general_antiope

Jachut, good for you! I liked Pilates, too. It feels more "competitive" and masculine type energy to me, where as Yoga is very Fluid and feminine. Quiet, introspective, like it's you, the mat, your body, and the instructor's voice. I really like the meditative aspect of it. We watch ourselves in the mirror as we switch through standing poses like Warrior 1 and 2, and it is amost like dancing, all doing the same poses. It's very pretty - beautiful even. I also like that the emphasis is on the breathing and not doing "The Hundred" til you want to cry. :wink2: She_Smiles - ok what exactly IS Hatha? I've even asked my instructor. I do Flow Yoga (or Vinyasa) which incorporates sun salutes in every pose, like an introduction to the pose you're going for.

LMAO @ JRT haha :wink2: Oh you brave women!! Lipara - awesome. Keep us posted. And I always think it's better to be emotional and hysterical here with friends than in front of professional providers!

What a great man you have there :out: And what a strong woman he has! Dump that self-abuse - what's past is past. You're on the path to reclaiming yourself. Be proud, sistah!!! I know I'm proud of you! (and confused....what' this "sex" thing people keep mentioning :wink2: ) Marisa, LMAO. Your posts crack me up The LB Balconettes are the ones I have to roll up and stuff the girls in. Problem is, my girls are soo hell-bent on kissing my belly button that they pull down on the shoulder straps no matter how tight I make them, and they slip during the day. Ahh one day it'll all be a comical memory. Thanks for the tip about Nordstrom's. I will try them next. I found Wacoal fit my body nicer than Le Mystere, but I will try them again. I was going for pure comfort (my "weekend" bras) and not lift. Who is On Gossamer? My sternum does that too! Do you stand there in the mirror and put your forearms over your boobs and think "I could pass as either 13 years old or a boy"?? Just me?? Oh and why cant you get a buttlift? If my hiney doesn't do something impressive after a TT, I might do implants. Although I'm meeting with 3plastic surgeons in the next 2 weeks and will see what my options are...I might be a candidate for a full body lift. Some of the work I've seen in butts after a BL is just freaking stunning! This sounds weird but....what a pity you don't need a tummy tuck :smile: hehehe!

mylah - hang in there!! They told me it could take up to 6 fills to find the right one. They *warned* me. But I ddn't believe them. :wink2: I was banded in Nov and got the sweet fill in April. It was light a switch had been turned off - the hunger just went AWAY. When I realized day 3 post fill that the weird non hungry feeling I had was the band, I actually cried. The chatter in my head about what I should eat, when was I gonna eat, what did I "feel" like eating, what everyone else would be eating...it was gone. Silent. I cried and cried in sheer happiness. I love my band. I would stay 193 for the rest of my life to never have to live that way again. Fortunately, I don't have to stay 193 :smile:

My friend Lexy (banded yesterday!!! so proud of you girl!!) has heard me say a million times that *there is a mental addiction to food that is largely going unaddressed.* I don't mean compulsive eating, I don't mean emotional eating, I mean a mental obsession. Tell me if any of this sounds familiar: - I think about food from the minute I get up until I go to sleep. - When I eat, I think about what I should have eaten instead. - When I am not eating, my thoughts often stray to what I will eat later. This is EXHAUSTING!!!! Abby I felt just like you before I got the band. Once I got my magic fill, the hunger largely disappeared, and it was just a matter of breaking bad habits. Oh my GOD I wish I could show you how much easier it is to retrain yourself when you're not battling your damn hunger, too!! It's how normal people see food. It's AMAZING! By the time I was filled properly, 6 oreos would make me feel as sick and stuffed as a whole bag. I love oreos :cursing: oh, I'm a major cookie monster (ask lexy) and my weight loss has stalled because of it. But here's the great thing about the band: You can start over with the band whenever you're ready. You just need to be HONEST with yourself. Tonight I ate a cheese calzone :cryin: I should have had a veggie cake. Know what? I enjoyed every bite. I know I delayed a pound of weight loss by another day or two, but I've also lost 8 lbs since May 1. I'm at the point where I know the cycle. Some weeks I'm motivated and not hungry; some weeks I want the comfort of food. Personally, *for me*, the balance of always trying and never giving up with forgiveness and NOT guilting myself when I go off diet is the real beauty of the band. I have a much healthier relationship with food than I ever have. 3.5 years later, my biggest problem with eating is unconscious eating. When i'm dining with someone I talk constantly and forget about food. When I'm home, I watch TV and snack til I realize I've eaten the whole calzone. More than I intended to. It's just something I work on. I don't have to be perfect, but I will never stop trying. Be kind to yourself darling It will come. I promise you, the peace will come. Surrender to it now, and your whole band experience will be that much better. I promise. Just know you're gonna have ups and downs.

