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Let's be realistic, folks~



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Hi everyone,

I haven't been on this site too long... and I've only been banded for a week. But I've been seeing a trend on this site along with most of the other WLS support sites and I just wanted to make a post.

I'm not aiming this post at anyone, instead, I think creating this thread will hopefully show that I'm just venting my opinions. Agree or disagree...the choice is yours and will be respected.

First of all, there is a common string that binds ALL of us here, banded or not. All of us have fought with weight issues for several years and have elected to go on with this surgery as a last ditch effort to better our lives. Having said that, there are lots of 'cliquey' behavior that isolate those who haven't yet been banded or those that may have been banded for awhile. With this being a support site, I think it is important to value opinions and thoughts of everyone.

Secondly, I think there abounds a great deal of irrational and unrealistic goals and expectations coming from lots of members. Weight loss, in its core, is simple. Everyone knows this. You use more than you eat and your body will naturally go into a catabolic mode and burn fat as the energy source. Being an ex-Marine, it is difficult for me to understand (and more importantly sympathize) why some people are so baffled that they are not losing weight, while knowingly disobeying the most important rules for diet with the Lap Band.

This leads to various topics that I've seen regarding RATE of weight loss. There are members concerned that they are not 'losing weight fast enough'.

What does that even mean?

A wrestling trainer can get any of us on this site to drop 5 pounds in the next two hours with a sweat suit and a sauna. Does this mean anything?

If you've lost 30 pounds during your pre-op diet and the first couple weeks after surgery...most of that 30 pounds is Water. I'm really sorry to disappoint you there.

Are we here to lose WEIGHT or are we here to lose FAT? PLEASE ASK YOURSELVES THIS!

Experts agree that it takes 3500 Calories to gain or lose one pound of BODY FAT. This is why health professionals say that healthy weight loss is rated at one to two pounds lost per week. If you decrease your intake (or increase your output) by 500 Calories per day, that's one pound of body fat per week.

But through this brilliant medical intervention, we are able to further our intake limitations. Let's take the typical 2000 Calorie per day diet for an 'average' human being. If the band allows you to decrease your food intake and you eat only a 1000 Calories a day... your body is at a 1000 Calorie per day deficit. Simple math dictates that you'd have a weight loss rate of 2 pounds of body fat per week.

Are you a bit more realistic in your expectations now?

The problem here is that at 1000 Calorie per day diet, your body is again at a catabolic state. Of course you lose fat..but you start losing your lean body mass as well. So that 2 pounds of body fat...isn't all body fat. To prevent this... doctors suggest that you maintain about 1200 to 1500 Calorie diet with plenty of Protein, along with some weight lifting exercises.

Trust me (especially you ladies)... you won't look like Arnold the ex-governator. If it were so easy to bulk up in muscle... most of us wouldn't be here anyhow. Putting in weight lifting into your workout regimen will burn the FAT faster and longer.

So let's be realistic, folks...

Strive for ONE pound of body fat per week. No more, no less. The whole point of this surgery is to get all of us healthier. If you starve yourself and lose 100,000 pounds and become one of the Olsen twins... you're still in trouble. Health troubles exist on both ends of the spectrum.

If you've got 100+ pounds of excess body fat. Give yourself at least 2 years to do this.

If you've got 50 pounds.... do it in a year.

No one told you that will be the cure-all. EVERYONE told you that you'll still have to work your ass off to lose weight.

I know...I know...you hear of people losing 100+ pounds in a year. Yes, it's still possible. But then again..it's POSSIBLE for ALL of us to lose all the weight WITHOUT the band. I'm just saying... let's be realistic.

And please.... GET RID OF YOUR WEIGHT SCALES!!!

Your weight displayed on your scales is NO indication of your weight loss. Like I said... I can get you to drop 5 pounds in two hours. Instead... I think we should be more focused on NON-scale VICTORIES. Things like:

  • decrease in dress/ pants size
  • increase in amount of activity, energy
  • decrease (or increase) in diameter of certain body parts

Lastly, I want to say that I've never been the one to 'baby' someone. At only 25 years old, I've gone through things that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy and it's stiffened me up to face life and face reality. I'll go ahead and apologize if my posts or remarks seem negative or discouraging.. but that's not my intent. I've lost sensation and movement in over 75% of my body... I can't pee or poo within my control.... and I'll never be able to dance at my future wedding or lift my future newborn baby off the floor. But I still love life and I still enjoy it. I wouldn't have been able to do it without dusting off the 'trivialities' of life.

