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I think motivation is key. That and accountability. That is what the bootcamp does for me. It is led by Jill the nutritionist at TLBC. We start every session by getting weight (they also take measurements at the beginning and end). We also get nutrition tips every week. Week one On our first session we reviewed the “Bandsters 10 Commandments”, the “Daily Nutrition Guidelines” and the “6 reasons for PBing”. In addition we signed a contract saying we will follow the rules and adding a goal for the weight we would like to lose by the end of the boot camp. We then did a very interesting exercise where we wrote out our Hopes, Fears and Expectations when it comes to our weight loss. We went around sharing our notes and it was amazing to see how much we are all alike. It was a great comfort to me to know that I am not the only one who is afraid of failing, of what is going to happen once I loose the weight and I reach my goal. What if I am never going to be satisfied with myself? Week two The second session was titled Awareness. Jill spent the hour driving home the point that “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. We had to rate these statements from 1 to 10 like: I am aware that change is necessary/ It is important for me to change/ I will be successful in my weight loss journey etc. You guys can just imagine what scores we gave ourselves. Jill had us erase our scores and give ourselves 10s across the board saying that you will only reach as high as you believe you can. We spent the rest of the session reviewing our habits, that have stopped us from succeeding in the past and what our triggers are. We also keep a food journal that Jill reviews. This week we also had to review the triggers for our cravings. What are the where are we, what are we doing and what do we crave. Week three The last session was titled “getting excited about your life”, about showing gratitude for today, and our successes in life so far. We went around and each of us shared some of our successes and described ourselves as our friends would describe us. (Our friends would never say we are fat or ugly or losers). We discussed how if you’ve got happiness on hold until you get to the “destination”, you’re never going to have it. The key is to enjoy the little things you see along the way and use them to divert you from the temptations that can lead you off the path. I know this posting is kind of long but I find myself in the mood to write lately. I think it’s somewhat therapeutical for me. Let me know if you guys would like more details. I was at a plateau for the last two months before I started this program and I was getting a little down on myself. It’s still me doing all the work now, however the boot camp gave me the incentive I needed to focus on my goal, make some changes and just plain do it.

LOL! I already have that droopy skin! It gets droopier and droopier each week. Mine is much worse than yours would ever be! I do have to make better choices.

I was banded in 07/07, and have had several fills and unfills since then. I had to had a complete unfill in 12/07 and then I went for a large fill in 02/08 and my port was very hard to hit. I had a large size fill but still didn't have the restriction that I needed so I tried to have another fill but was unable to access my port. I have never had a fill under fluoroscopy because in my rural community lapbands are not understood much. The nearest provider is a 4 hour drive and several hunderd dollars out of pocket to do this. If I can't get a fill the normal way and soon I will have to round up the money and make the trip. Could my port have flipped over? It is close to the skin and I can feel it but it feels the same as before. I am just stressing out and need some reassurance from you vets out there.

MissK! Don't beat yourself up. While you shouldn't be consuming empty calories and junk food, I personally believe that if your band is tight enough you will not gain weight... you might not lose it, but I think weight gain is a sign of a band that is too loose. If it had been 4 months since your last appointment, I would bet money that you were in need of another fill... you lose restriction as you lose weight! I hope things are better now and that you're back on track. I finally started losing weight and I am steadily, but also very slowly losing weight at about a pound a week.

You might be right. I am all belly at this stage. It is a sorry sight. If the skin was not so streched out, I could live with it. But the skin is in such a state from being so large, there is little hope. I have an appointment with my Dr in August (he is doing my tummy tuck) so I will either have been stable at this weight, or be down at goal weight. Either way, spending the day in bed, down with the flu, has given me time to think. I am not going to "try" to lose weight anymore (Not that I am trying too hard at the moment). So if I do get to the goal of 68kg, I do. If I don't I am going to Celebrate my new body, and life :clap2: Thank you all for your imput ladies. :sleep

I haven't but you can do a search to see who has. From what I remember you are either so tight you can't keep your own spit down or loose as a goose and can eat everything in site.

I'm not going to worry about something that might not happen. I've lost 46 lbs so far, and so far, my skin is looking good. I'm hoping my skin will eventually spring back. But I'd rather have flab, than be unable to walk because of the pain caused by my weight, to be able to bend over without being winded, to no longer have to take BP meds, etc, etc.

Looked into getting a personal trainer bc im nervous about the extra skin and maybe learn a more structured workout. He said it was 80 per hour and recommends in the beginning meeting at least once a week. Truth is i just cant afford that right now. I still have about 4k to pay for the surgery. Any suggestions? Im pretty concerned about this extra skin but just cant afford an extra 80 a week. :/

I had my original band done in Sept. 2001. The old band was over filled (my opinion) and had the AP band done Apr. 2009. I had the "Large" size band installed and I'm questioning the size since I am at full (12cc) and am not loosing any more weight.

