JosieK

hi before banding i was a seltzer/club soda addict. when i got banded i couldn't drink it for about 1 year. now over 2 years after my surgery...i can drink soda. i dont crave it like i did pre-banding but once in awhile i enjoy it. i still dont drink with meals....that continues to be a no-no for me

hi breakingfree good luck on your journey. i have to say it is one of the top 3 single best decisions i have ever made in my life. like babygirl said....just follow your doctor's suggestions and stay focused on your goal and you can make it. it isnt a "walk in the park" but the results are more then worth it. when you start flying downward through clothes sizes that you havent seen in years.....you will be even more giddy. when i no longer had to shop in lane bryant and could walk into any women's store...wow! i finally feel like a normal person and am no longer the fatest person in the room. i'm very excited for you and your journey. josie

hi lellow thanks for the update.....sounds like you are doing really well. one thing i'm taking away from your experience is that attitude has something to do with how you come out of this. you've been very "up" about your approach to the surgery and the result has been good. i am psyching myself. you and juli have both been a power of good example for me.... i think waiting is the hard part.... i'm curious what kind of exercise your doctor is allowing at this stage. my boyfriend's daughter is getting married 10 weeks after my surgery and i want to be toned and tan. not sure how much exercise i can get in before hand. i know alot has to do with how i recover...just curious i'm off to look at your pics.....

hi juli glad you are doing well.....i know you are a trooper so i'm watching your recovery and lellow's to get psyched for my surgeries. i think i was getting unrealistic about recovery and planned to do some things too soon after the operation. your post has really made me decide to slow down and i've cancelled everything (attending weddings, graduations, etc). one thought i had....everyone that has gone before with PS has validated the difficulty immediately following surgery but loves the results and is happy afterwards....that's what is keeping me going forward....(i'm not a trooper (big baby) and was seriously thinking of cancelling the PS.) my pre-op is next tuesday so i should know more then. glad you are getting on your feet......

hey lellow, your pics are great. i am getting more excited than nervouse based on your journey. thanks a bunch! joanne

hi juli, glad you are doing well. you and lellow are really helping to allay my fears about my upcoming surgery. i am also making a point to beef up my gym routine based on your advice. i've been on a roll eating too much junk and need to stop that now. i dont know wha'ts going on..... anyway keep us posted..... thanks joanne

hi lellow you really are giving me alot of encouragement on the "pain factor". i am doing it out patient. i was surprised as well that they do it this way. he anticipates the operation to be 7 hrs my sister in law is an RN so she will stay with me 3 days and then my cousin is coming down from NY to babysit me. i never thought about what happens to tatoos....that's funny about where your doctor thought the butterflies might end up. i cant wait to see your pics. i'm feeling very fat lately...dont know why....yes i do...i've been eating junk. my band all of a sudden got tighter without any additional fill. i think it is because i increased my exercise i'm very happy you are happy with your results. keep us posted josie

hi lellow, so glad you are doing well. i am following yours and and oh julie's surgeries closely as i have tummy tuck and boob lift scheduled for may 11th. i'm a baby and really scared about after the operation. you give me hope that it may not be so bad. thanks and keep us posted

hi julie, i know what you mean. yesterday a woman i do volunteer work with told me when she first met me in sept...i didnt have the "tire" around my waist. i call it my "blue bell tire" (blue bell is a great ice cream down here in texas.) i gained 14 lbs over the holidays. i lost 4 of them since i put my nose to the grind again a few weeks ago. i'm getting nervous about my operation. altho' i cant wait because it seems like everyone that is on the other side of the operation is happy. annette: YIKES! re: muffin top are you having PS? i'm concerned about having a "muffin top" after my operation. like you said....i have to be realistic...i am 51 years old. i've been working out like crazy because my doctor said my recovery will be better.... janine: it's great about your core being tight. it really helps in so many ways....balance, etc. i think the tight core will help with weight loss. (meaning muscle using more calories) my arms are tight muscle covered by fat. so i know what you mean. kyethra:great about all of your activities....funny how the weight held us down mentally. you are right...since i started coming back on LBT...i am starting to clean up my "eating-act" and exercising. i'm getting back to basics. anyway...have a great weekend everyone joanne

