Bandista

You are doing so well -- congratulations on all the hard work that got those pounds off. You must feel great. I can't wait to get banded, even though I know there will be ups and downs. Thanks for that reminder......

Hi Journey, I know just what you mean -- I feel so ready and the hospital bureaucracy is knocking the stuffing out of me. Yesterday I got irritated and started looking around at potential other places to go but we live in a very rural area and this is my best option for getting to fills during snowy weather, etc. And I like the staff but cannot understand how they are so bogged down. Keep your chin up! Is there something you can do in these few months leading up to January?

Yippee! That's a great result but don't worry too much about the number in the coming weeks as your body adjusts -- you will be down another twenty before you know it!

Hi there, September 19th is the date I meet with the nutritionist and psych eval -- two more steps toward getting the surgery date. I will think of you that day, wishing you a speedy recovery. Wonderful to have the job you want, back near your family and now taking hold of your health issues. Exciting times ahead!

Hi Smiley -- you will get there! Congratulations on the surgery, recovery and now on to getting the fill right. It's all happening.........

That is great news! Makes sense the whole digestive track would be so much happier with the healthy changes and being able to pay attention to the body's signals, not forcing it to deal with more than it should do, etc. One thing about this long wait to a surgery date is that I'm actually really looking forward to the pre-op diet for all those cleansing properties.

Congratulations! So happy for you. It's really exciting to watch people's progress here.

Hi there, so many good people here to help......I am pre-band so I don't have advice but please know you are not alone. It's a lifestyle adjustment and a lot of stuff can come up, plus you are healing and your body is acclimating. Get your medical team on board, too, whatever is going on.....best wishes!

I am not banded yet but researching like crazy -- what is five-day pouch test?

A proper outing -- congratulations. Geesh, wait 'til next year you'll be running up and down the bleachers!

I think the body really needs to adjust -- first to the pre-op diet then recovering from surgery and now this whole new way of eating. it's like it to believe it is okay to start dropping and then boy oh boy will you start to lose. Hang on! Good for you on the golf and doing what you can -- you have made his big step and it is all happening. Wait til Christmas -- you're not going to believe what you've accomplished!

Congratulations on your surgery! I'm a bit envious (still waiting for a date) -- can you believe I'm looking forward to the pre-op diet? I just want to get started! You are beginning a whole new chapter -- so happy for you!

Life after LapBand....Yippee. its like hearing about a far off land but maybe not as far away as I think. Thanks so much for posting - so inspiring as I wait for a date. Congratulations on all the great work and good choices that have brought you this success. Best wishes....

Hi there, I am pre-band and have learned so much on this forum. All these posts have helped me to understand what LB surgery is about. I need my appetite to subside so I can make good decisions long-term, which will allow me to lose the weight. Otherwise I can only go so long before I am back to where I started (plus some), only hungrier than ever. I look forward to the surgery and getting out of food jail. I plan to continue to enjoy good food (I love Protein and veggies), just in very small quantities. I realize there may be some things that don't agree with me post-band (cheese addict). I am especially looking forward to being able to interpret my body's signals and responding properly, which I know will be a learning process. This means giving up eating as a response to boredom or stress but not giving up eating for nutrition. Goal is to enjoy that nutrition in a healthy way. Good luck to you! You are really in the right place for information and compassionate support. i am so impressed by the people who have been through the procedure who are willing to answer any and all questions. They are amazing. And if you need more time I'll bet you could move the date up a few weeks easily enough -- just report that it would be more convenient for you in October....then perhaps armed with information from those who have gone before us you might feel more ready?

Hi there, hope your appointment went well and that you're feeling better today and recovering. Best wishes!

I am still pre-band and love reading posts like these. Sounds like you are really doing beautifully and you're right on track. Your body is undergoing a tremendous adjustment -- not just recovery from the surgery but settling into this new mode of lower calorie intake. And it's so great that you can implement will power knowing that it is temporary. That's been the thing, really, an inability to sustain will power over appetite for long enough to lose the weight then maintain the loss. I could always make it a while on a new regime but without the band just couldn't keep it going. One failed attempt after another. So looking forward to this new tool to dim that appetite and allow me to lose weight and home in on my body's signals for hunger. The knowing how to stop. Best wishes to you and thanks for blogging!

Congratulations -- so happy for you. What do you do for an exercise routine? I am really looking forward to gettig banded and losing enough weight to be able to increase the exercise -- hoping to get hooked on that (instead of food!) -- then keep up the weight loss and toning. Longing for that healthy place!

What a great post! I can really identify with those feelings of losing a self that I once was. In my case it happened very quickly; it was like a switch had been thrown and there has been no going back. Like every one here, I tried so many things but to no avail (down up on the scale, down down, up up up). It's hard to recognize myself and I don't feel comfortable in this body. The band is the missing tool in the arsenal I am bringing to this reinvention and my return to good health. That includes a lot I have learned in this twenty years of overweight -- not about weight management (obviously) but about who I am and what I want in my life, what my priotities are. The overweight is preventing so much and I'm so looking forward to shedding it along with the low self esteem that has been a companion on this journey. Good luck on the pre-op diet and all good things ahead. Thanks for an inspiring read on this Friday evening. Best wishes!

Hi there, this could be such a blessing. I hope it works out well for you! And now you've done all your research, have everything lined up, etc. Good luck!

Congratulations -- beautiful new baby and right on track with your band. Best wishes!

Yippee! Fabulous is right, and I bet you feel great, too. Way to go!

Hi there, you might want to check out buckwheat if you like hot "cereal" (it is technically not a grain though it seems like one, it's actually a berry!) -- and it's a complete protein. Also quinoa, though I haven't found a way that I really like it, it is worth exploring for its protein content,a high fiber, etc. I am prebrand but collecting ideas -- thanks for putting this thread out there!

Looking good! And I'll bet you're FEELING great. Congratulations on all the hard work that has brought you this success. You are an inspiration to those of us who are still pre-band. Thanks so much for posting!

Hope you hear very soon! Congratulations on taking this big new step in your health. I am right behind you (I hope!). I also can really identify with worries over people treating me differently and what that will feel like. The being more "acceptable" as a thin person is a sad statement on our society. I guess I'm hoping I'll be so healthy I won't care as much about the idiots out there. Good luck to you -- hope that phone rings right away with the good news!

I sympathize with you! My insurance company requires a BMI of 40 and there is no mention of co-morbidities like high BP or apnea (I have both, but BP is controlled by medication). I have been worried all along because I dip below the 40. Am really a 38. There are a few more weigh-ins and it's so stressful. Plus I'd like to be dropping now, now trying to maintain the heaviest. But I will do whatever indeed to do to make this a success. I have gotten creative.