FLORIDAYS

I never heard of the reasoning to do liquid before a fill.... I would be curious to know why. My dr requires liquids after a fill for 24 hrs then mushies for the next 24 hrs.

in some cases it won't cover any of it.... I am not 20 and I weighed 377 lbs and my insurance denied me because I had no medical issues except borderline high blood pressure. So I had to pay for it myself. It was worth every penny. I ha e lost 215 lbs. Best wishes to you as you make your decisions.

I did that...watched all the darn cooking shows when I couldn't eat anything... But then I found during the first few months I was cooking up a storm when I wanted to eat.... But I never even tasted stuff I shouldnt have had. My husband finally asked me to quit cooking all the time. I told him it was therapy. Lol. If I wanted a cookie I would make a batch... lok at them.... Smell them and then not eat them. How warped is that?

My first pic on this site 2 years ago was a pic of jimmy buffett because he wrote the song floridays which i use as my onlline name. It wasn't until I was down 100 lbs that I posted a real pic of me. Now I have lots of pics taken before during and current on my avatar and profile. I prefer looking at the latest one but I cannot get it to resize properly to do it on my avatar.. The one in the black dress was taken at 205 lbs. the one in the green stripe shirt was at 352 on surgery day. I just put a recent one taken on vacation last week... I am at 162. Have a look... I am the real deal. I even cut my hair...huge step folks!! And for comparison check out my before pic in the red shirt... A was a fluffy 377 lbs.

You look amazing Mis! What a difference! I had to renew my license this year so that pic is more like me... But I forgot about my passport and last week in the Caribbean I was stopped leaving the country.... The Jamaican immigration didn't think it was me. They hauled me off to a special room and after an hour I finally convinced them It was really me... Luckily I had my fairly new drivers license to back it up but My husband spent an hour worried to death....since he had to wait outside.

To add my comment to the wonderful posts... You are not going to die. Explain to your son that is is very routine surgery and nothing for him to worry about. My then 26 y/o daughter had similar feelings and I told her that I was a walking timebomb in my current state of a 55 BMI and that if I didn't have the surgery I would die sooner then later. I also showed her a YouTube video of the surgery the dr gave me. It was minus the gory details. Once she understood what they were doi g she was ok...for the most part. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

The band will require you to do a complete reassesment of what you have been eating. Granted you can continue to eat sugary, fried and high calorie foods just a smaller portion of them but you will not lose weight without keeping your calories down. I ate 1000 calories per day for 23 months and lost 215 lbs. I now eat 1200 or so and am doing well to keep it off. The liquid diet is hell the first few days... But by day 4 I had found my groove and was able to complete the 2 weeks without cheating because I was scared to death I would have complications in surgery if I didn't stick to it. After surgery I had 2 more weeks of liquid then a week of mushies... So it was 5 weeks before I could eat real food again. It was just about the hardest thing I have ever done and that includes childbirth. Lol But when it all said and done...it was a great kick start to my loss and I learned I do not need to eat to survive. I just need to get the proper nutrition.

You might be able to but I find chugging leaves me feeling burpy I can take big sips without an trouble. It just depends on the person

I ate 1000 calories a day for 23 months and lost 215 lbs. I am 2 lbs from goal and 12 lbs from what may be an unrealistic goal but I am more in maintaining mode now...so my calories are about 1200.... It's really hard for me to eat much more than that

Yesterday I was at my fav new addiction...my local consignment shop and found a pair of lucky brand jeans for $4.67. My daughter said they were an expensive brand..... Who knew? I did not have time to try them on but figured they wouldn't fit since they were a size 8 but i eyeballed it and figured at that price For $125 pair of jeans i could resell them on eBay or something....lol. As luck would have it.... They fit. I was so jazzed... It's a long way from the 4x bottoms I used to buy to cover my 77 " hips!! Congrats on your loss.

I drink mostly water but for a treat I like those Sparkling ICE flavored drinks... but since they are slightly carbonated I open one up in the morning and stick it in the fridge opened so all the fizz goes out by evening. I love the Pink Grapefruit...no calories

Hopefully you will make getting dentures, a partial or other dental treatment a top priority because oral health is very important and can be the root of other issues and infections. Until you are able to do that I would suggest sticking to soft foods. You can get Protein from eggs, cottage cheese, lean meat and expecially fish. I hope you are able to get the dental help necessary soon.

You may be right Mis... there may be some similar people who have alot of free time on their hands. But dont worry... I learned a long time ago if someone isnt paying my bills they cannot force their opinions on me or make me change on their behalf. Thanks for your positive words... Our posts are always so similar on many points... And we both have been very successful.... hmmmm

I am with you... I enjoy reading various perspectives on many different topics. The lap band has worked wonders in my life and I want to help everyone have the same success I am having! I fear however that I am turning into that reformed person everyone hates. LOL You know like a reformed smoker....On Saturday I was at a picnic with a long time friend... it shouldnt matter but for conversation sake she and 2 of her 4 daughters are very heavy. She opened the cooler and there was white bread, processed american cheese, turkey, ham and mayo to make sandwhiches... a bag of cheese doodles, chips, fried onion something and a huge bag of candy from Halloween. I was biting my tongue to keep from saying... ummm didnt you bring anything nutritious? I rolled up a slice of turkey and ham for myself and my toddler granddaughter.... and paired it with the cups of fruit I always keep in the diaper bag thankfully and she and I had a healthy lunch. (we eat about the same amount...LOL) So lunch was progressing and my friend said ... give the baby some cheese doodles. I was like... no thats ok we have some cheerios if she is still hungry. My friend said... you are turning into a health freak. This from the same person who has barely mentioned my loss. I just smiled and made light of it... everyone laughed and we moved on... but it was a classic case of have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference...

