JSOTO

my opinion is, that you got your band to help you loose weight, controll your intake and be conciously aware of what you consume. You have already proven to yourself, that you can and are successful with your lap band. I cant imagine for a minute that you would want to loosen your band just for a cruise!!! If your focus is on the food, instead of the beautiful atmosphere, all the fun activities, the scenery, and the sun, then i think you have failed to learn anything so far about eating, and yourself . If you are thinking of the steak and lobster (that you can STILL eat, only in moderation ) and not on yourself...you have missed the point of your surgery. If you havent gotten stuck so far and have been reasonably successful , why worry about getting stuck while cruising? Also all cruise ships have excellent medical care. You are already a success story, down 58 pounds. Bite the bullet, and go on your cruise, and take your filled lap band with you!!!! focus on other things besides food....it is the issue of your new life, throw your old way of thinking away once and for all!

happy crusing, and take good care!!!

i too, have a hard time, with that scale....after talking with a nutricionist, i realized, that i may NOT be eating enough calories (can you imagine?) and that my body, is going into starvation mode, thus hanging onto every pound that it can...after changing up things with my diet, the old scale starts moving down again...also excercize is a must.....swimming is my favorite!!!! many many larger people in the pools these days, rec centers, clubs, spas, everywhere...!

good luck,

j.

O MY! i HAD IT BAD WHEN I WAS ON ATKINS....IT IS JUST THAT YOU ARE EATING A LOT OF PROTIEN. aSK YOUR DOC, I LIVED ON LISTERENE, AND GUM! tHERE IS A REASON FOR IT, AND I DONT KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT SOMEONE HAS GOT TO KNOW!

GOOD LUCK

J.

all i can say, is chest presses, french curls, breast stroke, ( no pun there ) in the pool....build your pecs, make sure they are strong and in good shape, as for the girls, just sitting there on top of our muscle, we just have to do the best we can....yea silicone!!!!

crunches, excercize ball, over and over everyday!!! there is some kind of lazer surgery to tighten skin, im not sure what it is called...saw it on discovery, sounds great, no cutting!

j.

ok kiddo, you brought tears to my eyes. You didnt need the soul searching, your mom does. but i think mothers loved us so much, they knew what a weight problem would cause us, growing up.maybe it was first hand experiencede, and thru their love, they wanted to prevent us from going thru the same things they did. My beautiful mother passed away, i never ever got over her death, i still havent, i turned to food, to help me thru my life...now it is time i help myself in a different way. I am on a journey, alone, and i have to clear my head and set myself up for success. I will not blame my past , on my future..it is fresh and new, and im excited to go down this path. we can all do it, and we have to do it for ourselves!!!! even if it is sometimes a lonely journey. Bless your heart, you went thru a lot, but try hard to put it behind you, and move forward you will always be a daughter, but now a healthy one!!! You are on your way, good luck, we are all here, someway connected and giving each other super-support!

take good care

juli

WOW, SOME OF THESE POSTS ARE REALLY SAD. I AM AN OCTOBER BANDER...OCT 12TH, AND I HAVE LOST ALMOST 33 POUNDS. iT IS MORE THAN SOME, AND LESS THAN OTHERS BUT I WILL TAKE IT.

I NEEDED A BRAIN BAND ALONG WITH MY LAP BAND.

THAT IS THE HARDEST PART, THE MIND GAMES I HAVE TO PLAY WITH MYSELF. WITH SOME OF THESE POSTS I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK PEOPLE ARE NOT EDUCATED AT ALL ABOUT THE BAND, HOW IT WORKS, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY HOW WE MUST WORK WITH IT!!!!

GOING OUT AND DARING TO EAT STEAK...BREAD, Pasta, GEEEEZ ! COME ON! THESE ARE NOT ON YOUR POST OP DIET, I WONDER WHAT ELSE IS BEING EATEN, AND BLAMED ON THE BAND NOT WORKING...THE BAND DOES NOT "WORK" YOU DO!!!!!! DONT SHOVE food INTO YOUR MOUTH, IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WERE DOING PRE-BAND, THAT IS WHY YOU WANTEDD TO GET IT, BUT YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR EATING HABITS......YES....YOU HAVE TO CHANGE!!!! WE ALL CAN DO THIS. IT ISNT EASY, BUT SOME PEOPLE, THINK THAT IT IS THE TICKET TO BEING SKINNY. GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND EXCERCIZE. DRINK YOUR liquids AND PROTIEN. STAY AWAY FROM SWEETS AND THE CARBS...TAKE CONTROLL AND QUIT ACTING LIKE YOUR ARE SPECIAL, AND YOUR BANDS ARENT "WORKING" . THEY ARE IN PLACE, THEY ARE NOT LEAKING, OR CORRODING, OR STRETCHING. IT IS UP TO EACH INDIVIDUAL TO TAKE CONTROL, AND WE CAN DO IT!!! "MISERY LOVES COMPANY" SO SULK AND COMPLAIN, THAT YOUR BANDS AREN'T WORKING, AND ALL OF US THAT ARE WORKING THE BAND WILL BE THE BIGGEST LOOZERS!!!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL

I am fat, because, everyone in my life comes first. Im fat because my mom died, and i never got over it. Im fat because my husband, treated me like a dog. Im fat, because i have a job that is too stressful, too much responsibility, and is the night shift (23 years) Im fat, because food soothes my sadness, my anger, my lonliness. Im fat because for so long, i did not give a crap about myself.

I am healing, im excited about my grandchildren, my kids are all grown and doing well in their lives, i am single and can take care of myself for a change.

