Alexandra

YES, YES, YES, YES, YES. My "goal" was to lose weight, and by that measure I have reached goal. I don't care what the charts say or what my BMI is. All I care about is that I have more stamina, energy, grace, and a totally brightened future because I weigh 120 lbs less than I did three years ago. Someone else with a BMI of 30+ might feel that WLS was a big waste of time, but when someone who started at 48 gets down that far it is anything BUT a waste. Holy cow, would I do it again? YES, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES. :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Personally, I do not have an addictive personality. Or possibly I did when I was younger, but somehow outgrew it. I was able to quit both smoking and drinking cold-turkey without any withdrawals or regrets, and while I hate smoking now I am able to drink just a little without wanting to over-indulge. In my younger days I partook of both with abandon and thought I'd have trouble quitting, but was surprised to find that I wasn't addicted after all. Thank goodness, because my mother was as addictive as they come. She drank and smoked herself to death and I know people worried that I was going to do the same. But whatever gene it is that malfunctioned in her didn't do so in me to the same extent. Was my overeating a re-channeling of those addictions? I honestly don't think so. I believe my metabolism is genetically skewed to make me obese, PLUS my early upbringing taught me that enough was never enough. I was taught to hoard and cornered into gluttony through forced deprivation. I can't recall ever thinking I was really addicted to any particular foodstuff, and even my attraction to ice cream waxes and wanes over time. So sure, it's possible to be addicted to food and get morbidly obese as a result. But it's also possible to NOT have an addictive personality, and still get morbidly obese. Food is food, and too much is no good.

That sure sounds like it, Wheetsin, but the question is why would this occur to you out of the blue since you're not yet banded? How very odd. I wonder if stress alone can do this? Edited to add: One occurrence does not GERD make. Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease is, by definition, a chronic, frequently occurring condition. You may very well have had an incidence of reflux, just one, for whatever reason, and that's not anything to worry about.

I guarantee you, LOTS of people have had this happen. Not a problem.

Strawarts, you have quite the way with words!! This experience is unforgettable, which is why it's such effective behavior modification. I think it's worse for those of us who have a natural disinclination to vomiting; before banding I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I vomited in the last 30 years. So after banding it took my body a lot of time to accept that sometimes, things that don't go down simply have to come up. There were two particularly bad EPGSHFLYADV episodes before I learned to let go more easily of what was bothering me. So rest assured, it's unlikely to happen again. Whether it's your mind or your body hanging on, after this event you'll probably be able to eject the bothersome morsel with a bit more ease. You poor dear!! Welcome to bandland, for real. :hug:

Leenerbups, the silicone in the band absolutely cannot leach into your system; it's an inert, solid substance. Of course, you should discuss your medical issues at length wth the doctors, but this at least I am quite sure about. (It's a question asked at almost every pre-op seminar I attend, and the doctors always say the same thing.) Bottom line: Some auto-immune and connective-tissue disorders may be issues when it comes to banding, it totally depends on the specific circumstances. This is not a question that can be adequately addressed on a support board. TALK TO YOUR DOCTORS.

No kidding!! Sorry everyone, I'm just seeing this now. On it.

Congratulations on your size 12, NewSho! You may find your body shrinking even more as time goes on, whether you lose more weight or not. I've had that happen--things that fit me last fall are now too big, even though I haven't lost any weight in that time. Guess I'm shaping up, or something!

For me, "full" and "satisfied" were two different things for a long time. It really took me a good year to totally internalize the fact that my band was doing me a FAVOR when it made me stop eating after a small amount. I had to listen to my body tell me that it really was no longer hungry, and learn to accept that this has to be my satisfaction point. It did happen, and now I'm happy to say it's easier than ever to stop eating when I'm done. But I won't kid you and say it happened immediately. This was one of the hardest things to learn, and I know I'm not alone when I say that.

I've been here longer than almost anyone, and I don't have a niche! What am I doing wrong?

I missed only three days of work when I had the surgery, Wednesday through Friday, and since it was summer all I had to do was take a couple of vacation days. Long weekends in summer are not at all uncommon where I work, so no one thought anything of it. The recovery is so quick that by Monday I was just a little stiff, and no one noticed anything I was eating (or not eating, as the case may be). The weight came off slowly enough that I think it's possible they might not realize I had anything done. I'd only been there just over a year and had just had a baby when I started working there. They didn't realize I was losing the weight of a lifetime, as opposed to just pregnancy weight.

