bbbanded

I made it, and it's too big to leave in a blog! Sorry but I am so excited. Someone at work came to me yesterday and said oh you lost weight I didn't notice until they, other coworkers, said it but you look good what did you do? To which I replied with my usual response, I don't drink soda, a little juice and lots of Water, Don't eat fast food, exercise smaller portions yada yada yada.
Then the big question: How much did you lose? It seems so hard to come out and say it and expect people to believe me, because I barely believe it. It's just that hard to grasp the reality of it all. But I rounded and told her 130. Going back to my first consultation with my surgeon he asked what my goal weight was I told him 175, to which he was quick to assure me the average weight loss with the band is about 40% of your excess weight. That meaning 40% or the 200 something lbs I was over weight and not 40% or the 331 that I was. That calculated out to me possibly losing some 80 lbs. So far I've beat the odds by 50 lbs. Needless to say I'm very pleased. It's been a while since I've been to the office, I ought to pay them a visit one of these days. My goal is to reach ultimate goal of 165 by my two year surgiversary! 35 lbs? No problem, knock on wood!
  

I told myself that at every 50lbs lost I'm getting a tattoo. 12lbs left to go, already have it designed, just need to come up with the money and someplace to get it done. My husband said he'll buy the next one. I can hardly wait.

My mom obviously knew, my siblings found out when I came home. I sent a picture to my then boyfriend, and my two best friends found out when I couldn't stop holding my stomach while laughing. And that's all that needed to know. Because of the reactions I get at work from people having seen my weight loss progress I wouldn't dare tell anyone there. The amount of watching my intake would increase even more
I told my roommate because she'd likely wonder why my eating habits are so weird. I haven't told my now boyfriend, with ms I think I've dumped enough on him for a few months time, and extended family knows. I'm not the proudest that I had to end up having the procedure, I guess, so it's not something I like to broadcast.
Overall though, I haven't received any negative reactions to my face anyway.

My mom obviously knew, my siblings found out when I came home. I sent a picture to my then boyfriend, and my two best friends found out when I couldn't stop holding my stomach while laughing. And that's all that needed to know. Because of the reactions I get at work from people having seen my weight loss progress I wouldn't dare tell anyone there. The amount of watching my intake would increase even more
I told my roommate because she'd likely wonder why my eating habits are so weird. I haven't told my now boyfriend, with ms I think I've dumped enough on him for a few months time, and extended family knows. I'm not the proudest that I had to end up having the procedure, I guess, so it's not something I like to broadcast.
Overall though, I haven't received any negative reactions to my face anyway.

My mom obviously knew, my siblings found out when I came home. I sent a picture to my then boyfriend, and my two best friends found out when I couldn't stop holding my stomach while laughing. And that's all that needed to know. Because of the reactions I get at work from people having seen my weight loss progress I wouldn't dare tell anyone there. The amount of watching my intake would increase even more
I told my roommate because she'd likely wonder why my eating habits are so weird. I haven't told my now boyfriend, with ms I think I've dumped enough on him for a few months time, and extended family knows. I'm not the proudest that I had to end up having the procedure, I guess, so it's not something I like to broadcast.
Overall though, I haven't received any negative reactions to my face anyway.

During my initial meeting with the doctor he asked if I was a volume eater or a sweet eater, and being the type who hates to waste food, I would always have to finish what was on my plate. Volume equaled lap band, sweets equaled gastric bypass. I guess with the dumping syndrome from eating sweets, where small amounts of food with the band would suffice for me.

My mom obviously knew, my siblings found out when I came home. I sent a picture to my then boyfriend, and my two best friends found out when I couldn't stop holding my stomach while laughing. And that's all that needed to know. Because of the reactions I get at work from people having seen my weight loss progress I wouldn't dare tell anyone there. The amount of watching my intake would increase even more
I told my roommate because she'd likely wonder why my eating habits are so weird. I haven't told my now boyfriend, with ms I think I've dumped enough on him for a few months time, and extended family knows. I'm not the proudest that I had to end up having the procedure, I guess, so it's not something I like to broadcast.
Overall though, I haven't received any negative reactions to my face anyway.

My mom obviously knew, my siblings found out when I came home. I sent a picture to my then boyfriend, and my two best friends found out when I couldn't stop holding my stomach while laughing. And that's all that needed to know. Because of the reactions I get at work from people having seen my weight loss progress I wouldn't dare tell anyone there. The amount of watching my intake would increase even more
I told my roommate because she'd likely wonder why my eating habits are so weird. I haven't told my now boyfriend, with ms I think I've dumped enough on him for a few months time, and extended family knows. I'm not the proudest that I had to end up having the procedure, I guess, so it's not something I like to broadcast.
Overall though, I haven't received any negative reactions to my face anyway.

My doctor told me to wait 30 minutes after I eat to drink anything. He, nor my nutritionist, ever said anything about before. For that I drink what I feel I need before I eat. I'm even at a place where if the food I'm eating is too spicy to not eat without drinking something I don't eat it. When I was newly banded I tried helping my food down by taking a huge gulp, horrible idea almost embarrassed myself in a restraunt. I say after don't drink it's just gluten for punishment, but surely drink before you eat.

I'm down 114 so far. About 50 to go!

Don't deprive yourself because you'll break and binge. Be honest and eat sparingly. It helps to record what you consume in an app. I think, anyway. Good luck and don't let the season get to ya!
Also 6 weeks is soon for solids, even melty ones like chocolate, be careful!

