LLCoolNoe

I originally lost about 140ish my first year after I got it. After that, I got complacent and pretty much ate and drank whatever I wanted. I ended up staying at the same weight for about a year after that until I ended up getting in a little trouble over some dui's (don't drink and drive, trust me, not worth it) and wound up incarcerated in prison for almost six months. During that time, I was able to re-focus and am back down another 30 pounds. It was pretty hard in the joint, given the fact that we had to hurry up and eat during chow (got stuck twice), but I was able to maintain by cutting out carbs again as well as starting to work out. Now that I'm back out, I'm finding that I have a newfound respect for my band and all the great feelings that its successful use can bring. That awesome feeling I got when I went clothes shopping for smaller sizes again is all the motivation I need now.

They covered me. I ended up owing about 1300 out of pocket...they covered the rest.

I have drinks fairly regularly and haven't had any issues...just stay away from carbonated stuff. Living with the band has really made me love wine now

Highest weight: 459 Day of surgery: 413ish (i think) Since last weigh in on 12/17: 330 Banded in July 2012 Pre-op I stuck to protien shakes and low carb/high protein dinners (mostly chicken and fish). After that, I followed the phases (liquids, mushies, soft solids,...). Nowadays, for the most part I follow a low carb diet, with cheater days every now and again (gotta shock the system!) I don't consciously exercise much, but I do find myself more active without really thinking about it. Lovin' the banded life!

OMG! I thought I was the only one! I remember early on having a dream about demolishing a carne asada burrito and getting stuck. It was the only dream I've ever had like that, so it really stuck out. Haven't had another since. Welcome to the forums! :-)

Lookin' hot! Well done!

Non-scale victory. Things like dropping a pant size, getting more notice from the opposite sex, basically the stuff that don't show up on the box-score

I gave up the soda too but it was hard. Maybe two months after getting banded I tried a rum and diet but even that gave me a stomach ache. I did cave one night and took a sip of some rootbeer, but even then I got scared and spit it out...lol

Liquids was the toughest part for me too. Just remember what your overall goal is. You were strong enough to make this life changing decision, let that strength carry you through this rough patch. It sucks right now but stay on plan and it's totally worth it! Drink lots of water! You got this!

Mesh panties aren't just for the ladies. I rocked them like a champ though!

I may as well have taken an ad in the paper! I told everybody I know, made no secret of it at work, and even posted it on my facebook. Everybody I know has been very supportive. They do ask a ton of questions, but I'm an attention-***** so I don't mind the questions. Plus, since this is such a huge part of my life, I love talking about it anyway

Woot Woot! Way to be!

@jen - It feels GREAT! I'm sure my body is still in shock (probably thinking "where's the pizza and beer?") @Edan - Best of luck on your procedure! As far as tips, the only thing that I've really done is made sure to stay positive and stay focused. If I run into a nasty temptation, I've done a few things. 1: Walk away 2: Grab a healthy alternative (need sweets? have a smoothie or some grapes!) 3: (this one's probably the biggest for me) Remind myself how much of a pain in the ass it has been to go through the process (paperwork, phone calls-wise, basically all the legwork) and ask myself if whatever I feel like munching on is really worth all that hard work going down the drain. 4: When in doubt, just rub one out (sorry if this is crass, but it works! lol)

Thanks! I appreciate the encouraging words

Wow - what a crazy few weeks this has been! It still feels a bit unreal how far I've come on my road. Going from a high of 458 to yesterday's weight of 395 has really helped me understand that I CAN do this. During the fill, my RN and NUT were both stunned at the amount of weight I've lost since starting the pre-op diets (the NUT's exact words when he saw the scale were "holy ****!"...seemed like genuine shock). When asked what I've been doing, I just told them that I've been following the plan they laid out; cut out the sugar/carbs, amp up the protiens, watch the booze, walk a little, and take some vitamins. I think the biggest reason for the initial success has been cutting all of the beer/soda out of my diet (I was having ALOT of each). Now that my body is adjusting to not having the crap in me, I realize my progress will certainly slow, so i'm not trying to get too excited over it, but it certainly is encouraging. I've also experienced my first NSV - I fit into some shirts that I haven't worn in two years! I hope the rest of the July bandsters have had as positive experience in their journeys as I have. I wouldn't trade this for anything! My personal mantra throughout my journey has been, and will continue to be "kick the weight's ass!". So far, everything's going to plan - shibby!!!

If anything, I toke more now

I'm not at the "new clothes" stage just yet, but from what I've seen, everybody seems to LOVE spanx and other body shapers. Everybody likes how it smoothes everything out and brings it all in. I can't wait to necessitate a body shaper!

I'm also in AZ and was banded July 12th as well! I also went through True Results and was happy with the entire experience. I'll be going in for my first fill on 8/7

I have been very open about making the band. Posted in on Facebook, told all my friends, shouted it from the rooftops (you get the idea). It's just made life easier for me, and people have been extra nice knowing I've recently had surgery

Not sure if anyone is still interested in meeting but i'm up for it. I'm 28 and live in South Phoenix (yes, the very same that was featured in Gangland )

It went really well! All I've heard is that I won't "really feel much like eating at first". When I woke up, I could've eaten a horse (slow cooked and marinated of course)...haha. It was great though, I was very happy with the surgical staff. They were mega-awesome!

Today's the big day and I couldn't be happier. I'm so stoked to finally get this thing done. Shibby!!!

Thanks for the happy thoughts! @Nyt Fyre - looks like we'll be sharing a bandiversary...SWEET!