nikki_att84

whats the 5 day pouch??

starting weight was 248..day of surgery 243 after the diet i was 234..and now almost 2months later im at 221..it has slowed down..but its normal..we rnt on liquids anymore..i dont feel hungry but i get the urges..coz i know that i can still eat stuff and nothings gonna happen!! its a mind game u gotta play with urself!

Are you also keeping track of your inches? With that much exercising, and not eating enough calories your body could be in starvation mode, OR you are gaining muscle and losing fat, you just dont see it on the scale. Check with your doctor, or nutritionist. Dont worry you will get it all figured out. Good LUCK!!

WooHoo! Any NSV with a victory! Yeah you!!!Karen

WELL HERE IN MONTREAL ITS FREE!!!!!!! the gvt pays for it.. which is great...u just need to get on a waiting list.. i started my process in august and will b getting band next week..which i find amazing didnt have to wait at all..my other option was to get it done at a provate clinique which was asking me 16 000$ and i would get my band within a month..honestly things taste better when they r free!! some other floks i know decided to go 2 mexico paid 3000 $ but once they got back home and needed medical attention..concerning the lapband..no i mean NO doctor wanted to help them.. because it wasnt their business! so honestly...i if u look at the full ppicture. it aint worth it..u live in europe so its easier for u! anyways i think that everyone has a choice,what is worth something for u doesnt mean that its worth something for someone else..so dont judge and b happy with ur OWN decisions..

WELL HERE IN MONTREAL ITS FREE!!!!!!! the gvt pays for it.. which is great...u just need to get on a waiting list.. i started my process in august and will b getting band next week..which i find amazing didnt have to wait at all..my other option was to get it done at a provate clinique which was asking me 16 000$ and i would get my band within a month..honestly things taste better when they r free!! some other floks i know decided to go 2 mexico paid 3000 $ but once they got back home and needed medical attention..concerning the lapband..no i mean NO doctor wanted to help them.. because it wasnt their business! so honestly...i if u look at the full ppicture. it aint worth it..u live in europe so its easier for u! anyways i think that everyone has a choice,what is worth something for u doesnt mean that its worth something for someone else..so dont judge and b happy with ur OWN decisions..

Really? even worse competing with you? My husband and I are both doing it together. I am a bit more obessed with it than me. I am always on here and talking to him about it. I am grateful that I have resources and support. I think that including her you may find it great to have a close supportive person to share this journey with you. Don't think of it as competition but more as support. That goes both ways because you can be the same for her.

WooHoo! Dec. 8th!!!

I'm 100 % happy with the band and 100% successful.
Keep in mind that many thousands of banded people who are happy / successful do not post online about it. They are too busy living their new skinny lives. People tend to post more if they want input and advise from other bandsters and sometimes they may seem like they have a big problem but it passes or they get it figured out.

Ok, I have always had a problem with leaving food on my plate. It comes from being told to finish everything no matter what. Also, comes from later in life I had a fear of never having enough food. I had a really hard time after my divorce of making ends meet with four children to feed. I would try and try so hard to make sure they had food but there were times we had nothing but bologna or Peanut Butter in the house. So my mind keeps telling me to eat now cause you might not have anything to eat later. Isn't that sick? LOL!!
Anyone else relate?

My surgeon is putting me 2 weeks of Opti Fast. He explained it was necessary for a few reasons.
He said it does shrink the liver and going in, he wants to in and out of surgery as quick as possible. He said the less a patient is on anesthesia, the better the healing and outcome and chance of anything negative occuring.
As much as I am DREADING a 2 week liquid fast, I will use it to lose weight and get a headstart and go in with a clean slate. I am also a bit fortunate that the 2 week fast will come right after New Years. So I am sure by then, I will be ready to start the new year fresh and get rid of all the holiday food gluttony!!

I am getting er done November 30th 2011. Cant friggen wait!!! Go us!!
PS: I started a secret Facebook group (only members can see/ post/ read in the group) for us November bandsters. Add me as your friend and send me a private message saying you are getting banded and I will add you to the group.. Stacey Diederich-Speager!!!
Lets be losers together!!!

HELLO!!! I saw October and even December Bansters but no November...so I thought I would start the November Bansters! I called the Insurance company and I got a verbal approval. If all goes well I will be banded on November 14, 2011. Woo-hoo!! 11/11 will be the beginning of a WONDERFUL NEW LIFE!! I can't wait to do this for ME!!

I was wondering the same thing. I am down 30lbs and was a size 22 now I am in an 18 comfortably. 10 more lbs and I should get into a 16 bottoms. I would say 10-20lbs for each size depending on your shape. Good luck and congrats to you!

