RJ'S/beginning

My hubby took me to the store yesterday because I needed a spring jacket. A wind breaker..Anyway he kept bringing me size large jackets and they were too big...Finally he said..I just can't believe this your a medium jacket...I said, obviously in this style at least.. Shaking his head he said he never expected any of these things to happen and the fact that I take a smaller size jacket then him, has just floored him..... I love it when he is shocked at the new me emerging!!!

Better try oil pulling...It leaves your mouth feeling like you just got home from a cleaning. And to top it off your breath smells good with a hint of coconut Here's the site: http://oilpullingbenefits.org/

The break outs are because your body is starting to detox itself from all the stored toxins in your body over a long period of time. It releases them as they were stored in your body..Slowly....It is almost like reliving all the bad things we ate before this @Midijola It will get better but it will take time.

You will find like most of us on the other side that you will no longer enjoy the food you used to. One day a few months ago I saw red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and all of a sudden they were mine. In the cart they went and home to eat....Hubby and I sat down to them and I bit into it....I almost gagged. The taste and texture not to mention the hit me in the eye sweetness was way too much for me....My husband roared with laughter and said he thought he would never see the day that I would spit out a red velvet dessert....Have not looked at them since..... Now there are healthier alternatives to sweets...There are smart low calorie Cookies that I eat at times. I also eat baby cookies. They seem to do the trick for me....I used to love my sweets and now....What!!!!!!!!!! life sure changes... There are things I eat that I couldn't eat before and things that I ate that I can't now...But like @@McButterpants My nut preaches moderation and balance... You will find yours!

Did you know that your body uses Water and needs it to lubricate our entire system? We are mostly made up of water. And if we drink enough our bodies will use it. you will notice your skin and hair and even nails look and feel better...64 oz is a great amount as it is not too much because the body can actually be harmed from that as well.. I have been a true believer in water intake and can really notice it if I miss some in a day! You need water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to your organs and tissues. Water also helps transport oxygen to your cells, removes waste and protects your joints and organs. Cool eh!

A lot of people think that you can't dump with the sleeve. But you can! Your body is changing so much and you should make a list of the things you are eating and then delete them from your diet when you have this issue. Would be a good idea to check it out though....15 weeks is a good time out for you to have this non-stop.....

What is left to say! Fantastic comment!

I remember @@Roo101769 very well how frightened you were when you started down this path. And look at you now!!!!! 86 lbs. gone....congrats girl!!!!! I love the part where you said : But do not short change how far we have all come...You may have started in a place that makes you feel bad, but honey look at you now!!!!! We always need to remember the road is long and winding...But if we keep on track ( mostly ) We will get where we need to be. The rest is up to us!

If I could have I would have!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know what the kicker is @@gamergirl That yes sure you reach goal and life goes on. But you are 70+ lbs lighter. What we make of our new selves belongs to us. How we grow, change, give and receive is entirely our call. No more standing out in a bad way. No one looking at you as if you have no place on this globe. Healthier, able to do more, energy etc.... Rebuilding yourself can be a huge deal.....14 years ago I suffered a severe nervous breakdown. This led to Chronic depression. Which by the way the drugs only take the edge off for me.... When I had counseling I waited with baited breath for the moment when she would tell me that I was going to get better. That I would not hurt so much and carry a load I could not carry anymore. She said " You have to rebuild yourself and find the person you can be now. Learn your limits and except the fact that this is your new life and make what you can of it." What! I went home and tore up all the information that I had regarding depression and started inch by inch putting myself together..Now that is rebuilding yourself...I can never feel true joy or happiness again. I am no longer able. The drugs keep me at an even keel so that I don't tumble back into a nervous breakdown. Losing this weight has been the next biggest struggle of my life and let me tell you I have had some dandy things to deal with in my life that others may have found themselves in a box somewhere drooling. Or worse on the end of a rope.... To me this is all good stuff. Every inch. Every pound. Every experience that brings me that much closer to who I am supposed to be brings a light to my step....A journey it is called because we travel the unknown and can only get to the end when we breath our last. I am not saying this to make light of your above comments. Lord knows we have all been there...But there are some real big changes a head in all our lives and we have to improve more then the lbs. We have to live!!!!! And live some more and pay it forward and help others.......

