BabyGotBack

I used to be obsessed with the scale. So, I assigned Fridays as my weigh in day. We can fluctuate so much and I didn't want to add more pressure on myself. I'd rather have a nice surprise at the end of the week!!!

Are you going for a fill? I have a fill appt. with Dr. Ortiz for Feb. 17th, Saturday at 9am. I never got to have mushies since Dr. Ortiz cut that out of his post op because he found people gained durning mushies since they tend to be high calorie and easy to eat. I can't wait for my fill!!! I have zero restriction, but just chew and take about 20 minutes to eat. I also "water load" and drink about 10 ounces of water before I eat.

My butt requires spandex in the jeans or else they get squished!!!! Congrats on the awesome weight loss!!! We are all success stories!!!

I think it depends on how much fat is around the stomach. They can determine that once inside.

We had this exact same conversation on the january thread a while back. None of us had surgery with our doctor between our legs. I also got a pair of paper underwear with elastic strings on the sides. very cute!

A lot of us are in your boat. That is why we had to self pay and a lot of us had to go out of the country.

Wow!! You are doing really great! 33 pounds lost forever!!!

I know by day 4 I was up and running around doing all my regular stuff, but a 4 week musical may be a challenge. I would consider postponing it till after the musical. I know in my first weeks I had to literally be sipping a water bottle to make sure I didn't get dehydrated. I was told by someone that got dehydrated at a suppport group, that she had to have an unfill, but since I had no fill and if I got dehydrated, I could lose my band and have to have it cut off!!! If I got dehydrated my stomach would swell around the band. I have heard it on the boards too. You also have to be drinking small amounts of soups, yogurts, etc. My post of was 3 weeks. I would think if you were in a muscial, you'd be too busy to eat and drink properly. My final advice, is to tell your doctor and get his opinion. If he thinks it's okay, then you have his medical clearance. And if he says no, then he knows best. Hope that helps!!

That is awesome!!! Keep up the good work!!!:clap2: :clap2:

I really appreciate all of you guys!!! I come here to read all of your posts and get so much encouragement from all of you!!! I was just really having an emotional day yesterday, feeling really down. I get tired, depressed for no reason, hungrier and just weird right before my period. I am choosing today, to refuse to give into it and surround myself with positive thoughts, positive and uplifting music, scriptures, etc. I am taking my negative and irrational thoughts captive!!!!!! And throwing them out of my head!!!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Good things I hope!!!! :biggrin1:

((((((((( :girl_hug: :girl_hug: :girl_hug: :girl_hug: :girl_hug: :girl_hug: :girl_hug: :girl_hug: :girl_hug: :girl_hug: :girl_hug: )))))))))))

No prob!!! Today is a new day!!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Now I am just waiting for darn "aunt flo" to come!!!! She is late and is going to interfere with my Friday weigh in if she doesn't hurry up!!!

Very well said!!! We seem to be losing at around the same rate so far!

Quote"Today I attended a consultation at my Doctor's office and was told that only 45 to 50% of people who have the Lap-Band done lose any weight. The nurse practioner said that their specific patients have had a 50% success rate. These figures seem very discouraging to me. :phanvan When I questioned him as to why only 50% lose weight he said that people cheat/cannot overcome the emotional or mental obstacles they need to overcome to change their lifestyle. He went on to state that he thinks the figure is 50% because some patients who have BMI's in the 50-60 range have elected to have the Lap-Band and have not been successful, which he feels skews the results. We briefly discussed my health and eating patterns and he feels that since my weight is based more on the quantity of food I eat vs. eating foods which in the future would be cheating foods (ice cream, shakes, etc.) that I would be an "ideal candidate." I find it hard to believe that all of these people cheat after going to the expense/physical demands pre- and post-op to cheat that dramatically. He even stated that they have a patient who has only lost 5 pounds in a year. I asked him specifically what he would do if someone was not losing any weight and was not cheating. He said that he would not tighten the band - that he relies on a more conservative approach and leaves the band more open to "make more of the brunt of it rest on the patient's shoulders."" Answers to this post: "Well, first of all when your surgeon says "50% success rate", how is that meant? a) 50% of the people who have the surgery meet the medical criteria for success. 100% of his patients lost 50% of their excess weight, or numbers that bring in the same average. c) Judging by some criteria he has assigned, some combination of a or b? It's very easy to not lose weight with the band if you're not focused on losing weight. And it's very easy to not focus on losing weight, and use the band as an excuse for that. Think of all the things that make it easy to bypass the band, and you'll see where those numbers might be coming from. E.g. people who never get a fill because they're afraid that would mean they have to give up foods. Or people who use cognitive distortions to get out of good eating habits. Or people who go underfilled and try to "wing it", but then never go after the fill to take off where their willpower left. Pople of ALL BMIs have elected to have the lapband and not been successful, so why would he attribute it to those in the 50 - 60 range? - sounds like he's kind of pulling his numbers from nowhere. "I have always heard that the 50% success rate was that patients loose on average 50% of there body fat, not that only 50% loose any weight. I would question your doctor. There is a percantage of people who don't loose. That goes with any WLS. It is a tool and not a cure. Remember too that the 50% (and I honestly beleive that percentage is higher than that if my memory serves) counst those that don't loose and weighs down the average loss." "Well, what he says is probably true to some degree, where there's a large emotional or compulsive eating type of behaviour, I guess the lap band still slows you down but you have more work to do than somebody who's really only a volume eater. I was pretty much a volume eater and the band has worked brilliantly for me. But I do have to use significant willpower and self control to mainly eat good healthy foods and stay away from junk. I mean, who isnt prey to the convenience of take away and junk foods in today's society? Its the lifestyle we live and that takes some overcoming." "It seems that most of the studies focus on the first 12 to 18 months of being banded. If you haven't reached your goal by 18 months, you're probably considered a failure for the purposes of the study. If you have a higher BMI, it will take longer to get to goal, so I can see why the doctor would say that people with higher BMIs skew the stats if they are only looking at 12-18 months post banding. Statistics can be very misleading, and it's important to understand the criteria on which the data was collected before you put any credence into those numbers." "I always took the studied EWL % to be everyone's EWL added together, then divided by the number of people. Example; Jane has 99% EWL Dick has 45% EWL Mary has 76% EWL Frank has 25% EWL 99 + 45 + 76 + 25 = 245 / 4 = 61.25 % average EWL So while some do really, really well (Jane's 99%) the lower numbers in the study bring the average down." Hope this helps!! <!-- / message --><!-- sig --> <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

