Unforgettable

Even if you were tight as can be and couldn't swallow your own spit, those cravings and that desire to snack would still be there. Unfortunately! I have the same problem. It's a mental issue no matter how much restriction you have. I'd trust the doctor to fill it in appropriate amount to where you can still eat normal foods, just in smaller portions. I personally am seeing a therapist to help me with the mental cravings so they don't drag me down. As far as the cravings themselves, I do indulge in them occasionally or else they will get too bad. I don't believe in cutting anything out of my diet, because I don't want it to be a diet. But I do believe that moderation (and portion control from restriction) is the key to a happy balance. So if I'm craving chocolate, I'm going to have it. But I'm going to have a fun-size bar. If I don't allow myself that, then I will eventually cave and end up eating a few hundred candy bars. Ok that's exaggerated but you get the point Good luck!

I was so close to banging my head against the desk and then you wrote this masterpiece :blushing: Again you have expressed my exact thoughts and sentiments in a much more elegant way than I'd come up with.

First of all it sounds like you are kicking ass!!! Way to go. Do you find yourself struggling to make the right portion choices? It seems like if you don't exercise as much you notice a difference in your weight right away, so I would suggest a small fill. Remember restriction is when the lapband works best. But if you are happy with what you have going on now then feel free to stick with it.

Agree with other posters - definitely something you want to check out and have lined up beforehand. Follow-up care with the lapband is so important!!

Every doc has their own guidelines. I was allowed to have toast 3 weeks out.

I've always been told that I never look what I weigh, so to me the number doesn't mean too much. My surgeon asked me where I wanted to be, I threw out a number, and he said he thought it was possible. Now for instance my friend who is in her 40s and has had 5 kids, he picked a higher number for her based on that information. But since I am younger and have had no kids he doesn't think there will be a problem reaching that goal. I have NO clue what I will look like at "goal" weight. If I find myself 20 pounds higher than goal and really LOVING the way I look and feel, then that will be my new goal We focus too much on numbers

If you're not really able to eat anything again you probably need another slight unfill.

Hey! I'm an RN and have always considered working as a nurse in the military. I looked into this a year or 2 ago when I realized I was going to get the lapband in the future. From what I read and researched on the internet, it automatically disqualifies you from enlisting. Part of the problem from what I read is that it lumps gastric bypass and lapband together. Hopefully in the coming years there will be more literature and evidence showing that those with lapband could join some parts of the military. If anyone else has heard differently, I'd love to know! Especially any other nurses out there, since we start at officer training and bypass the general bootcamp.

Everyone is different. I had a couple friends that were hungry 1 and 2 weeks out. I know there are some people on this board who said they were hungry waking up from recovery. I personally wasn't wanting to eat anything until around day 3, and by then I was on puree food so that held me over with no problems besides mental hunger. Mental hunger was always an issue because hello I want a real burger not this pureed chili crap! But I was one of the fortunate people to have a decent amount of restriction up until my first fill so I had no problems eating the portions I was supposed to. My understanding is that my situation was rare.

How does, let's use FailureIsNotAnOption for example - how does her niece being a homosexual impact or effect you at all?

I do occasionally. My dietician said that sometimes it is a sign of being full. I've read that other people burp when they are full.

Way to avoid the issue. Aren't you supposed to let god judge them? Murder directly impacts someone else's life. Homosexuality should only affect those that are homosexual. Are you telling me that somebody murdering your mother, and finding out that your mother is a lesbian are the same? Homosexuality doesn't impact you directly like murder can. What difference does it make to you if someone else is a homosexual - it should have no effect on your life even if you think it is a sin. Again aren't you supposed to let god judge?

I've had no problems eating salads. I've so far had no food intolerances (knock on wood) but I always chew very very well. I've had a few bites of salad because I love it but I just make sure I get my protein in for the day.

Kartman you've articulated my thoughts extremely well. I don't care who believes in what religion and why - I respect individual beliefs and have my own as well, but I would NEVER push them onto someone else and I hate that it's pushed onto me. That's fine if people believe that homosexuality is a sin, but aren't you supposed to let god judge those that sin? Yet it's so hard for some people to follow that. If it truly is a sin and there really is a god, he'll take care of that. It's not up to individual people to go around judging others. I just get so frustrated

Isn't one of the ten commandments thou shall not kill? If that's the case, why are you saying it's okay for us to go to war and kill people because god said so? So killing is ok then. But when someone brought up the mother killing the baby, that's not right....must be nice to always bend the rules and bible to fit your own needs.

Walking was the best thing that worked for me. Outside, inside, even a dvd called walk away the pounds

What did your doctor have to say about the number? Increased WBC can be a sign of infection, among other things. Overall, it's just outside the high end of normal (around 10). I don't think it would make that big of a difference if you have no other issues going on but call your doc to reassure yourself

Aren't you supposed to capitalize your h's when you say him and his? Anywho, I suppose that argument is fair enough if you believe the words in the bible. Although the bible is a whole 'nother subject. If I were to write a sentence in English, and it were to get translated into a handful of different languages multiple times, and years were to pass and English was no longer used, then someone came across that sentence and tried to translate it into modern text...well let's just say it would probably turn into a completely different sentence than what I originally intended. Now do that to a whole book and look where we end up.

Hey! You're crackin me up with the record scratch. I like to think of myself as a future former fatty, it sounds much nicer haha Welcome to the boards! There is lots and lots of useful information to be found here

There are so many factors here. If you are self-pay, it will be relatively quick. If insurance, you're gonna jump through some hoops. I started in September, had to do the 6 month diet, as well as finding out late that I needed to do a sleep study. I found out I got approved maybe in April, but it only took like 2 weeks from when my insurance papers were submitted. I could have had the surgery scheduled for May but chose July for schedule reasons.

So if god tells them to do something good, then they are following his path and he is always right. But if they say god tells them to do something bad, then you automatically write them off as having mental issues. Interesting. This has become quite entertaining.

Hello! It all depends on what type of insurance you have. When I was approved, I think I weighed between 219 and 225 pounds and I'm 5'5.5" so my BMI was "only" like 36 or 37. My insurance required BMI of 40 or more OR BMI 35 or higher with 2 comorbidities. I have PCOS as well as sleep apnea, but I went through a sleep study to document it for insurance. I also had to turn in my past 2 years of medical records, as well as do a 6 month diet. The best thing to do is to call your insurance company yourself and find out exactly what their requirements are. Also, if you've already decided on a surgeon, many offices have an insurance specialist that are very good at this too. Good luck!

Right after surgery when I was lacking energy, I walked my butt off. My doc doesn't want any hardcore working out until 8 weeks post-op, so in the meantime I walked and fiddled around with Wii Fit/EA Active. After 8 weeks he has no restrictions so I'll go back to normal like before surgery. Every doc is different though

First of all, 7 pounds is great. Your body just went through a major trauma, and is focusing most of its energy on recovering from surgery so any weight loss is a bonus. Second, without proper restriction the band will only do so much. The band works best when there is proper restriction. Just make sure you are eating the right type of foods, trying to make smarter choices about portions, and exercising - if so, then you are doing your part and it's just a matter of waiting for your fill to get restriction.