I now have my band, i am loosing weight, and keeping it off. I am happy and doing things that i havent been able to do in years. I like me....I like me a lot...i am on my way, it has been a hard long road, but my new journey is proving to be the best thing i have done for myself in my life. IM still fat, but i am getting thinner every day! I am doing it all by myself. it is a wonderful feeling!

best to all of you, who know exactly what I mean!

Please Tell Me You Know That You Are Building Muscle, And Muscle Uses The Energy In Fat...you Will See An Increase In Muscle Mass, And Your Inches Will Change. Ask Your Instrustor, Instead Of Asking Advise Here, Ask A Pro....you Are On The Best Track Possible...keep Going, And If The scale Is Not Moving Right Now, Who Cares, Look At What Your Doing!!! Wow

janet.....well said, sort of a kick in the butt for a lot of us, but it is the truth!!!!! we all know it

thanks

j.

looks like you need to do a little more research...gambogal!!!!!

you sound like you really know your stuff, we are all impressed but shut the f--- up already!

LAP BANDERS ROCK, THYROID PROBLEMS AND ALL!!!!!!!

im in new jersey at work, it is 4:28 a.m. so there are a few of us vampires out!!!

go away delarla! uck!

Beck,

yes, it is the hard part...i do a lot of things, to help me. I go brush my teeth, and use listerine (ick) . I bought a spray, at Walgreen, that you spray in your mouth, to stop sweet cravings....sorta works.....i go take a shower, I get out of the area where the food is!!! I drink a cup of hot sweet tea, or make myself a latte. ( the most helpful) sometimes i just keep eating!!! That is what i regret, when i am so uncomfortable, i almost barf!!!!! Your head is messed up, all of our heads are, it takes time, i am realizing and slowley it is getting much better!!! take good care, your not ever alone in this.

j

what? we all know that this doesnt make any sense, you can eat food, but liquid gets stuck? Im confused, or you havent really been banded, or you are really a unique situation...sort of hard to believe!!! what does you doc say???

I am really frikin shocked that there are such things as Fill Parties! The thought of an untrained person sticking a needle in me is just a nightmare....Maybe they also participate in Lobotomy parties as well!!!!!

hummmm....very interesting. I have gone down about 30 pounds, 60 to go. I made my girls swear that they would not comment on weight loss unless they actually, really, honestly could see a difference. Last week my oldest one said, "Mom! I can start to see your dimples in your cheeks again!" That was the best..it made me feel like a million bucks. I do not need validation for every pound or inch i loose, because it is a personal and slow journey for me. I do however, have the "FAT" best friend that is just dying to know what i am doing, to the extent of calling me up, out of breath, and panting in the phone, because she is in the middle of a work-out!!! Telling me about every 1/4 pound she is loosing, and everything on her menu for every day. It is so weird to me. People notice, they all do, it is just funny how people act towards us! sometimes they dont ask or comment because they notice a lot! and they can't admit to themselves, that you are beeing successfull and they are not!!! go figure!

You do not have any restriction before your first fill!!! you will really feel what it is like after you get filled, and it will be great!!!

pills? after surgery? all mine were liquid, your doc, cant be that ignorant, ask the pharmacy..i bet its their mistake!

good luck...and to heck with pill crushers!!! geeeeeez....at the expense of all this, get what you want!!!!

SO CUTE!!!!! YOUR A TALENT!!! IT MADE MY CHRISTMAS DAY, I WORKED AND WAS ALONE FOR THE HOLLIDAYS, MY FIRST SINCE BANDING....( blessing in disguise!)

Hi Girl, I think that you will see a huge amount of responses after this week, on this one. After getting my 2nd fill, and really really feeling what restriction is all about.....i think that i did really well, with my holliday eating. It seemed like i ate a lot, but i couldnt have eaten more that about a 1/2 cup of food at any given time, i think it is fantastic that we feel full, after only a small amount of food, but we still carry those guilt feelings of eating too much. Guess what? we ate a whole lot less, than we did pre banded! that is the beauty of this ..mind boggeling at times, but well worth it! For those who think they gained weight, well i bet most of you really didnt, it would take a heck of a lot of food going thru that little band to make you gain weight, unless you were sucking down pure carbs, and suger!!! i hope everyone did really well, and i think we may suprise ourselves at the amount of foor we REALLY ate. Happy Hollidays all!!!

You can drink. It is your choice. people with gastric bypass get drunk fast, because the liquer goes directly into the small intestine. Lap banders are not the same (see clubsters post) ...also, it does take away inhabitions, so you may drink more, eat more, what ever you did before the band is what you will probably do...a few glasses of wine is not going to kill ya, that is my opinion , and experience. hope it helps.

Wow! i have the same thing, for about the last 12 days. I can't eat much at all, if anything. Drinkin protien, and sometimes that is a chore. I am thinking it is stress related, must be if we are all having the same problems and it is at the same time! interesting!!!!!

give them to all your fat friends!!! no really consign them, or check in your area for a womens shelter...they can always use good clothing, and it is for a great cause!!! they will love the donation. I did it this summer, and they were very very grateful!

j

hi!

if you just got banded, and have not had a fill, you have NO restriction...didn't anyone explain that to you? what you feel, is the tightness of the band, around your stomach, and it will take time to settle, and heal. After your first fill, you will know what restriction is...right now you have none! It is just time to get used to the band, let your tummy heal, and then you will recieve your first fill. Watch out, the weight will start to come off even more, good luck to you!