sHeLLaBee

Basically, being able to eat more than you should be able to. That could also be a sign that you need a fill.

Don't worry. As long as your are yourself and honest it will all be good. I also had to take a scantron test and then we reviewed my asnswers and put me in a category (by score) of my mental stability. As long as you are being honest and are sure about your reasons it will all work out. Mine was just one appt for maybe 15 min.

Checking in a few days late at 195.0.

laurenshope.com has super cute ones and you can just buy one and then make your own to switch out. This is what my doc wants on it... JANE SMITH GASTRIC BAND 10/2011 NO BLIND NG TUBE NO NSAIDS DR (818) 555-1234

I would love the same info! Thanks for starting this feed. We have been trying for over 15 years with no luck. I'm really hoping it's due to the PCOS which should subside with the weight loss. I've heard storeies of PCOSers getting prego just 3 months after the band was placed, but I've also heard a lot of people don't get prego for a few years. Not sure ig some are on birth control or the exact situation, but I'm looking forward to something happening. I am about a year out with 80lbs lost. We aren't really "trying", but we aren't "not trying" either, so we will see. I want to lose about another 30lbs and then I will really start trying!

So, based on this feed, I went onto laurenshope.com. The stuff is pretty expensive, but I like that the bands are interchangable. So, I ordered a simple white band with my medical ID tag and decided I am going to Michaels to buy some more stringed beads to make bracelets that match different outfits! Nice! Thanks ladies. =)

If you registered with the LapBand website (with your packet from your surgeon) then after surgery they will send you a card that states exactly which surgery and which band you have, also lists your surgeons info. I keep mine in my wallet and I gave a copy of it to my hubby and mom, in case of emergency they can give it to the EMS/doctor just to give them a heads up. It doesn't effect MRI's or anything, but if you were in a car accident and had abdominal injuries, I would think they would like to know. The bracelet isn't a bad idea actually. There is issues with NG tubes being put down into our stomachs without the doctor knowing and it puncturing the stomach, so they would be more aware if you had a bracelet on. Good thought!

October 2011 - 276lbs to August 2012 - 199lbs

Check out this website... http://www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus

Agreed! According to my BMI I think I am still obese! What?! I am totally not going for that. Haha. I don't want to be considered overweight by anyones definition.

Take some Airborne! ...just to make sure you aren't getting something. =) Good luck! It's working for me and I wouldn't change a thing! Will be thinking about you.

The BMI is important, but remember that the only BMI that is actual is the one that you have to be tested for in an office. They usually weigh you in a pool and figure your exact fat percentage. These calculators and charts on line are all guesstimates based on a very generic chart of the "average" person at that weight and height. Are any of us really average? haha.

I live in between the SGV and Inland Empire, near Pomona/Glendora. Does anyone know of any support groups in this area?

There are neoprene shorts you can buy that, not only hold it all in, but they make you sweat more which softens the skin in that area and can assist in shrinking it. Since I have been wearing them for a few months I can def see a difference. I think one brand is called Hot Pants. I just ordered some generic ones off Amazon for $17 and they work just as well.

Yes! I started out at 276 (my highest ever) and am down to 195 in a little less than a year. I still walk through the plus size section before realizing I don't have to. I see a completely different person in the mirror than everyone else sees. Once in a while I will get a glimpse of the real me in a pic or walking by a window and can't believe it's me! I've always weighed more than everybody, well for the last 15 years at least. I am still in that mindset. I think I am slowly coming out of it, but I don't know if I will ever completely. Good luck! Even if you aren't seeing it, your body is feeling that it is healthier and that is an amzing feeling. =)

Up to 199.0,but it's not my fault! Aunt Flo came to visit. =( Oh well, it will just be more lost next week! Happy weekend to all!

Not strange at all! It took me months to finally figure out what "full" meant and what it felt like! I had eaten what I wanted for so long and always finished my food, whether I was over full or not, so I had no idea there was a feeling of fullness. I only knew that I was stuffed when I was done. =) Now I eat much slower and give my brain a chance to catch up. With the bamd, in my case anyway, my full feeling is kind of a tight feeling. Good luck!

Yeah, there is a free version of it; C25K Free.

I went to a few diff docs over the years that also said, in passing, they believed I had it. After trying to get pregnant for over 10 years with no luck I started Googling and made an appointment with an Endocrinologist. They just do some blood work to check out your hormone levels. Based on those results and some other symptoms you may have they diagnose. I really don't think it's an exact Science because there isn't much known about PCOS or how to treat it. The symptoms I really want to go away, due to the weight loss, have not subsided. Those being hirtuism (unwanted facial/body hair) and infertility.

Ahhhh! I know what to do. I know how to do it. I've been good for almost a year and now I start flaking?! No snacking! ...even if it is healthy-ish, it leads to more and more and more. Exercise! I don't care how tired I am, I need to workout in some way at least 5x a week! It's not impossible! Get off the couch! Relax when I am dead! ...or at least wait until I am at my goal weight. =) My brain knows exactly what to do, it's making my body get up and do it that is the problem. I am so close to my next goal! I want to be 100lbs lighter! 22lbs is nothing after I've dropped 78! I want to be 176 by my birthday on Halloween. I can do this. I will make this happen. Today is a new day. I'm starting fresh and going to do it for me. I want to be healthier and happier with myself. Thanks all for listening!

Wow! I never thought about that before considering surgery! I guess that are a list of things that can be affected! Good luck!

As long as your next meal goes down you should be ok! =) I have braces and can't chew gum anyway, so I never thought about what it would do if you swallowed it! Interesting... Haha.

Ok guys, HONEST OPINIONS! I was banded 10/7/11 at 276lbs. I am down to 198.8, as of 09/01/12. So, down 77.2lbs in 48 weeks. Breaks down to about 1.6lbs a week average. I know that ANY weight loss is good and not everyone loses the same and all that politically correct stuff, BUT I have seen people on here that have lost over 100lbs and barely had their surgery in April! Which is amazing for them! ...but do you guys think I'm losing what I should be or should I be pushing harder?? I would really like to be down 100lbs by my birthday, which is 56 weeks post op, but at the rate I'm going not sure I will make it. Has anyone discovered any crazy secrets about different foods or exercise that have helped push them a little further? Any help/opinions are always appreciated!

Thanks! I've never heard of that program. I am going to look it up now! =)