So, I am just over a month post-op and am due for my first fill on Monday! Thank God!! I have minimal if any restriction and am only down a couple of pounds since surgery. I can't wait to experience true "restriction." How many cc's did you 4cc Bandsters get on your first fill?

Also, I havent told many people about my LapBand but my co-workers are aware. BIG mistake!!!! Last weekend I ate a mini-candybar that one of the drug reps brought in and was told by a c0-worker that my eating habits havent changed at all! WELL......1st- YES they have! 2nd- I am human, I didnt gain this weight overnight and I won't lose it overnight (unfortunately). I will make mistakes...I need to think about everything that goes into my mouth.....I don't have Bad foods at home....but at work there are temptations and occasionally they will beat me!

How did you deal with the criticisms? I was very hurt......mad.....and defeated. This gal happens to be a friend of mine. I know she meant well, but ouch...

God I cant wait until Monday!!!!!!

I don't tell people at work because of exactly that. I've gotten to the point where I also can't trust myself to hold my tongue. I'm not going to take comments about what I eat and not respond with questions like "Are you sure that alcohol fueled orgy you told everyone about was good for your health". "Has the doctor checked your liver lately becuase with your level of drinking I'm sure it's got problems."

People should mind there own business! Very rarely do people say things because they want to be helpful. They say it to be superior.

WOW

I don't tell people at work because of exactly that. I've gotten to the point where I also can't trust myself to hold my tongue. I'm not going to take comments about what I eat and not respond with questions like "Are you sure that alcohol fueled orgy you told everyone about was good for your health". "Has the doctor checked your liver lately becuase with your level of drinking I'm sure it's got problems."

People should mind there own business! Very rarely do people say things because they want to be helpful. They say it to be superior.

WOW are these people your friends???? If so doesn't sound like you like them very much. I guess my attitude would be I will show you I can change my behavior . Tit for Tat just drags you down..Focus on yourself and let the rest go, the only one you can change is you anyway.

I understand all of your points of view, but I've told EVERYONE! I was and still am super excited about my surgery, and finally getting the weight off after being overweight my entire life. Also, I WANTED to be held more accountable because this surgery is my last hope. No one has said anything to me about me not supposed to have something because very few foods are "worth" me eating. food has to meet certain criteria for me these days . I'm almost 6 weeks post op, and down 26 pounds. I so psyched! I have my first fill next week!

I wish you all tons of luck and will power on this journey. It's going to be hard, but it's also going to be worth it!!!

Sent from my MB865 using LapBandTalk

I told everyone if they asked how I was losing weight. Everyone was very positive

Over the past 6 years I posted several times about my "Egg Timer Distraction" trick... it's how I dealt with head hunger in the evening and using an egg timer... it's kind of hard to explain. My doctor recommend when I was banded and I started using it around my 8th week when I started to feel hungry in the late evening.

I just sent it to 3 people when I was in the chatroom tonight.

Also, when I was at my monthly lapband coffee group this past week 2 people came up to me that had fallen off the "band wagon" 2 months ago... and they both tired the ETD trick for a month... 1 person was down 11 lbs the other 9 lbs.

If anyone would like a copy of this document please feel free to send me an e-mail and I will send you the .pdf file.

In the subject line of the e-mail please put Egg Timer Distraction.

When I was losing I found this to be great little "trick" also I check in EVERY month with my family doctor to get weighed and measured. I also attended monthly coffee groups for people that were banded.

I still get weighed in every month with my family doctor (I don't own scales) and I host 2 coffee groups a month. Both these things keep me motivated and on track.

Tom, Toronto

Banded July 6 06

Wt. Loss: 156 lbs

tomander@bell.net

Started with a 54" waist now 32"

I also tell anyone who specifically asks me how i lost the weight about the surgery - everyone at work knows - but here's the thing - i did that on purpose specifically because i know myself very well and would never want anyone to give me a look let alone say something to me about eating something wrong - so it's like my own private insurance policy - i KNOW i will not eat anything "wrong" in front of others because i KNOW i can't stand looks/comments. It's worked perfectly and 135+ pounds in just over a year later - i know it was the right approach for me.

I have told everyone (I too am a nurse). I use this analogy with my one negative Nellie. "You take medications for hypertension, meds for type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis those mess are a tool". " I have none of those health problems so to prevent them I am using this tool, explain to me why this is not reasonable"?

The people I was working with would genuinely be concerned with me if I was sick. So being out of the office for a couple of days would have been noticable. I told people that I trusted, not people I didn't. If word got around, oh flippin well. I ate healthier than most of them any way. For me, my band is about helping with portion control. I was eating pretty darn healthy any way. Don't get me wrong, I love the occasional cheeseburger but who doesn't?

No one ever said anything to me about "should you be eating that?" because I would say something right back about what they do. I agree with a previous post about people need to tend to themselves instead of you. We as (what I'm going to call us, if you take offense sorry) "food Aholics" (FAs) don't need to be chastised for any small misstep we may have. We FAs chastise ourselves enough and don't need others making us feel worse. The main difference between FAs and alcoholics and drug addicts is that you have to eat in order to live. We can't just abstain from alcohol or illicit substances. In order to live, your body needs fuel. Pretty soon we'll be told we can live on the nutrients in the air alone. Everything is bad for you, regardless of what it is. It's all bs, in my opinion.

If you know in your heart that you have made some positive changes in your eating habits then $crew the rest of them. If you start doubting yourself, I recommend a food diary. Sucks to record everything but it shows proof of what you are doing to you.

can I ask why they put in a 4cc band and where you had your surgery? I was also banded in Mexico by Ortiz with the 11cc johnson and johnson band. I've heard there are a lot of complications with the 4cc

My surgeon has more experience than most American surgeons. He uses the 4cc bands because statistics show a lack of complications. It is true that the 4cc band does have a bad rap, however. As with any product, when there are newer models on the market, the older ones start to "phase" out & in order to sell the newer models the old ones have more "complications." I trust my surgeon, and my band.