ShrinkingViolet

One interesting thing to note is that although the studies for banded patients show American banded patients lost only 35 to 50% of excess weight, European patients on average lost 65% of their excess weight in three years. Australians did even better than that. They decided one of the differences was in followup care. In Europe, patients had more followup visits with their doctors and more opportunities for support groups. This is starting to gain traction in the US, and I think you will see people doing better as more people get banded and they can find people like those here to support them. Don't be discouraged! If it can be done, there's no reason why you can't be one of those who does it.

Congratulations!!! You are such an inspiration! Thank you for being here. You prove that just because the "average" person only loses 35 to 50 percent of his/her excess weight with banding, it's possible to beat that. And this gives me great hope.

I wonder if it's a number the doctor just pulled out his a--. Sorry to be blunt and skeptical (I am by nature) but it seems like the kind of statistic that would get media attention, especially with weight loss surgery rising considerably among the population (seems like there would be a concurrent rise then in the overall divorce rate). I've also never read anything about that--it would mean 8 out of 10 patients who have WLS get divorced. That is just astronomical. I do believe weight loss surgery results in some people getting divorced; I've read about it on other boards. But I think there are other underlying reasons. For example, one woman posted that her husband had cheated on her through thirteen years of marriage but because of her obesity she blamed herself and lacked confidence to do anything. After surgery and weight loss, she left because she realized she wasn't to blame and deserved better. Another guy said his wife apparently was attracted to "dependent" personalities and when he lost weight he was no longer a dependent/needy person and she couldn't deal with her "loss of stature". My husband has stayed with me literally through thick and thin, and I expect he'll stay here when/if I'm thin again. But he's made it known he prefers me thinner. I have only ever found that as I lose weight our relationship improves. At the same token, when I'm at a lower weight I get much more male attention, and I admit I enjoy it. Maybe for some people this temptation is very hard to resist? It's one reason I've decided to join an all-woman's gym. Last time I lost weight (50 pounds on Atkins), I had a difficult time with a few guys at the gym showing interest in me, etc., and it made me too uncomfortable to work out so I stopped going. When you start feeling like you have to look good and put on make up or fix your hair to work out, you know you're at the wrong gym (or in the wrong mindset)! My husband says he's worried I'll lose weight and be so beautiful I'll leave him. I remind him the one time I left him (we separated for a time years ago), I had just had a second baby and was hardly thin and gorgeous so that's not a pre-requisite for me to leave if I wanted to. I think if you and yours have a solid relationship, it will endure. I also think Lisa's story is germane. If you have two overweight people and one is motivated to change while the other cannot/won't, it's not so different from other situations in which people grow apart because one partner experiences something life-changing (like finding God or wanting to adopt/have a child or a traveling or a housewife pursuing a career or even a man retiring). Any major life-altering situation puts strain on a marriage. It's a very complicated issue, and I concur with the counselor that if there seem to be any problems along the way, have counseling. It's a good idea.

Hi guys! Boy Zoe, you have an excellent memory. Wish I could borrow it Yes, I had my gallbladder out years ago, which I believe was also related to weight loss. I didn't have this feeling again or get sick the next day so maybe it was just the pills. I have been chopping them in half now before swallowing. They are very high dose Vitamins and really seem to be helping with my hair loss (it's slowed down significantly) so I am hesitant to switch...kind of like a baseball player who doesn't want to change his socks after a winning game! I didn't know things getting stuck could feel that bad though. That was awful.

I'm not sure how you find out, but I called the hospital where I was having the procedure done and the hospital told me they had had six weight loss surgery deaths in the past year, but it's a hospital where a high number of these operations are performed (mostly bypass) and that was a very low statistic. Remember, gastric bypass operations actually have something like a 1 to 2% chance of death, which means out of every one hundred patients who get this, one to two will likely die! I would find it hard to believe that the number of deaths you were told are band-related since it's really quite a safe operation. Most of the band related deaths I've heard of (a total of two, in the media) occurred well after the surgery and were related to improper band placement, etc. If a large number of people are getting the band and dying during surgery, I'd say the most likely culprit would be the anesthesiologist! That's not to say there's no risk from the band (like inadvertent tears and punctures) but six just doesn't sound right. Maybe the hospital would have information for you?

