ValAnn

I totally agree with everything you said. Dr. Watkins did my surgery 1/27 and I have been very pleased with the results.
The office staff is fabulous and the whole thing has been such a blessing. I am down 50 pounds and really looking forward to summer.
Best of luck to you in your journey

Went this weekend for a few thinks and decided to try the regular department
To my surprise I was able to fit into a regular size 16 pants (no 16x,no stretch waistband) and normal 16 with a zipper and a button….also fit in a extra large shirt (it did have a little stretch but I am not going to complain) ……………I have been unhappy in the large department for the last 5 years or so
I remember in the early 90 shopping in the big department and being happy …the shorted the skirt and the low the top the better…but not for a very long time

Was tempted to buy a lot of stuff but it’s almost the end of summer and I think I will save the money for fall clothes….in the regular department….still smiling about that….would never have happened this time without the band

So happy I just had to share

What do you mean by exploded? PB'd? Slimed? vomited? her LB went flying and splashed into someone's drink?

You'll find plenty of sympathy and encouragement on here, but it all comes down to personal accountability. The heat may account for why you've not been outside much, it doesn't account for your eating habits. And you can find ways to exercise in doors if you want to... buy a treadmill, join a gym, play active video games (Wii Fitness, etc), get off the couch and clean the house.
Personally, I've walked outside in 100+ degree heat every day this summer. Every day... no excuses, no exceptions.

AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE; I RIDE MY OWN HARLEY...THAT BEING SAID. SINCE LOSING 90 POUNDS I HAVE BEGUN RIDING
WITH MY HUSBAND ON HIS BIKE. WE WERE SETTING A THE HARLEY DEALERSHIP THIS WEEKEND; BEAR WAS OVER TALKING WITHSOME FRIENDS. I OVERHEARD SOME FELLOW RIDERS TALKING ABOUT "BEAR'S NEW OLE LADY" I ABOUT PEED MY PANTS I WAS LAUGHING SO HARD. AS I WALKED BY THEM I MADE SURE TO SAY HELLO; THEY STILL DID NOT FIGURE IT OUT.
LOVING MY NEW LIFE..........

...it's been a long time since we've been friends. Welcome back!

It’s been six months since my surgery. I’ve had three fills totaling 6 cc’s and I’m still learning how to live with my band. This is my experience so far:
I’ve lost 58 pounds without real difficulty, just making good food choices and putting the fork down when I’m satisfied. This once seemed laughably impossible, but it’s really pretty simple with the band.
I’m off all medications and my sleep apnea is gone, as is the searing heartburn I used to get. I have no body aches and pains, no shortness of breath. I have the energy of a teenager. I’ve had to buy a new wardrobe because I’ve shrunk out of most of my clothing. (And I’ll have to do it again before it’s all over.)
I’m learning to be content with smaller meals, but I don’t feel restriction. I keep my portions sensible but if I wanted to I could (and have) easily consumed huge meals. Maybe I’m not technically in the “green zone” but I’m losing weight fairly consistently. I might do better with another fill but I’d rather be too loose than too tight, and my doctor agrees.
It’s not all roses. I still screw up and eat too much sometimes, but I no longer beat myself up for it. My head still gets in the way and I have to check my automatic thoughts every day. My weight loss has slowed some and I’ve faced some frightening plateaus. In these times I think, “This is it, it was too good to be true, the ride is over and the weight will come back.” But it doesn’t. I get up every day and do what I’m supposed to and eventually - in a few days or a few weeks - the scale shows a loss again.
I have absolutely no regrets. If I didn’t lose another pound I’d be happy with where I’m at today. I still need to lose another 40 pounds. I’ve decided to relax and not worry how long it takes. I’m confident that if I keep my head in the game and a positive attitude, I’ll get there in time.
If I had one piece of advice to leave the newly banded, it would be this: Relax, don’t be too anxious, and don’t view this as a sprint. Success will come. It takes time, but it’s worth every minute. Enjoy the ride!

When i got banded last December, one of my hopeful goals was to lose 50 lbs by my July 27th birthday. Well, im a little late , but all i can say is HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME !!!! 175.7 this A.M. !!!!!! I dont care about the birthday , but i do care about giving myself a gift of being healthier and happier . Only 35 more lbs to go ! THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY who's on this forum, you have no idea how much info and advice ive gotten from all of you ! All i can say is Thanks !!! Have a good day !!

Two years and ten months after I first broached the idea of lapband surgery to my doctor and two years and five months after surgery, I am one pound BELOW my goal of 148.
Color me delighted.
Now comes the hard part- maintenance. I go see my surgeon for a slight unfill on Thursday and then I find out how the band helps with eating to maintain. Wish me luck.

