To Blunt....

[SoCalKid]

I got several emails from forum members thinking "SoCalKid" was a little too blunt. What he wrote was from his perspective and most of it is true. The only parts I think I could disagree on, is he writes that the band won't be effective the first 6 months. A lot of patients will have good restriction from the beginning or right after their first fills. I admit, at the beginning there is a eating learning curve, many will experience what "Babe" went through. Also, the part of eating all you want and the band will dictate what you can do. Eating till you PB is a dangerous game, this is where patients will get into trouble with slippage and other complications. The band is only a tool, you need to learn to come to a soft stop when eating, not the hard stops with PBing. I have also noticed from this forum is that the patients that have success from the beginning, we hardly ever hear from. The quote that's posted the most is" Remember, everyone is different". The "SoCalKid" has a good quote in his post, "Remember, don't panic and be patient"

I would agree with Dolittle - To blunt perhaps. Here is what I was trying to say. I noticed that when I stopped analyzing the entire weight program I was on (which was very difficult to do) and allowed for my body to tell me when I had eaten too much (PBing, food coming back up, etc), I had a much better experience. When I concentrated on life, family, work, friends and all we do, the band began to work and it took me about 6 months to become who I was pre-band but with a different approach to caloric intake. It was frustrating at first but now it's great. I have been banded now for a year and have lost my weight. I feel good, strong, energetic, excited, thin (in my eyes) and most of all, healthy. Now I enter the next stage and this will be to maintain my healthy ways. My new weight will be a bi-product of my new habits, all most automatically. No scale needed hopefully.

My advice (for whatever it may be worth frankly) – Try and transition from the daily grind of the constant evaluation of the weight program and allow the band to do its job. Live your life with your added new habits (exercise, eating well, etc.) If it isn’t working, tighten it down until it does. This is when I began to see great results and I wasn’t on the scale four times a day.

Life is good – Challenging but good – and yes, I can be to blunt.

Socal Kid

[Jnlebean]

Thanks for the post! I know I sometimes can skip words and explanations in my head when I'm typing and I to can sounds rude, blunt or not all there!! LOL, I know it makes since in my head but might not in text. I have learned to take everything people write on here with a grain of salt, and a not to take what they say as a specific quote but rather a generalization.

Again thank you for the post!

Jenelle

[crazycoolbutterfly]

To blunt or not to blunt? That is the question! HAHAHA LOL !!! Frankly SoCalKid I've personally never had a problem with your posts. I too agree with Jnlebean, you take what you want from this forum and leave the rest. It's a matter of opinion, it's a matter of advice, it's a matter of fact according to the individual person's experience. That's pretty much it, nothing more and nothing less. Some people sometimes forget that and take it personally or feel offended. And frankly, that's their problem. Not yours.

According to webster.com ADVICE is a "recommendation regarding a decision or course of conduct"; and, BLUNT is "being straight to the point".

Personally, I rather have straight to the point recommendations from an experienced perspective, instead of BS! And at MY discretion, I will decipher and accept or reject. Now that's my opinion, take or leave it. I won't be offended. Been there, done that!

=D> Also, CONGRATS on your weightloss and new views of "before, during, and after-weight-loss" life. Please continue to post your advice, it is worth while. And I must agree LIFE IS GOOD !!! =D>

[SoCalKid]

To blunt or not to blunt? That is the question! HAHAHA LOL !!! Frankly SoCalKid I've personally never had a problem with your posts. I too agree with Jnlebean, you take what you want from this forum and leave the rest. It's a matter of opinion, it's a matter of advice, it's a matter of fact according to the individual person's experience. That's pretty much it, nothing more and nothing less. Some people sometimes forget that and take it personally or feel offended. And frankly, that's their problem. Not yours.

According to webster.com ADVICE is a "recommendation regarding a decision or course of conduct"; and, BLUNT is "being straight to the point".

Personally, I rather have straight to the point recommendations from an experienced perspective, instead of BS! And at MY discretion, I will decipher and accept or reject. Now that's my opinion, take or leave it. I won't be offended. Been there, done that!

=D> Also, CONGRATS on your weightloss and new views of "before, during, and after-weight-loss" life. Please continue to post your advice, it is worth while. And I must agree LIFE IS GOOD !!! =D>

Thanks Crazy - I think we both need a class in "compassion"! I may take my band and move it north (around my mouth). Congrats on your success - This is not an easy deal. Wow - See, I'm already getting better!!!! Really though - Well done...

Socalkid - Feelin it

[MyNewLife]

Thanks Crazy - I think we both need a class in "compassion"! I may take my band and move it north (around my mouth). Congrats on your success - This is not an easy deal. Wow - See, I'm already getting better!!!! Really though - Well done...

Socalkid - Feelin it

SocailKid,

Wow I could not agree with you more. I had lunch with a friend of mine that was banded two years ago and is a size 4 now. I have been getting so frustrated, today is 4months for me! I have decided I HATE SCALES. I was weighing everytday, then twice a week and then once a week. My friend told me to stop EVERYTHING that I was doing and to live, just live life. She told me that I have now went from being obessed with food, I am now obessed with scales, protein, fiber, weights, walking, everthing I do or say is about this band. She could have not been so correct. I think I thought ok. I have the band, the weight is going to fall off, wow was I WRONG! The more I was wrong the more obessed with doing everthing correct the more discouraged I was getting because I was doing everthing correct and the weight was still not falling off. I hope that makes since, feel like I am rambling. I have decided to live, just live life. Keep eating the correct food with my exercise but just live. This has been for the past week or two. Well guess what. I went for my third fill yesterday and am happy to report I had lost 9 lbs of fat and gained 3 pounds of muscle since my last fill a little over a month ago.

Carrie