KristiP

I am a Kentucky native (Louisville), although I now reside in Australia. Still, you can take the girl out of Kentucky, but you can't take the Kentucky out of the girl!
Go Big Blue!
:-D

I am 9 days away from a year out, and I have no regrets. I did think I'd be at goal by now. I still have another 30 pounds.
To be honest, I think I could have been at goal by now if I'd continued to deny myself some food types. I don't eat a lot of them, but it slows my weight loss (popcorn/alcohol, for example). Part of why I didn't deny myself is because I didn't get this surgery to deny myself. I wanted a tool not a lock.
I still plan on getting to goal. It just didn't happen the first year. But what I have lost and how much better I feel? Priceless.

While I have not had any co plications per se with the lap band, I have not been successful with it. I'm sorry but I don't count losing less tha. 20kgs, gaining back nearly half and maintaining at that for 3.5 years a success story. To be fair, I knew from the word go it wasn't what I should be doing--I originally went in asking for a RNY, but was talked into the band. Big mistake on my part, huge! Should have stood my ground.
Now here I am 4 years out from the band and still morbidly obese. I no longer want a RNY, and am revising to a sleeve (which to be honest is the second procedure in a 3 stage DS surgery......hoping I will not have to follow through with the DS next year).
When I hear of anyone looking into the lap band, I offer them my experience and tell them to look at all the options carefully before making a decision. For some the band will be a god send, but from what I'm reading, it's usually a nightmare.
:-)

Yes, I am always there too,anxious and on pins and needles. Even though I've never been unable to fasten my seatbelt and I don't hang over into the other seat, I know it's only a matter of time before I get "Southwested" at the airport. I have had the unfortunate experience of having a seat mate ask the flight attendant if he could move seats (didn't want to sit next to a fat woman) and then sit with his contempt rising off him like steam when told no he could not (flight was FULL). I saw the look of disgust on his face when he saw me approaching that row of seats and then his reluctance at getting up to allow me to get to my seat by the window just confirmed it. I spent 4 hours squashing myself against the plane wall, holding my elbows in tightly making sure i didn't 'get any of my fat on him' and pointedly refusing refreshments.......thinking if I made it obvious I was trying not to inconvenience him that he'd at least stop all that hostile sighing...... which was a waste of time because he was just infuriated the whole time anyway.
I'm sick of being fat and being hated for it! I won't miss it at all.

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

For me it's being able to wear tops in the summer and not have to keep pulling the fabric out of a crease where I've got a roll. TMI, I know, but it's the reason I wear too big tops, which is more comfortable but sloppy looking. Can't win for losing!
And I would like to be able to tuck my shirts into my pants or jeans and wear a belt just for show.
:-D

oh wow..........here is one I can paricipate in, even though I'm a pre-sleeve!
I will not miss the following:

desperately searching for the largest size of the one thing I found that I liked in the fat department
being relegated to brown, black and navy, or clothes in some god awful floral print, horizontal stripes and tops/dresses festooned with ribbons, bows, sequins, big plastic jewels, glitter, sreen printed kittens and butterflies, crinkle fabric/ruching, and belts on plus size pants that do not fit plus size women. (I meean what the hell is that about? Putting a size 14 belt on size 26 pants? I seem to find this ALL THE TIME!)
having my shopping trolley dissected and commented on
having food servers automatically assume that I want dessert or the largest serve they offer
having people (usually high school or college kids, but recently fully grown adult men) make farm animal noises at me when I dare to eat in public
being too self conscious to go out and actually enjoy myself
being afraid to sit on aluminium folding lawn chairs or plastic patio chairs for fear they will break
being unable to find a nice bra in my size and being forced to settle for something that even Aunt Agnes finds unappealing
being unable to find matching bra and panty sets in my size
having to buy pants to fit my waist which means they bag horribly in the ass and legs
getting stared at in clothing shops and boutiques that clearly do not cater to fat women.......even if I'm just looking for jewelry and accessories in the first place
being too afraid to go to a public pool.......just to put my feet in........even in peddle pushers and a 3/4 top because people stare, whisper, point or just out right make fun

i could go on and on, but there is only so much band width to go around.

