Sharpie

You are probably fine.. don't chance damaging yourself though. follow your dr's instructions. believe it or not you will not starve to death.. I know it's hard but it will be so worth it . no food is worth you having to go back to surgery..

realize 4 cc bands were outlawed in the u.s. some Mexican surgeons still use them.. have had several stories about failure and inability to get follow up care in u.s. when you go to Mexico . I am sure like everything else there are success stories from Mexico as well. I personally would not want to get my surgery in another Country, if I could help it. sometimes if you talk to the surgeon you can negotiate price if you are paying cash..

Graham Elliot looks Marvelous.. He said in an article I saw that he was concerned with being able to raise his children. I thought he had lapband not sure I guess I can look it up.. but, whatever WLS he had it raises awareness to everyday people who have obesity issues. I wondered about him eating all that food too but from the looks of him it's not hurting him.

I would consider financing or even look into the weight loss charity organization headed by carnie Wilson and others you can perhaps get help through them. I would not under any circumstances go to Mexico. They are still using the outlawed bands (from U.S.) that our surgeons stopped using years ago. You also may have difficulty getting a Dr. here to do your fills or post op care. This is my opinion so everybody back off...I know it's cheap there but you sometimes get what you pay for. I hope you find a way to get your surgery. You won't be sorry. go to Lapbandliving.com for more info on the WLS charity.

I never heard of prescribed metabolic supplements.. your Dr or PA should have a better explanation. If you are having issues with them, stop taking them. My Dr. and Nutritionist advised me to eat "real" food.. protein shakes and bars only if I cannot get real food . I very seldom use anything like protein shakes or bars. the point of having surgery is to learn to eat correctly. I was on a metabolic diet years ago which had supplements, shakes, soup etc. lost weight but felt like hell. ask more questions, demand answers.

Terry the group in Lake City meets each month at the Lake City Medical Center. I believe it will be the 2nd Monday of Sept. but I can send you a notice when I get mine. Who did your surgery? Gainesville has a meeting too but It's in the evenings. I prefer to go to lake city, I live n McAlpin. send me your email address and I will let you know. my cell # is 386 984 5558. if you want to call me.

Martha since you haven't had surgery yet you might not realize how we eat. I have been banded 18 months and you should be able to eat a normal size meal (not huge) if you eat slowly and chew well. It's important that you eat Protein first. If you don't eat enough you will lose important nutrients. Once you have had your surgery you will learn how to use your tool .

so proud of CG .. She is a true "spotlight" in the bariatric world. I think she is a star . I have been inspired and motivated by her "no bs" attitude.. for over a year. Kudo's to her.

Even though my main motivation was my health (diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol) I love being able to shop in the normal size section. @5' 0 " tall, I had a difficult time finding anything besides big sizes to wear that were always too long. I wanted to wear up to date styles and feel attractive again. I believe women especially all have the desire to be attractive. Being a little vain is a good thing because appearance is important. I also was tired of hiding from camera's. My family celebrates every life event, lots of picture taking for memories, I hated having mine taken. Now I can smile big and enjoy it.

fortunately for you , you are 19 not 66 like I was. however loose skin happens when you are morbidly obese and lose weight. it's kind of like a balloon that has lost it's air. your skin is way more elastic than mine so, hopefully you won't have much loose skin. but I would rather have loose skin than be fat. you will be so happy that you made the decision to have the lapband. Best of Luck to you and keep us posted.

Melanie, the pains are fairly normal, If the nurses won't help. demand that you speak to your surgeon. it's your body and you need answers. It is normal to gain some at first and gas pains , hiccups etc. are part of the process. But, always speak to your Dr. about anything that you are concerned about.

opinions are like Navels everyone has one. I have said this before and it is worth repeating. If my Dr. tells me to not drink or not to chew gum or drink carbonated drinks that is what I am doing. He is the expert not me. There are tons of studies and articles about lapband and what is or isn't correct but I ask my Dr. and he tells me what I need to do. I have had zero problems with my band I am 18 months post op. I do not drink with my meals .

If you could control your food consumption you would not need a lapband. It's about portion control mostly. my band will not let me overeat comfortably. there are a few things I cannot eat such as French fries and rice.. otherwise I can eat pretty much what I want . don't worry so much about your changing for now, it will come about with the band. Good Luck.

don't know which flavors you have tried but they are good to me.. I love the chocolate chunk, cookie dough and oreo.

I don't think she has ever had a lapband. people sometimes come on here to fake a problem just to see what people will say. It is rude.

I had diabetes since I was in my 40's and I was on metformin.. (really vile medicine) I was so happy that my A1C dropped so I could stop taking that medicine. I was on simvastisin for cholesterol and I no longer am on it. blood pressure was always in the 155 or over range. but they had not put me on meds yet. I now have normal blood pressure and haven't felt this good for 20 years. Thanks to my Band.. Love it.. recommend it..

woo hoo go girl...

so happy for you . a little jelous. Husband and I booked an Alaskan Cruise for Aug. but his health has taken a wrong turn so we won't make it this year have a wonderful time and I really want to ride horses on the beach. I have done it here in Fla. years ago it is awesome.

up to 12 laps in the pool today.. good for an old lady.. working my way up to 20 soon

I think it would also be helpful to fill in our profile info so we can know where you started and how long you have had your band... it's difficult for any of us to answer you honestly without all the information.

absolutely agree with Cheryl. If you are doing even 80% of what you are supposed to, you will lose weight. I lost over 60 lbs and have not been on a diet .. I eat the amounts my band tells me and I stay away from slider foods such as ice cream and chips and crap. If you need to track your food, go to MyFitnessPal.com it will give you a good guide. perhaps you need a fill or maybe you need to go back to square one and meet with your nutritionists. Hope you get it solved because weight loss surgery in itself is not the answer .

Linda losing anyone you love is so devastating. We lost three loved ones .. one daughter from melanoma, one son from suicide, one son in law from colon cancer. It is amazing how the human spirit can recover from the heartbreak of losing children. My husband aged 20 years after losing his daughter and then after his son killed himself , I did not think he was going to make it through it at our son in law's funeral I finally broke down and just sobbed that I could not stand to go to another funeral. But, after some time we have moved on with our lives which is what I am sure they would want us to do. They are always in our thoughts and I know they are with us and so are your loved ones. Learning to live each day with some kind of happiness and peace is difficult. I am praying that you will find your peace and happiness.

I like muscle milk and GNC lean shakes.. I don't do a lot of them anymore since I could eat normal food . My Dr. and nutritionist do not want me to use Protein shakes much only if I am on the go or want to do liquids for a few days..

I saw him on TV this morning. He has done an amazing job. He looks so much healthier. Good for him to address the obesity while he's young enough to stop his health from deteriorating.

next year might be good for me ... I would so love to meet some of the fellow bariatric pals. Let's see if we can get CG , TMF and Catfish to go... what a hoot that would be. Let me know what I need to do. and where it's leaving from.. I hope Florida since I am here.