Thanks everyone, I'll try not to be stressed about it! How do you break the scale addiction? Sometimes I have to exercise restraint not to weigh myself TWICE a day. I know the numbers don't really matter and it's percentage of body fat, etc. and that we gain and lose Water weight, but I seem to be psychologically fixated on weighing myself! Nancy, the Inamed book has a chart (it's also on the website I think) with the band's success rates and I just noted that among diabetic patients there was a significantly reduced success rate. But I did this anyway and told myself that the rates showed that some people WERE successful at it so if it can be done, there's no reason why I can't be one of those who succeeds. We may just have to work a little harder. Nana, I made sure I got my Protein shake yesterday and I've been re-evaluating my eating habits. Last night I made chicken parmesan for the family, and I ate the chicken first, which left room for only one or two bites of Pasta. And I bought some new low carb Lean Cuisines instead of some of the rice ones I had been eating. So I'll try to restrict my carbs and take a look at the glycemic index someone kindly posted in the Foods section. Then I will try try try to just weigh myself once a week, but it's very hard! I don't know if I can do it. I'm going to the doctor Monday for a follow-up visit so I'll try to make that day the weigh-in day. Ladie, you do bring up a good point! At least I'm not gaining, which I certainly did a lot of pre-band. My weight would fluctuate ten pounds in a month sometimes, up and down, up and down! I was approaching three hundred pounds when I decided to try to watch what I ate better and I managed to get to 278 then went up to 286 and kept fluctuating between 278 and 286. This is the first time I've been below 260 in about two years! So I should be grateful for that.

Hi Jen! You're definitely not alone. I've been banded six weeks and no fill yet, and I get the same thing. I only recognized it because one of the other bandsters here described her first PB and talked about the feeling that a 'golf ball' was stuck in her chest. One day I ate a tuna sandwich on wheat bread, and had this feeling like something was stuck. Stupid me took a drink to try to "wash it down", then I remembered what the other woman had written (wish I could remember who it was on here!) and sure enough the Water and everything started to come back up! Ack. So I guess what happens (and I'm only guessing) is that it gets stuck further down in the stomach, so things are backing up. It's not stuck on the way down but rather on its way back up! Anyway this has happened to me several times. Like you, I tend not to chew my food carefully enough. :/ My nutritionist said chew everything until it's the consistency of oatmeal. I have also been avoiding untoasted bread and vacuum packed tuna in the foil pouches, which is drier than regular tuna. And I also found out that sometimes I just wait a few minutes like Leatha said and take a tiny sip of water and the feeling goes away. PB-ing left my stomach very sore.

Glad you are starting to get better! Don't kick yourself for not getting the flu shot...it wouldn't have helped. Your symptoms sound more like gastroentiritis, which people mistakenly call "stomach flu." The flu shot only helps with influenza, which is a respiratory virus. So the flu shot wouldn't have prevented this. :/ Also, if you're getting an antibiotic, that means it's something bacterial...because antibiotics won't do a thing for a virus. So I wonder what you contracted! Sounds like a nasty bug! I learned all this because all three of my kids and my husband went through "gastroentiritis" the week before Christmas. I was the only one who--knock on wood--didn't get sick! I PB'd twice since having the band and it left my stomach feeling very sore. So I can't imagine how awful it is to have an upset stomach. Glad your band is still okay too!

I've only been banded about six weeks (tomorrow), so my experiences are kind of new. I, too, am a hoarder. My childhood experiences don't sound quite as horrific as some, but we were very poor and food was rationed. The funny thing is now that I look back, that rationing is probably the only thing that kept me at a normal weight up through high school. dinner would be one hot dog, a small portion of mac & cheese and green Beans, with no seconds. Now I realize that was probably an adequate sized portion but boy at the time I felt deprived! I seem to have lost all taste for sweets. Usually during my cycle, I crave chocolate, but this last time, I just craved beans. For my son's birthday, I tried a bite of his chocolate birthday cake and it was so sweet, I had to spit it out. The two boxes of ice cream I bought for his party are still in the freezer unopened (the kids were too full from pizza to eat them). So that's a huge change for me. Also, when going out to eat, ordering appetizers was a must for me. I haven't gone out to eat too often yet but I didn't order any appetizers. I've pretty much changed the way my whole family eats to avoid temptation myself. Anyway, one of my son's is overweight, another is getting pudgy, and my husband was a little overweight. And my third son is the skinniest little guy, so I worry about cutting out all his Cookies and things but I just can't bring myself to buy them. Instead, I buy cinnamon graham sticks for them or crackers. No more chips, cookies or sugar-laden sodas anymore. And no more white bread. Lots of bananas, apples, and for my oldest, sushi. I also love to cook a lot and have always tried to make things from scratch. Lately I am torn. Part of me says "Well I can't eat very much so I want to make it the best tasting thing I can" and another part of me says "I can't eat very much, so why go to all the trouble?" Since my surgery, my oldest son has lost six pounds and my husband has lost about eight pounds. One of the biggest things I did was take the deep fryer out to the garage. I had this expensive professional deep fryer that made the best fried foods! I replaced it with a steamer that I bought my husband for Christmas. Mentally I'm not there yet. I have always had some problems with binge eating, where I would open the refrigerator and take bites of everything (used to do it when babysitting during my food-rationed teen years). I found myself doing that one day while cooking. Fortunately I can't "binge" much because my stomach is too small! But I recognized what I was doing and I'm working to keep it under control. Also, every time I sit down to eat, I feel a little sad that I can't eat "everything." I can't have a heaping plate of spaghetti or if I eat salad, garlic bread, and grilled chicken, having more of one means less of another. I don't make huge multi-course meals anymore because of that. I also struggle with the no drinking after eating rule. Sometimes I do drink after I eat but then I just force myself to wait until the next meal time to eat even if I feel hungry (usually I don't feel hungry anyway). I don't snack. I also dream about food a lot lately. I dream about heaping piles of food. I am still in love with food.