I have managed to lose 20 LBS since surgery one month ago. Since last Thursday I have been going back and forth between 224 and 225. I am still keeping my calories around the same and I am still drinking Water. My period is suppose to start tomorrow. The last few days I am been major sluggish, no motivation to work out at all; where before I was working out like crazy and enjoying it (very odd for me). Now today I feel like a truck hit me, I am exhausted even though I am sleeping and slight sick on the stomach feeling- all I want to do is curl up in my bed and sleep.
Does any one else have these odd issues around their TOM? I have done so well so far and I don't want that to stop.

I was banded in January 2012, and within months of me, two of my real life friends had Gastric Bypass. One had it in October 2011 and the other February 2012. We all started out with over 200 pounds to lose. I was originally scheduled for Gastric Bypass, too. But, I canceled the surgery because I simply couldn't justify permanently rerouting my internal organs without trying something far less drastic first. So, I got the Lap-Band instead.
Like so many others on here, I heard endlessly how I was a fool for choosing the Lap-Band over Gastric Bypass. "Oh you'll be lucky to lose 50 pounds with Lap-Band"... "You should have Gastric Bypass, you'll dump a ton of weight much faster"... "why don't you stick with the sure thing, Gastric Bypass, rather than waste your time with Lap-Band?". Believe me, I heard it all, so much so I even began to doubt myself and my decision. What if they were right?
But I researched not only the Lap-Band but the Gastric Sleeve and Gastric Bypass thoroughly. I knew the pros and cons of each, I knew what the surgeries entailed, and I knew that regardless of which one I chose the work would be mine to do and I'd have to make diet changes for a lifetime. I knew Lap-Band was right for me, so despite the naysayers, I went through with it.
Fast forward to now, July 2012...

My friend who had Gastric Bypass in October 2011 has lost 64 pounds. She lost all that in the first 3 months and hasn't lost anything in the last 6 months. She never really changed her eating habits because she figured she didn't need to with the Gastric Bypass. She did cut back on portions in the beginning, but currently she admits that aside from vomiting occasionally from eating fatty foods or sweets, she eats pretty much like she did before surgery.
My friend who had Gastric Bypass in February 2012 has lost 14 pounds. She hasn't changed a single thing about her eating habits and is vomiting multiple times daily from trying to overeat.
I, who had Lap-Band in January 2012, have lost 121 pounds. I am far from perfect, I struggle with head hunger almost daily, and I definitely have times I eat unhealthy foods. But the majority of the time I eat very healthy and follow the portion and nutritional guidelines my nutritionist gave me.

My point isn't to gloat, or to say "See, Lap-Band is better!" My point is the fact that it doesn't matter which WLS you choose, you MUST DO THE WORK YOURSELF. I don't care if it's Gastric Bypass, the Sleeve, or Lap-Band. The surgeries are tools not magic pills. If you don't change your eating habits to healthy ones for a lifetime you simply will not get the results you desire. Period, no exceptions. I hear people say all the time "Oh I got the band because I don't want to diet". Of course, we all did, but guess what? You do have to eat healthy, not just for awhile like a diet, but for a lifetime.
Ultimately, no matter which WLS surgery you choose, your success or failure depends on you not the surgery itself.

WOW good for you isn't it true being thin taste better then any food you ever ate..... Sounds like you have a husband who is very proud of you . I would imagine he has seen your struggles and just wants to pass on the compliments.
It sounds like you haven't quite caught up with your new look. I still see the fat lady in my head and never know what size to bring in the dressing room with me when I shop. I am not sure if that ever goes away.
My therapist told me one time to softly put that fat lady suit away it had served it's purpose for whatever reason I needed it and now just dance in my new body and so I invite you to enjoy the dance you wrote the new song and you deserve it.

Woot Woot, I was sitting in the doctor’s office yesterday (for my husband) and looked down and my legs were crossed. I was a wee bit stunned and thought it must be this chair ( crazy thought) and so I got up and moved to a different chair ( husband was wondering what I was doing) to see if I could do it again. I DID. I can’t remember the last time I crossed my legs and I was not even thinking about it. Woot Woot, I know this is not ground breaking news to everyone but it was wonderful to me.
Lassie

...I should change the name of this thread to "Have You Lost an Elephant Penis?"
ROFL!!

