JosieK

hi debbie, let us know how you make out on the 11th. the only regret i have is that i didnt do this in 2002 when i first looked into it. good luck

driving from texas to NY on sunday....i cut this out by accident

hi i also use the Protein bullets and i love them. i actually got used to the taste of the blue raspberry. i use them if my band is too tight and i cant eat alot or if i havent eaten enough protein. i also bought the 25g tubes. i went on vacation this summer and took these as well as the Isopure Protein shakes. i alternated between them based on what i was eating for the day. in fact i'm driving from Texas to on sunday with my dogs and my bullets are all packed. my hair is not falling out like i've read happening to bandsters on other threads and one reason i think this is so is because i was dilligent about my protein intake. check out the price on A1supplements.com. they discount them

laura...you gave me a good laugh today

hi sleepyjean, i've had 2 "tailspins" since i was banded (and 4 million before banding) so i know how you feel (most of us probably do) first...stop thinking "you should know better" . i consider my eating issues to be similar to an alcohol problem. we have to deal with this on a daily basis. my knowledge never helped me in the past...and may have hindered me. when i am in the tailspin....i can only deal with today. we cant worry about tomorrow or the past (i belong to a 12 step program where they day "just for today" which is a manageable concept) maybe layout a few small steps......JUST FOR TODAY. i find i want to go full out the first day and i cant do it and i will end up eating junk. some could be: -drink 4 glasses of Water. -join a gym (if you dont have one) if you do....just go and even if you just get dressed check in and do 10 sit ups and leave.....you've taken a great step. -first day i usually try to just not have sugar (my downfall). the next day i worry about cleaning up my meals. -journal on fitday or sparkpeople. jean..keep us posted on how you are doing but by all means....dont beat yourself up....

hi of course you will have to make the decision that is right for you but following is how i came to my decision. there were 2 main reasons i chose lap band.... first and foremost....my anatomy wasnt changed with LB. if i decided to take it out tomorrow,,,,there wouldnt be any sign of the operation. i know people that had the RNY and have lifelong issues with it that wont go away. i was a little weirded out by having a "foreign object" in my body but my DR explained the actual band is the same material as what they use in hip replacement. if i needed a hip replacement i wouldnt think twice of getting it second....i read stories that post-weight loss lapbanders keep the weight off better. this made sense to me because we still have to develop eating and exercising skills to lose the weight. (i'm sure the RNY people that can come up with some same stories to support their surgery choice.) something i just thought of....lapband can be a first step which isnt so dramatic. if that didnt work..RNY can be done afterwards. if RNY was done first...lapband isnt an option i am truly glad i did the lapband. i do find my skin is retracting with the exercise i'm doing. i still hve 38 lbs to lose so i'm not sure if i would need plastic surgery but so far so good... fyi...i looked for people on this site that seemed successful (in my opinion) and i tried to adopt their habits. (including a healthy food plan and plenty of exercise) good luck in whatever your decision is

hi, i'm in.... Name.............Chall. Start Wt......Current......Chall. Goal......To Go losingjusme..........273......................273. .............238.............35 faithmd................303......................30 3.............283.............20 mpalen.................229......................22 9.............200.............29 want2beme...........225......................225.. ...........195.............30 mcgreen...............236..................... 236.............210.............26 wombat712...........179..................... 179.............155.............24 Suzzzie. ...............346......................346....... ......315.............31 Chris_NJ...............284......................28 4.............250.............34 Cherrybomb...........311......................311. ............291............20 legster..................261.....................2 61..............235............26 Desertbunnee.........232......................207. ............180.............27 areellady...............232......................2 32...............212............20 sweethot143..........197......................197. ............175............22 gweniper...............253......................25 3...............223...........30 Jeni 85..................237......................237.. .............207...........30 dacer123...............243......................24 3...............223...........20 momlambert..........207.......................207. ..............185...........22 Rainer..................295....................... 295................255...........40 glindab.................277....................... 277.................250..........27 Soniacan..............198.5....................198 .5..............175...........23.5 ladydi..................233....................... 233.................208..........25 argon...................162....................... .162.................142..........20 jazzystouch...........246.......................24 6..................220..........26 BabygotBack..........164......................164. ..................145...........19 Denise...................170...................... 170...................155..........15 marcar35...............277......................27 7..................257...........20 Ariel ....................207.......................207. ..................182...........25 lisa_in_toronto........180.......................1 80....................160.........20 josiebies.................188......................188.....................165.........23 thanks

toni..how was your surgery? hope you are well.

