Lapband

[LINDA RN]

You may want to check out LuLu Roman's testimony on YouTube.
She was very successful with the lapbad in loosing 225lbs but they said because of complications she had to have it removed....another surgery.
and now concerned about gaining it back. She at least could afford both surgeries.

[mroszczak1]

I read those message boards, their experiences are horrible and they had to pay 16,000 to be in that kinda pain. All I have to say is that is INSANE!

[MsHeirloom]

I spent some time on those boards as well.  What a public service to be able to read the accounts of others.  Although I realize that not everyone has a negative experience, that board should be required reading for informed consent for anyone contemplating having a lapband surgery.  The hype makes it seem like an easy fix.  Obviously, it is not the panacea that has been presented.  I am thankful each and every day that I committed to LDL!  Pam

[witheraway1]

Personally, my DR. told me never to have any kind of surgery unless there was no other way. I am a big chicken anyway of things like that. It's never easy to undo the damage we can do to ourselves by eating too much. Lot's of luck and the best on this one. Think it over carefully my friend...... 

[tprouty]

Hi Lisa.

Wow, you and Eddie have some serious decisions to make. I feel your frustration and pain, and just want you to know how much we are all pulling for you.

Obviously, you already know that the lapband isn't an easy fix nor a magic pill. It comes with its own serious set of complications, and the chance that the weight can be regained again if the overweight person does not deal with the underlying issues that brought on the overweight. But if one is facing the choice between life and death, the lapband could feel like a lifeline. Tough decision.

Please don't feel like your situation -- or Eddie's -- is impossible to manage with LDL -- whether you choose the lapband or not. LDL can be adapted to your lifestyle, and many people eat out for virtually all of their meals and still lose weight. Granted, they may lose it slower because they are not in 100% control of the ingredients in their food. But it can be done. If Eddie can't deal with explaining his situation to every waitress and restaurant manager along the way (I can see how that would be excruciating), perhaps you could print out a card of his basic requirements and laminate it. He would just need to hand it to the waitress. Something like:

"I need your help and encouragement. My life depends on it -- literally.
My meal requirements are:
  1. Grilled lean meat or chicken breast, with no breading or gravy
  2. Vegetables and baked potato (no butter or sour cream) instead of bread or fries
  3. Salad with (his favorite) dressing on the side
  4. Fresh fruit if possible. No sugar

A similar card could be prepared for a breakfast menu of eggs or omelet (a baked potato instead of hash browns if available, or substitute sliced tomatoes or fresh fruit or something that he likes and would eat). Even a lean grilled steak with eggs for breakfast.

You could make a whole deck of cards with menu choices like chili on baked potato, chicken caesar salad, grilled salmon or fish, and other choices common to truck stop dining. Pick a card -- any card -- and enjoy the meal. If Eddie has a regular route that he drives, or places he stops often, I would bet that many of the people who know and love him will get behind his critical need for a healthier life and be eager to offer encouragement and good choices.

Other people here have adapted LDL to all kinds of lifestyles and schedules. It is sometimes a real challenge, but it can be done.

I DO understand that when there is no one else around to be accountable to, it is so very easy to give in to temptation, habit, emotional addiction, making excuses for "just a taste" or "just this once" and so on -- things that are totally unrelated to whether I am hungry at this moment, or even if I am already physically full to the point of real discomfort. I struggle with this, too, but am determined to find the solution that works for me and keeps me accountable to myself and encourages positive LDL choices until they become my new habit and automatic lifestyle.

Your own situation is difficult, since you cook for Meals on Wheels. Have you checked out the messages from Sicilian Mama on these boards? She, too, is a professional cook who has run her own successful catering business -- and has been able to lose a lot of weight on Let's Do Lunch over the last couple of years. She will be the first to admit that she still wants to lose more, but the Let's Do Lunch way of life is really so simple and do-able and so very enjoyable and healthful, she is sticking with it for life. She doesn't post very often these days because she has taken the job of teaching healthy cooking for students at her sons' school. If you go the the "Members" link above, and search members for "Sicilian Mama" you can catch her enthusiasm and a lot of good advice. She also has a personal blog: www.eatabiglunch.blogspot.com  and I would bet that, if you can catch her attention, she would be happy to personally encourage and help you through some of your rough spots.

LDL works like no other plan because you should NEVER be hungry or feel deprived! And it is delightfully uncomplicated because you don't have to measure or weigh anything or count points or calories. The BEST part by far is that you never have to be hungry and grit your teeth and stick it out!

Please hang in there as you and Eddie work together to find choices that will bring you many years of health and happiness! Whatever choice you make, remember that you have a lot of friends here to encourage you.

Here's to learning better and better how to choose life and health, and how to be kind and true to ourselves. 

Terri

[MsHeirloom]

Terri- A very nice post.  It's good to "see" you.  Hope you will be posting more often.  Pam

[lrainbow2006]

Thank you everyone, again.  Terri, you had some very good suggestions.  All I can do is show him or tell him all these ideas and let him decide for himself.  I had a long talk with myself this morning and have recommitted myself, again... to LDL.  Eggs and beans for breakfast which kept me full until late this afternoon.  Then I made my traditional bean/veg soup which if I don't always have available in my fridge I tend to pick the wrong things to eat.
My biggest problem is I don't THINK before I put something in my mouth.  Am I really hungry?  Is it worth the weight gain?  If I can make myself slow down and make a conscious decision every single time and listen to my own stomach, literally, I think I can do well.  Easier said than done or we would all be a size 6. 
I have read some of Sicilian Mama's posts in the past and I give her alot of credit. To lose weight while being a great chef.  I will have to look up her blog too. 
Eddie has a doctors appt on May 9.  We will try to get some answers and advice from there too.
Roger, Eddie does snack on the soynuts and endamames, and he does like them.  But they do get boring, even I admit that. He is a big fruit and vegetable eater, in fact, since I have met him, I eat more salads than I have ever before in my life.  He just LOVES his meats, bbq's, steaks, pork and he is a quantity eater.  I know he eats too much of those, especially pork.  He won't give up his milk or cereal either, though we have found a good low sugar one he will eat and he only eats it a few times a week.  And whole milk too...won't touch anything else.  He is stubborn..   
He is an adult and I guess he needs to make his own mind up whether he wants to eat healthy and feel better or not.  I think I just have to let it go and hope he chooses right.  Okay..I posted long enough...thanks for reading this...  Lisa

[LINDA RN]

Lisa,
DH was able to loose the 85lbs still drinking whole milk, just not alot. The milk is fresh from the cow though (unpasturized and unhomogenized). He actually prefers the whole raw milk Kefir though whick is a cultured milk containing live probiotics. He was willing to give up the cereal. He was willing to commit to no grains other than whole corn. That I think was the secret. It was easier to say no to bread, pasta, rice and cereal because we don't eat processed grains. The last road trip we took I noticed that the convenience stores and truck stops had fresh fruit available....apples, oranges and bananas. That was a big help to me. I chose that instead of sandwiches. Even if he choses to do the surgery, could he commit to no processed grains for a while and limit sugar and nothing with HFCS in it. Just a few simple changes that he will notice immediate results. Small steps seem to be easier for some.

BTW, Terri, that was an excellent post. Great suggestions!

[crickadoodle]

Oh, Linda, I wish I could get raw milk.  I would definitely drink it.  It seems the healthiest. 

Terri, missed you!  Great post!

[LINDA RN]

The Lord blessed us with running into a Christian lady who was milking a Jersey cow. DH had been desiring fresh jersey milk for years. (His family had a jersey milk cow). The Lord has really blessed us with her. We share our free range chicken eggs with her!

