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Losing weight with lap band is losing the weight yourself. It may not be the opinion of onlookers but it's the truth. There are people who have lap band who don't ever lose weight. There are also people who lose the weight and gain it all back. The lap band is no miracle. You get exactly what you put into it. Honestly, Lap Band is the smartest thing I ever did. When i was 10 years old, I would pray to God to help me stay strong and eat healthy and exercise the next day. I have done almost every diet known to man. I would lose 30 pounds max! My mom never fed me junk food either. It was about knowing when to stop. This is the first diet i have been on where I lost more than 30 pounds. i would recomend Lap Band to anyone who is fed up with diets not working and has the will power to eat healthy. The band is amazing! good luck!

So I just remembered when I was at my lowest (160) like 6 yrs ago and my pelvic bones being more apparent... And literally being bruised when f**king. I couldn't do a lot of moves--scissors, etc. bc I couldn't take going hard... Lol!! I kinda don't even care about all that if I could just look hot again in some panties/bra and be able to have my stamina back for riding. That confidence is what I miss most about sex--it made it so much better bc I'd be willing to try anything!

Yeah I remember back in the day when I first met my.man I was at my lightest bc I was dieting and it was the ishhhhhhh..... we still have good sexing BUT not nearly as good and its a lot of working and flappin and wiggling.. haha

Breast fed.....What can i say? Im a boob girl

Bottle fed here I have 3 boys and breast fed 2 of them and bottle fed the youngest. I have heard not breast feeding can hamper in development of a healthy but never obesity . All 3 of my boys are skinny as rails. They are 17,13,11

bottle fed, didn't like my moms nipples, yuk

I was breast fed, I also breast fed my two boys and they are skinny as a rail!

Bottle-fed. Back then docs encouraged mothers to bottle feed, and bound their breasts to help dry up their milk. Mom was DYING to breast feed, but it "just wasn't done". So, both my MO sister and I were bottle fed. By the time the two younger kids came around she said the heck with it, and they were breast fed, and are slender. Well, the youngest wasn't totally breast fed, I don't think - he was allergic to everything, and I think he finally was fed goats' milk. He has a tendancy to put on weight, but I think that's due to all the beer... lol I'll have to check with my Mom about his breat feeding time. Unfortunately that's what MOST people think. Certainly most MO people are eating too much, not exercising, and not eating the right thing, so it's easy to point that out as the reason. In fact, there are many slender, down-right skinny people who eat "too much", never exercise, and don't eat the right thing (who are NOT bulemic), so one has to admit that there seems to be more to it in at least some cases. It's much easier to blame behaviour than it is to find the real cause. Just like in a post not too long ago where a woman went to her doctor complaining of shortness of breath, and he asked if she smoked, and she said "Yes." And his response was, "Quit smoking." and was ready to send her on her way. HER response to him was, "I quit smoking 10 years ago. Thank you for showing me that you are not interested in doing your job." And then she went and found a doc who was interested in actually treating her. The more interesting question is WHY?? WHY are some people driven to eat more than their body requires? WHY do some people seem to be able to take in excessive calories and not gain weight? Again, it's easy to point to the obese person and say it's their fault, but no one points to the skinny person who can eat anything and say THEY have anything to do with that! When most of us reduce our calories we lose weight. But MOST of us are suffering terribly doing that - we feel like we're starving, we're shaky, all we can think about is food. Naturally normal weight people are NOT suffering. Most banded people are able to reduce their intake to sufficient levels to lose weight WITHOUT suffering. Morbid Obesity has been recognized as a disease since 1985 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). For what it's worth... ****************** http://216.239.63.104/search?q=cache:OTJxKzuvN8QJ:www.shapeup.org/profcenter/diabesity/PoriesPres.ppt+is+morbid+obesity+a+disease%3F&hl=en "The truth is that Morbid obesity is a disease, not a moral failing." “Obesity is a chronic, lifelong, genetically-related, life-threatening disease with highly significant medical, psychological, social, physical, and economic co-morbidities.” Statement on morbid obesity and its treatment. Obesity Surgery 1997 7:40-41 “In 1991, the National Institutes of Health concluded in its Consensus Conference that diets, exercise programs, appetite suppressants and behavior modifications are not effective therapies.” Report of the Consensus Conference on Surgery of Morbid Obesity, National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC 1991 ************** http://www.rsapc1.com/morbid_obesity_surgery/ "Morbid obesity is the most common form of malnutrition in the United States and in the world today. It is considered after smoking to be the second leading preventable cause of death in the United States. It is a chronic disease which is very complex and has multiple etiologies." "We lose over 300,000 patients a year to morbid obesity and morbid obesity related medical problems." "There are social, psychosocial and economic consequences of morbid obesity that can be devastating. Unfortunately, the prejudice against the obese is very common in our society." "Conservative management of morbid obesity that includes diet, behavioral modifications, exercise programs and the like have been found to be ineffective over the long term. A person who is morbidly obese who attempts conservative management, as mentioned above, either alone or in any combination, is not expected to be successful more than 5% of the time. Over 95% of patients who are morbidly obese and meet the criteria for morbid obesity will regain their weight and often overshoot their previous weight. Surgery for morbid obesity is the only method that has resulted in long-term maintenance of weight loss and the reduction of the comorbid diseases that are associated with morbid obesity. In particular, hypertension, dibetes mellitus, risks for coronary disease, osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease and many others. Morbid obesity is a chronic disease which is defined as a disruption of bodily function that develops slowly and persists for an extended period of time and often for life. It is multifactorial and includes genetic predisposition, environmental factors, social economic factors, cultural influences, hormonal influences and digestive abnormalities. In 1985 morbid obesity was recognized as a disease with associated comorbid diseases by the National Institute of Health. In 1991, surgical weight loss stated to be superior to nonsurgical weight loss methods and that only surgical intervention produced acceptable long-term results. In 1993 the National Institute of Health recognized the vertical banded gastroplasty and the gastric bypass procedure to be effective in significant reduction of excess body weight. The National Institute of Health recognizes morbid obesity as being an epidemic that can only be reduced significantly by surgical intervention for both morbid obesity and its associated comorbid problems." **************** http://www.landauercosmeticsurgery.co.uk/obesity/ "OBESITY: A MEDICAL CONDITION People who suffer from obesity are poorly misunderstood by those of the population who are not obese. There is a common attitude that overweight people are stupid and unable to control themselves. People who are obese are often the brunt of cruel jokes and thoughtless humour, even to the point of suffering abusive comments in public places. We now know that the medical condition of morbid obesity is a complex disorder, and not simply due to over-eating. The vast majority of people living in the Western World eat more calories than they need but it is only a small proportion that relentlessly lay down every excess calorie in their fat stores. Most people have a mechanism, by which their body knows when their stores have been refilled, but there is an unfortunate group of people where this mechanism is defective, and when they eat it can be likened to filling up the bath with the overflow blocked off. There are of course no fat people in starvation areas of the world, but this is because these are regions with chronic malnutrition and nobody there has access to even adequate calories. People who are morbidly obese often find it difficult to believe that their problem is a medical disease and not simply due to overeating. MORBID OBESITY IN FAMILIES The disorder of morbid obesity often runs in families. The chance of having morbid obesity is clearly increased if other people in your family have the condition. Studies of identical twins who were separated at birth and brought up separately show that if one twin becomes obese, then the other one is likely to become obese as well."

