crecia1975

Hi,

My name is Carrie. I've been lurking for awhile. I was banded two weeks ago today. Going well. Just wanted to say hi. I have found a lot of useful info on this site and its helped a lot these first few weeks. thanks.

Congrats! Hope all is going well.

Yea, I wanted to tell her to read my information that I got from the surgeons office. This isn't just some fad diet, this is for the rest of my life. Nothing about this surgery even SOUNDS like the easy way out! She is ridiculous!

If it was so easy, you would never hear stories about people who gain some weight back. You would also never see any overweight people becasue everyone would just get the band and be skinny!

Well, I finally told the 4 ladies in my office that I was planning on doing the surgery since only one of us can take off at a time and I work so closely with them, I knew they would notice..

3 of the ladies were very supportive and the other one said her mother in law had it and she was very disheartened because she feels she took the easy way out. I knew I would have some negative responses, but the easy way out? Really??

Obviously she is very uneducated about it and what really shocked me is that she said "I think my mother in law could have done it the right way and worked out and ate less and blah blah"..What is so shocking is that this girl is my age and is overweight as well. Obviously she isn't doing it the "right way" either since she isn't losing any weight. Ugh. The lack of education around here is overwhelming sometimes.

Oh well, we'll see who gets skinnier faster!!

That sounds like a combination of jealousy and ignorance. A lot of people think you just get the band and then you just get skinny without any effort. Whatever......

You guys are absolutely right! I just needed someone else to tell me to suck it up! (in not so many words!)

I am my worst critic, even though I try not to be, and of course my family would rather me be here than thinner, my initial reaction was just "great, what next!" but I will definitely take things one day at a time and know that each day I am a step closer to my "b-day" Thanks so much for the support!!

And you know what? Your B-day will get here faster than you could ever imagine. I had to jump through the insurance hoops and I thought it would never end, but I just knew I had to do it or I would kill myself w/ all of this extra weight. You''ll be so happy once it's all said and done. A few months is nothing compared to being happy and healthy for the rest of your life.

Good luck to you!!

Im sorry to hear that you are having one of those days! It certainly does happen to all of us at some point unfortunately.With total empathy to your all too familiar dillemma I would suggest that you take something positive out of this minor speedbump in the road to your "B-day" with appreciation that you have good doctors with your best interest at heart that want to make sure you are fit for this surgery before you get the band. The risks of any sugery never seem worth the benefit if something does in fact go wrong while you're on the operating table. A weak heart is nothing to turn a blind eye to when you have a young family that I'm sure would rather have you here with them rather than just thinner. Also find some joy in that you have insurance thats willing to pay for your surgery- otherwise you wouldnt be going through so many hoops to be cleared for the surgery,as so many people wish they could be in the process of getting cleared for surgery but can't because they can't afford it. So that in itself a blessing. Try to stay positive and begin developing the mindset that you will need to have to be successful with the band, it will take a great deal of patience to see the specific results you're after even when that anticipated day comes and you are banded. Stay realistic about this whole experience- pre & post banding, so that you won't find yourself discouraged more often than not. Keep your hubby in the loop with how you feel so that he can be the support system that you need and be understanding during those times frustration gets the best of you. Before you know it you will be banded and well on your way! Stay motivated, inspired and excercise patience. Best of luck to you!

I couldn't have said it any better than this. Well said.

I was home for about a week and a half after surgery and I just didn't wear a bra. I went back to my underwire bras after that and it was just fine.

I agree with Jim....be very direct. Just let the doctor know what you want and why. Don't back down and let them know this is your health and your body.

My primary doctor looks down on weight loss surgery and didn't want me to have it. She didn't want to write a letter right away, but wanted me to check out a Medifast clinic first. I told her "No. I want the surgery". She still made me wait and I still called her office saying I wanted my letter for the insurance company. Then she made me write out a letter stating all of my weight loss attempts. I wanted to tell her "can't you look at my charts from the past 7 or 8 years and see how big I have gotten? Hell, you don't even have to look at the chart you can see it when I walk in". I think she thought I would give up, but I typed everything up and emailed it to my husbnad so he could take the letter to her that very same day. Needless to say, I got my letter and surgery almost a year ago. I'm not at my goal yet, but this was the best decision I ever made.

