Sombra1718

I have been working toward getting banded for almost a year...3 month diet...sleep studies, CPap machine (huge, huge problem for me), EKGs, blood work. There was a long period between that I feel like I lost the motivation to continue eating right and I haven't been exercising but I desperately need this surgery. I weigh 350lbs, I am in pain mentally and physically and I feel like my whole life depends on this. But I am scared...am I going to have problems with my band for the rest of my life after I get it...always in pain or always desperate to eat? I am determined to do this even if it kills me but I am afraid...please give me some hope.

I have gone back to the sleep center and told them that it leaks. They thought the fit was good and didn't think much of the fact that I have to sleep sitting up.

Luckily I only have very mild sleep apnea. The Dr. said that if it wasn't for the insurance I wouldn't even need the machine. It seems more of a formality at this point. But I will definitely hold onto the machine till I don't need it. The Dr. told me that with just a little weight loss the apnea should go away.

Now there is an idea!

It has been over a year since I started working toward my surgery. I started very motivated and did well on the required three month diet. Did all of the heart tests and sleep studies and nutritionist consultations. But what has kept me from getting the surgery for so long was the two months of CPAP machine use that has been required of me. I tried it and freaked out and it took me months to finally start wearing it. In the meantime so much of my motivation was lost...but not quite all of it. I have been wearing the CPAP for a month with another month to go. Sleeping is not happening too much and the only way to actually sleep is sitting up in bed so the mask won't leak. But I am still doing it and I will finish my two months and use the machine after surgery as ordered...and then I am going to take a flaming bat to the machine. I'm barely holding on but I am still getting there. I'm so glad I have all of you for support...I think that may be why I'm still going.

Be able to run without fear of breaking my leg in half Cross my legs and look comfortable doing so Get back onto a swim team Climb a ladder or stand on a chair and not break them Never have my mom worry about me breaking her new furniture Learn every kind of dance I can Have kids

I am not yet banded but will be in a month or so. But so far I have lost 20lbs on my 3 mo pre-op diet. I had to drastically change my diet from my crazy binging ways to three reasonable meals per day with the protein and veggies and fruit and all that. So far it has not been too bad. I cleaned out all of the junk food from my house and always go to the store with a list and stick to the list. You say you can eat what you always ate but maybe you need to try staying away from the things that you used to eat for a while and find new recipes that are healthy. I don't know if you are exercising now or not but that really makes a huge, huge difference.

I am going to be banded soon and also have many tattoos...most in places that shouldn't stretch too much (I hope) but even if they do stretch there are always tattoo artists out there who are awesome and can find a way to fix it up even if it means changing it or going over it.

Thank you I never even thought about doing an actual online journal. I will definitely look into that. I guess I should clarify that I am looking to buy a food log that I can write in by had. Something I can carry around in my super big purse haha. I looked on amazon and didn't see anything that great and the same with ebay.

Ok so this is a pretty random question but I was wondering if anyone has come across a good weight loss food log/journal anywhere online? I need one to write down what I eat and track exercise and all that good stuff. I have even heard of journals made especially for weight loss surgery patients. So I would love to know where yall got your journals? Thanks!

I have not been banded yet but will be here in a few months. I am 24 and have no kids and have not dated in over a year and a half. My feelings are that I do not want to date until I have a handle on my weight situation and understand my band. I do believe that if someone comes along and they seem like the right person I would give it a go but I really don't want to date right now. I feel like there are a lot of stereotypes for bigger girls the worst of which is "bigger girls are easy" and that is an awful horrible thing to say about anyone but it seems like a lot of men believe it. I would rather avoid all that junk altogether if possible. I also feel that in my situation particulary it is unfair to bring all of my problems and struggles into a relationship. But that is just me.

I really hope all of you get to your goals. I get so excited when I am watching the youtube videos and people hit their 100lbs mark or their other goals. I probably look like a dork talkin the the computer screen. I have a very hard time believeing I will be successful and loose all the weight I need to lose but I am going to try harder at this than anything else I have ever done.

Thanks so much you guys. It seems like the throwing up part is different for different people. I guess with that I am just scared that I will make my band slip or something...like what if you get the stomach flu? I'm one of those people that throwing up is really hard to do so when I do get sick my whole body is sore after because it strains all the muscle...hopefully the band will change that. Does the food that has already moved through the band ever come up? And with the question about being full...I guess my problem is (and I don't have the band yet...hopefully in May) that I get slightly hungry sometimes...but when I do eat...even if it is a lot I don't have an actual full feeling...but at the same time I am no longer hungry...so it pretty much feels the same the whole time. I think if you don't really get hungry often and when you do eat and you don't get full there is no way to be satisfied. But hopefully the band will give me a distinction.

