BarbBee

Fantastic Bill!!!! How inspiring!!!

I had a lower body lift and hell ya it was expensive however I have no regrets. I hated my hanging stomach. It got in the way when I exercised. Made embarrasing clapping noises when I ran. That's not the kind of cheering I wanted to hear!!! When I laid down I felt like I was surrounded in a pool of skin. I absolutely hated how it looked. I worked so hard to lose the weight I did not want to be hauling around 10 pounds of flappy skin forever.. It was the best thing I could have done for my emotional health. I love my firm, healthy, fit body! I'll say it again and believe it YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!!

Wow! Fantastic time on the half!!!! I have done one so far (which I didn't train for...stupid me) and it took me 2:43. Just did an 8k this past weekend and it was great. I will try one more half and seriously train for it next year. I really admire you crazy runner folks doing a full marathon!!!! It amazes me how anyone can run 42K. Have a restful week Bill and ROCK the marathon!

"If hungry isn't the problem, then eating isn't the solution." Wow! That is one of the most helpful reminders ever!! I agree, a small unfil will help. Ice cream is ok for a rare treat. This journey is not easy...but so worth it!!

Hey fellow Canadians! I'm from Victoria BC. Had band surgery Nov. 26th 2007 and lost 160 pounds in 2 years. Best decision I ever made! All the best on your journey!

I have weighed myself everyday from the start. I bought a small 2 year calendar and record it every day. I see the pattern of my weight loss and now that I am at goal it is neat to look through it. I still weigh myself everyday (morning, after pee, no clothes same time every day) anf have given myself a five pound weight gain limit. If I go over 5 I need to get a tiny fill or up my exercise. Some think it's obsessive to weigh every day but for me it keeps me mindful all the time about my body and what it is doing. I find it helpful. Barb

I totally agree! The band helps with portion control but you decide what goes in your mouth, whether or not you exercise and keep up with fills as needed.. I believe it is a combination of all three that makes you successful at losing weight and keeping it off. If I ignore any of the three the pounds start creeping back on. When I am mindful of all three things the pounds came off and I found it somewhat easy.

Hi All, Wow! Can you believe 3 years have flown by. How is everyone doing? How has life with the band been now that we are into year three? I have been maintaining now for the past year. I would still like to get off the last 5 pounds but my body seems to like it at 140. I am so grateful for my band and having made this decision. I am now healthier than I have ever been in my life. I run, bike and go to bootcamp and it feels great to see/feel my body getting stronger. Living with the band has it's ups and downs ie: fills, too tight, or not enough, dealing with the emotional process around food and body image but i guess thats all part of the journey. Would love to hear others thoughts on life with the band. Barb

You look so happy and healthy!! Congratulations on all the hard work. I am 2.5 year bandster who lost 160 pounds and I totally agree with everything you said. The band is only a tool that helps with portion control. My band does not tell me what to eat or make me go to boot camp 3x a week. WE DO THAT!! Your definition of a successful bandster is spot on! Congrats again, you look amazing! Barb

Hi Mimi- The silicone gel dressing is a 2" x 12" adhesive silicone tape. I had to buy it from the PS. I got 3 packages and it costs 20.00 each. The strips on my incisions are very narrow..maybe 1/4" directly over the incision. I will post a pic and hopefully it will be big enough to see. The tape is really hard to work as it wants to curl (and is very sticky) once you separate it from the back. The piece that went around my back rolled the first night I had it so I ended up cutting a bigger strip and my hubby put it on for me. He laid 2 strips of medical tape vertically over it to help it stay in place. The gel tape is called Activ'm. I leave it on all the time and the nurse said replace it when it starts to lift. It was put on 6 days ago and seems fine so far. The scar is healing very well and the PS did a great job. The scar line is very thin. My hubby says my back is looking better...not as puckery. So I will just wait and see in a few months what it ends up like. Still swelling and numbness around my lower abdomen especially, and numbness around my back. My bb still looks like a very big cheerio and it goes up and down with swelling. Not going to fuss about that for another 2 months as well. I see the PS again in April. Just a quick note about my exercise. I don't want folks to think I am out there going full tilt on the exercise. My 6 K walk took me over and hour and a half and my 15K bike ride took me 2 hours as I was just pedaling slow and enjoying the day. I am slow as molasses as that's all I can do but it feels good. I was in pretty good shape prior to surgery and did an intense boot camp 2x a week plus jogging and mountain biking several other days a week. Back to work tomorrow! My life as a princess...sleeping in till 9 am is ending! It will be good to get back to a schedule but I am sure i will be pooped by 4:30 at the end of my work day. I popped in to work to take them some muffins and saw my supervisor and he said if I need to leave early that is no problem. My work has been so supportive all the way through my weight loss and surgery. I feel really lucky to have that kind of support. They are all a healthy bunch and fitness is important to them (Police) so they have given me lots of helpful hints and tips as well as encouragement. Here are some pics taken on the 20th- 2 days shy of 5 weeks post op. Chat with you soon. Take care, Barb

Thanks so much for posting your experience. You have shared some really valuable advise for folks to be aware of. I am sure it will help others. You have been through alot! Hope your tummy settles soon and your band can now work the way it is suppose to! Please keep us posted on how you are doing. Take care, Barb

HI Ohm You look great! Awesome little waist. Isn't it amazing to look at the contour of waist to hip. I recently had surgery and that part just amazes me. The PS's really are sculptors! Your dog is the cutest little thing I have ever seen. What a face!! Take care and thanks for posting. Love your sense of humour! Barb

Thanks for the kind words Mimi, Skinnyjeans, Allison, and Sue Magoo. I am feeling much better about things. I still have moments where I find myself looking in the mirror and thinking.. this needs fixing, that needs fixing... I am so happy with the resuts of the LBL so far I want it all fixed now!! Alas only if I were to win a lottery!! haha. Eventually I will get my arms and breasts done but that won't be for some time. I do need to remind myself of how far I have come and be happy within myself about that. I hit my goal today of 140. That is 162 pounds gone! I have my life back!!! I feel good and healthy. I would still like to take off 5 more pounds.. maybe 10 max. I hope in 4 weeks when I get back to boot camp and jogging it will tone back up again. I have started some light exercise with my PS's blessing. I did a 6 k walk (started to pick up the pace) and yesterday did a 15k trail ride on my mountain bike. Feels so good to exercise again. I saw my PS on Tuesday and he said the swelling will definetly take awhile. It does get a little better each week. I see him again in Aprill and he said if my bb still bothers me he will revise it for me. As for the crease in my back that too has to wait till all the swelling goes down. I head back to work next week (5 weeks since surgery) and feel ready for it. I will take a few pics next week and hopefully you will see a reduction in the swelling. Oh yah...the hot flashes have stopped. I do not think it was early menopause. I think it is surgery related. Yes I am in peri menopause but don't think the flashes are those ones. I have no pain (lots of area is still numb) and the scars are healing well. I have silicone gel tape on it. The PS says it helps very much with healing. Hope you are all well and will "talk " with you again next week. Take care, Barb

Wishing you a speedy recovery Ohm! Take care and keep us posted when you are feeling a little better. All the best! Barb

I have lost a hump of fat on the back of my neck. I put on my favorite necklace and noticed it hung lower than it use to. When I mentioned it to my husband he told be about the "hump" being gone. I had no idea it was there......... Me too Leigha!!! One day I was sitting at the computer and rubbing the back of my neck and freaked out! I thought.. what the heck are all these little bumps?..... Then it dawned on me...THEY ARE YOUR NECK/BACK BONES!!! I hadn't felt them for as long as I can remember! What a thrilling discovery! Good bye to the neck fat hump!!