So you lost your butt and boobs?? I'm scarred to loose my butt lol. I rather be healthy and happy though.

I've been having real problems. I can't handle anything too solid, I think I've been on semi-permanent mushies for a few weeks now, and I can't help vomiting even then. It's sort of 'tip out' vomiting from the esophagus, if that makes sense, not 'force it out of the stomach' vomiting. But I've still only lost 4kgs in the past few months. REALLY frustated by this. -sigh- So I've been avoiding the surgeon because he'll look at the lack of weight loss and tighten the band (and when it was at that tightness last time, I lost 10kgs in under a week because I couldn't eat anything that wasn't liqad) and I've been avoiding the doctor because she'll send me to the surgeon anyway. But I'm tempted to go to the surgeon anyway and get it tightened if only to start loosing weight again. :eek: Even if it does mean I go to full liquid diet. So that's why I've been avoiding here!

As long as the person doing the fill can access the port, it should work, provided all connections are intact. Are you sure you're feeling your band? Even if it's slipped on the esophagus, it shouldn't be anywhere that you can feel it. VERY often people will mistake their xyphoid process for the band -- swear they can feel the band close to the skin. Scar tissue is also felt in lieu of the band. The band shouldn't have lost its fill because you got sick. There's nothing in the act of vomitting that would force fill out of the band (e.g. the port self-heals after puncture, the band isn't really "squeezable" - it's quite hard, etc.)

I was banded in late Nov. and my doctor told me two weeks ago my port was tipped. Last week i had a horrible stomach virus and threw up twice and once was real bad. Ever since then i dont have any real restriction. I am only experiecing a tiny bit of heart burn. After i was sick i realized my band was sticking up against my skin, it was always real close to my skin but this was more than normal. Can anyone give me suggestions on what this may be. I dont want to rush to my doctors i was also wondering if maybe i deflated it, if thats even possible. thanks D-

Thank you for your replies. This dr. comes highly recommended, so I guess that is why I wondered if I was just overreacting to the pain...... My incision looks worse than any I have ever had. It is puffy in the middle, almost looks like a tad bit of fatty tissue is outside of the skin, and is oozing. I cried when I saw it. In addition to that, he took those two ster-strips off from the middle. I am so worried that this incision isn't going to look like the others, but may have a piece of fat skin sticking out. Anyone else have an incision that looked like that, but healed flat? Crystal

So I know there have been lots of posts and discussions about Protein and Protein shakes and powders etc. I happen to love the Pure Protein shakes in the can. I found them by accident and have started a love affair with them. The problem is that there not for sale just anywhere. I order mine off of amazon in a subscribe and save, to cut down on cost but the shipping time is crazy long. I ordered these on the 8th and just got them today. And I like them so much that I save them for the weekdays but there are only 12 cans in a pack so I'm spending quite a bit of money to get them....but I find that on days when I don't have one I snack more and crave junk more. It is so weird to me because I have never found a Protein shake that I like before. I can tolerate the powder ones for a little bit but they gross me out. I haven't tried the unflavored yet though and I mean to try it. But for now I think I will stick to these and keep loosing weight cause it's working. Plus I can put the chocolate flavored ones in my cofffee with a tiny bit of peppermint extract and I feel like I have a peppermint mocha coffee,which makes my insides very happy! PS If anyone knows where I can get them cheaper please let me know!

Now you can catch up with LapBandTalk even when you're on the go, with the new iPhone/iPad application. Quick access to your favorite communities Add your favorite communities to the application home screen, for quick access and automatic login. Update your status across the net The app allows you to update your status within the community, as well as Twitter & Facebook - all at once. Push notifications NEW Get notified of new topics, personal conversations and much more via Push notifications. Upload photos to Gallery Snap photos with the camera, or select others you've taken, then upload them right into your albums within Gallery. Streamlined forum view The app displays forums using our great mobile skin - specially designed for mobile devices - so you can see content quickly and easily. Easy sharing On any page in the community, you can hit the Share button to email a link to your friends and family. Plus MANY other features. We hope to have our own LBT app shortly. This one is AMAZINg and I use it myself on my iPad. GET IT HERE FREE!

