parisshel

This is an excellent piece of pre-op advice and I'm so glad you suggested this...I agree that keeping a pre-op blog and/or writing out your decision-making process as you move towards weight loss surgery is an important tool. Equally important when, as you say, your motivation as a post-op might start to wane. Here was what I wrote last year at this time. It was on December 11, 2012 that I first consulated with the surgeon who would band me four months later on March 20, 2013. So grateful for my lapband. Its benefits reveal themselves over and over, each and everyday. 1- What do I care about? I care about living life as I’d like to live it: in a body that is free from pain (weight-related pain), flexible, mobile and aesthetically-pleasing. I care about keeping my moods on an even-keel, something that is difficult when I’m eating sugar. I care about being fit and energetic so as to keep up with my children’s needs. I care about staying disease-free and healthy, as much as I am able to control that through my food choices. I realize that diseases can come about from nowhere, but I’d like to think that taking my weight off will provide me with better health and, at the very least, keep weight-related diseases at the door for as long as possible. Lastly, I care very much for my physical shell, and am very depressed at how ugly the fat has made me. What a waste of a pretty face. 2-Where does this come from? My own experience. At my current weight, I am not as mobile as I need to be. I really have to think if “that errand” (or event) is worth the pain in my knees, ankle, back, etc. What I care about comes from what I live currently, and the “imagined” what I will have when my weight is at a proper number on the scale. What I know now is that I’m missing out on most everything that is important to me in life, because I’m too fat to do these things (travel, sightsee in my own city, go out with friends, sex, exercise, keep a tidy home, etc.) 3-What is not possible in my life if I remain at this level? First of all, I cannot imagine remaining at this weight, although it is likely that if for some reason I were to not have lapband surgery, I’d go back to Weight Watchers and I’d end up at this weight or (probably) higher eventually. This is based on my history. My decision to move forward with WLS comes from realistically pulling back and owning up to the fact I have never kept my excess weight off for more than two years. I’ve been a size 20 for many years of my life, even in college, and now I’m a size 22. So, if I were to remain at this level, here’s what I envision my life would look like: -I’d probably continue to gain weight -My difficulty walking, cleaning the house, moving around would become even more pronounced and I’d have a smaller and smaller life -I’d be in a constant bad mood and depression -My self-hatred and disgust would continue to grow -I’d have no friends because really, who would want to be around someone with such a small life? -And, lastly, my life would revolve around three poles: home, work, and food. 4-What new theory should I have about my body? I don’t know if it is new, but I’d like to be in the mindset that I wasn’t tearing my body and health to bits with my overeating. I am looking forward to the release of the burden of abusing it each and every day. I hope it is not too late to save this one body of mine, and I hope that my lapband surgery coupled with following the post-op protocol to the letter will get me to a weight where the “issue” of my body is something I don’t have to work around anymore.

On December 11, 2012 I had my first appointment with the bariatric surgeon who would, four months later on March 20, 2013, install a lapband around my stomach. This decision and surgical action was major and dramatic, but I was sad and desperate as well as exhausted, defeated and no longer willing to buy into the fallacy that I could do this without surgical intervention. So I lay down my previous weapon: the cycle of "traditional" dieting which I had been believing in and paying into since I was 14 years old. Traditional dieting was so clearly not working for me; I had lost and regained weight my entire life and I no longer had the energy to do one more round at Weight Watchers, filling up on salads and bulky foods to keep my hunger at bay, gaming the points program so I could work in a dessert each day, hanging on by my fingernails from one meal to the next, and fearing vacations, birthdays, holidays, as I knew these would either see me feeling frustrated and deprived, or overeating because "hey, I've already gone over my points. Might was well start back on Monday." I had done hours of research and had a good idea of what lay ahead. I had a few fears as a pre-op, notably the fear that I would no longer be able to "eat as much as I wanted" when I wanted. I also feared the surgery itself (I try and stay out of hospitals as much as possible) but I was willing to override these anxieties to become one of those people that I see here, on this forum: a success story, transforming myself inside and out. I had made a list of why I was doing this and I brought that to the hospital where, the night prior to the intervention, I read and re-read my hopes for this surgery. I was ready, peaceful and in a mindset of self-care when they wheeled me to the OR the next morning. I am now 8.5 months post-op, almost 50 pounds lighter than I was on the day of surgery. It goes without saying that I am happy to have back a more aesthetically-pleasing exterior, renewed energy and mobility, and a load of self-confidence. My original fears about surgery were unfounded: the lapband gives me a physical restraint to overeating, certainly, but it also has an effect on my brain and how I view food now. ( I call it the nicotine patch for the stomach as it dims the appetite much like the patch works for smokers.) I should not have worried about missing the ability to stuff myself, as that is of no interest to me today. (Just the thought of that makes my band tighten!) I am free from the dieting mindset that I must seek bulky, filling foods or I'll cave and break my "diet" because my lapband clicks in and gives me satiety when I eat my small portions of lapband-compliant foods. I don't have to log points or calories, and restaurant dinners, parties, vacations or holidays are not viewed as opportunities for white-knuckling deprivation or, alternately, opportunities to go off my eating plan and eat all the cake, Cookies and candy that I can, "until Monday." I have experienced so many unexpected benefits as the result of my decision and the most striking is this wonderful sense of fierceness that I now have. I feel so strong, capable and confident! This fierceness has manifested itself in many ways. Physically: alongside my daily dedicated exercise, I now do aquagym and ride my bike each weekend when I'm out in the countryside--26 km logged last weekend through the fields of Normandy! Mentally: I travel out of my comfort zone--last month I went to Morocco, a place I'd always dreamed of going to. Professionally: I seek opportunities to speak publically and am involved in more professional conferences, meeting others in my field which has the effect of re-energizing my own committment to my job. I am so grateful that I did not try and convince myself to give Weight Watchers (or another diet program) "just one more try" last year. I know as surely as my heart is beating that I would weigh more today than I did last year at this time had I not had surgery. Instead, I am looking towards this Christmas season in deep gratitude for my self-care, not fearing the supermarket aisles filled with chocolates, buttercream buche de noel (that was a real binge food for me pre-surgery), and special holiday foods. I know that I will eat peacefully, enjoying my small portions of delicious food, and I won't be waking up on January 1st feeling fat and guilty, and embarking on another futile attempt to diet and "do it for good this time."

