Headhunter

That's a lovely gesture. A wonderful tribute to your mom. It's sweet that you're thinking of her first. HH

As Restless has found, and Mim as well, it is indeed a matter of "fine-tuning" the fills and your eating habits until you hit the proverbial "sweet spot". The "Calm" that they describe is what a lot of people find.....it's kind of how they were "meant" to feel. I never achieved that, only because the Band was not meant for me. But it is truly something that people need to be aware of. Some of the Advertisements (and some of the people on this board) make the band sound more like a "switch" that turns your hunger off....and it's not really. It's more like a dial, something that you have to work with, adjust, fill, unfill, until you find yourself in that "special place". But when you DO arrive there, watch out! Time for a whole new wardrobe, AND a new outlook on life.! It's sweet to be able to watch this happen for people! HH

Hey, I know this is the "Chick Room", but I would sure like to know the origin of some of your user names. It's quite an interesting thing to observe, how/why people select their User names and passwords. I would have thought there would be more replies to this by now! HH

I was just gonna ask you when I'm gonna get my Sponge Bath......

pssst: don't say that in public....you might get lynched...

Those of you who know me (and I mean KNOW me) know how highly I think of Restless Monkey. She's an inspiration to everyone, continually shares her knowledge and the benefit of her experience, and is overall a special and unique person. She started her process at a higher weight than most of us, and she had some difficulty hitting her "zone", but when she did, you could watch her ticker drop almost daily. She has this wonderful balance of "can-do" and "here's the reality of it" that makes her experience seem very real and achieveable to everyone here. She recognizes the limitations of the Band, but she also understands that most people have the innate ability to overcome those limitations, given right information and encouragement. So, it's particularly sweet to see her step out and say what a wonderful time this is in her life. She deserves it. big time. HH

Kat, kat, Kat! Relax. You are still HEALING, actually. The Band is not a "Switch" that turns weight loss on. Or weight gain off. It's a whole different thing, and you are still right at the Beginning. The whole Lap band Experience is SO different for everybody. It might be a few more weeks before you see any changes. Or it could start tomorrow. But, as everyone here has already said, you are at the BEGINNING of this process, really. You need to give it some time. Life with the band is all about "tuning". Adjusting what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat, how much Fluid you have in the band, etc. There are people here who went for a LONG time before they began to lose. But, then it just began to ROLL off, and they were on their way. If you have concerns, talk to your Surgeon. But I'm pretty certain that he/she will tell you the same thing everyone here is telling you: Relax, and be patient. It will happen. Just give it some time. :crying: HH

Oh, c'mon....I was just lining up the "Happy Ending" jokes..... :laugh: HH

Careful, now,....you're gonna get Plain all lathered up..... :laugh: HH

Erin, Dump the Homedics! Homedics is a real "consumery" brand, and they don't make anything that is really really good. Tanita, on the other hand, is a very established scale-maker, and they do it very, very well. I've had mine for about 7 years. Rock-solid! HH

Like Restless, I'm also curious as to what your Doc has to say. initially, a couple of things come to mind. Strength Training is Good....VERY good. But, it also puts on muscle, which is ADDING weight....not a lot, but it could be offsetting the amount you are losing to a small degree. 2nd, RollerBlading is KIND of cardio, but not real intense Cardio. If you are using that alone for your Cardio workout, then you won't lose much with that. Rollerblading is fun (and you should KEEP DOING IT!) but I would also add some other, more intense cardio into the mix as well. But there does seem to be something else going on here, and it is something only your Doc can address effectively. But don't be discouraged; MOST people have to fine-tune their eating and exercise and fills before they hit the combination that makes the weight begin to roll off. And you will, as well! HH

Hi, ArmyWife; As I have had two of these procedures (Lap band and Gastric Bypass), I can speak to this from a bit of experience. The first thing I’d like to point out is the misconception that the entire Weight Loss Surgery issue is that of a big WLS “Smorgasbord”, and that all you have to do is simply pick the one that tickles your fancy. Wrong. They are ALL different, and they are meant for different types of people and bodies. They ALL work (to varying degrees)…..but their long-term (and short-term) efficacy is dependant on some very individual elements. You really need to take the time and the effort to ascertain which WLS is right for you. In other words, Your Doctor does NOT choose your Surgery. YOU do NOT choose your surgery. The SURGERY chooses YOU. It requires some homework on your part, some honest self-evaluation, and some consultation with Doctors that really know this stuff inside and out. Many of them do not. I guess my first question to you would be, has anyone (meaning a Doctor that you have consulted) RECOMMENDED a particular procedure to you yet, based upon any extensive interview with you? HH

Luluc; From a Guy's perspective, you look great! No lipo necessary. You are hot just as you are! HH

Hi, Karen; Good on you for taking action! The support group is an excellent thing. Individual therapy can be excellent, as you can sometimes "drill down" to some of the more "root" issues, but a GROUP also has some very real benefits. Being able to speak with people who are experiencing exactly what you are is an excellent way to work through the problems. So, keep at it.....you WILL be successful! HH

That's kind of like when Kirstie Alley went on Oprah in a "bikini". I think she was a few months premature on that move. MANY months, really. HH

