's Weight Loss ADVENTURE!

Pre-Op Diet - Day 2

Well - Day 2 on my pre-op diet. I've lost 4 lbs. lol It's amazing what happens to the body when you take away the carbs. So far, so easy. My requirements are to stay below 40g of carbs a day. Yesterday I settled in at measley 26g. I'm really so excited to start this journey. I've been overweight my entire life - from childhood to adulthood. I've tried every diet and exercise routine worth doing without success on my side. I'm anxious and nervous - mostly for the unknown. What are the long term affects? Has there been enough research done? I'm still a young 28 - what happens when I have to live with this quarter of a stomach for the rest of my life? Whatever the obstacles may be, I'm ready. I'm tackling this, I'm doing this and there is absolutely no option to turn back. Glad this website exists and I'm glad I'm not alone on this journey.

alisawoo22

June 30, 2015

pcosmommyof4's Blog

Restriction: Finally here, now what?---So want to give up

My band just had her three year birthday. I had her fixed for the second time in Oct. 2014. She is restricted, but man my willpower sux. I hit that three mark, stepped on the scale 10 pounds less than the birth of my band. Up until the the secound corrective surgery I had done great with my diet. I never drank pop, I limited myself to the amount of sugar I had daily. Then suddenly I felt like a failure at this. I still fill like a failure. To the point that now I am being the failure. The band is finally working correctly and I have given up after three years of trying hard to loose it with NO progress (keep in mind during the three years I have had a total of four months being in the sweet spot due to repeated band failure). I am so grateful for the surgeon to repair the band twice at no cost to me. Now, here I am screwing up and have no willpower left. I want it, but I don't "see" it happening for me at this point.

pcosmommyof4

June 29, 2015

Breast Actives

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kevinpeter

June 20, 2015

TomG's Blog

Greetings

Greeting everyone. well where to start. Maybe the beginning, however in this blog there will be many beginning so why not start with who am I? The name is Tom. I am 59 this September. I am married to a wonderful, yet sometimes difficult woman. I have raised 5 children - 3 stepkids and 2 of our own. I also help with my grandson for a number of years so our daughter could "get on her feet", I am employed as an analyst and will be able to retire next year (doesn't mean I will). I enjoy the outdoors, pets and animals, and travel, gosh this really is sounding like an ad you might find at a dating site! Why don't I move on to another beginning. The beginning of my weight problem/issues. I don't really remember when I got heavy, I know there were stories told about me as a very young child walking around the neighborhood with my belly hanging out looking for cookies from the neighbors. Everyone laughed. When I went shopping for clothes we always ended up in the boys husky department - I always hated that. The first real memory I have of being heavy was when I was older - probably around 14 or 15, a friends big brother came by as we were playing and asked when I was getting a bra? Funny how that comment stuck with me for over 40 years. Next real memory where weight was the issue was in high school, I was on the wrestling team and weight enough as a freshman to be placed in the heavy weight division. During practices I had to practice with the coach since he was the only one in my weight class, that wasn't cool. Growing up, food for myself and my family was always presented as a social thing. We ate, drank, laughed, told about what happened during the day, these were all things that I enjoyed and participated in. As I got older and moved out on my own, I brought these practices with me. Eating was a social event, not just for sustenance. And as life went on, so did I and with it was a gradual increase in weight. It kinda sneaks up on you. So, with these couple of paragraphs, you now might see - as I did, when I self-analized myself and after my wife started mentioning I was getting way heavy.That maybe those couple of cruel remarks or practices along with my growing up that food was alway part of our sociability might had contributed to my weight. Those same items might have also help form who I am in a social sense. I am painfully shy even at this age and I cope with it by forcing myself not to be - had to for work and just used it in life as needed. And now, the person sitting here writing this is a 59 year old fat guy with type 2 diabetes, copd/sleep apnea, BMI over 30, heart issues, cholesterol issues neuropathy issues and too shy to easily join a support group. Now I am absolutely NOT looking for sympathy or anything else, I did this to myself and it's time I take responsibility for the weight issues and deal with it. And I am now dealing with it. My doctor told me back in Nov 2014 (when I weight 303) that I would die if I didnt' do something about the weight. Believe me when I say he was serious! So it got me thinking. The kids were all grown, and I am almost ready to retire and what should I expect, to retire and die? Leave my wife a widow? Not have the opportunity to enjoy life after working so hard to get to where we are? No that's not what I wanted for myself or my wife. What I wanted was many, many more years to travel with my wife, meet new people and friends, and enjoy life without any burdens such as needing a CPAP machine, you know, stuff fat people deal with! So the decision was to have gastric bypass surgery. In that discussion with the doctor, I asked why bypass instead of a band or sleeve. He responded that he was in concurrence with my doctor and needed to loss weight and loss it fast due to my age and this would be the most successful way to achieve that. I did a lot of research and decided it would be a good option for me, especially since dieting (which I seldom stuck) would work and the other methods weren't extreme enough for what my doctor wanted for me. I started the whole process about 5 months ago, did the psych evaluation, went to the dietician class and met with the dietician and the PA a number of times, all the things the insurance company wanted in order to approve the claim. It took longer than the typical 3 month plan becauses of work issues but we are ready to go now. I am 22 days away from surgery and am actually excited about this new beginning. Tomorrow the final labs, chest x- ray, upper GI and EKG. Then next week I am out of town to visit my sis, come back and immediately go on the liquid diet for 12 days. Then the surgery.... So while I'm excited, there is a level of concern or maybe fear in this new beginning? Will I succeed or fail? Will I be able to handle the portion control? I'm doing this without much support from family and do I fully understand what I am giving up and is it worth it? I hope I can honestly answer all the questions the way I need to in order to support this decision and I also hope to maybe make some like minded friends on this site who might be able to supply an encouraging word here or there as I certainly will do for them. Time will tell. I must run for now but I'll be back. Take care.

