gowalking

That's a very aggressive goal...5 lbs. in 10 days. Good luck and I hope you make it. Please don't get discouraged if you don't. This is a marathon, not a sprint....

I suspect the only change will be in terms of insurance coverage. I don't see any kind of change in how society views fat people. We're still going to be despised, loathed, and discriminated against.

Yeah...I hear you. I also wondered what would give me pleasure other than food and how would I be satisfied with such smaller helpings of food I loved. All I can tell you is that if you work the program, the pleasure of getting smaller should outweigh (no pun intended) the pleasure of eating to excess. I eat almost everything I ate before but in much smaller portions and I'm just getting used to it. There comes a certain satisfaction from not overeating. For me, it feels like I have control over this part of my life and that is a very good feeling. You are in the mourning stage right now...mourning what you will be losing. But...that will stop and you will hopefully embrace the new life you are just about to start. Good luck to you...you will do great.

Amen!!

good luck Pete!

I read a comment somewhere (not on this forum, but related to this issue about obesity being a disease) from a person who said that food cannot be an addiction because there is no chemical dependency like there is with drugs and/or alcohol. If that's true than what about the gambler? Gambling is an addiction but there's no chemical dependency. So...that theory goes belly up. Besides..when you hear about people who are addicted to booze and drugs talk about their addiction, it's very easy to substitute food for drugs/alcohol and have the feelings be the same. I have a good friend who is a recovering alcoholic and she explained to me that there's no way an alcoholic can walk away from a half finished drink. The alcoholic drinks to excess and cannot stop with one or two drinks. Is that not a familiar experience for us food addicts? Leave food over?? No way. Eat till you are sick....sure...been there, done that. It's all about excess...be it food, drugs, alcohol, gambling, whatever. For those who will never understand, we cannot pick and choose when it comes to addiction. Some can't be diseases and others be behaviors. For the addict, it's all the same regardless of the addiction.

So far everything is going well. I've dropped 67 lbs. so far with no fills. That's not typical, so don't compare yourself to me. But it also doesn't mean you won't have great success. I'm sure you'll do wonderfully. We've all had cold feet, doubts, worries...heck, I was a crying mess before the surgery especially since I had no idea how my life would change and that was very scary. I'm doing fine, can eat anything, and have not changed the things that were important to me. I still go out to eat plenty...I just eat smarter. I've become a big fan of fish and in the city, the fish is wonderful. So are the veggies. I've stopped pining after the bad foods...it's just not worth it. But I still enjoy what I eat. I was out with friends yesterday and went to a restaurant by Union Square. In the past, I'd have had the mac and cheese but I shared the Chinatown chicken salad with the table...had a couple of forkfuls of it....had half a BLT sandwich, and about three or four fries. So basically I make better choices but don't deny myself. You will do great. The worry you have now is normal but once you get used to this way of life, you'll find it very do-able. Oh...and I swim at the Y three days a week. I have bad arthritis so I can't exercise like most folks but I do what I can. It's a pain to get ready for the pool, but I do feel better after swimming because moving around without the knee pain is really good. Keep me posted on how you are doing. Good luck!

There's no way you could have lost that much weight without having self control...fill or no fill. Sounds like you are having a psychological battle with yourself. Forget about what you've done since the unfill and make today a brand new day. Eat band size portions...try to keep the head hunger at bay....if you can't exercise, do something, anything to take your mind off eating. This sounds like a rough patch you are going through but you are obviously successful...keep reminding yourself of that. You are not weak and stupid, you are awesome.

Good luck. I was banded in January and had his wife, Dr. Ren do my surgery.

Congrats on taking the steps to get healthier. The best advice I think I can give you is that your journey is just that. It's your journey. Don't compare your experiences to anyone else's. This is very individualized. You will see similar issues and you will find common experiences on this forum but don't compare your weight loss with others. Don't compare your post-op experience with others. You may have a tough recovery, or you may sail through. You may be able to have an easy time incorporating the band into your life...or you may struggle. Use this forum as a support system, use it to find commonality with others, but always know that you are unique and your journey will also be unique. Good luck to you!!