Thanks for your kind words. Don't get me wrong; I am thrilled with the way things are going for me now but it's time for me to reconcile with the past. After so many years of blending into the background , I sometimes feel like a trespasser in a new world. Every day I make an planned effort to do something the old me wouldn't have done; some days it's taking a "selfie" , shopping for dresses, wearing a leather jacket or signing up for a 5k. I have work to do to forgive the past in order to fully embrace the future. I too feel like a stranger in my own land. No one knows who I am and I find this unsettling at times..The dependence on things that used to be sometimes causes a fear in me that stops my breath.. There is nothing to forgive..you were who you were and you are now who you are...Don't allow the old you to creep in and take charge of your life...Have you not paid enough of a price already! I know I have and continue to do so.... I was in the hospital last week because of an ulcer turned abscess on my sleeve and I could not figure out why all the nurses I knew for over 5 months giving me constant care were so stand offish...I have been there a few times to let them see me as I progress and they seemed cold... All of a sudden it was like a light bulb went off..They did not know who I was after just 2 months....Have I changed that much..Am I no longer me...No I am still me but better. I have learned a lot and continue to build the new me.. I read a few weeks ago a saying that read " Do something that scares you everyday." Well I have to say that I am there..You are as well. How many would really have the courage to keep fighting a battle that has controlled our every existence for so long... I can truly say that inside and out I have grown to be a better person. I have a better understanding of the frailty of life and compassion for those who struggle to change....I am not perfect by no means and I will be the first to say it...But this is a life saving change that we had the strength to endure..Change and learn....We deserve to be proud of ourselves and not look back..Only a reflection of what could happen if we allow food to control us once more...... You deserve this like everyone else here that sat in the back ground and waited to be ridiculed or abused by people who think they had the right...I do not sit by now and allow people to say one thing about an overweight person. Just because it makes themselves feel better about their own hell.. See yourself as a new you..A new person with so much more to offer and give...Reach out!!! Find others to help....It is in you..I promise!!!! Oh as an after thought......I am a leather jacket freak now myself... Always on the lookout for a new style!!! Your awesome.You were awesome...You are still you and you deserve to take care of you.... An interesting quote today said: Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.

We still live in the real world with real food. We have to learn to balance food with moderation. I have things I can no longer tolerate. Like beef, pork, bananas, ice cream..on and on..Does not bother me..I have some new favorites! But I still eat pizza, I will have a cookie ( not a box of Cookies ) and I will not feel guilty..If we could have gotten a handle on our addictions before surgery we would have done it without it. Turning this program into another diet ( failed )They all failed before! Now learning to live and coincide with food, now that's the ticket. Eat to live not live to eat. Enjoy the journey and the changes you will make and the learning you will do about yourself and why you chose food as a comfort....Use your tool to fix your thinking and how you respond to food and why.Then the rest will follow!

The time for shame is over. You have made a big difference in your life. You took control of the beast and you are dealing with it. I can't imagine being ashamed of something that saved your life and probably is making you a better, healthier person. People on here like myself were over 300 -- 400---500 +. and started to live again...We are making a change that is all in the past.. Pick your head up and be proud of what you have accomplished and keep the photos as a reminder of where you came from and how hard you worked and who you are becoming. It is a celebration for you. The time for you. It is about you. You can't do this again.....You will never go back.. You have shown fortitude to work on yourself and make yourself a better, happier you. Don't pick at the past but move forward....There is no going back...We live on. We grow, we change and we conquer!

