maygoddess

I am just starting Zepbound tomorrow! Ihave had a long journey. I was lapbanded in 2002. I lost 130lbs. In 2014, after not seeing any doctors for 5 years, I went to a local bariatric surgeon just for a checkup. He found my esophagus had expanded. My band was too tight and I was packing my esophagus..didn't even know..no pain. Immediately unfilled and gained 30lbs in a month..eating NOTHING! LIke almost! I was refilled after about 3-4 months and then developed an infection..and to cut to the chase..band was removed in 2018 and revised to sleeve. By then I was up 50lbs. Since then I gained another 50lbs..so the sleeve did nothing. Between covid, bad eating habits and menopause, I cannot get this weight off..I tried keto..lost a few lbs..tried intermittent fasting..lost a few more..but my body just won't move the weight down..so broke down last week and saw my new primary doctor and she prescrived Zepbound..well orginally Wegovy but that is harder to find and Costco had Zepbound. I will start this Saturday.

I had revision from lapband to sleeve in March 2018. I had the band for 16 years. I lost 130lbs initially with band..kept it off until year 12 when I had learned I stretched my esophagus. My band was unfilled to let my esophagus heal and in less than 2 months, I quickly gained back 50lbs. It was devastating. I didn't go out and suddenly eat all the bad foods I couldn't. I ilterally was gaining 5lbs a day initially after literally starving myself. So after 2 years, I had an infection of the port and tubing and that was removed. I was supposed to go back in 3-4 months to have it replaced. I never did..2 years later..I developed another infection and my surgeon decided it was time to remove the band and he suggested sleeve revision.I literally had no time to research the sleeve. I was hoping to finally get this extra 50lbs off and go back to where I was. Surgery was a success..band removed, sleeve revised..I was not hungry AT ALL initially..I did slowly lose about 20lbs..Was happy to think I was only 30lbs from my lowest weight and fitting into all the old clothes I had put aside 4 years earlier.I started to regain the weight..slowly..I started doing HIIT classes (High intensity interval training) in a 21 day transformation challenge. I finished that and then wound up trading membership for marketing services. So I have been doing that for 2 months at least 4 days a week..sometimes 5. My body is definitely stronger and more toned, but I gained back just about all the 20lbs I lost shy a few lbs. And please don't say muscle weighs more than fat..it doesn't..it is just more dense and takes up less space than fat...so I know I didnt gain 20lbs of muscle. So although I feel more fit and strong, I am back up to my fat clothes...sighhh...I am more hungry than I was initially. I figure I put my body into starvation mode out of surgery and my body decided it wanted back to the old set point. I don't know! I didn't eat dramatically different.No I am not measuring everything but at minimum I should be maintaining at what I am eating and not gaining..especially since now I am working out more regularly. My body is majorly confused. I think because this was my 2nd surgery..and I didn't have a larger amount to lose.. With all the quirks of the bad..once I lost the weight I didn't have to work hard to keep it off..it stayed off all those years. This was a kick in the gut to quickly gain everything I lost a few months earlier. Not loving this sleeve at the moment...