I didn't want anybody to know either. I had to tell a few because I would need their help with my little boys. But I don't plan on telling everybody about the surgery. The fact is-- you still have to do the work for this to succeed. You have to adhere to a strict dietary guideline and exercise. So to me- people don't need to know what tool we use to loose our weight. We have to work just as hard as others- who do not have surgery. Don't worry about keeping it to your self - it really is your own business!!1

Thank you for sharing that. I kind of suspected that I will feel differently in a year or more about my loose skin. I also need to do some things myself to help tone. I know that won't be the cure all, but it might help some. I also like the idea that I could save myself money by waiting this time out.

My guess is hormones. Your body just went through a major trauma and is probably going a little haywire. Fat loss also results in tons of hormones releasing from said shrinking fat cells. Sebum, the naturally occurring substance that provides oil to the hair, is produced by the sebaceous glands in the scalp and throughout the body, providing moisture to the skin, keeping Water in and fending off bacteria. For teenagers and young women with oily hair, overactive hormones may result in equally overactive sebaceous glands. This also may occur in menopausal women because of the transition their bodies are undergoing.

Ok. I am sitting:sick propped up in my bed at home several hours post op. Things went well, though he had to switch out all of the needles for the port site because my adominal wall was thick and the needles he had out to stitch it in place were to thin. *I* would like to think that this is because I am so MUSCULAR...:cry R I G H T.:nervous I"ll have to ask him in three weeks when I go in for my fill. ANYwho... this is how my day went. As you may already now, Auntie Flow decided to visit yesterday:mad: VEHEEERRRRy convineant:tired . I slept pretty well last night suprisingly (thanks to the two tylenol p.m.) :notagree and woke up about 6. I got up and showered with the monkey blood soap stuff they gave me that kind of dried my skin out, got out of the shower and laid down with my heating pad until my sweetie :kiss2: got up and got ready. I put on my best/favorite pair of tie dyed socks and undies and threw my favorite denim dress over my head, grapped my little stuffed moose and away to Baptist we went. Got there about 8:20 checked in and hung out in w. room. The called me back about 8:40 and got me changed. The anesethia guy came in and did my IV then two or three more anesthia people came in asking me the same quesitons over and over.. who are you,, what are you having done.. WHAT... is your favorite color... etc. I'm like.. hmmmm The do know what they are doing and where they are right?? :paranoid They let my hubby back about 9:30. OH>>> and those of you who might be wondering, they let me wear a tampon.. :clap2: it probably depends on the surgeon. Anywho.. 10:39 comes around and they wheel me back to the surgery room, scoot me on to a different table and put on this DREAMY warm blanket:p ... Next think I know, I'm awake and my 'port site' was hurting like a mo-fo:cry .:faint: they give me something for pain in my IV...30 minutes later some more of that then 30 minutes later the finally gave up and gave me some morphine. After that they wheeled me back to xray, had me drink some barium... which folks.. I'll tell you here and now... WAS DELICIOUS:hungry: . I was "lips sticking to my teeth" parched. And you know.. after not eating real food for awhile.. it's amazing what taste great. The table they had me scootch up on this time was a beeeeatch :omg: for me to scoot on because of the discomfort of the port site. Anywho... it was like a frigging 6 flags ride:phanvan . My feet were against a metal thing at the foot of the bed and it was the only thing between me and me sliding off in the floor:juggle:... ALL 331 lbs of me.:eek: Wasn't a real comfortable experience and lasted a little long for my taste.. but.. the things we do for beauty:rolleyes: . All that took what seemed to be about 40 minutes or so then they wheeled me into my room where I got to hang out and watch Oprah, the news, then Hank Hill. Had to wait :bored around until someone looked at my rays to make sure things could go down. I had lots of ice in the meantime. The 1st thing I remember when I woke up was... YES IT"s over Finanly it's over. To ,me it's the worst part.. all the waiting:bored . waiting for all of the paper work to get filled in... :pout:waiting for Dr.'s appointments, :bored waiting to hear all of your paper work was faxed in. getting denied and :pout:waiting for paper work to be faxed again. finding out your approved, then:bored waiting to schedule, :pout:waiting for your preop testing, :bored waiting for you surgery date, the THE WORST waiting of all for me, is:pout: waiting in your pre op room for the procedure.. then all of the sudden.. the waiting is over... well... unless you count waiting to go home. I 1st tried to do this 4 yrs ago with diff. insurance and was crushed when I got denied, now, Im sitting here, typing up my experience.. and it's DONE!:clap2: Now all the work begins, but that is ok... because now I have a Tool,,, finally a tool that will work for me and help me to become the healthy me that I was meant to be. I'll be healthier at 40 that I have ever been in my life. I just had my 37th bday and I can't wait to be 40! :humble: I didn't really have trouble with nausea :speechles until the ride home and it wasn't overwhealming. Todd turned up the air and drove real slow. When I got home he got me set up in my bed with tons of pillows and stuff so i'm not laying down flat. I'm keeping my liquied antibiotic and liquid Loritab in a cooler filled with ice right here along with some sugar free popcicles. My throat is fairly sore from the breathing tube stuff and my chest is kind of tight and breathing deep isn't the best experience. I kind of dread Thursday slighly 'cause for me, the 2nd or third day after something is usually pain wise the worst.. but maybe not this time. I'm on liquids until Friday then I start stuff like soft scrambled eggs and soups and oatmeal. Don't know that I'll be ready for that yet but we'll see. I would be nice if I could work a 1/2 day on FRiday even though I have it off. So far.. knock on wood, no gas pains however I did buy some rolaids gas chewables just in case. When I do get up and walk around some I burp a couple of times and i feel a little better. I have had to cough a few times and I've been holding a pillow on my tummy for that and it's not so bad. It keeps going through my head over and over.. now I have a chance..... now I have a chance. I am so excited about this new opportunity I've been given and can't wait to become more active and do the outdoor things I love. Oh.. also.. if you haven't had it done yet.. I got a reach/grabber thing from bed bath and beyound called the gopher and IT"S GREAT. I can grap stuff with out bending over. I can't wait to take a hot bath. He did say that I chould shower tomorrow. YOu should see my insicion bandages.. they cut the gauze into heart shapes.... Well it's about time for pain med dose 2 so more later.:biggrin1: :grouphug: :hug: __________________ Started Process 1/3/07 Insurance of BCBS if TN Have exclusion policy for WLS Date of approval 2/13 Date of surgery 2/27 BMI 54 Weight 336 Height 5'6 1/2" age 37 Surgeon Dr Charles Morton Baptist Hospital Nashville, TN Goal: Not sure yet. Somewhere under 200 "Always leave get well cards on your mantel, that way when guests come over, they'll think you've been sick:sick and unable to clean." :hippie:Blessings & Fae Kisses :kiss2:

I was wondering what works best to start loosing those pounds share with me your secrets what you eat,drink or exercise Please I really will appreciate it!!! since I barely got my surgery July 12,2013 I need tips.

You can do it. My brothers sound,like your family lol... I failed at the lapband AND the lapband failed me..... It slipped. My sleeve surgery is aug 21st. And you know what I keep saying? "you can do this..... No one can bring me down.....don't listen to what he says.... Don't eat what they eat.....I DON'T WANT TO DIE BEFORE MY 40s!!!! " I have an obese brother.....325lbs.... And all he tells me is that I can't do this.... People are afraid to try..... You will be great.... As long as you follow the doctors instructions..... And in a few months if you have a bad day, just make the next one better......I always drink during eating.... But I know I can't anyone..... Go on YouTube and find videos of people who have had the sleeve.... Good luck with whatever decision you make.... I'm getting the sleeve because I need to loose weight and this tool will HELP us

Wow, so happy to find this thread...I had my TT done in Feb and have gained 6 lbs and still have not lost it. I don't think it's Water weight though...I stopped wearing my compression garment after about 2 months...do you think if I started wearing it again it might help? I am happy with part of my TT (my vagina really got lifted and I like that!) and I don't have a lot of floppy skin, but my tummy is definitely not flat and my scar is like the bride of frankenstein...so trying to figure this out.

OK, I was put on metformin a few months prior to surgery. No real diag, my doc just realized that another doc was going to look at me and decided that it would be good to make it look like he was doing something for me (I wish i was kidding about that). Needless to say, I am in the market for a new doc....Anyway, I went off a few weeks prior to surgery and I was still loosing. I hit a stall at 3 weeks post op. The scale would not move at all, not even an ounce. I got very frustrated and shared my food log and weight log with my NUT and she said it looked like I was doing everything right. she then ques me on the metformin. I told her i wasn't taking it. Based on my blood, including the one where they look at the 4 month history and I was pre-diabetic. So my NUT told me to go back on the Metformin. I went on it on Friday, and finally after a 2 weeks stall, I lost 2.5lbs. I am just a little concerned being on it post-surgery. Has anyone else had any dealings with this drug post-sugery?

I have a long list of things I WANT to do when I loose weight. Things I've done when I was thinner or younger..which is about the same time. Since I've been over weight since I was 9. I want to go swimming and not have to hide under a T-shirt. Ride in amusement rides with my grandsons. Walk for long distances without getting out of breath or my knees hurting. I have many more to list but I'll let you all take it from here. What have you accomplished or want to accomplish?:clap2: