funky_monkey800

Since a lot of us on the east coast are getting snow I found this recipe for snow cream
I hope you all enjoy

This is an interesting topic. I'm lucky that everyone in my life has been supportive of my surgery. But I have read so many stories here of patients who are not so lucky.
It's kind of hilarious to me that society pretty much across the board shuns "the easy way out" -- when the irony is that everywhere you look those same people are looking for the easy way out or the short-cut! Just look at all the dangerous drivers out there, speeding and weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds without turn signals, putting everyone around them in danger. And that's only one example. We all want a short cut to something, but nobody will necessarily admit it.
It think it comes down to societal taboos. It's desirable to say "I earned this" or "I worked hard for this." Or "I crawled through the rubble and came out on top." We don't want to hear, "I hitched a ride on the express train to the top, cause it seemed easier and I just didn't have a lot of time."
Unfortunately, WLS is not seen as 'crawling through the rubble.' It's seen as the 'express train.' And let's be honest, in many ways it is. You lose weight more rapidly, and more steadily than you would with any diet and exercise plan that doesn't require being sequestered by an invasive camera crew and being forced to exercise for 7 hours a day and yelled at by trained professionals and forced to wear revealing workout clothes you'd never in a million years wear on national television, until you get kicked off the show for not being good enough.
But really, what is the alternative for most of us? Early death, countless (often deadly) medical problems, aches and pains, having to pay more medical expenses than our skinny counterparts, having to pay more for clothes, having to deal with the fact that you might not get that job that you're qualified for ten times over because someone skinnier than you applied and the hiring committee is unknowingly biased against overweight people, not getting to live your life fully or spend quality time with family because you can't keep up, can't ride the rides, etc. etc. etc.
But those "don't take the easy way out" people will say that we deserve all of this. These are our just Desserts, pardon the expression. And really? I think that's what it comes down to. The attitude is: You got yourself this heavy, you should have to suffer the humiliation and the struggle that comes with it and you're never going to "learn your lesson" if you have surgery to "fix" your weight problem.
I am not saying if you straight up ask someone who "disapproves" of WLS that they would admit to this attitude or even recognize it in themselves. They would have 400 other (unresearched) reasons why they disapprove. But I think that either way, this is the underlying reason for the disapproval. Despite the fact that after years or decades of struggle, this "easy way out" is the only thing that's gonna save our lives.

My perception is that people think fat people are already lazy, and surgery is a way to allow them to avoid having to do the "hard work" of traditional diet and exercise and thus it is wrong because we are a bunch of cheaters. After all, if everyone just had their stomach cut out, no one would be able to eat too much and everyone could be thin, right? I will be honest, sometimes I do feel like a cheater for having had the surgery because I know I am now thin because I cannot physically eat enough to be fat. I watch some friends struggle with weight loss and I can understand how they would think I took the easy way out since I essentially eliminated the option of pigging out. I have told my three best friends about surgery and no one else, largely because I am 100% sure that the vast majority of people I am around would have zero value for my weight loss if they knew I only got here because of surgery.
That being said, my three best friends have also seen how sick food makes me, how I can't ever really enjoy a meal out because half the food in the world makes me heave, how my hair is falling out in clumps, how I cried when someone pointed my hair out to me, how many plastic surgery procedures I've gone through to look normal, how I used to run when I was fat and my feet would swell up so badly I could barely walk, how I tried and tried dieting and I would lose weight and then gain it all back, and how despite the fact that yes, I cut out 80% of my stomach as a last resort, it has in no way been an easy process. They saw how miserable I was when I was heavy, how hard I worked to be thin, how many times I would sob in my closet because no matter what I tried on I looked horrible, how I would peel at my gross loose skin (or at times my fat) and think no man would ever want to see me naked, and how I just knew the entire world was laughing at me and I completely avoided leaving my house as much as possible.
Therefore, yes, people who are not close to someone who has had surgery or who is obese, think this is the easy way out and I understand that. I forgive them for their ignorance, because there are many things in life that i am unequally uneducated and judgemental about and other people forgive me for my stupid comments. I also don't put myself into positions where anyone who is not close to me gets to impart their opinions on my surgery decision. My feeling is that if they haven't seen the suffering before and during my weight loss process, they don't have the perspective to really judge my choice, and I am relieving them of their obligatory need to give me their uninformed and often hurtful, if not intentionally so, opinion.
Everyone has the right to an opinion, however my opinion is that, I do not give a crap what they think if they have not walked the proverbial mile in my shoes.