TomG

June 18, 2015

Happy :)

Ok I know it's only been 6 weeks since I got the lap band but I have to tell you that I'm very very happy I've had my ups and downs like everyone else but overall I'm very happy. One of the reasons for why I had the lap band is so that I can eat and have a normal relationship with food. About 3 years ago, I went to rehab where they thought you about food and exercise. It was a preparation for Gastric bypass surgery. There were 8 weeks in patient program and then a few times we had to go to meetings. I'm still in the program but I said no to the Gastric bypass even though it was for free. Instead I had a lap band that costs me about $9000 because the insurance doesn't cover lap band procedures. Call me crazy but I didn't want an invasive surgery. At rehab they said that you can allow your self to eat everything you want, just very small amounts and not all the time. Of course they say that you should try to leave unhealthy stuff alone but if you really really want some, then take a walk to try to forget and if you don't, then you can have just a small amount. This shouldn't be a punishment. Now I probably sound like I'm not ready for lap band but I am. I stopped drinking soft drinks 4 years ago, I only eat candy 3 times a year (Christmas, Easter and one family vacation). But what I want is to go to a birthday party where there is a cake and just have a tiny slice and that's it. Or if I am at someones house and they offer me some candy, I can have one piece and that's it. Before I would probably have ate the whole cake!! (well not really, I'm polite haha) Yesterday it was the Icelandic Independence day and I had the task to go to the bakery and buy the cakeS. I bought two and I had a slice of each, but the slices were so tiny that you wouldn't call it a slice. I ate it and I was done. I didn't even want more. Before the lap band I would probably have had 3 slices of EACH cake!! That's what I call a healthy relationship with food. Of course I know that if I'm not careful, I won't loose weight as quickly. But like with the cakes yesterday, I ate the "slices" as my second meal of the day. I only had 3 meals. I calculate how the day is going to be. My family is very proud of me and see how much I've changed. I also see it. My skin has changed, feels "bigger". I'm down from XXL in pants to XL and I've officially lost 6kg or 13.2 pounds since the surgery. My second fill (and I need it) will be on July 7th. I actually can't wait since I feel I can eat more and the hours between lunch and dinner are difficult. So I'm trying to delay lunch so that there will be less hours between. That's helping a little. Oh and I'm making seriously good egg muffins/cupcake for breakfast (not cakes, just like omelette in a muffin/cupcake pan). And also, I was watching the 8 golden rules video and Dr. Paul O'Brien says you can drink while eating yay!! so happy about that. But my doctor is following Dr. Paul O'Brien and recommends listening to him