I know. I was minding my own business and having lunch - a salad, without anything "good/tasty" in it (no cheese, bacon, croutons, nuts etc) and no dressing either. Just some grilled chicken. 2 men (guessing mid-late 20s) sat down across from me and every time I took a bite one would make pig noises and the other would laugh his head off. It went on for several minutes, until I finally just abandoned my salad and left. No point in saying anything, it would just inflame the situation. I've learned not to start fights I won't win, no matter how right I am simply because you cannot reason with a moron.
Well, ultimately I WILL win, because I will not always be this size, BUT, I likely will never see those guys or people who have stared, whispered and given me filthy looks again to say HA! Plus I believe in karma, so it's out of hands now.
Oh and good luck to you as well!

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

For me it's being able to wear tops in the summer and not have to keep pulling the fabric out of a crease where I've got a roll. TMI, I know, but it's the reason I wear too big tops, which is more comfortable but sloppy looking. Can't win for losing!
And I would like to be able to tuck my shirts into my pants or jeans and wear a belt just for show.
:-D

I know. I was minding my own business and having lunch - a salad, without anything "good/tasty" in it (no cheese, bacon, croutons, nuts etc) and no dressing either. Just some grilled chicken. 2 men (guessing mid-late 20s) sat down across from me and every time I took a bite one would make pig noises and the other would laugh his head off. It went on for several minutes, until I finally just abandoned my salad and left. No point in saying anything, it would just inflame the situation. I've learned not to start fights I won't win, no matter how right I am simply because you cannot reason with a moron.
Well, ultimately I WILL win, because I will not always be this size, BUT, I likely will never see those guys or people who have stared, whispered and given me filthy looks again to say HA! Plus I believe in karma, so it's out of hands now.
Oh and good luck to you as well!

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

I'd have been running up and down the street in my underwear, holding the pants above my head screaming, "they won't stay up! They won't stay up!". Hahaha
Congratulations on the NSV!

I don't want the stomach they take out--have seen stomachs, and they really aren't my thing!--BUT, I do want the lap band they're taking out of me! Hahaha.
I'm serious! I want that band and port! The way I look at it, it's not tissue, I paid a LOT of money for the stupid thing, and every single person I know that's had gall stones and kidney stones removed have their stones in jars (or wisdom teeth!) which to me are a bio-substance if not a tissue. They all seem to think everyone wants to see and admire them. (I do think they're kind of neat...in a gross sort of way! Hahaha) so why shouldn't mynband get the same? Hahaha
My band--whom I named Agnetha, btw, because she's Swedish --will hopefully reside on my bedside table in her own jar as a reminder for me to pursue what I want and not go with what someone else thinks I should settle for. Because that's how I wound up with her--I settled for the band instead of the RNY I was asking for. And here I am going in for a revision, so how well did me settling for something I wasn't looking for work out?
:-)

I don't want the stomach they take out--have seen stomachs, and they really aren't my thing!--BUT, I do want the lap band they're taking out of me! Hahaha.
I'm serious! I want that band and port! The way I look at it, it's not tissue, I paid a LOT of money for the stupid thing, and every single person I know that's had gall stones and kidney stones removed have their stones in jars (or wisdom teeth!) which to me are a bio-substance if not a tissue. They all seem to think everyone wants to see and admire them. (I do think they're kind of neat...in a gross sort of way! Hahaha) so why shouldn't mynband get the same? Hahaha
My band--whom I named Agnetha, btw, because she's Swedish --will hopefully reside on my bedside table in her own jar as a reminder for me to pursue what I want and not go with what someone else thinks I should settle for. Because that's how I wound up with her--I settled for the band instead of the RNY I was asking for. And here I am going in for a revision, so how well did me settling for something I wasn't looking for work out?
:-)

