TheProfessor

Well guess who stepped on the scale this morning to 198.4 pounds? Me, fellow WLS friends! I am officially in "ONE-DERLAND!" Huzzah!!!!!!! I started 8 months ago at 259 lbs. One lap-band and whole lotta good exercise and careful eating later, and I am finally below 200 lbs for the first time in 15 years. I am fighting back tears at this very moment! Had to share this success. This is a big one for me. I reached a goal of getting in the 100's before students came back to the College. I'm not much of a goal-setter, but I'm here! Woo Woo! If I can do this, (I am the QUEEN of lack of willpower) ANYONE can do this!!!!

@@DoneItForMe What's really funny is that I was 199.4 when I had that magical moment, so a freakin' grain of rice or glass of water could have put me back up over 200. Adding an elastic in my hair or putting on socks could have done it, too! I spent mot of my day naked re-weighing myself just to be sure! lol!

I was banded 9 months ago - Dec, 2014 at 259 pounds, size 22 pants, tops: 2XL, bra 44 DDD. My weight loss was slow and steady for the first 4 months - what a delight it was to see the weight coming off and myself size getting smaller. At 6 months and my 5th fill, all of a sudden I hit the green zone. My hunger dimmed to almost nothing and then the weight started falling off fast. I hit the one-hundreds (ONE-derland!) a couple of weeks ago, and I am ecstatic. I'm down 64 pounds now. 25 of those pounds have been the past 3 weeks. WOW. I'm a size 14, L tops, 40DD bra. And I'm still going down fast. I am eating less than 1000 calories a day because I have no desire to eat more. I don't snack. I eat tiny meals. I am well hydrated and I am full of energy - woo - I feel terrific. The danger: The band for me can dim hunger to the point where I have no desire to eat at all. There were two days this past week that were absolutely nutty at the College. After my 1 coffee at 6:30 am, it was non-stop meetings and classes and I was filled with energy, bursting with a sense of wellness... and at 4pm I realized I hadn't eaten ANYTHING. No food at all. My Greek yoghurt with honey, my container of 4 Tbsps of home-made chicken salad and my 1oz of cheese was untouched. I checked in with myself - no hunger. Forced myself to eat a small dinner. The following day I had a repeat performance. Had a coffee in the a.m., then a Protein shake... and that was it. NOT GOOD! The band as a tool acts to trick my body into that feeling of satiety. With the help of the band, I know my body is happily consuming the 100 extra pounds of weight I've been carrying for 15 years that resulted from over-eating. That said, beware the band working almost too well! I have become highly aware that the busier I am the less distracted I am by food and hunger - first time I've been at the College in the green zone. So while I'm enjoying my band TREMENDOUSLY (best thing I've ever done for myself), I find mine is working almost too well!

The band fills don't 'hurt' so much as they feel gross. My first one I didn't feel. My 2nd onwards (I'm at 7 so far in the 10 months since I've had my band...) feels... blech. Like someone has a needle stuck in a rubber thing under your skin. BLECH! But so great and quick and worth it - those itty bitty fills make all the difference as you creep slowly and beautifully towards the green zone. Then? Goodbye weight!

@@2babutterfly Well thanks, but it may hearten you to know that I completely BLEW IT yesterday. Gah! I had an old friend visiting me from British Columbia, and we got into the wine (yes wine - for those who know me on the forum I have been living a "Wine Free Life" since July!) We got into the wine... and then another bottle, and then it was all downhill from there - - cheese and hummus and crackers and pancetta and ... OMG it was all so nom-nommy.... and I ate SO MUCH. I was;t hungry in the slightest but it was all so fun and social and the wine made me forget myself. My punishment for this slip - I'm so unused to eating large quantities of food that I had my first food sticking episode in months, and it was the nastiest I've ever had. I could NOT get the food unstuck and was miserable and in pain and upchucking slime (sorry for the overshare) for a full hour. My eyes were red, my nose was running and I went to bed exhausted. I learned my lesson. Won't be over-eating again any time soon....!

I know I would have been devastated and furious beyond belief if a family member had intervened and 'reported' my surgeon. A grown woman is entitled to make her own mistakes (if this is, in fact a mistake at all). Believe me, as a professor of ethics, I can see your dilemma. You care about your family member and have learned about something potentially unethical. To blow the whistle, or not? Ask yourself this: Who will benefit and who will suffer as a result of your whistle-blowing? Everything said here on this thread is legitimate in some way. Remember, we are all bariatric surgery vets and are on the other side. You may notice that many people came to the defence of your family member and are passionate about protecting her right to move forward with her surgery. This is because we ourselves know the enormity of that commitment and the agony/anxiety leading up to surgery day. If the surgeon is licensed and legit, and your family member is of sound mind, no intervention is required, methinks! (And to answer your question, that she is down 20 pounds prior to surgery is normal. The majority of bariatric patients are put on a liquid (or severely restricted diet) prior to their surgery in order to shrink the liver. I've lost 64 pounds with my WLS, and am 195 (woo!) and still considered 'obese'. Whether 380 pounds or 180 pounds, obesity is considered an individual issue for every person. Each person has their own co-morbidities that accompany their being overweight. Your family member is no different and this was likely factored in to the surgeon's decision to allow her to qualify for insurance coverage by playing with the numbers on the scale. Just my 2 cents.