I had this post band, about 1 month out I think. Quick, painful spasms right between the breasts. I went immediately to my GP who ruled out a heart attack and then to my Lapband surgeon who prescribed Nexium. Seems my band (which was unfilled at the time) was kind of bobbing a bit and irritating the banded area. The Nexium did the trick, and, once I was filled, I never experienced this again.

I use this forum as my support group, as I don't have any hospital-affiliated support group. I come on here every day and I always find it renews my dedication to my mission towards weight loss and better health. It's like a continually-inspiring support team on demand! I stick with the successful bandsters and learn from their choices...what led them to success, what are their challenges, tips and strategies. I do not read weight loss blogs of dieters whose methods are futile or whose mindsets are not like my own. This would put my own motivation at risk, as it might possibly allow me to justify some non-band compliant behaviors.

I always worry before my fills, too. That's my nature, and I understand everything you are saying here. Hopefully all is for naught. Let us know how you are feeling post-fill!

I don't tolerate any fibrous fruit or vegetable: celery, leeks, pineapple (a big no-no for me), too-ripe peaches or plums (the stringiness makes these stick). ripe mango...

I'm 8 months post op and do aqua fitness...which means I'm jumping all around, stretching this way and that...no problems with the band/tubing/port at all. Sure was nice to pull on a swimsuit and get in the Water after years of being too embarassed to do so.

Sorry to read this; a diagnosis of an autoimmune disease is always a shock. I work with a young woman with Lupus and she says what the poster above has suggested--as long as she manages her sleep/diet, she stays in remission and has a normal life. You'd never know she has an autoimmune disease, in fact, except for that she no longer can go out every night of the week! She young (in her late 20s) so this was the biggest adjustment for her...just making sure she got enough sleep. Sending supportive thoughts to you.

Name, real or screen~ Parisshel Goal weight for December 31st~212 Weight on December 1st~217 Age~54 City/State~France Dietary goal for December~Stay under 1500 cal/day (protein-heavy calories) Exercise goal for December~10,000 steps/day during week; 13 km bike rides each Saturday and Sunday. Loving my bike! Personal goal for December~lose 5 pounds; I've been on a long plateau since September Date banded~March 20, 2013 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~47 pounds Favorite Holiday Activity~ Anything with my teenaged kids--be it dancing to Christmas music, window shopping, decorating...I know that soon they will be out of the house so I'm really focusing on our family time.

I'm a slow loser and behind the mean in terms of postop weight loss. But I'm way ahead of the mean in terms of happiness! I'm almost 50 pounds down at 8 months postop. I see others from my cohort who are at -70 or more. It would be great to be a faster loser, but I'm not willing to sacrifice a super-tight band and the possible longterm complications to get there. Still, I'm over the moon at how my weightloss curve keeps going down. And I reflect on how it took me two YEARS to lose 50 pounds with non-surgical dieting vs. eight months with the lapband. I also have a keen recollection of the minute I stopped that traditional diet and how quickly I regained those 50 pounds. Since I no longer diet (in the traditional sense of the word), I have no fear that these pounds will come racing on back. So I keep sticking to my lapband rules, and my weight drops...slowly, yes, but it does drop. I do notice a more-rapid drop when I burn more calories through dedicated exercise (no surprise there, right?) so I've added biking (on the weekends when I can hit the bike path--I'm up to 12 km a day now and loving it) and elliptical (in my flat) to my daily walk on my lunch hour. Anyway, I empathize with your impatience, but just know that we'll get there. And, more importantly, we will stay there, thanks to our lapbands.

Relax. The hair loss will stop around 6-7 months post op. It's more a reaction to the anesthesia than the lapband postop way of eating. It's only temporary.

