kgloverii

I like the easy way of not having to fight my urge to eat, and not having compulsive food thoughts 24/7. I lost weight the 'hard' way too. I lost it all, and had to work out 3 hours EVERY DAY to keep it off. And I was ALWAYS hungry, even in my 'skinny' state. I don't have that hunger anymore... I am not planning my next meal. I'm happy with my 'easy way.'

Go Juli! You really don't look like the same person! Amazing!

LMAO on "The Secret" reference. I'll betcha Oprah went to bed every night envisioning a svelte self and she'd wake up a pound heavier. :crying: I envisioned myself thinner every day I woke up before my band and woke up fatter and fatter. Now... I wake up after having nightmare of being fat again and look in the mirror... and I'm even smaller than I can believe. :wink2:

Julie, Plateaus happen... over and over... Keep doing the right things. I plateaued for 5 weeks once and thought I was going to shoot myself... I wasn't eating too much of ANYTHING during that time and thought, "Maybe this is it...." and then, the scale finally budged. Some suggestions... Kick your exercise up for a couple days. Change your normal eating routine as well. Eat some foods you normally don't. Also have one day (and keep it to one day!) where you eat a bit of forbidden foods. maybe an extra bowl of ice cream added. A small cheat every 10-12 days for me, has generally kept the pounds coming off. All in all, STAY POSITIVE. As a previous poster said, measuring yourself is a great idea. During my plateau, I lost no weight... but I dropped a whole dress size. From a 12 to a 10. I am now an 8, and even though I am not dropping more than a pound every two weeks, my waist is continuing to get smaller... I'll bet that you are in the same boat... and you don't even know it yet!

Amen to this post as well. I have always been outgoing, and have not received 'overt' discrimination before. I really didn't think it was as big of a deal as I do now. As I said before, people "see me" now, and before, they didn't "see me" as much. Nothing overt, but some internal criticisms from others... I get the "how much MORE weight did you want to lose?!" all the time... like I am TOO skinny... LOL.

LOL on the polar bear... my DH has called me 'polar bear' for the last eight years. He's got to retrain himself now cause I am ALWAYS FREEZING. LOL

No problems. Mine is beneath my rib cage on my left side.

I agree with gentylwind. As you lose weight, your perspective will probably change. I was a size 18/20 pre-surgery and people looked RIGHT THROUGH ME when I was heavy. Now, they talk TO me, they cater to me, they smile, etc. It is a TRUE thing. But, as you lose weight, your perspective will probably be rosier. And I just think, "I don't know if they would've treated me differently before" so I can't hold it against them. When in doubt, give them the benefit. I have. And it has worked out nicely. :wink:

I'd go for the upper GI. If there is no slip, then take out half. But if there is a slip, you need a complete unfill to have your band go back into place. GL.

So far, I have lost 83% of my excess weight. And I am not done yet...

All in moderation... I AGREE. Except when you are an addict. Then you need to break the addiction and relearn moderation.

You are SO not stupid. I STILL get stuff stuck and am over a year post op! Try the yoga position 'downward dog' if you get something stuck. Works like a charm for me!

Breanne, It is tough to gauge how families will react to your desire to lose weight. While my family and husband were supportive, none jumped up and down, and all around when I decided to have the band done. They were very guarded because they didn't want me to ever think their love for me was tied to what I weighed. They have been encouraging and proud of me throughout my journey, but I know if I lost my band tomorrow, they'd love me just the same... Ask your husband why he doesn't seem more enthusiastic. His answer may surprise you! I hope your consult today goes well. You are on an exciting journey, and even if there are some detours along the way, stay positive!

If you cut the sugar, you won't crave it. And my personal opinion is NOT to go to sugar free stuff. Sugar free stuff is artificial, and your body does not recognize food with artificial sweeteners as 'real' food. So, it never heats up right to metabolize it... Can Sugar Substitutes Make You Fat? - TIME If you cut your sugar consumption, you will not have the cravings like before. But if you must eat sweet, it is actually better to eat a small 'something' with sugar... I used to drink tons of Diet Cokes and ate tons of Sugar free stuff pre-band. I learned about the 'evils' of sugar free, and switch post-band and have not noticed ANY stall in my weight loss...

