1Corinthians6:19

I had lost a lot of weight in the past (though gained it all back quickly & more) so I had to deal with a lot of very inappropriate comments about my weight loss and it always unsettled me. I hated my weight loss (and regain) always being the topic of the day wherever I went! So, this time, in doing the emotional prep work for this surgery, I've already come up with a response that I think will defuse some of the unsolicited & unwanted comments. If anyone goes beyond a nice simple, "wow, you look great". and starts in asking things like "how much has you lost?", or commenting on how fat I was before, etc, I will just smile sweetly and say "I am bored talking about my body, let's talk about yours now!" I figure that will stop things pretty fast. :-)

I agree. Fat people are scrutinized and talked about.
So are skinny people. And ugly people. And people who dress younger than their age. And people who wear too much makeup, talk too loud, drive a flashy car, have boob jobs, have bad breath, chew with their mouths open...
People talk about other people. They pick a "thing" and then pick it apart. If people are talking about you when you're fast, they are going to talk about you when you lose the weight. That's just how people are.

It's one of those strange complements that would've been ok from your BFF but no one else.
I remember the moment I observed that I could no longer use my belly as an arm rest... I was excited and said it while at work (my coworkers loved it & all laughed), but if someone would've said that to me... I probably would have swung. Lol.

That sounds like the kind of compliment a kid who doesn't know any better would give. It did remind me I now have more of a lap as my stomach no longer sits on my legs, but I wouldn't want someone else to say so.

What would I say!?
Ha! As I am self employed and have no worries of offending anyone or being fired, I'd say, "Surely you didn't mean that as bitchy as it sounded!" with a smile.
In a professional setting, I'd simply say, "What an odd thing to say." And then I'd walk away.

Ready2B, you're awesome ! Great comeback ! You win !!!! ( Can you imagine if you talked back to them the same way they talked to you ? " Hey, your boobs are looking a little saggy there Sue ! Going to get a boob job soon ?, or Hi Bill, I see your stomach is starting to hang over your little private parts there !! Geesh ! No wonder the ladies are'nt interested in you !!.............. Oooooooops !!!! Did I say thaaaaaaaaatttttt ??? (Steve Urkel ,TV show)

You are so much better than me, I would have asked him the same question, then when he said what do you mean, just say well I heard you had a penis implant as loud as I could..... conversation over!

My opinion is that it's ok to say something nice like "Wow you look great you've lost weight." But it's inappropriate to talk about someone's boobs unless it is a close friend. I work for a large company and this would make a great HR video that we have to watch every year about inappropriate workplace actions. Sorry though that it happened to you.
Great Job on the loss-
LA

I say no carbs is awesome! And the fact that food is not "wowing" you is a good thing. You should embrace the fact that you're not obsessing over eating a big donut or something crazy like that. :-) If it didn't wow us so much in the first place, we wouldn't have ended up here.
The most carb I've eaten so far is veggies and a little brown rice, but no more than 1/4 cup. The rest is all Protein.

@@Ldimples - Mushy foods are generally higher in calories and carbohydrates. E.g. If you're eating mashed potatoes, you're not going to lose weight like you would if you were eating fish and chicken. Now if you stick Protein shakes and sugar free Jello, then you'll keep losing.

Yesterday was one month since getting banded. Can't believe it's been a month already! I am literally waiting in the lobby to get my first fill. I weighed in this morning and I am down 13 pounds. Feeling pretty positive!

What a surprise! I had my fill today and there were 6cc in my band already. They put the 6cc back in and added 0.5cc for a total of 6.5cc. The provider told me that the doctor noted that I did not have a large fat pad and therefore he put more in band than usual during surgery. No issues so far. I'm on liquids only for 24 hours then I can do soft foods and move to regular food if I tolerate it well. It was really quick and not very uncomfortable at all.