AJS for every 1 person that had complications are 99 of us who didn't. The complication rates are 1% on average. And while complications can and do occur without anyone being at "fault" the best you can do is follow all instructions closely, never ever cheat, and expect you are going to be in that 99 number rather than the 1 person. For very one that has had a rough journey here are 99 who had an easy recovery. Educate and arm yourself and then know that you are more likely to be just fine than not. When I was about to get my date for surgery my surgeon asked me, what is the worst thing that can happen to you? I side stepped that question because I thought I knew what the worst thing was and had already made peace with it. He was not satisfied until I said the words out loud. You can die from this surgery!!!!!! That's right like you can die having any other surgery as well. Like having wisdom teeth removed... The chances are pretty small as GG Said but don't kid yourself anything worth having involves risk and you have to decide if you are ready for what ever is coming to you. Once you have figured that you want to be there for your son and husband for many years to come and want this bad enough to change your life...Only you can answer that question.. So many come on the forum and talk about regrets when they are a few days out and they are in a little bit of pain or discomfort...It is real... This is it..Your working toward a better life and a healthier you....Your doing this because it is time to take control of the thing that controls you... Lots of work but lots of wonderful things ahead of you as well.. I am one that was not part of the 99% and I tell you..I would not go back for anything...All those years wasted, existing and not even living..Wish I could have had this a long time ago...Even with all the complications.....

This is a problem with anyone who gives up an addiction... There are several people on here that have given up alcohol and food addictions at the same time. The first part of the plan is to admit that you have a food addiction. That you are a food addict. That you use it as your coping mechanism in life. If you past 50 years old the chances of you taking on another addiction is about 30%..... Take the time to find out what caused the addiction in the first place and turn it around. Instead of living to eat. Eat to live...I now spend my hard earned money on quality and not junkie foods. I buy the very best of everything for me and mine because we are worth it....Next I read every label and spend a long time enjoying shopping now instead of rushing through, grabbing something quick and shoving it down. If I can't pronounce it I don't eat it...lol I look for different recipes and have started to try new foods. There are other things you can do as well. Like write down every day 5 nice things that happened to you the day before and read them as your stress levels rise...This is not easy to do... Next take up a hobby, volunteer somewhere. Get your body moving (walking gym, exercise ) instead of watching the T.V Plan ahead.....Have something with you that you can fool yourself into thinking it is unhealthy but really is..Like a Protein cookie. All these things were mentioned to me by a substance abuse councilor....This is your time to make it work.. This is up to you...This is about you...no one else...No one will shove the food down your throat...We have to fix the brain and the body will follow suit.....

I doubt very many people are at risk for leaks or any other complication. But me I started having difficulties from the get go.....I was the luck of the draw I think. It has nothing to do with my surgeon. Or my team..They have been there with me through it all...I thank god for them.... I was his first patient to ever go through anything like this...And from what I gather his last so far.....This has cost me dearly..But it could have cost me my life if I kept on the path I was on. So I view my team as miracle workers...And love them all to death...... If you are doing what you are supposed to do and have few complications I think you will not have to worry....Unless you abuse your sleeve by over eating or grazing constantly........

Every surgeon seems to have a different idea about all the different aspects of WLS. When I went to the hospital last Sunday the first thing they did was put me on fluids and a heavy antibiotic in case of a leak. Now I also have a situation that is rare as well. I have a couple staples that have wiggled their way out of the scar tissue and are just dangling there...He has to go in and get them...It can cause other organs damage if left there and they dislodge... I try to be different then all the rest of you have you not seen that in my experience....lol

Try adding G2 Gatorade to your water. Coffee, tea they are diuretics. You may find that if you drink 1/2 Gatorade with 1/2 water every day it will help with hydration. BUT call the surgeon just to be on the safe side.....

I am 17 months almost 18 months out and just spent 6 days in the hospital because my surgeon was worried that I had a leak...It was an ulcer and so I escaped that one....it can happen far out as well. Just not likely.... Most surgeons feel that you are risk free at about 9 months... I of course have been an exception to most rules being that I have had one complication after another......You having the Lap Band there is more of a chance of it slipping then leaking...

