sophrosyne

I like my guys a bit on the beefy side, substantial and just starting to run to pudge. Built for comfort, not for speed. Athletic builds, like runners, are way too slim. And skinny? I'd be afraid I'd break them. I also think women should be curvy, not stick-like. :huggie:

Yeah, Greeks are the same way. And then they wonder why the kids have obesity problems. (And I say this as a member of a large Greek family). I didn't realized how ingrained that mindset was, until I almost did the same thing to my daughter. We'll be nipping that one in the bud, thank you!

I never thought I equated food with love, until I had a baby. And I noticed that I was feeding her, to show her love. Good thing I caught that in time. To be angry if someone refuses your food - you should work on that. They're not refusing you, or turning you away, they're just refusing food. They don't need to take some to be polite. They're perfectly within their rights to refuse it, and it is not a personal affront. My mom's got the same problem. Part of the reason why I wound up so fat. The cake thing, however, was just rude. I can see why you'd be upset about that.

What about trying shashimi? It's like sushi, but without the rice.

Is it worth it? With the long-term complications, like erosion and gastro-esophageal problems, is it worth it? I was all set to get a band, until I was reading about the long-term problems on the board. They seem pretty common for those who have been banded 2+ years. And I just got off Prilosec. Don't want to spend the rest of my life back on it. Is it worth it? I'm having second thoughts. Has anyone just gotten banded for under 2 years and then had the band removed once the weight goal was attained?. I'm at 41 BMI, about 100 lbs to lose, so it's not as if my life depends on it - yet. Am I better off doing it and getting it removed? Not doing it at all? I'm so confused!

More and more HMOs are covering the surgery. I too have a 41 BMI and about 100 lbs. to lose. I'm going to try replacing a meal a day with a Protein Shake, and see how that works out. If I can do it at all, without a band, I'll give it a shot. What I was reading on the board today kinda shook me.

Why stop at three? Harrison Ford George Clooney Brad Pitt Michael Greyeyes Angeline Jolie

I had heard that banding can cure GERDS, but then I noticed a bunch of posts about stomach erosion, reflux, etc. How does the band affect GERD? Does the band help mask stomack symptoms until they get so bad, you have stomach erosion? Can they do an endo before they insert the band, to make sure everything's okay? I had a c-section last year, and have dealt with a lot of the same side effects I've been hearing about the banding - gas, no poop, gurgling tummy, not being able to swallow food, etc. All of which have lessened over time. And, as a bonus, the GERD seems to have vanished post-op. And I don't want it back. Except now my tummy's gurgling.

A woman at work went to Dr. Paya and she loves him. She's lost 89 lbs. since last January, and has had no problems with her band. She said that the pre-op liquid diet was 3 days when she did it, but she's heard it's down to 1 day now. And she was back on mushies within a couple weeks post-op. She loves her band. I'm going to call my HMO PCP and try to start the process this week.

There's another thread on here that's very informative about fills. It says, basically, that as you lose weight, your stomach shrinks. And as it shrinks, you need another fill to keep the band tight.

How do they do fills, what does it feel like, does it hurt?

Thanks. Yeah, I was diagnosed with GERD many years ago (stomach valve wouldn't close). After my c-section, it went away. It's been 11 months since my c-section, and I'm just starting to get back to normal. (They took out most of my organs and removed a tumor as well as the baby, before stuffing the organs back in). Is it too soon to have another operation or should it be okay?

Thanks. That was really helpful!

What's up with the pre-op diets? The dr. that does banding out here only has you do a liquid pre-op diet for - it used to be 3 days, now it's 1 day. Why do some drs. insist on weeks of liquid dieting pre-op? Heck, if I could stay on a liquid diet for weeks at a time, I wouldn't need the banding!

I was just wondering about clothes. I'm in the process of getting a referral for the banding. Please include me in the group. I'm currently wearing 20-22, but I also have bags of 18 and I'm looking forward to getting to the point where all of them will be too big and I can ship them to someone else.