So let's live people. I know things are hard for you...but trust me... those same things are harder for me.

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Thanks for your post. I have gained a lot of information. My band only helps me to accomplish my weight loss goals. There is a lot i have to do on my own, like watching what i place in my mouth and Walk daily. I also limit my carbs and calories. I did all of that before i had the band and lost weight. So what difference has my band made? " I have stayed on tract the longest i can remember. Thanks again and all the best.

Hi everyone,

I haven't been on this site too long... and I've only been banded for a week. But I've been seeing a trend on this site along with most of the other WLS support sites and I just wanted to make a post.

I'm not aiming this post at anyone, instead, I think creating this thread will hopefully show that I'm just venting my opinions. Agree or disagree...the choice is yours and will be respected.

First of all, there is a common string that binds ALL of us here, banded or not. All of us have fought with weight issues for several years and have elected to go on with this surgery as a last ditch effort to better our lives. Having said that, there are lots of 'cliquey' behavior that isolate those who haven't yet been banded or those that may have been banded for awhile. With this being a support site, I think it is important to value opinions and thoughts of everyone.

Secondly, I think there abounds a great deal of irrational and unrealistic goals and expectations coming from lots of members. Weight loss, in its core, is simple. Everyone knows this. You use more than you eat and your body will naturally go into a catabolic mode and burn fat as the energy source. Being an ex-Marine, it is difficult for me to understand (and more importantly sympathize) why some people are so baffled that they are not losing weight, while knowingly disobeying the most important rules for diet with the Lap Band.

This leads to various topics that I've seen regarding RATE of weight loss. There are members concerned that they are not 'losing weight fast enough'.

What does that even mean?

A wrestling trainer can get any of us on this site to drop 5 pounds in the next two hours with a sweat suit and a sauna. Does this mean anything?

If you've lost 30 pounds during your pre-op diet and the first couple weeks after surgery...most of that 30 pounds is Water. I'm really sorry to disappoint you there.

Are we here to lose WEIGHT or are we here to lose FAT? PLEASE ASK YOURSELVES THIS!

Experts agree that it takes 3500 Calories to gain or lose one pound of BODY FAT. This is why health professionals say that healthy weight loss is rated at one to two pounds lost per week. If you decrease your intake (or increase your output) by 500 Calories per day, that's one pound of body fat per week.

But through this brilliant medical intervention, we are able to further our intake limitations. Let's take the typical 2000 Calorie per day diet for an 'average' human being. If the band allows you to decrease your food intake and you eat only a 1000 Calories a day... your body is at a 1000 Calorie per day deficit. Simple math dictates that you'd have a weight loss rate of 2 pounds of body fat per week.

Are you a bit more realistic in your expectations now?

The problem here is that at 1000 Calorie per day diet, your body is again at a catabolic state. Of course you lose fat..but you start losing your lean body mass as well. So that 2 pounds of body fat...isn't all body fat. To prevent this... doctors suggest that you maintain about 1200 to 1500 Calorie diet with plenty of Protein, along with some weight lifting exercises.

Trust me (especially you ladies)... you won't look like Arnold the ex-governator. If it were so easy to bulk up in muscle... most of us wouldn't be here anyhow. Putting in weight lifting into your workout regimen will burn the FAT faster and longer.

So let's be realistic, folks...

Strive for ONE pound of body fat per week. No more, no less. The whole point of this surgery is to get all of us healthier. If you starve yourself and lose 100,000 pounds and become one of the Olsen twins... you're still in trouble. Health troubles exist on both ends of the spectrum.

If you've got 100+ pounds of excess body fat. Give yourself at least 2 years to do this.

If you've got 50 pounds.... do it in a year.

No one told you that will be the cure-all. EVERYONE told you that you'll still have to work your ass off to lose weight.

I know...I know...you hear of people losing 100+ pounds in a year. Yes, it's still possible. But then again..it's POSSIBLE for ALL of us to lose all the weight WITHOUT the band. I'm just saying... let's be realistic.

And please.... GET RID OF YOUR WEIGHT SCALES!!!