I thought I would jump in and give perspective from someone who is about to hit my 5 year "bandiversary" in August. Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Yes! I can't say it has been a picnic and my loss was very slow over the last 5 years BUT I did not get this surgery expecting to lose it all in the first 6 months and be done with it. I KNOW we all expect it will be fast and some are very quick losers, but I decided I did not want to be a perfect bandster and I eat crap when I want to..but I don't beat myself up about knowing what the consequences are..slow loss vs fast loss.. I feel sad when I read Zengirl's reply that she is already given up on the band in a few months and wished she had bypass. You REALLY don't, girl. There is absolutely no benefit to losing it faster or what you may think is easier. I have personal experience with both. I was banded in 2002 at 286lbs. I initially lost 20lbs pretty quickly, but then it really came off in slow chunks from there..after a good fill a little came off..I would get the flu and drop 10lbs(not a fun way to lose but it happened) and no matter how "perfect" I thought I was..I would not budge..your body will be like that. You need to reverse your thinking on this band. Not how fast or easy the weight comes off, but how much easier it will be to KEEP IT OFF!! I have not gained back an ounce in almost 5 years..took me as long to lose it, but I managed to maintain it! Okay..fast forward to 2005 when my best friend, weighing around 285lbs at her sugery had gastric bypass. For some medical reasons, she explained to me gastric bypass was a better option(personally I think she made that up because her insurance would not cover the band but would cover the bypass or she felt that bypass was better to her..don't know) At the time of her surgery..I think I was just about 200lbs..can't remember..had already lost 85lbs..but after almost 3 years banded..still had another 50+ to go. My friend quickly lost down almost to her goal in the first year of her surgery. She passed me and kept on going. She was bound and determined to not "cheat" or even have sugar pass her lips in fear of dumping. Well that quickly ended when she did indeed have surgar. She doesn't "dump" and get really sick..she just gets extremely tired. She can quickly pass out after a few drinks..she gets stupid drunk fast and I worry about her dating men she doesn't know who could take advantage of this. I tell her not to drink but a glass a wine at the most when around other people. We eat about the same amount and just about the same foods, but she does watch how much sugar she consumes. I finally did get down to about the same weight..I weigh around 150 now..she got to 140 something, but has since started to gain a little weight. So I think she actually weighs a little more than me now. She just started having to take B12 injections and I really don't think she gets enough Vitamins in as she should. Her doctor told her to take a flintstone Vitamin. Not much in those even for kids never mind a bypass patient. She is almost 50 and will need extra nutritional support as she ages..but we shall see. So..you see..we both reached goal..she has more worry about weight gain than I do. I keep my band pretty snug and if I needed to..still do have some room to make it tighter..but I am pretty set where I am at right now. I don't have the worry about eating certain foods or consuming too much alchohol(and we are not talking ALOT to get her seriously screwed up!..a few glasses of wine can do it!) I would worry about the long term effects of actually bypassing stuff and getting nutritional support to my body..she always seems more tired than I am..but I am 9 years younger..but I know people who are 80 and more active than her! Looks like most of you are pretty recently banded and barely begun getting fills. It can take a while to get to a good fill..depending on how your doctor fills you and how agressive he/she is in keeping up with you. I was banded in Mexico and went down for fills, but I don't think my doctor ever really filled me enough worrying that I may have to come back for an unfill (and I live in Nor Calif!)..I finally started going to a fill doctor in Tahoe area(only a 3 hour drive instead of a 9 hour drive to Mexico) and though he fills "blind"(no flouro)...he gave me excellent fills and I finally started feeling like this was working. He spent more time with me each visit and really laid down the law with me...some of which I listened to and other stuff I was the typical "yeah, yeah, I know it all!"..but mentally..I needed a kick in the pants and it worked. Don't Don't Don't give up on this band and wish for that bypass..DON'T assume to be a hare and be fine with a tortoise as long as you don't gain it back. The journey..your journey will be different than EVERYONE"s elses journey..so don't compare. Don't beat yourself up about being too slow..I think we are more concerned about what our friends and family will think if we don't peel of the weight in a few months and THEY think it is a failure or you made a mistake..tell as few people as possible about the surgery..it will save you some agony on your journey. My in-laws were just told earlier this year! They obviously have seen my loss..but I never admitted to surgery until recently..now that I am done, they can know the truth. Does it feel good to be down to a "normal" weight finally? Yes..it does..lots of times my friend and I complain how uncomfy it is being too bony on hard chairs and feeling bones protrude where they didn't before. I was talking to her about seeing a pair of pants on ebay that I used to buy in size 20..in a size 2 and always thought..no way would I ever be there..but last week I tried a size 4 on at a dept store (I usually wear size 8-10 now with a few 6's and few 12's depending on cut)..so 2 now just does not seem that far off! Very weird. It will happen ladies and gents...don't fight it..don't regret anything..just enjoy the journey! Patty

