Darkkmocha

I think it's important to fully understand that this process is more than just the surgery. Pre-op, surgery, and post-op are such a small part of the journey. Today is my 2 year anniversary and I am reminded of my band not only at every meal but throughout the day too.
For starters, the band is much tighter in the morning. There are some mornings that are worse than others but when your favorite meal is Breakfast it gets annoying. Oh, and goodbye eggs (for me anyway). If I can mix them with something I can get them down sometimes but for the most part, eggs don't stay down for me. And for the record, eggs aren't fun the second time.
You will be noisy. My husband calls me his baby bear. When I eat, when I drink, and sometimes just because, I make noises. It's fine around my hubby but it does make it uncomfortable when I am with others who don't know about the surgery. I haven't told anyone about the surgery except my hubby and my mom. So I play it off as funny noises with everyone else.
You will eat slower than you ever thought. If you are the chef of the household, you may want to prepare your plate first and start while you are still cooking everyone elses. Eating out is a challenge because others are done and you've got only a few bites down. Again, it's not that big of a deal but people will inevitibly make comments so be prepared. Countless waiters have asked me repeatedly if my meal was ok because most of it is left when we leave. Learn to love leftovers
This will be difficult. This is a not a dream. You won't wake up feeling better. You won't wake up skinny. You wake up every day with a reminder that you were fat once and you don't ever want to be that weight again. You know you. You know why you chose surgery. This is a commitment - a commitment you can't break. It's easy to plan to eat healthy. It's easy to plan to go to the gym. It's easy to say you want to lose weight. Committing to doing those things is easy - following through is the hard part. The band helps you with that. The band reminds you to change your life and when you slip into old habits it makes you pay for it.
This is a great forum. There are lots of people in the same situation as you. I've used it when something happens and I want to see if it happens to anyone else. For me, it was shoulder pain. After surgery you will have gas - not the farting kind but the bloat your entire body with gas so they can move your organs around kind. I felt this pain in my shoulder. Walk. Walk. Walk. Still today, if I eat too much, or eat too quickly, I sometimes get the same shoulder pain. It's not fun - at all.
Anywho... good luck with your journey. You are not alone. You're not the first and won't be the last. This is common. You got this!

@
I started at 191, I only lost about one pound a week, but I preferred it to come off slowly, chances are better for it to stay off.....trust me I am at a point now that I don't want to lose anymore weight. I went from wearing 12/14 to 2/zero....
You will get there....

@
I started at 191, I only lost about one pound a week, but I preferred it to come off slowly, chances are better for it to stay off.....trust me I am at a point now that I don't want to lose anymore weight. I went from wearing 12/14 to 2/zero....
You will get there....

ok this is me before and after 3 months lap band :cry :hurt

Here are shirleyrohr pics.

Well, I finally scanned my before. The after was taken a month ago with a webcam, but the biggest difference between the two I think is my neck...

New Before and afters. This is at -73 lbs ish...

Here is Jamie... (Jammin & Losin) she has done so well...

OK, let's see if this works. I can't seem to get the pics to show...only the links but we'll try again.
First one is from 4/2004
and the second is from 6/2005.
I feel like a totally different person!

I've never done this before but here's mine. If they don't go through I'll try to reach out to Penni.

Okay I am trying this here. This is me last summer - 4th of July with hubby - John. The other pic is of me and my middle son taken in March of this year. These are pre-band. I haven't gotten my film developed yet with a post surgery pic but promise to do so soon - will post then.

The top one is the most recent one taken this past June (I'm the shortest one in the center) and the bottom one was about a month before surgery (Easter of 2004).

Starting 250 / Ending 125

Ok...let me see if this works. The picture with my cat Kiki was taken November 2004 and the one in the green dress was May 2005.

Ok I am going to give it a try - My before and 3 months later shot...long way to go.

Not bad for never having a fill, eh?
Me summer of 2004

Me June 2005

her is my sis Nikkee31, she is 27 lbs lighter.

Hi
Wanted to put a 11 month picture up. I am down 137 lbs. I tried to put a before picture but couldn't figure it out. My before is on page 1 of this thread
Thank you all
Sue

Took this today and had to post. WIll post it tomorrow on the Labor Day challenge as well.

Taken from the PowerPoint presentation I created and presented at our First Annual Lap Band Reunion on 5/18/05. Nancy - Banded 9/24/04

Ok posted under my own name now

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First Pic - Here's me & my handsome man before my band (uh, and before he bleached his gorgeous hair.)
Second Pic - Us this weekend tearing up the Las Vegas Strip. I wish he'd go back to his natural Pepe le Peux hair like the stinker he is. VERA... I'm wearing my princess ring!

Here are my updated pics.

I'm blessed, blessed, blessed! Thank you God for modern medicine and caring health professionals!!
Here are two pictures of me at my highest weight and me at GOAL! (who woulda ever thunk it??)
Moderator... please make my pictures magically appear on this post. I have't got a clue how to do that :cross-eye
Hugs,

Thanks for the picture montage Marimaru!
The two pics on the left are my heaviest (not pregnant) around 240+. Top is a few weeks after giving birth to my daughter in 1999, and the one below that with her pasty white little nakey butt is the same weight (!) without the baby excuse. My face is red from sitting there all fat in the heat, I feel as bad as I look...fat and miserable. Since then I had another child and ended up around 240 again. No surprise.
I did manage to lose about 20 pounds before banding, and the Front, Side, Back views are at 223, the night before leaving for Mexico.
On the right is So-Far. I was around 208 at that pic, see stats below for current weight but I look about the same at 194 as I do 208...well, maybe my big belly has gone down a little bit
So glad to have these updated!!!