I had often told myself during my journey that even if I were to ever possibly hit goal I would never post a success story. Maybe I was being modest or perhaps just really hard on myself or…just not able to forgive myself for ever letting my weight get out of control as it had. I guess a lot of it no matter how you sum it up is really just embarrassment.
Well I had a change of heart. That change of heart came because I can remember so vividly the feeling of the hopelessness and despair. At times I felt I was knocking on deaths door and that there was nothing I could do about it. So I am writing this tonight in hopes that if I can help just one person even if only one tiny bit then it is my responsibility to do so. I believe in paying it forward and giving back. If it wasn’t for the people before me that helped me then where would I be? It would be irresponsible for me not to do the same. You are not alone and there are people out there, really good decent people who can help you but YOU have to want it and at some point you need to swallow your pride and ask for the help. Help will not come to you. YOU have to seek it out.
I have told my story several times and you can read it on my profile. I lost 170lbs doing Atkins between 2003 and 2004. I went from 393 to 220 and felt great…and then I got sloppy and let my guard down and weight started packing on. I went from 220 to 488 in 8 years’ time.
At 488lbs doing day to day activities was quite a chore. My knees were taking a beating carrying so much weight on a 5’6 inch frame. I developed arthritis and serious sleep apnea. Walking from the parking lot to my office was a real task and that was even with the use of an elevator. I had to sit out in the car and have my Wife do the grocery shopping because I couldn’t last more than 10 minutes on my feet. I had to sit and fold laundry sitting in a chair. This list could go on and on about the limited mobility. My amazing Wife stood by me and encouraged me to make a change but we both knew until I was ready to commit to change it would not happen. I am not sure how many other women out there would have put up with what she did. My weight affected us both physically and mentally. I did not feel like much of husband at times and I am sure there were plenty of times she felt more like a caregiver than a wife at times although she never said so or complained.
Something had to give and it finally did and in September 2011 with my wife at my side I attended a local seminar for WLS. We listened to the Doctor discuss all the surgical options available at the time and being new and somewhat naïve we decided Lapband was the way to go. It was reversible and probably the least invasive of all procedures. I signed up for a one on one consult with the Surgeon that night. October 2011 I met with the Doctor and told him I ready to make a life change. He told me he wanted to see me lose 24lbs and work on shrinking the liver. Insurance required me to do a 6 month monitored diet so instead of losing 24lbs preop I lost 38lbs. My Surgeon was impressed and after completing all the preop requirements I finally got a surgery date of April 16, 2012. I weighed in on surgery morning at 450lbs on the button.
So there I was April 17th and getting discharged from the hospital and all that went through my mind is why the hell did I do this? There was no way it would work and I will be known as the fat guy who couldn’t lose weight with WLS.
As much as you research and prepare for this new life it seems at some point you say OK well I had the surgery why is the weight not coming off?? This is so frustrating!!! Well apparently I had never heard of bandster hell. Bandster hell is that time from when you have the surgery to the time you actually get the necessary fills to get the need restriction to control your portions. Some very few people are lucky they have the surgery and automatically get that restriction. Not me, it took me 6 months. 6 months of frustration.
Probably one of the most difficult pieces for me to learn was patience. Lack of patience made this road even longer. I stepped on the scale almost daily these last 2.5 years waiting on a large drop in numbers that never happened. How on earth could you possibly see a large drop if you’re stepping on the scale daily? Do yourself a favor and don’t do it. To this day I still step on it daily but now it is about accountability not so much weight loss.
Always look for other measures to success. We call them Non Scale Victories or NSV’s. Losing weight is not just about numbers. For a while I was buying new clothes every other month because I was shrinking so fast. I went from a size 62 waist to a 34. I went from squeezing into theater seats to have padded space on each side.
I could go on and on here rambling about all sorts of stuff weight and band related. If you’ve read this far then thank you and thank you to those who helped me get here. I would like to especially thanks @@Alex Brecher without him I wouldn’t have a home here and I perhaps would’ve remained lost.
If anyone has any questions or comments or just need someone to talk to don't hesitate to message me regardless how personal you think your question may be.
My name is Jim and I am junk food addict. I have lost 300lbs and the lapband saved my life. 2yrs and 8 months 488 to 188.
Peace!!

Hi, I am in Hurst, texas and was banded in 2002. I have had mine forever. Let me know if I can help..

Just got home from my first fill. It was a piece of cake! He only put a little in (2-3cc), as he likes to increase slowly. I have to be on liquids for next 24 hrs. I don't feel any restriction with Protein Shake, but will see with real food tomorrow!!

I told just my favourite people: Hubby and daughter (14) - both ridiculously loving and supportive, and then three others - my sister, who was all "OMG! JEALOUS!" and then two dear GFs who I used as references for my financing. I had to provide two non-family references, so those two were it! I was a little nervous telling them. No need. They were WONDERFULLY supportive.
As for boss and colleagues, no way. I have told them I am going in to have laparoscopic surgery on December 18th for a para-esophegeal hiatus hernia... which is TRUE. (and it just so happens that an Allergan lap-band might just fall into the incision(s) at the same time, wrap itself around the base of my esophagus and stay put. You never know. Surgery is risky. Anything can happen.
I adore my colleagues, but telling them about my surgery doesn't feel quite right. Nice thing about having the hernia repaired is that it becomes a nice excuse for the weight loss.
Am I chicken? Maybe. Everything else in my life I am wide open about!

Wow! You look awesome! Great work!

I definitely will! pizza topping is a good idea. Could also make like a 'crustless' pizza. I used to make it when I did low carb years ago. I put sauce and veggies and other toppings like pepperoni, banana peppers with cheese on top in a square baking dish and baked it. I need to do that again maybe.

I lost 17 lbs initially with liquid diet a week before and post op, but haven't lost any in over a week. Haven't gained any either so I guess that's good.

Mine was "primed" with 2-3 CCs. They will see exactly and perhaps add a little more on Monday. I don't want too much though because I don't want to start throwing up and all of the other horrors I keep reading about. I'm losing about half a pound a day, so I just want to be able to keep that up without feeling hungry. I ate pizza topping today…skipped the crust, but it was still pretty satisfying. Let me know how your fill goes and I'll do the same.

We are totally on the same schedule! I have mine on Monday as well. I feel a little restriction, but not a ton. I ate steak on Sunday and that was definitely not as easy as my normal chicken and fish. Besides that, I'm sure I could eat anything, but I'm not going to. I have no soreness at all at the port site, and my other 3 incisions are barely visible. Healing well, but I think I definitely need a tiny bit more Fluid because I get hungry almost exactly every 3-4 hours.

Took a pic yesterday and was surprised at the difference. Before 294.5 after 246.7 (nowhere near done) 

I feel like this thread could be moved to the powder room...but I've 4 words for you ladies....MATCHING BRA AND PANTIES!!!!!

Today is my one year surgiversary and aside from outfits that show off my belly (need some plastics for that) I am thrilled to say I can wear anything! Here is my outfit today, size 4 skinny jeans and knee high boots!

After plastics, I want to wear anything sleeveless. I'm SOOOOO tired of always wearing 1/2 or 3/4 length sleeves to cover up my wings.
And great shoes. I remember that once upon a time I loved cute shoes but these days, I wear comfy flats only. I want to get back to where I can wear cute shoes and get a pair of Louboutins.