Don't deprive yourself because you'll break and binge. Be honest and eat sparingly. It helps to record what you consume in an app. I think, anyway. Good luck and don't let the season get to ya!
Also 6 weeks is soon for solids, even melty ones like chocolate, be careful!

I'm down 114 so far. About 50 to go!

Don't deprive yourself because you'll break and binge. Be honest and eat sparingly. It helps to record what you consume in an app. I think, anyway. Good luck and don't let the season get to ya!
Also 6 weeks is soon for solids, even melty ones like chocolate, be careful!

It really depends on your state. You need to check your state health insurance marketplace to see if there are plans that cover weight loss surgery. Certain states offer them and certain states offer them at a premium. I attempted to check pricing in NY last week but had too many technical issues. I found some more info on this topic online:
Summary of Coverage
Twenty-two states chose benchmark plans that cover bariatric surgery:
Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming
Five states chose benchmark plans that cover weight loss programs:
California, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico
Twenty-eight states chose benchmark plans that cover neither bariatric surgery nor weight loss programs:
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin
One state covers weight loss programs but not bariatric surgery:
District of Columbia

I grew up drinking during meals, early on, when I got the band, I tried forcing food down at Applebees by drinking, gigantic mistake, and now I drink before I eat then wait the suggested 30 minutes. Nothing less, sometimes I forget when I last ate so I'll wait 30 minutes from when I feel thirsty, for safety's sake.

I think it's a tie between my boyfriend and my best friends. With my best friends, I was laughing a lot and had to hold my stomach, this was maybe two weeks after surgery so I was still quite tight and uncomfortable. They asked if I was pregnant so I had to come clean. As for my boyfriend I was FaceTiming him and told him I had to show him something, then I flashed him my bandaged belly, his head could have literally turned into a question mark and I wouldn't have blinked haha, but that was over a year ago and all is good now.

I just recently told my mother and she had a fit at first. But the I had to explain that it was not the gastric bypass . My husband has been soooo supportive and telling me how much better I'm going to feel . My mom is going to my preop appt to my surgeon with me . I just have her permission to tell my dad n ordered h to keep his mouth shut because he is a gossip box. Andy oldest sister just dropped the phone when I told her. Funny !! She said if anybody has researched this , u have. I'm not telling coworkers because the talk n can b caddy. Not even my best friends.. I'm just gone say I changed my eating n got a personal trainer. Which wll b true. They don't need to know right now. Sometimes ppl act funny knowing u r making better changes in your life . Ppl get scared that you will no longer be the fat girl in the group ??????©???®???‚! Well So long to being a fat girl !

I think it's a tie between my boyfriend and my best friends. With my best friends, I was laughing a lot and had to hold my stomach, this was maybe two weeks after surgery so I was still quite tight and uncomfortable. They asked if I was pregnant so I had to come clean. As for my boyfriend I was FaceTiming him and told him I had to show him something, then I flashed him my bandaged belly, his head could have literally turned into a question mark and I wouldn't have blinked haha, but that was over a year ago and all is good now.

I was actually told no straws, and no gum for that matter, I guess I forgot those rules but you should be fine, I've never had a problem.

would love to have info on that also .

Yep, that is a stuck feeling. Drinking is the last thing you want to do, it only makes it worse.
You might not of chewed the bit enough or it might have been too big a bit. Some bandster have problems eating chicken, (I'm not one of them) and say that if it is dry it gets stuck every time.
It is all a learning curve. Good luck.

I'm very interesting what responses you get because I was curious about the same thing. I know when I was there 20 years ago I weighed about what I do now (267) but I'm still super scared of going and not being able fit. I was considering taking my kids to Cedar Point for a weekend for Fright Fest, but despite the weight I've already lost, I'm afraid of being still being too big.

I've noticed a pattern in my thinking over the past few months...that my "head", and my perceptions of self have not kept pace with the reality of my weight loss. Though this is common treatment issue in dealing with individuals with eating disorders (i.e. anorexia nervosa, who believe that they are physically much larger in size than they really are), I never thought it would also be an issue with people in the process of going through significant weight loss.
I've had some difficulties with my thoughts regarding my weight; my automatic thoughts have not always been up to date with the actual number...I've become aware of myself thinking about my weight, and reverting back to the pre op weight I was at. Instead of a "onederland" number, I catch myself thinking of a number which begins with a "2".
I've had an extremely difficult time with purchasing clothing in smaller sizes...recently I needed to go shopping for some capri pants which were the correct size to fit me well, and I had shrunk out of everything which I owned. I was shopping with my sister...who encouraged me to look at misses sizes, and she humored me with allowing me to take in the identical capri's but in a plus size. The misses size was obviously a better fit and my correct size, and so that's the size I ended up purchasing...but it took every ounce of willpower for me to not also purchase the plus size also.
The same debate with myself is ongoing as I shrink into a smaller sizes...as I automatically look for a larger size, and if I don't find it I resist choosing to try on a size smaller just to see if it will fit. I've been pleasantly surprised several times when the smaller size was actually the one to fit.
I can "see" the evidence that physically I am smaller; I no longer have to adjust the seat in my car to get in, I fit comfortably into restaurant booths, my mobility has increased, and the size on the clothing tag is a smaller number. But I continue to be challenged with the automatic thinking which places me back at the beginning of my weight loss journey. Eventually I know my "head" will catch up with the rest of me...just another part of my journey.