DizzyLizzy

My doctor gave me the rule of as long as the pill is smaller than the eraser on a pencil it can be swallowed whole. I'm on Apri Tabs and they are very small. You may want to check with your doctor.

scale whore...lol!!! I am a scale whore also weighing myself several times today. I made an agreement today with my hubby that he would hide the scale from me. Only on Thursday evenings (since my appointments are usually on Friday) can I be reunited with my beloved scale! I miss my baby already. I am so pathetic...lol!

The majority of my weight loss to date was before I even thought about getting the band. When I started seeing my surgeon and modified my diet (again) in Sept, I lost about a total of 12lbs over 3 months, which I had cut calories to around 1500-1800 a day and continued with my exercise 2-3 times a week that I was doing before. I lost another 11 on my 2 week liquid diet, and only 9lbs since surgery 12/22, most of which was during the first two weeks after surgery when I could hardly eat! My clothes keep getting more lose, but I am not dropping lbs, so I am hoping that it's that whole I'm building muscle at the same time as losing fat. I did have this problem when I initially started my weight loss journey 3 1/2 years ago...lost a lot of inches but hardly any pounds. So, I mean over all I'm ok, it's just being an accountant I can't help but look at the numbers and trying to make sense of why this all isn't adding up like it typically should...which is making me frustrated and making me want to give up like I did when I stopped losing in 2008. I did kick it up a notch with my workout today and I had my first fill yesterday so hopefully things will start looking up, rather the scale will start moving down.

I was just sitting here thinking about that. I have been tracking my calories pretty well and am getting 900 - 1100 a day. Even if I missed something and round it up to 1200, for my weight and no activity level (even though I excercise 3 times a week) I should have lost at least 6 lbs in the 18 days between my most recent doctor visits. But I only lost 1.7lbs...what gives?!?!?!? Do I have the metabolism of a corpse!?!?

I am also self-pay and had an HH repair when they put in my band, but it looks like they billed my insurance for the HH repair, and the insurance paid it! It would be nice if they billed for the lapband and that's what the insurance paid, lol!

wow, this is too funny! People getting upset over pretty much nothing. Some people identify as male or female, others feel they are somewhere in between or even outside, i.e. "other". Like what's your race: black, white, or other...I usually pick other because I'm black, white, indian, irish, mexican, and who knows what else! It's a poll...in other words answer it how you feel or don't answer at all.

OMG, I was just talking to my hubby about my scale obsession the other day!! I weigh several times a day and will get myself all upset because of a stinking pound or two, even though my clothes are hangin off of me now! Funny how I used to roll my eyes at the skinny folks who whined "Oh, I gained 2 lbs!" and now I'm doing it. It's so pathetic. I'm really trying not to, but I think the only think that will keep me from weighing myself is if some one hides the scale!!! And I have a problem looking in the mirror every day several times a day to see if I can see changes anywhere...guess someone needs to hide the mirror too!

I would definitely bring it up to his boss/supervisor and he should be disciplined or written up. He should have known better, you NEVER discuss your employees' personal matters, especially health issues, with others! When my people call in sick, I have to let others on the team that they serve know that they will not be in, but I can't tell them why. He was wrong, ethically and possibly legally!

mine is a variation of my 2 middle names

I am an accounting supervisor at an apartment management company, mom to an almost 15 yr old & 5 yr old, and wifey to a 6'3" teddy bear. :-)

Dr. Rosen, LifeWeigh Bariatrics Downers Grove, IL / Merrillville, IN $15,500 includes 6 months office visits and fills and some of the pre-op blood work.

I started at Curves in June 2006. That was at my heaviest - 390lbs. I just did what I could, sweated a lot, sometimes got out of breath, but I just did my best, and eventually it got easier for me. I got to the point where Curves was no longer enough, I couldn't lose anymore working with their basic equipment, so I joined another gym that had more of a variety of things to do. I eventually bought a treadmill, weights, and excercise bike for my home and ended up losing a total of 80lbs before getting my band. I began to love excercise...blast some music and get going, and felt so good afterwards. But, then I couldn't lose anymore, got frustrated and started gaining weight, so I got the band. I'm actually miss working out...can't get back into them fully as I'm just 2 weeks post op! So, basically, just something, anything, whatever you can. Just getting up and shaking your tush to a little music is better than nothing at all!

As far as accountability, I just shelled out a good $5,000 for pre-op testing and will be paying off a $15,000 loan over the next several years for the surgery itself. So, that right there will hold me accountable...lol! This WILL work for me!

I've been kind of conflicted as well. I want to tell everyone, but I know how people can be...smile in your face and say "oh that's great" and then talk about you behind your back. I had no problem telling my immediate family, I know they love me no matter what. And even my in-laws, I had no problem with telling. I had to tell my boss because I'm a bad liar and couldn't think of any good reason to give for my time off. And I ended up telling a 4 of my co-workers (didn't really want to) because we were discussing what to do (eat) for our holiday party which took place during my pre-op liquid diet. So, I couldn't give any other good reason as to why I didn't care what they ate and why I wouldn't be eating. And I told two of friends who are really into religion because I knew they would pray for me and be really supportive. And they are just nice people all around. But, other than that, I haven't told anyone. If people ask or if word gets around I will "admit" to having lapband, but I'm not going to shout it from the roof tops, you know. Especially not until I see some super fantastic results, lol! I'm kinda worried at this point not having a fill yet and I haven't lost anything in 2 days since I've started eating again, so I hope this works for me. I'd be pretty darn upset going through all this and paying $15 grand out of pocket for this to not work. And to have people know I did all this "for nothing", I feel like I might as well crawl in a hole and never come back up!

