NanaRenan

Great job, Tim! I tho't you looked quite handsome in the BEFORE photos...but your weight loss is obvious. How tall are you? Because looking at the befores I wouldn't have guessed you were 300. Oh wait, I just realized the "befores" are really actually "Just Afters". LQTM Still -- Congrats!

1) I can eat anything I want, if I space out my really small bites and chew them well. A lot of things I THOUGHT I loved, I found were really only 'tasty' when I could slam them down quickly!! But upon actually chewing and savoring them -- they've lost a lot of their appeal! But either way, the band doesn't dictate my choices, I have to do that. Just like I chose to eat a lot of things that were really bad for me, now I choose to only eat things that are good for me. And if I have a moment of weakness and go way off normal...well, I can't fall TOO FAR off the wagon, and the band has me sort of tethered TO the wagon, so it can't go off and leave me behind as it used to. 2) I would go on Jay Leno, Larry King, Oprah -- anyone who would let me tell them about my band and how it has changed (and quite possibly SAVED) my life! I can't imagine keeping that to myself. I thank God that at least a few people were comfortable telling me, when I commented on their weight loss. If they had brushed me off with "Oh, I just dieted and exercised." I should have skulked away feeling crappy all over again because I've been such a failure at that over and over again. And for that reason, I could never risk making someone else feel that way by denying the band or avoiding the truth.

You know, nobody ever told me that, and I didn't set those as goals, but that's about what it has worked out to be. Guess I'm about on target! :thumbup: Thanks for sharing that!

Better download some pictures of some cute twins and start carrying them around! LQTM

My port was on my left, fairly close to my navel. When it flipped the doctor moved it up, still on the left, just below my bra line,

I was only banded a little while before you, but I've been dieting seriously since you were in diapers! It is very, VERY hard to break those chains of emotional eating. Mine is more of a stress thing, than other emotions. But it's so in-grained in us that it is very hard to even RECOGNIZE it. I agree with keeping the tempting foods out of reach. And every now and then I run across a NEW foodstuff that is not good for me -- and have to add it to my BANNED for the BANDED list. Last week it was these little ice cream miniatures from Schwans, like pinkie-sized Eskimo Pies! I ate a whole box in three days! They were WONDERFUL. They will never cross my threshold again!!!!!! So, when I do something like that, I don't beat myself up about it. I consider it a 'test period' -- "Yes, I've thoroughly TESTED that product and determined that it is beyond my capacity to resist, therefore, it must not be touched again." -- and go on. The GOOD NEWS, is that I didn't finish each day I succumbed to its merry wonders with a Whopper and fries or a Enchillada Combo plate.....my other meals are appropriately healthy and well-proportioned for my band.

OMG, Wheetsin....that made me snarf!!! justicenyce....I was almost two months out before I got my first fill and the "bandster hell" wasn't too bad for me. I think I ended up gaining like 2 lbs that last week or two, but knew -- thanks to LBT -- that it wasn't a problem. You'll be fine. It's more of a MIND GAME than anything.

I had two surgeries cancelled on me. Once just outside the OR door. The second after I'd gotten in there and been put out!!! HUGELY frustrating, BUT, it DID finally happen! Don't give up!

those serious, INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH foundation garments I see people on TV shows wearing PRIOR to getting their tummy tucks? I'm at least a year out from being ready to schedule surgery and my pull-on girdles aren't struggling to do the job. Going to a smaller size only makes the fight to get into them harder, but it's like putting a cup of batter in a muffin tin -- the spill over ain't purty! I need something MAJOR, even if I have to hire help getting it cinched! Pam<----having "I just have to be 18 inches again, Mammy, I just have to!" rigors!

Thanks for all the links and suggestions. I'm gonna check it out!

OMG -- Aubrie....go give that man a big ol' hug and a smooch from Nana!!!! That had me all teary eyed....until I read THIS and REALLY started to CRY.... I did literally laugh til I cried over that!!!! What an eye for fashion she has!! She may have a future in design: interiors or fashion....all inspired by mom's bat wings~~~:crying:

Great post, Salsa!!!! I am inspired! Were you a cheerleader?? :thumbup:

I had my first fill on 10-10. It was awesome and instantaneous. Just right and worked quite well. At my 6 month check-up we discussed another fill because I did feel I was starting to 'empty out' more rapidly and occasionally experiencing hunger between dinner and bedtime. Unfortunately, my port had flipped so I didn't get that second fill until I had my port revision last Thursday. Again, it seemed everything was fine, I was on liquids a day or two and then seemed to eat 'normally', but on the 4th and 5th days -- I'm barely able to get 1/4 of my usual Instant Breakfast shake down. Literally one or two bites at a meal and I am full for several hours. My Fluid intake is WAY, WAY down, too! I remember hearing a long time ago that sometimes it takes a day or two to know how the fill "took". Any ideas on what this is? Did this fill just take a few days to "take"? I don't think my port being moved would cause swelling near the band to make restriction more severe....but what do I know!! I'm happy with the weight loss, but dubious how long I can subsist on what I'm able to get past the band right now. Ah, banding -- it's a journey, not a destination, eh?