Hi ladies! I'm 32 and was banded at NYU when I was 28. I had a wonderful, WONDERFUL band buddy who worked at NYU named Shelley help me through the whole process. There is nothing more valuable than your support network. I am more than happy to help in any way. I've not been a "model" band citizen, but I learned a lot and had success...and would be glad to be a cheerleader for any of you! Email or PM me if you have any questions :cursing: This is totally the best damn thing you will EVER do for yourself :cryin: I never realized that just by losing weight I would rediscover me. I thought I always knew me, but I never even scratched the surface. It really does improve every area of your life.

LMAO - whenever I heard "morbidly obese" i kept thinking people saw me as a very fat, moody, sullen goth girl obsessed with fat and food like goth girls are obsessed with black lipstick. haha. Welcome Fanny!!! I'm so happy to see ya here in two-digits-land :cursing:

Awwe!!! :cursing: Thank you beck....crap I must be PMSing, I got a little misty at the end of your post. You're totally right thought...my mistakes are the greatest strength about me because without them, I wouldn't BE me. And you just made me realize - I really do LOVE who I am. I'm finally here....I've been trapped in fat for decades. GRRL POWER! *high five* Wait wait I might be able to help!!! I was on Prevacid post-band and couldn't always tolerate the pill. I had mental problems with the pill BEFORE the band, so forget about me not psyching myself out and harfing it up. I have been following the blood type diet and according to them, acid reflux/gerd/heartburn is caused by low stomach acid, not too much acid, believe it or not. They recommended I drink 1 mug of hot Water with lemon juice in it, first thing in the morning. This will (again, I say believe it or not) adjust your pH levels in your body and enable your stomach to adequately digest whatever pH balanced food you're eating. Many times you wake up being under-acidy. If you start eating foods that are harder to digest, it's gonna wack out your stomach. Well, truth. I no longer take Prevacid or anything. If I start getting reflux from something I ate, I just drink warm water with lemon and it is instantly gone. TESTIMONIAL: My boss was complaining of the very thing when we were out to lunch. I told him to drink a mug of warm lemon water, he called me a "crazy gypsy" and kept arguing. I finally nagged him into trying it - it worked IMMEDIATELY. He then scarfed down 20 hot wings and said it hadn't come back. /prances out of the thread :cryin:

Laur, if you find a style that you really like, would you post it? I am always on the lookout for something more comfortable than the constant digging into my flesh of elastic and underwire....but it needs to give me lift - industrial would totally work for me!!

Call the doc AND the insurance...I've seen people here who said they were approved and nobody told them! Or, if you don't get anywhere, you can start getting a little creative to be memorable. Start leaving daily messages. Let them get progressively weirder until they call you back. Like: Day sixteen, and I still haven't heard if I can get a surgery date. Hope everything's cool over there. Lemme know! Day eighteen: Ate everything in the house, afraid to go out to the supermarket in case they call. Started chewing on the cabinets I'm so hungry. Only the band would help me control these cravings!! Day Twenty: Now I have no cabinets, and the cat's missing.

You just reminded me of this well meaning girl at bloomingdales who tried to help me find a new bra, Laur...Now keep in mind that in my youth I was a salesgirl for maternity clothes (and one of my most favorite jobs ever...I LOVED helping pregnant women look and feel pretty, especially when they didn't feel pretty). I was certified to fit bras for women, I know how the whole thing works. This lingerie salesgirl measured me up, announced I was something like a 42 DDD. I was like...actually, no I'm not. She said "But I measured you." and I said "I lost a lot of weight, I wear a 38DD to keep it all in." she said "Trust me" and I said okay then. She comes back with 7 or 8 bras. I put on one or two and I made her come in. The bra was comical. Through some feat of physics, although the inches claimed I was that size. the bra hung on me. And my bewbs? Hung down past the bottom of the bra. I swear this things are trying their hardest to merge with my belly button. They looked like they were gasping for air. Her face was priceless. "Oh...I guess...we'll try a 38DD." In the end, I bought a 40D. I don't wear that bra anymore, it felt really comfortable but it didn't lift my heavy flour sacs enough, so I am back to my 38DD balconettes from Lane Bryant. I will sacrifice a little pride (back rolls) for the lift in front. I just look way too matronly for 32 wearing bras that "fit."