From what I recall..Sharon Osbourne had her band put in at Cedars Sinai around 1999...so not quite 10 years as stated..so I think she has an Inamed band rather than a swedish. I did see her on Dr Phil last month talk about wanting to remove the band. She is not having it removed because she thinks "it has done its job"...her doctor would tell her..once out..you will gain it back. Dr Phil questioned her on how she thinks she will handle life without the band...and she is scared she will revert to old habits..she admits she likes to eat. Dr Phil offered to help her through it..rather than have her go to a shrink which is what she thinks she needs to do. Closer to the truth is she is probably tired of the band and its restrictions on what you can eat. I think I read an interview with her kids that she would throw up all the time..which means she was probably overeating on her restriction or eating too fast, not chewing, etc, she may have even said she had acid reflux alot..and she would rather not deal with the extra work it requires to think about what you can eat. I have been banded almost 5 years..it was a slow and steady loss of 125lbs to date...I probably could lose another 10-15lbs..some I know will be loose skin if I ever get everything nipped and tucked..but I like where I am right now wearing size 6,8, 10's which I never have in my life! I too get days of frustration when I slime up when drinking liqiuds or something gets stuck or I really want to eat more of something yummy or worry at a restaurant if I am near a restroom in case something gets stuck there..it does become a hassle, but I know that these hassles are much easier to deal with than 125lbs on my body..so I deal with it. Anyway..wanted to add to the thread what I knew. I was banded in 2002, so I know Sharon was banded that much longer than me! Patty Dr Kuri Banded 8/13/02 -125lbs

I rarely am on these boards anymore but got an email update and saw your post... I am just coming up as of today..30 days away from my 4 year "bandiversary". As of today, I am down 103lbs lost total. I do still have about 30 to go. For my own reasons, it has been very slow loss over these 4 years. I was not one of those who lost it all quickly straight out of the gate..BUT that is said not to discourage anyone from this surgery! What was always most important to me was not how I lost it and how much I lost, but KEEPING IT OFF!!! LIke you said yourself..you probably could diet and excercise one more time..fighting your way down..and then you know as well as I knew...you will most likely gain it all back. I never did a diet where I managed to keep it off. Statistics are against us. Only 5% of the population who loses weight keeps it off over a 5 year period. You have 95% chance of FAILURE!!! Those are bad betting odds! I am not discouraged about what I have not lose yet..I know some of it is still fat and I do have some belly skin to get rid of as well with surgery some day, but when I am upset that my summer clothes in size 12 are suddenly loose..I can't complain that much. My 10's are even feeling a bit loose these days. I have managed to not gain back a single lb in 4 years!! 4 freaking years and no weight gain!! I do admit..there are days I hate the band and other days I am grateful for it. Most days I am bored with food and don't even want to take the time to chew food..other times, I have cravings that I cannot ignore. You won't totally be a perfect eater once banded..you will still have moments of wanting to eat crap, but just less of it! As far as the money..sure..your family could probably take $18K and buy a car, make house payments, buy "stuff", take a vacation..but what is all that stuff worth if your life is shortened because of your weight. My highest weight was 300lbs..I was less than that when banded..but even though I was fairly "healthy" at that time , I know I was on a slow death march if I continued to stay that weight. You are worth that money...that 95% is working against you..stop fighting it and make a decision that will save your life. I went to Mexico because my insurance would not cover it and it was the best $9000 I spent in my life!! Best of luck whatver you decide! Patty 8/13/02 -103 Dr Kuri

