marjon9

If you want to tell everyone in the world you can still do that even if you stay quiet for now. However, once you tell everyone, there is no going back in case you wish you hadn't. You are too early in the game to make this final decision, in my opinion. Keep your options open for now. Hold off for a while. Once you have a little more experience, if you want to tell everyone, you'll still be able to do so then.

I feel compelled to mention that there are a number of U.S. surgeons who do this surgery for between $10,000 and $12,000. There is a current thread called something like "The cost of the lap band," or something like that, if you are interested. I hope insurance will cover you so that won't be an issue anyway.

Back in the Pleistocene Era (where I'm from) "what's your sign" was the quintessential "pick up line." You're way too young to know that. The reference was to astrological signs like Aquarius, Pisces, etc.

puddin, you look awesome. By the way, what's your sign? Do you come here often? Just kidding.

I'm noticing this type of thing a lot also. Some fresh made broth or soup can be like the best thing in the world. Just a few weeks ago I was eating steak, fried chicken, fettucine alfredo, and other foods of this type and wondering how I was going to live without these things. As it turns out the lowly bowl of thin cream of wheat can taste better than any of that stuff. It may not always be that way, exactly. But I think in general eating the bandster way will result in a more enjoyable eating experience compared to the old way of bludgeoning my digestive tract indiscriminately with every animal, vegetable, and mineral I could get my hands on.

What I've always heard is that the body loses weight as a single unit, and there is no way to focus on a particular area. I know this seems like it could not be true when you find that you are losing weight everywhere BUT your stomach, but the exercise experts still all seem to say that you cannot target a particular area. If you do 500 crunches a day, you'll have six pack abs but they will be under a layer of fat. With the band the weight loss will continue, and eventually the stomach will lose the fat. I just don't think there is any other way.

Superdaddy, I wish you all the luck in the world, and thanks for sharing your story. But I do have to say I have a slightly uneasy feeling that I want to share with you. You have set forth a list of major changes that you intend to make all at once. This is a huge challenge. You know the history of success people have with New Year's Resolutions. People do not follow through with them about 95% of the time. And that is even when they have just one resolution. You have half a dozen major ones listed in your "fresh start." This is a little scary to me. It seems to me that you have bitten off such a huge bite here that there is almost no way you'll be able to chew it. I am worried that if you start to have difficulty with any of the major changes on your list, you will start to feel like you are a "failure" with your "fresh start" as a total package, and just start to tailspin, thinking "Oh, well, I blew it again. I guess I'm just a failure." I recommend a book to you. The Four Day Win by Martha Beck. I believe you would really find it useful in your present situation. Best of luck to you. And please keep us informed regularly how things are going.

It seems to me that the best answer is to discuss this with your surgeon, just like you did here. It sounds like it will all work out since you've done all the studies. I think the best bet is just to pass along all the facts to the surgeon.

My surgeon's price is $9950 for self payers. He's in Denver. A fair number of people in this forum have used him now and everyone seems to like him. His web site is in my signature if anyone's interested.

I've heard some people say that doctors fear that the gum will get stuck if you swallow it. This actually could be a big problem. But I've also seen quite a few bandsters say they still do it, and with the approval of their doctors. So, as usual, there are a lot of different answers to this issue.

As ousooner said, it's a matter of balancing the risks. At my age of 53 this surgery was my last chance. My health was tumbling so fast I was just about too late. All my life I was a healthy, strong guy. I was given a gift of great health and vigor. I threw it away by becoming morbidly obese. I'm determined now to turn things around to the extent I am still able. The bottom line is, early death is virtually certain with obesity. In contrast, there is only a small chance of death with the surgery. When these two risks are put on the balance scale and measured realistically, the answer is obvious and there is really no decision to make. This is not to say that your fears are "wrong" or unjustified. Everyone has them. I certainly did. But in resolving them it's really just a matter of coming to terms with the sobering realities of obesity.

You should be aware that not everyone recovers as quickly as the lucky bandsters who responded to your question. There is no way on earth I could have returned to work in 3 days. I'm over two weeks post-op now and still have some significant issues. I would be careful about making major work commitments too quickly if you can avoid it.

I've gained a significant amount of weight each year for the last 5 years. Like at least 20 pounds. So, if I lose 40 pounds my first year with the band, I really have to understand that I'm actually 60 pounds less with the band than I would have been otherwise. That is something to keep in mind when considering success with the band.

How great to be starting so young. It's likely you have not done permanent damage yet from the obesity. That's really great. About 3 months ago I was a person who (a) hadn't talked to a doctor, ( hadn't checked to see if my health insurance would cover surgery, © had not talked to anyone about their opinions. Now, three months later, I sit here as a person who has been banded already for 2 weeks. My point is, it can happen fast. Like most of us you have discovered that walking a little bit more and taking some diet pills does not do much. And even when it does, it is rarely permanent. People who have major obesity usually need something more like life- changing intervention. Most of us here think the lap band is the best option in that category. Read this forum, ask questions. Pretty soon you'll have a handle on what this is all about. Welcome to the forum.