I have been watching a lot of lapband journeys on youtube and I ended up having the following questions: I noticed that people don't talk about how they feel after eating as in depth as I thought they would: What does it feel like after eating the 1/2 cup of food? What does it feel like to be full? What does it feel like to be stuck? What does it feel like before you throw up? What does it feel like when you are throwing up? What does it feel like when you drink Water and if you drink it too fast? I also have not seen much from people who have actually reached goal: How do people deal with reaching goal? Currently (probably because I am barely starting to live the lifestyle) I imagine that when I reach goal I might be the person to say, "OK I can enjoy myself a bit now and if I gain a few lbs its OK because I can lose it again." But then I will get out of control and gain it all back. What is the thought process like once a person reaches goal? What is it like to stay on maintenance? How do you exercise during matinence? For example if you do 2 hours of exercise per day while loosing weight do you have to continue to do that much exercise during maintenance to keep the weight off or do you pull it back a bit so you don't continue to loose weight? I know everyone is different but I would like to hear the individual experiences so that I can get an idea of what could possibly happen to me.

Yes swimming does sound like the answer now...I will have to find an indoor pool. I used to be a competitve swimmer when I was younger and can't wait to swim like that again. Thanks for the help guys.

So I am still on the pre-op diet and am getting into the exercising. My issue is that my knee which has never given me any problems before keeps getting stiff and sore and it pops the whole time I walk. This is the biggest I have ever been and since I have never had problems I am assuming that the weight is the issue. I don't want to mess my knee up for life...so does anyone know what I should do to baby my knee until I loose more weight and there is not so much pressure on it?

I think you are absolutely doing the right thing. I am getting this surgery because I know that if I don't my weight will eventually kill me. I think it is more dangerous to keep the weight than to get the surgery. And as for your sister telling you to think of your son...she should realize that is what you are doing...your quality of life and his will be better and again...it is more likely that you will die from something else weight related than the surgery itself.

The cheat sheet said something about eating bites the size of a pencil eraser. Is that really the size of a bite that most of you take?

Ah yes...those were some of the things I DID do: I didn't snack and I ate what I took for breakfast...it was just the big cooked meals that messed me up. I was able to stay with just one portion per meal but the portions were too big. But this was my first time away from home while I'm trying to learn these new habits. I guess if you really look at it I didn't do that horribly.

How do you control yourself when you spend days away from home. I ask because I went to spend four days at my parent's house and I even took my own food with me but I still ended up eating what my mother cooked instead. That lead to bigger portions and foods that I have been trying to wean myself off of before my surgery. I know self control is the biggest part of this or so it seems...but I was wondering what yall tell yourselves when your faced with these situations?

I am surprised to see this post because it is the same questions I have been asking myself lately. I don't know if you are the same as me but I always ate so much that I was never hungry (and rarely full). I have such bad cravings (but not stomach hunger pains) that I would eat constantly. I think that is what they are calling head hunger and I'm getting into threapy for it. But so far I am doing really good with my pre-op diet. I have been writing out my own menu every week before I go shopping and only buy what I need. And space my meals out the way people normally do.

I have not been banded yet so I can't tell you anything about the band but I have always been good at keeping my workouts interesting. It sounds like you have been doing the same work outs? Maybe you need to look at other ways to work out. Go get a workout dvd that teaches you to dance at the same time. Swimming can be very fun or learning to swim if you don't know already. Sometimes you can join swimming groups which helps you be motivated. Walk in different places than you already have. Try the different classes they give at gyms. I like to watch tv when I use my equipment...so I don't get bored staring at the wall. Getting competitive makes things way more interesting. Hope that gives you some ideas for the exercise part.

So I am doing my pre-op diet right now and so far so good (amazingly) but I have a ton of questions so here they are and there will be more. How big of a piece of food can get stuck in the belt. I know we aren't supposed to eat rice but could something the size of a grain of rice get stuck? If something gets stuck do I have to go to the Dr. right away or wait and see what happens? What can I do to help myself if something is stuck? What should I NOT do? When I sip water how long do I have to wait in between sips? How much liquid qualifies as a sip? If I take too big of a sip what will happen? I have been practicing chewing and my jaw is so sore. Will that stop eventually? What causes an erosion at the band area? Is there anything that I can do to avoid that? If I bump my port on something will it hurt? What are some ideas for bevarages to get my water intake but still have flavor? What are some good tasting protein drinks or recipies for them? Thanks so much you guys!

I am so relieved to hear that and so happy for you. I am afraid that I might find a way to bing and do it but so far I am having urges (only a couple weeks into pre-op diet) but I am controlling them. I have gotten a recomendation for a therapist who works with eating disorders and started OA so I think I will be able to handle it.

I have not had my psych eval. yet but I asked my surgeon what the psychologist will be looking for and what would cause them to report that you are not right for lap band. She said that mostly they are looking for suicidal thoughts and past attempts. Also that the person has the mental stability to handle the big changes of lap band. She told me not to stress about it.