[witheraway1]

Lisa, I am glad you made a decision for you. Like I said before this is a personal choice Eddie will have to decide what he wants to do for his self. Has he even read the book. It will help him in his choices if he reads it. Other wise he is only going on what you tell him, which is not good enough because you are not with him all the time. You can't always be there to hold his hand. Maybe the surgery is right for him. I don't know. He will know maybe that is not even a choice for him. I wish him the best, I know eating food can really be an addition for some. So they just have to help thereself somehow. Hard  hard hard, but can be done. I feel for him. My husband loves food and is a volumn eater, he eats like ldl says but does not loose very often because of the volumn, I know RT SAYS EATALL YOU WANT BUT IT DOES NOT WORK FOR HIM. hE has to learn to cut down. It is his choice, I have to leave him a lone. You know I am here for you and Eddie.

[CodingQueen]

Lisa,

The only advice I can give to you is this....let it go and let God deal with it. My husband and I have been married for almost 30 years. I use to get so bent out of shape because I could see where my husband was headed (he wasn't a religious man when we first married) and I was concerned like any new wife would be for her husband. I finally realized that I needed to let God deal with him.

Honey, pray about this procedure and ask God to show the two of you the way. I posted the link to give you an idea of what you might have to deal with in the future. I know there are a lot of the lapband surgeries that turn out very well but most of them turn out badly. In my line of work, I see a lot of the bad.

As I've posted before on other boards, my sister had the gastric bypass (not the lapband) and now has to deal with chronic diarrhea...known as dumping syndrome (but a lot of the lapband patients have to deal with it as well). She has to wear Depends because she never knows when it's going to hit her. I traveled to CA last year to see my father and met her in Sacramento, CA to drive up to northern CA where he lives. For those of you that are not familiar with the state of CA, it's sorta in the northern middle of the state (Wither, where are you to correct me when I'm wrong?). It took all day to make that drive because she constantly had to stop for bathroom breaks. She has since confided to me that she now regrets the decision she made to have the procedure and wishes that she'd found LDL to get her weight off.

Then, there's my step father's first wife...she died the next day from hyponatremic shock.

Lisa, please, just pray about it and let God show you the right way to go. Only He knows what's best for the two of you....not anyone here on LDL.

CQ

[witheraway1]

CQ,  you don't need me to let you know when you are wrong. You seem to be doing ok on your on. Gave Lisa some very good advice.. good for you! Keep doing what you are doing. YOU BOUNCE BACK AND LAND ON YOUR FEET.

[CodingQueen]

Wither, I appreciate the vote of confidence but I was talking about the site of Sacramento....in the northern middle of the state...correct?  Of course, after next week, I should be an expert of CA...I'll be living there for Heaven only knows how long. That should be fun. One of my nephews has been going to school to a culinary school in SF and has offered to cook dinner for me. I can't wait. Maybe I'll send some pics back home to get my oldest to get off his behind. He has what it takes, too. Or, it might be another show down....LOL...Hey, Bobby Flay has them all the time.

CQ

[witheraway1]

YES IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE STATE PRETTY CLOSE. HOWEVER I DON'T LIKE THAT CITY. SF IS VERY NICE LOVE IT THERE. Send those pics back for your son to put on, I am waiting.

[CodingQueen]

Wither, it's actually funny if you can laugh about the whole thing. My uncle never wanted to be a Chef but had to become one in order to survive the Gulf War without having to go to the front (he use to disappear when my grandmother needed us to help with the canning).

CQ

[witheraway1]

CQ, it's like my sister in law stayed with us for a while... she was always there to eat but when it came time to do the dishes she was no where to be found.

[lrainbow2006]

My first days back on LDL have been good, though I am so exhausted I can barely keep my eyes open.  This happened the first time I was on LDL and I'm guessing it's normal to feel bad for a bit.  Detoxing I guess?

I'm just waiting until my Eddie is home, hopefully by Sunday so we can have a good sit down talk and see what our plan is.  Roger, your idea of just starting out and eating until full day and night sure sounds good and I know You know it works.  You are proof of that.  I am really going to give it another try doing just that.  I'm thinking if Eddie actually sees me get results once and for all, he may just make that commitment himself.  I need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.  I sure do wish he could get on here and talk with you all himself.  Thanks all for your wonderful support.  What a great family LDL is.