PrettyThick1

No, that looks normal to me. My strips stayed on a bit longer than yours, but there's nothing wrong with yours. Mederma will take care of that easy - just start using it at your 6 week mark. Right now, my port incision is healed completely, but it has created a dent in my tummy. I know that will change as I continue to lose, so just keep that in mind as it continues to change.

My eye opening moment actually came this weekend. My home is on a cul-du-sac and I often let my furry children go out front without their leashes on, anyway there was a big stray dog approaching them - my babies are friendly and think that all dogs are playful. It was clear to me that this one wasn't and had intended on hurting my babies, well I ran at break neck speed with my garage broom in hand ready to go to battle with the stray. When he saw me coming, he immediately ran away. My babies looked at me as if to say "great mom, you just scared away a new friend...I hate you!" Anyway, I instantly noticed that: I ran faster than I have in years and I was breathing normally when I stopped. What?!? I wasn't out of breath and my muscles felt stretched. Needless to say, that brief moment motivated me to want to start seriously working out because it really felt good!

That's hard. I would encourage them to join the site and read posts in the Post Surgery and Lap Band success columns. You'd think that having a heart attack would be enough of a "pull-up buddy", but some people have to learn the hard way. I would tell my daughter to make sure the life insurance was adequate to care for her and their children, because her husband is a ticking time bomb right now. Maybe the shock will be enough for them to make some hard choices. You'd think that your success would be enough of a motivator. Sad situation.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

Mine went exactly the same as skb123. Nothing to fear!

I just wanted to say that it is awesome to be a part of this forum. I've never witnessed a collection of so many people giving sound advice and offering positive support to one another as I have since joining LBT. Yes, I've seen negative comments from one or two people before but that is such an insignificant number when compared to the kindness I've seen shared here. Way to go good LBT community, I am so happy to be among so many friendly folks. The world needs more of you in it.

Looking good girlfriend! I thought you were my lap band buddy I saw at Dr. Reilly's office, but I wasn't sure...now I see your phone case in the pic and I know it's you!!!! YAY!!!! I'm proud of you, keep up the good work!! Gwen

We ALL had those feelings and that type of feedback from the people we love and trust the most. I put all of that out of mind and went with the surgery and oh my goodness, I am so happy that I went through with it...just like 99% of the people on this forum. If this helps at all, my tummy was the first thing to flatten and if that's your problem area - chances are that will be the first place you lose the weight, too. You are not taking the easy way out, by any means. Yes, you have to do your part but the band helps you significantly to change the bad habits that have you where you are today. If you do nothing, you run the risk of serious health complications - it's not just about looking good or being able to carry the weight well. Your internal organs and vitals don't know what you look like, all they know is that the fat you are carrying is wearing them out and one day they might decide they've had enough of your good looking b.s. and start wrecking your life. Trust me...I was one of those "carrying it well but sick on the inside" kind of folks. When I found out I was diabetic and my blood pressure was doing crazy stuff in February and I had to make some hard choices: keep yo-yo dieting and playing with my health or do something permanent to get it back in line so I could be here for my daughter. The choice is yours, but you have come so far it would be ashame for you to turn around now - only to regret not going through with it a year from now, when you could be those 80lbs. lighter you're dreaming of now. Good luck, we are here to support you...but I'd say go for it, don't look back and enjoy the process/progress!

I'm nearly half-way to my goal and I'm just now getting the workout bug. I checked my weight and took a long hard look at myself in the mirror this morning. Sizing up what was coming off, what was sagging and what was being plain old stubborn. I walk a lot at work and I take the stairs rather than the elevator, so I felt like I was getting enough activity. I realize I'm not getting it because those are short stints and the goal is to raise your heart rate for at least 30 minutes and I can only do that with real cardio exercises. So, my plan is to try to get up earlier in the morning and jump on the bike that's been gathering dust in my garage for a couple of years and get after it. I also have a gym membership, but haven' been using it because I spend so much time at work and away from my daughter as it is that I'd feel like I wasn't being a good parent if I spent another hour away from her. I know from past experience that you have more energy after working out than when you start and I'm looking forward to that. I'm not a morning person, so it's going to be a challenge to lose that extra hour of sleep every day. Sigh. My questions to you guys: What motivated you to start exercising? What did you start with (other than walking)? How fast did you see/feel results? Are morning or evening exercises more beneficial to you? How has working out affected you mentally and physically? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but your responses will benefit me...and others greatly!

Ha ha...you'll get to your dream goal, in fact you'll be in onederland before you know it. Don't underestimate yourself or the band!

I was bloated well into week 3. You cracked me up.."I think I can feel my band". If you were that tiny, you wouldn't have needed the surgery. LOL Eventually you will be able to feel your port, but never the band.

Welcome Nifty! You are among friends and we are here to support you in any way we can. I think you'll be happy with your decision to get a lap band, I know I am. I also tried WW, QWL and a few other things that helped temporarilly - like you, I gained the weight back every time for one reason or another. So don't fear the unknown. Keep positive thoughts and you'll have positive results. Those of us who have gone through the process have also gone through a wide range of emotions leading up to our big day, only to find in the end that we were worried about things that never happened. Stay in touch! Post as many questions and concerns as you want, we like helping each other through this and to be honest, I learned more from this site than I did through my doctor - because there is nothing better than first hand accounts. By the time I went for my preop visit, all of my questions and concerns had been addressed in this forum and I was well aware of what I was about to experience. I hope the same for you...but you have to ask and you have to read. Looking forward to hearing your success story sometime soon!

