Marie3181

I'm 5'7", banded in January 2004, and live in East Lansing, MI. My weight on my surgery day was 260 and I am currently at 177. The lowest I've gotten since my surgery was about 159, but I have been hovering between 170 & 180 for roughly the past 3 years. I am looking for a buddy/mentor who I can email throughout the workday when those office cupcakes are looking good and even though I'm not hungry I'm wanting to eat them anyway. It would also be cool to be able to text a buddy/mentor in the evenings/weekends when my willpower is flagging and I need a little dose of "you don't really need to make and eat cookie dough right now" reality. I'm getting married in about 3.5 weeks and enough is enough. Clearly, if fitting into that wedding gown isn't motivation enough, I need some outside help! If anybody is up for the challenge of being my weight loss "sponsor", I would really appreciate it!

I don't doubt that there are some people on this forum who use stats like this or the number of fills they've had to help themselves feel better about their situations, but at the same time, I think it's important to remember that these stats absolutely do make a difference. There's a reason BMI exists and the requirements for surgery are based on that and not one certain number on the scale. Personally, I like to know heights because I like to kind of visualize people who post here - like reading a book and having a mental picture of what somebody looks like. Obviously, the number one reason there are so many bandsters here trying to lose weight is so we can be healthier. But I'll admit that I often compare myself to other people and other measurements of size. If I didn't, I wouldn't be chasing that elusive size 8 clothing, or admiring a girl at the gym with a cute figure and wishing I could look like that.

When were you banded? January 2004 What was your weight ON DAY OF SURGERY? 260lbs. What is your weight now? 155 lbs. What size do you wear? 8 / medium How tall are you? 5'7"

I'm open to suggestions of what other products people have had luck with too. I don't have severe acne, but at any given time I always have 2 or 3 pimples, particularly on my jawline and hairline, and it's really starting to annoy me. I think a lot of the problem may be that I don't keep to a schedule of washing my face and applying product, no matter what company it's from.

Has anybody here tried it? If so, how'd it work?

Has anybody heard of this? I was just reading an article on MSN Health that mentioned it, and I think it's kind of interesting. It might kind of go hand-in-hand with lap-band patients - unfortunately it costs in the neighbourhood of $500! But it's an interesting thought - it could help bandsters train themselves to take smaller bites and eat more slowly.

I work for an estate planning attorney in Michigan, and here they are called Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, and sometimes advance directive, but other states call them other things. As somebody pointed out earlier, the point of a health care DPOA is to designate an agent who will make your medical decisions for you when you are no longer able to do so. Our documents require the signature of the agent and the signatures of two physicians to certify that the patient is unable to make his or her own medical decisions before the agent is allowed to act. As pointed out, it's very important to discuss your wishes with your agent and pick somebody you trust to carry out your wishes.

How long have you been banded? Since 1/5/04 (just shy of 16 months) What do you eat each day? Lately, with the stress of exams, I've been eating crappy stuff. But typically I have a little chicken salad with crackers mid-morning, then maybe Soup or a sandwich for lunch, then whatever looks good for dinner. Basically anything I want, just not much of it. How much do you eat? Probably between 1/3 and 1/4 of what I did pre-banding. Do you eat sweets? Yes! The girls at my office constantly have m&m's around and I just can't resist =) How much have you lost? 95 lbs Do you feel its worth it? Definitely!

Hi, Joe! I just turned 24, but I was 22 when I had the surgery. If you're willing to put a little bit of work into it, it's definitely worth it. I feel a million times better now than I did 95 lbs. ago. It's amazing how much more confident and less self-conscious I feel now that I'm not carrying around all that extra weight.

I had tennis class for an hour tonight. I can feel my forearm getting sore already!

Somebody near the top of this thread mentioned sit-ups. I do about 50 each time I go to work out (2 or 3 times/wk), and they don't really bother me, though sometimes the area around my port gets a tiny bit sore afterwards, like I'm using muscles that I haven't used in a while! =) When I go to the gym I like to do the elliptical for 30 minutes and then do weight machines and stretches. I find that listening to good music really helps me. When I'm on the elliptical I tell myself, "ok, you only have 4 more songs' worth of exercise to go!" =)

I've lost 90 lbs and I don't really have the cottage cheese thighs. But I work out and hit that inner/outer thigh machine like there's no tomorrow! =)

I think my favourite part about being banded is breaking free from my obsession with food. Yeah, I still crave certain foods sometimes, but now 2 spoonfuls of ice cream satiates me instead of a whole pint. I don't eat just because it's "meal time" or just because everybody else is eating. It's nice to get out from under the food. And the longer I'm banded, the less control the food has over me.

