stateofzen

I'm sorry to tell you that no oil or lotion will repair lost elasticity. Drink lots of Water, and exercise to replace lost fat with a little muscle and that may help the appearance of your skin, but once you break the elastic, it's broken and you can't repair it from the outside. Genetics, age, and length of time overweight (as well as how overweight you are) determine loose skin and there is nothing you can change about any of those factors. The results of your sister were coincidence that she attributes to the use of the oil, but no study has ever supported that these things work. The fact is, if she was already overweight, the pregnancy probably didn't tax her skin much more than the excess weight already was. That said, all I can tell you is that my saggy skin (mostly on my stomach, but also on my breasts where I've lost volume), while not attractive, is no less attractive than the excess weight when I'm naked and it looks 200% better than my excess weight when clothed. I'll probably have some plastics when I reach goal, but to be honest, I could probably live with what I've got if I find that in a year's time I'd rather spend my money on something else

I would give it a couple more days. Normally I'd say you're too tight, but you were on vacation and that could have "stressed" your body on top of the fill, making you temporarily too tight. If you start having issues again though, I'd say go get a smidge taken out.

While I do believe that we should all strive to follow the directives of our bariatric team for best success, I also believe that we have to educate ourselves and that to some degree the truly educated can in fact "agree to disagree" with their doc on something. My surgeon says no caffeine. I say, uh, not gonna happen. I've read the caffeine health literature and it is so inconclusive. One potential problem with caffeine is that it can act as a diuretic, making you dehydrated. While that is true, it's only true when you have excessive amounts and doesn't seem to be a problem with 1-2 doses. The other is a myth-- the idea that as a stimulant, caffeine increases appetite has just not been supported in any reasonable way. Yes, it is a stimulant, but it is an incredibly mild stimulant. Sure, take cocaine and you're gonna want to eat. But cocaine is a very strong stimulant and you can't equate the two in effects. Actual research does not support this commonly touted "truth" about caffeine. This post is, of course, about carbonation. My doc says no and I've decided to follow the rule. I'm not so sure it will stretch out my pouch to have it, but the sips I've taken of carbonated beverages have made me really gassy and uncomfortable, so it's just not worth it whether it's dangerous or not. I think it's a rule that isn't really based on factual evidence though, so I don't think people who drink carbonated beverages are really going to be permanently damaged from it.

I'm glad you're experiencing such quick successes-- they are very motivating!

Enjoy it while it lasts A lot of people starting at higher BMI's see super big losses in the beginning (I did too), and yes, a lot of it is water weight. But it will eventually slow down to a more reasonable place. Just make sure you're taking the vitamin supplements that your doc requires and you'll be fine!

I have no problem with thin crust pizza if I take my time and chew. Just be really careful about portion size. A New York Style slice (those big handful slices) is going to have an incredible amount of calories, so no way would I eat a whole piece even if I could get it down.

Holly, if your fill level is really high and you're still having problems based on choices-- it might be a good time to start seeing a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. It sounds like you've identified your mental space as the problem-- so the best solution would be to get some help so that you can better work WITH your band instead of against it.

No "last supper" for me. I don't put any foods completely off limits (and I don't have any problems tolerating foods either, thank goodness), so there was no need. I didn't want to approach surgery like it was a death sentence Plenty of people seem to do it though and manage just fine.

I've never slimed in 9 months. If you're having several days in a row of getting stuck, you've probably irritated your stomach and are swollen. I'd back off the solids and go to liquids/mushies for a few days to let things settle down, then add solids back in again.

Breakfast: Protein bar OR sugar-free oatmeal (I'm thinking about switching to some egg/turkey protein combo though) -- around 150-200 calories Lunch: 4 turkey meatballs in marinara sauce, or a cup of salad with deli chicken, a chicken enchilada, or turkey pepperoni and cheese-- up to 400 calories Dinner: protein + veggies (chicken, fish, shrimp, steak, and pork all are in regular rotation) -- up to 500 calories (but usually I eat less at dinner than lunch). Snacks: cheese, 100-cal pack of almonds or peanuts, hummus with sun chips (carefully portion controlled), MAYBE a sugar-free pudding or a skinny cow ice cream bar once in a blue moon This is a "losing steadily" diet for me. I'm eating a bit more at the moment and maintaining instead of losing. Apparently, onion rings are not good for weight loss

I take it slow for 48-hours after a fill, because I'm usually swollen, but once that goes down I can drink Water just like normal. That doesn't mean my fill didn't work-- my fills have been great (I lost all of my weight but for the last 5 lbs on 2 fills), but what they give me is a feeling of "that's enough" after a smallish meal of solid Protein and veggies. There is no physical restriction at all. My band doesn't prevent me from eating anything-- it just gets me satiated on smaller amounts of whatever I do eat.

