Rizzle01

Hi B-52,
I also have seen some negativity. I tend to lurk more than actually post.
You and I have not gone about our weight loss and maintenance the same way, which is why I like to read your posts :-).
I have noticed criticism though from others who tend to make it sound like reducing caloric intake and avoiding certain types of foods are bad things, so I do not post very often. I do see your point though about posting and letting people know this does work and that there is more than one method to stick to the plan. I hope you continue to post.

The ex-banders are so vociferous in their posts -- I find that very off-putting (stop scaring me with your one bad experience!) and of course I worry about new people who are just trying to get info. I'm very glad there was Lapband Talk when I was researching as I was able to see the whole gambit. I found the successful people and followed them. That's you, B-52. We need a thread for banders -- CG had one going for so long but she's not on here anymore. Just a place to check in and say hey, I'm going to the gym or whatever. Successful banders not defending our choices but just the day-to-day.

I am very new here and just got banded this year. When I see your posts I pay attention. I hope you stay around! You seem to be a voice of reason.

Hi there you are doing great! There are a couple of links in my signature below that helped me understand how the band works and how to work the band. It is not about restriction, it's about the transmission of signals between your esophagus and your brain. Chewing is where it's at. If your appetite is dimmed it sounds to me like you're in the green zone. For me I'd be there then would lose weight and drop out of the zone and need a little fill. My surgeon was of the small frequent fills school of thought, which I think was good as I needed the time in-between to address behavior modification like slowing down, etc. every one is different. I kept all of my appointments even if I wasn't getting a fill -- that contact really helped me, having a partner in the process. No need to rush your weight loss and risk being overly-tight -- people gain weight in the red zone. No sliders, that's my policy.

I am very new here and just got banded this year. When I see your posts I pay attention. I hope you stay around! You seem to be a voice of reason.

Every day I see new posts from people who feel guilty about "cheating". Some are coming clean about it or are embarrassed about it and amazingly enough, some seem to be bragging or feel empowered by it.
But is it really cheating?
I assume that most all of us are adults here. I also assume that most of us have had, are about to have or are researching WLS. We should know the dietary plan at this point (or there would be no "cheat"), and we should also know the risks associated with eating off plan pre or post op, yet every day people ask if what they are doing is OK and/or look for justification for their actions.

What in the world? It truly makes me scratch my head.
To me (and this is just MY opinion), there is no CHEAT. It's a CHOICE. I chose to have this surgery. I chose my surgeon because I trusted his skills and his knowledge. I chose to have sleeve over bypass or band. I chose to limit the amount that I can eat and drink by drastically altering my body. I chose to eat right 100% of the time on my pre-op (yup! not lying!) and I chose to eat right 90% of the time post op until my doctor said I was free to do otherwise.
I think it's FINE to ask your surgeon/NP/NUT questions if you think you are ready to do anything other than prescribed. I think it's OK to question their answers. I do NOT think it's OK to ask a bunch of strangers on an internet forum to justify choices that aren't good ones-- especially internet strangers who are or were in the same boat as you.
If you want to eat and drink at the same time, more power to you. If you want chocolate and bread and shakes and fries, have at it! If you lick a dorito or chew it up and spit it out, good for you (not really, but...)
I love the "coming clean", I love asking for support, I love asking for coping ideas. I just ask that you take a moment to ask yourself if you are truly cheating or if you are making a CHOICE to do something you should not.

I am sitting at the hospital waiting for the band removal. It has been in for two years and I have lost all the weight. It has been a fantastic experience to be really slim and I am just wondering if there are any people out there who had the band removed and stayed slim.

I was off for 4 weeks. Mostly because I've been very fatigued and having some trouble eating and drinking. I didn't wanna go back to work until I was doing better eating. Getting sick at work wasn't on my list of fun things to do post-op.

I really dig the P3 Snacks. http://www.proteinproteinprotein.com/

I was banded on a Thursday and went back to work a week from that following Monday.

What works for me is to use my home digital scale that I purchased right before my surgery. The important thing is to weight yourself at the same time everyday. For me, I do it right when I get up in the am sans clothing.
Your weight fluctuates throughout the day so weighing at the same time is critical.

I can't actually read your post on my Ipad because of the font.

