thechatrooper

I did Jenny Craig a while back, and they said that for every 20lbs you lose, you'll drop one dress size. If I calculate that out in my head from my own experiences, it seems about accurate, although I suppose it depends on what part of your body you lose weight from the most.

Thanks for all the great comments =) I suppose it's really just my insecurities that are making me wonder. And I'm sure I haven't helped by pushing him away when I've felt unattractive and haven't wanted to be touched, so I totally see where everyone is coming from about the "attitude adjustment." I guess I've just been wondering a lot how this would affect things between us.. every time I bring up the surgery to him, he NEVER says ANYTHING. It somewhat bothers me. I wish he would be excited for me, express interest, anything. I suppose maybe he doesn't know what to say... like I'm thinking maybe he thinks that if he acts excited, he'll feel as if he's making it seem like he's unhappy with me. And if he's unhappy with my decision and expresses that, maybe he feels as if I'll be pissed. I've felt kind of strange telling a lot of people about the surgery... did everyone else feel this way? Maybe it's just the fact that I'm younger, and some people my age can be judgemental. I was actually going to hide it from my friends as I wasn't sure how they'd react, but then I eventually decided to tell them. I have a small group of close friends, and everyone was really great about it and really happy & supportive.. they all said they'd work out with me afterwords... and when I told my friend Broc about how I was bummed about being on the month-long liquid diet, he exclaimed, "It will be cool, we'll all just go to juice Bars for that month!" so I'm really glad I told them. =)

Alexandra- My friend is doing okay I suppose. I'm really quite surprised that she's doing so good to be honest... she smokes weed a lot, eats a lot of junk food, never works out, and hasn't worked in YEARS, and is supposedly in college, but takes only 1 class thru the Internet. She basically just sits on her butt all day. She also became pregnant less than a year after she got banded... she had her surgery in March 04, and became pregnant in December 04. She is now about 4 mos pregnant, and has only gained 8 lbs. One thing I did notice about her, is that when she does eat, she eats VERY, VERY slowly and chews very carefully. I guess the odds were in her favor... when I was asking her some questions about the surgery a few days ago, she said "Don't worry about the stupid things that they tell you to do and the restrictions they give you- you don't need to go on a liquid diet, you can smoke afterwards, and you can drink pop after your surgery." Needless to say, I'm NOT taking her advice...lol. I'm paying completely out of my OWN pocket (and I'm a student). If I'm going to make that big of a financial sacrafice, then I want it to work for me, and work good. My parents went on and on about my spending so much money on this surgery, but to me its an investment in my future. That $15,000 could be 15 more years I live, $15,000 more I get paid a year by looking more "pulled together", and many, many more years happiness & health. -Lisa PS... Good luck MaxwellBart... I'm sure you'll do great if you put your mind to it! =)

I have my consultation this Friday, April 1st. The day after, I will begin my 2 week pre-op fast. I'll also have to quit smoking. I just started on Spring break from college last Thursday. Since I'm getting the surgery, I decided to take this next quarter off to allow myself to adjust & heal. I was going to get a temp job until I get surgery, but decided I should just focus on the two week fast & my quitting smoking, since that will be stressful on my body. I'm only 6 days into my "time off" and I'm going NUTS! I still have about a month left until I'll be fully healed and off of this one month fast I have to go through. I miss taking the train downtown to classes.. I miss doing projects (I'm in school for Advertising & Design)... I miss the social interaction. How will I be able to handle a month of this!? Arrrgggg!!! My friends are all out going to clubs, bars...and juggling work & school.. etc. I suppose I should plan some projects to work on...painting my room, etc. I was actually thinking of taking a photography class at night, since I wouldn't normally have time with all of my other classes. Do you think I would feel good enough to attend a photography class after surgery?

Hey Zoe! I noticed that you get your fills through Dr. Horgan. How do you like him? I am set to get my surgery done through him this month, but haven't met him yet (My consult is this Friday, surgery is 2 weeks after) Do you go to the support groups at MIBC as well?

I was speaking with a friend who recently got banded, and she commented to me "Oscar (her boyfriend) acts sooo different towards me now! Just wait and see, your boyfriend will be all over you now... and he'll also get really possesive!" As much as I try to fight it, I can't help but be insecure. I've been with my boyfriend for several years, but when our relationship began, I was much smaller. Plus, we're both in our 20's... so I guess I feel unattractive compared to other females my age. I would almost feel upset if my boyfriend treated me differently after surgery & acted "more attracted" than before. I suppose it's a really good thing to increase attraction, but I guess it's just a product of one of those nagging insecurities deep down inside that many women get from being overweight for most of their lives. It makes me wonder if our relationship will drastically change after I begin losing weight. What has everyone experienced with this? Have your relationships changed? Has anyone felt this way about their relationships after surgery? Has anyone experienced posessiveness or jealousy from their partner?

I will receive my band date this Friday (April 1st)... but since I am self pay it should be in two weeks.. So I'm thinking around mid-April or so... I'm really excited... but at the same time, the timing kinda sucks since my bday is April 25th (and I'll still be fasting)... but... it's worth it!

Yayyyyyy!! I'm happy for you!! =D TrishS, you made me want to go and watch Bambi!! hehe... that was my FAVORITE movie when I was a kid... I'd watch it every day!! lol...

Not saying I recommend not trying... but I had a friend who did absolutely NOTHING for over a year after her surgery... she still ate fast food & junk food, and sat on her booty all day (she didn't work, go to school, work out... she did absolutely NOTHING). The only difference was the fact that she barely ate anything when she did eat her junk food. She still managed to lose 100 lbs (she was about 300lbs before surgery). She never did get "skinny" (she still looks "thick", but to me she looks great!) so I'm sure she could have gotten down to her goal if she would have put in any effort. She was 21 at the time she got banded. Since you're 18, you'll probably have a bit of easier time losing weight than a lot of people who get it done. I've heard that the younger you are, the easier it is to lose weight (at least that's what my mom keeps on complaining about... lol). But, if you're going through the surgery and you're given a opportunity like that, then why not make it work as good as it can for you??? The way I see it is, if I work out a lot after surgery, I'll lose weight sooo much faster.

Hey everyone! I'm due to be banded in about three weeks, and one of my biggest concerns is the fact that I might be left with a lot of excess skin after weight loss. I know two people personally who have gotten the surgery, and both were young (21 and 28) and they were left with LOTS of extra skin and both had to get body lifts, plus one got a breast lift and another got implants. I'm 21, 5'6 and 250lbs. Will I be stuck with lots of extra skin as well? I'd really like to avoid having to get plastic surgery... I hate the thought of it. I'm planning on buying an elipticall machine for my house, but I don't know if that will be enough. What kind of excersizes are good to help tone up before excess skin becomes a problem? (I'm an hourglass shape, so my weight is carried pretty evenly, but is mainly in my upper arms, chest, abdomen below my belly button, and upper thighs.) Has anyone tried to use skin firming cream religiously after surgery? If so, did it work? Is there anything, anything, anything I can do to prevent my breasts from becoming saggy?? Has anyone tried seeing a dermotologist for advice? I'm thinking of doing this. Thanks for any help anyone can give! Lisa