It can be easy to become discouraged along this journey that is the band. I am over 3 1/2 years banded and have lost 100lbs slowly over that time..fits and starts really. I zoomed down 20lbs in the first few months and from there, I may have stayed stagnant for months on end, then quickly drop 10lbs in a month and then stop again for a long time. I was banded in Mexico and though I live in Northern Cali, I still found it hard to get back down to Mexico for regular fills. It took me a good 2 years to finally go to a fill doctor closer and realize I was just not really at a good fill level and my new fill doctor gives me more of a reality check that my Mexican doctor had time for. BUT...big BUT...I also had to be more honest with myself about my eating habits and drinking habits for that matter. It is very easy to slip back into bad habits or just eat crap with very little nutritional value. Also, it is easy to drink alot of calories. My culprit is juice and milk. I was never really a soda drinker luckily but I like juice. I like Jamba Juice. I like drinking milk. I know I am taking in alot of liquid calories and have to watch that or I just maintain. I also work in the wine industry and I do drink more wine than the average person, so I have to be careful with calories there. I know that when all of us were banded, we hoped that our calorie counting days would be over and that the weight would all easily fall off no matter what we ate (well..okay..maybe just I thought this would happen), but reality has been..no matter how good my fill was, I could still work around a tight fill if I wanted to (what better wayto justify my Jamba Juice habit my thinking I need to get SOME calories in if I can't eat solids, right? yeah, right!) I say, definitely look into a new fill doctor and go more than 6 months if you can, but also do yourself a favor and do an honest reality check on your calories. Read labels and do a food diary for a week or two..count EVERYTHING so you can really see. I know a ton of bandsters who would say "well I only get 800 calories in so why am I not losing" and then when they really look at it, perhaps they were leaving out caloried drinks or nibbles here and there that added up to 1200 calories a day. I won't even go into the excercise part of this..I have been horrible about this off an on..I have lost weight with no excercise at all and than worked out like crazy and maintained..I won't negate importance of it, but I can't preach that when I suck at it right now. I know it will help me get toned and feel better and it DOES help curb your appetite, but I have my moments with it. Lastly, Like someone else said..try to also look at the glass half full and think about what you have lost and how you can easily keep it off with the band. I have about 30-40lbs left to lose (I know some of that will be plastic surgery'd off) but I would be happy where I am if I continued to keep 100lbs off like I have done for the last 3+ years. I have not gained an ounce since banding..that has never happened in my life before and every day I am grateful for that and I don't curse the fact I have not lost it all by now! Keep your chin up! This is a marathon and not a sprint! Patty

>> I said that 20-25% of patients don't lose much weight with LapBand. >> Dr Pleatman..I think there is some confusion on this 25% issue and what probably confused NewSho....the statistic I was quoting was something that was quoted in a follow up study of 300 lapband patients and 25% of those patients had their band removed. Some people have misread this as 25% of ALL lapband patients eventually have thier band removed. I think you are talking different statistics about 25% of band patients don't lose weight or fail to lose all their weight..I don't know what stats you are specifically talking about..but I think this is adding to everyone's confusion on this thread. I read in your last post that you say gastric bypass is totally reversable? Is this really the case? Would that involve recutting the intestines to "unbypass" them and then do they just leave the little stomach as is? Seems like it would be a mess of a process in comparison to the band removal which truly is much easier to reverse. Anyway..I don;t think we need to start a "pissing contest" on a lapband board about which surgery is better..I am sure you are not intending that but that is exactly what will transpire when the bypass is mentioned on any band board..of vice versa. Everyone's stats are different..you may have a higher incidents of band to RNY conversions because of your patient experiences and follow up with the band..while another doctor has no conversions because he has a different patient base.Hard to say! Any bypass patient I PERSONALLY know ( I do know a few) have either had complications or have started gaining weight back after a tremendous and quick loss...but that is them..many others have been successful in keeping it off and have had no complications. Anyway..I wanted to clear up this 25% discussion..two different things here... Patty

