pink dahlia

My straight , thin, baby fine shoulder length hair actually got a little thicker since i was banded 6 1/2 months ago. I dont take vitamins ( I know, I know !!!!) but since i eat a lot of protein, fruit , veggies and very little junk food i think thats the reason. I wash and condition my hair daily in the shower, and 3x a week i rub a tiny bit of "Biosilk" on the ends and then rinse. Makes my hair silky and soft. ( Sold at salons, way more expensive at grocery stores . Can be used on wet or dry skin or hair. A bottle lasts forever. Love it ! )

PandorasBox.........................well, damn girl ! You are one strong chickie !!!! Good for you for making the decision to get healthier ! You go girl !!!!!

Ask your sweetie if he would feel the same way if you had to have extreme dental surgery. Would he be so against it that he would encourage you not to have it ? I doubt it, because dental surgery is something he is more familar with. Lap band ? Not so much. Its easier to say " Dont do it !" when you're unfamilar with something. So take him to the appt. so he can ask questions directly. i was very lucky as my hubby was and is 100 % supportive. His sister and her hubby had just had it and are doing very well. I was banded last December, down 45 lbs and he's always complimenting me or encouraging me. He just wants me slim and healthy, and could care less about the future possibility of loose skin. So far he's VERY happy with the results ! Tell your sweetie you'd rather live a long happy healthy life with him !!! Good luck !

i didnt look at anything except the band so im no help with any other kind of wls. i will say this, i had 2 relatives get banded 1 yr ago this month. He is down 100 lbs, she is down about 50. They did so well , with no problems i decided to have lap band too after alot of research and discussions. I did my homework and knew what to expect. I was banded Dec 2011, and felt so well i went Xmas shopping 2 days after surgery and went back to work 7 days after surgery. I've had no problems, Ive followed the rules 95 % of the time, got regular fills and ive gone from 225 lbs to 180, and a chubby old lady looking size 18-1x to a much healthier and attractive size 14/16. (I'm a 53 yr old woman, standing 5'3 inches ) I have lots more energy , sleep better, get tons of nice compliments, and just generally feel better in my own skin. I love my band because it gave me my life back !!!!!!!!!! Hope this helps ! Good luck !!!

WAY TO GO !!!!! any advice you want to share ??

WOW !!!! ! congrats ! I hope to be around 150 about Christmas time, maybe later. Ive been banded 6 months, down from 225 to 180 now. We'll see.................. How is life at 150 lbs ? I cant wait ! Thanks for the inspiration !!!! Any advice you want to share ?

Im not sure what a brachioplasty is (neck smoothing ??) but id definetly go for the breast lift and small implants. As i loose weight im hoping to keep what little ive got. So far, so good !

if you're never content , have you gone in for a fill, or seen your Dr ? Are you following the rules of lap band eating ? Maybe talk to a nutritionist ? How many fills have you had ? These are all questions that you should be discussing with your lap band Dr. Ive had 6 fills in 6 months, finally hit restriction with the 6th fill, down 45 lbs by following the rules 95 % of the time. Make an appt with your Dr and hopefully you can get back on track. Good luck !

Good luck to all of you ! Tmf said it best "6 months from now you'll love the step you are taking." Oh, how true ! I was banded 6 months ago , and while my surgery and recovery was soooooo easy, the best part is im down 45 lbs !! Down from 225 to 180 ! Im beyond happy ! I just followed my Drs rules 95 % of the time (healthy food, small bites, chew well, and exercise 3x a week minimum ) and the weight has slowly come off. You can do it ! Let us know how it goes, good luck !!!

i dont know if you insurance would cover it or not but "Honk" had a good idea. Follow the Lapband eating plan for a month and see how you weight does. Protein 1st, then veggies or fruit, than carbs. limit the junk food to an occasional treat, not a daily junk fest, and exercise a minium 3-4 x a week. Try tracking your food intake on Fitnesspal.com . What an eye opener that was ! You have to be commited to these food and exercise changes if you do get banded so start practicing now. Either way you're ahead of the game ! Good luck !

Great question !! Im not sure if this is a "reward" or not, but my goal was to lose 85 to 100 lbs. Im almost half way there (45 lbs) , and while our 25 th wedding anniverary is coming up in July, we have neither the time or money to do anything. So........... I suggested to hubby that next summer (2013) we celebrate late by going to Alaska on a guided fishing trip ( where you stay in the cabins, they do all the cooking and they take you out on the fishing boats etc.) By then i will be a normal weight (140-125) and will feel much more comfortable climbing in and out of a small plane, and not sinking the boat ! That will definetly be my "reward !!!!"