Aph...my bewbs and my belly get in my way. I feel your pain...I just do it anyway. My child's pose is comical, my giant bewbs slowly cut my air flow off, and my head...omg ... doesn't even touch the mat!!!!!! LMAO!!!! Ah well. It's actually been a good "gateway" experience in accepting my body. Sure, I plan to get plastic surgery, sure, I'm still 38 lbs heavy, but I figure it's better for me to do this self acceptance in Yoga than trying to do it on a first date. Baby steps :cursing: Never heard of Kriya...but yeah that Yoga breathing works those lungs. Maybe they should teach that post op instead of that comical little breathing contraption! lol

It might be that you're biting off too much. You should be eating pea sized bites of your food and chewing VERY thoroughly to make it mushy and moist. It will slowly, evenly, filter through your band. If you swallow bigger pieces, they will go down hard (or get stuck). If they pass, they might be stretching your band. I know that if I eat longer than 30 minutes, I hit that "unrestricted" space you're talking about, where suddenly I can eat more. :cursing:

Call your doctor - you're driving yourself nuts :cryin: Also, if you're reading the boards, you'll see that a lack of restriction right after surgery is normal. They typically do not start doing any fills til 6 weeks out (you're 5.5) and even then it's incremental. My doc told me it could take up to 6 months to get the magic fill. Please - take a deep breath, call your doctor, and don't stress :cursing: Stress and worry cause more damage to your organs than running a 5K Let us know what happens...good luck!

Good Luck Kat!!!!!!!!

Oops hit send too soon - meant to say it happens lots to my mom, so if you're not using your Death Rays on anyone, hopefully the flashes'll clear up soon as you heal!

Steph, I am LOVING your writing and your pics. It's nice to see another Pennsylvanian! I'm meeting with 3 docs in the next 2 weeks and have a feeling one of them will be my choice. One's in the Philly area (where I am), the other 2 in Jersey. Yeah, JERSEY. pff. LOL kidding :wink2: (love u ocean cittyyyy) How are the hot flashes? Have you started shooting lasers out of your eyes? My mom's menopausal, and that happens. Lots. hee!

Hmmm that's the first I've heard of that. Can you elaborate?

Willsmommy/RTA - LOL at all of it. I was also horrified when I first read Willsmommy's post op diet. My first reaction was "Oh my FREAKING GOD WHAT IS THIS POOR WOMAN DOING AAAHHHH NOOOO ITS BADDDDD" Then I stopped and realized i could not last five days without solid food post op. My first meal? A meatshake. You heard right! LOL Yep. You did it at day three? I did it at day five! Mashed potatoes, cooked ground beef with onions, in a blender, milk. It was the best crap I ever TASTED. LOL. I ate about two tablespoons and relaxed. I ended up eating 1/4 cup and felt really good. My body wanted it. What else can I tell ya? but it sounds like your body didn't want it at all. I think that's the bigger issue...but it's just a habit. If we didn't have the habit of eating when we're not hungry, we wouldn't need the band! I still lost 103 lbs. And I lost it by eating crappy food. I'm not encouraging it, I'm just throwin' it out there. I lost some hair, I was malnourished, I hated Protein shakes. It took me longer than most people to learn to love healthy food, and listen to my body, and honor it. I haven't gained anything back. I would not ever do that to myself again. I feel lucky I scraped by without damaging myself - although I've now got 2 cavities where I never had any - but it was my lesson to learn in my own time, in my own way. Same with willsmommy. Incidentally, it also took me 4 months to get the sweet fill. I was depressed as shizz til then. Oh yeah. I thought I was that ONE person in all of creation for whom the band wouldn't work, I was hungry constantly, at the mercy of mental food obsession *STILL*...and I wasted my time, altered my body, spent all this money and could still jam down an entire Wendy's meal. I lost maybe 11 lbs in 4 months? Demoralizing. But then...Yeah. It finally happened for me. Willsmommy, it'll happen for you, too. I think your doctor's regimen is just kind of unusual for the majority of bariatric doctors we have. And truthfully it was a little startling to hear it. Sorry for my (unvoiced) reaction. Honestly, RTA's comment made me LOL. After you're out of the trenches and have some distance, I suspect you'll laugh about it, too. It's just really not funny when it's happening to you :wink2: My advice is the same as everyone else's. Call your doctor, and have a complete do-over and follow something like this. 1. Listen to your body always at all times. 2. If you're not sure what it's saying - listen to your doctor. 3. If both are still confusing you, eat the healthiest, freshest, organic, low fat thing you can until you're full. I guarantee the amount of food you can handle will NEVER be constant. it changes all the time. The biggest thing I learned from Lap Band was how to slow down and listen. Good luck!