I was breast fed like crazy. My mom has horrid stories about it.. lots of breastfeeding.

HIYA bottle fed here.....

You should be fine, try not to freak out, but I completely understand because it's a very uneasy feeling having gone through all the requirements just to not even know if the insurance will approve. I have fed bcbs, also had a BMI of 42 and got my approval in 1 week. I did also have high BP for years, but they are true to their "parameters" for what bcbs says. Until that awesome day when you get your phone call saying you've been approved (and it is awesome, make you feel like you just won the bariatric lottery, lol), which shouldn't take long at all, just try to distract yourself by keeping busy and getting a head start on all the mental work you'll need to do pre and post op. All the best! Sent from my SM-G928V using the BariatricPal App

I can relate to the photo you posted. Right after surgery I wanted to throw up all the time just bc of the heartburn! My dr told me to do over the counter nexium but if it continues passed a month they would give an RX. THANKFULLY it's gone away. Call and ask the dr for omeprazole.

Apparently, my health insurance is no longer going to be allowed at certain places and the thousands of us that have this form of BC/BS are going to be out in the cold and looking for new doctors. It's a long big mess! Anyhow, I have a feeling I'm going to have to find a new "fill" place and wondered if anyone had to do this and how difficult it is to find another doctor to take over? Just curious

My PCP told me I'd have to check my thyroid level more often after surgery bc sometimes thyroid medication isn't absorbed as well after bariatric surgery. Luckily for me, so far my levels have stayed the same and my dose hasn't changed. Your doctor may have to adjust your dose.

