JerseyGirl80

Suzanne, The band is not a cop out, not cheating and definitely not taking the easy way out. I felt this way once too. For years I thought, "oh I could do it myself, I wouldn't dare get surgery, that's cheating, it's just for lazy fat people.." and all that hesitation, stubbornness and lack of education did was pack on another 110lbs in 10 years. but after failing repeatedly at dieting, years of gaining and losing I finally decided to READ ALOT, get educated about myself, my body and the procedure and talk to some doctors. The band is a tool. not a magic pill.. The only thing the band is doing is making us feel fuller faster, it keeps us from over eating giving us no room to pig out, and it mentally helps steer us in the right direction in making every bite count towards nutrition, not pleasure (for me it does, but everyone is different). It doesn't make our decisions for us, it doesn't cook us healthy meals and it definitely doesn't pick us up and force us to work out (too bad it doesn't lol). It takes work and determination. Does it make it a little easier than doing it on our own?, for me yes and for a lot of us YES! And you ask how humiliating would it be to fail with the lap band? it just might be. None of us know for certain if we will fail or not, but we give it our all, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For me the 50/50 chance was worth it, because my only other option was 100% failure if I tried AGAIN on my own. For me it's less humiliating to try my hardest with this band, then to sit around getting fatter, or to struggle on my own just to keep failing anyway. You have to be completely in this emotionally, mentally and intellectually before you make a decision. I wouldn't listen to negative things people have to say, people always shoot down things they don't understand, like the struggle with weight loss and what the lap band really means. Do this for you, no one else. Good luck to you!

I am glad that I did it now, sometimes I just wish I was ready to do this 5 years ago. The time comes for each us when we know we are ready for this, some sooner than later. The only thing that matters now is what we do from today on. Good luck to you Carol!

I've only had my band 5 weeks today, so I may even regret saying this, but so far the only thing I would have done different is that I would have gotten it done much sooner. I feel so cheated of my 20s, I spent all of them struggling to lose weight to just feel normal and to fit in when I should have been enjoying my life. All I really did was lose and gain, lose and gain only to end up packing on another 110lbs in 10 years. It's just so depressing even thinking about it. But for once I am hopeful for the future. I've lost 17 pounds since surgery and 28 pounds total since the beginning of this journey, and I never would have done that without the band. For the first time ever I feel like it's possible to lose this weight. The best part about this, if unfortunately it really doesn't work for me in the long run, I can get it removed. And well, maybe I won't be able to eat certain things for a while, or maybe never again, but who cares, my happiness and life are more important than pizza or french fries.. So I really have nothing to regret since surgery, so far.

I was excited in the beginning so I told a lot more people. I don't feel ashamed about it because I understand what the procedure is, and I understand my problem with food and my other medical problems. Unlike most people, I know I can't just "put the fork down and work out" I need more than that. Having this surgery actually makes me feel better about being fat, because I know I'm doing something about it. It's more embarrassing for me to just sit there being fat and making no attempt to better myself. Now I pick and choose who I tell and who I talk about it with. I've heard a lot of negative things from people that just don't understand what struggling with weight is like. So I don't waste my time explaining myself to ignorant people. I've also heard a lot of positive things. But then there are people like my family, who have just acted like I was telling them about the weather, they'd just brush it off continue talking about themselves as if I've said nothing. So now I'm careful, I talk to my boyfriend, his family (his mom and sister are WLS patients, his mom has the band, his sister the bypass) and I talk to a few close friends about it. And down the road, if anyone asks about it I'll tell them, but until then, those who already know are the only ones that need to know.

I'm not a nurse but I am in health care. I'm a medical coder, so from reading charts and having alot of medical knowledge, it may have pushed me a little more towards getting the surgery. When I see patient charts (on a daily basis) that are extremely over weight, suffering from co-morbidities and on tons of medications and they are only in their 40's or 50's it's really frightening. I see them getting CABG's or I see that they are on dialysis and this scares the hell out of me, I don't want to be there one day because of something I did to myself. From having both of my parents die too young from diseases that could have been avoided was also another big push in this direction. My mother was in a nursing home at 52 wearing a diaper, paralyzed on one side from strokes, she had diabetes and early stage dementia, all caused by years of eating garbage, being morbidly obese and smoking. Suffering in a nursing home for 5 years at that age is not the way to go. My father was always sick from years of having a terrible diet, drinking and not controlling his high blood pressure. Having a massive heart attack at 67 and having it cause end stage renal failure and dying 8 months later just seems too young for me and something I want to avoid, if I can. So to me, having the medical backround and knowledge of the procedure did help me make the decision to do this. I'm actually surprised more people in the medical field don't do it. From seeing first hand the damage the weight and unhealthy lifestyle can to do a body, it's a wonder more of us don't get scard straight, or scared skinny... Knowing what this procedure can do and how it's done and all that other stuff was enough for me to get up and do it.

I have a hard time finding tastey healthier creamy dressings or dips. So tonight I made my own. Kinda tates like a creamy ranch dressing. I cut up cucumbers and tomatoes and just used it as a dip. I also dipped my grilled chicken in it, I thought it was pretty good. I don't measure when cooking so I apoligize for this technically not being an exact recipe. Just add seasonings to desired taste. I used.. Parsley flakes (I might use fresh pasley next time) Pepper Garlic Powder Onion Powder Low Sodium Adobo 365 brand low fat organic sour cream (from Whole Foods) 2tbsp has.. 40 calories 2.5 grams of fat 2 carbs 0 dietary fiber 2 grams Protein

I lost 13lbs my first week after surgery. And who cares if some of it was Water, it's 13lbs I'm not lugging around anymore, that's as heavy as a big bag of cat food just to put it in perspective lol, so I'll take it! =) Although my weight loss has been slow moving since then and I would up putting 5 pounds on after I went to mushies (over Christmas and New Years) but I've lost that and a little more since then, thankfully. So far I'm happy with what I've lost. And you should be too, 15lbs lost is great, congratulations!

I believe generally most doctors say 2 weeks liquid, 2 weeks mushy, then start slowly adding solids during weeks 4 and 5. Every Doctor is different, every patient is different. My Doc had this rule, but he let me start "mushies" 4 days early and his definition of mushy seemed to differ from alot of others that I've seen on here. I was told "anything you could mash up with my fork is ok" and he also said "just stay away from anything that walks on land for a while and you'll be fine, just chew really well" So that's what I did, if I ate something that might not have been really mushy, I chewed it until it was liquefied. I may have eaten things that I shouldn't have, but I was fine. I also started eating solids a little sooner than week 4, and I'm fine and my doctor was fine with this. Every BODY is different and it seems every Doctor has different ways of doing things. I would tell any one else to stick to the diets their doctors and nutritionists recommend as they know what's best for you.

You're the Mommy so you have to defend and protect your child, break the cycle. People can just be so down right mean! I think with your positive attitude and new healthy lifestyle, she'll be just fine and so will you. =)

Hi Cam, I think it's great what you are doing with your daughter, most people don't realize how traumatizing it is for a child to be harassed or ridiculed about their weight, it's so heartbreaking. I was also an obese child, luckily I wasn't teased as much as other kids were, but I knew I was different and was reminded of it everyday. Your approach, I think, is the best thing, no one needs to be made to feel bad about being overweight, what we need is guidance and knowledge about nutrition. You're gonna do great! We almost have the same "birthday" lol I was banded Dec 13th. Good luck to you on your journey!

Anything that doesn't involve a cover-up, like a big sweater or sweat jacket to "cover up" my back fat and belly lol.. To be comfortable in just a tank top, a cute top or even just a t-shirt without covering up would be awesome. Oh, and sexy high heels! I'd love to be able to wear those again without feeling like I was going to keel over and die from the pain! I miss feeling sexy! Love this post BTW!

Wow 32lbs already?! That's awesome, Congratulations!

From doing Weight Watchers over and over again for so many years, it's what I'm comfortable with. Although I'm technically not counting points, I probably wouldn't meet my required amount anyway because I can't eat that much. But I use it as a guide, if I know something is "high in points" I won't eat it or I'll have very little of it depending on what it is. I try to mostly stay high protein and veggie, low fat, low carb (by mostly avoiding or having very little breads, pasta and rice), and definitely avoiding any liquid calories, I also have light healthy snacks when I'm hungry in between meals. I tried counting calories since that seems to really be working for alot of us, but I have a hard time with it. I forget to check packages, it's hard to count calories if you are eating out or eating at someones house, packaged meats don't always have nutritional guidelines. I just can't be bothered with searching online for what the content might be for every little thing. If I could do these things I wouldn't have the weight problem that I have now. Kudos to all that are doing it that way! I'm just starting to lose weight so I don't know if my way of eating will work for long, I know my body can't handle sugars/carbs, but that's just me. So, so far so good with what I'm doing.

Hi Wanna, Every BODY is different as to what we can tolerate after surgery, some can't eat meats, some can, some can't do bread, some can. You really won't know until you are in it. Remember that the band is a tool to help us eat less and steer us in the direction of making healthier choices, it doesn't lock our jaws shut when it sees cake flying into our mouths, even though it would be nice if it did lol. It's there to help us make every bite count as nutrition, not pleasure. Can you eat cake, chips and all the things that comfort you, sure you can, but should you? It's ultimately your choice as to what you put in your mouth. I honestly think it's impossible to avoid these things forever, for me anyway. So if it's my birthday I might have a sliver of my cake and that's it, a few bites enough to taste it, instead of 2 giant pieces that day, and then some more on the next day, like I used to. My "comfort" food cravings have almost disappeared since my surgery (Dec 13th 2010) once I stopped eating garbage, my "need" for these things isn't there anymore, my food fantasies are gone, as of now. Sure I might want certain things from time to time, but it's not worth it to me, and plus, this is the best part.. I don't have any room to eat them in the quantities I used to, even if I tried! And FYI they make fat free chips if you need to have a handful from time to time. Getting the band isn't the end of eating, it's the beginning of fixing terrible destructive habits that have lead to us having so many other problems. If I have anything "bad" to eat I look at it as a treat and it's rare that I have them, but I sooo enjoy them more (in very small amounts) than I did when I was eating them every day. This is an emotional, physical, mental, life changing thing and you have to want it more than anything. It has to be more important that indulging. Research your butt off before you make your decision, this site is wonderful and full of all sorts of helpful things. Good luck to you!

Congratulations! I was banded on Dec 13th, my first fill is Jan 18th. Good luck!

It's normal not to lose after the first week. The first month or so is all about healing. Most people don't really start losing until they start getting fills, so don't worry. Every BODY is different and we all lose and heal at different paces. My surgery was Dec 13th, I lost 13lbs that first week and haven't lost anything since. I even gained 5 over Christmas and New Years and had to work that off, so now I'm back to a 13lb weight loss since surgery. This is very discouraging as I was originally hoping for a bigger loss, but it's a loss so I'll take it and be happy with it, for now. I know we have to be patient and the band will eventually start working harder for us so we won't have to struggle as much as we are right now. Losing weight isn't going to happen over night, and just because we have a band doesn't mean weight is just going to fall off. Until we find our "sweet spot" with our fills it's entirely up to us to watch what we eat and to exercise. And I know that's even more frustrating because if we could really do that on our own we wouldn't have gotten a band in the first place. Even though you are hardly eating, the body thinks it's starving and just starts storing instead of burning, that could explain the limited weight loss. Give it time, have patience, we've come this far, the weight will start dropping before you know it. I'm finding many Doctors don't tell patients about the in between period where it's all about healing, then about what we are doing and not really about the band right away. I found a lot of important helpful missing information on this website. So keep reading, keep posting questions and get as much feed back as you can from other bandsters, and your Doctor. Just keep in mind you probably wouldn't have lost that weight without the band. I think losing 14lbs in a month is a success let alone the 2 weeks you lost it in, so be excited about that, it's awesome! Just hang in there!

Hi Sandy, welcome. I was banded Dec 13th. Hope you are doing well.

Congratulations! This is exciting to hear as I have the same starting weight. I can't wait to get there too one day!

Congratulations!

If you have thinning hair try Nioxin and definitely the Biotin, they have liquid and pills that dissolve. 2 friends of mine, 1 male 1 female have used Nioxin and swear by it. They weren't having thinning hair troubles due to weight loss but I don't think it really matters, they saw a major improvement. My male friend noticed premature thinning and my female friend suffered from over plucking-eyebrow-itis lol, her brows hadn't grown right in years. But after using it for maybe a few months his hair got thicker and her brows grew in. it's pricey but they seem to think it was worth it. You can find it online and in salons. For dry skin, Aveeno in shower oil is amazing, it's not greasy like others can be and has a nice almondy scent to it. I had really bad poison ivy all over my body a few years ago and once it cleared I was left with really bad scaly skin. After about a week of using it I was softer than I ever was before. Now it's a staple in my shower. Their line of lotions are pretty great too, I like their oil lotion, it's moisturizing, not greasy and smells so good. I get very dry in the winter and it makes my skin feel like silk. I also use Jergens ultra healing lotion, which in my opinion is probably the best lotion I've ever used (and I've used ALOT of products) I usually recommend this to people because there's no scent so it's great if you are sensitive to fragrances. Recently I tried St. Ives soothing oatmeal and Shea butter lotion, I love it, and it smells so yummy. Hope this helps, good luck!

YAY! I'm so happy everything worked out. Be safe out there.

Have you tried gas-x strips? They helped me get some of the gas out easier. If that doesn't or hasn't worked for you I'd ask your Doc if there was anything else you could take. But the best is walking around or maybe moving your arms around in pin-wheels (sounds silly) but it can get things moving. The gas is the worst, I'm sorry you're feeling it right now, but it'll be gone before you know it! Feel better soon!

This is such an exciting time! I've been banded a month so I'm a little ahead of you. Good luck tomorrow!

I have lean cuisines, healthy choice or smart ones with a small side salad during my "in between" grocery shopping days. Most of the time I like to cook, but when there's no time or nothing to make, they are the perfect lunch or dinner for me. My nutritionst said they were ok to have, just to limit them because of the sodium.

hi Amber, This happened me too. Once they started healing they were itching me like crazy and I irritated them, they got red/purplish and puffy. I'm 4 weeks post-op and they still get a little itchy sometimes. I wouldn't worry too much, but you know your body best and if they don't seem right maybe you should have your regular Doc just take a look.