Your weight displayed on your scales is NO indication of your weight loss. Like I said... I can get you to drop 5 pounds in two hours. Instead... I think we should be more focused on NON-scale VICTORIES. Things like:

  • decrease in dress/ pants size
  • increase in amount of activity, energy
  • decrease (or increase) in diameter of certain body parts

Lastly, I want to say that I've never been the one to 'baby' someone. At only 25 years old, I've gone through things that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy and it's stiffened me up to face life and face reality. I'll go ahead and apologize if my posts or remarks seem negative or discouraging.. but that's not my intent. I've lost sensation and movement in over 75% of my body... I can't pee or poo within my control.... and I'll never be able to dance at my future wedding or lift my future newborn baby off the floor. But I still love life and I still enjoy it. I wouldn't have been able to do it without dusting off the 'trivialities' of life.

So let's live people. I know things are hard for you...but trust me... those same things are harder for me.

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Thank you for this post. I have a friend who got bariatric surgery (a stomach stapling) when it was still experimental, and he has maintained a 200 pound weightloss for many years, and is now a fire lieutenant. His greatest advice to me was "This is not a miracle, it's a tool; and if you do what you're supposed to do and work hard, then you'll lose weight. Listen to what your surgeon tells you to do." I really agree with what you said.

I also read the post from the person who mentioned that some doctors have poor post-op instructions, etc. I can definitely understand that, and I certainly don't blame someone because they trust a doctor and do what that doctor says to do...

But I do have to say that didn't they look into the records of those doctors? Research? Ask the doctors questions? Did they not compare doctors? I shopped around for doctors for over 2 years before going with my doctor, and I researched as much as I possibly could about what to expect with that surgery. I guess to me, that seems like it's part of the weight loss work too.

Please don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to be harsh, and I know that there is an expectation that we should trust our doctors; but knowledge is power. I guess I've always been the type to try to learn as much as I possibly can before jumping in with both feet.

I am sure that everyone who gets banded knows what a huge and life changing decision this was; and I know in my case, I wanted to be sure that I got it done right by someone who knows their stuff.

To the original poster, thank you again for your realistic attitude. It is encouraging.

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Welcome to the site. I am a semi regualar poster with 6 months of lap band success and 40 years of yoyo dieting successes but just as many failures to go along with it. While you make many good points.... I understand the post isn't gospel.... its just your opinion and of course you are entitled to it.

I highlighted 3 items which I tend to have a little different viewpoint . Considering your age, military and current medical situation I understand how you may have come to your conclusions however I thought some may be interested in mine.

If you've lost 30 pounds during your pre-op diet and the first couple weeks after surgery...most of that 30 pounds is Water. I'm really sorry to disappoint you there.

My response to that is so what? 30 lbs is 30 lbs. I lost 22 lbs duing the pre op liquid stage of this journey and I felt like I could do anything. It was so motivating and I could care less if it was fat, Water or muscle. It made the scale move, got me well prepared for surgery and motivated me for a lifetime of healthy eating.

Are we here to lose WEIGHT or are we here to lose FAT? PLEASE ASK YOURSELVES THIS!

As of today I have lost 92 lbs in 6 months. For the past month I am averaging 2-3 lbs per week. Is it fat? I dont know. Its weight.... Its size... its healthy and its wonderful.

GET RID OF YOUR WEIGHT SCALES!!!

No can do.... not looking at a scale after my "successes" is what contributed to my failures. That and focusing on "dieting" instead of eating healthy. Sure I lost weight on various diets but the minute I got bored or frustrated I was back to my old ways. Since the band is a lifetime commitment it will be different this time. First I will actually reach my goal and 2nd I will be able to keep the weight off with close monitoring. Getting rid of the scale would sabatoge me for sure.

The most important thing I can add is the band can do 70% of the work for you according to my Doctor.... and 6 months into it I agree. The rest is up to you!

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I highlighted 3 items which I tend to have a little different viewpoint . Considering your age, military and current medical situation I understand how you may have come to your conclusions however I thought some may be interested in mine.

Thank you for your post.

I'm glad that my post has gotten some to start discussing this topic more thoroughly.

I do, however, have a rebuttal to make on some of your points, as I think it may not be beneficial to all. Before shutting me out from your life completely, just give me a second to explain.

If you've lost 30 pounds during your pre-op diet and the first couple weeks after surgery...most of that 30 pounds is Water. I'm really sorry to disappoint you there.

