aroundthetown

I had my band placed in 2011 and I was 287 at the time. My highest weight was 323. I've made it down to 189 and now I'm having a baby!! Hooray but nervous about my port looking funny on my preggo tummy and about gaining too much weight. Did anyone have trouble with the port or binge eating while pregnant?

Good luck!!!!!!!!!

Awesome

Do you think you could be depressed? You sound like you may be. Sometimes when a person is depressed they cope by eating. Now that you can't "really" eat away the stress, you may be confronting the reasons why you over ate in the first place. Perhaps you should look into therapy. It really helped (helps) me. Good luck!

I was at a bar with some really awesome girls from college and their drop dead gorgeous boyfriends on Saturday night. I went to the bathroom and when I was coming back I heard one of my friends ask "where did blah blah go?" her date responded, "The MILF? I think she's in the bathroom."

Me.

The MILF.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

I feel pretty, and sexy, and more confident than I ever have before. GO ME.

4lbs from ONEDERLAND. Determined to get there before Christmas!

Thanks for all your support! This week has been terrible. I'm hanging in there but man has it been difficult. The ex cancelled our membership to the Y already so I have to find a new gym. I am definitely going to get back to the gym soon to work off the stress. Down another 2.5 lbs in the past three days. Le sigh. This is not the way I wanted to loose weight and I know it is going to come back on fast since this is an unhealthy way to loose it. Also, because of the time I had to take off for court I don't have enough time to keep my fill appointment this month, and since I'm so early in the process I have only 1cc in a 10 cc band. I have absolutely no restriction at all. If I fall apart completely and start binging my band couldn't help me now. The earliest appointment available with my surgeon is on Dec 8th. I can't get an appointment with ANYONE except my surgeon for fills and he only does them on Thursday. I wish I had know that before I chose him to do this surgery. Seems silly that a PA or RN OR another Surgeon can't do fills for patients every day....

I still haven't been able to get back into my home to retrieve my belongings or those of my daughter. We left on Oct.15th. I'm pretty bummed about that.

I eat popcorn all the time. But I only have 1cc in a 10 cc band. Maybe that will change when I'm filled tighter. Just don't forget that you won't be having anything to drink with the popcorn. That took some adjusting for me.

Did anyone drop a significant amount of weight and leave a spouse? I realized through the therapy that I did prior to and following surgery that I gained weight due to issues with depression. One of the major reasons I have been depressed was that I was in an unhappy and emotionally, mentally, and financially abusive marriage. Low self esteem and feelings of self loathing plagued me- especially after having a baby and gaining a considerable amount of weight- which my spouse found repulsive and used as a reason to stop having sex with me. So after shedding 70 lbs, gaining a fresh perspective on my self and my reasons for staying in an unhealthy relationship I made the decision to leave. Leaving this 10 year relationship with a small child is quite possibly the most stressful situation I have ever been in. In the past when I was stressed I would turn to food. Now that I have been banded I can't and do not want to deal with stress in the same way (namely binge eating). I've found for the first time in my life I am without any appetite at all. Every time I try to eat my stomach churns and I feel like puking. I've also gotten terrible "bathroom" issues. I've lost close to 20 lbs in the past 3 weeks. On the one hand I am grateful for the weightloss, I'm getting tons of compliments and I dropped down to a size 14 so fast my head is spinning (when banded on June 20th 2011 I was a size 24). I look "normal". But I am a complete wreck. I'd love to hear from some bandsters who went through a divorce after surgery. How did you cope with the stress? Did you have to relearn how to manage your feelings when you couldn't turn to food? How did you do it? I'm going to see my therapist soon, but unfortunately she's booked for the next few weeks during the times I have available. So, in the mean time I could really use some outside support from people who have been there.

I was banded on June 20th of this year. I have a 10cc band. On my first fill I got .04 cc's. Yes you read that correctly LESS THAN 1/2 a cc. And that was 6 weeks post op. Now I went in and the dr. gave me another .06 cc's. That means in total I have 1 cc in my band. I have not been experiencing the "green zone". I am hungry ALL the time. I can, and occasionally still do eat breads.(Though not very often, like once a week.)