I have four children aged 18-27. I have had children in public, private and homeschool. I have homeschooled as well as worked in public and private schools. If I had it to do over, I would do whatever was necessary to either private school or homeschool the lot of them all the way through. I have one school-aged grandchild and my husband and I offered, before she started school to pay for private school. Her mother declined, but after K-1 in public school, she changed her mind and she's been in private for 2, 3 and 4th. I strongly urge all of my kids to plan and prepare to either homeschool or private school their future children. There are some AWESOME teachers in public schools. There are some great kids, excellent administrators and exemplary programs. But all that GOOD gets muddied with a miasma of junk and garbage that AT THE VERY LEAST is NOT conducive to learning. At its worst, it is detrimental to the mental, emotional and physical health of the child and subsequently the family.

I've scarcely dared even peek in this thread.... ONEDERLAND looked so very far away. But, so did the shorter side of TWOTERVILLE not that long ago. I've crossed the midway mark in that C-note......249 for the first time in about 17 years!! So I'm officially kicking off my COUNTDOWN TO ONEDERLAND!!! (Why do I have an overwhelming urge to go watch "That Thing You Do?")

My second child was 8lb. 13oz. at birth. At three months he weighed 20lb. 6 oz. When he walked at 11 months he was 34 lbs and 37 inches tall. AND He was totally breast-fed. Of my four only he never had a bottle in his mouth EVER and did not show ANY interest or attempt to eat solid food until just before his first birthday. At 9, all of his back-to-school wardrobe came from the men's dept. At 10 I was looking up to him and teasing him to act his shoe size, not his age! By 13 he was 6'3" and about 210. He turned 25 last Thursday and he's still only 6'3". But he has put on about 80-100 lbs. He was extremely lean and fit from 4th grade on because he played football. But as most all of us do, he kept eating like he had before, even after finishing high school. I said all of that to say that there is SO much contrast in what kids can weigh, I can't see removing the kids as a solution....that's just going to cause traumas the psychiatrists and WLS surgeons will be dealing with for decades. If there's concern, get someone in the home to observe and train the parents! But don't take the kids away.

I've had many, many Ah-ha's over the years, but I guess the most serious one was in 2000 when my mother was felled by a stroke, brought on by her diabetes and lifetime of obesity. I spent a couple of weeks down in La. helping my dad adjust to her being bedridden. It was entirely too sobering to realize that even after having lost 100 lbs a decade earlier, it still took two or three people to roll her over to change her bedding. And that they did not make Depends large enough to fit her. I went home and told my husband, "I have seen my future and I do NOT want to go there." I immediately started trying to get approved for bypass, but failed to accomplish that (Not enough documentation, the ins.co. said!). Had some moderate success with WW, but eventually gained that all back. Then in Dec. 2006 I had an episode with my heart and was diagnosed with diabetes. The meds for both added to my weight gain and made me SO lethargic. I literally felt like I was dying a little each day. My cardiologist shocked me when he said, "It would take you two to three years to lose the weight you need to "IF" you could do it and your history does not make that look likely -- Simply put, you don't HAVE two to three years!" He referred me to Dr. Miranda, who's office staff was AWESOME and they did all the tough, insurance stuff FOR me. Here I am a year after my first consultation, banded, down 72 lbs and off of 8 out of 9 meds I took before surgery!

I'm trying to develop the habit of measuring out my meals. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of it and could prevent some ugly PBing! I have a stack of little plastic ramikins (my GrandDoll is a Big Dipper, they cut down on wasted catsup and ranch!), and find if I'm eating something of a more difficult sort to determine, they help me tremendously.

{{{Hey, Calanne!! How ya doin'?}}} Is there another "list" anyone has accessed to substitute for the missing link?

I agree, you will feel sorta yukky the first few days (3 to 4, usually) while your body is detoxing from your usual carb (sugar!) intake. But after that you feel very energetic and have little hunger.

You mean a monstrous, melting mons...? Yep!

I'm 45, 5'5" and was 321. I think my BMI was around 50. But because of diabetes and tachychardia and some other issues, the surgeon (who does both kinds) said Lap Band would be "less harsh on my system". That sounded smart to me!

Yes, it required general anesthesia. But he also relocated it. It was pretty near my belly button where I was already quite 'squishy' and have become moreso since losing 70+ lbs. He moved it more up over my ribcage where it could be sutured to firmer muscle. So there is some pain and swelling. Don't know how it would be just to flip it back and leave it in place. My steri-strips came off this morning. And I'm all good but a little itching -- oh and I got to hurting some after vacuuming this morning. But yes, they did give me a fill at the same time. I'm really tight right now -- hoping it loosens up just a tad...it's imparing my Fluid intake greatly because I'm staying full for so long. If it hasn't improved in a week or two I might ask about a slight unfill.

Mine will say "Slow down" or "Take it easy" or "Don't overdo it!" And I should be appreciative but sometimes it really ticks me off! Like if I just stop eating to see if its safe or wise to try another bite or not, he'll pounce, "Getting full?" Sometimes I'd just rather not have my eating habits be the primary source of entertainment during dinner! :ohmy:

So what -- explain it to me like I'm 5 years old! -- is supposedly the advantages to those types of WLS over the band....? 'Cuz I'm not really seein' it!