I think people see obesity as a sign of weakness in people, or lack of self control.
Obese people in general are looked down upon, people prefer to look and communicate with thinner more attractive people. This is not my opinion, rather proven facts. The general non obese public think simple terms "Just stop eating so much, or eating poorly and that will solve your problems.... Get on a treadmill instead.... For the love of all that is good."
So I think the reason people feel it's a bad decision is because they don't understand what we go through, our physical needs, our chemical make up, or addictions. We ALL have our bad habits.... Some drink too much, smoke too much, work too much, exercise too much, watch porn, or other forms of sexual addictions, some do illegal drugs, some are just sloths....
Pick your poison !
I am thankful there is a tool we can choose to help us with our addictions, to achieve a healthier lifestyle, reduce health risks by 95% , reduce 5yr mortality and lead a healthier life! This tool allows us TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
It is drastic but it is proven to reverse the following:
Type II Diabetes, hypertension, Migraines, GERD, Urinary incontinence, cardiovascular disease, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, depression, degenerative joint disease, fatty liver, metabolic syndrome, gout and much much more! This is a risky surgery BUT look at the health risks you have if you continue to get bigger and bigger!
Easy by no means!!!!!! It's a very risky and tough decision! I personally cannot continue to live in this shell, getting bigger and bigger... Or losing and gaining back. I believe the sleeve will force me to behave better initially to get me to a healthy weight and lifestyle... As well as learn to have a proper Portion Control that will fill me up faster with less food. I am determined to get healthier to be able to play with Grandkids and maybe someday I can actually be able to run again. Right now I can barely walk!!!

I wish I could quit you delicious, salty, crunchy, Lays Potato Chips....*long sigh

My weight was mainly in my belly -- Mrs. Winnie-the-Pooh. I'm happy that my skin is not saggy. Exercising/toning really helps but also skin elasticity is, I believe, genetic. Good luck with your process -- exciting times! Choosing yourself and your healthy future is an amazing thing.

Age is also a factor. The younger you are, the more elasticity in in your skin and that betters your chances of your skin shrinking as you loose weight. I'm 5'4, 58 yrs old and I've lost 48 lbs. I'm please with how well my skin as shrunk as the weight has come off. The only place I have a lot of excess skin in in my upper arms. But I've heard plastic surgery in your arms causes a large scar that you end up wanting to hide anyway...........

I too am 5'5" with a starting weight of 238 lbs so pretty close to yours.
I lost 100 lbs and although I do have some sagging skin, I don't think it's noticeable. I lost slowly (took 2 years) so I think that helped my skin react better.

Sagging skin is just a reality of weight loss. I lost 90 pounds "on my own" a few years ago and even though I never carried my weight in my stomach (always in my hips and thighs) and never had babies, I still ended up needing a Tummy Tuck. I also needed a breast lift even though I'd never had very large breasts.
There are some things you can do to try to minimize loose skin but there are no guarantees:
hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.... you should already be drinking a lot of Water post-op, so this shouldn't be be an issue moisturize well supplement.... Vitamin c, Vitamin e, Omega 3, and beef Gelatin are all said to help improve skin elasticity strength training.... muscle can help "fill in" the areas where you lose fat

Wow..this was a great read.
I was self pay....there for I did hours of research, talked to many doctors, nurses, people with bands, sleeves and bypasses.....in the end when it came down to it, as a self pay all of the surgeries were very close in cost.
I chose the band....so far I am happy with the results. Am I where I need to be? Nope.....but I also didn't get fat over night.
Each surgery is going to be a tool which is going to require self control and discipline....it's not magic.
After reading this I am quite happy with the doc I chose. Not only does the cost of everything include a year of follow up of fills, un fills, or if anything goes wrong with the band it's covered. And he likes to stay on schedule of seeing me every month for the first year. I love that he has spent so much time going over everything with me and he does all my fills. It makes me feel more confident in my choice when the doctor doesn't try and rush me off, but takes time to answer all my questions.
I have not had any problems with my band.
I am quite happy with my choice.
As this will be your choice...
We can all find the negative or positive in anything if we look for it!
Go with what you feel will work best for you. No one knows your body better than you!
Good luck with what ever you choose!

@@Dmilder
I was banded in October of 2014 so we are pretty close!
I agree with @@Bandista 100%!
And everyone is different..I often have to remind myself to slow down and take it a day at a time!

I think this is the hardest part....realizing if I am hungry or just bored! I try to always have a Protein Bar or shake around. That way if I do cave I'm stuck eating something healthy....I'm fairly new at this so I wish I could offer more!
Great job on the weight loss!

@@Keeper
I understand where you are coming from. I know there are people who need it....and exactly, it's a band aid.
I just worry...docs are so quick to write a prescription....
I'm gonna tell you something my husband told me....
"Feelings are normal. And ups and downs in life are normal."
I think once you start feeling better everything will follow suit....
Good luck my fellow band sista! Keep your head up!

