mrspopeye

bread is totally my weakness! I am actually glad that the Lap Band is goin to help me with that. I learned the same painful lesson regarding my husband's very best grilled pork tenderloin which I dearly love. Off the list for sure- got stuck, thought I was going to die- luckily it passed on.

Yay! very exciting! It will go by quickly.

4 weeks

I'm on my way! I think I'm finally nervous, my stomach feels funny.

It's my big day tomorrow ! Surgery at 8:30.

I received a two year anniversary notice along with a 57th birthday greeting from administrators of this site and thought I'd actually wander by to say hello. This is only the second post I've made but it is a happy one for me. In two years I have dropped from 240 pounds to 160 pounds, twelve pounds away from my goal weight. Two years ago I wrote a feature story for the local newspaper about the lap bander who was currently the Poster Girl for the local hospital's weight management program. Two months ago my surgeon, Todd Beckstedt, asked if I would allow the weight management program to use my pictures in their advertising program. I've enjoyed my fifteen minutes of fame and got a beautiful set of professional photos out of the deal.
I didn't lose weight as fast as many people. I chose to not go on a restrictive diet and I didn't change my exercise program much (I teach dance and take care of four horses which keeps me fairly active). I gave up most of my favorite foods simply because I could no longer tolerate them with the band in place. Since my favorite foods included things like pizza, hamburgers, french fries, and whatever else could be cooked in hot grease, giving these things up made a big difference. I do still struggle with my sweet tooth, which is the reason for the plateau on which I am currently perched.
In many ways the last twelve or fifteen pounds are harder for me than the eighty pounds I already lost. That is not to say the first eighty were easy (they weren't) but I see the goal within reach and go into a panic because I have been to this point so many times only to backslide. Thank goodness for the lap band and the latest fill. They are marvelous tools and I am grateful to have them. I went to Europe with a theater group last fall- not only did I not gain weight but actually lost several pounds! The others gave in to the lure of Belgian pastry and German beer while I must've tasted every type of Soup made in central Europe and drank gallons of "wasser mit gas."
Overall my health has improved, I can indulge my fondness for clothes, and I can get on my horse without a mounting block. I am a happy camper.

Ok so its really kinda funny, i was at my daughters softball game, and i was holding a bunch of stuff walking to my car when........... my underwear fell off inside my pants! ROTFL, you couldnt see that they sliped down, but i had a big grin on my face lol

It has been 4.5 years since Dr. John Morton of bariatric surgery at Stanford University placed my lap band and I will be forever grateful for the procedure. I had gained and was unable to loose 100 excess pounds. I have lost 75 pounds of the original weight. I have always gone down and never up, but it does require some work. The band does not do it all for you. Since it did take me 30 + years to gain the weight, once I lost the first 50 pounds, I set my goal on loosing 10 lbs a year. I am about 2 years out from my goal, but have managed to take off the requisite 10 this year.
My strategy is this...since I have retired, my job now is daily exercise. It has become such a habit with me that I find I never have to convince myself to do it...it comes naturally. I exercise 5 times a week for an hour, 3 days of aerobic dance or Zumba, 2 days of Water aerobics. I team this strategy with weighing myself every morning. If the scale goes up a pound, I eat lightly(Protein, greens, lots of water). If the scale goes down, I have a little more freedom.
It seems like my body tells me what it likes and won't accept. I used to ignore the signals, but now I listen to them closely. When I take that extra bite, my body says" No! this is not staying," So I've become a lot more careful. Eating too much, or the wrong foods, or too late, or a last bite, can seriously interfere with a good sleep.< /p>
Congratulations to all of you who have chosen this path, I salute you. You may now take control of your life and become the healthy person you were meant to be. It's not about your size, but the quality of your life. Hooray for you.

I am so thrilled to know that I'm 100% having my surgery! Got the all ok from my surgeon, clearance from mental health and now I just have to finish my education I'm starting a new life!!!

Best of luck to you! You will do great!

Wow! 18 lbs, that's great! Glad to hear you are doing well.

Hi everyone. I am pretty new to this as well and am getting banded tomorrow morning. I am super excited and nervous lol.

