OnTheWay to Thin

I agree with restless monkey, weight loss by itself is not going to solve lonliness, or feelings of solitude, one of the most social and well adjusted people I know weighs around 400lbs, so the isolation you are feeling is likey the a sign of a bigger issue than just weight by itself. Talk to a good therapist and they will be able to help you pinpoint the areas you need to work on as you lose for you to be well rounded and happy at the end of your journey.

Congrats to you, I had my son bring me a couple baskets of clothes I sent to the basement a few years back and found that I could wear most of them now! That is such a good feeling!

It does not sound like this poster is not 50-55 lbs overweight. I am all for weight control and would have loved to stop my weight before I was 50lbs overweight, but I cant ever remember being just 50lbs overweight. There is a bigger issue here and this poster sounds like she is looking for a quick fix, this surgery is NOt a quick fix or easy way to reduce weight, it takes work, each and every day and I would hate to see someone go through surgery and fail because they did not understand that it is not a quick fix AND it requires 100% dedication to this for the long term.

My doctor required 4-5% weight loss prior to help shrink your liver. I understand this makes the surgery easier and less pain for you as a result. I was able to lose this and had a very easy recovery. All doctors are different on this so check with your surgeon.

It is different for everyone, I am in week 4 now. I found that once I started mushies that weight loss slowed dramatically. Also somewhere between week 3 and 4 all the swelling must have gone down because I am getting much more hungry now and the first 2 weeks I was full and satisfied with very little food. So I am in what they call bandster hell and waiting for my first fill which I hope will be similar to the first 2 weeks after surgery where I had restriction with the swelling.

My god you are taking huge risks with your health and the healing process of your stomach. You just had a major surgery and the diet that is given to you after is to make sure you heal properly. If you continue like this you are likely to end up with either a slipped band or erosion and neither is a good thing. You went through this surgery because you are supposed to be committed to weight loss, you need to call your doctor and speak to a nutritionist and get yourself straightened away. I suspect you are very young but you are really taking huge risks.

The whole premise of lapband is for someone who is mordbidly obese (at least 100lbs overweight) and the weight loss is meant to be slow, no more than 1-2 lbs a week. Many US doctors will not do surgery on someone of your size because the surgical risks outweight the benefits. Had I only had 40 - 50 lbs to lose I never would have had this surgery as good old fashioned dieting and discipline would have accomplished that. All the guidelines I have ever read, and I researched and read everything I could find on the subject would NOT recommend this procedure for you. I am not trying to be a downer, but this is serious surgery for serious problems with weight and luckily you are not there. You really need to think long and hard before you do this to yourself. Because everything you need to do you will still have to do with the band, i.e. diet and exercise. The band is a tool, not a magic bullet or quick fix, it is a long term solution to an even longer term obesity problem and you seem to think this is a quick fix. It is not, it is hard work and dedication to diet and exercise.

Nothing works for everyone, that is why there are so many options out there. I firmly believe you really have to look at yourself and your successes and failures in the past and evaluate what is best for you. It sounds like the lap band was not the right choice for you as you seem to have given up on it, but for many it has been widly successful. Good luck in wherever you decide to go next.

Basically soft food, well cooked pasta with sauces, cooked potatoes, or potatoe salads, pasta salads if not aldente, cooked chicken with sauces, cooked turkey with gravy or sauce, omlets, well cooked veggies that can be mashed (ie avoid broccali and items that dont sofen) avoid beef and red meats, veggies like corn and celery or asparagus that are stringy and hard to digest, but otherwise if you look at the menus, I have found that I found workable dishes wherever I go. I also use the computer to check calories and nutritional information before I go to a specific restaurant if available. Good luck.