I was banded on 12/22 and have the same problem as well. It's like it tries to come up, but it won't come all the way up. Hurts like heck. Then, today, after I took a bite of food, I hiccupped, but just twice and it stopped. Very bizarre!

Thanks for the info, but what does "PB" stand for? And is it something that just happens or is it like a cough. You know when you get something stuck in your throat, you purposely try to cough it up, is it like that? I notice most times when I have anything other than Water, I'll have pressure between my breastbone and it goes away after about an hour. Even protien drinks will do it. Does that mean it was stuck? I don't have any Fluid in my band, but I thought maybe I was still too swollen for the Soup to just slide through.

Good luck the the rest of the December bandsters this week!!!

I think it all boils down to self esteem and personal experience. Yes, there are some fat people who smell, have trouble wiping their butt, literally eat like pigs, and look like slobs. I, even at my highest of nearly 400lbs, never had any of those problems, because I loved myself and cared about how I presented myself to the world. So, I always put my best foot forward, kept myself clean, made sure all my jiggly parts were covered, used eating utensils to eat. I didn’t go overboard like some do, trying to stuff my fluffly body into outfits meant for little folks just so I can be in fashion or anything like that, but I did the best that I could to look, smell, and behave decent. Some people just don’t care about their appearance. Some people are completely unaware. There are skinny people who do that too, think they are all that and a bag of Cheetos in their bikini just because they can fit a size 2 even though they are jiggly all over. There is a fine line between confidence, unaware, and insanity! And as far as anyone thinking that all fat people are lazy, that is just another common stereotype. I have been fat since I can remember, I was fat in pre-school! And I can’t blame my parents because my brothers and I sat at the same table and ate the same food and they never had a weight problem. The majority of the women in my family have weight problems and I happened to catch that gene. I was active in school, I was in marching band, had a job where I was on my feet all day at 15, so I wasn’t sitting around on my butt. I was happy at size 20 through high school, could run with the best of them without losing my breath. As an adult, I didn’t overeat so much, just didn’t eat the most healthy things. After each child I packed on an extra 50 – 75lbs. When I got to 390lbs, I started working out 4 times a week and watching what I eat. I didn’t want to diet because I didn’t want to do something I couldn’t keep up with and become a yo yo dieter or have an eating disorder. So, I changed my eating habits little by little. The weight came off slow, took me 2 ½ years to lose 80lbs. Then I was stuck…for 6 months I lost and gained the same damn 5lbs. Then I became frustrated and little by little stopped trying so hard and started gaining again. That is why I chose to get the surgery, because I needed help. I had the will to do it, and tried my best, but I couldn’t do it on my own. So, we are not all lazy. I like to work out. I like the “high” I get from it. I want to be able to run. I am so looking forward to being able to get back to my workouts. Each of us is different, we all have our problems and struggles and no one is better than anyone else. And I do feel sorry for those who can’t wrap their heads around others’ struggles, but that is one of their struggles!

I'm a new bandster...what is sliming & PBs? Thanks!

I used Care Credit as well. I had used them before when I had Lasik eye surgery, and they are great to work with. The online application was simple and I got approval right away. I put $15,000 on the card and my min payments are $349 a month for 7 years with 13% interest, but I'm paying more than the minimum each month and will use my annual tax refund and bonus from work to pay it down more quickly and reduce the interest that I will have to pay. Good luck!!!

I'm now banded! I am relaxing in the hotel. Surgery went well, just had some issues with nausea. The area near my port is really the only thing that's sore and that's only when trying to get up or down. Tried to drink some protien shake but my tummy doesn't seem to like it right now so I'm sipping some hot tea. This has been a far better experience than I imagined so future bandsters, don't be scared!

Well we made it up to my mom-in-law's in Chicago & I just got the confirm call from the hospital to be there at 5am tomorrow so it's on like popcorn! (man I would hurt someone for some popcorn right now...lol!) Good luck 12/22s!

Yeah, I forgot to mention that, lol. My hubby is overweight as well, and the other day he asked: "You're not going to get all skinny and start wondering why you're with this fat guy, are you?" I reminded him that his weight has no impact on my love just like my weight didn't matter to him.

For me, can't really say as I haven't been banded yet. I have lost over 70 lbs already, through diet and excercise, but that has been a VERY gradual loss...started in June 2006...so it wasn't a sudden change like it will be (hope to be) after I'm banded so nobody really noticed. However, I think it depends on the person and where they are "in their head" before hand. For instance, if I'm fat forever, it won't be the end of the world for me..my weight does not define who I am or what I do. But others will literally die to be thin because they just are not happy with themselves. I know someone who had lapband, lost a lot of weight and just went off, partying all the time, cheated on her husband, now she looks at fat people like they are disgusting, gross, and lazy...no matter who it is! She's thinking people don't like her now because she is skinny, but in fact, people don't like her now because she's turned into "one of them" you know those skinny people who frown down on the fat people, think she's all that and a bag of chips. Like she forgot her own struggle! It's ok to be confident, but you have to remember how you felt when you knew someone was making fun of you when you were fat. Lose the weight, but don't lose your darn mind!

My doctor pretty much told me that as well, that I'd lose 50 - 60% of my EXCESS weight, not current weight, so they were putting me at about 230 or so as well (I was 340 when I started seeing my surgeon). BUT, I know someone who started at 290 and is down to about 140, so she lost ALL of her excess weight. So, it is possible. I think they base their info on past data, and as with any weight loss program, so do very well, and some don't do well at all, so the numbers they give is average. My personal goal is 180, but if I can get under 200, I'd be super happy! Just to be able to wear and XL shirt and shop in ANY store instead of having to go to Lane Bryant or Catherines, not have to get an extender for the plane, fit in the rides at the amusement park, and excercise without tiring so easily, I'd feel my lapband was a success!