I love being able to effortlessly get up after sitting on the floor having a discussion with my students. What else... I love being able to paint my toes! What else... buying clothes at regular stores rather than plus size stores. What a thrill! Oh... Being able to walk down the aisle of an airplane without having to turn sideways. Feel like Twiggy over here and I'm "only" 64 pounds down...!

@@LAURIE290 May be on to something there! I had a double para-esophageal hiatus hernia and I didn't know it. All I knew was that I was popping Tums like candy and had horrendous acid coming up, especially at night. I was banded December 19th 2014 (10 months ago) and my surgeon was the one who discovered the hernias while I was under. He corrected them, and I have been heartburn-free and feeling absolutely terrific ever since. Good luck - keep us posted!

Yup....! I hear ya'. So the way it way explained to me: I packed on 100 extra pounds of weight over the past decade. My body may be consuming less calories since my surgery, almost "scarily" low, but it's compensating by "eating" the hundreds and thousands of extra calories I stored in my thighs, hips, breasts, and gut over the years. I'm eating but not the traditional way. A great way to think of it, especially since I am feeling so well!

I eat normal foods, but in small quantities. (Mostly) everything is cooked or prepared from scratch so I am in control of hidden calories and carbs that come with pre-prepared supermarket stuff. (Example from last night: I made Indian butter chicken from a scratch recipe, rather than buying a kit or pouch of the instant sauce variety). On a typical day I start with a coffee (yay!) and get things rolling with a Greek yoghurt. At about noon I'll have a few tablespoons of homemade chicken or egg salad, maybe a couple of slices of ham or turkey and 2 ozs of cheese (Havarti and sharp cheddar are my favourites!). dinner is a Protein (lamb and chicken are my favs, and I love seafood, too - so non-battered fish, crab, shrimp or scallops) plus vegetables or salad. I eat absolutely no non-veggie/fruit carbs. I've eliminated all starches (potato, bread, Pasta, rice) and processed crap from my diet. I was never into junk anyway.

Briefs199 - I came to terms when I realized that the band is helping me consume the extra 100 pounds of excess weight I packed on since 1999. I spent 15+ years over-eating and storing that excess food in my body as weight. Now I eat half a cup of food at a meal, and even though it seems like a tiny amount, I know it's ok because my body will take what it needs from that, THEN dive into my food "reserves" (thighs, tummy, etc). Trust your band. It's doing its job. The constant constriction around the bottom of your esophagus sends signals to your brain that you are sated. So why mess with it? Listen to your body and enjoy knowing that you are satisfied after a small meal. Woo woo! #winning!

...and yes of course you are still feeling hungry - you have very little Fluid in your band. Remember the band adjustments ("fills") that are coming will make a significant difference. You may feel you can eat large amounts of food and wonder what the heck you got the band for. Just trust that you are in the early weeks/months yet, and that in time with several fills you will reach that magical Green Zone. You are doing fantastic - hang in there!

Woo-Wheeeeee!!!! Amazing! Congratulations. Onederland is FUNderland. Isn't it amazing, the transformation? Wow. What an incredible accomplishment. Thrilled for you!

I never thought I would get rid of hunger. It's miraculous and such a relief. For a few months thought I thought I'd never hit the green zone. I've worked really, really hard at modifying my diet. I was never attracted to sweets or junk or pop or sugar. My downfall was butter, Pasta, bread and large quantities... The green zone has allowed me to develop excellent eating habits. Due to a dim in hunger and excellent satiety between meals, I am able to only eat small amounts. I've given up wine as I noticed I lost no weight loss when those calories were bing poured down my throat. Knowing that I only have a half cup of food or so at a meal, I find that following the bandster rules - Protein first, tiny bites, fibre second... is easy. There is literally no room for temptation. Now that the band is working at its optimum level, doing exactly what it's meant to do, I have to be mindful of the physiological changes that have taken place in myself - that I have such diminished hunger that I have to be careful that I don't forget to eat. I feel like I've won the lottery.

I stalled at the 4 month mark for about 8 weeks! AND that was despite doing everything right - low carb, high Protein, high fibre, no junk, loads of Water.... You are stuck at 32 lbs gone... I was stuck at 40 pounds. Same thing, really...! (And not rubbish at all - great job!!!) As you will read on this forum, stalls are normal. Just trust in the process and stick to the plan and the needle WILL start to move again!

@@hmj2015 You will get there soon enough! I've taken it by by day but honestly looking back, the time has flown, and the work and wait of 8 months to get here (down 62 pounds) has been worth every second. Took me 15 years to pack on the extra 100 pounds, and only 8 months to get rid of over half of it? That's a great deal to me! Woo wee, feeling so good. La la la!