new girl, i know what you mean about "awakening the giant" once you start eating sweets. after surgery i was off sugar for weeks. and then once i started...it caused me to have cravings again. what i did was just focus on the day...and say i wouldnt eat it for the day. once i got through that day...the next was a little easier. i forget how many days it takes to break the craving but like denise822 said...once you start losing....it just gives extra incentive. but i do believe the craving goes away if we stay away from it. i use the weght watchers fudgsicles when i crave sweets. they are only 110 cals and taste great. but they too will trigger sugar cravings good luck

hi cerrin, for me the band definitely helps me to forget about food more than any other "weightloss tool" i've used in the past. i know what you are talking about. when i went on weight watchers.,,,,the focus on food was too too much. i was "possessed" . since being banded, i took the word "diet" out of my lingo. when i say i'm on one...all i want to do is eat. having said that...there are times we do have to exercise control with the band. my head hunger comes after dinner.... ...food becomes so much less important with the band. so i think you will be very happy when you are banded. good luck and dont worry

hi sherilynn.... the 2 keys for me is to tracking my eating and get moving. at first i hated the exercise part but once i got in the swing of things...i actually look forward to it now. especially since it started me losing again and i feel good mentally after it i hit a plateau about 2 months after surgery and this sparked me to start losing again the people i see succeeding on this site hit the gym 4-5 times a week. especially if they have slow metabolism's. i will tell you i think 1 lb a week is a good loss. you are heading in the right direction.... can you ask your doctor to fill you more? i did that and i ended up being too tight and suffered the consequences. but at least i know i was responsible for that. if he didnt do that i would be frustrated with him...(he's pretty wise) anyway good luck and keep your chin up

hi sharon, welcome to LBT. where do you live in houston and which doctor did you use? dont worry about fills...they are "non-events" this site is great for info....i'm glad you found it

hi tonia, basically what your doctor tells you are the "band rules" some that i follow: 1. 3 meals a day -eat small, small bites and chew, chew, chew 2. Protein should be eaten first. then veggies, etc 3. drink at least 8 glasses of Water a day. 4. exercise (for me this is key, key , key to weight loss). i go 5 times a week since being banded 5. no drinking after meals for 30 minutes. 6. junk food is out. whenever i break this my weight loss slows down there is alot of info under the "pre op" "post op" threads are you banded?

Hey girl....in that "other" program i belong to there is a sayng, "First Things First". your focus now is on quitting smoking which will require you to be gentle with yourself in the beginning. also it would be crazy to exercise when your back is hurt. you could seriously hurt yourself if you do go when you are healing. i know how you feel about slipping into old patterns. i had a flip out last week worrying about eating crap. but i find with the band....it gives us a little extra push to get back on track. give yourself off this week and let your back heal. then next week (if your back is better) you can start up again. see ya tomorrow p.s. i love your honesty

hi sheila i am starting to struggle with head hunger. i used to belong to weight watchers before i was banded and there is a group on their online site called "no nighttime nibbles" and i rejoined that group. you commit to cut off time for eating and there is alot of support (similar to LBT) i really need to be held accountable. i find i get in bad "habits" and if i fight them like you did with the boston baked Beans.....eventually the head hunger noises go away. so good for you! liz...headhunger is when you want to eat something (usually not good) but you aret physially hungry...just mentally. for me it starts the minute i'm finished with dinner...i crave sweets.

hi tricia, good luck with your surgery. dont worry about the fills. Dr spivak and his team are pros. i've had 2 fills and they were quite uneventful. i love this website ....but i found many things i read that scared me before my surgery....never happened. so relax and get ready for your new life...

