JoJo1

I am a hairstylist and have been for many years. I love this discussion. I believe the key is to do what makes you comfortable. What ever that is will be the most attractive thing you can possibly do. Have you ever seen someone with wild hair and actually thought it looked cute on them? You know you can't do it but for some reason you think they look cute? It is because they are comfortable in it. I wear a fairly wild cut and color, and people always like it, I can not be comfortable in long hair even though I have tried it a few times. The word conservative does not in any way describe me. I never try to talk people out of their long hair though because I know they are comfortable and that is the most important thing. I think every one is pretty so go for it!! I have found that my taste in clothes has already changed after only 20 lbs. I don't like hardly anything in my closet anymore. I have taken tons of it to the thrift store already so time will tell!!! Have fun with all of your makeovers!!!

I have done that too. If you think about it, if you drink a glass of water, that weighs a half of a pound. If you have to weigh every day, just do it in the morning when you wake up. That is when we weigh the least and we don't have all the stuff we ate and drank in us any more. For me though, that is too much. I am much less obsessed if I put the scale in a cupboard and ignore it for a week.:drool:

I am diabetic so I have to stay away from carbs. I found ways to do this during liquids. I got carb free protein powders, I bought carb free protein drinks, etc. I think it is the key to the hunger issue. If you are overweight, and we all are, you have some degree of insulin resistance. If you eat carbs, it is much worse because your pancreas is struggling anyway and it will spit out more insulin that you need at times. This creates hunger. Try staying away from carbs, you will be much more satisfied.....

I recently bought the Unjury Chicken soup flavor. It just mix it with warm water for my afternoon snack and it is really good. It has 20 grams of protein and no carbs.....

If you pour it over ice and don't use a straw, you can handle one once in a while. Studies show that people who use a lot of Diet Soda weigh more than other people, so the key is moderation, and sipping is a very good idea. I found I could not even drink water with a straw. Who would have thunk it?

Yes and since you are still on liquids it is hard to tell. I have read here and on other forums that it sometimes takes two weeks after a fill to feel full restriction. This is why they don't recommend getting a fill just before going on a trip, in case it ends up being too full and you are far away from home.

I also went to Mexico. It is interesting that you don't feel restriction with 2CC. I am going to get my first fill next Monday. I guess I will talk it over with the doc. My daughter also has a 4cc band, and feels overfilled right now and she is .4cc. She is getting it all taken out today. She has lost 95lbs so I guess it is fine but it is interesting how people vary. I am down 20 lbs and happy with it....:drool:

You will find that Dr.s disagree on this. You should follow what your doc says though, especially if you feel it is right. I don't plan to make a habit of it, and I have not even craved a Diet Coke, which was my main addiction before surgery. My new favorite drink is Diet Green Tea... Yum.....

So it sounds like you are weighing every day!! I can not do that. It is extremely frustruating to me. I pick one day each week and weigh on that day. We have many fluctuations and especially as women. I can go up and down 3 or 4 lbs. from day to day. If I weigh one day a week and write down what I have accomplished, it helps me a lot. :thumbup:

One pound a week is normal after the first few weeks. You will lose slower so be grateful you are still losing and not just staying still. I lost a pound again this week and feel good about it. You are thinking with the former dieting mind. If I can't lose a lot, I must be screwing up, or the diet is not working. This is a life style change and it isn't like the old diets. Hang in there you are doing great!!!

I read here that the 4cc is the older version of the Lapband don't know how true it is. It is the older version. They say that the newer ones are better for long term life. My original question was that I wondered how happy people will be with the new one considering how many fills they seem to need to get the proper restriction. I guess it doesn't matter anyway, since it is what it is. I am happy with the smaller one, no bandster hell, no problems. I will need to wait a few years to compare though.

I asked my doctor specifically about the size before the surgery. He said that he determines the size based on the size of the stomach. Apparently, my daughter and I have the same size stomach because we both have the small 4cc band. The reason I asked him is because another patient of his whom I know, has a 10cc band and has had a quite a bit more trouble achieving restriction. I asked about it because I wanted to know if this is something the patient chose or if it is something else. I felt that he answered honestly. I do have to say that it has crossed my mind, what you said about the money thing. I am skeptical of Doctors and I generally stay away from them, so yes it did cross my mind. In the case of this particular Dr. I do not think it is so. Most of his patients travel to use him, so he isn't going to make additional money on them anyway. Many medical problems are from obesity so tell your Mom she can do nothing but get healthier by losing weight. When it comes down to it, she needs to make the choice. When my daughter said she was going to do it, I was shocked to say the least. I did not know that she was 100lbs overweight. I guess I was just hanging out in denial. Then I could not figure out why someone would want to spend that kind of money. Well two years later, here I am 6 weeks post op and so so glad I did it. She never said a word to me, I just knew one day that I was supposed to do it. I called to inquire about it because I am a type 1 diabetic and I needed to know if I was even a candidate. I found out I was even more of a candidate, and I was approved before I could blink. Best of luck to you and your Mom.