>>Ah, by your standards, I'm one of those fabled 25% - but guess what. >> NewSho, I think you are misreading what the 25% referred to in this study. It was NOT 25% of the study patients didn't lose WITH their band...they actually LOST their band!! So I don't think you are in that "fabled 25%" as you call it. And again, this was a limited study of 300 people..not full band population..that was the point of my post.. Sorry you were so offended by my post..you are right..there are bandsters who do give it a hard try and still have problems losing weight, but after 3+ years..the people IKNOW who have struggled have not been honest with themselves. This "gal" I was referring to is in MAJOR denial...I didn't mean to say she just likes to eat..but likes to eat large volumes..larger than what is normal for even unbanded and she doesn't understand why she is unsuccessful.Hmmmm... As I said in another post...most fat people are really in denial about how much they eat and how much they lie about what they eat(i include myself in that category!)..and also can THINK they are only eating 800 calories a day, but forget to count licks,tastes and sips throughout the day..or eat a little but drink calories all day. My fill doctor last told me that now that I am under 200 and have less to lose, that I WILL have to work harder at this than I did before. He won't be just about fills. Since my loss has been spread out over 3 1/2 years..it has gotten harder and I do have to really be more aware and not be in denial that my juice habit is slowing my progress or that my lack of regular excercise right now could be a factor. I don't know what you exact situation is..you just said you are stuck at 30 BMI..didn't say how much you lost or how long you have been banded and why you feel you may be "stuck at 30BMI"..but my nature likes to look at the glass half-full and say I am no longer a 48 BMI and would be fine stuck at 30 BMI in comparison...again..keeping it off for me is more important than just losing it at a certain time and speed. I know that some of my left over weight to lose is still some fat, but also some skin and when I get there, I get there. I will have to diet and excercise more to get it off...but I will if I want it bad enough.. and to end...I don't believe in a "seniority" per se around here..but length of experience does give someone a different persepective with the band. I have lived with it for 3+ years..I definitely will know more than someone who has had the band 3 months or a year. Someone who has lived with the band 5 years..sure..has alot more experience than I do with it.. Patty 8/13/02 Dr Kuri -100

I had surgery 3 1/2 years ago. I didn't do any last supper stuff..just didn't think of it and was busy getting ready to move into my new house at the time. I also got the stomach flu (very last time I ever truly vomited was the day before surgery)so I went down to Mexico sick and thought I was going to be delayed for surgery, but Dr Kuri took care of me and I recovered from the stomach flu quickly. Anyway..I have to say you will be able to just about anything after surgery..including cupcakes and Pasta. Cupcakes will be easier to eat..pasta can be gluey. The only thing I probably "mourn" is the ability eat a whole hamburger..bun and stuff and all. I have eaten hamburgers since banding, but usually have to pick it apart, removing the bun or parts of it. I just miss chowing down on a whole thing without pulling it apart and looking wierd. But other than that..depending on current levels of restriction..but you just won't be able to eat the volume you did before of these foods...which is why we have the band in the 1st place right? So..don't go too crazy and wind up gaining weight pre-surgery. food eating WILL be different..sometimes a pain in the a$$ worrying what textures go together..how much to bite and chew (after 3+ years, I may still chew and swallow too fast!) But you can enjoy just about anything..you WILL test your own bounderies..everyone is different. Good luck with your surgery date! Patty 8/13/02 Dr Kuri -100lbs