I would do that if I were you. It sounds like the insurance in your case is turning into a burden rather than a help. And just for your info, my surgeon charges $9950 which is not much more than Mexico. He's in Denver. Good luck.

I ordered from the site and use the unjury powders. From doing a little bit of research it seems that unjury is a high quality Protein powder. As for taste, the goal with protein powders is to get the ones that don't taste horrible and add as little protein taste as possible. None of them are really that great tasting. In my experience the unjury does not taste too bad. The flavored ones like chocolate and vanilla don't add much of a bad taste. The unflavored powder does have "that protein taste" to it, but it's not too bad. I know this report is not exactly glowing, but actually it is intended to be. I think unjury provides a Protein Powder that is high quality and does not taste too bad. I think that's about as good as it gets in protein powders. I do want to mention that unjury is a whey-based product (from milk). The other option is a soy-based product like Gen Soy. I use that one also. To my taste the soy powder tastes significantly better than the whey powder. But, I've heard that whey powders give you more digestable protein compared to soy powders. I really don't know whether that is true or not. So, I use both whey and soy in different situations. I think unjury offers samples you can order from their site. That may be a way to go to see if you like them.

I haven't read this whole thread and someone may have listed this one already. But, for me, probably my greatest peeve in all of life is that George W. Bush, the President of the United States, mind you, says "nucular" instead of "nuclear." This is absolute bamboo shoots under the fingernails for me. I am so ashamed that on the international stage our president insists on presenting himself to the world as an illiterate bumpkin. I disagree with almost everything else he does, too, but this is a democracy and people voted for him. I can accept that. But I simply cannot understand how he could shame this country the way he does with that level of public illiteracy. I hate this so much that I don't even feel better getting it off my chest. Well, OK, maybe I feel a little better.

To me that is an unusual way of posing the question. This is not a decision anyone else can make for you. If you are happy losing 18 pounds in 7 months, then you should not be concerned. If you feel you should be losing more, then you should be concerned. It's really up to you. If you are asking whether it is normal to lose so little in 7 months, the answer is probably yes. Most people do lose more than 18 pounds in 7 months. But on the other hand, you are losing almost 3 pounds a month at this rate. That is not that bad. At that rate, if it is consistent, you can lose over 100 pounds in 3 years. So, I guess the answer to your question is, it just depends.

I know that we are supposed to do things like switch to non-fat creamer and us Splenda, and all that, but speaking for myself personally I'm not going to do things like that. For me, the band is about eating much less. With respect to the little bit I will eat, I don't really feel the need to make it virtually calorie-free. I still plan to enjoy my food even with the band. I'd rather eat 1200 calories a day of really tasty food, instead of 1100 calories a day of food I don't really like. It's still about 1/3 of what I used to eat. But that's just me. I'm not prescribing for anyone else.

The surgery itself isn't just easy, the truth from the patient's point of view it does not exist. They give you the drugs, you immediately become a totally unconscious breathing meat sack, and then you wake up in the recovery room. That's it. There is often some pain and discomfort for a few days after surgery, but there is really no awareness at all of anything that happens during surgery. The Discovery Channel probably had a story about someone who was secretly conscious during quadruple bypass open heart surgery, which was done at the same time as a hip replacement and tonsilectomy. But the truth is, that just doesn't happen in the real world. I had a lot of fear before surgery also, I think most people do. But just hang on. It will all be over soon. It's a nice feeling of relief when you wake up on the Other Side.

I just want to mention that thinned creamy soups were not on my list until quite a while after surgery. That sounds like it could involve some work for the stomach to digest, which is what you want to avoid at the beginning. I would just check with your doc on that one. Congrats on banding.

You can get

Your questions are complex and difficult to answer in a brief manner. The best thing you can do is spend a lot of time reading past and present posts on this forum. Many people have had the same questions you have, and these issues have been discussed a lot. As for Sharon Osborne, there is a thread discussing her thoughts on the lap band. Run a search with the term "Osborne" and you'll find it. I want to say just a couple things in response to your questions. Yes, surgery is scary. It is for everyone. And yes, you do need to have a general anesthetic. There are risks with any surgery. HOWEVER: The riks are miniscule compared to the risks of living the rest of your life at 390 pounds. The surgery itself is very safe, with very little risk of any serious complications. Most people recover well in a few days and feel completely normal in a few weeks. The risk of not having the surgery is much greater, involving a greatly shortened life span and much suffering and expense while you live out your obese life. There is simply no comparison here. And 49 is not too old by any means. Many people on this forum are over 50. I'm 53 and was banded 2 weeks ago. Give yourself a chance at life, Banrion. Be brave, have the surgery. It is nothing compared to more years of extreme obesity.

The ironic thing is that weight loss will help lower blood pressure, so I'd think they'd want you to do it. I have high blood pressure, but it is controlled with drugs. If you do have high blood pressure yours can probably be controlled also. So this may be just a temporary set back. Still a bummer though when you are all ready to go with a surgery date.

Sorry, I misread your original question. Actually, when I select text and right click, I do have a copy option, so I'm not sure what's going on with you.