Every month when i attend my local lap band support group, i bring my too big clothes because there 's a girl there who is loosing weight too and is just a size behind me. When shes done with them , she'll donate them to someone in need. Were both happy, but i wish someone would do the same for me as im running out of clothes ! I like to look nice and people always comment about how nice i dress with out realizing 90% of my clothes come from Goodwill ! Although i wear jeans to work everyday because of my job, i like to dress it up a bit with a long scarf, cute jacket and pretty earrings. So if you can , donate your clothes to a local Goodwill or charity of your choice, because everybody benefits ! (Imagine how much better you'll feel when all those piles of clothes are gone from your house ! Donate them and make someones day !!! )

i dont like alcohol at all, except for a strawberry margarita every month or 2(woohoo !!!!), but 3 months out i had 3 small sips of a margarita during a mexican food dinner, and (TMI ALERT) had to excuse myself to the bathroom where i lost everything............ baddddddddd slime........... i have had a couple of margaritas at home since then with no probs, so im guessing it was the type of tequila that triggered that very fast reaction (cheap resturant type vs good stuff ???) just say' in be careful of when, where, and what you drink as peoples reactions can be different after they're banded. Cheers !!!

i got my full restriction on my 3rd fill, but it only lasted about 12 days. then it went away. I still had a medium amount of restriction, just not 100% . at my 4th fill the tech told me "sometimes that happens as the saline settles into the nooks and crannys of the band." well i still didnt get full restriction until my 6th fill on june 4th, and now im finally eating small amounts. I did continue to lose weight as i couldnt eat much and i exercise 3x a week. Everybodys different and you may or may not hit full restriction on your next fill (s). This is not to bring you down, just to give you a heads up that it can happen. Other than that problem the band has been very easy for me with no problems. (down 45 lbs in 6 months , so if thats the hardest problem i have , ill take it ! ) Good luck !

try the whole wheat tortillas, they dont expand much if i chew them well, and they taste good too. ( My hubby is diabetic, so needs whole wheat products)

sorry you had trouble with watermelon. i feel very lucky that it doesnt bother me as its my favorite food. could your Dr suggest something to take so the watermelon doesnt raise your blood sugar ? just thinkin...............

best. decision. ever. ..........................welcome and good luck !!!!

wow, we have some smart cookies on this forum, dont we ? Everybody said pretty much everything i was going to say. All i have to say about depression is, " been there, done that, it ain't pretty!" If it doesnt clear up see your Dr asap ! Life is too short to be depressed ! Exercise, healthy foods and a product called "Plus" by Mannatech helped me immensley. (Mannatech.com) Also after awhile you will start seeing your clothes get looser and looser, which is a huge mood booster ! Good luck to you !

Did anyone ever tell you how awesome you are ? Way to go on conquering your fears to get a start on a healthier life ! That took some courage !!! All i have to say is, i wish id known about the band 10 years ago, i would of saved my self some misery. I think it was a great decision for me, im very happy with my progress so far. (Down 45 lbs in 6 months ! Happy !) just follow your Drs orders, and it just keeps getting better and better ! good luck !

way to go ! " I cant wait to say 'Ive lost 90 lbs !" keep up the hard work !

i assume you have a fridge or cooler at work, so try this. All our meals are diabetic friendly (hubby is diabetic , but is slim and doesnt like sweets, go figure ) so we cook a diabetic friendly dinner and we both take the leftovers for lunch each day, then do it again the next night, etc. that way we are always eating healthy. I eat something healthy for breakfast,( ideas- protein shake, hb egg, 1/2 banana, 1/2 apple, turkey jerky, almonds, protein bar etc .) for dinners we cook fish, chicken, ground turkey, some red meat,( and my favorite, Bruce Aidells chicken teriyaki pineapple meatballs) etc. Add lots of veggies, fruits and salads and were eating good. Give a Diabetic cookbook a try, or go on line for recipies. Good luck !

you're awesome ! hang in there !

pb is high in fat , but i consider it neccesary to my sanity. i just count it as part of my daily calorie count. sigh ......... but 190 cals for 2 tbls ? i mean. c'mon !!!!!!

you're awesome ! the weight didnt go on us overnight , and i guess it wont be coming off of us overnight either. sigh ..................patience is'nt one of my virtues either but im still happy when the clothes started getting loose, and i had to buy new pants, . then again, and then again, etc. Hold on to those nsv's and dont worry so much about the scale #. Its only a # ! Im no expert, but maybe this will help as far as food goes. My hubbys diabetic so almost everything we eat is diabetic friendly. He usually cooks dinner, i take dinner leftovers for lunch and stick to some thing healthy for breakfast and snacks as much as possible. Occasionly we have a little weight watchers ice cream in the house but thats it as far as junk food. We eat alot of baked fish, chicken, some red meat, ground turkey, and lots of fruit and veggies. any carbs are whole wheat . No white flour , just Diabetic friendly recipies. This has helped alot because whole wheat products "stick" in your stomach longer because they take longer to digest, so you're not hungry much between meals. Try a diabetic cookbook from the library and give it a try ! Hope this helps !

hi i was banded just a few weeks before you were (December) and im down a very happy 44 lbs. My Dr is very happy with my progress, says this is the best way to do it , averageing 1-1.5lbs a week. (Im on my 6th fill) i have occasional plateaus but nothing im not expecting. This part may not work for everyone, but i keep a daily weight diary. I dont worry about a 2 lb weight gain as i put it down to digestion, hormones, water weight etc, but if i gain more then 2 lbs i can easily look on Myfitnesspal .com and see what ive been eating, exercising etc. This has been a huge help for me, plus the weight diary visualy shows me how my weight is going, usually down .....down....down......... Just when i think i havent lost any weight i look back on my weight diary and can see " Oh wait a minute, ive lost 3 lbs in 2 weeks ! Um .......im ok with that !" This helps. alot. Good luck to you !!!