shortgal

Denise and Janet: Look at both your tickers!!! Fabulous! Janet, five little pounds to go. Hey, remember when you could gain five pounds just in a weekend? Denise: 0 pounds to go! Gosh, I will be SO excited when I see my ticker at ZERO! Congratulations Ladies, great job. You've both worked hard and deserve it. I'm dancing for you both! :glare::Dancing_biggrin::Dancing_biggrin:

Just spend the better part of three mornings and speaking with FIVE customer service reps ( and I use the term service loosely) to fix my reservation that they screwed up! Mess up #1 My flight was cancelled and I was never put on a new flight. #2 The first part of my return flight was changed to arrive earlier, so it was impossible for me to make the second connecting flight. don;t they have computer programs, that alert them to these things? I'm on hold forever. First day for over one hour and not resolved, Same thing next day, and next. No, they cannot call me back, while they work on it one agent says, then later says, I'll call you back, She does but says she can't get and Air France agent on the line. Well, Day four and finally fixed, I think, Fingers crossed. Warning: book international flights direct through airline and not expedia. Thanks, I feel better now!

Everyone ends up with a different experience no matter which surgery you choose. I have a friend that is about four years post op, is struggling with anemia and has gained some ( maybe twenty to twenty five pounds) of the weight back. Has trouble with some Desserts with the dumping syndrome, but cheesecake( and some other desserts) are no problem. Some gastric bypass people gain their weight back and some Lap Band gain their weight back. For me, GBP was not an option. I could not get over the rerouting and bypassing of my stomach issue. As far as what you can eat after. That varies, too. Some banders choose a stronger level of restriction or band fill than others and with a strong fill level, it's possible to have difficulty with a larger variety of food. But having the flexibility with the band is something that bypass don't have. Their pouch is formed and that's it. No adjustment is possible. did your surgeon say why he thought GBP was better for you? Many surgeons prefer one procedure over another simply because they do more of them and a few might prefer it as ins. pays more. Or are they doing more Bypass because they keep recommending it? So far, I do not slime, I have had food stuck a couple times in the beginning stage of being banded. Why is it hard getting fills? It takes about a 10 min. appt for my fills and most of that time is talking to the PA about how I'm doing. Yes, losing weight is slower with bands but many GBP patients look wasted and gray in the first six months from the rapid weight loss and the malabsorbtion of nutrients. Both procedures have pros and cons. Keep reading and learning about both procedures and you'll be able to make your decision. There are forums that have more GBP people then banders, this site has mostly banders on it.

Bandfan1: Great strategies. We don't have sit around waiting for the band to work, we can form plans to help our bands work better. That is the way to success.

check in with us when you feel up to it! good Luck and Happy band day.

Well, It's working!

I do get tight for a day or two after a fill, just from the fill process and my Dr wants two days of FULL liquids, so I have Protein shakes and Campbell's butternut squash Soup. Do you have to be on Clear Liquids or full liquids? More choices I think with "full".

I guess I would have said " Let me clarify my question, which is not should I have WLS, but rather what is your opinion about Protein supplements and what are the best protein rich foods"? I don't know about health ramifications, I dont think they can hurt us for part of our diet or occassional use, but when I read some of those ingredients lists... hmmmm.. what are all those things? Fresh always seems better to me and once banded liquid Protein will just go through the band (I'm referring to the time after initial post op diet phases). I still use a shake now and then, and on fill day and used them in the first few months after banding, now I don't use them much.

Some options for self pay patients include CO, a Dr. Kirschenbaum does them for around $9000 ( I think) or going to Mexico ( many people on the forum have done that) or finding a local Dr and self pay there (most likely this will be the most expensive choice). Consider where you will get aftercare and fills, if you do not go with a local Dr. Check out the boards under "Dr and Hospital section" or go the "State" group you live in and ask for suggestions there. Go to the "USA" support group, then look for your home or a neighboring State.

:rolleyes2: :scared2::thumbup::tongue2:

I think we all ask "how did we let ourselves get this way". I gave up soda because it bothered my acid reflux. When they banded me they fixed my hernia, now I don't get reflux, but still can't have soda. Good thing I got used to not enjoying it before surgery. We occassionally make roasted veggies, they are really good. They do have olive oil on them, so a little more calories, but I don;t want to feel bad about having veggies. Carrots, Onion, Zucchini, Green or yellow peppers, we add one or two small potatoes for the two of us and toss with a little OO, and S &P and then roast on high heat like 425 until they are tender. In the winter you can add some root veggies, if you like those. And I like salads, especially when we go out. A small tossed with some grilled chicken or grilled salmon is perfect for me. It takes time to change some of our habits and learn the new bander rules, but now it's becoming kind of normal for me. You're still not even on regular foods yet, so you have time to get it all together. The food, the drinking, the fills. Head hunger is the toughest one. Still gets me some days, even when I recognize it's head hunger! We can win the battle, but the war rages on. LOL Is it far to MD to the fill place from where you are in Pa? How often will you go? When do you get the first fill?