I get hungry just a little while after eating my solid Protein. I know that I am following all the rules my dr gave me. No soda, no drinking with meals or 1/2 hour after meals. I am just bummed because I wanted to be further along in the process by now and my weight loss has stalled. I'd really really like to have a more aggressive fill done, but my Dr. flat out refused. He also makes us wait 2 months between fills. So my next fill won't be till November, and at that point I know that he'll try to give me another .05 cc's getting me to 1.5 cc's. YUCK. I think I want to see another dr! Sorry for the rant. I'm going to stop pouting now.

Congrats!!! Onederland! Hope you have a great rest of the month Good luck making your goal.

Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston has a $500 program fee that is NOT covered by insurance. I had to pay it, and it suuuuuucks. I can see why they do it, but I wish they would give it back to you if you keep all your appointments for a year or so.

Hey there Frankie ! Congrats on your surgery. Walking sucks, but it helps you feel better faster. Good for you for doing it. What kind of shakes are you drinking? I just had my first fill today, (I was banded june 20) and I'm back on liquids for 3 days, and mushies for 3 days. I'm pretty sick of the shakes I'm drinking. Good luck on your journey!

Your raspberry is ADORABLE!!! !!!

So happy for you and your hubby! And your other kids! Big families rock!

Did you talk to your OB about losing weight while preggers? I was 220 when I FINALLY got pregnant with my daughter. My OB actively encouraged me to loose weight while pregnant, though, of course I completely ignored her and ate like a humungus cow.

HUGS and you owe me some kleenex too! Super teary eyed here.

What about adding unflavored Protein Powder to sugar free pudding? perhaps with a few strawberries in there? Dessert for breakfast! If you make the pudding with skim milk, and add either unflavored ppowder or choc or vanilla that would probably taste pretty great.

Don't sweat it!!! If you follow your doctors orders the weight will come off! Keep your chin up

My gut is considerable, and I always go with it! I'd say go with yours too. You are right, bad vibes pre-surgery probably will mean bad news post surgery. Explore your other options with other surgeons. Explaining to them that you no longer feel comfortable with this doctor and that you'd like to switch, would they be willing to pick up your care where the other doctor left off or would you have to start from scratch? Good luck!

HOORAY!!!!!!

Mamma, you are so lucky. I had a nutritionist tell me once that many of her overweight clients who have fertility issues become "extremely fertile" immediately after loosing weight. looks like you lost 25 lbs already. Maybe that helped you get preggers.

Anyways, try to enjoy your pregnancy!!! It can be pretty rough, the first three months, but usually the second trimester gets easier for people. Hugs!

I weigh every single day. As soon as I wake up, I use the potty, strip, and weigh. It's my morning routine. It really is helpful for me to "check myself" before I "wreck myself". I am a binge eater, and if I binge it SHOWS the next day. Actual losses take time to appear, but that is okay for me. Just seeing the scale stay the same doesn't bother me, but I am the best at convincing myself that what I eat doesn't have consequences. The scale is a very real reminder that my choices do matter. Anyways, good luck on your journey!

Shut the front door!!! DO you realize how close you are to kissing LB goodbye forever??? You must be salivating. I started at a 24 as well and now I'm in 18's. Your bodytype looks an awful lot like mine. Infact you could be my body double. Have you tried Lee jeans? What about Levi's? I think you should go check them out! I found some fantastic jeans at Kohls in the regular ladies section that are an 18 and they rock.

Hi everyone!

Sort of a personal question but I was just wondering what kind of birth control other banded ladies use? I don't want to have another baby until I am under 200 lbs, and condoms SUCK. Well, actually, they sort of prevent sucking if you know what I mean. Oh man that was crass. Anywho, I just got a prescription for the nuva ring. I've never used it before and am wondering if anyone else has, and what your experience with it was? If you use another form of BC, what do you use and do you find that it causes you to gain weight or loose more slowly?

Thanks, and pardon my crass and somewhat intrusive question!!

A shrug? I used to wear a tank top with a shrug on top, but now I don't give a DAMN about how my arms look. I've come to the conclusion that trying to "disguise" my body doesn't work, I mean people still know I'm fat in long sleeves or in short ones. So, why be miserable and hot when I could be cooler and happy? Self confidence looks better to me personally than elaborate body hiding measures anyways!

