pink dahlia

i have bcbs and had very good luck with them. i was 53 yrs old , 5'3 and 225 lbs with high bp, sleep apnea, and 1yr past history on weight watchers when my dr submitted all my paperwork last november. i got approved in a bout 3 weeks ! woo hoo ! i was banded dec 13th , 2011, and as of today im down 22 lbs and feeling great ! get as much documentation as you can to prove you've really tried, Drs personal note, past weight loss programs , nutritionist meeting etc.. Good luck !

ive seen them a couple of times at our local Goodwill store. thanks for the advice, ill look into it.

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 !

for a good protein snack try Turkey Jerky. 10 grams of protein per serving. its not salty like regular jerky, if you dont find it in the reg grocery stores, try a sporting goods stores like Big 5, Sportsmans Warehouse, or Costco. Yummy !!.

i feel so lucky that i had minimal pain and breezed through surgery and recovery too. i was so bored that i went light xmas shopping 3 days after surgery. felt great and still do 3 months out !! i was in bandster hell like you are for awhile until i hit the green zone with my 3rd fill feb 27th, only then did i really feel any restriction. i can eat everything as long as i take small bites and chew well. take the time to learn how to eat properly and you'll be very happy when you hit the green zone. good luck to you !

OUCH !! some people are just so inconsiderate ! they dont stop and think about how others will feel. just remember , this too shall pass. i dont know how long you've been banded , but im only 3 months out and i feel very lucky that i can eat EVERYTHING ! steak, pork chops , broccoli, pineapple, rice , pasta , peanut butter, nuts etc. you name it , it all goes down without a hitch as long as i take small bites and chew well. hopefully you will be one of those people too. as difficult as other people attitude toward you can be, remember that YOU made the decision to get banded, and YOU are doing all the hard work. so good for YOU !! so go do something nice for yourself and forget about Miss Snarky ! good luck !

great post ! im 53 yrs old and have a horrible family background of cancer. i am the only one in my immediate family who has NOT had cancer, and a grandparent on both sides has died of it. tick, tock , tick, tock ,,,,,,,,,,,, so, one of the reasons i got banded was if and when i do get cancer i want to be strong enough to put up a good fight ! studies show that being obese and the lifestyle that goes with it dramatically in creases your chances of cancer. well , guess what cancer?? you can kiss my ass, because i am not going down without a fight ! im 3 months banded , down 22 lbs, exercise 3-4 times a week and look and feel much better ! only 60 lbs to go ! i also have a ton more energy (thankyou water fitness classes and walking !) so if any one is doubting themselves and questioning as to why they should get banded, think about it. BEST. DECISION. EVER.

put some sugar free pudding cups in the freezer, taste like ice cream ! keep a bottle of water and some lip balm in the car for the ride home from the hospital, i had the worst cotton mouth all day even with ice chips in the recovery room. boxed broth was way too salty for me but i loved campbells chicken noodle soup or vegetable beef (the broth only ) hot tea, flavored water like propel or gatorade lite. good luck !

ive only been banded since mid december and my only regret is that i didnt do it sooner ! i hit the green zone with my 3rd fill end of Feb, im down from 225 to 203 (woo hoo !!!) looking and feelin sooooo much better, and have gone from a size 1x to an xl ! ive got lots more energy, ive give 4 bags of clothes to charity and im getting lots of nice compliments on my weight loss ! my surgery and recovery was a breeze, so follow your drs orders, find a 2-3 types of exercise that you like and can stick with and you'll love the results ! good luck !

ive been banded since mid dec 2011, down from 225 to 203. so far im down from a 1x to an xl, and ive had to buy new jeans because mine were too big. so ive hit a couple things on my bucket list. for my future bucket list i want to be able be at a healthy weight, weigh between 125 and 140, have lots of energy and look and feel great. i want go running and go horseback riding and be able to walk without getting winded, and when we go on an Alaskan fishing trip in the summer of 2012, i dont want to be the overweight lady on the small plane or sink the fishing boat !!

i was just banded december 2011, and i hate to exercise but i know how important it is, so i joined the Ymca just before getting the band and now i go to water fitness classes 3 times a week ! those class really are a workout ! i also hate to sweat or feel exhausted but swimming in the warm water doesnt feel like exercise but im working hard and sweating and getting my heart rate up the whole time and enjoying every minute of it ! besides water fitness classes i also try to walk alot but havent done much lately with the lousy weather . but hey, im down 22 lbs, look and feel tons better, have way more energy , im down 1 size and my clothes are getting loose AGAIN !! (Time to go shopping at goodwill again !) so, EXERCISE ! you'll be so glad you did !

i was in the hosp at 6am,on a tuesday, surgery at 8am and home ( nearby) by 11:30 am. hubby took great care of me, by friday i was so bored and felt fine that i did some lite xmas shopping. recovery was a breeze. glad i didnt have to stay at the hospital, would rather be at home. good luck !

for me the 3rd fill was a big boost , finally hit the green zone ! now im not hungry all the time so im not reaching for junk or eating too much because i cant eat too much ! once i fill up on protein most of my junk cravings go away. banded 11 weeks, down 22 lbs. woohoo ! aside from that i found a couple of things to do exercise wise, that i love and stick to because i love the results. for me its walking on our nature trails and taking a water fitness class 3 times a week minimum. what a workout !! also if i do have a small treat i count it as part of my daily food intake. my dr said to treat yourself occasionly , and i do ! knowing that that frozen yogurt is waiting for me makes me stick to healthy foods 95% of the time, or try weight watchers ice cream bars. or what ever makes you happy. YOU CAN DO THIS ! Now, go try a new exercise class or something and see what you end up liking . dancing , swimming , walking, zumba, weight training volleyball ? get going !

