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Surgery date Sept.12th,2011......Its great I am at my sixth month anniversary and I am down almost 100lbs (pre and post) surgery. I feel wonderful, more active (just brought myself a bike) This is the best thing I have ever done for myself.

I was also feeling really gross about my appearance. I was tired of hearing "you have such a pretty face". In my head, I was hearing "you have such a fat ugly body". Its only been about 5 weeks since my surgery and since then I've lost a few lbs, hired a personal trainer and work out 3 x per week. Even though its clear that I have an incredibly long journey ahead of me, I'm feeling so psyched that I've finally started the journey. It feels so good to be doing something about my fitness and my health instead of just feeling horrible about myself. I was not expecting to feel better about my appearance before losing a significant amount of weight but here I am feeling great just because I'm taking action and doing something about it. I'm not sure how I'm going to feel after the first "dreaded fill" but I'm up for the challenge. I already feel more confident and attractive and wore 2 dresses to work this week that I have not been able to fit for OVER 2 YEARS!!

6 months and a week ago, i had no health problems even with a 47 BMI - BUT i felt so disgusting. I hated clothes. I wore things just to hide myself. I knew I had a pretty face but that all others saw was the fat. Today, 6 months after surgery and 88 pounds later, I feel INCREDIBLE. i am all about what i'm wearing, my make up, I feel just plain unstoppable. I want you to know that yes there can be complications. I have experienced none so far (truly this is thanks to GOD and following my surgeon's instructions) - but they can happen. I am very, very sorry I did not do this 10 years ago (I'm 38). But i cannot dwell on that. This is a LIFE CHANGING thing if you let it be. I truly wish all of you the best of luck in your decision and if you have the surgery - the best of luck on your journey. It TRULY is a journey. God bless us all!!!!

Hey! A couple years ago I lost 80 lbs on my own (obviously I gained it back) and I started to notice saggy skin, I got a trainer and really hit the weights. I focused on hydrating my skin from the inside out. The skin tightened up eventually. Now I have lost about 84 lbs and am noticing a lot more saggy skin my arms, it should be noted that I weighed a lot more the second time. So I am going to focus on hydrating the skin again. I hope given time my skin will bounce back. Also I have noticed that the slower the weightloss the tighter the skin. So I don't think it is necessary a good thing to drop 10 lbs in a week even though we would all love that.

Thanks everyone! As a treat I bought myself two dresses from NY&Co. and a new strapless bra that I've been needing for a while. Let me tell you, I must have looked like a deer in headlights when I walked in to Victoria's Secret...I have never shopped there before! Other than spending over 50 bucks on one bra, it was a great feeling!

I had to take 6 months of nutrition classes before the surgery. My doc goes by my highest weight during that time period. Coincidentally, it also happens to be my highest weight ever (259).

i just got banded 3 months ago, im 53 yrs young and im 5'3 and started at 225 lbs last december. I wore a size 18 or 1x. well ive lost 22 lbs and now wear a size 16. Woo hoo ! Everything is going great, the surgery and recovery were very easy , and i can eat everthing as long as i eat slow and chew well. i thought i hit my greenzone with my 3rd fill, but now not so sure. i may be going for a 4th fill soon. dont forget to find an exercise routine that you can stick with, it has made a big difference in how i look and feel. i do a water fitness class 3x a week and walk when weather permits , and attend a local monthly support group (tonight !).its a daily struggle but oh, the rewards are SO worth it !when your too tight clothes start falling off, and you can walk up a hill easily, and it used to make you huff and puff, you'll be proud of all your hard work. Good luck !

Therapy can be a huge help during this process. I don't think it's unusual to "mourn" the loss of food before your surgery though. I had quite a few Last Meals before I started my pre-op diet. Funny thing is, though, being banded doesn't mean that you can't eat the same things you are eating now. It just means that you can eat less of them and feel full and totally satisfied with that smaller amount. A big part of being successful is just deciding what you are going to do to help yourself succeed and doing it. I wrote out a pre-op plan for success before my surgery (here is a LINK to it), and it helped me a lot to keep coming back to it. Now that your surgery date is closer, why don't you try to turn your focus from food to what you will do to make the band work for you? I recommend reading up on it, checking out the blogs (and starting your own blog if you're at all inclined -- mine has been a HUGE help in keeping me on the straight & narrow more often than not), and just getting yourself mentally prepared. I'm 3 years and 5 months post-op and have been at goal for about 2 years. I've also gone to therapy through that whole time (every other week), and that helped me a lot. If you can get your mindset committed to this process, it will be much, much easier for you, and you'll be all the more likely to be a hugely successful bandster. I hope that helps! Sending best wishes for your success. Catherine

I have been a member since 2006, I have talked myself out of it every year...but then one person on here was shocked, and said just do it...and it hit me, she was right..March 9th, I will be on my way to Mexico...No longer looking back...so excited...continue success for you!!!!

For me the decision to move forward with weight loss surgery was a no brainer. Physically, I had been feeling so slow and sluggish (and sick) due to my weight for so long that I felt like this was almost my last chance at feeling physically better and feeling better about myself. Additionally, unsuccessful attempts to make significant long term changes on my own were always unsuccessuful so I really felt like I had no choice. The only decision that I had to make was which type of surgery to have. I settled on the band based on research and personal reasons. I know several individuals who are obese but who have not decided on surgery or have no interest in surgery and I think thats ok. My advise is...research, research, research and move forward (or not) when you feel that you know all the pros and all the cons. Good Luck!