Surgical recovery is fairly quick. I was knocked out the day after my lap band surgery. Everyone said to get up and walk as quickly as I could to dissipate the gas, but I did NOT feel up to it. I was up and about the following day, stitches at the incision sites were very, very tender. Made it easier if I walked around with my hands applying pressure to my sore tummy. Lots and lots and lots of Water... sip sip sip sip sip... The gas was the worst for me. For three days after my surgery I had unbelievable gas pressure behind my sternum and in my left shoulder. (I had a double esophageal hernia repaired at the same time, which I've heard can exacerbate the pain). The gas for me was almost intolerable, and I have a high pain threshold. Tylenol 3s really helped a lot during this time! Everyone has a different recovery time depending on their pre-op health status and resilience. Rest, relax, trust in the process. And get hugs from people who love you! Be kind to yourself, get lots of rest and hang in there! Before you know it you will be feeling much better and on the road to healing and losing your excess weight.

I started 8 months ago at 259 lbs. One lap-band and whole lotta good exercise and careful eating later, and I am finally below 200 lbs for the first time in 15 years. ​I love my band. I am so, so happy with it! I have had no troubles at all - just fantastic results. ​Right before my surgery last December, I started reading a lot of the scary posts on this forum. I cried a couple of times as well, thinking to myself, "What the heck have I signed up for?!" Do yourself a favour, go to Youtube and search "Lapband success" and spend a couple of hours in heaven. it helped me tremendously:-) There are bandsters on this forum that have been successfully banded for over a decade and lost all their excess weight. Alex, who started this forum, just celebrated his 12th "surgi-verssary" - the man is our collective hero! There are people on this forum who have had the lapband fail for them. BUT there are also people on this forum for whom other forms of WLS have failed as well (bypass, gastric balloon, gastric sleeve)... so. There are failures and revisions in all methods, I think. If you have a good, credible, experienced surgeon, speak to her/him about your concerns, about the band's failure rate, about any medical issues you may have that may complicate your band experience. I can only speak for myself - I am halfway through my weight loss after only 8 months, and I have never felt more alive, more grateful, more wonderful (and, hello, more skinny!)

You are not alone! We've all been new to this! :-) There is lots to learn but I have found this forum an absolutely AMAZING place to find support, commiseration, advice and encouragement.

Injury is one of MANY products. My WLS Centre had their own product I was required to be on 2 weeks prior to surgery. Eight months post surgery I'm on Satisfast PGX Whey Protein isolate and I love it. Who knows what their kickback (?!)/ benefit is for pushing/iup-selling unjury. Maybe it IS the best on the market. Maybe they have contracted to only endorse that product. It's your body and always your decision. Research and do your homework.

@@Thias38 Our friend B-52 has nailed it. I wish I could copy and paste his exact post for every newly banded person who posts almost exactly what you did. His are words of wisdom and TRUTH! I posted almost exactly what you posted shortly after I was banded back in December 2014 (8 months ago). For weeks and months after I was newly banded, I was hungry, I was still drinking a ton of red wine, I was still in some old habits, but with some new ones thrown in... And I wondered "Oh God, have I spent $16K on a gimmicky piece of baloney? Do I even really HAVE a band?? Could it be the band doesn't work for me? I needed to CHILL OUT. I needed to (and did) trust in the process and have PATIENCE. I needed to stick to Dr. O'Brien's "8 Golden Rules of Lap Band" (google it) and remember that the band is a tool that I was in the process of developing a relationship with. 8 months and 6 fills later, I am down 60 (almost) pounds. I've dropped from 259 lbs to 200. I have lost mega-inches and gone from a size 22 to a 16 in pants, a 2x top to a Large. My hands, feet, face, calves, tummy, boobs - everything - has slimmed down. I'm so happy. YES the band works. It took me several months of "Bandster Hell" to push through and start seeing results. Now I'm in the Green Zone, I'm healthier, happier. This is what most of us go through, dear Theas38. You are still healing. Realize you have made this decision and have started the PROCESS. You are just starting out and doing great! Know that it gets easier, the band works, and in no time at all, you will be writing a post like this with a smile on your face in support of another newly banded person on the forum who wrote a post just like yours. Hang in there!

Good for you for getting pro-active and taking this in hand. My surgeon is 150 kms away... a pain in terms of face to face follow ups, but I've found tremendously supportive via phone, webinars, etc. Keep us posted - rooting for you!

Excellent to hear this news! Way to go.

Oh dear! I am sorry to hear of your frustration. Sounds like you are in 'Bandster Hell'. Sounds like you have a lot of things going on that would be of great interest to your surgeon/support team. Your maladaptive eating (Soups, Protein shakes) must make things tough on you day in and day out (no blame, just observation). Have you spoken to your surgeon about your frustration and situation?