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need some positve or motivating encouragement



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Its been a long jurney. Tomorrow i will get my surgery date and i feel cold feet coming on!!!! So, i went to the site and googled some questions... everything i read was negative. Ughhhh not what i wanted to hear. I know im ready to make the changes and commitment. Im most scarred of throwing up daily, not being able to eat with others, not loosing any weight all (i read a few stories where people said they never lost weight),etc... Can anyone share a positive expereince?

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First, breath :)

I'm going to try to ease your fears one by one:

Vomiting- If you're vomiting, something is seriously wrong. You should never ever vomit with the band. I've never vomited and if I did, I'd be in seeing my surgeon immediately.

Eating with others- there is no reason you can't eat with others. I can still eat whatever I want, I just choose to eat healthy and much smaller portions. I cook and eat family dinners almost every night, I eat out a lot, and I even take road trips with my family. I never feel deprived or left out.

Losing weight- Aside from a medical problem, if you're burning more calories than you consume you will lose weight. Simple as that. If someone is complaining they never lost weight after being banded then they've done something seriously wrong. Unfortunately that does happen, too. The band is a tool, not a magic fix for fat.

I've lost over 180 pounds since my surgery last January. I'm living proof that if you follow the rules and do the work, you can and will lose weight successfully with the band.

Best wishes.

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I was banded 9 months ago and I have not vomited once since my surgery. You will be fine. Take small bites, and chew chew chew. Your band will tell you when it's time to stop.

The first few months are difficult because you feel like an infant learning to eat again for the first time. You are experimenting with different textures, tastes, and amounts, to see what works for you. Once you hit the green zone and get comfortable eating, it is better.

If you follow the band principles, listen to your doctor, stay positive and work hard... there's no reason you can't succeed!!

We are all here to support you and cheer you on. All the best on surgery day. Post afterwards to let us know how it went. :)

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I do not vomit... I eat with people on a daily basis and I have lost 220 lbs in less than 2 years.

My band life is exactly like my pre band life except I make good food choices, track calories, measure portions and go to the dr on a regular basis for him to measure my progress and get the fills I need to keep me honest.

Its a commitment and lifestyle change as the band only does 70% of the work. You may be reading posts from people who were not willing to do their 30%!!

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Floridays &. Missy ! You two are the best on this forum and always-always lift my spirits and make me stay on track!! I finally started exercising reg and am excited to keep this going. Also Jan 28th will be 2 Mos for me and I am down 30....hope to have another fill in the next 2 weeks and hi that elusive green spot!!

Ps. U both look great !!

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Daisy chain sorry I haven't seen a lot of your posts but you seem to have good advice for us newbies too....thanks!

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I agree with Missy & Floridays, I have not vomited, I eat with others only less and I have no restriction yet, but still losing weight.

Some ppl think their band has to be so tight that they do vomit a lot and end up gaining weight from eating high calorie slider foods.

Some ppl do not changd their lifestyle. They thought this was a magic WLS, its not. It takes commitment.

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It was absolutely the best thing I did for my life and my daughter did it too. We are truly enjoying the results. This is so beneficial. We have not vomited or had any complications. I wish you all the best.

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I'm 4 weeks post op...I have never thrown up and two days ago went out to dinner with my cousin who I haven't seen in 15 years and who doesn't know I had the surgery and I ate slowly small bites with no problems whatsoever. I have also lost just over 30 pounds. I have had nothing but good results with my band. Remember everyone's different and just because some people have problems doesn't mean you will. If you follow your drs instruction it should be relatively smooth sailing. If your committed, I say do it!!! It'll change your life for the better. Good luck!!!

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Msseven MIssy, Foridays & everyone else here are right. Vomiting is not normal with the band. I don't vomit & if I did I would be calling my doctor.

As for eating with others, Yes I went through an adjustment period. It was more facing my fears than anything. I was afraid people would be staring at me, afraid I would eat too fast and have problems. One tool that helps me when I'm eating out or with a group of people that don't know about my band is a free app I have on my phone called Eat Slower. Basically it's a continuous timer that can be on sound, vibrate or both. So I set it for 1 minute on vibrate & put my phone on my leg under the table. I feel it vibrate & I know it's safe to take another bit.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you.

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Msseven MIssy' date=' Foridays & everyone else here are right. Vomiting is not normal with the band. I don't vomit & if I did I would be calling my doctor.

As for eating with others, Yes I went through an adjustment period. It was more facing my fears than anything. I was afraid people would be staring at me, afraid I would eat too fast and have problems. One tool that helps me when I'm eating out or with a group of people that don't know about my band is a free app I have on my phone called Eat Slower. Basically it's a continuous timer that can be on sound, vibrate or both. So I set it for 1 minute on vibrate & put my phone on my leg under the table. I feel it vibrate & I know it's safe to take another bit.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you.[/quote']

I downloaded this app. Great idea!!! Can't wait till I'm back on solid foods so I can test is out!!!

I'm a Texas girl too!

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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