@@Keeper
I really hope they work for you...please just do your research....also I know in larger cities there offices that are low to no fee when it comes to counselors..good luck! We are all here! While we all have different views our main goal is to support eachother

I am sure there have been several threads in the past and in different locations regarding depression and our band process, but this is about me so I am starting a thread.
February has not my friend. My oldest son's birthday is the day before Valentine's and that so far has been the highlight. My husband and I actually have a very strong relationship, but it seems, without fail, that we always end of fighting on Valentine's. I think I officially hate it. I'll save my romance for a non-commercialized day, thankyouverymuch.
There have been 4 bad-food events in just these 2 and a half weeks. And I know food choice should be up to me and that it is possible to make good choices even when someone else is serving nothing but junk, but my head has been in such a bad place that I have definitely turned to old habits for coping. I am actually surprised that I haven't gained any weight, though it has fluctuated a few days.
I can't always tell the difference between stressful situation-depression and real depression. My husband is looking for a new job, I don't work and home school my oldest. We want to move (in a better neighborhood at the least, out of state if that is where work takes us). Neither of us have family in TX as we are not from here, and I guess I just don't feel like I have a lot of support right now.
Right now I am leaning toward both - situational and real. I already take a mood stabilizer and am thinking of adding back an antidepressant. But right now this is really affecting my eating. I only eat about 2 meals and a snack (sometimes 2) a day but I know I am eating too much. And eating slider foods.
Has anyone else fought depression while going through this whole banded process? I know people have. I would love to have some advice because I am feeling particularly alone at the moment. How do you stay strong when you feel like sh!t???

ok, so I have had a crappy few days, maybe even a couple of weeks, so it has been super hard for me to find the positive lately.
But, today I was shaving, and this is going to sound so dumb, but I could shave the back of my thighs with ease. It made me smile. :-)

ugh, I am so with you, and I agree with both responses. I, too, am still in the fairly early stage. I have my next fill tomorrow and I am so hoping it gets me to green. but this past week in particular has been so hard for me. I had tried to do a strict food challenge for the month of Feb but I did not schedule very well at all. My son's birthday, a baby shower, and Valentine's day all threw me for a loop so whereas I was trying to do no sugar, I ended up tail-spinning into it! Very mad at myself, but even more than the above mentioned events, my stress has been out of control this month. I am fighting head vs real hunger constantly. It feels so defeating.
Having said that, when I read posts like yours, in a weird way it is actually kind of comforting. it means that I CAN get to goal, lose the weight, change, etc., but still not be perfect. Does that make sense?? It means that even though it feels like I am making one month-long mistake, I can still come out on the other side.
I have heard all kinds of things like ask yourself if a carrot or apple would satisfy you. If it does, then you are hungry. If not, it is head hunger. I am not a fan of this approach because I feel like I would just say screw it and give in already, lol. But knowing that this is an issue truly is a tool in your success.

When I went for my pre-op clearance, the psychologist gave me one piece of advice that has really helped. She said that when you are hungry but have already eaten, to stop yourself and realize that this can't be real hunger. At that point try to anayze why you are feeling that way and address it without food.
The next time I felt hungry and wanted something not good for me, I did that. By making it almost an academic exercise it was much easier for me not to make a bad choice. Now, do I make good choices 100% of the time? No, but this has helped me! Good Luck.

I think this is the hardest part....realizing if I am hungry or just bored! I try to always have a Protein Bar or shake around. That way if I do cave I'm stuck eating something healthy....I'm fairly new at this so I wish I could offer more!
Great job on the weight loss!

So within the past 2 weeks I've had this head hunger. I'm 4.5 pounds from my GW(150) but I keep floating from 153-155. We had a snow storm this week which doesn't help because I'm not able to get to the gym or walk outside. I hate exercising in my small apartment. My biggest thing is head hunger though. I'm so terrified of going back to where I was. That's my biggest fear. Can someone give me tips or ideas on how to handle this?!?!

I was banded on 9/11/14 and I am having difficulty loosing any weight....

It can be difficult in the beginning -- it's all about those followup appointments and making sure the band is doing its job so you can do yours. Wel all mentir one another here -- welcome to the party! Make sure you see your medical professionals. I had eleven visits with my surgeon the first year and I'm some one who needed several fills to achieve the green zone. We are all different. For me in the first months it was all about behavior modification -- learning to slow down and listen, recognize appetite and satiety. Best wishes -- you will get there!

Love seeing all of these wonderful victories! It's so encouraging! Mine would be a friend of mine told me the other day, I can't even remember what the old Monica looked like anymore. The way you are now is how I know and picture you the old is gone and this is the new norm. I thought this was great because in the beginning my weight loss was the topic of discussion for everyone who saw me, even on a daily basis, now this is just me it's who I am. Love that!

It's cold in the northeast and my hubby says at two weeks post op to try on my Columbia winter coat. I was terrified to (skinny hubby) since he bout it for me a few years back and it hasn't fit in a long time. Well it zipped with room to spare. Good news since it's going to be a high of 7 tomorrow!

I have had a new passport since my WLS however I still have my old drivers license photo ID . The Security Officer at the airport looked at the old license photo and said as he scanned my face for several seconds. YOU have lost a lot of weight and a few years! I did the happy dance! To weigh less than what you listed as your weight on your drivers license.... ahhhhhhhhhhhh