Restless put it very well: being banded is a "skill". Being Banded is not a "destination". It's the beginning of a PROCESS. And you have to learn how to work the machinery. If you do learn, and you commit to the program, it is likely that you WILL succeed. Making the choice is often the most difficult part. First, the choice to actually DO it, and then the choice of exactly WHAT to do. You have made that choice, and now you have to prepare yourself to live with it. The interesting thing about WLS is that there are no absolutes. What works for one person may not work for another. Weight loss can be very rapid or very slow. Some people can easily eat one thing, another will gag on it. You need to avoid listening to people who say that "THIS is how it's going to be", because when it is NOT that way for you, you will become discouraged. Don't let that happen. Do EXACTLY what your doctor says, in spite of what you might hear elsewhere. I'm not a big fan of going to Mexico (or anywhere else out-of-state/country) for surgery, but one thing I can say is that some of these Mexican Doctors have done so MANY of these surgeries, that they have seen EVERYTHING that can happen, and they have "tuned" their procedure to the point where they know quite precisely how things will go. But, YOU have to follow their instructions. Not the instructions of other band patients, but your DOCTOR. One other thing: Always listen to Restless Monkey. She's one of the "Blessings" of this forum. She's been here a long time, she's a nurse, and she has studied this whole process extensivley. She has NO agenda....she's here to help. The other person you should listen to is Me. . But seriously, listen to the Monkey. And your Doctor. And you should do just fine.:thumbup: HH

Yarah, there are actually several different procedures that can help "repair" a Bypass such as yours. The "Band after Bypass", also know as "BOB", and the ROSE procedure, which is where they use an incisionless technique to go in and tighten up the expanded stomach. They are both very good options. I think that the ROSE is the one to look into now, though. That will be the answer long-term, i do believe. It's easy, and they are doing very well with it now. Don't lose hope....there IS an answer to the problem for you! HH

Hi, Kimmie; Glad to see that you are better, and at home. yes, it DOES get better. You may be surprised at how fast you begin to feel "normal" again. But, you've been through a rough time, so you might have a little longer recovery period than you might normally have had. Take it easy, and rest as much as you can, balanced with some reasonable physical activity, and you be fine before you know it. HH :juggle:

Naw, MySpace is too low-Rent for God. FaceBook. Now THAT'S where you'll find the creator. I understand that He also maintains accounts at Classmates.com and Plaxo. And, he's got 14 Hotmail accounts as well. God gets around. :juggle: HH

“The studies show that lap band and bypass have the same amount of weight loss at 5 years.” There are no “the studies”. There are no large scale, indexed, quantifiable, qualifiable statistics to back this up. There some small/limited scale studies that indicate these results, but these are usually skewed/distorted on one level or another, and CANNOT be used to indicate the efficacy of ANY surgical procedure for Weight Loss. There is ONE organization that is presently making an effort to assemble large-scale statistic based upon STANDARDIZED data, but that will take years of collection and compilation to be able to be of any value. The ONLY statistics that ANYONE actually needs to be concerned with are those of the Surgeon that you have chosen to perform YOUR procedure. That’s it. And you need to choose a Surgeon that can produce well-documented, accurate Statistics on the outcome of ALL of his/her WLS procedures. Do not even THINK of using a surgeon that won’t reveal their Stats. “unlike bypass and the sleeve, with lap band you "keep" all the nutrition you eat” Untrue. There is NO Malabsorbtion with the Sleeve. It is simply a restrictive procedure. Malabsorbtion is a primary component of the Gastric Bypass, but it is NOT present in the Sleeve. As I have said many times before, it is NOT a “choice” between the procedures. It is selecting the CORRECT procedure for your unique physiology and emotional temperament. The procedures are all different, have different characteristics, and they are NOT, for the most part, successfully interchangeable. You will have SOME success with ANY of them, but if your true need is Malabsorbtion, and you choose restriction, then you will NOT be successful to the degree that you want to be. If all you need is restriction, then a Bypass would not be appropriate. When you begin your research into a WLS you need to find a surgeon that will EXPLAIN all of this to you, and assist you in making the RIGHT choice. There are many, many failures among people that have WLS. A huge majority of them are because they chose the WRONG type of surgery for their particular situation. HH

GREAT post, Michelle, as always. Should be a sticky. :biggrin: HH

And, of course, when we speak in terms of "pounds" for you that would be a money reference! :biggrin: HH

Agnes, Thanks for giving us an update. It's wonderful to hear that you are doing well. I was wondering how it had gone for you. Remember, you are in the "healing" period now. Don't worry about your weight or anything else. Just rest as much as you can, balanced with reasonable physical activity. Do EXACTLY what the Dr has told you to do, and you'll be just fine. The gas pains were a very big problem for me as well, at least in my second surgery when they took the band out and did the Bypass. It was Open (not laproscopic) so a lot of air got inside me. It hurt quite a bit for over a month. But you should not have nearly the problem that I did. Keep us posted, let us know how you are doing. We'll expect some pictures, ya know! :biggrin: HH

yes, the "EX" moments are always among the best! I saw your blog, and you did indeed look lovely. I'll bet the ex was having some serious regrets.....:biggrin: HH

What area are you in? I would LOVE to see some rain for a change..... HH