derbygirl

I was concerned, before surgery, that people thought I was taking the easy way out, but I recognized that after 20+ years of dieting, weight loss surgery was my ONLY way out. And here's the big question...WHY DOES IT MATTER if it's the easy way or the hard way? People who say that are missing THE POINT. The GOAL is to have as many productive and happy years as possible! Who cares how you reach the goal...as long as you reach it.

I have lost a friend because of it. We had other problems, so it's perhaps unfair to blame it all on the band, but we quit speaking less than one month after I had surgery. And she never once asked me how much I'd lost during that time, even though she knew I had doctor's visits. She'd had gastric bypass two years prior. She was always bigger than me, but after surgery she was smaller. She enjoyed it thoroughly. I think it annoyed her that she'd be bigger again. (She wasn't that much smaller than me when I had surgery.) I don't miss her though.

I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand, being once an overweight child myself, there was nothing more difficult. And I still struggle with the low self-esteem that I feel came mostly from other kids teasing me. But I also recognize that it's a relatively new procedure. In the back of my head I keep wondering when the alert is going to come out that lap bands cause other health problems. Part of this is due to the FDA's quick approval and then disapproval of drugs lately (including Phen-Fen and other "miracle" diet drugs which affected many overweight people like myself). So, I'm unsure how I would proceed. I'm relatively young, but old enough that my weight was affecting my health. I doubt your teenage daughter is in that position at this time. If you haven't already (and I didn't read the entire thread, so excuse me if you've mentioned it elsewhere), you might take her some place like Jenny Craig. That's a really great program. Some people are capable of turning their lives around without the lap band.

I'm new. I just now found this thread. I almost always look in the Support section...that's why I missed you guys. But I'm excited that I've found others banded the same time as me! I want in on this challenge, but I'm not sure what I want the goal to be yet. I original goal was to be under 300 lbs. by my birthday, which is end of July, but I'm not gonna make it. :faint:

Thank you, Julie!!!!!!!

I agree on the carb subject. I eat mainly meat. And when I recently quit consuming all carbs except for what is in my daily protein bar and a few veggies, I lost almost 10 pounds in one week.

Anyone else banded October 2006 and interested in joining a discussion group to trek our progress over the next few months?

Good luck to you! You're going to do great since you're already searching for a trainer...and I'm glad to hear you're trying to change the family's bad habits, too! Try not to focus on the scary aspects and concentrate on making your recovery as EASY and stress-free as possible. BTW, I didn't tell hardly anyone either--I waited until people started noticing the weight loss to tell them. It's fun to see their reaction.

Tracy, I LOVE your signature pics...very cool. How did you do it? I wish I could see everyone's progress on their posts. You look great!

Yes! :clap2:

I was shocked when I woke up in so much pain after the surgery since so many people here didn't even use their pain meds. I used my meds for over a week and really needed more than one week off from work. Take it easy and don't rush yourself back into your old routine. Congrats!

I think a lot of the new threads are being pushed down the board too quickly by the regular "chat" threads (i.e. Banded Bikers, Bootcamp, Twoterville and Onederland, Gay & Lesbian, etc.). Maybe there needs to be a place for these groups to talk regularly. I know they started as regular threads at one time, but now they've taken over the first page of the support page. JHMO.

Tan, congrats! Let us know how it's going!

Congratulations! I'm sure your really excited, as we all were. I wish my surgeon had offered a seminar in preparation for surgery--that sounds cool!

Missy, so sorry to hear about your situation. I agree on Protein bars and shakes. Try Designer whey protein mix. You can get it at GNC. And do a search for Protein shake recipes. Shakes don't have to be grody. Also, if you think you might get stuck at the hospital and you can't eat Protein Bars yet (since you're newly banded), take some of those individual applesauce containers with you. Or some pudding cups that don't have to be refrigerated (they even sell high-protein pudding at GNC and the like). Hey, and that cheesecake is okay now and then! You haven't had a fill yet and it's very soft and mushy. Hope you're feeling better soon. Best wishes to your family.

Ryan, that is horrible. I would be horrified if my mom had gastric bypass and was losing faster than me. It's bad enough that there's a guy at work who is losing faster than me (with a lapband). I hate to say it, but you're going to have to be super duper strong because she may lose a LOT more than you over the next year. But YOU WILL GET THERE eventually, like everyone else said. I have a friend who had gastric bypass 2 years before I had my band surgery. From my perspective, the lapband is MUCH better. She used to come over to my house and spend half the time in the bathroom sick because she couldn't control what she was eating and had horrible side-effects. And after a year, she quit losing, just like someone else said. You do have one advantage--you're younger. If you REALLY, really, really want to lose faster, hit the gym...and hit it HARD. Also, get some professional advice regarding your meal plan so you make sure you're getting adequate calories and such. I am convinced that a lot of banded folks would do better if they ate a little more.

My house has done a 360 in the last 7 months (when I was banded). It used to be a total sty, and now I enjoy keeping it clean and have plenty of energy to do so. Whenever the house gets away from me (as it does sometimes for all of us), I use Flylady's 15-minute method for cleaning. I don't follow any of the rest of her program. It's amazing what you can accomplish in 15 minutes if you're consistent.

Thanks for the info! I hope I don't have to have it done either.

I've been pondering this a while think it has a lot to do how big you are to start with and also...I think some of it is just dumb luck. I eat chocolate and fast food on a semi-regular basis. I'm not proud of it...I'm just saying that I my success hasn't come from being the ideal patient. But if you only have 100 pounds to lose, you're not going to lose as fast as someone with 300 pounds to lose. It works that way on any diet.

I'm a cash patient and afraid I may have slippage. Anyone else been in my shoes? What did the repairation cost?

Congrats, LilMonkey!! We just had a guy in the office today concerned that he had cheated. I wanted to tell him about this thread at the time, but I didn't want to scare him.

Are guys more likely to get someone pregnant after lapband? I had only heard about women being more fertile. Or are you just nervous, without it being related to the band? I say double-bag it and go for it!

I have never owned a treadmill and I want to buy one, but the price varies so much that I can't determine what a "decent" one costs? Normally, I buy "middle of the road," but with treadmills, that's a couple of grand. Do I really need to spend that to get a good one? I tried looking at some buyer's guides online, but I got the feeling they were all bias because they always sell treadmills, too. I would appreciate any input.

As someone who wanted to have lap band for several years before I was able to afford it, those articles made me feel better back then. They gave me hope, and I'm sure that article will do that for many people. I think surgery patients get as much good press as others.

I just signed up for Curves a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't sign a contract. I'm glad because this gives me an opportunity to try Butterfly Life. I had never heard of this company, but they're giving free starter memberships, so I thought what the heck. Has anyone tried them? And if so, can you give a brief comparison with Curves. Butterfly Life vs. Curves Franchise International - Women's Fitness Franchise