I have heard of patients converting to bypass..BUT I have also heard of bypass patients converting to band. I have an old assistant who was bypassed about a year or so before I was banded. She lost about 120-130lbs pretty steadily, but by the time she got down to where she needed to lose the last 30 or so lbs..she couldn't. Her doctor told her she would have to diet her way down. She eventually gained back about 40lbs and recently decided to get banded. Turns out when they went in to do the surgery, they couldn't band her because of scar tissue, but her dr did a revision of her bypass. She still is working her way down again, but it has been a struggle. My best friend had bypass just a year ago this month and has dropped 120lbs in that time. She is pretty close to done and she has already passed me in weight. But I would not be happy having to watch sugar intake. She has eaten some sugar stuff and passed out once while at dinner with us..just got really sleepy. I work in the wine industry and have to taste and would have a problem with ingesting alcohol and sugar. That is not living to me. Ihave seen more people gain their weight back then keep it off in my circle of friends. Now a friend of my best friends who was also banded by my doctor has been very unsuccessful with the band..her own fault. She likes to eat ALOT..volume..she is not getting fills and refuses to change her eating habits. She looks at my now skinny friend and says she should have gotten the bypass. Well...my friend and I laugh at that because she would be a horrible candidate for that surgery as well..she won't change her habits either way. I think before anyone decides to be unbanded and resurgeried, is really be honest with yourself about what you are eating and doing to get the weight off. It took me over 2 years to realize that I really was not that tight...what a real fill was and I just realized that I didn't want to cut my portions...I wanted to eat more than I should. I also had to re-evaluate my excercise. I was walking 2 hours 4-5x a day, but realized that walking burns less calories. I was only burning 300 calories after a few hours! I could have easily eaten that back quickly in a day. Even had a glass of milk or two and drank that back!! I know that there are people with disorders that make it harder to lose weight, but there is alot of denial in what we do to. We lie to ourselves alot about what we eat or don't eat or do or don't do... And lastly (I promise)..don't evaluate a surgery based on how quickly you are going to lose weight, evaluate it on how well you are going to keep it off! That is THE REASON I had surgery in the 1st place. I knew I could probably do a diet one more time and get some weight off, but keeping it off never worked..tired of pushing that rock up the hill to come back down on me and then some. I don't consider my banding a failure because after 3 1/2 years I STILL have to lose at least 30-40lbs. I have kept nearly 100lbs off in that time! Not a single lb back! Wahoo!! That has NEVER happened. So if it takes me another 3 years to lose the last 40lbs..so what..as long as I kept off what I lost. Use the band as a tool in helping you lose weight at ANY speed and look at it as a maintenance tool along the way. It takes alot of head work and body work to make any surgery work..it isn't easy and shouldn't be really. patty

I wanted to jump in here. Statistics can be misleading and taken out of context. When I was on Dr Kuri's referral list, I received an email from a prospective patient that asked me if it was true that 25% of ALL band patients eventually have their band removed. I was alarmed at where she read this "fact" and she pointed me to the same stat pointed out here. If you really read the stat..it is referring to a sampling of 299 patients in a follow up study over 3 years. It does seem high that 25% of almost 300 people were unbanded..but you cannot necessarily extrapolate that stat out to the general band population. I was banded in 2002 and at that time almost 100K people were banded worldwide and there was no such statistic. I didn't hear of many people having to get unbanded and I was VERY active in many band groups online. I find that people who I know who have not been successful with the band are not really the right people for it in the 1st place. I know one gal who I referred to my doctor has been very unsuccessful but it is because she likes to eat and refuses to believe she has to watch what she eats,get regular fills, excercise..she wants to eat like she did before. I still recommend banding to anyone who asks, but I come from over three years of living with this noose around my stomach! Don't expect tight fills to do all the work. You still need to watch what you eat, come to grips with emotional eating habits you will still have and not freak out if you aren't losing fast enough or so many lbs per week. The band does stop you from overeating which is sooo easy..we all overeat as a society..portions are out of control. Banded, we are probably closer to approriate portions everyone shoul dbe eating but you still have to watch WHAT you eat..you can get alot of calories in even with the tightest fill. We all learn to eat around the band! Anyway..really read statistics in context and read all you can. I know that 100lbs off and no gain of a single lb in 3+ years is a big success for me..no matter how much I finally lose. I still have another 30-40 to go..but keeping it off is WHY I got the band..not to lose the fastest or the most... Patty

