TheGh0st

Not to hijack this thread but Green I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. You are in my prayers.

If you decide you hate it I'll buy it off you at the meeting tomorrow (or the next month). If I don't get to see you good luck on your surgery. I'll be thinking of you.

Great Teri Hope to see you. Evelas - How old are your children? There is going to be at least one other 4 year old and a teenager as well. The room is pretty large and when my son comes I usually just set him in a corner with some coloring books, quiet toys, and a remote DVD player, though their is a great kids reading area in the library as well that the teen might be willing to take the younger ones over to if she comes. Oh and on the Isopure if you haven't tried them yet I highly recommend mixing some Crystal Light into them to boost the flavor. The Grape Frost flavor isn't bad but they all taste a bit bland.

Tell your husband he can sit in the library and read a book or even surf the internet on one of the library's computers while you are in with us if he is uncomfortable joining in on the meeting himself. But I understand if you can't make it. Hope you are still feeling well. When do those staples come out again?

Was just cleaning out my old thread subscription list when I saw this old thread. I see you are down 44+ pounds now, so how are you feeling?? Do you still have any regrets or does the woman who wrote your original post seem like a distant memory?

Here is the e-mail reminder I just received for Mondays KCBandster Meeting. This is the one founded and supported strictly by other bandsters NOT by any specific doctors. I realize the topic this month is "Rebooting" which implies it is more for those of us that have been banded longer and are trying to get back on track but really it would be a great topic for newer bandsters as well trying to start "Reboot" their brain into their new bandster way of life. Though to be honest the topics we come up with before the meeting are more of a guideline than a rule. If anyone comes in with a problem or question we just change gears and adapt. I'd love to meet you KCBigGuy & Thin2bme. Hope I get to see you there. - Diane [KCBandsters] KCBandster Meeting Reminder for March! From:jenn_kc <jen@runyan.net> To:KCBandsters@yahoogroups.com Date:Sat, 22 Mar 2008 9:12 am You guys have been so good at talking about the meeting coming up that I almost forgot to post a reminder message about it! Thanks! :thumbdown: Our March meeting will be happening THIS Monday, March 24th at the Antioch Library in Merriam, KS. We meet from 6:45-8:45 pm in the meeting room at the back of the library. I think we will continue talking about the need to "Re-Boot" our brains and what that looks like. Whether you have been banded for years and years or you haven't had the surgery yet, I think this will be a great meeting. There will come a time when everyone needs to re-charge, or to re-program our brains to continue on a successful, healthy weight loss journey. Everyone can get stuck in a rut, or gain a few pounds and feel unable to get motivated to take them off. One of the long term goals of weight maintenance is early intervention. .. When your weight creeps up a bit, or you stall out in your weight loss, you stop, evaluate your lifestyle, and make small adjustments to get back on the right track. When I used to ride the diet rollercoaster before banding, I would get on the coaster (the latest diet to try) and ride for a while (lose some weight) and then get off the coaster and gain it all back. I wouldn't do any self checks until I woke up and had gained most, if not all, of the weight back. Then I would lament that "if only" I had caught the slide at 5 lbs and done something about it, I could have easily gotten back on track... Well, that is what I want to discuss at this month's meeting... So, join us Monday night and let's dive in!!! Jen Runyan Directions to Antioch Library I-35 to Shawnee Mission Parkway East to Antioch (1st major intersection and across from IHOP) Library is on the North West Corner of Antioch and SM Parkway

Dawn - Thanks for the update. I'm glad your own health has been improved but am sorry to hear about your husband. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

There was no way Mark was going to vote off his brother. Roger's vote didn't surprise me as he seems to be more dedicated to losing the weight and the "brotherhood" of his men's team. And Ali's seems to be trying to get in with the boys so as to stay off their radar for as long as possible. I can't blame her for it though I doubt it will help her in the long run. Dan however was the one vote that I was really hoping would swing the other way. I know if his mother was still there she would have knocked some sense into him. Not taking advantage of the chance to get a guy off especially one of the brothers on the team was foolish in terms of gameplay as far as I'm concerned and he and his mother were always fond of pointing out how this was all just a game.