I increased my goal weight after noticing the inches falling off as fast as the pounds dropped. My initial goal weight was 140, but I realize I'd look sickly at that weight on my frame, here are my stats: June 19, 2013 Starting weight: 219.5 Height: 5'2" Tops: 18/20 Bottoms: 16 Goal Weight: 140 Goal Size: 6 First fill - July 10, 2013 9 weeks ahead of schedule on my goals. July 31, 2013 (6 weeks post-op) Current weight: 188 Tops: 14/16 (I guess...I haven't bought clothes yet) Bottoms: Junior's 13M (clothes I had from previous WL attempt) Goal Weight: 150 (increased due to massive loss of inches) Goal Size: 8

For me, it was: Tummy (after swelling went down) Boobies Face Neck Behind Waistline

Fills are nothing to fear, it's no worse than any other shot you've gotten in your life. However, do follow doctor's orders - liquids for 2 days then mushies on day 3. You'll feel like you can eat solids and it might not bother you at first, but this will affect the band in the long run. My first fill was no big deal, but the second was a doozie in terms of being tight.

Good news my friend...you are in the tough times now! Waiting for surgery day and everything that leads up to it is/are far worst than you'll experience after day 2 with your band. I'm excited for you and all of the wonderful changes you are about to experience. I'm so glad I did it, my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

Congratulations and welcome to the Bandlands! Looking forward to hearing about your happy milestones and helping you navigate the unknowns!

I don't think you need a fill either. You sound like you're near the green zone to me, just start watching your portions consistently and you'll be fine.

I think you are probably too tight and I would definitely advise against getting another fill. Maybe try a small unfill. I went through that, but after a few weeks the band loosened up and I was able to eat again. You've been tight for too long and I think if you get a little taken out you'll feel better.

Yes, Missy has done an amazing job and we are fortunate that she shares so much of her experience and advice with us. Doesn't she look great?!?!

What a jerk! Why won't he just repair it during your surgery like every other surgeon does? Find another doctor, he doesn't sound like a good one.

Wow...that's a hard one! There is actual hunger and there is head hunger, here are my definitions: Presurgery actual hunger: stomach growling and a bit of an ache, feeling empty, bad mood, non-stop hunger pangs until I ate something. Presurgery head hunger: stomach isn't growling, no hunger pangs nor aching but you just want to eat something because you know it's there. Particularly bad when watching TV or bored. Seeing someone else eat will trigger you to eat, even though you aren't hungry. Post-sugery actual hunger: stomach might not growl, but there are minor hunger pangs sometimes, you feel a bit weak and know you SHOULD eat something...even though you might not really want to. More often than not and particularly when you are in the green zone, your "internal clock" will tell you it's time to eat and it feels like a chore at times. Post-surgery head hunger: almost non-existant when you are near or in the green zone. You can see food, smell food, watch others eating and still not want it - maybe a nibble, just to see how it tastes, but that's it. Even when you're bored or watching TV, you opt for Water, tea or some other liquid rather than food.

Every band and every bandster is different, so here is my input: Congrats on the decision to put an end to the yo-yo dieting, I think we have all been there before: great weight loss followed by substantial gain within a short period of time. Have no fear, the band was designed for people like us. I also worried that, the band wouldn't work for me...that I would be one of the unlucky few who couldn't change their eating habits and thought processess. Well, I'm here to tell you that you have to do some pretty serious screwing up for the band not to help you. Some people lose faster than others, but eventually the weight will start to come off - again, every band and bandster is different. Try not to judge your progress based upon someone else's experience. To do so could be counter productive and lead to discouragement which leads to set backs. Water: you can't gulp water anymore, but you can take in more than a sip after you have healed from surgery and after you've had a fill for a few days. You'll learn your own individual patterns of this though. It didn't take me long to adjust the way I drank, now it requires no effort, it comes naturally. You will be the same way, it's about forming new habits - like everything else this adventure entails. Ahhh, boiled eggs - how I miss being able to eat them alone. I've tried a couple of times (you can't chew them long enough - I did until they felt like liquid) and it was so unpleasant that I've given up trying. I have to smash them up in grits and add a tiny bit of butter - YIKES...yes, I said butter. So, if you can manage to get them down on their own - I am jealous of you...from the bottom of my heart. But if you find that you can't, try them with grits I find that one boiled egg and a 1/4c of grits is probably more than you can eat in one sitting. You can also mash them with canned tuna for even more Protein. You just have to see what will work for you, it might be totally different from what works for me. I actually have a challenge with getting enough calories in, so I have regular butter (not margarine), I drink 2% milk and I don't always opt for fat-free dressings an other things. I nibble on burgers - a single white castle filled me up last weekend, I even ate the bread without a problem. I don't get to eat them often because I'm in Texas and we don't have the restaurant here - so I really wanted to eat 2, but I am disceplined enough already to be able to stop when I'm satisfied. You will learn quickly to stop before you get full - it only takes you once or twice to overeat and the effects will stay with you forever...trust me. Enjoy the time before your preop diet, make sure you have a list of everything you think you will miss and pig out on them. Although there isn't very many things you won't be able to eat after the band, you won't be able to eat the quantities or at the same rate you are now. I watch others eat now and see how they have huge spoonfuls or fork fulls of food and I'm like...WHOA...YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!! And I actually have to keep myself from saying something, because I have to remember - not everyone in the world is a barriatric patient. LOL Good luck, enjoy your journey and get ready to welcome the new and improved you!

I've come to the conclusion that my band does not like solid foods before 2pm or after 8pm. I realize I may be a bit tight, but I'm not going to get an unfill because I'm losing very well. I have a 6-hour window for solid foods and I'm okay with that. We are a team and we have to know how to work together, so if my band says no solids early or late, then that's what it will have to be. I can still get adequate nutrition from Protein shakes, protein shots and other full liquids. I'm not hungry and that's the point, right? Sigh.

Protein shakes, mashed potatoes, apple sauce, cottage cheese and yogurt will be sufficient.