GoingforGoal

LOL No worries, I'm not concerned by the easily offended. You don't know until you ride

Nonononoon you have to get your license.. Hubs took me riding and in less than 6 months I was like "no more riding on the back nonsense" He was sweet, took the motorcycle training class with me even though he's been riding for over 10 years Besides, nothing beats riding a big bike and have the guys go gaga <snicker>

Yep 9.5/10 to a 9

Jade, There is no easy solution. It's a misperception to believe wls does the job for you. No matter what surgery you get, you will have to abide by the rules 100% to reap the benefits. Revisions are great when you are suffering true complications and one surgery is not working out for you. But I know my doc wouldn't qualify someone who just doesn't want to put the work in. They'll predict it'll be the same scenario under another procedure which requires just as much diligence and compliance. Getting wls and getting results takes dedication and work. The difference between pre and post op is that these procedures can help you with things like hunger management, portion control which in the long run will be critical for maintenance. Also, counting calories and understanding how much you are putting into your body allows you to get an understanding of what it means to be on target or to overindulge. It took me years of counting to finally get to a place that I can estimate with accuracy and no longer count. But the reality is, if I consume more than my allotment, I will stall or gain. Weight loss has a very simple formula that cannot by bypassed- weight loss= calories consumed - calories burned. You either workout or you limit intake. No wls changes that.

Good luck

The fact that I own and ride a Harley Fat Boy should answer that question

Anyone going to be at the Atlantis/Bahamas? Just makes me wanna start up a lapband annual vacation, how awesome would that be?

Big thanks for asking. My Cosmetic Surgeon was Dr. Wolfe of The Center for Cosm. Surgery in Denver, CO http://www.thecenterforcosmeticsurgery.net/cosmetic-surgeon-wolfe.cfm He is an artist at his job, skilled and patient. He has great bedside manner and his staff provide excellent support- hands down.

I do love you Carolina

Hey Steph, I'm going to be zero help here. I live in Canada right now. The store I went to was a full time swim and lingerie store. I think to support people doing things like Water aerobics when it's -30 here hahahah. I thought I was going to have to wait to pick one up when I got to FL but found this store instead. Good luck and where are you going?

For pix, see my profile

Unfortunately, in the beginning, fill restriction doesn't last very long. Usually after 1-2 weeks you feel less restriction than you felt initially because inflammation subsided. You just need to continue getting fills until you reach green, but this can take 4+ months on average. Take advantage of those early periods after a fill. When your hunger returns, focus on Protein to curb your appetite. Be cognizant of how many calories you are taking in. If you feel it helps w/ hunger to eat Snacks during this phase, do so, but track calories, dont' add to what you are already consuming. Hang in there hun, you'll get there

Hi gowalking, I know the feeling well. I underwent cosm. surgery and I have abdominal, breast and arm scars I have to face daily. Yesterday I posted about buying a bikini. And I needed help from the associate. All I could think about was how terrible my arm scars must appear. Than that evolved into what I'm going to do cover them if they are still this apparent when I go on vaca in Dec. And as for face/neck wrinkles and such... I know I'm only 36 but the wrinkles are coming in. AND when I rode my motorcycle this summer, my neck skin flapped in the air (first time ever). OMG!!!!! That's disgusting. Now I have all these face/neck moisturizers and tighteners which are helping actulally. It's just that it's a hard pill to swallow. It's not just age, it's losing so much weight and the skin is lax everywhere. You know just as well as the rest of us, that post surgery is stressful and is no time to harp on the scale or any other number for that fact. Take it easy, practice moderation and get yourself through the next surgery. Focus on recovery than all the aesthetics can be dealt with later. You look marvelous. And if it makes you feel better, just think of me on a beach (white as can be) in my first bikini walking like my arms are fused to my body. That has to help >< a little ahhaha

ButterTHEBean has just met his match. This is the evil that lurks when you merge sites....2 like-minded people in one forum..it's just too much... Hence we are partners in crime. Muahahhahaha And Butter, even partners have to earn this pics (evil grin)

I know of many bandsters who became pregnant with the band and carried to term. I don't think there's any correlation, and certainly no data reflecting % of bandsters pregnancies resulted in m/c. I'm sorry for you loss. Due to your history did you use progesterone? If not, talk to doc next time you conceive- every little bit helps. Again, so sorry hon

Here Here! I too am excited to meet new people, hear their stores, share my own. I figure we all made the right decision, the best decision for ourselves and that's all that matters. I hope that as butter mentioned we can see ourselves as a community of wls patients, regardless of which procedure we undertook. We all need the support and encouragement, the education and discussions and most times you can find me in the chat room yucking it up about anything but wl or wls Cheers to our new friends