One fill is not enough for most people and generally it takes several. don't give up on your band yet. How often can you go for fills? Get another one! I lost half of my weight with no exercise and have just recently started walking about three x a week. Weight loss is possible without exercise, but can make it harder and slower.

Ghost, Too funny about the shirts! Now they say "one size fits most". I ask "most of who"??? I would have thought everyone that gets a band knows a lot about dieting, food etc and that they have tried everything, but then I see somebody ask " what are proteins"? or what are "good carbs"? and think.... WHAT? Shrug! Scottay: Seems like your wife still enjoys being active and athletic, so that's a key thing to remember. Maybe you could starting walking together at night after dinner. When we get better at one aspect in our life, we sometimes get on the right track with other issues. If she feels better about herself because of exercise, perhaps she will feel stronger to take on the demands of Weight loss surgery. The demands of WLS include shopping for the right foods, cooking the right foods, portion control, Dr. appts. etc. It's work! Getting her physical activity up could help her feel like she can take control of what needs to be done. You'll find lots of info on the forum about insurance issues, suggestions on Dr's near you, what to expect after surgery etc. If you need to be pointed in the right direction on the forum for other specific questions, let us know.

Linda, you probably got lost b/c there was a second thread along the way for this challenge, but then we decided to use the original thread and just update our weights. Nice job, looks like somebody got over that junk food problem, huh? that's was your post, right? Good for you!

Hey Ghost, you fellow shortie! It's hard to give advice to the spouse and not the person that needs help. WW was not the answer for me, but I did learn a lot about portions and weighing and measuring. The type of previous attempts at weight loss for the wife was not mentioned. What I did read was what seemed like unhealthy habits of eating too much and then eating too little. I have known many athletes that were very active to consume many calories without needing to be concerned becasue the level of activity burned, counteracted that. But, what happens to the athlete that stops being athletic and is now accustomed to this larger portion of food? They gain weight and then you're right, their body will crave it. I have known a few people that lost a sense of a normal portion along the way and were helped by WW. A lady in my town lost 200 pounds after yo-yo ing for many years. It's been 5 years now that she kept it off. I needed more help than WW could give me, but gosh the things I learned there are helping me now that the band is there to help me, too. So it's been like two hands helping me instead of one and I'll take them both! This is just my experience. I'm sure the more answers the OP gets, one will strike a chord. We all know his wife has to want to lose the weight and perhaps she does. Maybe she is just overwhelmed with it all, or feeling that sense of hopelessness, that nothing can help her and he is taking the lead for her in the search about what lap banding is. That's a great spouse to take the time to learn about it and maybe help her find out it's right for her. And he might learn how to better support her if she does get a band. But WW might work for some, but not for all. Just like those shirts that used to say "one size fits all". Yeah, right!

I don't think I'm at my sweet spot and I'm sure each person has a different feeling about their "perfect" restriction place. I could eat more at each meal, so I understand what you are saying. but I find that if I eat my WW size meal (like 4 to 5 oz of meat and some veggies and a couple times a week a VERY small portion of a carb) and stop, I will after about twenty mins have a faint feeling of satisfaction ( not necessarily full). This feeling sort of whispers to me right now. I think I need a bit more restriction and I hope that the full feeling, will "talk a little louder" to me. So the feeling of being satisfied is kind of delayed. I rarely get a feeling of, "I can't eat another bite", so I have to stop myself from eating more and then later that faint feeling is there. so maybe try that, stop eating and don't take more and then see if you get that faint feeling of "yeah, ok I could be ok on this smaller amount". For me, I would like to get to the last couple bites of a lean cuisine size meal and feel like I can't get those last couple bites down. And many people need several fills before they hit that sweet spot.

For comparison, I walk 3 miles in about an hour, so I only burn about 275 calories and I only walk about three x a week. My suggestion would be to try to lower the calories to 1200 for a week and see what happens. I have heard many people on the forum say they stopped losing weight when their bands were too tight, so be sure that you are able to eat solid food. Do you get the full feeling after eating? Are you grazing between meals? Those are the things that come to mind. I hope you can try to switch something up that makes a difference.