hi tcbgirl it's great you are researching ahead of time. when i came on LBT i saw 2 "camps". some had lapband awhile back and hadnt lost much weight. i noticed they blamed the band, talked alot about taco bell, blizzards, etc. didnt exercise much....i have to be honest...this scared me and i almost didnt proceed with the band. i thought why go through all of this when i wont lose the weight. well i read on..... the other camp was filled with people that were actively working with their bands as a tool to achieve their goals. they journalled their food, exercised, talked about how to overcome when they "fell of the wagon". they lost weight and had a great approach. so i decided to follow them. some of the key things for me were and are (i am just coming out of a period where i fell off the wagon): 1. journal what i eat 2. beef up exercise 3. drink lots of Water 4. get the junk out of the house 5. make sure to get Protein in. if i cant eat..i use Protein shakes or the protein bullets. i've never lost my hair since banding as was said before...papaya enzymes have been great. good luck on your journey

hi hanna, my doctor didnt have a restrictive pre-diet. his feeling was...."if you could stay on a pre-op diet....why would you need a lapband???" this made total sense to me. i couldnt stay on one....hence my need to get a band. dont analyze too much before surgery. i did this and drove myself crazy. after getting the band you will have to make your mind up on the types of food you will eat (healthy vs unhealthy) or exercise amounts. but the band helps alot. before banding i was NEVER full. i always thought about food. after banding i would get full faster. i actually stopped thinking about food 24/7 journalling my food was key for me...as was setting up weekly exercise plan. i got alot of strength from reading about people on LBT that were successful and tried to follow their suggestions. good luck and keep us posted on your progress

hi pezo yes i did gain after surgery. it had to do with water retention, swelling, etc dont worry...i found staying away from the scale initially a good thing since it was making me crazy. i always felt if i didnt eat a meal i should lose 10 lbs (of course i am exaggerating) for the first 2 weeks i focused on getting back on my feet. the 3 main things my doctor stressed: 1. walk, walk, walk 2. do breathing exercises. 3. drink plenty of water. hope this helps....

hey julie, i've been reading about the your upcoming surgeries and other people that have already completed their surgeries. i'm trying to learn as much as i can about recovery. i am such a baby......the lapband surgery which was less then a root canal....whipped my butt. so i'm trying to gain strength from you guys. i actually read the cycle thread last night. last year when i was heavy into cycling...i lurked on that thread. i didnt know alot of cycle terminology and learned alot. i actually communicated with a girl who did the dallas MS race. i forget her name but it was texas-something. and you are right...i didnt see her much after the race. i entered this year's MS150 but just dropped out. i've been having trouble getting training time in....so i think i will do it every other year. i will drop into the cycle thread as i need to keep my butt on the bike. thanks for the invite i've gained 14 lbs since before christmas and must stop that now....before i need a lapband for my lapband hehehe. i will be praying for you during your surgery...... thanks for your message and have a great day. josie

hi, i agree with plain.....the band (in my opinion) will not solve the bulimia issue. in fact....it could actually cause serious issues. throwing up is not good for the band and can cause a slip. i was bulimic years ago for many years. i thank god i got that under control before even thinking about the band. i doubt my doctor would have performed my operation if i was actively bulimic. good luck and hope things work out for you.

hi everyone, i just happened to see this thread in the "new posts". my 2nd anniversary is 3/30. i also had to think about "which year" is this? you are right...life has become very full. i am doing alot of volunteer work, i cycle (did the MS150 last april) and have met a great guy that i plan to marry next year. none of this would have been possible if i didnt get my band. not only for the physical change it gave me....but more importantly...the mental change. dont get me wrong....the first year was alot of work. i decided early on i wanted to succeed at this. i think having paid for my surgery and the fact i had an "operation"...it forced me to really think through when i started falling off the wagon (which i did a few times the first year). lately i have been eating poorly. i feel like i'm getting back into old habits. my jeans are getting tight and i hate that feeling. so i decided last week to get my butt back to the gym and to start journalling my food. this is what helped me to lose my weight the first year. also i made a pact with myself that if i gain weight...i will cancel my PS. i dont want to pay all of that $ only to gain weight. i'm trying to use this as leverage for me to get back on track. so far it is working. well....i just wanted to check in and touch base. overall i am THRILLED with the band. i am very happy "marchies '07" are doing well