Hello everyone. My name is Jennifer. I had to complete a year long program which included a counselor, dietician, and personal trainer with exercise 3x a week before my insurance would pay for the band. Over that year I lost 42 lbs and was proud of my accomplishments, but knew I needed more help than I could give myself. I was banded on 4/7/09 in Shreveport, LA by Dr. Merriman. I do not have any Fluid in my band yet, but I have now lost about 17 lbs--totally unexpected for 6 days post op! I am still really sore in my stomach, but not too much. I am back at work. I guess im just not sure what I am feeling in my tummy yet. It seems like I get full with just a small amount of food. That feeling usually lasts for a few hours. I can only have non-chunky Soups, pudding, Jello, yogurt, and other liquids like that--all low fat and sugar free of course. I have been trying really hard to make sure I do not eat too much. I did eat a bite of chicken and a french fry a couple of days ago and had no problems getting it down after chewing it well. I felt really bad after I ate it bc I thought, "Crap, now that I know that I can get it down, I will probably overindulge in those types of foods even though I am suppossed to eat soft soups and things right now." I told my husband not to let me do that again. lol I figure if they told me to eat a certain way right now, I guess its for a reason. I guess I will learn to use my band as a tool, but right now I just feel really new at all this. I hope to continue to lose the weight fast and to gain a new healthy life. I am 6 feet tall. My highest weight ever 348 lbs. Weight at the end of the program year 313 lbs. Weight the day I was banded about 317 lbs. Current weight 300 lbs. Questions for other--- 1. Was anyone else unsure of the feelings of being full? 2. Did anyone else feel like they were just on a strict diet at first? 3. Is it unusual to lose 17 lbs in six days? 4. How long does the soreness last? Thanks for reading and good luck to others!!!

I try to drink as much as I can & I agree it would be much easier with a straw. Its so bad I'm getting horrible dry mouth at night & wake up a blue million times bc of it. Ugh!

I looooove crystal light too. Is anyone nervous about the aspartame? Sometimes i get nervous about drinking it so much. Bc of all the things ive heard

I did at a month out. I know it was tummy flu bc my kids had it. Normally I throw up loud and profusely with the sleeve and hardly Anything in my stomach I threw up very little sounds weird but I hope that's an indication because it was the best stomach flu I've ever had. Lol it was quick and much easier than normal

It has been 6 weeks since I had surgery... I can eat anything except fried eggs and toast... I hear about a lot of ppl having problems with salad and past and so on.. is it bc I am not filled good yet or what? And also has anyone had the problem of tasting their fills.. I always wonder why I should taste them if they are going through a tube...lol

Are you patient enough? If it would be covered on my insurance I might jump through the hoops but I think it might be worth the money to to mexico to avoid all the bs.

I do have a family history - grandmother died of BC at 51, mother diagnosed at 51 - still alive at 74. Mine was a Stage 2(solely due to size) ER PR Negative, Her2 positive, no node involvement. I had lumpectomy, raditation and chemo(the Red Devil). Just got back from NYC(Weill Cornell) and am cautiously optimist, but ditto on the Why Me? Why Again! Thanks for your kind words.

I am going through the same. I was banded jan 2011 and had a port replacemn this past sat May 18th. My doctor wasnt giving me pain pills but i started crying in recovery. The pain when bending is excruchiating. I begged and got pain pills. They say this is such a simple surgery but it deff is not. I was told that the surgery ran an extra 30 mins bc I gained my weight back directly over the port and he really had to manipulate through fat and muscle just to find and remove the original port. I am extremly swollen. My first apt for a checkup in this Thursday. I am still very hungry but I know I will not get a fill bc I am to swollen for him to even reach the port withoit casueing me discomfort. I wish you the best of luck. Call your doctor and demand those meds. I'm right here with you....it's not painless.

I was sleeved on the 15th, too, and have struggled with the same feelings this weekend. I know it's not "real" hunger bc once I distract myself (reading, movie, go outside, call a friend), it goes away, but MAN they're powerful feelings! I had a little crying tantrum today bc I felt so hungry! My husband was so sweet and encouraging and kept reminding me that this next few weeks is the worst and it'll get better. I'm so glad we all have each other! Can you imagine doing this alone?!?!

I'm on day four also I don't have the urge to eat bc my shakes make me so sick and nauseous!!! Have you tried chipped ice? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Well the very first time I remember it was with eggs. Which I thought was weird bc the first time I had eggs it went fine. I tried them again and it still didn't work out so I've given up on eggs. It might just be some things don't agree with me or it might be I'm eating too fast. Or it might be the reintroduction of foods. I'm not entirely certain, I just know I can't survive on mashed potatoes, nor do I want to. I like mashed potatoes, but they're quite boring after a while. I try to chew everything to mush at all times. Sometimes I just think it doesn't matter and my sleeve is temperamental. It absolutely does not like cold food that's meant to be hot for instance.