It will take a commitment on her part, band or no band. The band will not do 100% of the work. At times it will be 25% band and 75% patient, and other times those numbers will be reversed. But everyone can eat around the band. A person can drink too many high calorie things because liquids will go right through the band, with no problem. Foods like ice cream or crackers etc can also pass through easily, so the person had to be ready to choose the right foods first and that will allow the band to help. A commitment to seeing the surgeon for visits to get adjustment/fills is needed. In the last four months, I've been to the surgeon's office more than eight times. Sure it will slow down later, but the patient must be ready to make some effort as well. I have been banded just short of five months, I weigh less now than I have in over twenty years. I have never lost this much weight in this amount of time. I went to WW many times and I did learn a lot about weighing, measuring and tracking calories or points. That knowledge has been helpful to me now that I have the band. If your wife is ready for a change, then why not go to one of the seminars held in your area by a bariatric surgeon and get some info together. good Luck. Your wife will be lucky to have your support, if she decides that Lap band is right for her.

Yes, WW does like to sell things, but you can go the first few weeks and get the written plan and then follow it at home. I still own ( and use) my WW scale from over 15 years ago. I weigh my portions of meat on it. From the little information, it could be that she deprives herself and then binges. Eating a smaller portion more regularly would of course be the ideal. We all eat a little more on a holiday or vacation etc, but her daily intake should be fairly consistent. Does she say she is ready to make a change? Because that's what it will take, her committment.

Has your wife ever been on a structured program such as weight watchers? If not that would be a good first step. They will teach her to eat healthy and teach her portion control. She might just have never had to learn how to eat right because her early athletic ( active ) years allowed her to eat pretty much what she wanted. Now older and less active, how much she consumes is catching up to her. Just a thought.

I eat 1000 to 1200 calories a day. I am fairly faithful about writing everything down. Is your exercise walking or something else?

Hi, I always start with the basics. What does eating properly mean? How many calories each day? Are you able to eat solid food, like chicken or steak. How much exercise and how often? Do you wait the hour before drinking after a meal? Are you consuming liquid calories like wine or beer?

Hopefully all will go smoothly for you. I have used them many times for other flights, but will not use them for international flights anymore. With the unfavorable exchange rate of dollar to EU, I don;t think we'll be going to Europe again for a while anyway! It was the customer service that sucked once I found out there was a problem.

This is a great thread Boo Boo Kitty and lots of great responses. Do you think you are lost b/c you have devoted so much effort and time into reaching your goal and now that you have, you're unsure what to do now? No focus? My husband and I spend many years at our son's and daughter's school and sports events and many of the people we associated with were b/c of those activities. Once both kids graduated, a year apart from each other, I looked at my husband and said well now what do we do on a Saturday night? And what did we do before we had those activities? We really had to start all over. So i guess I wonder if you spend so many years concentrating on the weight and now you don't have to, is that part of the lost feeling? Like at that time our children defined who we were, like your weight loss journey defined you. It's over, so now what defines you?

Well I would like to know ( since I am the accused) which thread I hijacked? To my knowledge I posted on his original thread AND one other, that he posted on. And I believe he tried to inflame and overexagerate another person's comment in the same vein that his original thread was headed, at the time his reply was posted. Which I called him on. And once I blocked Headhunter, all posts by him on any thread after that are not visible to me including the one above, since I blocked him from contacting me earlier today. ( His reply is only now visible becasue it's part of the quote on Elizabethsew post. With all the replies on his OP and only several of them by me, I find it hard to explain why I was PM'd and one or two others according to him. I certainly was NOT the only one that was "hard" on him. And He felt free to start PM'ing people once he realized (as was stated in the thead) that PM's are not viewed or available to the Moderators. I would be happy to leave headhunter alone and tried that this a.m when I blocked him and I posted on the thread that I did that, in case there were others that he was PM'ing, like he did to Nicole8wting and someone else that contacted me. I wondered how many more people might be out there getting PM's and not knowing how many others there were. I did not harass him in private PM's. Does anyone know how many threads get Hijacked? Almost everyone turns a different direction along the way. Apparently, by his own admission, I was NOT the only one that misunderstood him and his original intent, but he felt a need to single only one or two of us out. Now having explained my position as you have, apology accepted since I assume as a member of the forum I am included in your apology. Yes, I was one of many that misinterpreted you. Your intent was not clear to me at all. And the nastiness of the PM's made it all the more difficult to see your intent. So mia culpa for not being able to see the real you. Good Luck May 7th.