I have a friend who had lapband with good success which is why I got interested. Then a coworker and I both decided to do something about our weight about the same time, I opted for the lapband, it just seemed the best answer for me and I am not comfortable with rerouting my digestive track or the complications that come from the GB. That being said, the coworker that I started this journey has since changed and is planning on going with Gastric Bypass. We both consulted different doctors, nutritionists and so on and made different decisions based on our needs and life style. So what I am saying is you have to do your research, but also have to do a lot of personal reflection about what life style changes you personally can and will make to make this successful. I believe the answer to that is different for each and every person. Only you will know what is right for you after you research all the options. Good luck to you on your journey, there are lots of good sites out there with boat loads of information on all the options, really take a good look and interview doctors to see who your beliefs most mesh with. Then you will know which choice is right for you.

My girfriend had wls surgery and 3 weeks later had a total hysterectomy. It made it difficult but not impossible. She used the combined time to recover from both and was successful with both surgeries.

My instructions were nothing over 10 lbs for 2 weeks then nothing over 20 lbs for 2 more weeks, after 30 days then just use caution for 2 more weeks. At 6 weeks they said no problems with anything you could do before.

Hey we are in this together! Why dont you ask your coworkers if it would be ok to move the candy dish to a new location, that is really hard to have it right there all the time! I have done that and no one had a problem with moving it.

They can tell by liver function tests that there is an issue (this is a simple blood test) and they will usually confirm with an ultrasound of the liver.

I am with you all, surgery date 28th of May and to begin with I could see the restriction and lost steadily until I hit 9 lbs, then the restriction went away, weight loss stopped and bandster hell began! LOL, I am fighting the hungries and have 3 weeks till 1st fill. My willpower is not holding as strong as I would like but I am a work in progress I guess.

It depends on your doc and the severity of the problem. They may have you go on a special liver shrink diet for a while to lessen the issue as I have seen that done many times. Talk to the dr and they will let you know what you need to do.

If you have given him chances before, and there has been no long term change it is not likely he will ever change and you are right if you go back you are likely to be in more danger than before. Your children will respect you more for getting out of a bad relationship than staying in one and seeing you abused every day. This is also likely to turn them into abusers, so you are doing the right thing, raise them to the best of your ability and show them that it is not ok to treat women that way. You will all be better for it. Our thoughts are with you and let us know how you are doing.

No you cant take anything you bring with you to the hospital, they will give you what you need the other is for when you get home. As for what to take to the hospital, as little as possible. Now purses, no jewlery or anything of value, leave that all at home, basically you just need you, your insurance card, copay if you have one, and enough clothes to keep you decent coming and going.

Happy Birthday !!!! You have done very well with the 50+ lbs of weight loss so we know you can do it! Sounds like the injury really sidelined you and has you very down, you just need to find something else to do while you heal that you can divert yourself with when tempted to cheat on your band. Also one thing I have been doing is I found out all of the semi free foods, i.e. foods with little to no calories, so if I feel the need to just eat, I eat those and satisfy that need... You may also need another fill, how long has it been since you had one? Hang in there. This is not an easy thing and we all have to take it one day at a time.

You are not getting enough calories to lose weight, your body is in starvation mode and is saying hey wait a minute, if all I get is 500 calories I am not letting anything else go... try upping it to 800-1000 calories a day and the scale will move again.

I agree with the diamonds thing, I love jewlery, but do you? Is there a special stone or piece you have wanted that you could always have with you? A ring, pendant, charm, something that can be a daily reminder of your accomplishment? Good work.

Call your doctor, they will need to check and make sure everything is good. It may be that you are just swollen and that is making the band more restrictive but better safe than sorry.

This post cracks me up. As a recent bandster I have only lost 23 lbs, however, I think 15 of it was boobs. I went from a very snug 44 C to a loose 42 B and I think I can go to a 40 very very soon... how sad, LOL, but my friend is having a GB and she loves her boobs and is determined not to lose them, I had to laugh and tell her she does not get to control where it comes off...

this is especially important after a fill... you may have a bit of swelling from the fill so the rule is take it easy for a few days after a fill and go slow to see what you can then tolerate.

The band cant change head hunger, or obsessive tendacies, but once you get to your sweet spot with the correct amount of fills it definately helps by making you full and satisified after smaller portions. This takes time to get to and it also takes time to change old habits. Hang in there it will get better.