SpecialK

Thinner Me -- are you home yet? Hope to hear how you are doing! Keep those liquids going, sip sip sip!

Yes, I'm proud of how much I've lost but still have a long way to go and its amazing to me too when people say I can see it in your face and neck especially... but I can see it in the clothes for sure... On the issue of not spending alot of money while we are losing I totally support this and have some advice for all -- find your local thrift shop, Goodwill, and plus size consignment stores and check often. They even have end of the month clearances, senior discount days, etc. and its wonderful. Good name brand clothing at incredible prices. I bought a blouse for work yesterday for $1.50 that was from a favorite plus size store I always shopped at called Catherine's, and the blouse was beautiful and would have cost me at least $30 on sale at that plus size store. I found a pair of jeans and a pair of nice work pants for $3.59 each. I have had similar luck in consignment stores, getting three pairs of work pants for about $12 - nice quality pants, no flaws in them. So, this is how I plan to survive getting through over 180 total pounds to lose while still wearing nice clothes that accent my weight loss and not try to hide under my old extra size things. It is still very hard mentally to reach for a smaller size after so many years looking at the largest size they had. Just to give you a real laugh for a Sunday a.m., the jeans I bought were a little snug and I had to lay on my bed to zip them up all the way...ha ha.... but I know in just a few weeks, they will be fine and I'll be glad I bought them as a 'stretch' goal to fit into.

Love your userid -- that was a nickname of mine when I was young and loved the Chatty Cathy doll! Welcome and be sure to check out your Arizona section unser USA Local groups and I bet you'll find lots of folks right there in your backyard that are bandsters!

Since so many of us post about thinning or losing hair during weight loss I wanted to let you know I did talk again with my hair stylist I've gone to for years and she has very positively recommended Biotin for hair - I was taking 1000 mcg and she said I could go as high as 2000 mcg a day. I'll let you know if I am seeing a difference but she said she has another client that has had lapband and its definitely helping. I think I can already tell that its helping in my fingernails - they're all getting long and strong!

I started taking B12 and can't tell yet if its helping but I'll let you know. I take Viactiv Calcium chewable - chocolate flavored and I take it in the evening and the other vitamins in the morning as I was told to take the calcium separate. Today was so weird on food - I went thru a Taco Bell drive thru and got a couple crunchy tacos and a side order of beans and after 1 taco and about 2 bites of the second one, I was so full I couldn't believe it. I hate to admit it but I could down two or three tacos and add a burito on top in the old days. What a change. After about 3 hours I ate the rest of my lunch once I got home and reheated the beans and just ate the inside of the taco and thru the shell away.

Charlie (aka Fenton), we miss you! Wishing everyone a great holiday weekend. John Forsythe aka Charlie.bmp

I capitalized Honesty in my original post to encourage all of you to post the good, the bad, the ugly, whatever you are honestly feeling because you certainly are not alone in your feelings - there is someone out there who can relate to you and I was encouraging all to say what they need support with.

Okay, I saw this thread for "Hallow-Lean" to give myself a weight loss challenge and I signed up to kick my own butt in gear from Labor Day to Halloween. Anybody else game? Click on the link and add it there. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f15/hallo...40/index2.html :thumbup::smile2:

Okay, I saw this thread for "Hallow-Lean" to give myself a weight loss challenge and I signed up to kick my own butt in gear from Labor Day to Halloween. Anybody else game? Click on the link and add it there. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f15/hallow-lean-challenge-74140/index2.html :smile2:

I'm in too. I really would like to get my own butt into losing faster although I'm happy with my progress. Name______Start Weight____Current Weight____Goal________Lbs lost *****:crying:************************:eek:************:smile2: **********:crying:*** ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............223............213............0 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Caramia71..........208............208............195............0 georgiagirl........245............245............230............0 HeatherO...........155............155............140............0 Jazzyywan..........322............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............196............177............0 Leslie2Lose........224............224............209............0 livn4thm...........235............235............210............0 Long2bthin.........248............248............230............0 Luu2008............203............203............183............0 Mamanmidwife.......299............299............285............0 mominlv13..........299.8..........299.8..........275............0 Tess...............304............304............280............0 Ariel .............199............199............180............0 wowox7.............195............195............170............0 WyominGirl.........327............327............312............0 SpecialK...........348............294............280............0

Has anyone noticed being more tired than they wish? I am trying to get a solid 7 hours of sleep and I just keep wanting more sleep. I have started this week taking some B12 vitamins to see if that helps with my energy level. It could just be a cumulative effect of stress from work, the funeral and weight loss but I was curious how others are doing on energy level. I see Dr. Miller next week for a checkup and I'm going to mention it to him. I think I'm getting enough protein in but I'll have to get more diligent again with using my online food tracker. I got off track with that once the personal life turned upside down a couple weeks ago. Thanks. P.S. I'm praying for you ThinnerMe! Hope you'll be home from the hospital soon. (I think I remember that RNY is about 2.5-3 days in the hospital versus the overnight for lapband).