Wake-Up: 2 cups coffee, 2 teaspoons sugar-free hazelnut creamer Breakfast: Zone Perfect chocolate coconut protein bar Lunch: 5 pieces of pepperoni and a tomato/cucumber/moz salad Dinner: pork quesadilla (1/3 cup pulled pork on 1 low-carb wheat tortilla with 1/4 cup cheese, a tablespoon of barbecue sauce and some jalapeno slices)

Just so you know, restriction doesn't necessarily mean you can't guzzle Water. I consider myself restricted = full on smaller amounts of food, but I can guzzle water like there is no tomorrow. Look for "satiated after small amounts of food and not hungry for 4 hours" instead of "physically can't eat/drink without throwing up" to define restriction for yourself.

Those are good ones! Congratulations on the NSV.

I'm so glad that you could vent and that it's making you feel better. I suspect that what I've put below is already "in your radar", but I'm certainly trying to offer support and perhaps a way out of this place of frustration. It is human nature to want maximum gains for minimum output. I get it. And I know you're not alone because there are lots of people who have said the same words "if I wanted to count calories and exercise, I wouldn't have gotten surgery!" or "If I had any willpower, I wouldn't have gotten surgery!" This is not uncommon and probably has a lot to do with a lack of real education on what it is actually like to be banded. Even when you ask questions and try to educate yourself, if you don't know what questions TO ask, you're probably going to miss out on a lot of important information. I'll bet you can be a real voice of education for pre-op bandsters-- let them know your misconceptions so that they can be better informed. You're in a position now where what's done is done, and you have three real choices that I can see: you could decide that you're going to revise your expectations of the band and start working with what you've got, even though it means diet and calorie counting; you could decide that you're going to pay to have it revised to something that's more in line with meeting your expectations; or you could do neither and instead stay stuck where you are feeling disappointed and betrayed and frustrated. You've done really well so far with a 40-lb loss-- that's right on track with where you could expect to be and it's a good sign that you'll continue to lose at the expected rate if you don't give up hope and maybe take a look at doing some of the things you stubbornly don't want to try now (and I know all about stubbornly not wanting to do stuff too-- I pretty regularly refuse to exercise myself). You can do it! You just need to have a little adjustment in your outlook. But of course, you may decide it's more comfortable to stay where you are right now, and that's an option too. The only options that are NOT available to you are to change the past and never have the surgery, or to wave a magic wand that makes the weight melt away with no effort in 6 months. Believe me, I want that freaking magic wand sister

I'm going to be a dissenter here. I think your exercise is great, and I would concentrate more on WHAT you are eating than the exercise at this point. The most recent weight loss studies that compare diet to exercise (or combination) find that for weight LOSS, diet is more important (i.e. cutting calories and/or altering the types of food you eat). For weight loss maintenance and OTHER health benefits non-weight related, exercise becomes very important. Exercise just doesn't yield as many benefits for the average person during the loss phase as changes in diet, and you'll lose weight much more quickly by reducing your calories than by exercising. I'm sure there are people who will argue, because we are told over and over and over again that you have to exercise to lose weight. But that "common sense" wisdom is just not being supported in controlled research trials. Of course exercise is beneficial and important for health, but that doesn't mean it necessarily causes us to lose much weight. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/phys-ed-why-doesnt-exercise-lead-to-weight-loss/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/19/exercise-dieting-public-health I'm going to add one final nudge. It might be time to train your husband and son to be more flexible in what they want to eat, to cook for themselves, or for you to learn how to cook something that you have absolutely no intentions of eating. Because that will most likely be a reality of life post-surgery. Why not start that change now? You have a clear cut and achievable goal to work toward. I think if you are willing to go high-Protein, low-carb, you will not only be successful, but you will get there very quickly. If time isn't a concern, then of course you can continue with what you're doing (nothing wrong with it!), but just realize that your body is telling you that it's not going to result in super fast loss. That's ok, but it's a trade off and only you can decide if it's worth it.