I wanted to add some thoughts as a band "veteran" of almost 3 1/2 years. I have lost 100lbs to date and still have about 40ish to go..not sure..but I am happily under 200 and size 10-12 right now and happy where I am at. You are obviously getting in calories because you are bouncing up and down. I don't think you are making the wisest food choices..a baked potato ( I have no idea what is on a "wendy's baked potato) but where's the Protein in that? Pudding Snacks? You are way past post-op and no need to be eating soft snacks like that. I don't want to beat anyone up. I am not and have never been the perfect bandster food wise..I think that I just had to come to grips (and still struggle with) the quantity of food we truly can eat. Some of the throwing up could be because your pouch is full but you continue to eat and then throw up what is working up your esophagus. I don't know how big this baked potato is, as an example..but 1/2 of a big one would be just about how much pouch space you have. One small potato would be your entire pouch. I throw up when I overeat and ignore the full signal and want to finish off my portion. I know I shouldn't, but I still do it. not often...sometimes something just gets stuck and I need to unstick it..usually it is the copious amounts of slime building up to move it down that causes the pressure. I try and stop eating and sit and wait and see if it will pass rather than run to the restroom. It is really all about patience. We cannot eat fast and mindlessly anymore. We can't finish our plate and we can't rely on soft calories to work around our tight fill we insist on having thinking it will help us lose faster. It won't because you are resorting to pudding cups and other soft foods..still calories.. My fill doctor who I went to in december looked at what i wrote down on my sample food menus. I put down I occasionally drink fruit juice..I don't drink alot..but I was avoiding whole fruit in favor of fruit juice. He told me if I am able to eat 8 oranges, he then said I can have a glass of orange juice. If I couldn't consume 8 oranges..I shouldn't be drinking the equivelent in juice. I was avoiding the oranges, because sometimes the pulp would stick or it was just too much trouble. I realized he was right. I was just avoiding it because juice was easier to deal with than chewing a real fruit. So now I will try and eat a tangerine or I snack on grapes(low on the glycemic index). I may be only be able to pop a few..but I am controlling my calories better. A tight fill is not always going to guarantee the weight loss. It still is about food choices and not lying to yourself about what you are doing to work around your fill. Sorry to babble on..I have been there, done that for almost 4 years now. I lie to myself less these days and the results are I am losing weight with a decent fill and not throwing up because I am overeating and when you are just way too tight..brave enough to loosen it up and change your behaviors along with it! Patty 8/13/02 Dr Kuri -100

Gosh...I will "weigh" in on this one. I have not been around these boards for ages..or any lapband boards for that matter.I think my intro is posted around here somewhere. I was banded in August 2002, so I am just over three years banded and I have lost just about 60% of my excess body weight so far. I think I have another 40+ lbs to go. I have never been at a goal weight so I have no idea where that really is..just a figure or range on a chart. Why have I personally lost 100% of my excess weight yet?? Well..many reasons..mainly me and how I have worked this whole band thing, various circumstances over the last three years and now at a point where I am pretty complacent because I am size 10/12 and feel a little more "normal" in this world. I can shop for clothes wherever I want, not just the ugly fat gal departments or stores. More people take notice of me and though I do want to lose the rest of this weight and have at minimum a tummy tuck to make clothes fit better, I get tired of the whole band thing and worrying about calories and restriction and all that. I stillhave plenty of fill space left in my band since I have taken it easy on the fills or at least been lucky I didn't need to fill my band to the fullest in order to lose weight so far. I think I am still below 3cc's in fill.. If I was to do this all over again...I would have worked harder initially at losing as much as I could as fast as I could which would have involved more frequent fill schedule than what allowed me going back and forth to Mexico to see my doctor. It is not in my nature to go hard core at anything..and I excercise off an on and I eat what I want when I want(within my restriction of course).I now work in the wine industry which involves frequent intake of ahheemmm...liquid calories in the form of the grape stuff..so this makes it harder to lose more right now without some cutting back elsewhere... But for me...I am not really as caught up in the % of excess weight LOST since I was banded as I am in the reason I was banded...how much of the weight I have lost so far in three years have I kept off....100%!!!!! Now that is a number I have never achieved in dieting all my life. Three freaking years and dropped 100lbs and I have not gained back an ounce!! So..you can look at this any way you want. If losing 100% of your excess weight is important to you..then make sure you put in all effort to get it off and keep going when life gets in the way as it surely will..and you hit that somewhat happy point many of us do that says "I am fine where I am and the rest is gravy" from here point. THEN measure your success on the abillity to keep off what you have lost..no matter if it is 60%, 100% or anywhere in between. Best of luck to you! Patty 8/13/02 Dr Kuri -100

