jetti

NY2LA - I didnt want anyone to think that I thought anyone was a failure because they have gotten fills. I know that is the point of the band but I guess because I have done all this without a fill so far its hard to wrap my head around the idea that it may be time

restless - I tried diets all of my life and they never worked for me that is why I decided to get the band. I have been using the band and that band has been working for me for the past 8-9 months its just recently I feel like something is not working. NY2LA - I dont think anyone on this board is a failure whether they had 1 fill or 10. my mind is just frazzled right now and im not putting anyone down when I say I think I am a failure because I may need a fill...all a mental game that im losing right now

thanks for the support ladies!!! I love this place everyone is always so supportive. right now im thinking I will see how I do for the next 2 weeks and if I am still having trouble after that I will call my doctor. I need to get myself back on track so that I can continue in the right direction

ugh - ok so my mind and heart are so torn right now. I was banded on 11/6/07 and so far for me everything has been going better then I could have expected. I have lost between 80-85 pounds (depends on the day) without having to get a fill. But ever since I returned from vacation at the beginning of August I have been gaining and losing the same 3-5 pounds. I lost a considerable about of weight while on vacation - 13 pounds - so for a few weeks I figured my body was just adjusting to being back home and eating more regularly and not being as active as I was on vacation...only ate 2 meals a day and swam and walked all day and then danced for hours on end every night. The reason I am torn right now is because I dont know if I should get a fill...in my mind if I get a fill I feel like I failed myself. I know that the point of the band is that when its not working for you you should get a fill and see if that works. But because I have gone so long without a fill I feel like a failure and disappointed in myself now possibly needing one. Im thinking of giving myself to the end of this month when I get weighed in at the gym again and if I dont see a change then I will try to convince myself to get the fill. I also feel like I lost a little bit of focus that I cant seem to find again. I dont think I will reach my next goal like I had planned and that is another reason I am not happy with myself right now. I dont know why it is so hard for me to just call my doctor and say I need a fill but I just cant seem to do it...has anyone else gone through this???:thumbup: thanks for letting me vent and babble...I feel so :frown: right now

awww Kat I hope that everything works out for you - Hugs and Prayers!!! Michaele - I dont remember really having dairy early on either and everything you said sounds "normal" to me but I am not all that normal so who knows :-)

just popping in to say hey to my fav ladies!!

judi - I only have about a bit over 100 lbs to lose and right now im at about 80% of that so right now the odds are in my favor

I hope this works...if so here are 2 before and 2 after pics. the first one is about a year before surgery, second is a few months before and the last 2 are from July of this year - 8 months post op

It is definitely possible. I am 10 months out and have lost about 84 pounds so far and my goal is at least 100. I was also afraid of not losing all the weight I wanted to before I was banded but even if I "only" lost 40 or 60 pounds it would have been more then I would have lost on my own. anything is possible with the band!!! good luck

I have Horizon BCBS of NJ

hey Cari! I am very close to you...I live in Belleville. The entire pre band process is nerve racking but it is so worth it!!

Hi Cari and welcome to the boards!!

hugs to you betty!!! Welcome to all the new gals that I missed in my few days away from the thread!!!!

Michaele - it was great to finally meet and chat with you...we must do it again with anyone else who is interested. Betty - lots of hugs and prayers for you!!

Donna that is exactly what happened to me while on vacation but mine came out instead of passing but it was not that bad.

Hey ladies!! I have not been on in a minute so I just wanted to swing by and say HI!!!! Had a great but busy weekend with the yard sale. the weather was PERFECT!!! sunday we didnt have that many customers so that was a downer but all in all it went good. and since the weather was good I got some more color - my vacation tan was fading and I was not a happy camper about that!! YAY Betty - Congrats and good luck with your surgery. Can I have whatever the take from you? I am in serious need of some boobs. I have always been small and im getting smaller and smaller - pretty soon they will go in :-( Trish - No distance is too far for me to travel if you would like to meet up one day. I enjoy driving so I would have no problem driving down your way or even meeting half way if youre interested. Have a great day chicas!!!

I did my 6 month diet with my PCP before I went to my surgeon because I knew that it was required. if you have not done that yet then I am sure you will have to wait. I was not sure what surgeon I wanted to use so during that time is when I did my 6 months as well as my psych and nutritional evaluation so that when I finally picked a surgeon I had everything all set

Are you happy with your decision to be banded? I am 9 months out and couldnt be happier Do you have any regrets and if so what are they? the only thing I regret is dont doing this sooner Would you do it again if you had the choice to make over? I would do it again in a heartbeat What are some of the physical difficulties you've faced post op..such as diet, health? the most difficult thing was the recovery period and that wasnt even that bad. I dont feel like I am on a diet - I can still eat most foods and I just dont crave the junk food like I used to Did you have any complications and what was the outcome? no complications Do you feel better or worse now compared to pre banding? I fell 100% better. my scale is going down instead of up for the first time in years. I have more energy and I actually ENJOY working out! Did you tell people you were having or had the surgery? I only told a few close friends and family but my mom seems to be telling everyone she comes in contact with!! I think she is happy at how good im doing but im gonna kick her butt! :-) How did your friends and acquaintances react? my friends that knew/know about the band are very supportive. those who dont know just ask how im losing and I just tell them I am eating better and exercising which is true How hard was it for you to stay on the pre and post op liquid diets? I didnt have to follow a pre-op diet - just liquids the day before surgery and the post-op was not as bad as I thought it would be. for the first few days I didnt even wont to think about eating or drinking anything but you have to make sure you get your liquids in How hard has it been for you to learn new eating habits? I was petrified of harming my band in the beginning so I kept my portions small and chewed and chewed my food. I have pretty much stuck with that and all has gone well. My eating habits are not perfect - I still enjoy ice cream and chocolate but not in the quanities that I ate before band How do you overcome eating temptations or do you even have them anymore? I have not had fast food or potato chips in 10 months and I am completely fine with it. I will sometimes get a craving for it but its last about 5 mintues and then im over it. my biggest weakness is chocolate and I do have some a few times a week but instead of having a huge candy bar I stick with the 100 calorie versions which are the perfect size for getting rid of that craving. Why do you think this surgery was successful when so many other dieting attempts failed (assuming you are like me :biggrin: in this regard) I am just like you in this regard. I have dieted for most of my life without success and I have finally found the tool that will help me succeed in losing weight. For me the band changed my mental state more then anything. For me when I was dieting there were no consequences to me not sticking to it - except for gaining weight and clearly that was not a big enough deal for me!! but now with the band I know that if I eat too much or all the wrong things I can possibly damage my band. For me when dieting I never noticed a change I would get discouraged but because I saw results right away with the band - as the result of the post-op diet - I knew that I needed/wanted to keep that weight off. alot of people feel that they are on a diet with the band but I dont feel that is the case. Yeah I am not eating as much food but that is because I cant. I hope I have answered your questions...if you have anymore feel free to ask. im not an expert but I can offer you my opinion good luck

Horizon BCBS of NJ

aronson - I had my first visit with my surgeon on Oct 19th and my paper work was submitted a few days later and I found out I was approved about 4 days later.

Hey everyone!! I just wanted to let you all know that this weekend I will be having a yard sale. We have lots of goodies for sale but the bulk of our items will be plus size clothing range in size from 18-26 and XL-3X. If anyone is interested come on by. Saturday (8/16) & Sunday (8/17) 9am - 5pm Belleville NJ 07109 If you would like more info please PM me