I love the Just Dance 2 and the Michael Jackson Experience. They work up a great sweat. I also have the Zumba game and it's fun as well. You can really get a great workout if you are like me....very competitive. I try hard to beat my kids or my best scores. They are great for the days you can't get to the gym or if you get tired of the same old treadmill and eliptical routine. I use these on the days I'm trying to talk myself out of going to the gym. I think they are much better than sitting on the couch and doing nothing.

So I got off to a rollicking good start with my lap band journey and I am thrilled with my weight loss so far - 60lb in four months. But now the expected and dreaded plateau has arrived and I need advice from those who have been before for me. What do I need to change to break my plateau? Do I need to vary my calories? Up? Down? I am currently averaging 1200/day. Should I change my exercise routine? More? Less? Different? I exercise at least 30 minutes per day, five or six days a week, a mixture of exercise bike, actual outdoor cycling, vigorous rock and roll dancing, and a bit of walking (but not too much because that is the one thing guaranteed to make my knees ache!)

I look forward to learning what has worked for others.

Thanks in anticipation.

I am in the same boat and would like to hear the answers to this. It's like you were reading my mind and typed this up before I had a chance to.

Maybe writing this down will make it stop burning in my memory. I stopped to buy dinner for my family at a pizza place near our house and after I paid for it and started to leave the counter guy started making snorting noises like a pig!! Instead of decking the guy and demanding my money back, I drove home in tears and then called to complain. To add insult to injury, first the manager claimed that something like that would never happen in his restaurant and then he said that he knew the guy I was talking about and he was a really nice guy (and his definition of a d8888bag would be what?), so I just told that neither I nor anyone from my extended family (about 50) would ever eat there again and happy loss of customers.

Not sure if I feel better, but will see.

Robbie

OMG!!!! That has got to be the worst thing I have ever heard. That cashier would have gotten an earful from me immediately!!! I would have gotten my money back and asked to speak to the manager right then.

That is ridiculous!!

I love to get some Pasta sauce and put it on melba toast sprinkle with little cheese and few mini peperoni slices and toast!!! ITS SOO GOOD!!

That sounds good and easy. I will have to try that since school is back in and I need all the fast recipes I can get.

I can't have chicken that is too dry. It gets stuck. If I cook breasts, I really like to use my crockpot. Just add broth or salsa and it keeps it moist. I don't have an issue w/ drumsticks or thighs since they are naturally more moist.

congrats to you!

Congrats on your weight loss without a fill. What is P90X? I've seen that number but am not familiar with the term/phrase. Thanks.

P90X is a workout program that will kick your butt. I have never done it, but I see all of the infomercials. I thought about buying it, but I'm so afraid I wouldn't be able to get through 1 min of it.

You need to follow the directions you got from your surgeon. Everyone here has a different pre and post op diet, depending on the doctor they chose. You also need to talk to your doctor about exercising. Everyone here will have an opinion and you will drive yourself crazy trying to figure out which answer is right. It's best to just focus on the diet and exercise plan you were provided. If you're not sure about something, call the doctor's office.

Ummm...your doctor is a jerk!! Everyone loses at a different rate and it sounds like you are doing fine. My doctor, or his staff, have NEVER EVER made me feel like I was going to cry. They always make me feel good when I think I'm not doing well and they would never try to make me feel bad. I had an appointment where I lost 1 lb from the previous month and I was so sad. They cheered me up and said "you have done so well every month so don't worry about this. Let's see what happens next month." That motivated me even more and I lost 5.4 lbs by the next appointment.

You need to let your doctor know how you feel and find a new one if he continues to compare you to other patients. He needs to remember that this is not a race. It didn't take you a few months to put the weight on so it will take some time to get it off. And if all else fails just tell him to kiss your grits!!!!!!