My response to that is so what? 30 lbs is 30 lbs. I lost 22 lbs duing the pre op liquid stage of this journey and I felt like I could do anything. It was so motivating and I could care less if it was fat, Water or muscle. It made the scale move, got me well prepared for surgery and motivated me for a lifetime of healthy eating.

Statements like these lay the foundations of unhealthy dieting. From reading your post, I get a sense that you're doing this for your looks.... not for your health. This is 100% your prerogative and I am in no position to argue with or criticize you. However, because this is a public site for others to read and educate themselves, I feel that this type of discussion may not be well suited, as it points the purpose of the LAGB to physical appearance, not health.

I'm happy you lost pre-op weight. In my post, I've made NO judgment on pre-op weight loss because at that stage, you're still losing a lot of water weight and your body is not yet at a critical catabolic state. I'm glad it motivated you to a lifetime of healthy eating.

However, your next statement confused me further...

As of today I have lost 92 lbs in 6 months. For the past month I am averaging 2-3 lbs per week. Is it fat? I dont know. Its weight.... Its size... its healthy and its wonderful.

It's weight...it's size...it's healthy?? I don't agree with this 100%. You've made great strides and your results encourage a lot of people...myself included. However, my point wasn't that fast weight loss wasn't impossible. My point was that we should be careful that fast weight loss may cause problems for us further down the road.

If you wanted fast results... you could have opted for a malabsorptive procedure. You would have lost super fast.... but you do realize that the nature of the operation renders you vulnerable to malnutrition. It's ALWAYS easier to maintain than to recoup what you have lost (in terms of nutrients and lean body tissue).

All of us have different reasons for choosing the band but we chose it knowing that weight loss will be SLOWER than that of RNY or sleeve gastrectomy. But fortunately, the 5 year prognosis is similar for all of these methods.

Now.... I'm going to put you on the spot FLORIDAYS.

Who is healthier?

olsen+1101043792_7291.jpgAshley Olsen. Height: 5'3" Weight: 98lb BMI: 17.4 (tad underweight)

OR

layne-480.jpg Layne Norton. Height: 5'10" Weight: 226 lb. BMI: 32.4 (OBESE)

Well... I guess only their respective physicians can tell you how healthy they are... but my point is that ALL BODY WEIGHT IS NOT CREATED EQUAL!!!

By the way... Layne Norton is a steroid-free bodybuilder...so he's much healthier than MOST bodybuilders.

Most of us are here to lose HEALTHY weight. Looking good...fitting into skinny jeans (if you're into all that)...getting cat-called at... all of these are bonuses of healthy weight loss...and shouldn't be mistaken as the goal.

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Semper Fi!!!!! Great post. You set it straight. Now if only they will receive the message. I hope so. Because it is somewhat annoying to hear the whining all the time about the scale and how much weight they expect to lose. So many have very unrealistic expectations of the band. As someone said a while back, it's not a magic bullet. You have to work with it. It takes time. If they wanted dramatic weight loss, they should have chosen the gastric bypass or the sleeve, since they didn't then they must not have done their research into the band.

Just my humble opinion.

K

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Most of us are here to lose HEALTHY weight. Looking good...fitting into skinny jeans (if you're into all that)...getting cat-called at... all of these are bonuses of healthy weight loss...and shouldn't be mistaken as the goal.

Unfortunalty you misundestood my intention of the post. I am not losing weight to get cat calls, fit into society's idea of perfect or to be able to fit into skinny jeans. Those will be benefits. I decided to be banded to assist me to lose weight in a healthy manner so I would live longer and continue to be in good health. Thats soimething you think about when you hit 50 years old.

Of course the band will naturally assist me in the loss and provide me with a tool to keep the weight off. The latter is something I have not been able to do on my own.

I am 5'10", have a sized 10 shoe and have accepted I will never be a skinny girl. I am pear shaped and carry most of my weight from the waist down. Even at the start of this journey I had a "figure".... IE defined waist, bust......it was just a larger one!

For a minute in the 90s after a huge weight loss I was delirious in a size 10 but according to the charts still overweight at 170 lbs. But I was happy, active and healthy. The problem is that I didnt learn Portion Control or how to eat healthy so I reverted to old habits and gained it all back...plus 60 lbs.... My Dr has decided I should be 150 lbs. I have warned him that I am not sure thats a healthy weight for me.... but I promise you I will be happy to find out.