Jenna - no, you're normal! Some people get the noises and some don't. I never used to, but the tighter my fill is, the more noises I get. I just had a small fill at the beginning of March, so I'm sure as I adjust to it the noises will go away a little...or at least I hope so!

I find humour to be the best way to deal with it too, but with such a new relationship I'm just so self-conscious of it. It's probably not even that big a deal, but I keep thinking he must think it's so gross. Who wants to kiss someone whose throat sounds like it has a frog dying in it?! =) I am glad I told him about the band, though. One of my girlfriends (who has proclaimed herself my dating "agent" =) basically told me I had to tell him, and if he had a problem with it, I should kick his a$$ to the curb!

I'm so glad you other singletons out there are going through the same thing! Ok, I just started seeing a new guy. Our first date was a lunch date, and I ordered soup and ate like 3 bites. So of course he was kinda wondering what was up. Then when we were making plans for a second date, he mentioned something about going out to dinner, so I just came clean about the band so I wouldn't have to sidestep the issue through another meal. And he was totally cool about it (thank goodness!). So our second date was Friday night, and then Saturday night we hung out and I swear, every time I'd take the tiniest sip of water my throat would start making that gurgling funnel noise! It was so embarrassing! I wanted to kiss the guy, but I couldn't drink enough water to get rid of my nervous cotton-mouth and it was just a horrible, uncomfortable cycle. What's a girl to do??

My boyfriend and I used to laugh about the noises too, but now that I'm single and dating, it's really starting to annoy me! I hadn't really had the noise problem for a while, but at the beginning of March I got a very slight fill and for some reason, the noises are back with a vengence! I don't suppose anybody has any tips for calming the beast? My date tonight is making us dinner at his house, so I won't have the din of a restaurant to cover the noise =(

I'm with Sue - sometimes I just get a craving for a Sprite or a Coke or something, so if it's in a can I'll pour it over a glass of ice and let it sit for a while or give it a stir to get rid of the carbonation before I drink it. I don't know why, but for some reason, pouring soda over ice really seems to cut down on the bubblies!

I knew I could count on good advice from everybody! Now I wish it would hurry up and get warm so I can take some golf lessons!

Ok, some background: I've had some really bad luck with men lately. My boyfriend of 3 years broke up with me in July, then I dated a couple guys here and there, then from October to early February I dated Shane, a man that I thought I might spend the rest of my life with...but he got a job in Texas (I live in Michigan), and moved there to take the Texas bar and be an assistant prosecuting attorney. So now here I am, trying to pick up the pieces. I was a wreck after Shane totally cut me off and left, but the past couple weeks I've been trying to get out there again. I went out with this guy 3 times and then suddenly he sent me the "I had a really great time hanging out with you but I think I'd prefer to stay friends" email. And the only thing I can think of that changed was that I told him about the band. We were out at dinner the last time I saw him and I could only eat like 3 bites (I just had a fill), and he asked me if the food was ok, etc., and I felt like I had no option but to tell him about the band. Generally I'm straightforward about it and people accept it, but now I'm torn about what to tell men I go out with. Unfortunately, dinner is like the universal first date, but I don't really think a first date is the time to go into an explanation about my weight loss surgery. I'm kind of at a loss as to how to handle the situation. Any ideas? And while we're at it - meeting men is so difficult! Any tips/ideas/anecdotes on how (or more specifically, where) to meet people?

The before pic is from May 2004 (at my best friend's wedding!) and the during/after picture is from a few weeks ago. I don't know how to put the pictures in the body of the message instead of as attachments, so if anybody wants to do it for me, thank you!

Thanks Leatha!!

Yeah, I have the original pic - I'd really appreciate it if you gave it a shot! =) How should I send it to you?

I just uploaded a new avatar but it looks really pixelated. Does anybody know how to avoid that?

Marie - I love splitting food! My best friend is a bandster too and I love going out with her because we can always share. Shane (boyfriend) and I do split once in a while, but most of the time he's hungry enough to eat a whole entree himself (and still stay thin, that brat! =). I love cooking for him though, because I know he'll eat and I can send him home with leftovers. If I don't have somebody to cook for I tend to not cook as often because I always end up making too much and wasting it! Rachel - haha, I know! This is literally the first time I've been a size 12 since 6th grade, it's unbelievable! Picking a meal beforehand is a good idea - I'm so indecisive that I get to a restaurant and can't decide what I want and usually end up with something unhealthy.