hi bodhaine i used Protein shakes & clear Soups. i didnt feel like eating right after surgery. i had trouble getting anything down. drink plenty of Water too...very important my doctor allowed me to eat within a week of surgery altho' meat was off limits for a few weeks. i used Protein Shakes and protein bullets to make sure i got enough of this while i wasnt eating much. not sure about the milk restriction your doctor has....since that wasn't restricted for me. i ate yogurt initially. anyway good luck. and dont worry.....the initial post op time goes pretty quickly and when the weight starts falling off....you will be very happy. also dont be surprised when you put a question out on this site and you get ignored....happened all the time for me. so i use this site for information and/or if i can help someone. keep us posted after surgery

hi yes i did....my suggestion...go back to the doctor right away. i ended up with pneumonia because i didnt tell anyone i had this problem and ended up ingesting reflux into my lungs. it turned into pneumonia and took weeks to clear up it was horrible. additionally reflux is not good for the esophogus....long term it can cause cancer if left untreated good luck

hi baylor, i agree with the people that dont look at this as a diet. in fact i took the advice of people that said forget low fat, forget low sugar. just eat less. i felt more satisfied. having said that...while losing weight i did journal my food and keep track of calories. but now that i'm maintaining i can eat anything i want. i dont crave like i did before because i dont have "off limit foods". (except during lent i am off "blue bell ice cream" and now am dying for it .... LOL) i only had 1 day between my doctor's seminar and my surgery. i went around Target saying goodbye to my friends (peeps, twizzlers, etc) i thought i would never have them again. but i can have them. and for the most part i dont even want them anymore. so my advice is not to go crazy because you can eat anything in moderation. the difference is with the band you get full faster. good luck....

best of luck WTBT some things that were helpful to me: i was told to follow doctors orders in walking and using breathing "thig-a-magig". it helped me get on my feet pretty quickly another was to bring a pillow and blanket for the ride home. it was my favorite suggestion received as i truly needed it to lay down in back your life will change in so many positive ways....i'm very excited for you...

BEST OF LUCK!!!! to all of you. I was banded in March 2007 and have a soft spot for our month. I will tell you it is lifechanging in soooo many ways. No longer do i live with the "stigma" of being the biggest person in the room. I'm routing for all of you and your success.

hi, when i was banded.... one thing i followed 100 pct was to make sure i got in enough Protein each day. i didnt want to lose my hair...and i didnt lose it because i was religious about this. i had trouble eating so i supplemented with both Isopure Protein shakes (vanilla with added fresh fruit or chocolate with Peanut Butter and banana are YUMMY) and/or the protein bullets. i used both the 25 gms and 42 gms based on how much i was able to eat. of course i believe the best source of protein is by eating food. however many days i wasnt able to and followed above with good success. thanks

hi hookem, good luck......i am a fellow "spivakian". i have had the best experience with both him and his professional staff. his support group meets every month on a tuesday. his website has the meeting dates. i went once but it was a bit far to travel. i tried to connect with other people in the katy area but it never really got off the ground. mostly my fault for not pursuing it. i found the groups by tooling around on this site and obesityhelp.com anyway best of luck on probably one of the best decisions you've made....i know it was for me

Congratulations and best of luck everyone.... i will tell you this was the best decision i ever made and has changed my life dramatically. i know you will expereince the same. just saw someone's signature on another post and it was perfect... it said: healthy eating + regular exercise + lapband = success

hi red tulips.. great post. your description of your journey is very similar to mine. before i was banded, when researching LBT, i found the people that took responsibility for the lapband program had the greatest success. it wasnt easy but you are right.....so so worth it. thank you for sharing your story of inspiration

hi marjorie, hope you are doing well.....i plan to have PS in december....breast lift, tummy tuck and bootie enhancement. thank you for posting your journey.