Shortgal - I agree 80 pounds is great and the size 10's I'm in now are already smaller than the size 14's I originally hoped for. My biggest problem lies in the fact I'm still sitting at a 10 pound weight gain nearly 6 months after plastic surgery. There is just NO WAY that is all from swelling this far out and even though I shouldnt be focusing on a number on a scale I just can't seem to see my way to being happy with myself unless I can take off those 10 pounds plus at least another 5 pounds to account for some of the 10+ pounds of skin they removed. It also doesn't help much that one day my DH will see me trying to watch my food and comment that he really doesn't want me losing any more then the next day he will see something I'm eating and ask when my next fill is as if he thinks I'm pigging out. I don't really feel there is anything wrong with my current weight being my goal. And I've met plenty of women even heavier that I consider at goal. The problem lies in my recent weight gain and whether or not it is a sign of my falling down an all to familiar slippery slope. I'm just afraid if I allow myself to be too comfortable with this weight it will only lead to my continuing to rationalize even more and more weight gain until I'm back to square one.

Try to hang in there. Only you can know if WLS is right for you but do not let financing hold you back, there are always ways. I reverted to a bit of fuzzy math while pitching it to my husband. Emphasizing all the money we would save each month on grocery bills as well as doctor & prescriptions with the increasing problems I was having due to my weight. As far as Dr. Macik goes I'm not in Atlanta but did a quick search through LBT and found that Wisshi & DishDiva both were banded by Macik and have been active on LBT recently. You might try tracking them down and sending them a Private Message to ask what they think of him and his office. You should also attend at least one of his local support group meetings to get a feel for how his program works. Local support groups can be a key part of a bandsters success. I'm not a huge fan of Obesityhelp.com but I also included a link to their comments page for Dr. Macik. One thing to keep in mind on is that the majority of those comments are posted by patients shortly after and sometimes even before they have had surgery. Bariatric Surgeon Profile - Paul E. Macik, M.D. F.A.C.S. Good luck what ever you decide.

I've seen them as well but never tried them. I hope someone here can shed some light on them.

I hadn't heard of this trial but am interested to hear more about it. What can you tell us. What are is the trial researching? What are the guidelines?

I know how you feel. I was banded in Sep of 2005. I lost just over 80 pounds and have/had around 20 more to lose. But my weight loss has completely stalled for about a year now. I even had PS last fall thinking that would help kick-start my push to lose the last 20 pounds but instead I've gained 10. I realize there is really no one to blame but myself. I haven't been drinking enough Water, eating enough solid Proteins or exercising. So I'm not complaining about the weight not coming off as much as I am about my inability to get my blankety blank head back in the game and start doing what I need to, to get these pounds coming off again. I just keep hoping that something is going to click and I'll be back "in the mood" to work on losing the weight and until then relying on the band to keep me from gaining back what I've lost.

Michele - That's horrible. I cried just reading it. People can be so cruel. I'll never understand why they think it is acceptable to behave in such a way.

For fear of sounding like a commercial. My personal favorite "Quick" Protein shake is Slim Fast's LOW CARB shakes. They have 20 grams of Protein and only 4 grams of Carbs (2 of which are fiber). The only places I've found them for sale though are Walgreens and Sam's Club. I like the slimfast because they not only have the protein but have some Vitamins and minerals as well. But it has to be the low carb one. Oddly the one they market as "High Protein" has less protein and WAY more carbs (15 protein & 20 carbs) Some people I know like to stir in a little instant coffee, though I'm not a coffee fan. Sometimes if I feel like mixing it up a bit I've run it through a blender with some Strawberries, Rasberries or Banana's or even a tablespoon of Peanut Butter but I think it tastes fine without the add-ins. Other than Slimfast I sometimes get the Isopure drinks from GNC. They have 40 grams of protein per bottle and 0 carbs but the flavor is a bit of an acquired taste. The only one I "like" is the Grape Frost with some Crystal Light mixed in it to boost the flavor. The orange one I tried tasted like a watered down and ever so slightly slimy McDonalds orange drink (NASTY!) though I never tried mixing in the Crystal light orange flavored mix with it. I will also make my own shakes from powders if I have the time/desire but usually I find it hard to get the powder to properly dissolve and it just doesn't seem worth the effort. Most of them don't have as good a protein to carb ratio as the Slim Fast and none of the extra nutrition. Still they are cheaper and easier to tailor to your personal tastes.

I have heard of a group called SmartBandsters that holds a BandsterBash each year in Seattle. I think it was in February this year already. I also saw a post on LBT recently about a get together being arranged on another bandster site called. Band2gether.net (b2g) Lap band Support Forums - Powered by vBulletin I'm not a member of either of these groups but I hope this helps. Would love to see a LBT get together sometime but the few attempts at arranging one that I've seen over the last year have mostly fell apart.

A lot of bandsters tend to be more restricted in the mornings than the rest of the day. Have you ever noticed if your rings are tighter in the morning as well? This would be a good indicator of tissue swelling and if the tissue in your fingers is swelling you can safely assume the stomach tissue inside your band is swelling as well. You are right though to not want to skip Breakfast, it is always a good idea to try to have something in the morning to kick start your metabolism. Have you tried drinking a Protein drink just for breakfast? My doc use to be against protein supplements especially liquid shakes after the initial recovery period as he was concerned about the liquid calories not keeping us feeling full but after over 1000 band surgeries he has since changed his position and now says it is much better to drink a Protein shake in the mornings if your are too tight to eat solids than it is to skip breakfast.

Considering your age and amount of weight to lose, if you stomach doesn't already have a pannus (flap) then you may not end up wanting Plastic Surgery. There are no guarantees ofcourse but what you describe does sound promising. One other factor, are you fair skinned or a red-head. People who are (like me) tend to have skin that doesn't bounce back as well.

Definitely call your docs office and talk it over with them. Some people's stomach's are overly sensitive and will get irritated after a fill and be tighter for a couple of days but that should have settled down by now. Obviously we are not docs, but it does sound like you may need a slight unfill. One more reason you should call sooner rather than later is if you are self pay many docs will perform a small unfill for free if done within a week of the fill.

Great Job!!!

You know I did a "Cookie Diet" while I was an au pair in London one summer about 15 years ago. The woman I worked for claimed it was an American craze. Yet none of my family in the States had ever heard of it. It worked a bit like slimfast in that you replaced 2 meals with a large cookie which was suppose to contain an assortment of Vitamins and minerals. The difference was suppose to be that it actually gave you something to chew and make you feel fuller than just drinking slimfast would. As everyother diet it did seem to work while I was on it but once I was off the old habits came back and I regained it. I was shocked when I saw them advertising them recently. No idea if it is the same company but must be same concept. The ones I had years ago actually tasted pretty good. They had everything from chocolate, oatmeal raisin to a pretty good lemony cake cookie and if I remember correctly a carrot cake one too. Before you ate them you also were suppose to drink 2 large glasses of Water to help the cookie swell in your stomach to make you feel full. Post band I wouldn't reccomend that part. I know the band is suppose to help us put diet's behind us but I wouldn't be above trying it again to knock off some of these last stubborn pounds it the hope that the band would stop the regain. Though I'm not sure if the Cookies might not be too hard to eat without getting stuck.

I've only been banded since 2005 but with no complications so far. I'm curious as well.

I seem to remember the 2 days going a lot faster and easier than I expected. I figured by day 2 I'd be ready to eat my own arm off but I wasn't. Good Luck and make sure to let us know how you are doing after the surgery.

Congratulations!!! I know its a shock to the system to have the date moved up but it will all be for the best.

I'm in the Kansas City area and after seeing BooBoo's thread would love to give this a try as well. If any of you photographers are in this area and would give me a discount give me a PM.