I wish I had something great to tell you. I unfortunately don't suffer with Diabetes. But Type II I heard can be brought under control with diet and weight loss. The "sweeteners" they put in the Slim Fast/Carnations...I wonder if that's the problem? Mention this to your doctor. Maybe he can recommend you swap out the Carnation with a Protein shake with better ingredients. I am a HUGE fan of Soy protein. Sometimes the whey protein can wreak a little havoc on people's insides. For me, the Soy's incredibly delicious, moreso (and I love the chocolate flavor better) and is packed with protein. Protein makes you feel satisfied. If your doctor is clueless (which i doubt) it might be worth going to ask a holistic nutritionist if there is food you can swap out to help control your blood sugar. I am not an expert on diabetes, but if these readings are new and high, there has to be SOMEthing in what you're eating that's really upsetting your pancreas.

The monthly visits are very important, whether you're losing weight or not. The doctor wants to monitor your progress. Too much weight being lost, they're going to unfill you a little bit. I know that might horrify some of you, but I lost a lot of hair during my 100 lbs fiasco that scared the bejesus out of me because I ate terribly, nothing nutritious, mashed potatoes loaded with butter and southwest eggrolls...but I kept losing because my restriction was so tight. Fortunately I have a lot of hair and it wasn't noticeable except when I wore black suit jackets...but I put a stop to that by going vegetarian and following the blood type diet, which is the last regimen I will ever need! If you are not losing fast enough, they'll bump you up a little. I could swear the thinking at my doc's office was: 1. Fill - liquids 2 days (lose weight) 2. Mushy foods 2 days (lose more weight) 3. Solid/regular...which makes you maintain for another 3 - 4 weeks til next follow up. Like clock work, 4 - 8 lbs a month. I always lost the most during fill time and then it was just my body dealing with the lost fat. Then my body would be like "OK...lord...we can survive with those 8 lbs, I just made the adjustments, we should be able to hang on to calories again!" and then I thwart it with another fill :wink2:

I'm always burping no matter what I do, rolling over in the middle of the night, after drinking anything, no matter how small the sip, and forGET about trying to kiss men :wink2: I just avoid dating until I'm done losing weight and can ease up on the restriction. I've flown and don't have that kind of response, though. And definitely not while driving. I'm certain it's due to space left in your band, air in your band, barometric pressure, the thin air? Mountains I could understand, but hills seems a little weird. Maybe the trip just coincided with a "tight time" during your fill. Sometimes my band is just uber tight. It happens based on my moods, too...sometimes during PMS and other times for no reason I can figure out. Hormonal/enzyme related probably. You might want to mention it to your doc.

I can't tolerate breakfast, or else I eat sooo much by the end of the day. Once I could pound all 10 Hooters Hot Wings (breaded of course) I realized breakfast had to go. :wink2: today I woke up hungry, which happens occasionally and I'll eat...I notice when I eat white flour I get hungrier. 10am - 6 mini spinach/soy snacks in wheat crust 2pm (now) - 1/2 package of palak paneer (spinach and paneer cheese mmmm) tonight...hmm...prolly hooters wings if I keep freaking thinking about it.

You are in AWESOME hands at NYU!! I did tons of research back when I was looking into the band and settled on Dr. Ren there, and frankly I would have loved Dr. Fielding, too! The people there really *give a crap.* They're in this to change people's lives. I can't say enough about that team. I don't know Dr. Kurian but if she is working with Ren and Fielding, oh my god. best training ever :wink2: Keep us posted on your progress. I love meeting other NYU bandees!!!

Honey - The best way to get back on track is to help yourself! We can't do it for ya, sweetie. First thing I would do if I were you would be to scour the boards, first of all, and understand the lap band back and forth. if you don't want to/don't have time, then call your doctor and become a pain in the ass until you are properly educated. If he will not fill you, find another fill doctor. Or keep calling back. This is not only your right, it's your duty. You didn't get the lap band only to go sit in a corner alone and NOT lose weight, did you? This is your life - be active in it, not passive!