LuuLuu

You know, I often ponder joining a group and - get this - I still feel like I'd be a "cheater". I won't even join in the company weight loss contest because I feel like I have an advantage. I am judging myself before anyone even gets a chance to...I don't get it.

I like to eat and I hate to move. I also eat with every emotion except nervousness - but eventually nervousness gives way to relief and then I make up for lost time. I do not have a physical condition and I am responsible for everything that has gone into my mouth.

Big difference. And I would be concerned with a Doctor that has that rigid of standards on 1 or 2 cc's only...it should be individualized to each patient's body and needs. Definitely ask about smaller or more incremental fills.

I had to do it and I loved it. I embraced it and actually didn't have my mind fully made up about the surgery until after I was approved. I lost so much weight during the 6mo that I disqualified myself - let's hear it for sleep apnea that saved the day and got me approved after all! Use the 6 months to read, talk, research, and PRACTICE. If you have drank pop all your life - now is the time to wean yourself off. Practice the 15-30 chews per bite. Practice the no drinking before, during, or after your meals. Pick one thing each week to make a habit before your surgery and you will have a MUCH easier time and greater success. Good luck!

I chose the band to have a physical consequence to my eating as hypothetical health threats are not motivation for me. I chose the band over the others because it is removable and I did not want to be cut. In fact, I signed a paper that if he wasn't able to do the band laproscopically - he was to wheel me right back out of the operating room and abort the entire mission. I've not lost as much as I should - but that is my fault. I am lazy and I like Cookies. The band did and continues to do it's part.

My surgeon forbids: carbonated beverages, popcorn, and chewing gum. I've not had any of these in 3 years. Things my BAND has forbidden thru trial and error, LOL: corn, bread, sauerkraut, lettuce. But damned if I don't have a bite of sauerkraut every New Years Day and yep, I rent it because it comes right back up.

OMG - I had Last Supper Syndrome from the moment I got approved to the moment I started my liquid diet. McGriddles EVERY DAY for Breakfast - buffets - and the grand finale was all-you-can-eat crab leg night. I had a DEBRIS FIELD around my chair! The thing is - I can still eat most of what I could before....just less. It is a mental thing but I had fun, lol.

I would say lose your weight before you start worrying about the cosmetics of it. Lose it right - slowly and with exercise and you might not have bad hanging skin. But if I had the money and the guts - I would get the bat-wings under my arms done...and maybe my back-furters. LOL

Oh - and you might want to invest in some Papaya Enzyme. It is a chewable supplement (Walmart vitamin aisle) and it helps break down food quickly. It has saved me many times from "renting" my food.

Yep - there will be more lessons but you are doing great. The only suggestion I would have is not to lay down...keep upright, walk, and let gravity help you pass the food.

How exciting!! Good luck.

Congrats! I can't feel the band but I can feel my port. Still - after 3 years. When I carry a clothes basket up against me sometimes I have to re-position, etc. And I know this sounds insane but I SWEAR it aches when it rains!! HONEST, lol

I am definitely colder in my new size. On a side note - I love your profile pic Dan! LOL LOL

Alex is really good about resolving this sort of thing...give him a day or two...he'll respond.

My surgeon loves when I print out my food journals for my appts...this app is really nice.

I've never had a slip, thank God. But I've been stuck. A big stuck for me is pain - like heart burn. A lot of it. Then nausea for a split second - then UP IT COMES! A little stuck for me is repeated swallowing with a sludgy throat, discomfort, and then an eventual "clunking of the pipes" as the food goes thru. Either way your instinct might be to drink...I cannot stress enough NOT to do that. It does not "wash thru" but instead sits there and makes things worse. What works for me is papaya enzyme, jumping up and down, walking, or bending wayyyyy over (or all in succession!) You'll know when it happens.

Ditto on the Doctor thing - but to answer your second question - YES, I still feel like I am figuring it out years later. No two days seem the same!

I have read a couple things about them being band-friendly. There is even a thread on here that talks about one person's success with them....maybe you could contact that member. Hopefully - I've linked it correctly: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/132041-chia-seeds/

I have two specific things I really like: The use of the word "fat". No where else in my life can I use the word "fat" without the patronizing answers of: you're not fat, you're big boned, you have a pretty face, etc. No where else can I ask someone "well, back when you were fat..." and have them not be offended. I've heard terms like Fatty Chat and Fatty Stats and I love that it is used by people that have earned the right to use it. It makes me feel part of an exclusive club. I also really like that Alex is accessible. He answers questions, takes care of problems, listens to suggestions, etc. He is on people's friend lists. I like that too.

I know we all like the support, ideas, exchanges, etc. But what, specifically, keeps bringing you back here?

I just had my first "too-tight" fill. I gave it 8 days and when it was still taking me 4 hours to drink a cup of liquid - I went in and had it unfilled. Of course, I lost 8lbs in 8 days - so I can see how some people get the idea that there is no such thing as too tight. BUT THERE IS. It won't do you any good in the long run so visit your surgeon and have some taken out. Aside from possible complications of a too-tight band...no one should have to live like that! LOL

I went thru my Last-Supper-Syndrome in the time between approval and liquid diet. OMG - I ate everything in sight...did a ton of all-you-can-eat buffets, etc. But once I hit liquid pre-op - I didn't cheat once. I was terrified of not being properly prepared for surgery. I was a hag for those two weeks - and no one was allowed to eat in front of me. And post-op when I got a small glass of grape juice in the hospital I nearly cried with joy. But surgery is a scary thing for me....I'd never been cut before this. I wasn't about to mess with it. Stay strong - it will be worth it.

I am almost 3 years post surgery and there are STILL times I forget and take a big drink, a big bite, etc. The drinks I usually don't remember in time and end up bending over so it just pours back out of me...not even a vomit - just literally like you dump out a glass of water - out it comes. But maybe 1-2 a year I forget and take a big honking bite of something...the first time I swallowed and paid DEARLY with my first stuck episode. A few times I've remembered and spit out my food going "what was I thinking?!" I guess it makes sense...40 years of eating one, I am bound to inadvertently forget. Does anyone else??

I used a lot of the Lipton cup-o-soups - Cream of chicken, Tomato were my favs. Took me forever to get them in...kept having to warm them up. Good luck!

For me, restriction feels like not being able to guzzle or shovel. And it is different every day. Some days I am tight, other days I am not and there does not seem to be a rhyme or reason to it. Some foods that work one day, don't work the next. The only thing that is consistent is that morning is tight. Every morning, without fail. I drink my Breakfast or have to reheat a scrambled egg during the HOUR it takes for me to eat it, LOL. You'll know. Just take small bites because it could change and you don't want to find out after you've already eaten too much.