I lost my mother at 80 just 2 years ago and saw first hand how weight complicates your life as you age. I do not want nor wish to saddle myself or my loved ones with that burden. Therefor I decided to research my options. The band made the most sense and so far it completly is working the way I expected.

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First of all, there is a common string that binds ALL of us here, banded or not. All of us have fought with weight issues for several years and have elected to go on with this surgery as a last ditch effort to better our lives.

Except fpr the people who just come for the RnR forum. Yes, we have those people too. :)

there are lots of 'cliquey' behavior that isolate those who haven't yet been banded or those that may have been banded for awhile.

I honestly don't see too much clique behavior related to duration of band. I see it more related to personality types. I'm a little over 5 years out. I rarely have questions anymore. 99.9999% of what I post is to help others from my experience/knowledge/lessons learned/etc. If I do have a question, someone with a similar time out is probably going to give me a more relevant answer, so naturally that's who I'm going to seek.

What cliquey behavior do you see, if you can give specifics? (Not linking threads, just observed behaviors.) I started a thread a while ago for people 5+ years out and there was VERY different information there than what you generally find here - and it's GREAT. Support is support, but someone newly post-op, or even a year or two out isn't going to have the same qualitative answers. Using me just for example - is that something you would consider cliquey behavior, because the title of my thread might exclude people who are < 5 years out?

why some people are so baffled that they are not losing weight, while knowingly disobeying the most important rules for diet with the Lap Band.

A lot of the bafflement I've seen here tends to root cause its way to natural stalls in weightloss. Keep in mind that very few people here really understand complex body processes such as metabolism. Or even weightloss. I'd hate for someone to be following guidelines, go some period of time without losing weight (fat), and infer from your message that they must have an erosion.

I'm with you on the scale vs. fat (I've been preaaching weight vs. fat for the majority of the time I've been here... and awareness of BMR, and awareness of glycogen processes, and...), and I'm with you on the logic behind comparing weightloss rates, though I understand that comparison is our (human not bandster) fundamental mechanism for evaluating proper function of a system, and I understand that seeking benchmarks is just another aspect of comparison.

I'm not the best messageboard personality. I don't sugar coat things, I don't encourage behaviors I think are harmful, I don't fall into pity party bandwagons, and I don't tell people what they want to hear if it isn't what I really think. And I don't deal well with the warm/fuzzy aspects of things. I try to share information and objective perspectives. That combination sometimes pisses off the general messageboard population. People here tend to love me or hate me, and it usually cones down to what they're really after when they post. Don't worry too much about people taking your post as a personal attack. At least you've demonstrated some "give a ****" and a bit of emotional investment in your health & theirs. It's not a bad model to follow.

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Semper FI !

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Hi everyone,

I haven't been on this site too long... and I've only been banded for a week. But I've been seeing a trend on this site along with most of the other WLS support sites and I just wanted to make a post.

I'm not aiming this post at anyone, instead, I think creating this thread will hopefully show that I'm just venting my opinions. Agree or disagree...the choice is yours and will be respected.

First of all, there is a common string that binds ALL of us here, banded or not. All of us have fought with weight issues for several years and have elected to go on with this surgery as a last ditch effort to better our lives. Having said that, there are lots of 'cliquey' behavior that isolate those who haven't yet been banded or those that may have been banded for awhile. With this being a support site, I think it is important to value opinions and thoughts of everyone.

Secondly, I think there abounds a great deal of irrational and unrealistic goals and expectations coming from lots of members. Weight loss, in its core, is simple. Everyone knows this. You use more than you eat and your body will naturally go into a catabolic mode and burn fat as the energy source. Being an ex-Marine, it is difficult for me to understand (and more importantly sympathize) why some people are so baffled that they are not losing weight, while knowingly disobeying the most important rules for diet with the Lap Band.

This leads to various topics that I've seen regarding RATE of weight loss. There are members concerned that they are not 'losing weight fast enough'.

What does that even mean?

A wrestling trainer can get any of us on this site to drop 5 pounds in the next two hours with a sweat suit and a sauna. Does this mean anything?

If you've lost 30 pounds during your pre-op diet and the first couple weeks after surgery...most of that 30 pounds is Water. I'm really sorry to disappoint you there.