I actually did it, and it's my first! And not only did I try bikinis on, but I stepped out of the dressing room to see what the hubs thought at that. Just crazy I tell ya. Since I just recently had cosmetic surgery I hesitated between a bikini and full body. My biggest insecurity are the arm scars. But I figured you could see those no matter which one I wore so I'm taking a gamble Anyway, I got a whole education on how to fit a bikini today (thank you sales associates!) and feel confident that I and the girls will be looking our best on our upcoming trip to Florida and the Bahamas. (Now someone play the steel drums, I'll pour the rum&punch)

Hey Sarah, Short answer, yes For some people, they start with lots of restriction and as inflammation subsides the band gets loser. Than approximately 2-4 weeks later they go in for their next fill. However, another group of people will start with a tad of added restriction but as time passes it will get tighter. I fall into that category. If in the future this continues to happen, be sure to not be too aggressive with your fills and give yourself time to reach your full restriction before adding more. Some docs allow fills every 2 weeks and for some of us that would be too early before determining if our last fill was good enough. If you want to make it a positive thing, think of it as a 2 for 1 fill (snicker)

Ahhh geeze. Everything you described sounds avoidable. What a terrible start to your journey. I'm just sitting here shaking my head. Like mentioned, both band sizes are usually at the bedside and the doctor makes a final determination during surgery based on your specific anatomy. Additionally, priming occurs prior to putting the band on and the fluid is removed. They may do a 2nd priming after installation to verify that the apparatus has not suffered any damage. Some docs leave (usually up to 3cc, no more) as an initial fill, while others take out all the fluids as a conservative measure to allow everything to heal and for inflammation to subside. Never, have I heard of anyone getting more than 3cc at the time of surgery. WTH!?!?! I'm very curious, did he sound apologetic? did he claim that's never happened before? Please keep records of your conversations and a timeline of events/studies/results etc in case this does become a financial war with insurance vs doctor liabilities. On a positive note, I'm so happy to hear all is better and you can finally start your recovery (take 2). Take it easy, I'm sure you stoma is not a happy camper. Keep us updated

You know, I just took a flight home and observed something 'nice?' for the first time. I was 3 rows behind a guy who was probably in the 275-300 # range sitting in an aisle seat. He was definitely snug but not too bad. The stewardess (without asking) walked the aisle during safety checks and when she approached him she lifted his arm lift to give him more room. I was thinking to myself, that is the first time I've ever seen anyone do anything. I didn't even know the outside arm rest could go up because in my experience it never could. (There's a back lever if you wanted to know ahhaha). Anyway, but than I couldn't help think about all the times my hub and I would travel and all the embarrassing encounters we faced like: asking for seatbelt extenders, being refused on an amusement ride AFTER waiting over an hour in line and in front of a huge crowd etc. I couldn't help but wonder if he was relieved or embarrassed because we typically want to avoid anyone addressing or noticing that we are overweight. Hmmmmmm

Hey Gang, It's been interesting navigating the new site. One feature I am missing is the PM box that let's you know when your friends are on and the ability to PM with them. I have no clue if my friends are online or not. But if you are, just want to say hi and I miss you. Now email me and let me know you are alive

Cool. Glad all went well

Hi Debbie, Well, my answer, don't. I have adopted the moderation approach. I find the more I resist things, the more I crave it. And if I let it go too long, I overindulge in it. So instead, I give myself permission to indulge on occasion. I do not eat sweets daily, but maybe twice a week I'll treat myself to something. I also find that when I allow myself to do this that I only eat small amounts to curtail my cravings and I don't crave them as badly as I did before. Besides, chocolate is SO much better when you hold out for it and limit yourself to a small piece a week. You'll simply appreciate every bite

*incoherent

See that's where you and I differ my friend. I don't which to be an elitest. I merely want to be a mentor. Someone who can share information, provide support and help in any way I can. I also don't want to be the person who degrades people in hope's to thwart their participation, to undermine their contributions and lesser their value. None of my posts are longwinded nor coherent. When I take the time to write lengthier posts it's because I'm choosing to explain things so that someone can comprehend concepts. That usually requires talking about anatomy or how the body processes foods and how deficiencies can cause long term complications, or perhaps its to share numerous examples so that someone can identify with the topic at hand. Unlike you, I don't need to cut/paste all the wonderful emails I have received thanking me for taking the time to explains things, for sharing information, for being a valuable contributor. Because unlike you, it's not about praise and it's not about being an elitest. It's about being apart of a community I feel at home with where I can give and learn from. So too bad your effort to make me feel like crap and dig myself a hole hasn't worked. Because I remind myself who is doing the talking and it's just a good laugh. Now, we are starting a new site at bariatricpal. I am far more interested in engaging others who can actually use our support. I am done w/ the likes of you. It's been FUN Peace