MsButterKup23

Hi, Sorry you are having such a rough time. I hope it helps to know I went through the same stage. I am very much an emotional eater. I remember one day i had a really rough day and I couldn't eat the junk that made me feel better, or so I thought. You have to "mourn food" if you will. I simply look at the bad stuff as things that got me to 300lbs. It will get better I promise, when that scale starts going down and you can buy smaller clothes it so worth it. Total change in priorities. If you need me PM me. I'm here for ya!

I plan on someday having the same surgery. We want to have another baby first. I wish you the best of recovery, post pictures sometime

I Googled it and this is what I found: http://www.transweb.org/reference/articles/donation/excess_skin_donation.html

Welcome to the forum!! o2beslim, I too am in the Mesquite area.

I don't smoke, but I'm sure several of the people here do, so I can't answer your question on that. As far as the carbonated alcohol. I haven't had a beer in about a year because I have a young daughter, I used to drink Guinness Draft!! Talk about a meal in a pint! I can drink small amounts of soda, but I have to sip it over several hours and no gulping or you will hurt. For some reason chips and salsa go down well. I haven't tried flour tortillas but I read they weren't too band friendly and I prefer corn. I can eat a little refried Beans, but they tend to get stuck so I try not to eat much of them, same way with queso. I have found (and you maybe different) that I can have a bite or two of anything I want as long as I know when to stop. I usually either throw it away or give it to someone to keep me from eating it and getting sick. There is a lifestyle change involved. Not trying to preach I love beer too, but alcohol in general is full of empty calories and kinda defeats the purpose if consumed too often. Best of luck to ya!

I wanted to welcome you to the board. I don't know any information about the Houston area doctors, but I wanted to wish you the best of luck! Good for you not letting the insurance get ya down. You go Girl!

Welcome to the forum! I can't answer the insurance question, but I wish you the best of luck.

I hope you get to feeling better soon!!

Hi and welcome to the forum. I was banded back in August. I would be lying if I said it wasn't an adjustment that you have to get used to. It's a total change as far as food goes. I got my band because I was almost 300lbs and I have a 16 month old daughter that I want to be able to chase on the beach and not feel like I am going to die. If you have children you might relate to this. It's the only comparison I have found. You have life before kids and it's one way. When the baby comes home your whole world is torn upside down and things are just different. Your priorities change. While it's hard at first, you get used to your new life and how things are. It takes some people longer than others to adjust to the change, but when the weight starts coming off it's a HUGE motivation! Very few times do I miss my pre-band days. I avoid buffets like the plague. They are horrible and nothing but stress because I can't eat much. I do admit I enjoy an occasional soda. I let it fizz down a bit (usually for about 1/2 an hour) and sip it VERY slowly. You can't chug it because you WILL hurt. I usually get one soda every couple weeks when I want the bubbles. The only thing is it can cause you to throw up if you drink it too fast or give you the farts. I can pretty much eat a bite of anything I want. If I have a craving I eat 1-2 bites of whatever it is and either trash it or give it to someone else. I can eat a hamburger, but I have to take away the top bun, get it plain w/o lettuce and pickles and only eat 1/2 of it. You can still have what you crave, but with such limited capacity in your pouch you have to eat the healthy stuff 99% of the time. :Banane40: Best of luck to you!

I try not to weigh myself everyday, but it's addicting. I tend to fluctuate about 2lbs from day to day.

I got one shot of Depo back in like 1998. I got my shot at 9am, by 6pm I was crying my eyes out for no apparent reason. I had two moods during that time period either very mad or very emotional (crying). I also gained about 40lbs in the 3 months. My period went away for about 9 months and I felt like I was menopausal because I had no interest in sex. I had many of the symptoms women complain about with menopause. Personally I don't do the IUD because of the fear of abortive action. But like I said it is a personal thing. I have never heard of it causing a problem with the band, but I admit I haven't looked into it. Best of luck to ya!

I removed my post. I no longer recommend the surgeon we used.

I too am happy for you!!

Wow I could have written that!! I was 5'6' and 297 before I had my surgery. When I got pregnant with my daughter I was over 300lbs!! I did NOT have any complications during my pregnancy other than high blood pressure at 38wks that caused me to be induced. The induction failed and I ended up with a c-section. It wasn't that bad. If you are healthy in every other way then I would not let your weight discourage you from getting pregnant. Check out www.plus-size-pregnancy.org for more information. As far as surgery is concerned. The key is to find a doctor that you are comfortable with that has done many of these surgeries. My doctor did my surgery last August and banded my hubby in January. Needless to say we are very happy with him and his staff. One thing I do want to warn you about is the fact that most doctors say not to become pregnant for anywhere from 1-2 years after surgery (varies by doctor) in order to allow your weight to stabilize. Best of luck to you!