Thanks. I can't take them in the morning because I have to drink this really awful cholysteramine every morning, which is a result of having my gallbladder removed. If I don't drink it, I have a "dumping" problem. The drink absorbs most of the Vitamins and nutrients in my system for several hours, so they recommend witing at least five before taking any vitamins. I guess I could try to take the vitamins in the evening sometime, but I just remember better before bed. Someone said something about liquid vitamins. Are they at GNC? Do they taste really icky? These vitamins I'm taking are like horsepills.

Sheryl, I am new here, but welcome back! I have no doubt that all of us in our long weight loss journey know what it's like to "start over" again, and the important thing is that you are here now and you are going to do it. If you've only gained a few pounds in nine months, then you have only taken a teeny tiny step back (practically stood still) and so going forward will be great! Without the band, nine months could mean forty-five pounds or more for me, so perhaps it helped keep you from sliding back! Glad you're here and back on track!

Lauri, I am sorry to hear about your health problems and hope you find out what it is so you can begin dealing with it the best way possible. Since you can't get unemployment, is it possible you could get some sort of disability payment until you get your situation resolved? Please get better soon! I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing your smiley picture.

Good idea! I don't think I could drink a whole gallon of Water (wouldn't that be 16 glasses???) but I'll work to get my eight in and I'm going to write down everything I eat and make sure I'm not lying to myself about what I'm consuming. Your advice is good! Time to make some New Year's resolutions.

Last night, I had really bad stomach pain. It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach or was squeezing my stomach. It was two to three inches below my sternum right in the center. It felt strange to breathe. The pain would be strong, then lighten a little, then be strong again. I finally fell back asleep. This morning I just feel a slight ache. Although I've had no acid in my throat that would indicate reflux, could this be caused by acid reflux, just not coming all the way up? Or would this happen if one of my Vitamins got stuck? (I take two vitamins every night and never had any problems so far with them getting stuck) I have my regular appointment to see my surgeon in two weeks, and I don't want to go in early if I don't have to. Is this anything to be concerned about if it happens again? I figured as long as I can get food and fluids through and tolerate any pain, I can wait it out the two weeks. In case it's relevant, for dinner that evening, I had eaten stir fried vegetables with some chicken breast and about one or two bites of white rice. I didn't feel any pain or feel anything stuck. Then two hours after that, I had my Protein drink, then two or three hours after that, I went to bed.

Thanks everyone. I just get frustrated seeing the scale stuck in the same numbers. One day I was at 256; the next day, 258.9; the next day 258, then 257.8, then 257.4, then 258 again...so it feels like I'm not making much progress lately. I'm going to really try to get my Protein and Water in. I don't think I've been doing enough of that. And I don't eat pizza everyday. It was our New Year's dinner. Mostly I eat chicken and spinach, sometimes with a small amount of Pasta or rice but not always. Oh, and for some reason I have a continual craving for taco meat. I've bought extra lean ground beef and made tacos once or twice (the soft kind) and I use lowfat cheese. And I'm craving Beans, which is weird because I have always disliked beans. I think it's just hard to have reality not match your expectations. I thought I'd follow the same pattern most everyone else seems to be following on here...almost everyone has lost at least 20 pounds in the first four weeks, and I'm six weeks out and still haven't lost 20 pounds. I should have expected this, though. The reason I was banded in the first place was that even on a regular 1200 to 1400 calorie per day diet, I couldn't lose weight. I am insulin resistant, too (borderline diabetic) and in Inamed's book, the test results show less success with the band among those who are diabetic. So maybe I will just have to fight that much harder. I'm going to sign up at a gym today instead of sitting on my big butt moaning about it. At least if I stay the same weight but manage to shift some fat to muscle, I'll look a little better and feel a little better. Thanks everyone for being so nice and not telling me I'm being a baby. :0