For some reason today, I just can't get full. I have been avoiding eating bread for the most part due to carbs and the fact that I thought it would be hard to get down. Well, today got the best of me and I had to have something from Subway.

I got a 6 inch flatbread roasted chicken and only ate 1/2 of it about 11 AM. I am getting hungry now and really want the other half now. I am still way below my calorie intake for today.

I feel so guilty for eating this! I don't think I should be hungry this soon after lunch. Maybe I need a fill!

What is wrong with what you ate? I don't eat a lot of bread, but sometimes I really want a sandwich....and you know what I do. I buy/make one and eat it! I just make sure I log the nutritional info for it. I can't eat a foot long sub like I could back in the day, but I sure will eat a 6 inch.

Just because you have the band does not mean you won't have a day where you are just super hungry. I have days like that sometimes. I even talked to my dr.'s office about it. They told me it's normal and to just eat if I am really hungry...not head hungry. I mean stomach about to eat itself hungry! I just have to make sure I go for a healthy snack, but I will have the snack and not feel bad at all.

I have been pretty open about my surgery, everyone at my work knows about it. For the most part everyone is very supportive. Possibly a little jelousy, but not to bad yet.

Anyway, I have been pretty tight after my last fill and I get stuck pretty easy. have to be very careful on what I eat. So yesterday I was eating a little bit of bbq ribs and got really stuck to where I had to get it out with my finger (i know yuuuck) but it hurt so bad...

So I was telling the girls what I had to do (because they asked) and one of the girls said "id rather be fat than have to do that". I was like really? I wouldnt! Its not like I have to do that everyday. Its just once in a great while when it gets that bad... I usually just have to wait for it to go down, but if it hurts really bad, I have to help it get out

That is like the only major side effect is getting stuck and id rather have that any day than be big again!

I can't believe anyone would rather be fat than deal w/ som stuck food! I remember being terrified at the thought of getting stuck. It hurt like hell the first time it happened to me, but I got through it. I think the pain of the stuck food is nothing compared to getting this extra weight off my body. That girl made a very stupid comment.

I did it a few times and I enjoyed it. The only reason I stopped is because I changed gyms and the new one didn't have it. I think they are starting one now and I plan to go.

Sounds like you are back on the right track. Good luck to you!

I've only had a few people ask me "can you eat that?" and they weren't trying to police my plate. They were just truly curious. I actually explained the entire procedure and what you have to do after surgery and they were very interested. A lot of people just don't understand how the band works.

There may have been a person asking to be ugly, but I didn't notice. I think I'm just so happy with the band so I don't even care if someone is trying to be mean.

You need to eat exactly what your doctor told you to eat. They give you specific instructions and the special food rules to help you heal. You are in the healing phase and your doctor knows what is ok to eat during this time and what is not. We all know how hard it is, but that time passes before you know it.

Way to go!! I know how it feels to grab something from the back of the closet and think you still won't be able to wear it...... and then amazingly it fits! I have some jeans I bought a few years ago when i managed to lose 40 lbs on my own. They were very snug when I bought them and of course I gained all of my weight back before I could even wear them a few times. I grabbed them a few weeks ago, just to see if I could even get them on. They were too big!!!

I have never done it, but I agree with Rachael. Don't make that a habit. That can lead to a very serious eating disorder.

Insurance companies only approve or deny what is asked for given the documentation supplied........they do not make suggestions, etc for other procedures. That is a decision between you and your doctor.

nayttap is right.

The insurance companies don't tell you what to chose. They just look at what you are requesting and see if you have all the paperwork/documentation they require. You just have to talk to your doctor and decide what is best for you. My BMI was 50 when I got my band, but gastric bypass or the sleeve was just not what I wanted. My doctor agreed with me after he read my files/essay and spoke to me.

You don't have to worry about the insurance company mandating what kind of surgery you have. Just chose the best surgery for you and your lifestyle. Don't base your choice on what you think other people want you to do. Good luck and let us know how everything turns out.