Nailed it!!! The soda reference sold me. Everyone else seems to call it "pop". I go to school on the fenway. F'n hate the traffic on longwood. Especially since I live in the burbs and have to commute in for the dr and school. you're luck to be so close!

If you do go to BI, they probably won't cath you, they didn't for me. Though, I am a lady. I have no idea if that makes any difference. I went pee IMMEDIATELY before the surgery. They liked that. You should do that too. And not to be a downer, but if you stay 300 lbs, you'll more likely than not be hospitalized for something pretty serious in the near future. At that point they'll probably invade your commander and you won't have any say over it at all. If you have the surgery, you might prevent a lifetime of bad health and hospitalizations, and insulin injections etc. Also, you'll have better and or probably more sex. so, IMHO, being cathed should be less of a deal breaker, and more of g*Dmnit that sucks bump in the road.

Oh yeah and I hear you about the broke college student thing. I can honestly tell you though, that you will re-coup all expenses from this surgery when you stop doing take out and cook for yourself. Even on the liquid diet you will be spending soooo much less on food. And when I say cook for yourself, I don't mean you'll have to turn into Julia Childs, I just mean a lean cuisine is 2 bucks, and Anna's Taqueria is $7. And a lean cuisine will fill you up, so you won't be starving after it.

MMMMM Anna's. WANNNNNNT.

Anyways, now that I'm drooling, I'm going to bed. Wish me sweet burrito dreams!

Good luck on your journey, and hopefully I'll be hearing from you soon

I was banded June 20th. I've lost 30lbs since then. I DESPERATELY need a fill, because I'm super hungry all the time. This is dieting. I want a fill so I won't FEEL hungry so soon after I eat. So, you are totally not alone. I think you are normal, and loosing normally! Good luck on your fill.

Hi Paul,

1) I stayed overnight at Beth Israel and I DID NOT have to get a cath.

(which is where I went BTW, and maybe you're from Boston or New England, cuz your post SCREAMS Beantown to me)

2) I walked out of the hospital the next day on my own, with my very own bottle of morphine. (I'm allergic to percs, dilauted, and vicodin.)

3) The surgery was more painful than I imagined, but less painful than getting hit by a mac truck!

4) If you have the surgery, you can have carbonated anything ever again. At least not with the doctor that I have. So no beer or soda for me. BUT I can still have a capecodder when I want to drink so that's not so bad.

5) If your a lazy POS before the surgery you *might* change when you start to loose weight. Like, if you feel like crap at 300 lbs, of course your not going to enjoy taking the stairs instead of the elevator. However you might not feel like that when you are 250. You *might* feel good enough to try to start to incorporate more activity. Try standing while you are working on the computer. Then try moving in place while on the computer. Just some things that have worked for me.

6) Fried foods have a ton of calories, and no, we "shouldn't" eat them. BUT, that being said, the lap band allows you to have a little of the food you like and not overeat. Honestly, when was the last time you ordered a pizza and didn't eat the whole thing by the next day at lunch time? I had ONE slice last night and felt like I had thanksgiving dinner!!! AND I lost a pound!

7) I have a deductible. 2K. Awful, right? and I'm an asshat. I went to the dr for the first time in NOVEMBER. I ended up paying hundreds of dollars last year towards my deductible, and because I needed to wait 6 months to have my surgery, I ended up paying AGAIN this year. Don't do what I did. Start now with the doctors and have your surgery before dec. 31! Save some cash!

Good luck!!!

Woah! That's commitment, and faith! No Water during the day, that will be tough eating your meal and then getting in your fluids at least an hour before and after eating. Maybe you should start planning when your going to start drinking your water and your meals. Like will you quickly chug say 30 oz of water right after sundown, and then wait 1/2 or 1 hour and have a meal? Then, wait an hour after your meal, and drink the other 30 oz of water? I'm just wondering if maybe you'll have to adjust your bedtime! And, if you'll be drinking all your fluids right before bedtime, you'll probably be getting less sleep anyways since you'll be hitting the potty!! You're definitely going to loose a ton!

Good luck!!! I am not fasting, but I'm just curious, can you still drink Water during the day? Have a good holiday month!