What are our goals for this week?? The people perish for lack of a vision, so what is your vision?? Let's keep each other accountable to do better everyday, change at least one bad habit a week. Audree

I was just thinking, let's make a pledge to each other, to help one another. To pick one another up when we are down. If one falls down, that we would go back and pick them up. I think also that the hardest thing to do, is to tell someone in love, that they are messing up. But, I for one, have needed someone to tell me and I have had to choose not to get offended and be mature enough to accept constructive critisism. That has not come easy for me. It actually took years of certain trials in my life to get there. But, it is different if it comes from someone that you know truely has your best interest at heart and cares. I know one day, I may need someone to help get me back on track, help me to stay focused, keep my vision before me of my bikini clad body running on the beach , and run this race with all my might, with all my strength, to win the prize! I know sometimes I do certain things, like exercising just because I am accountable to you guys. Maybe we can let each other know what our daily/weekly goals are, and keep each other accountable to those goals. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!!!! It is insanity to eat more than our body needs and expect to lose weight. Or expect tone skin instead of flabby skin when we don't exercise. We know what we need to do, so why don't we do it? Why do we sabotage ourselves? Our success?? What if our life depended on us losing weight? Would we do it then? Being overweight contributes to so many health problems, cancer, diabeties. I for one, didn't want to wait till I got some bad news to be motivated to lose. And I hope to never get news like that , since I am busting my butt now. Who wants to be accountable too?

We will all be skinny before we know it!!

, okay!!!

Breakfast (had it late): 2 scrambled eggs, 3 sausages and 2 bacon (left behing ham, hash browns and pancakes-Dad took me out to Denny's) Snack: 5 almonds Snack (took my kids to the park and had a picnic): 2 Laughing Cow cheese, 2 string cheese, 1 sugar free fruit pop Dinner: 5 small chicken mozerlla meatballs in marinera sauce Calories: between 1100-1200 Exercise: I took my kids to the park and ran around so I was too tired to exercise Mood: I was feeling good, then I was feeling kinda emotional. I skipped my period last month, was actually due to start the day of surgery. So, I feel very premenstual, all the symptoms, more hungrier than usual, emotional, wide range of moods. The only thing I don't really feel is bloated like I used to. I hope I start before Fridays weigh in. Liquids: 64 ounces of watered down Crystal Light with Pure Lemon Supplements: 1 tbsp. Glacial Milk, 1 QuickSlim30 and 1 Biotin __________________

Breakfast (had it late): 2 scrambled eggs, 3 sausages and 2 bacon (left behing ham, hash browns and pancakes-Dad took me out to Denny's) Snack: 5 almonds Snack (took my kids to the park and had a picnic): 2 Laughing Cow cheese, 2 string cheese, 1 sugar free fruit pop Dinner: 5 small chicken mozerlla meatballs in marinera sauce Calories: between 1100-1200 Exercise: I took my kids to the park and ran around so I was too tired to exercise Mood: I was feeling good, then I was feeling kinda emotional. I skipped my period last month, was actually due to start the day of surgery. So, I feel very premenstual, all the symptoms, more hungrier than usual, emotional, wide range of moods. The only thing I don't really feel is bloated like I used to. I hope I start before Fridays weigh in. Liquids: 64 ounces of watered down Crystal Light with Pure Lemon Supplements: 1 tbsp. Glacial Milk, 1 QuickSlim30 and 1 Biotin __________________

Hi! I just wanted to say hello! I was just banded on Jan. 5th. I am going for my first fill in 2 weeks. Congrats on the weight loss!!!

I waited 4 days.

Thanks!!! I am feeling the love!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

I am there with you. This is what they call "bandster hell". I think I eat more than I should too.