I was scheduled for surgery on August 29th and my doctor's office just called and there was a cancellation so my surgery is now scheduled for August 22nd. I am sooooo excited and anxious to start on this wonderful journey!!!! I can't believe it's 7 days away!!!!!!!

Or you can do what I did after my Manager announced to the entire department in a group meeting (40+ people who LOVE to gossip) that I'd be away from work for a few weeks "because Dave is having bariatric surgery." So much for keeping it to myself! I said, "Gosh, thanks, boss! Now the pressure is really on!" And I laughed about it. At that point there was no point in hiding anything.
I've since told anyone who asked what I've done to lose so much weight. Being open and honest about the surgery has done the most to dispel the rumors and questions. I work at a hospital, so it's really bad sometimes. "No, I do NOT have cancer. I'm fine! In fact, I've lost..." and I give them the whole messy story. i figure nobody should be able to gossip about me more than I can gossip about myself. By being proactive, I can head off the rumor-gossip before it starts. And if they do gossip, at least they'll have the facts. People tend to make up stuff if they don't know the real story.
And it truly helps some others. Just yesterday a new-hire nursing assistant asked me about my surgery. She is obese, and is desperately trying to lose weight. By the time we were done talking she was convinced to look further into banding. I think she'll do well with it, now that she knows someone who has had a good experience with it. I offered to share anything with her that she wanted to know about things. The only other person she knows who was banded has lost nothing to speak of, but as she said, "The woman LIVES on junk food." So there you go...
My personal philosophy about gossip, work attitudes, and such is like a sign I once saw on an office wall. It read, "When they're running you out of town, get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade."
Dave

Hello everyone !! okay , so ive been searching and searching for before * after photos from lapband surgery. Some of these are AMAZING !!! However , ive seen the same pics on other sites which makes me think they arent real. Ive seen a few like " lisathelosers" photos from 2009 and hers look awesome! But i havent seen anything recently as shes stopped her blog. Which btw , ive noticed alot of Bandsters dont keep up with their blogs and just seem to vanish ? Anyway , is there a Before & After lapband photo album somewhere that i can look at ? Or if you dont mind can i see yours ? post them here if you dont mind !! =)

First of all, congratulations on getting approved, and best of luck with your procedure. Six months ago I was in almost exactly your situation: approved for the surgey with a BMI of 31 and co-morbidities (severe asthma and sleep apnea, chronic back pain, and pre-diabetic). I was very scared the surgery wouldn't help me enough because I also had difficulty exercising, and I thought that would make the post-op regimen ineffective. Boy, was I wrong! I've lost 60 pounds since the operation, and I'm just 5 pounds away from having a BMI of 25. The surgery itself is no fun -- it's laproscopic but not pain-free, so expect a few days of pain and limited mobility. But know that every moment of that pain will be worth it. Once you're on the road to health you'll barely remember the pain of those first days.
The secret to making this process work is to start out with the knowledge that the surgery won't "fix" you -- it just gives you that extra bump that allows you to stop eating when you've had enough. The most important thing is to make healthy food choices. Depending on how loose your band is at the beginning you can usually eat anything you want after the first few weeks -- that doesn't mean you should! Make substitutions whenever you can. sugar-free Jello isn't exactly ice cream, but it will satisfy your sweets cravings. Turkey burgers grilled at home are much tastier than McDonald's. Focus on getting lots of lean Protein -- fish and chicken can be prepared countless ways, with lots of delicious low-calorie sauce options. Use variety to keep from getting bored.
The exercise issue is very important, but you can start slowly -- try just walking slowly on the treadmill for 30 minutes, and work your way up from there. I promise, the more weight you lose due to eating healthy, the more progress you'll be able to make at the gym. Before the surgery just 20 minutes of walking left me winded, and forget about climbing stairs. Now I live in a 5th floor walk up (which would have killed me at 250 pounds!) and work out at the gym three times a week. The best advice I can give is to Celebrate every victory, no matter how small, and keep moving forward. This won't be a success-only journey; there will be days you gain a little, or can't make it through your work-out. There'll be days when you have a slice of a friend's birthday cake, or go out for cocktails. And that's all OK -- we live in the real world, and if you have unrealistic expectations for yourself you'll just get discouraged and eventually give up on your goals. Every time you take a step back, just resolve to yourself that you'll take two steps forward the next day. Take things day by day, and wake up every morning excited to know you'll be just a little bit healthier by the time the day ends. Best of luck on your journey!