gowalking

The band has worked phenomenally well for me...so much so that I feel I should put in a disclaimer in case anyone else thinks they will lose as much or as quickly as I did. I still don't know why I've been so successful...it certainly wasn't anything more than so many others do. But there it is.... Even so, I'd never try to scare someone out of making their own personal decision. And I'd hope that no one would make a decision based on what they read on this forum. It should be just simply what it is....advice and personal experience.

I just sent you a PM. Liz

I forgot...are you in the city or one of the outer boroughs? We can always meet up somewhere..or you are always welcome to come to me and peruse all my stuff. Just let me know. I'm in the West Village.

Can you come to the support group on Saturday? If yes, I can bring clothes with me and you can take whatever you want. It will just mean less stuff to schlep to Florida..

Your pics made me smile. You look just wonderful...and happy. Great job!!

I'm afraid I don't have business suits...we are business casual in my office. But I have so many blouses, slacks, and tops that no longer fit me. Much of it was only worn a handful of times as well. The slacks are mostly 12 and 10s but I have tops from 1X to L with a few more generous mediums thrown in there. I have them all packed up...I was planning on taking them to Florida with me to give to my mom's cleaning woman for her church. If you're interested in anything, let me know. Oh, and there are also some jeans as well. 12's and 14's. Even though I've really slowed down on the weight loss, it must be redistributing because I'm in smaller sizes every few weeks. In April I was wearing 12 pants and large and extra large tops. Now I'm in 6 or 8 pants and mostly medium tops. I have an almost brand new winter coat that no longer fits. Even the spring jacket I bought is too big. I'm going to have to get another jacket for the fall. This is all stuff I barely wore. It's a shame that I have to just give it away but at least it's clean and not worn out. Again...let me know if you are interested in any of this. Liz

FYI, for anyone still following this thread, the NYC/LI chapter is meeting is set for August 2 from 2PM till 4 PM We will be meeting at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level past the shops. We are looking forward to seeing many of our forum friends there for a fun filled afternoon. We hope to share a bit of information, education, and ultimately support with our friends and we also have a few special surprises planned for those in attendance!!! So mark your calendars today forum friends and make plans to spend a beautiful summer afternoon in NYC, please RSVP to the site and let us know if you plan to attend!!! If any Jersey friends want to attend, please feel free to cross the Hudson and join us.

If anyone on this thread is interested, we're having another support group meeting on Saturday from 2-4 in midtown at The Atrium on Third Ave between 49th and 50th streets. Feel free to PM me if you have questions. Looking forward to hopefully seeing some of you. Liz

Your husband is welcome. Looking forward to meeting you. Most of us are banded but there are always a few folks with different WLS.

yeah...not likely you can make it on Saturday but we will have another meeting in the fall.

You know Lisa...this would be a good topic to discuss on Saturday. Instead of focusing on numbers or clothing sizes, we should talk about what we've been able to accomplish..or what we want to accomplish.

Excellent. Looking forward to seeing you again Alex...and LI Lady as well.

Don't assume you'll gain anything Di. If you do, no big deal but I found it easier to walk away from the food than I thought. And because I was moving so well and so pain free, it was pretty easy to keep to my healthy eating plan. Yes, it's alot of food, but if you stick to Protein and fresh veggies, you'll be fine. There is always fish or other lean Proteins available and there is a great variety of veggies as well. You'll do fine!

So proud of you!!

Hi Candace. My high weight was 267. Because I'm only a little over five feet tall, this meant I had a BMI of more than 50. Morbidly obese is what I was. I got the lapband in January of 2013 and pre-op I lost 17 lbs. The day of surgery, I was 250 lbs. and today I'm 128. I'm in the normal BMI range but these are just numbers. The important thing is that I lost the weight I needed to and got the hip replacements I had to have. I went from constant, debilitating pain to almost no pain and being able to move around like a normal person again. I've gone from simply existing to living again. I've said it many times on this forum....I have truly been reborn. I have a life again and it's all good. Don't let a high starting weight deter you. Don't let the past failures deter you. If you do as your doctor tells you, you will succeed. As my signature says, 'Compliant bandsters are successful bandsters'. Many of those who responded to you are just as successful as I have been so here's to your future success. Wishing you all the best.

Aww...thanks Joe. FYI, we're having a support group meeting on Saturday here in the city. Let me know if you can make it and I'll send details.

Well.....I didn't go horseback riding. Turns out there is alot of jewelry shopping on St. Maarten and not just in St. Thomas so I shopped instead. I did however, do the diving and snorkeling in Nassau and that was alot of fun.

I'm banded almost 19 months and have had no fills. As you can see by my ticker, I reached goal, and even lost more weight. It's not willpower alone...it's the band working even though it's empty.

we're having a NYC support group meeting on Saturday afternoon. let me know if you can join us. forget about the gain on the cruise...it's a vacation...and besides...you know without the band, the gain would have been much larger. glad you're back...I had a great time on my cruise as well.

Honey....I know just how you feel, I felt the same way before I had lap band surgery. First of all, you should be able to eat alot of the foods you think you'll never eat again. But....you may find as I did, that you don't want them so much anymore once you find that losing the excess weight feels so much better than how good any food tastes. I just got back from a cruise, and believe it or not, I lost a pound. I had virtually no problem eating healthy choices and not overeating. I feel soooo much better with the weight loss and better mobility that I don't care about what I can't or shouldn't eat anymore. If you need to have food funerals right now, go ahead and do it. But I bet that once you start to look and feel better, you won't be missing that food the way you think you will. Good luck and keep us posted.

Deepest sympathies to all who have suffered the loss of loved ones.

you are beautiful.

FYI friends, I just came home from my cruise and had no problems with the food. I'm just so damn happy with my weight loss and improved mobility that it was easy to eat healthy and not overdo. In fact, I lost a pound so just know it can be done!!

..how grateful I am for my band. I was on a cruise last week and was able to do whatever I wanted. I walked all over this huge ship and had no pain, no issues at all. I went onto a small boat to go snorkeling and had no problem getting on it from the dock, or getting in and out of the Water on the ladder either. I was even able to run the length of that long long pier in St. Thomas as we were late back to the ship. I kept up and even went faster than my sister. I've gotten a new lease on life and it's all due to the band. I had absolutely no issues with the food because I was so aware of how much better I was feeling this time compared to the last cruise I was on. It's easy to walk away from the buffet when you can move without pain and when you can fit in any chair, booth, lounge chair, barstool, plane seat, etc, etc. Below is a picture of a very happy woman sitting at the bar at Maaho Beach and not sweating like a pig or embarrassed about her size. Life is good. ...oh and I lost another pound even with the increase in alcoholic consumption over the past week.

My cruise sails tomorrow. Last cruise was two years ago and I couldn't get off the ship. This time around I'm going snuba diving and horseback riding on the beach. What a difference!