So you lost 30 lbs and were, at that point, only 30 lbs overweight and your apnea was not improved? So why does your doc think doing so again would help this time? At what point would he expect to see an improvement due to weight loss, if 30 lbs wasn't enough? The band may be a great way for you to lose the excess weight and keep it off, but I just worry that it's addressing your medical problem in the wrong way.

I've heard of it happening both ways, simultaneously and also separate surgeries. Perhaps your doctor has a good reason for wanting to take the time to do them separately. Not to worry, though, it's not uncommon. Good luck!!

Hear hear!! Fingers crossed for your dreams coming true. :biggrin1:

Mary, I'm not suggesting banding is right or wrong for you, but it occurs to me that perhaps you should make as sure as you can that weight loss--even 30 lbs--would indeed help your sleep apnea. It would be a shame to have banding surgery, lose 50% of your excess weight (which is a not-bad result) and find out it wasn't the weight after all that was causing the apnea. There are so many people carrying 60 extra pounds who don't suffer from apnea that it just makes me wonder. There are thin people with sleep apnea, so clearly banding wouldn't be an answer for them. Are you very short? Is your doctor suggesting weight loss as a treatment for your apnea?

Congratulations, Dawg! NSVs make it all worthwhile. :biggrin1:

I completely agree with this, Dr. Pleatman--except for the which-is-safer part. For lots of people that's a HUGE concern, even bigger than the speed or amount of weight loss. As the seriousness of one's obesity issues increases, the concern with safety may lessen of course. But safety can't be discounted as a factor in the decision-making process. Not all morbidly obese patients need to lose weight overnight. Dr. Geller, thanks for your comments!

Holy cow! You're an inspiration, Ray. Congratulations!! :bounce:

I agree with what's been said. For me, the band severed the connection between my head hunger and the physical sensation of hunger--that is, I can now tell the difference between the two! Since banding I am almost never hungry between meals, and my body sends normal hunger signals only after I haven't eaten for several hours. It used to be that the sight, smell, or just thought of something I liked would actually create the sensation of physical hunger even if I had eaten recently. But now I can tell and respond appropriately to the cues all around us, and not eat when I'm not hungry. It's just amazing! :biggrin1:

Big hugs and lots of sympathy, Kellie! You're smart for getting it out, that can only help. Quitting smoking is WAY more important than quitting chocolate, IMO. When you finally do quit, you'll be a completely new person and your whole world will change for the better. If you already have the motivation in the form of your upcoming surgery, do whatever you can to make it easier on yourself. If that means chocolate, so be it! If it means Zyban, that's cool too. Don't beat yourself up for not being able to quit two difficult things at once--ONE is all anyone can handle at a time. Put those smokes down and walk away. The early days are the hardest but you'll get through them fine and then you're home free as an ex-smoker!! :hug:

Nykee, that's wonderful!! Congratulations and on to a terrific second banded year. :hug:

Lambchops, there are lots of people who feel like they're losing slowly with the band, more slowly than they would like. Do a search for "turtle" and you'll find threads about slow or no weight loss. IMO it's very easy to feel like a turtle with the band. A loss of 1 lb per week may not seem very inspiring after a big, expensive surgery. But you know what they say about turtles, and that's the whole reasoning behind the band. Turtles end up being winners, however long it takes them to get there. Patience and persistence are two things one needs to be a successful bandster, and which are not required for bypass patients.

Celebrating 100 lbs down is a huge milestone. I didn't do anything special, because every day has been special to me on this journey. But I toyed with the idea of getting a teensy, tiny tattoo. Only for a minute. Maybe if I keep the weight off for, say, 20 years I'll get the tattoo. Whaddya think?

It'll be ok! I promise! You're still healing, and there's a lot going on inside you that could be causing pain. I can't explain the mechanics of it, but what you're feeling now is way worse because you're not yet healed. Restriction does not feel like pain, unless you overdo it. In the best case, you can't swallow because you can tell something just isn't going down. Since that doesn't hurt, the thing to do is stop eating or drinking until it does go down--that's the behavior modification in action. As far as drinking without adding air, some people say straws are good. Others say straws are bad because they add air, :confused: so I don't know which is better. Try to pay close attention to how exactly you're drinking, and just be careful. You're doing great, just take it slow and don't do anything that hurts. You'll be fine!! :biggrin1:

I've been at the same weight for about 9 months now, and while some might consider that a stall or plateau, I consider it happily maintaining. I've lost 120 lbs and it's staying off!! If/when I decide to try to lose more weight, it will mean cutting calories and upping exercise. But for now I'm at a very good place and am thrilled that I don't have to try very hard to stay this way.