Toddy

Ugh! Someone didn't believe my don't put my picture on Facebook threat and eleven pictures of me showed up all tagged on Facebook today. I quickly removed the tag and the "friend". Worst of all is, I'm down almost 40 pounds, I'm halfway to my goal weight and I still looked like a blob!! THAT WAS DEPRESSING!! I can't imagine what I must have looked like 40 pounds heavier!!! I'm thinking I may have to revisit my goal weight ;-(

I know all BCBS is different, but I had BCBS of VA, although I live in Tennessee, and they covered my surgery 100%. If you're in the Nashville area, you can go to Baptist Metabolic Surgery Center, and they have an insurance specialist that will contact your insurance company and she'll let you know all the "hoops" you have to jump through, at no cost to you, of course. Also, Dr. Morton at BMSC does lapband with plication, which is much better than just lapband alone, in my humble opinion. My only regret about my surgery is that I opted not to have plication! Good luck!

I haven't lost enough that I'm comfortable in front of a camera yet, but it is something I'm looking forward to. For years I've been telling people that come near me with a camera that I can't have pictures made because I'm in the witness protection program :ph34r: ! I also tell friends and family that if they post a picture of me on Facebook that I'll "unfriend" them!!

B-52, good to see you back. You're the kind of bandster I aspire to be... I just haven't been able to embrace the work-outs like I should. Maybe twice a week, three times on a good week. I don't think I have endorphins, because I've just never had that "love this" feeling when it comes to working out ;-(

I can sooooo relate!

Let's see who keeps their weight off the longest, her "natural way" mom, or banded you!!! My money's on you!! Oh yeah, the good and the bad: Good: Shopping in my closet and finding lots of "new" things to wear! Bad: Having to know where the bathroom is every time I eat out -- just in case!

Name, real or screen~ Toddy Goal weight for July 31st~ 170 Weight on July 1st~ 176 Age~ Dietary goal for July~ Bust this plateau Exercise goal for July~ Really, really need to exercise more Personal goal for July~ Want to get comfortable in my 16's Date banded~ 1/31/12 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 36 What is your favorite 4th of July activity~ Fun with family and friends

I've never had any trouble losing weight... but every time I'd lose some, I'd gain it right back, plus more. I decided to get the band to help me maintain my weight loss.

I actually slept on my stomach the second night after surgery.

I like the Kashi dry. The single serving size makes breakfast and a mid morning snack.

I was a Diet Pepsi-aholic before the pre-surgery diet. I stopped cold turkey on January 18, the day I started my pre-surgery diet, and really don't miss it. I did take up drinking hot tea in the mornings, but the only other thing I drink is water, with an occasional glass of iced tea.

I know! I was thrilled the first time someone that didn't know about the band noticed!! Yippee! It's working!

I had six incisions from lap-band. Prior to that I had four incisions from gallbladder surgery. All I can say is I'm glad I'm not of an age that I would ever want to show my tummy in public!!!!!

Two and a half weeks, two and a half months, two and a half years?? If it's weeks and you've lost ten, wow!!! If it's months and you've lost ten, still not too bad considering all the swelling and healing from surgery. If it's years, then you've got something to be down about!

Or a whole family that won't say anything! I could lose 70 pounds and not a single one of my in-laws will say a word!

I doubt I would have undergone this major surgery if it wasn't going to change how I looked... and hopefully for the MUCH BETTER!!!!! Please, please, people notice so I'll know all this hard work wasn't for nothing! Oh, well, and the health benefits, too!

I went through the same thing on a much more accelerated scale. My doctor's plan after surgery was two days liquids, two days mushies and then eating as tolerated. Once I started eating solids and a few healthy carbs (which my doctor didn't recommend, but I felt my body needed) I started feeling MUCH better. I'm five months out now and have been feeling great all those months with the exception of the first couple of weeks.

I didn't want to make you feel worse. I just like to know the good, the bad, and the ugly about anything when I'm making a decision.

I would definitely let him remove the band. I would also move Heaven and Earth to try to revise to the sleeve. The things I've read about weight gain after band removal are horrifying. It doesn't even sound like "normal" weight gain. It sounds more like accelerated weight gain due to the body being so accustomed to such small amounts of food while banded.

We could be living the same life. I actually started researching lap-band as something my 24 year old daughter might be interested in. Shortly into my research I knew that where her head is in regard to her relationship with food, that lap-band would not be a good solution for her... but it was perfect for me. I had lap-band surgery in January and she is really happy for me and my weight loss, but she is still not interested in it for herself. She's had a weight problem that began in college with emotional issues and has only continued to get worse. Like you, I tried to talk to her and help her, and I'm sure she just saw it as nagging. I have talked to her until I'm blue in the face and have offered anything and everything I can to help her. I have FINALLY realized that I can't do anything but make her situation worse and make it harder on her if I keep "nagging". Now that I have finally backed off, she's just started Weight Watchers, and had her first weigh-in yesterday. She lost two pounds her first week and was thrilled. I know that two pounds is not a huge loss for the very first week, but since she was thrilled with it, I told her she was a Rock Star in my view! Bottom line, we're going to love them regardless of what they weigh. We hurt when we know they hurt, and we worry about their health, but there is absolutely nothing we can do to help them until they decide to help themselves. I honestly think all of my "care and concern" in the past probably exacerbated her weight problems.

Of course your light-headedness could be due to overexertion in the sun. However, are you on blood pressure medication? I was very light-headed shortly after surgery and when my PCP cut my blood pressure meds in half, it helped a lot. Then my PCP took me completely off my BP meds and it went away altogether. I think I had only lost around 20 pounds when I was taken off the BP meds. I was pretty shocked that my BP got back to normal with such a small weight loss.

Maybe that's what it is. Is it also designed to bust a plateau?

Seems like I've seen a five day plateau busting diet on these forums, but I haven't been able to find it this morning using the search feature. Does anybody have any info on how to break a plateau??

My doctor decides whether to fill or not not only based on weight loss, but also a questionnaire we fill out at every visit on what we're eating, how often we're eating, how long it takes to eat, how often we're getting hungry, what exercising we're doing, etc.

Also, be prepared to white knuckle it even after your first fill. You are now in Bandster Hell, and will be until you have enough fills to have restriction. I didn't feel any restriction at all until my third fill. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I'd rather know what's on the road ahead than to be unpleasantly surprised.