gowalking

The best thing for you to do is talk to your doctor. He's the only one who can answer your questions. Wishing you the best.

Thank you for posting the pictures. I am considering this type of surgery. I've lost alot of weight and have the loose skin problem. I think all the time about getting rid of this darn pot belly, and getting the 'girls' plumped back up instead of them just laying on my chest like deflated balloons.

We can all be your buddies Marge. Most of us have been through what you are shortly facing and can be your support as you go through it. The hard part is the unknown. I'm 15 months post op and I remember how scared I was about what my life would be like after being banded. All I can say is that the band saved me. I was in need of knee replacement and no surgeon would touch me at the weight I was. I lost enough weight to have the surgery...which turned out to be both hips and not the knees. 2013 was a horrific year what with all the joint pain, surgery, and post op crap. But now I'm almost completely pain free in the hips and normal sized. I'm living again and didn't realize how small my world was when I was morbidly obese. This is the best thing you are doing for yourself and a year or so from now, you can do the same as I am and pay it forward for some other newbie on this site. Good luck, follow your doctor's instructions, don't cheat or fight the band, and you too will have a new lease on life. FYI, my before and after pics are attached so you can see how far you also can come.

Love your smile and hair. aww...thanks Arlene.

Here's a picture of me and my new cut.

She says I will hate it but I figure it will grow. I think I'm going to go for it in the summer ! My hair has always been thin and I think a shorter cup works like nice. I love the good morning America co anker 'a cut I think her name is Amy love the cut n color and think with a tan it will be great we will see. I always talk about finding a new hairdresser then I get scared well the good thing is that if you don't like it, it will grow back.

Look at it this way....you're griping the way a thin person would. I think that's marvelous. I bet they get annoyed to have to pay high prices for very little food as well.

Hi gals. As hard as it is, you must follow the rules in order to be successful. There are a million ways to cheat the band and unfortunately when you do, you only cheat yourself. Go back to your surgeon or nutritionist and explain your difficulties. They should be able to give you the tools you need to follow the weight loss protocol. I know it sounds simple but I also know it's not if you are by nature a rule breaker. There are lots of folks like that and they are often not able to find the success they so badly want. For me, I follow a weight watchers type of program. I don't do points or any of that other nonsense. I eat 3 oz. Protein, 1/2 cup veggies, 1/4 cup carbs. I track all my food on myfitnesspal and try to stay under 1,100 calories. I do some exercise, but I'm certainly no gym rat. In a nutshell, I haven't done anything magical. I just eat alot less, I eat mostly chicken and fish. I hardly ever eat fast food and I stay away from crappy food as much as possible. Good luck, please let us know how you are doing.

Good luck John. Feel free to PM me anytime. I am only 15 months out so I remember well how it was at the beginning. The pre-op diet is not easy but it's so worth it. For the first time in a long long while, I am normal sized and so enjoying the freedom that it gives me. It would be great if you could join us on June 14th for our NYC spring gathering. Details will follow once we confirm the venue and time.

See...it was my hairdresser who once I brought it up, thought it was a great idea and he assured me it would look good. Why doesn't your hairdresser want to shorten your hair?

I got a pixie cut last night. My hair hasn't been this short since I was seven years old. I love it! It looks so good and the only reason I can wear such short hair is because my face is thin and my head is in proportion to my body. I can't wait to show it off to my family/friends. So far, only the doorman and porter in my building have seen it and they both think it looks wonderful. I also know that I pay their salaries so I'm not sure how honest they are being..LOL.

January 2013

Sandy Hook, huh? Who knew??

Your post reminded me of this Crankshaft comic from yesterday. It fits me I know: Bwahahaha!! TMF, that made me laugh like a friggin' hyena. Loved it!!

120 lbs.

Hate to tell you this, but it has been. I work in the pharmaceutical industry and manage clinical trial databases. I've collected data on sputum which includes a description...color, clarity, etc. Yes....ma'am...it's been done already.

FYI, the spring meet and greet is on June 14th. Let me know if you can make it. We're scouting venues now and will post the info once we decide where to hold it.

LOL!! Not if you paid me. I wouldn't put anyone through the horror of seeing me without clothes. Where is there a nude beach in Jersey anyway? I've been to plenty of shore towns and am not familiar with any nude beaches...at least not in Point Pleasant, Avon, or Belmar.

OK, this is actually kinda embarrassing. I'm not one to post pics of myself but when I did on another thread because someone wanted to see what I looked like, I got a great response. And I'm not talking about fishing for compliments. Again...I'm not comfortable with that kind of thing. I'm posting these because some folks got encouragement from looking at my pics. So if this helps anyone out there to do the work and see their own good results, then I'm OK with it. So anyway, here they are.

Hilarious. .. I can't believe you actually took the time to look that up!What I can't believe is that 'booger' was even listed in myfitnesspal.

How often prior to banding did you get blood tests? I ask because I was subjected to multiple blood tests for a myriad of issues from pre-op tests to regular blood tests with the PCP to blood taken for the RA and other health issues way before being banded. Turns out my WBC is always high. At first they also presumed an infection but after extensive testing, it was determined that no infection exists and my normal baseline WBC just runs high. Perhaps that is your issue as well? As far as I know, my WBC has not gotten any higher since being banded.

You won't know what you can/cannot tolerate until you try it. Don't presume anything especially if you are recently banded. Having said that, while treats are not off limits, they are just that...treats...meant to be eaten occasionally so you don't feel deprived. When I go out to dinner, I always order dessert. I only eat one or two forkfuls but I get that 'something sweet' in and it satisfies.

I do hope your doctor has discussed in detail, your pre-op/post-op diet with you. This is one way to get a sense of how your surgeon will take care of you as aftercare with the band is just as important as the surgery itself. Your doctor should be sitting with you and explaining the diet you will follow. This gives you the ability to understand and/or ask questions if you are not sure about something. A diet in the mail sounds like the doctor can't be bothered to take the time with his/her patients. Not a good start for sure IMO.

this is more than unhealthy...it's dangerous. is the doctor aware you cannot keep any food or liquids down? you can become dehydrated and go into organ failure. really. no joke here. call the doctor...or better yet, go to the emergency room.

Sounds like your pregnancy is making his job more difficult. I'd make it easy on him and find a more supportive doctor because this one sucks. Congrats on the wonderful news.