To those struggling, I value HONESTY here -- where you are at is what is true for you. I'm not too proud to say I will go and get counseling if I feel I need it if I get to plateaus where I'm doubting my decision. At almost 6 months now, I definitely am not carrying around 'barf bags' nor am I tracking where every restroom is just in case. I agree that its a dangerous mindset to get comfortable with the idea of PBing if you overdo things.

Tess415 - you need to update your signature line to say 60 lbs now gone according to your ticker. Congratulations, I'm hoping to get to that number by end of September maybe.

I'm here too just hanging out and trying to mentally get back in the game again also. Pretty slammed at work from having been off last week but I'm just trying to take it a day at a time. Fenton, I was actually thinking of posting an "Amnesty for Fenton" sign to say its okay to come back out of lurking mode and we'll stop beating up on ya for not having a fill. It really is your body, your band, and your decision. Just know we are all pulling for you as you have been for us.

ThinnerMe - I'm thinking of you and will say a prayer for your successful surgery tomorow.

Juli - I just realized you changed your avatar to a new picture of you in a cap and gown... from your MBA graduation girl??? Congratulations.

AHA Heart Walk update - I feel like a jerk about this but I set the alarm, got up and drove to downtown Columbus all set to do the walk, allowing myself plenty of time to get to COSI by 8:30 because they wanted to take a company photo of all the walkers from my company.... well I got stuck in a huge traffic jam and didn't even make it to area behind COSI until after 9 am and then the parking was full and they were putting us way out in a grass field by the railroad tracks, boarded up houses, and it didn't really look all that safe so I went right on by and went to my Mom's house. I'll do my walk tomorrow here at home to keep honest that I will walk but it was a zoo down there. I don't know if they thought they were going to have that big of a crowd but it was terrible, no police to direct traffic or whatever. Anyway, I still raised over $300 in donations so that's still a positive thing.

Welcome octoberfest. If Mt. Carmel is on your In-Network list for your insurance and your employer hasn't excluded Weight Loss Surgery coverage, its just a matter of jumping through the right hoops. Most of us had to do a 6 month supervised diet requirement, which made that the longest path to getting banded. Others found they could get approved and in the hospital in as little as 3 months. It really varies on your insurance plan. The one recommendation we all have for you is to stay on top of where things stand with the surgeon's office, a lady named Charlene, was the only one processing things and it caused things to get slowed down but they had promised to hire an extra person to help. Just keep calling the office and asking...it pays to be the squeaky wheel in this case.

I'm walking three miles this morning for the American Heart Assn downtown at COSI/Genoa Park. Its a little bittersweet to be walking for my stepdad but I'm glad I had decided to help be a team leader for my company, get this exercise in, etc. Hope everyone has a great day.

Thanks MacMadame for the info to help me learn more about it.

I am feeling like it might help me to take some B12 for some extra energy boost in addition to the daily multi-vitamin and a daily calcium chew I take. Was wondering if lapband patients are okay to take regular B12 pills and our body will absorb them fine. Versus - I think RNY patients have to take a sublingual B12 , which I think means one they can dissolve under their tongue so the body absorbs it better. If anyone can shed any light on this topic and how many mcg's you take, I would appreciate it. Also any special brand you like? I saw in the store the sublingual B12 were more expensive than the regular ones. Thanks.

Hi Christy! Nice to see another from central Ohio area. If you check under the USA Local Support Groups thread of this site, there is an Ohio section, then under Ohio, there is a Columbus section. You'll also find there is a monthly get together at a local mall where we welcome and support each other in person - all different stages of banding, pre op and post, longer term and newbies, folks from Riverside, OSU Mt. Carmel and self-pays. Hope to get to meet you sometime soon. :smile2:

Welcome Pataskala! My Mom's right there in your neck of central Ohio! Please give it a try to see the USA Local Support Groups section, under Ohio, then under the Columbus thread and you'll find lots of support close to home.

Mandi, I don't know alot about Vertical Sleeve but I've tried to get educated about it and it looked to me like they took the stomach and cut a vertical tube shaped pouch maybe the diameter of a hotdog (picture that size in your mind), and then stapled off the whole long side of that pouch away from the rest of the stomach (which I've been told to picture it the size of a Nerf football), and then they REMOVE the entire rest of the stomach so there is no going back. That non-reversible factor was a major reason I went with the lapband. I am concerned for you that if you are forcing food with your egg shaped stomach pouch formed from your lapband, that you may still be a eater that forces food in your new tube shaped pouch and you could break open the incision line if that is the abuse situation you can't stay away from. Also, given that RNY or gastric bypass patients can stretch out their new smaller pouch, I have to believe its possible to stretch out a vertical pouch too which would lead to regaining. With your lapband, you can continue to get adjustments even if you have been unfilled and want to then start over and try again. Please discuss your eating habits and your past experience with your surgeon and see what he recommends. If you haven't considered counseling, I would do it and I have and it helps. I wish you all the best.

Yes, what you are describing sounds like the chest pains from the surgery gas that is moving and escaping upward in your body. I felt that moving helped me and it did go away. Hang in there. Just to be safe though... If you have serious lung/breathing difficulty, get to your doctor as that could be a sign of a blot clot issue. I hope they gave you post op instructions on how to contact them but go right on back to the hospital's ER if you need to.