Gosh...all I can say is "Me too'! I am total self saboteur...always have been. I have lost almost 95lbs..so far..and have at least another 40+ to go...I have NEVER been at a goal weight in my life..so I really don't know what I will end up..just a guess..but getting just below 200 has been a challenge. My body has not been below 200 in like 20 years...I WANT to get this last amount off..but I will grab crap on occasion.. Can't really say why..could be stress, boredom, happiness or just that I really like food and if I crave Peanut Butter M&M's, I wantthem darnit! Whenever I set a goal for myself, I tend to sabotago even more as I get closer to a deadline or the goal. I am also dealing with content of where I am now..I am in 12/14's..I can shop just about anywhere for clothes and feel healthy..I hate my belly and want a tummy tuck so I can better fit in bottoms., but otherwise I am happy about where I am at the moment. I also can relate to a previous post about dealing with a new smaller you..losing that much weight really is a person(hmm..I think I lost the equivelant of a Paris Hilton!!) and you do become more "visible" as you are smaller. It is amazing how invisible you become, ironically, as a larger person in society. More people say hello or smile at you when you walk aroun dthe grocery store even! I am amazed. I was never a wallflower who woudl look down and never smile at anyone, but just amazed how many people now actually SEE ME and acknowledge me! This can be wierd. I forget about my accomplishments now when people tell me I look amazing..I forgot the other day when some other homeowners saw me at our board meeting and asked what I have done to lose weight..it has been almost three years since I was banded and I have lost so slowly, I forget that I perhaps dropped another 5-10lbs since someone might have seen me and now it looks more noticable to them.. There are also days when I cannot get the "fat goggles" off and I look in the mirror and look just as fat as I did 95+ lbs ago..even as I am slipping on my size 12 skirt. I held that skirt up and thought..."wow, this is enormous"...but I cannot even remember what my size 28 skirt looked like! Where I am now seems enormous some days..other days, I feel these bones emerging all over my body and think how wierd it is to feel thes ebones that were buried under flesh and think" do skinny people marvel at their bones like this?" ANyway...this is all part of the process...I am glad, in a way, I have lost so slowly because my brain has had more time than usual to keep up with my physical changes..though it is such a strange and trippy ride most of the time.. okay..my 10 cents..sorry for the free flow..this one really just struck home. Patty 8/13/02 Dr Kuri -95 with about 40 to go?

When I come across this argument that wls is "copping out", taking the easy way out, cheating..whatever...I turn it around and ask them...what is more foolish..doing the same thing over and over again or stopping that insanity any way you can? I vote for stopping that insanity. I always say that if I was going to be in the 5% statistically that loses weight and keeps it off, I would have done it already..now in my late 30's..I am STILL in the 95% that loses and gains back..so why keep doing something that does not work and stop the insanity any way I can..which means WLS for me. What people don't understand about WLS is that they think "well if you just dieted and excercised, you could lose it"..well yeah..sure thing...but I didn't get this surgery to lose weight only..I primarily got it to KEEP IT OFF for good..stop the insanity of doing the same thing over and over again... I wouldn't call that "cheating"...just stopped being stupid! Patty 8/13/02 Dr Kuri -95 (not a lb gained back in almost 3 years! Yahoo!)