I like your topic Jenni. I too am finding the weight loss is slowing down and it can be a little disappointing as it was coming off at a spectacular rate for a while. So now is the time to keep your eye on the prize and not sweat the slow down or fluctuations. My accomplishment is basically that I have lost enough weight to just be a regular overweight person. Medically I am still obese, but culturally or socially, I am a normal run of the mill fat person. And what I mean by that while I'm not thin..not by a longshot...I can now fit into an airplane seat and buckle up comfortably. Plus I don't spill into the seat next to me. I fit into a booth in the restaurant again. I can sit in tighter spaces again, and most importantly, I live in NYC and take public transportation everywhere. No car for me. When I get on the bus or subway, I no longer see the horror in other rider's eyes when they think I might try to sit next to them. For me, that is a wonderful accomplishment.

Don't be discouraged. I went down one size my first 40 lbs. but then I went down two sizes while losing the next 25. It will happen for you too.

I used Dr. Ren-Fielding from the bariatric group at NYU in Manhattan. I absolutely would recommend them if you would consider having this done in the city.

My brother is famous for inappropriate clothing choices. Yes...he also wore sweats at grandma's funeral. And he wore black sweats, for the formal night on the ship. He figured it was OK because he had fancy Italian shoes to go with the sweats...LOL! My poor sister-in-law has given up on trying to dress him...

All of you newbies stay away from the scale. You are swollen, and can't get any idea of weight loss at this point. Also...don't expect that feeling of not being hungry to last. it won't once the gas and swelling from the procedure itself subsides. Just focus on healing, and getting your strength back. You can go back to the scales in a couple of weeks if you need to check your progress. Good luck to you all.

The aha moment for me was putting on one of my button down shirts that I wore open with a cami underneath because I could no longer close the shirts. One day I put on one of those shirts and realized it was flapping around a bit much and to my amazement I was able to button it back up. It was at that moment I realized the weight was coming off and I was getting smaller.

Congrats on your valedictorian. I'm not a big coffee drinker but when I do, it's always regular coffee and not decaf. I don't recall my dr. ever mentioning no caffeine.

Welcome Alicia and good luck.

Fortunately I have the work from home option. I was out of the office for one week and worked from home the second week. No way was I in any shape to go back to work in 'a few days'.

I'm at RTP fairly often for business. Are you in the Raleigh-Durham area?

Oh.....OK. Duh...I should have realized that. True that knowing about this would not have changed anything but at least you wouldn't have been so taken by surprise. Hope the posts are making you feel a little better in that you are experiencing what many of us experienced as well.

Everything you are feeling is totally normal. Congratulations for taking this step to become healthier. I am a little more than 5 1/2 months banded so I can tell you that it will take a while for you to incorporate the band and all it entails into your life. But when you do, you'll be golden. I can't say much about fills as I've not had any but most folks on this forum say that you will need a number of them to find your sweet spot. I have mobility issues so I cannot exercise as I'd like but I have done as much as I can in that I go to the pool three times a week to swim and exercise and I've tried mightily to change my attitude and for now, it's good. I struggle as many do to make good choices but most of the time I do and I've dropped a little over 67 lbs so far . Aside from the arthritis issues, I feel so much better. I have more stamina, and with less bulk, I can move better. I can fit into a plane seat again and into a theater seat comfortably. People don't look horrified at me if I move to sit next to them on the train or bus. Oh what a relief that is. It even feels good to focus on chatting at dinner rather than focusing on the food in front of me. It's also wonderful to have found out how good fish is, and well made veggies instead of heavy fat laden foods. Good luck with your surgery...you'll do great!

Wow...surprised you did not know about this. Shoulder pain after surgery comments are all over this forum. It's a very common thing and yes, is due to the gas they use during the surgery. It helps to walk walk walk and use a heating pad. Good luck.

Oh lots of folks on the forum have had this concern. It's why lots of them keep the surgery to themselves and do not let others know. Your situation is not unique and you will find lots of support on this site. Good luck.

Awesome!!