You might find that keeping a Protein Bar in your purse at all times will help during these situations. Also keeping some nuts, seeds too. You will find that you can get along well using this method as a resort instead of Mikee Dee's. I found Smart for life bars really helpful when I have been caught out and have nothing to eat. I am quite satisfied with this as it is a Meal Replacement. I would not worry at this point about portion size...Some eat 1/3 c. some 1/2 cup...some 3/4 cup and most up to 1 cup. Not one cup of chips but dense protein first and then veggies and then carbs.... Just try to stay around a cup if you can....1 cup is not that much when you put it on your plate.... A 1/3 of a cup. My body would shut down and go into a stall...I would not get enough protein in to keep myself healthy... up to one cup is what my team recommended and it works for me....

Try a gentle stool softener. I use Senokot. S. It has worked quite well for me....Taking Iron pills can either make you bound up or be a laxative for you. most find it a bounder upper...lol. The first few weeks you are taking in less bulk and so your still thinking you need to go like you used to but you don't. But if you have that bloated feeling take this.

You hit the nail on the head when you said the word snacking....No WLS is going to work unless you fix the reasons why you are sabotaging yourself. Fix the brain and you will fix the body. If you have to snack pick a couple of almonds. Or some raisins. Nothing junkie. High calories and no benefits to body health at all. What you have is a tool. Not a fix it all! You have to be a driven person to do this. And continue for the rest of your life or you will find yourself back to what you started as. This information is not new to any of us. It is for me as well as you. We are in this together. It could be me later on... So breath deep, regroup and get it together kid. Okay...Back to basics and dense Proteins and stay away from carbs unless complex okay. Keep up the exercise and don't weigh yourself every day...That just discourages you more. We are all struggling with this demon in our lives. You are not alone no matter what surgery you chose. Basically....we have to see it as a tool and not a fix...We have to fix ourselves a long the way!!!

There is a constant discussion about whether you can or can't stretch your sleeve. Personally I have been told that you cannot stretch it. It will relax and a pocket can form under the flap at the bottom near the small bowel. That can be very dangerous... Others will say that you can stretch it. But if the surgeon took the pouch out then it can't! Just because you can eat an egg MC Muffin does not mean you should. I am certain that you can stay away from fast food joints forever if you put your mind to it. I have read on here that some can eat 2 eggs no problem. We are all different and our pouches are different according to surgeon and height and on and on. If you keep Protein first. Dense protein and then veggies, fruit and then carbs. You will continue on your way. For those times you can't..Try to eat complex carbs. They make a complete protein..And your body needs it... When a person goes back to old habits it can stop you cold from progressing to your goal. Around 1 cup of food per meal seems to be the standard. If you can eat more then that. Stop...If you are still hungry drink some Water....64 oz. is a lot to take down in a day..... Don't graze. Don't push until you can do what you know you shouldn't. I personally know of a girl who lost 1/2 her weight and said this sucks and she has remained at this weight for over 12 years....She had a lot more to go but did not fix her head. A man who lost all his weight and then gained it all back by drinking again...Fix your head and the body will follow. Follow the plan and figure out what is head hunger and what is the real deal....We can fool ourselves into thinking we are starving or we need more. It is surprising how little humans really need to eat to stay a live and be healthy.. Just take a deep breath and regroup...Go forward and figure out what the trigger food is for you and stay clear.....k All the best.

I am a veteran and also one of the unfortunate patients who is still battling complications because of this surgery. I was just released from a 6 day stay in hospital due to another complication. It has been some of the most pain I have ever felt and the most difficult adventure I've ever been on. I am almost 18 months post op and really encourage you to make sure that you know the risks. The first week or so after the surgery you will wish you never had it done and think you lost your mind. But as things progress and you start to head toward goal things will change. You will see your tool as an aid to get you there and you will depend on it to help you lose weight while you change your thinking about food. Fix the head you fix the body. Now for your question: With everything I have gone through and am still going through I do not regret one moment of this decision. I was existing before and now I am living. Really living....That can't be taken from me......It has been worth every moment of my ordeal. I am very proud of my accomplishments and would do it again even with the complications in a Carolina second!

Mess up again and see what happens to you missy...Follow your teams instructions and be so very good to the helper in there.....I'm still here and paying attention to your progress. Oh and by the way little one you were petrified that the leak would not heal. That is only natural! Congrats on being able to go forward from now on.......