B-52

Guard up! No way...this is my favorite time of year...can't wait. The band has given me a new lifestyle...I eat very little as compared to my old self, and what I do eat I make the best choices I can. So for the holidays, all those office parties, family get togethers, my choices will be a little different than a regular day. And the band will still be the band which means no matter what, I will not be over eating, just making different food choices. Not to mention, there are foods I will never eat...so that leaves out Cookies, cakes, pastries, etc....everything flour based. Then I'll do what most people do...head to the gym and run it of!!! And since I'll have some extra days off, that means extra time at the gym.... Thank heaven for the Lap band!!! It saves me from my old self!

The band is the band is the band...no matter what the day or occasion.... Knowing I will be able to eat so little, I will make it a point to have a taste of everything there...just for the love of it! Whereas everyone's plate will be piled high, a real belly buster of a day....those are just memories for me. I am not a calories counter, just make sure I eat the best, healthiest foods I can....not blow my opportunity on junk... but this is one of the days of the year even that goes out the window....especially the home made Desserts.... And of course, I'll be at the gym first thing in the morning before, and the day after.

As a lap bander.....Don't know what it is, exactly, I would say it is tied to the Brain somehow,,,,but I just have no interest in food, and no desire to eat...I can take it or leave it.... And if I do get a rare craving, desire...one or two bites and I realize I really didn't want it in the first place and throw it out. Has nothing to do with sickness, etc, it's just a "State of Mind" In the early stages, it started with my "tastes" for food dramatically changing.....food just did jot taste the same. Also, I have never had this "Feeling Full" thing many other Lap Banders talk about. When I eat a meal, there comes a moment when I just don't want to continue. I'm like the little boy playing with his vegetables at the dinner table....just don't want to do it. I have my theories as to why, but they are just that...my theories and do not fit into any of the research listed by the OP. Will have to admit, I Love it!!!! My problem was uncontrolled eating, and cravings all day long....and all that is now behind me regardless where I'm at, a family get together, vacations, parties, does that matter. I don't need strategies to cope with things like Halloween candy, upcoming holidays, etc.

I weigh every day, sometimes a 2nd time at the gym...and each time brings a feeling of satisfaction and victory...and a assurance due to the fact I have NOT gained any weight in almost 4 years now.....only lost and then leveled out at a healthy place. LOVE IT!!!!!! HOWEVER....before my surgery, I was too embarrassed and also did not want to face the music....so I avoided the scale. People ask me what was my highest weight before surgery, and I honestly cannot answer because I knew it was bad...so never weighed myself... But today, I can't pass one buy without getting on it!!!

I only know what I experience personally, everyday.... I checked your profile...I did not see you Weight Loss history there....please update.

"no active processes" in the brain??? I was told that my whole life by people who were not Dr.'s and didn't need an MRI to prove it....

Does anything happen when you tilt your head back and look straight up for a few moments? As if you were changing a light bulb on the ceiling?

I personally do not care that much what the scale says, and BMI's are very unscientific.... Every month or so I pay a Fee to have a complete Body analysis done, primarily concerned about my Body Fat % Index.... It was due to high fat % that was the root cause of my Coronary Artery Disease, Heart attack, and Circulation problems in my extremities and carotid arteries causing dizziness when bending over or looking straight up......high risk of strokes, waiting to happen.... If I were to follow the scale and BMI charts, I am still categorized as "Overweight"....but my Body Fat % is well within normal limits, actually in the "Fit" range.... So the excess weight is not fat, but Muscle. To loose any additional weight would not be healthy, and perhaps dangerous...even though the scale says I should. And all my medical issues have been reversed....

Too much common sense around here!

My Neice and her friends are really into this...they travel to event all over...she has been trying to get me to do it....MAYBE...we'll see.

True...unfortunately there are people who will argue with the "Life Experiences which are more fact based"....it happens here on this forum all the time.....maybe people just refuse something could possibly be true....or they don't like their views being challenged by other peoples even if it is fact based upon personal experiences with successful outcomes....

I can say firsthand, in healthcare, the more responsibility you give a patient the higher the chances of non-compliance..... I'm not speaking about WLS, but in my field we attempt to make things as "Idiot Proof" as possible.....tamper proof, permanent, etc. After seeing patients all day, having ONE who comes in and clearly is involved and plays their part makes your day...the entire staff feels good...because the others just make you roll your eyes..... I work primarily in pediatrics, so it is the Parents who we are dealing with when it comes to the child's care.....there are parents who are very involved, listen intently to everything you say, ask questions, and when they come for a follow up appointment you can plainly see your instructions were carried out....and then there are parents who can't take responsibility for themselves let alone making sure their child.....they act as though they are too busy, not enough time...and they feel it is YOUR job to do it...that's what they're paying you for, right? Maybe the word I'm looking for is "Lazy" I can understand, as it is a known fact, that when you give a patient control over their prescribed plan, you can only hope..... I'll be honest, I've done this long enough that I can size someone up at the first meeting and know our work is cut out for us.....the term used is someone is "High Maintenance" Lap band surgery success relies entirely on patient compliance.....and if a particular Dr. has had many non-compliant patients, it is enough to pull your hair out. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink.....this is one of the main reasons for the pre-op Physc eval.... All one has to do is read this forum enough to see there are as many different approaches, philosophies, theories as to how to be successful with the band as there are stars.....I read things all the time and scratch my head "where on earth did they learn that"?....as I'm sure people say about my success story. But I keep my mouth shut and yet read everyday about people's failures, frustrations, and sadly totall regret to ever having this surgery. Sad....but there are many "High Maintenance" people here..... Sometimes, it is easier to keep it cut and dried, black and white, it is what it is, take away the adjustability with as little patient control as possible.....

I quess everyone is different....aside from the first 6 months to maybe a year, it was tough...downright hell.... But now it is easy breezy....I may have desires and cravings, but the band is there to prevent me from doing something stupid....but then I'm very rarely hungry.. Green Zone says "Not Hungry", "Portion Control", "Steady Weight loss" resulting in "Patient Satisfaction"......for me, it does not get any easier than that....what more do I need to do? Granted, not everyone gets there...I have my opinions why, but that is all they are...Opinions so I'll not say..... All one has to do is scan through the posts on this website and you can see how many people are frustrated everyday.... So yes, telling people it is "easy breezy" is not sincere or accurate because many people will not experience it..... When I first started this journey, my Surgeon showed me the "Yellow-Green-Red" chart, and he said THIS is where our goal is....this is what I want for you....and I never doubted him and that was always my goal...... I am also glad I did not find this website till AFTER I had my surgery...otherwise I'm not sure where I would be today....too many mixed signals, too easy to get confused as opposed to a single source and goal.... But then, that's just me and my experience with the band.