I got stuck with preparing Thanksgiving, but did not get stuck with any food item, myself. . Hashtag how I wish someone else in my American expat group of friends would take over this yearly task!!!

This is so very true. I pat myself on the back for deciding to get banded rather than live the rest of my life either in constant diet (i.e. hunger and deprivation) mode or (worse) constant eating/searching for more food mode. When I check in on some of the blogs I used to read "for inspiration"--blogs authored by overweight/obese writers who document their "journey" to lose weight by traditional (non-surgical) methods, I shake my head at what an exercise in frustration that life used to be for me. Those bloggers continue to roll that stone up the hill--they weigh more today than what they weighed this time last year--and believe that one day, they will beat this thing with their diet and self-discipline alone. I believed that for myself, too, for 30+ years. Then I finally admitted to defeat and researched WLS, deciding on a lapband. This year, I'm not scared of the holiday season nor am I associating this time of year with a freefall into food and resultant weight gain. I weigh almost 50 pounds less today than I did at last year's Thanksgiving. But more importantly, I am not salivating at the idea of how much I will eat at the Thanksgiving meal, nor frustrated at the idea that I'm going to have to count "points" or starve myself all day so I can eat a bunch of stuffing and pie. And I know I can wake up the next day not hating myself because I didn't stick to my plan. I am so very grateful to my band, and that I took the courageous step to have this surgery.

Happy bandiversary and thank you for continuing to support this forum. Many band veterans drift away--and that's normal-- but there are a handful of you who check in and light the way for those of us who are still learning our bands. Thank you for being one of these gentle and inspirational voices. Now go out and Celebrate your milestone anniversary!

Congratulations! That's a lot a hard work and stick-to-it-ness!

Thanks for more motivational pics. Your beautiful you comes shining through. I sure hope my neck skin looks as good as yours when I get to goal.

You can always ask for the notes from your surgery to see what is in your band. I obtained my OR report and saw that my band was tested with 1 cc, which was then taken out. As the comment above states, now I see this was to test for leaks.

Check your "thin" clothes often, because you don't want to miss wearing them on the way down! (I had some that were so old, they are now "vintage" and back in fashion!)

I think one of the reasons we are warned against rice and small grains like couscous or orzo, is because if one were not to follow band rules, one could in effect experience a plugged up stoma as these little bits compact before they move thru the pouch. I'm sure I could follow band rules and eat these things, but I know that I need to avoid white carbs as they are my gateway drug. So I just tell myself I can't eat bread, Pasta, rice, etc and that's that. Easier for me that way.

Whichever WLS one chooses, one must comply, comply comply! My band surgeon is not the warmest person on Earth, but I don't need him to be my best friend. I need him to be educated, well-read on WLS studies, active in WLS research, and willing to share that information with me. I just read a lapband blog where the blogger decided her weight loss wasn't "fast enough" so she was going to get a fill that would allow her to take in her calories by liquid only. I just shook my head and thought "that is not the goal here." And the real tragedy is that she will find a doctor or NP who will consent to the fill, putting into place a trajectory that could very well lead to erosion or slippage. And she risks becoming another "band complication" statistic, all through her own faulty logic, with the complicity of the specialist allowing her to get restriction far too tight for the original intent of a lapband.

I remember how fearful I was the first time I ate out. What a victory it felt like that I could eat in a restaurant and not overeat. I love how the lapband has turned me into a normal-eater, making good choices in small sizes. Such a great freedom to know that the lapband is there keeping us moving towards good health and our goal weight.

Good luck! I bought a lot of mashed veg, etc at Marks and Spencers...made that stage very easy for me.

These fears are very normal. You may also be hit with "OMG What Have I done?" following the surgery. That's normal, too. These are big changes you are facing, and change can bring about fear/anxiety/doubt. What was helpful for me was to write a list of pros and cons concerning my decision. I actually took the list to the hospital so I could meditate on it the night prior to my surgery. I'm 8 months post-op (almost) and rarely look at that list anymore. My lapband and the changes it brought about are pretty much part of who I am now. But I'll never take it for granted and I am thankful for it, and for my courage to move forward with my decision to get it, every single day. It has truly changed both my brain and my body and how they both see and use food. No regrets, except that I wish I had not wasted my time trying to diet traditionally. So many years of frustration and deprivation spent in vain.

I was recently banned from a site (I didn't realize it was a pro-fat site) because I posted that I loved my band. Immediately following my post, band-haters started tearing me apart: "You are only 8 months post-op. Come back here in a couple of years and tell us then what a failure the band is," etc etc. When I tried to log back in to explain politely that I had a right to love my band, just as they had a right to hate successful banders, I found the admin had banned me! Lesson learned. Never venture into unknown forum waters.

I couldn't eat salad for a couple of months post op (and I wait post fill to see how I tolerate them). I ease into them by eating endive first (more band-friendly in terms of chewing to small pieces) but now I can eat all types of lettuce, with the exception of soft lettuces like mache or rocket (too spikey). I also add seeds or nuts to my little serving...so luxurious! Today's salad was endive, goat cheese, walnuts and bits of pear...all cut up very small.