Miralax once a day has kept it flowing rather well for me. I took a break for a couple weeks to see if I'd somehow self-regulated and umm... paid for that decision dearly.

Another vote for Miralax. That stuff is God's gift... if I stop taking it, I PAY. :tt1:

I was self-pay due to insurance not covering the procedure... YES. I would do it again. I wish I would have done it sooner. I am a new person. Not just physically, but mentally too. My brain was rewired by my band.

When I first started to get restriction and was hell-bent on eating and drinking at the same time, I could feel the food wash through my band. That physical sensation is what made me realize that the 'not eating and drinking at the same time' is no joke. I could FEEL how I was setting myself back. I stopped that sabotage immediately. When I got to my sweet spot, if I tried to drink and eat at even remotely the same time, it was NOT a pretty sight, lol. So, the short answer is: YES... you are starting to get some restriction. It gets frustrating waiting for that 'sweet spot' but just hang in there. It took me 3 fills to really get to a good point of restriction, and 4 to get to my sweet spot. Patience is a virtue. You're losing. So keep on doing what you're doing and you'll 'feel' the success in no time. (and put that drink away! )

For some people, their GERD gets worse after surgery, but no one really knows why. I have had GERD on and off for years and have taken Prilosec when I have a flare-up. A few months ago, I had a flare-up and the Prilosec did not help as usual. My doc actually recommended that I try Zantac, and that made a huge difference for me. A few weeks of the Zantac and my symptoms completely went away... now I don't need to take it... (till my next flare-up!) Call your doc for some recommendations. They may try to up your dose of Prevacid, or they may recommend you try a different remedy. GL!

My menu varies day to day. Usually I wake up in the morning and make myself some hot chai tea, mixed with 1 cup whole milk. If I am feeling like I can eat something, I may make myself one packet of organic oatmeal, but I rarely finish the whole thing. Instead of oatmeal, I may eat some yogurt, but probably 70% of the time, I only have the chai. For lunch, it varies on what my activities are for the day. I may have a small piece of veggie quiche (I make them all the time, always on hand at our house!), or 1/2 cup of egg salad. I may eat a small salad with it, or I'll have a piece of fruit for an afternoon snack. dinner varies greatly. I eat whatever I am making the family. As of late, the family has been a huge fan of various bean Soups that I make. I often make a 15 Bean Soup with ham, and I'll have 1/2 cup of that. In the evening, I still like something sweet. I may have 1/4 cup of Edy's (Dreyer's in most parts of the country!) Slow Churned Ice Cream, some yogurt, or one small piece of chocolate. My diet is varied and I don't place any restrictions on myself... I am at a really 'good place' and am rarely hungry.

Once you get to the point of the 'sweet spot' you won't need diet pills anymore...

I consider myself a 'success' and can tell you that as you get fills and get to a 'sweeter' spot, you will not have such an issue with munching. I no longer munch because I am not hungry all of the time. I eat every 4-6 hours, in VERY small portions. And when I am satisfied I stop, and I don't think about food 'in between' meals. My brain got 'rewired' and now I deal with food like a rational person, and have no obsessions about it. I eat when I am hungry, I eat what I want, and go about my day regularly.

I know about how it is weird how people are more helpful... It would be nice not to shop in the stores with the snootier salespeople, but unfortunately, when I was obese, it seemed like a very high majority of them refused to approach or acknowledge me... It is awful how people who are overweight are treated... that is a feeling I will NEVER forget...

Yes. Went from a size 6 3/4 to a 5 1/2. I am close enough to goal I am actually going to get it done soon... I have been wearing a 'cheapo' ring in the meantime so I don't have to get my ring repeatedly re sized.

I have not had a lot of post-op experiences, but Dr. Martinez assisted on my surgery and he is EXTREMELY capable. You are in good hands. my friend Julie goes back to the OCC for her fills and LOVES Dr. Martinez... You do stay overnight in the clinic. It is VERY nice. Extremely clean and up to date. I had a preop diet. For 2 weeks I did a slimfast shake for Breakfast and lunch and lean cuisine for dinner. Make sure your son-in-law lines up his aftercare BEFORE his surgery. I am assuming he is not planning to fly to the OCC for fills. Dr. Ortiz recommended local fill docs and my doc has been great. Good luck to him. He is in great hands...