Thank you for the nice thoughts. I had to giggle.... early on when I was seeing my Dr monthly I would ask him about this or that... or challenge his opinions with a question I read on this forum... he would say.. Are you reading that internet site again?..... I would laugh and say yes. And he said that most of the information you will read is positive and helpful but know you will see lots of failures because people who failed have nothing better to do with their time then post about how miserable they are. I thought that was excellent advice.

wonderful job! Congratulations! Enjoy your omlette

I love the gummy's in fact I take them so much more religiously than I ever took any of those horse pill vitamins. Isnt it funny how we are all so different? That said... ask your Dr if you can cut up your regular vitamins with a pill cutter. That may work for you. Mine said as long as it was not larger than an asprin I was ok. You may have to cut them in several pieces but it could work. Good Luck

well you are too kind. Thank you for those nice words. I really didnt feel as tho I neded to defend myself I just wanted to throw it out there that if people post a question...expect an answer. And that people are different so the responses may not be what you are accustomed to hearing. For those of us who have been successful I think we have a responsibility to help others who may be struggling or have simple questions which they may feel need a more immediate answer than they can get from the dr...not that mine or anyone else's advice should take the place of a dr...but this is a great place to get those questions answered.

I wanted to reply.... you darn right I am all that... I have worked long and hard for the right to say it. And if you want to make excuses and spend the next few years wondering why the band isnt working for you.... go right ahead. I am going to take my "all that" self and get on with my life. LOL Even I get my feathers ruffled. But of course that wouldnt have been appropriate and I should be burned on the stake for thinink such cruel things so I heeded my late mother's advice...if you dont have something nice to say...dont say it. So I kindly asked if he/she had a particular question I could help with. I never received a reply.

I agree with you... I have always felt life it too short to be rude. Good manners is a dying art and I for one would like to send the world a lifeboat. I think there is always a way to structure your responses to be positive, uplifting and informative even by being direct.

Dee I admire your weight loss and appreciate your input. You have a sticktoitness which had gotton you where you are now! You have alot going on in your life and yet you take the time to help others and offer your opinions. CG.... you have a passionate personality which is why you will be successful. You have done great so far! You are like me...firm on certain things regarding the band because thats what works for you. I am a firm believer that many people are looking for an easy way out. I can tell by your responses that you know what works and its black and white... there is no grey area. I applaud you.

my Dr said I could take anything up to the size of a regular asprin. You may want to ask yours what his rule of thumb is.

Having been on this forum for 2 years now I have read many posts and participated in numerous threads. At first I sought help as I was learning about the banding process. People were wonderful about answering what seems now as basic questions. I also enjoyed the conversations of like minded people who were going through or had been through what I was embarking on. Now that I have lived with my band almost 2 years and been rather successful I have alot to offer others in the way of motivation, tips and support when I see questions or conversations which I feel I can help out with. In turn I too still have questions about different subjects and appreciate the answers when I post them. That said... this is a public forum with people from all walks of life... some of whom may not be similar to mine. But when I post a question and read the opinions and answers I appreciate them at face value and respect that someone took the time to provide me with an answer...even if it isnt something I want to hear. If I didnt want opinions I wouldnt post a question. And in turn if I dont respond to a thread its because I have nothing to offer that has not been said or in some case because I just really have nothing noteworthy to say or maybe I feel someone is just whining and I havent the time or energy to reply. I am discussing this because recently I have received a few personal messages which have been from people saying I am too cut and dry, too black and white, or the best one was.... Just because you are thin now doesnt mean you are all that. That one actually cracked me up because yes I am very proud of my accomplishment but now its time for me to give back and help others... and if someone thinks that is self absorbing... I have no time in my life for their insecurity. In a nutshell... I think it would be wise for people to remember that if you ask a question about your band, diet or eating habits... expect an answer. In fact expect lots of answers from people which will be to the point and based on their own personal experience. It may open your eyes to something which will help you. Or you may choose to ignore it.... But If you do not want an answer...do not ask the question.

I posted in your other thread that you may want to check out thrift stores... plus sizes are way more abundent then they used to be. And at my local Goodwill superstore the prices are dirt cheap. I live in Florida. Also another option is ebay..... Congrats on your loss.

you may want to stop by your local thrift store.... You would be amazed how cheap clothes are and plus sizes seem to be aplenty.... I donated 21 bags to them this year. I am sure others have as well. Congrats on your weight loss.