Very well said Paul!! I agree totally. After I got banded in August the Hubster lost 30lbs simply because we no longer bought junk food. I didn't want it in my face because I knew I physically couldn't eat most of it. I will admit though if I do have a craving I eat just enough of whatever it is to make the craving go away. Tonight I wanted a pretzel from Auntie Anne's, I knew I physically couldn't eat a pretzel so I settled for a pretzel stick. That was the first pretzel I've had in 7 months and it was good. I don't feel guilty in a bite here or there. My hope is that our lack of junk food will allow my 16 month old daughter to have healthier eating habits and avoid obesity.

If you haven't had anything solid since the first of Feb, then I will guess you are about 2 weeks out from surgery?? If that is the case then you are still healing. This is not the time to be losing weight, it's time to heal. Don't expect to lose weight until after your first fill. I've been there and my hubby is at that point right now between being banded and getting his first fill. I know it's frustrating. We have all been there. Stay away from the scales, they lie! Remember long term weight loss, you didn't gain the weight in 2 weeks, you need to be fair to the band and give it time to work AFTER a fill. Best wishes..

Thanks for reminding everyone. My hubby is in this stage right now and it's very frustrating to him. I try not to be too judgemental of what he eats because I am pretty well restricted and see portions as something that are HUGE.

I have 4 dogs, 2 are on low-cal food. 1 is underweight and the other is almost overweight. My mom is around 100lbs, she lives off coffee and cigarettes and rarely eats. My dad never got over 150lbs, when he passed away 10 years ago he weighed 80lbs (emphysema, cancer and renal failure took its toll). I have 2 older sisters. One was always thin growing up, all her weight now is in her butt. She has 3 kids and weighs about 160. The other sister made fun of me my entire childhood about being fat, even when I wasn't. Now she is bigger than me. One of the reasons I believe I became obese was because of my sister. From the time I was 7 I was told how worthless, fat and ugly I was. After many years of hearing that and my parents not making her stop, I just gave up and eat whatever I wanted. By the time I graduated high school I was morbidly obese. :cool: My daughter is 16 months old. She is in the top 90th percentile for her weight, but she is also tall. I don't consider her fat even though the doctor told me to watch her weight. With two banded parents I think her chance of being overweight has decreased.

Anyone else taking this? I was told by the guys at GNC that Papaya Enzyme is very helpful in digesting protein. I did some research online and apparently they were full of it. I'm just curious of anyone else takes it before eating their protein shake or bar?

I dunno what is going on with me. I've had 3 fills and the last one was on Jan. 3rd (so a month and a half ago). I've lost almost 20lbs in a month, but the last fill was a doosey and I got full really quick. Now I am able to eat almost twice as much as I could say 2 weeks ago. :hungry: I'm 6 months out and wondering what the heck is going on. Perhaps the 20lbs I lost loosened my band a bit? I haven't been hungry since my last fill, now I've been getting hungry 3-4 hours after my last meal. hmmmm

I'm pretty much in the same shape. I've lost 20lbs since my last fill and for the past 2-3 days I've been hungry and able to eat a lot more than usual.

Sounds like a winning plan to me. Or you could just buy extra life insurance on them and wait for them to kill over. :omg: I don't think the payments on the extra life insurance would be as much as the payments on the loan. :heh: Seriously, I have a very "interesting" family as well, I don't have any advice for you on the family front, I just wanted to let you know we are here and to keep your head up high. ((((((HUGS))))))

The first question that pops in my mind are you getting your Protein in? As Jamie pointed out B12 is another common issue for those who are low on energy. Also are you taking a multi-Vitamin? I take Centrum chewables each night and some veggie pills because I hate green veggies. I have found that my energy has gone way up since I started doing this and religiously drinking my protein each day.

I have them too. I have red ones on my back and plenty of white ones on my stomach. Now all I need is a good (blue) bruise and I'm very patriotic. I had these way before I got pregnant with my daughter. I've always been overweight, I was a size 20 in 8th grade, so I can't blame it on my pregnancy.

Welcome to the board, best of luck to you on your surgery. You will do great!