dont know what to tell you babe. you may or may not be able to count on him as your main support system, but then its not written that a spouse HAS to be the main one. maybe a buddy ? also, just from personal experiance, i find that my hubby was 100% in favor of LB, but like alot of men , doesnt want to hear alot of details or talk about it much. i think its a guy thing, honestly. we girls can talk a subject to death and kind of speak girl talk. guys, not so much. i think they speak in shorthand and then want to move on. so....... maybe some of his lack of support is not personal, its just more info than he needs. just a thought. ... anyway my hubby was very helpful as i recovered from surgery but other then helping me off the couch for a week afterwards and taking good care of me for the 1st 2 days, i really didnt need any support. i breezed thru surgery and felt great by day 3, and have had no probs since . (banded 11 weeks) we did change our diet when he was diagnosed diabetic 1 1/2 yrs ago, so we didnt have to make any dietary changes. YOU will have to make changes, but your hubby has no obligation to change his lifestyle, as much as we would like to have him do it. sad but true. hope all goes well, best of luck !

im know im not supposed to have liquids with meals. but theres just no way i can eat without a little liquid. my drinks of choice are propel water, tea, or a little milk.

judych- someone commented that steak wasnt a good idea as it would swell up and stretch the band.i have never heard of that , nor could i find any info on it in all my research . im not saying it coudnt happen i guess, i just cant find any info on steak swelling up, or chicken or bread either. i eat EVERYTHING, and so far have not had any probs. i eat chicken breasts, or wings or legs at least 2-3 times a week. steak 1-2 times a month and bread once a week. today breakfast was oatmeal with a splash of milk and brown sugar, with a few almonds, for lunch i had a turkey raspberry feta cheese pannini sandwich and all of it went down fine. i just take my time and chew real well. dinner was 3 barbq chicken wings, and a half cup ea of fresh broccoli and pineapple, no problems. lots of water and tea. hope all goes well for you, my dr agreed that as long as i followed the rules 95% of the time, i would be fine. 11 weeks banded, 22 lb down , so far, so good. good luck !

i agree, sticking to your drs rules is very important, the funny thing is i was never told to stay away from any food unless it bothers me. well,so far nothing bothers me . i feel lucky so far! im not a big steak eater anyway , 1-2 times a month maybe, and bread maybe once a week, if that . some people in my support group have trouble with certain foods, ( skin of the potatoes, cereal, broccoli , pineapple, apples ) but i was told to enjoy what you can as it may change later on. we'll see !!

i had swollen ankles too, thought it was the weight (225 lbs), my dr put me on a low dose high bp meds with a dieretic(water pill) and the ankle prob cleared right up . good luck ! im now 203 lbs , hopefully will some day be able to get off the bp meds.

congrats ! arent nsv"s fun ? way to go on your weightloss! keep it up !

im 11 weeks banded, just had my 3rd fill and finaaly hit the green zone ,however i can still eat EVERYTHING ! In this last week ive had steak , chicken breast, turkey meatballs, raw broccoli, fresh pineapple, baked potatoes, salsa and chips etc. as long as i eat slow and chew everything well, ive done fine. the few times ive gotten stuck was when i ate too fast and wolfed my food. real quick i got a lite pain in my side like a side ache, and a stuck feeling in my chest. as soon as you think its passed and you feel fine it comes right back. i always wait several minutes for it to pass before i try again. learned that the hard way ! im down 22 lbs, feeling great ! hope all goes well for you, good luck !

put a bottle of water and some lifesavers in the car for the ride home from the hospital. even with ice water and ice chips in the recovery room i still had bad cottonmouth all day long. i found the boxed chicken broth way too salty, but i loved campbells chicken noodle or vegetable beef soup ( just the broth ). try some sf pudding cups frozen, they taste like ice cream ! also i dont like bottled water but i love Propel , some people like Gatorade Light or something like that. good luck to you !

the only pain i ever felt was the 1st 10 days it felt like a bad pulled muscle on my left side. i took the nasty pain med they give you at the hosp for the 1st 2 days , then liquid adult tylenol for 2 days after that. then i didnt need any pain meds . i rested on the couch for the 1st 2 days after surgery, by the 3rd day i went and did some light xmas shopping. i felt that good ! not everybody has pain issues some people just breeze thru it (lucky me !!) im 11 weeks out, down from 225 to 203 ! Woohoo ! feel great and down 1 size and getting nice compliments ! hope all goes well for you, just follow your drs orders and get support here , best of luck to you !

ive only been banded since dec 13th, and while im only down 22 lbs, it IS a big deal , is'nt it ? CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS !! WOO HOO !! GOOD FOR YOU !! i've had no issues either, and had my 3rd fill mon feb 27th and I FINALLY HIT THE GREEN ZONE !! what i eat for a meal now would of been a light snack before the band. what a difference ! last night i packed up 4 bags of clothes for the local charity, that was FUN !wait until you have to get new clothes because you have nothing to wear ! hope all continues to go well for you, good luck !!

you rock !!!! great attitude, great effort= great results ! !! you go girl !

im only 10 weeks banded (down 22 lbs !!) but so far i can eating EVERYTHING ! is this normal ? i had my 3rd fill mon feb 27th and so far im pretty sure im in the green zone. i can only eat a little bit at one sitting, and have lost 3 lbs this week ! . im eating homemade barbq chicken wings, fresh broccoli, . fresh pineapple, apples, nuts, salad etc with no problems as long as i eat slow and chew well. since i can eat so little ive made sure that 95% of what i eat is healthy or high in protein, as i have thin hair to begin with. when i absolutley have to have something sweet i take a few bites of a chocolate protein bar. this whole thing sure makes you reevaluate what foods are important, doesnt it ? hope all continues to go well with you, you're doing great and setting a good example for your co-workers too !!