I'm 5'7" too, and also with a heavier/more solid frame (always "knew" this but the guy doing the DEXA scan confirmed that for me a couple of years ago). My surgeon has set me the, IMO, very unrealistic goal of....drum roll.....59.2kg/130lbs. While that is a lovely number, I am sorry, it's not even remotely realistic for me. Even 150-160 would be pushing it, I think. So I've just nodded in agreement, and made a mental note to myself that MY goal, for now, is 81.5kg/180lbs, and when I get there I will see how I feel and reassess. Even though 180 is still in the overweight range, according to the BMI Charts which take into account absolutely NOTHING but your height and weight. Which makes the BMi scale good for nothing more than a basic guideline, and of no real use in the real world.
I mean, what's he going to do if I don't reach his goal for me? Ground me? Put me in detention? Retrieve the discarded portion of my stomach and the weight I have (at that time) lost and put them all back in? lol. I refuse to set myself up for failure or disappointment based on a fairly arbitrary number.
There would have been a time that I would have grabbed onto that number he gave and then beat the he** out of myself when I didn't get there, but I'm older and wiser now.....thank God!
:-)

Hello everyone
I worked hard to get to this point and i hope this will serve as inspiration and motivation for pre and post ops. If you have any questions pls feel free to email me or send me a private msg.
Good luck to all of you.

Oh, yeah, I get that too! Here are some real, and recent excerpts from my life:
I have my one per day can of caffeine free Pepsi Light with lunch, I get the whole lecture about how soft drinks are the devil and the root of all evil and how I'm just killing myself with that s***, that it causes osteoporosis, and don't I know that the sweeteners are basically a type of neurotoxin blah blah blah...."
Ok first......it's my body and I'll wreck it if I want to (for the record I do not think one soft drink a day is wrecking anything) and second IT'S A BIG FAT FLAMING SACK OF NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!
I also am a huge fan of this: I am having a salad for lunch with nothing but salad veggies (no cheese, bacon bits, croutons, nuts, seeds....) in it and decide to use my carefully measured 2 tbsp of salad dressing, which earns me the lecture from the resident self appointed health food patrol "Now see....that's where you're dieting all wrong. You've taken a nice healthy lunch and just wrecked by drowning it in that garbage blah blah blah.....".
Alright first......it's MY lunch, not yours. Second, I think 2 tbsp of salad dressing over a gigantic bowl of lettuce and salad veggies hardly constitutes DROWNING of anything. Third, my dressing is balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, not the puree of a Mars Bar. Fourth and finally, you just assume that because I'm fat that my eating a salad is indicative of me being on a diet and thus I am wrecking the whole thing.......so you need to provide unsolicited advice and commentary by sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong and was not invited?
Oh how I wish these people would take the lead of the others who don't acknowledge my fat existence and just ignore me. But no! they want to save me from myself.....but only if I do it THEIR way.
It is this kind of history that makes me resist sharing my journey with them.
But everyone is different and I applaud those who tell people without a blink of the eye.

I don't want anyone to know, because I don't feel like dealing with the endless garage of bull**** I will have deal with over being too lazy to do it " the hard way", "taking the easy way out", "cheating and taking credit where IRS not deserved"..... You name it I will hear it. I work with a lot of people who are just snobs in general, but a lot of them are super health snobs/elitists. If you're not making dieting and hitting the gym a second full time job then you're just a big fat lazy slob and not worth the time of even saying good morning to. there are a lot who will not acknowledge my 'good morning'......but will acknowledge my thinner co-workers. Sad, but true.
My husband knows (obviously), my mom knows, my sister knows, I suppose my sisters husband knows (I'm alright with that, he's a really good guy) but that's it. I don't want my dad to know because he already doesn't think much of me (no, really......it has been said, in so many words!). I absolutely under no circumstances want my in laws or husbands family to know. I would never, ever hear the end of it. I would never be able to eat or drink a crumb without being interrogated about whether or not I'm 'allowed to have it', I would always have to recap how I'm 'going', and endure constant criticisms of how I 'should be much thinner by now, surely'. Because that's how it was with the band.......until I didn't turn into a stick insect over night (because that's the ultimate health marker in this family.......if you're not anorexic looking then you are fat fat fat and going to die in about 3 minutes.)
So, I'm not ashamed, but I just don't feel like dealing with all the a**holes in the world any more than I already have to! :-D
I plan on telling people that ask that I'm having lady surgery. It's technically not a lie.....I'm a lady.....I'm having surgery. End of story.