I tried a beer this weekend, but I poured it in a glass and waited for the foam to be completely gone. I was fine, no bloating, no pain, no nothing.

Just a subject that I see coming up a lot and I wondered how others felt. yes my only holds 4cc. I won't need a fill for awhile. My daughter has had the same size band for over a year and has only had one fill, .4cc. She has lost 95lbs. I don't know yet and may not for years if this is a good thing or not. Since they don't do these small bands any more, I am guessing there are good reasons for that. I see lots of comments about bandster hell, so it just make me wonder.

I am a hair stylist and I have been for 40 years. My opinion is that the most effective treatment is Nioxin Shampoo, and Nioxin Scalp Therapy. It takes 30 days of use for the hair to stop falling out and then it is a good idea to use it for the rest of your life. There are no drugs in it so it is safe for continued use. I use it now, I am only 6 wks out but I believe it will prevent this hair loss or at least lessen it. The other aspect that a lot of people forget is that as soon as we see any hairs, coming out, we panic. We start inspecting our brush every day and count the hairs left in the shower. This is never a good idea. There is an old German joke about worry, that says we can worry so much about losing our hair that we cause our hair to fall out. That is a joke, but I have been talking to people about this subject for 40 years now. It is normal to lose 100 hairs a day! This is important because most people are actually only losing this much. They get freaked out and spend hours staring at every square inch of their head in the mirror. I believe this actually makes it worse. When I finally talk them out of doing this, the usually report back to me that they are not losing as much as they initially thought. The surgery thing is a common cause of this as well as having a baby. Both of these are often followed by a period of increased hair fall out in about three or four months. Nioxin is also good for this, so I hope you all just go get some and I hope you stop staring in the mirror too. Best wishes and prayers to all.

I am type 1 and 58 years old. I am six weeks post op and down 20 lbs. I was on half of the amount of the insulin that I was before, imediately after surgery. I have been on solid food now for 2 weeks and still taking only half of the amount of insulin. You will be so glad you did the band. It changed my life and it will yours too.

I know that long term, the people who have the new bands are the most satisfied over time, however when I read these forums, I am seeing a lot of unhappiness with them. I have a small 4cc band and I am very happy. I am only 5 1/2 weeks post op but I wonder about this, any thoughts out there about it?

To me this sounds like a case of pure jealousy... Maybe later you will find out this is true, but I think she regrets her decision to do bypass instead of the band. I know it is none of my business. LOL.... Just think she is not happy......

I have found many things that seem to contradict each other since I started my Journey, even in my doctors literature. I think we need to be careful of course, but we can listen also to the little voice inside and make some decisions for ourselves.

Years ago, I joined Weight watchers for the manyth time, and did this with two co-workers. One of them was very big, the other and myself needed to lose 20 or so. We thought it would be fun to exchange recipes etc. The person who was large complained from the start that she did not lose anything. The other one and I, lost a few pounds and were patting each other on the back. Then one day, I saw the larger girl with a snickers bar, and I teased her about it. She said "Well it is ok because I didn't eat breakfast or lunch. She never did get the point of eating healthier and she, at least when I knew her, did not lose any weight either. I am not holding myself up as an example because I am now banded, however it goes to having other people put their two bits in when you are making an effort. I totally get it.... Good luck!!!!

I can't remember the name if the Doc that is always on Oprah, but he says it is a scam. I just saw this recently. Sorry!!!

Benadryl works wonders for allergic reactions. If you aren't throwing up, give it a try. If it isn't allergy, it won't hurt you.

I am a hair dresser (40 years) and am also banded. Get some Nioxin Shampoo and Scalp Therapy. Both made by Nioxin. You buy them from a hair salon or beauty supply. I am sure you could find them online also. This works by really cleaning your scalp. No drugs involved. It will stop the hair loss in 30 days. I am using it now so I don't think I will lose hair at all. The Nioxin people say, (I haven't had a chance to test this one) that if people use it for 6 weeks before chemo it will prevent the hair loss. Interesting how most people don't even have that much notice before Chemo. Anyway I sell it to many many people who believe in it. It also makes your hair look nice and full. I suggest all of you get some right away. Even if you have already stopped losing hair, it will make your hair grow back faster. The scalp therapy is like an anti-inflamatory. Rub it into your scalp. It also is a nice detangler that won't make your hair flat. Best of luck!!!

I have been hungry the last week. I am 4 1/2 weeks post op. I made an appt. for a fill on Nov 2. That will make me 6 1/2 weeks to first fill. I feel that I need it. I hope it helps with the hunger. I eat almost all protein and some veggies so I don't think the hunger is from poor food choices. Anyway I am controlling food portions, but feel like I can only do it for awhile. Best to all........

Try pouring it over ice and wait until the foam goes down. It makes it much easier to tolerate. It still has fizz but not as much!!!