When I'm following a low-carb diet, I don't count carbs. Instead, I just completely cut out flour, sugar, and starches which leaves me with proteins, some dairy (cheese for instance), vegetables and the occasional fruit. Anything else I buy (dressings, sauces, coffee creamer) has to have less than 4g carbs per serving and I watch my serving size carefully with those. I do this mostly because I hate counting stuff, but if you're already in the habit of counting calories, it might not be so difficult to count carbs.

It is possible you are overfilled, but since you can get liquids and mushies like chili down, I think you can test it a bit more. How long did you wait after the fill before moving on to solids? It's possible you've irritated your stomach by pushing forward too soon after the fill and now you're swollen from getting stuck. Go on liquids for the next 48 hours (clear liquids), then introduce full liquids for 24 hours, then mushies. See if that helps. If this is exactly what you've already done, then yes, you may need a smidge taken out. Edited to add: No, that is not what restriction is. You are overfilled if you can't get down solid Proteins and vegetables.

You can do fine with stir fried dishes. No breaded meats, and try to stay away from sweet sauces. I like Moo Goo Gei Pan because the chicken is so moist and there are lots of veggies. I add some soy sauce, ignore the rice, and there you go. Soup is a great appetizer- I prefer hot and sour but again, stay away from the fried won tons on top. But basically, any sauteed (not fried) beef, pork, seafood, or chicken in a non-sweet sauce would probably be an ok choice as long as you don't overdo it.

Sounds like you are too tight. If you can't get down healthy food, then you need a slight unfill. Here's one way to look at it-- what good is losing weight if you're still basing the bulk of your diet on food that does not meet nutritional needs and frankly, puts you at risk for heart disease? Thin people with poor diets have heart attacks too. It's not all about the number on the scale.

We do high end restaurants once every two months or so and it's perfect for the band. I love fish, especially at good restaurants (it's always so much better than when I make it at home), which of course is very band-friendly. Serving sizes at nice places are typically perfect for a bandster because they are generally small and focus on quality over quantity. I will have a bite or two of my husband's appetizer (the parmesan mushroom souffle at our favorite place DESERVES a bite), have my Protein from my entree, and then if I have room I'll have a bite of my husband's dessert. At one of our "regular" places I sometimes order an appetizer as my meal, which is plenty if I'm not super hungry. On those occasions, we save money, which is a bonus though not the point. I am lucky in that my band doesn't prevent me from eating anything, so steak and lamb and pork are definitely still on the menu for me. I can eat bread but I typically choose not to just because I don't want to fill up on something that is just not that important to me- I feel the same way about starches, like potatoes and I have cut WAY back on Pasta just because it used to be a staple in my diet and it's not good for my carb cravings. I LOVE cheese and eat it regularly, though in small quantities and one of my favorite casual "treat" dinners at home is a cheese plate and a glass of wine. Once you get past the healing post-surgery stage, you won't have to do Protein shakes. You should be able to get your protein in with "real food". I still keep a shake stocked at home for the occasional quick breakfast or binge-preventing snack, but the shakes won't last forever.

Start again tomorrow and don't sabotage yourself with negative self-talk-- if you tell yourself you can't do it, then I bet you won't be able to. But, I KNOW you can. We've all been there-- take it a day at a time and you will get through this.

The greatest thing about this surgery for "foodies" and people who like to cook is that you can still do it-- AND, because the quantities are so much less, you can afford really top quality ingredients all of the time. My husband and I probably spend the same amount on food now as we did before, but only because we buy better quality food that costs more. Let's just say I've developed a serious cheese addiction (protein!) and leave it at that. For people who love to cook who are also not super wealthy, the band is easy. You won't know what your "no more" foods are until you're banded, unfortunately. I am lucky in that I can tolerate everything (except flaxseed flat bread crackers, but oh well for that). Some things I have to be more careful with than others and make sure I chew, but nothing is off limits because of the band. My limits are self-imposed and have to do with my own trigger foods (carbs carbs carbs- I'm a woman). But we still go out to really nice restaurants and cook good meals at home and the biggest thing that's changed for me is that I can still enjoy food without binging on it.