Wow! What a shopping trip! I fit into a size 12 skort!! A fricken size 12!! Really? Who is this girl? I range from a 14-16 and have been getting into 14s lately so there was a cute red skort on sale - but only a size 12 left. So I figure why not? It not only fit-but it wasn't tight either! I think at the weight I am now I don't need to lose as much to go down a size-whereas when I was heavier I could straddle a size for a much greater weight range. SO I headed up to the bras- and I am a 38C-Whoa! I think this time last year I was a 42D or more.
It's hard to go down sizes (mentally). I still gravitate to the bigger sizes. Last year I was a 22-this year a 14 and that adorable size 12 skort! To all of you starting out-just wait until next summer comes-you will feel and look so different and yes, it will definitely be worth it!

I totally agree with everything you said. Dr. Watkins did my surgery 1/27 and I have been very pleased with the results.
The office staff is fabulous and the whole thing has been such a blessing. I am down 50 pounds and really looking forward to summer.
Best of luck to you in your journey

I have been fat my whole life and always hated scales, but today, if I could've hugged my scale I would have.
As of today, I have officially lost 100 pounds since being banded 5 months ago.
I know I still have a long ways to go, but finally hitting that 100 pound loss mark has made me so happy!!!!
I seriously love my band. It is the BEST thing I've ever done for myself. It's changed my life!!!

Or you could, you know, just not post here anymore?

Finally!!!!!

What you are going through is perfectly normal. I too felt the same way and could not figure out why. I started exercising which not only helped the weight loss and inches, but it really did make me start feeling so much better. Your body is just going through a lot of changes and since we not longer really have food as a coping mechanism, it really is a tough time. I promise you it will get better. Keep your therapist appt as having someone to talk through it is a great thing. Worse case scenario the doc puts you on some anti depressants for a little while just to get over the hump. Take care and stay on this site to get lots of support. Very important to have other people who are going through the same things to support ya

LOL....nice! Definitely time to treat yourself to some cute, smaller panties!

I hope ur feeling better!! I am recently banded (7 days in!!) and my Dr. told me to expect emotions to fluctuate as I lose weight. he said this is because fat holds hormones and as we lose weight our hormones will be all over the pace!! Just wanted to mention that to you as maybe this is the issue since you are a new bandster. Try to keep things in perspective if you can and find ways to de-stress like spending some alone time or getting a massage or even just vegging out with a movie or a magazine if you can. Good luck and hang in there. This tooo shall pass.

Guess I should update this since my original posting. Well after my unfill, I did not gain any weight back. I actually lost. I have continued to get fills albeit it very slowly like .2 and .3 cc at a time. Sometimes, it's not that you are overfilled but that filling too aggressively causes the the stomach to become inflammed and this the tightening of the band. Yeah, you could fight through it but nothing good can come from it. Currently, I am back to the amount I had when they had to do the unfill and I am still able to eat everything and nothing gets stuck. So an unfill is not the end of the world. Just while you're unfilled be careful about what you eat and fill slowly. If you were getting 2 ccs at a time try .5 cc. I was getting 1 cc at a time and like I said now I only get .2 or .3. By the way, now I've lost over 80 pds and never plateaued and never got anything stuck in my band. And I'm still able to eat anything from pancakes to burgers but the band helps. When I feel that feeling strange feeling. It's not exactly like I'm full but it's a faint sign that I'm satisfied. I stop eating. And since the weight is off I must say Im less and less hungry. But that's just my update to my original post. Take car

Went to surgeon yesterday. Aside from complimenting me, he shrugged his shoulders and basically said there is nothing else we need to do.
Don't expect much more weight loss,anything more will be a bonus. If anything, he said he would be concerned if I loose anything more significant because that would mean loss of vital tissue and muscle.
Body fat % well below 15.
So that's it, confirmed by the man himself...definitely on maintence mode now.
Only advice given was to continue the high Protein shakes for Breakfast, other meals portions should not be larger than a deck of cards, protein based, Water, Fiber, exercise....see you in September..
16 months total time.....

I am 15 months out, 10 fills later, not including 2 fills that had to be removed and refilled again. I am still hungry all the time. But I have sucked up to this fact and do what I gotta do to get this weight off. I'm not perfect, I still eat my sweets, throw back a chip or two. But the band is a tool that you need to use to help you lose the weight. It's not going to do it on it's own. Maybe you need just a little bit more in your band. I am going this Friday for a fill, she said she would give me .1 and I am filled already to 7.3 in a 10 band. I am hoping this help with my hunger, but not holding out for it.
Also, the band isn't about making you feel full. It's about being satisfied with what you ate. I by no means feel full and at first that was hard for me. I was used to walking away or rolling away from the table feeling stuffed! So to me before surgery satisfied meant being stuffed and now I no longer miss that feeling.
Don't give up. Reevaluate what you are eating and keep track on an online site. I started eating a 4th meal and it has helped. I now eat my lunch around 10:30 and then another small meal around 2.
Good luck to you.