Great Topic @@LipstickLady!
My goals are to have a AIC that is in the normal range ( I am almost there - started at 6.9 and currently I am at 6.0), I would be happy with any weight between 150 - 170, would like to wear single digit sizes and have the ability to shop in any store that I choose. When I graduated high school, I weighed 170 lbs and wore a size 8.
170 is overweight per my BMI chart. If I used the BMI chart my goal weight would be around 145. Seems nearly impossible even with WLS.
I have decided to give myself 25 lbs goals at a time and not look at the entire 160 lbs I need to lose.

On top of the 3-4 hours of time during the day, which I don't have (nor do I watch TV most days much less for that long on any day), I would potentially need:
a hard core trainer which I really can't afford a dietician to plan my meals the desire to potentially cause serious damage my knees, my back, my ankles by continuing on program if an injury occurs time off work to heal from any injuries incurred as my job is pretty demanding physically a complete lifestyle change to accommodate my new schedule to not only lose the weight but maintain it. Instead, because of weight loss surgery I have been able to:
go to the gym on my own time and take group classes visit the NUT that was included in my follow up care after surgery go easy on my body if an injury occurs take just a few days off work while I got over the initial surgery lose weight and maintain while still spending time with my family, friends, and doing the things I love to do instead of spending every free moment at the gym and most importantly, live a lifestyle that I can easily maintain for the rest of my life, into my 60s, 70s, 80s.

Well I still have a long way to go lol. I haven't even had my first fill let alone lost all the weight. I am not planning on doing anything rash. I do think I will try the no fill method though once I get there

Well I still have a long way to go lol. I haven't even had my first fill let alone lost all the weight. I am not planning on doing anything rash. I do think I will try the no fill method though once I get there

I don't hate Fat people.....
I used to be smoker...2 packs a day for 30 years...finally, with my heart attack, I decided to do something and turned my life around....and that included WLS
Now, when I see a bunch of smokers huddled behind the building, I don't hate the person, but everything else I find repulsive and never want to go back there....that's my defense mechanism...it's dirty, disgusting, and I do not want any part of it...I Hate it!
The same is true for other addictions I suppose, and I guess it's true for obesity, and all the bad habits that got me that way....eating like a fat pig, is something I was, and never want to go back to again...
Like watching smokes huddled outside, I get the same experience watching people in a restaurant...unbelievable!

I'm sorry but there is a lot of new data coming out on the subject of whether breakfast is necessary. We are not all the same. I never eat breakfast anymore because I'm not hungry until a little later in the day. For many people, breakfast triggers more eating and thus a higher calorie count for the day.

Interesting theory.

For me, it's always been about calories In..versus...calories out (burned)
To loose weight, burn fat, I have to burn more calories than I consume , per day....
I read that 3500 calories equals one pound of fat. That means burning 3500 MORE than one eats.
So, to loose one pound per week, that would mean burning 500 calories more than you eat per day.
If you eat 1000 calories a day, then you need to burn 1500 calories just to get that one pound per week.
I don't count calories, etc. I just believe to eat less ( a lot less) and exercise more....
Plus, I am one of those who works out first thing in the morning on a empty stomach.
That way, for an energy source, I burn the stored fat I have been holding onto rather than what I just consumed....and it worked.
My body fat % went down very constantly.
After my workout I would have a high Protein recovery shake....good to go all day.
But that is just my story,and how it actually worked for me.... may not be the same experience for everyone else who has achieved success.

I live for NSV's.
My favorite is not using a seat belt extender on an airplane as a matter of fact I had a great struggle putting on the seatbelt even with the extension.
I have the biggest smile on my face every time I have to tighten the seatbelt because it is to loose from the previous traveler.

Never understood the concept of "eating more to loose more"...
Have never found it to work for me, but have always found the opposite to be true.
You have to burn more calories per day than you consume to loose weight.
Also, as hunters-gatherers, we have stored excess energy away as fat to get us through periods of famine....
When i was loosing weight, I always pictured myself utilizing that stored source of energy.....so if my body needs more calories, and I'm not supplying it with food, it turns to that storehouse I've been carrying around for years.
And it must be true, in my case anyway, because I currently have very little fat left, there is nothing left to loose.
We are/were fat because we ate too much......we cannot get our eating under control....so we have WLS to stop us from eating too much.....Simple!
If you feel you need to eat more, then I would re-consider getting a fill...

@@nikkimarie_1991
Oh so true!! I keep checking for spills on my chest and I just don't have them anymore- used to be just about every meal.

I heard this the other day and I love this as an ultimate goal: Eat when we have to and what we should; not when we want to and what tasted good! Wow what a concept huh?