TulipStar

I just got off a plane an hour ago and it did not make me tighter. It was a 3 hour flight and I was in first class and ate the meal with no problem. However, when I am on long international flights (7 + hours), it defnitely makes me tighter...for days afterwards, it seems.

It was a pretty easy surgery. I didn't stay at the hospital for my original surgery nor did I stay for the revision surgery. I was admitted at 7:30am and then released around 11am. It went well. It was a much easier recovery than the original surgery and I could have gone back to work within 2 days, but I took 1 week of for a full recovery.

I totally understand where you are coming from. My worst fear is not knowing who I am when I reach my goal weight. In fact I am scared to death to weigh under 200lbs... as I have not been under 200 lbs since I was 9 years old. The only consistent identity I have is being the "fat girl" and yes, I used my personality to make up for it by being funny and personable. As I have started to get in the lower 200's (reached 220's this week), I suddenly feel like I might be starting to self-sabotage myself?? I took 3 days off the gym this past week...I usually only take 1. I thought about it and its because this is happening too fast..I don't know if I am ready for the new identity. I have been going through therapy for the first time which has helped tremendously. I have post-its around my house with phrases which describe me (other than fat) to remind me... "I am generous", "I am pretty", "I am a good boss", "I am a good wife, mom, friend". So all these things are part of my identity and make me ME... being fat is not one of them. This is the emotional side that I will really have to work on. I also relate to missing fat. I lost a 100 lbs 4 years ago and then had ps to remove excess stomach skin. I missed the stomach fat...still do every once in a while since it didn't come back the same when I gained weight.. It's weird!! Good luck BBK. Try writing out what you like about you..what makes you YOU. Take the time to read it out loud a few times a day. It has helped me and maybe it would help you too?

I know a few people who were banded by Benavides and they all say he was great and has the most experience which lessens the rate of complications. The only downside is that he doesn't do after care. So, after your surgery, all you care is from AIGB for fills and support. My dr is partners with Benavides and has the same after care, which is fine for me.

I don't really check my blood sugar regularly bc it has never been a problem. I don't have diabetes, but my entire family does, so I am at high risk. When I do check it in the morning it is between 75-95.

There is not one specific test, but a combination of things can help you dr to diagnose. Tell your dr of your symptoms and you can even tell him that you think you might have it. They can do a blood test which will reveal if your fasting insulin is too high (insulin resistance) and test your LH/FSH levels. He also might do an ultrasound which would show cysts on your ovaries.

Mine started after I just lost about 40lbs about 260 for me. which is strange since I have weighed that before I gained it and I didn't have normal cycles even when I weighed 200. I think it is also a combo of not eating bad things or high GI carbs.

For the first time in my life I have regular periods!! It is weird and I have to admit that I don't think I like it.... but I guess its part of being a woman! For some reason my acne has really flared up since I started to lose weight. Does anyone else have this problem?

I just stopped taking them. My insulin resistance has dissapeared and according to my dr I don't need the metforming anymore.

It took about 3 weeks for the bloating to pass for me.

I was obese as a kid (200 lbs by 10 years old) and I didn't start until I was 13.

Hi clover, This will work for you if you make it work for you. Just like you, I had that black and white/all or nothing mentality before the surgery which stemmed from my perfectionism personality. Since I have been banded, this has eased up and part of this is bc of the band. I can't binge anymore, and the results give me motivation to keep up. PB'ing or regurgitation is not really like vomiting, it is very different. You will just have to learn to listen to your body, eat slowly and take small bites. Good luck!!

I use a spreadsheet too and use a run chart to show the progress. I posted a copy of the chart to my latest blog yesterday.

You can definitely get there! It's the small ones that add up over time! Soon your lbs lost will be bigger than your lbs to lose

Wow, if I knew then what I know now. My band is really finicky...you can never tell what it might be. Sometimes if a Soup is too creamy...it comes back up. Even stranger is that whipped cream is a problem for me. No eggs whatsoever...and I used to eat eggs every day. I think the biggest tip is that I have to eat really really slow. Take time in between bites and really listen to my body. Sometimes this gets me in troublem bc if I am out to dinner with someone who doesn't know about my lb, they will ask me "what are you thinking right now" and I can't tell them "I am wondering if this is going to go down or back up..."

mine wasn't so dramatic or quite as quick. I decided after trying to lose weight for a year to be able to start fertility treatments. I realized my clock was ticking and my weight wasn't moving down fast enough (barely at all).

I disagree...I think it is a combination of both. If I only diet..I don't see results. If I exercise with my heart in a fat-burning rate of about 150bpm, then I start to lose weight. I don't know if its beacuse my metabolism is slower or what...all I can say is from my experience, I lose weight by a combination of diet and exercise.

I had some knee problems a couple months ago. I tore my meniscus in my left knee. The dr said I could only do low impact which was... walking, Water aerobics, swimming or the elliptical, stationary bike. For you, since you don't know what exactly is the problem, I would think stationary bike is the safest. You can also do some strength training for your upper body using the machines at the gym or free weights.

I drink occassionaly.... like for my birthday this weekend I had quite a few. Every once in a while I will go out with friends and drink some wine. I try to limit it to wine for the more frequent occassion and then hard liquor is only for special occasions.

There is ketchup that doesn't have it. I think they are both organic, but local grocery stores usually carry them (or even Wal mart) Try out Muir Glen or Annie's ketchup.

Oh, and i forgot to say that I have to restrict myself from going there because I LOVE the spuds au broc (baked potato covered with broc cheese soup). It is so delic and I can eat a lot of it!!

I love Jason's deli...congratulations on your new find!! They also have free soft serve ice cream/yogurt, which makes it a special treat!

my paperwork says no eating 2 hours prior. I hope it went well!

I had a similar experience when they tried to fill me but my port flipped. This resulted in a ton of needle pricks in my stomach and lots of bruising from them pushing down and trying to find it. I thought I would never be able to get a fill again. However, it's much better now that I have had so many fills. I don't feel it and if I don't feel confident in someone's ability to find it I tell them that I want to see someone else.

I am also going on a cruise to Alaska in June. I thought about getting unfilled, but then I thought about the pain it would be to get back up to my level of restriction. They can't put it all back in at once. They have to add 1 cc's or .5cc at a time, which would mean it would take months to get back where I am. So for me, it's just not worth it to get an unfill. I will find things to do on the cruise that aren't centered around food. Also, I might have 1 more fill before I go depending on if I get to loose before then.