This is something I recently posted to someone researching. I would say that there are three regularly occurring post-op posts that you should be aware of as you prepare. Being aware will help you deal with the psychological aspect of the band in the weeks and months following surgery. 1. Be aware: You may experience a lot of discomfort after surgery that is pain related. People vary so much on this and of course everyone hopes to be one of the "bounce right back" folks, but be prepared to be in a lot of discomfort for up to a week or even more. It is NORMAL to be depressed and/or regret having the surgery immediately post-op. 2. Be aware: It is very likely that your weight loss will stall or even reverse (meaning actual gains) during the first weeks to month after surgery. This is counter-intuitive to people, because they just had weight loss surgery AND they are on a liquid diet and not eating. But it is NORMAL to plateau or even gain Water weight while your body is recovering from the stress of surgery. Try not to despair. If you keep at it, you will begin to lose weight soon enough. 3. Be aware: A lot of people feel very hungry and ready to eat eat eat almost immediately after surgery. For a lot of people, the band alone doesn't do anything for weeks to month until it is filled. This is what people refer to as Bandster Hell. A smaller subset of people do feel a reduction in hunger right away-- but if you don't go in automatically expecting you'll be a lucky one, then you won't be as baffled and disappointed if you aren't. It is NORMAL to feel hungry and frustrated until you reach the appropriate fill for your body, and that may take weeks to months. Knowing these things and expecting them will help tremendously with your emotional reaction to the band. If any of these things happen to you, you are in good and prolific company. Don't despair! Figure out before your surgery how you might cope with them when they come up and odds are, they won't be a problem for you. Knowledge is the key. I would add the following to that list: 1. The average loss at 2 years with the band is 60% of excess weight, according to band literature. So if you need to lose 100 lbs to be in a "healthy BMI", then the average person will have lost 60lbs by the end of year 2. This is the average, which means that there are going to be a few people who lose 0 lbs in 2 years and an equally few people who lose 100+ lbs in 2 years. Most people are going to be right around that 60% mark (I wish I knew what the standard deviation is, that would be even more helpful). 2. Weight loss is not constant and linear for most people, even if they are very very consistent with their eating behavior and activity level. It seems like it should be-- calories in/calories out-- but there are a lot of people that tend to lose in cycles and you may be one of them. For me, I lose weight in chunks, then I "plateau" for a few weeks, then I drop another bunch of pounds within three days, then "plateau" again. You may also be one of those people-- don't let it worry you. 3. Exercise may temporarily stall your weight loss or even make you gain, especially if you are starting or intensifying your program. I have been working out consistently for the past two weeks after about 10 years of nothing. I have GAINED weight even though my eating hasn't changed and I'm burning more calories. That's normal. I know if I keep at it, I will drop that plus some more and have a healthier heart and more stamina to boot. 4. This is hard work, even though the band DOES make it easier if you let it. I get full on small amounts of food-- not "stuffed" full like I was used to, but "ok, I've had enough and my body doesn't need more" full. This is REALLY hard to get used to. Full is never again going to feel like full has felt in the past. But, I can still eat past the point where my band says "eh, you've fed your body as much as it needs" and very very often my brain says "do it, you know you want to, mmmmm it tastes so good, just one more bite!". It is a real struggle sometimes to listen to my band and not my head hunger. I actually have a little mantra when I'm eating and being mindful. I say "if I'm not going to listen to the band when it says stop, then why did I bother with this surgery in the first place?" That tends to turn down the volume of the head hunger. I think people naturally go into this surgery very optimistically. They go to the seminar and the surgeon and the carefully selected successful patients of that surgeon talk about how amazing it is. They come on this board and look at the success story forum, and the "I lost 100 lbs" forum, and the "before and after" picture gallery. They see people's tickers (like mine) who have lost huge amounts in months, not years and they expect only the best , most luckiest results, and ignore the fact that the average expected loss in 60% of excess weight at two years. I understand this because I did it too, and I fully believe that I have been incredibly LUCKY so far and that it's "easy" for me to say this but I do think that bandsters who are really in touch with reality and not overly optimistic are going to be able to emotionally adjust to banded life better. Do not get the band if you expect it to work like bypass. If you want super fast results, and you want malabsorption, then get the bypass. With the "plusses" of the band, including its adjustability and its reversibility, come some costs and one cost is that it requires adjustment which is unpredictable in some ways, and it's associated with a slower rate of loss.

Are you allowed carbonation? If not, stay away from the beer. I miss beer so much, but my doctor says no carbonated beverages and after sneaking a sip and feeling uncomfortabley gassy, I understand why. Why not go but plan to on band friendly stuff if possible? Baked Beans can be pretty darn mushy and though they probably have sugar, they'll be easy on your stomach. Stuff like that.