Are we here to lose WEIGHT or are we here to lose FAT? PLEASE ASK YOURSELVES THIS!

Experts agree that it takes 3500 Calories to gain or lose one pound of BODY FAT. This is why health professionals say that healthy weight loss is rated at one to two pounds lost per week. If you decrease your intake (or increase your output) by 500 Calories per day, that's one pound of body fat per week.

But through this brilliant medical intervention, we are able to further our intake limitations. Let's take the typical 2000 Calorie per day diet for an 'average' human being. If the band allows you to decrease your food intake and you eat only a 1000 Calories a day... your body is at a 1000 Calorie per day deficit. Simple math dictates that you'd have a weight loss rate of 2 pounds of body fat per week.

Are you a bit more realistic in your expectations now?

The problem here is that at 1000 Calorie per day diet, your body is again at a catabolic state. Of course you lose fat..but you start losing your lean body mass as well. So that 2 pounds of body fat...isn't all body fat. To prevent this... doctors suggest that you maintain about 1200 to 1500 Calorie diet with plenty of Protein, along with some weight lifting exercises.

Trust me (especially you ladies)... you won't look like Arnold the ex-governator. If it were so easy to bulk up in muscle... most of us wouldn't be here anyhow. Putting in weight lifting into your workout regimen will burn the FAT faster and longer.

So let's be realistic, folks...

Strive for ONE pound of body fat per week. No more, no less. The whole point of this surgery is to get all of us healthier. If you starve yourself and lose 100,000 pounds and become one of the Olsen twins... you're still in trouble. Health troubles exist on both ends of the spectrum.

If you've got 100+ pounds of excess body fat. Give yourself at least 2 years to do this.

If you've got 50 pounds.... do it in a year.

No one told you that will be the cure-all. EVERYONE told you that you'll still have to work your ass off to lose weight.

I know...I know...you hear of people losing 100+ pounds in a year. Yes, it's still possible. But then again..it's POSSIBLE for ALL of us to lose all the weight WITHOUT the band. I'm just saying... let's be realistic.

And please.... GET RID OF YOUR WEIGHT SCALES!!!

Your weight displayed on your scales is NO indication of your weight loss. Like I said... I can get you to drop 5 pounds in two hours. Instead... I think we should be more focused on NON-SCALE VICTORIES. Things like:

  • decrease in dress/ pants size
  • increase in amount of activity, energy
  • decrease (or increase) in diameter of certain body parts

Lastly, I want to say that I've never been the one to 'baby' someone. At only 25 years old, I've gone through things that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy and it's stiffened me up to face life and face reality. I'll go ahead and apologize if my posts or remarks seem negative or discouraging.. but that's not my intent. I've lost sensation and movement in over 75% of my body... I can't pee or poo within my control.... and I'll never be able to dance at my future wedding or lift my future newborn baby off the floor. But I still love life and I still enjoy it. I wouldn't have been able to do it without dusting off the 'trivialities' of life.

So let's live people. I know things are hard for you...but trust me... those same things are harder for me.

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HEAR HEAR, the lesson- it is hard work, diligence and daily death to self, and it wants. I will NOT look at others to determine how I should look or Be, but I do want to hear of every ones experiences so I am very grateful for blogs, They have saved my life, with some meds I was taking and getting bad side affects, and only because some one blogged it, I then could understand it was the meds!

Love you all for sharing. Keeping my expectations in tune with my limitations, but always pressing forward.

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I agree with part of your post.....but you have to remember not everyone here has the same motivation for losing weight. My original goal was to lose enough to get pregnant. Now that I have lost 96 pounds I like looking good. What does it matter what reason someone has for losing weight, as long as they lose weight.

Btw I am VAIN!!!!! Lol I cat call myself when I pass by a mirror! Lmao So what!

You know what else I like? I like that I can play with my 6 year old for more than 10 minutes! I like that I wear a size 12 instead of a 22! I like that I can bend over and paint my toenails! Don't have to shop at Lane Bryant! No longer the biggest girl at our military Christmas party! Oh and I love the scale now!

My point is we all have different reasons for losing weight and you cant fit us all in the same box.

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well said by u all..this is great info...

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interesting post...and i'll leave it at that!

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interesting post...and i'll leave it at that!

agree to disagree?

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      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
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    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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