hi wombat, who did your fill? also did you wait long? i am spending 1-2 hrs waiting when i go for fills....just curious

hi shari, ditto to everything betsyjane has said. it has been a great experience working with both spivak and his staff. the aftercare has been super. i was self-pay too. i went to his wednesday night meeting on march 28th. my surgery was scheduled for friday march 30th. i was in good health so i didnt have to have any tests. obviously i wasnt on a pre-op diet. they just asked me not to eat meat on thursday between the 2 days. my surgery was at park plaza. i think it just depends which day you do you surgery as to where he schedules your surgery. to be honest...i probably would try for the Surgi-center so i could do fills there. the wait for fills at spivak's office has consistently been 1-2 hours for me. i understand surgi-center does a great job scheduling fills with little wait. surgery day i was in by 6:30 and out by 1:30 same day. he made me walk around the hospital floor 4 times and urinate and then i could go home. as betsy said..definitely have someone driving you. the ride home for me was a blur. anyway glad you found spivak.... good luck

hi checking in....the cousins go home today. it's been fun but i must say....having kids is REALLY hard. so my hat is off to all of you moms....it's harder then the 80 hr work weeks i used to work. my food has been very bad this week. since i started eating last week... i am eating crap. i can easily get that down but cant get the good stuff down. i end up PB'ing. i also am losing my enthusiasm for exercising too. i have to stop this right now. i feel like i'm going into a funk. this is how it starts. i am fuming and think i need to take care of this....otherwise this is the stuff i used to eat over. to make a long story short....i rented a summer house i own to this guy who is a big scammer. yesterday i called to say i was coming up on sept 10th. in the contract i get it back sept 11th. i was going to come up the night of the 10th. well this guy assumed he could just keep it longer, he had no intention of putting it back in order on time etc. he's a fast talker and i feel he got the best of me. so i am calling him again today to clarify because i will be dipped if i am going to have to deal with his junk in my house. in fact he wants to rent again and i think i will pass on it because i dont like his "get over" mentality. i am getting mad allover just writing this... michelle...thks for sharing your "shower thoughts'. that was very helpful and gave me lots to think about. you are absolutely right. terry: 6 more hours and we go to the airport....they really are good, good kids...my cousin really deserves alot of credit for how she is raising them. have a nice day all....

hi sara, do you mean southhampton LI? are you in NY? i just moved from NY. i'm heading up to fire island in september.

hi checking in...just got back from water class and HEB. i must say...it is like a fire drill in the supermarket on saturdays. i especially like the people that stop in the middle of the aisle and make you wait while they examine the fat content in twinkies. ha! terri: i cant eat BBQ. in fact i really cant eat meat yet. but my restriction seems to be good. i can eat again. i'm nervouse tho' it is easier to just do shakes and not think about food. but i need to develop the food eating skills. anyway...have a great day everyone

hi kacee, thanks for posting this. i've been feeling dizzy lately. so i think i'd better check this out i took myself off BP med and it went high. i put myself back on but now it's running low. i know i know....my doctor needs to look at this. my brother always asks me what medical school i went to ha!

terri...ha! ...a yankee girl like me doesn't know how to BBQ. i placed a nice order at "Swinging Door" and will pick it up 2 hrs before the party starts ha! my cousins kids are coming tomorrow for 1 week...so the following week i definitely would like to have lunch. i can meet you near your work...since i'm getting so good at directions gr8fulgal: i hope your mother gets better quickly

hi mermaid, i'd find a new doctor. if we could lose weight without the band...wouldnt we have done it already??? i dont understand doctors that do this....the band is definitely a tool that helps. coupled with right food choices and exercising...it helps us to do what we couldnt for a long time. good luck in your next steps

hi welcome. i also was self pay. here in houston the price is 12,900. i think the aftercare is key so i'm glad to have done it close to home. it is the best thing i've ever done in my life. i'm sure you will feel the same way good luck and let me know if any questions