As of yesterday i have lost a total of 100LBS !!!
very excited very happy.... and look soooo different
I cant believe i did to be very honest. Never in a million years if you told me post op that i would be 100lbs liter... i would have laughed in ur face !
I started out at 306
Surgery day i was 294
and today i am 205.6
=]
i have a 10cc band with 5.2cc
I DO NOT EAT LIKE I SHOULD BE!!! If i ate better I would have lost a lot more than I have.
1st 6 months i walked a lot and i jogged on the treadmill for 30-60 mins 4-5 times a week. I have stopped working out really just walking with the kids in the stroller.
NOW THE BAD! I have lost over 1/2 my hair!!!!!! i can not stress this enough EAT YOUR PROTEIN! take some Biotin right away !!! i have the 5,000 mcgs that i am taking 2 a day of.... i have to go see my doctor next week for the 1st time in like 4 months so i will let you know what he says about the hair issue! but if you haven't had ur surgery yet or just had it START TAKING BIOTIN to HELP......

Had my surgery on Fri May 11th and all went well. Ended up having a hiatal hernia as well that was repaired. Besides some achy pain where the access port is, I am doing well, and actually seem to be down 9lbs already. I have my follow up appoint tomorrow with my surgeon and will be moved to soft food. So far so good. Hope everyone else is doing well!

Surgery complete, discharged at a 2pm. Gassy? Yes. Throat is dry and a little sore. Overall I feel good just groggy. I'm home now, have enjoyed a sf Popsicle, and it felt soooo good to my dry mouth.
Hope everyone is ok

Well i am home after my may 14th surgery. All went well, went in the the or at 9 and was out of recovery about 2. Went to my room and pressed the morphine button evey ten minutes. I was in a lot of pain when I woke up. Once on the morphine it was bearable but eventually made me sick. They switched me to something else and then to oral meds this morning. The nausea was the worst part for me. I have absolutely no gas as so many others have complained about. No shoulder pain, just hurting in my stomach. It feels best to sit up for me or when I am perfectly still that I don't feel it. Thats the opposite of what they want, but when i move i feel like my stomach hangs and the pulling downward hurts. Coughing hurts and so does laughing. Drinking an ounce every 15 minutes. Glad to finally be post op!

Up this morning getting ready to head out in a few. Surgery is at 7:30am. I'll update as soon as I can.
Have a great day everyone

I was banded 9 months ago today, and was at my all time high of 306 when I started my preop diet. I'm so happy to say that I'm finally in onderland - 199! No one is gonna burst my bubble today. I still have a long way to go - I'm proud to have come this far. And I've dine it with little to no restriction! Got a fill last night, and it seems like this one has finally made a difference for me. It's too soon to be sure, here's Hoping!

Sarah checking in in onederland!! 199.1 this morning.

Just had my 1 week post op check up. She said everything looks normal and I got a more thorough diet plan for the next couple wks. I am eating yogurt right now - Yummy! Never thought I'd be so grateful to eat just simple Greek yogurt and Soup.< /p>

Well, I'm up this mooring and getting ready to go to the hospital. I'm not nervous right now, I'm so tired I'm ready to go back to sleep. I have benn a ball of nerves though up until now, ready as I'm going to be. So long waiting for this and it is about to be over in a flash, but then I'll be just beginning. So excited for the change I've been looking for.

I am in admitting now. Very excited and nervous! Good luck to all my May 14 band buddies!

I'm in admitting also...just waiting...surgery time is suppose to b at 8. I couldn't sleep got mayb 2 hrs of sleep. I'm not nervous at all either! Yayy May 14th bandees! Wish all of you the best of luck and all of us minimal pain!

Surgery tomorrow!

Hi Everyone,
I havent been around for a bit, so I thought I would pop in. I have just had my 7 yr anniversary and I am still going strong (touch wood). I have been sitting at give or take 10 kgs for about 4 yrs now. It took me quite a while to lose the weight originally and I still have my struggle days (hence the 10kgs up and down). I havent had a fill in about 5 yrs and am sitting at about 10.1 in a 10ml band.
Life has never been better for me since getting the band. I was always depressed and shy. About 2 yrs after getting my band I got my first proper job. I had always been a stay at home mum with casual jobs. I worked my way up and my confidence grew. Last yr I got a big promotion and I am now a Manager. This is something I never ever would have considered let alone dream of getting.
I am still waiting for my head to catch up and I dont know if it ever will. I look in the mirror and I still see fat, but not as much as I used to. I need to get into the mind frame of maintaining and not "need to lose weight".
Anyway hope to see you around.
Any questions, please feel free to ask.
If you think Kiera and I look a like, Please click the link and hit like on our pic Its a Mother/Daughter look a like comp!!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150798982442903&set=o.232023536820269&type=1&theater