Alexandra

The foods that go down easy are the ones that dissolve to nothing in your mouth. Have you seen what happens when popcorn gets wet?

Good for you, Lisa. Your friend may have lost weight but she sure isn't going to keep it off that way. I'm wondering who her doctor is and whether the doc thinks she's doing well? It would be fascinating to check back with her in 10 years and see how she's doing!!

Yeeeeha!!! What a great start. Enjoy!!

No rhyme or reason to it for me, at all. I've lost another two sizes since last fall but have lost only 10 more pounds. In the early days it seemed that I didn't stay in a size more than a month or two--thank goodness I didn't buy much!

Hi Glitz, Have you talked with your doctor? Last year I started to have some reflux with a fill I'd had for months, and my doctor thought a slight unfill was in order. Even though nothing had changed that I knew of, clearly something had and I wasn't willing to risk anything getting worse. The good news is that even with the unfill I didn't gain any weight. It's not the fill that's keeping you where you are, it's YOU. If your pain and discomfort continues for lont you may end up avoiding the healthier foods in favor of soft stuff that's low in nutrition and high in calories. That's what I was heading for this last time (I've had another fill and unfill since last year, too). You don't want to play around with your esophageal health. I think a call to your doctor is in order. Even an unfill of a few tenths of a cc can make a difference!

Hi Grammi, Every doctor's office is different and unfortunately they're not often in as much of a rush as their patients are. In lots of cases, though, the surgery date is actually chosen before the request for precertification is even submitted. Sorry I don't have any concrete suggestions for you. Keep pestering them, I guess!

Wow, Isa, two surgeries in two days? You're a braver person than I. Good luck with everything and be sure to let us know how it goes!

If weight loss creates a changed attitude then certainly, the changed attitude may change the relationship. That follows, of course, and changes can be for better or worse on either partner's part. There are lots of stories of the partner who lost the weight suddenly deciding he or she can "do better" than their current spouse. My point is that whether the attitude changes for better or worse and the relationship itself can't survive, I don't think it's sufficient to "blame" it on weight loss. There are other problems at work there.

It's the last Wednesday of the month, people, and that means it's support group time! Tomorrow's meeting is at 7:00 p.m. at the Florham Park offices of Drs. Abkin & Bertha. Hope to see you there!!

Bumping this again to remind folks of the banding support group meeting on Wednesday the 30th of March at 7:00 p.m. in Florham Park. PM me if you're interested in directions. Hope everyone's enjoying the weather!

DUH!! Holy cow! You'd think this was my first visit to these boards. I must have read his post a million times and I just couldn't see where his age was mentioned!! Man, do I feel like a moron. Mommy brain, my eternal excuse.

Qwinner, I know what you're saying and totally see your point. You're right that the physical side of a romantic relationship may very well improve after one partner's weight loss. And there's nothing wrong with that! But you hit the nail right on the head when you said "Do I think he loves me more now? No." That's the crux of the matter. You, and he, have successfully identified the line between physical attraction and romantic love. Lots of people think they're close to being the same thing, and that's where the problems lie.

How is your friend doing now? Has she kicked the junk-food habit? If she doesn't change that at all the weight is probably going to come back on, if slowly. (Chatrooper, how do you know Maxwellbart05 is 18?)

Wow, that is so cool!! It's a fantasy of mine, too, to be lifted up by my husband. It's pretty amazing now that I can sit on his lap without breaking his legs!! Something other people do with/for one another without batting an eyelash is an enormous victory for the formerly morbidly obese. Ain't banded life grand?

I think Tina's right. You'll hear lots of stories about relationships that did change, but those are the ones that weren't destined to be forever anyway. If a weight loss (or gain!) is enough to deep-six a long-term relationship, well, it was already in the cards.

The carbonation in champagne doesn't bother me, for some reason. I guess the smaller bubbles are what make the difference. I've also had a beer or two over the last 18 months and they didn't bother me then, either. But the carbonation in soda or sparkling Water just kills me -- it's really uncomfortable.

That does sound awesome, Kirsten! Is there any access to fills for people enrolled? That would be a fantastic resource for people banded elsewhere if there were!

Hi Lisa, The amount of excess skin one has after weight loss is largely a matter of heredity and age as well as the amount of weight lost. It's also a matter of perception. What's "lots" of extra skin? Whether you feel your body is acceptable after you lose weight is something only you can decide. There are no magic tricks. Exercise will help tone up the muscles under your skin, but it can't do anything about your skin itself. And if there were really a cream out there that could make any difference, we'd all know about it.

Hi Tmarie, The band is a tool to help us restrict our caloric intake. As long as restricting caloric intake helps with weight management the band can help keep us healthy. That is, as long as no one changes the rules of physics on us. Sounds like a good bet to me!

Hi Flower, Yes, the sad fact is that many insurers still exclude weight loss surgery, the band, or both. I think as time goes by more and more carriers will include it in their accepted treatments, but for now it's hit and miss. That's usually the reason people go to Mexico or other places for surgery. As far as fills go, if your insurer covers the surgery they should also cover at least the first year of adjustments. Without proper adjustment the band simply won't work, so the fills are part and parcel of the treatment as a whole. There may be a point beyond which they will stop paying, but only time will tell us that.

Pati, you are doing GREAT!! First of all, you have a total to lose of only 65 lbs, so there's no question it's going to come off slower. You just don't have that far to go! Second, you've lost 23 lbs in about 12 weeks--that's about 2 lbs a week or, in other words, EXACTLY what you want to be losing. Also, if you're exercising you probably are adding muscle to your frame, which translates to being heavier. The numbers LIE, girl! You're losing body fat and trimming and toning by all that exercise. Can you feel it in your clothes? Your stamina? Your energy level? CHILL! You're doing wonderfully and in another few months you will wonder what you were worried about.

How do you say Congratulations and Good Luck in Arabic? April 5 will be here before you know it! Here's hoping for an uneventful surgery and a quick recovery.

I agree with Pam. With a band that is adjusted to provide restriction, it would be a challenge to eat enough calories to not lose weight--at least in the beginning. If you don't get your band adjusted properly, all bets are off since most people can pretty much eat whatever they want. As time goes on and your body adjusts to a lower number of calories, though, the weight loss will stop unless you commit to following MOST of the rules, MOST of the time (though gaining would still take effort, I think). But if we're not willing to participate in our own rebirth, why get banded?

I would only do something like that if I had my doctor's blessing. Otherwise, nuh-uh. There's too much at stake to risk any problems, the least of which would be your doctor potentially dropping you as a patient (though I doubt he'd do that, even if he wouldn't be too thrilled with you).

Good god. What a trek down barf alley!! Umm...I like russian dressing on cottage cheese; maple syrup on ham or sausage; Fritos in tomato Soup. None of these are gross to me, of course. You'd never catch me putting anything in my milkshake!! I never mess with perfection.