Bergdorfblonde

I'm from Westchester and the UES. I would love to meetup with you guys if you do a support group in Westchester or Manhattan. I have never attended a support group for WLS and it would be nice to see other girls who are going thru the same thing as me:)

I told my mom only and she told a lot of people! I dont like telling people cuz it's embarrasing. Also, god forbid I spend all of this money and have the surgery and it doesn't work. All of the family friends that know question me about how much I lost and its annoying. I also told a guy I was dating, cuz I didn't want him to see my stomach scars and think there was something medically wrong with me. I am very picky in who I tell.

Congrats!! I have been feeling the same way. I only lost 20.5 pounds so far, but suddenly my jeans are falling off of my body. Before, I was sqeezing into a size 24 jean (and sometimes 26). Now they are falling off my body. My tops seem loose too. I was a 1x before. So I went to target while i was shopping for curtains and tried on some jeans. They were tight but I got into size 20 jeans! I was like omigod, I went from a size 24 to a size 20~! No wonder my jeans were falling down. I didn't buy them because I want to see if I can get to a size 18 or 16 before I buy new clothes. Then I went to Marshals and tried on a size 14 jacket just to see if regular sizes fit my top. The sleeves fit perfectly and the body was tight. Just the fact that I could put something on from the "regular" sizes was an accomplishment. I think I will hold out till I am size 16 to buy new clothes. Its just such a nice feeling for my clothes to be falling off my body. I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:whoo:

I think a lot of celebs have the band and don't go public with it. If there is a person who is really overweight their entire lives and all the sudden they are skinny, chances are its a lap band or gastric bypass.

I had given up diet coke and gum because the nutritionist said so. Then she went on maternity leave and I talked to the nurse who did the fill and she told me I can drink diet soda and chew gum. So I am back to it but not as addicted to it, as I like other things like diet snapple and diet citrus green tea.

You should try Avenue. They are for plus sized girls and have a broad range of sizes. There is one bra that I love because it lifts and supports really well without underwires. I have it in black, white, beige, pink and lavender. It looks really smooth under tight shirts and give great lift and support. Its called the Allure Balconette Bra.

"You would be really gorgeous if you lost the weight." -So does that mean I am ugly now? "You have such a pretty face." -This one kills me because it sounds like, "if your head were disembodied from your hideous body, you might have a chance at being attractive."

I just noticed my boobs are kind of deflating and I have stretch marks on them. I have been dieting like a mad woman lately and I think the rapid weight loss is messing them up.

I am the same way. I thought that by having the band I can eat whatever I want and it will somehow prevent me from getting fat. That is not the case, however, as it is very easy to eat a lot of calories with the band. So it was embarrassing because I was banded at the end of August and didn't lose more than 10 pounds. Now I am motivated and counting calories and it seems to be working. I lost 17 and a half pounds so far. I am trying to eat 1200 calories a day. I eat whatever I want, just stick to 400 cals 3 times a day. If I skip Breakfast, I can do 800 calories for lunch. The cool thing is, I am eating whatever I want. I go to McDonalds and order a small chicken mcnugget happymeal. It has 4 mcnuggets and a small french fry and is only 420 calories. Because of the band, I am totally full after and I still have the taste of food that I like. I also eat Cereal, veggie burgers, Soup, so it is not all a fast food diet. But I think knowing what the calories are that you are putting in your body gives you a certain amount of control of your weight loss.

I wear them all the time! They make you look 2 sizes smaller. They are really good if you are a pear shape and want your bottom to look smaller. I buy a kind called Hanes Body Enhancers No Hose Shapers. They are way cheaper than spanx and I stock up by the caseload. They dont hurt your port. They are stretchy. They are a little tighter and thicker than the control top part of control top pantyhose. You have to try them to believe them. I have been wearing them for years. I look forward to when I get down to my goal wait so I don't have to wear them anymore to look good!!

Get a boyfriend! Sex is so important to your happiness. If your husband was gay before he met you, he is attracted to men. Even though you are religious, you can't change who hes attracted to. I am not saying divorce him, if you guys get along well and have been married for so long, but you should take care of your physical needs.

I feel the same way. I've only lost about 10 pounds. Ive had one fill and dont feel a lot of restriction. I need to diet but I havent really been doing it. Maybe after my 2nd fill next month it will get better??

I was banded at the end of August and really haven't felt any restriction. I just had my first fill last week of 1 cc. How many ccs does it take to really feel full? I am working on listening to my body and my fullness but it is seriously hard. I am worried I am not losing weight fast enough.

Hi Karen, I had the same fear. It would suck to go thru surgery and not have it work. The thing you need to keep in mind: lap band surgery is a tool. It's not an instant solution. It will help you eat smaller portions like a skinny person. You still need to work at it. You need to think about limiting portions/calories, etc. The thing that is great about lap band surgery is that it gives you an internal compass when you do overeat. It makes you feel ick and reminds you that you shouldnt be doing it. Its hard because most of us use food as a drug and we need to now turn to other coping skills instead of stuffing our feelings. I think if you really really really want to be thin (and honestly, who wouldnt?) I think its worth a shot. Just believe in yourself. You can do this. You can lose the weight. This is another tool in the struggle to lose weight. Just be committed to yourself and know you are a strong person and can make this happen! Best of luck to you.

Congrats Dave! It's like it makes all of this worth it. I was never on meds like that but scared of getting obesity related diseases, so it really shows that the lap band is really worth it. Way to go!:car:

I am dating a guy who likes chubby girls. He got really upset when I told him I got the lapband a month ago (before I met him). Then he asked if there was any way I could take it out. Its really funny that my whole life I have dated guys who liked me in spite of me being overweight. Now I find a guy who likes me cuz I am overweight and I am losing weight! I told him I will still be overweight for at least a year so he can relax! He still tries to get me to eat fattening food/milkshakes.

I had my band put in 4 weeks ago. I just found some Mederma (for scars) and started using it today. Do you think its too early to use scar cream or is it ok? I am going on a vacation soon and wanted to go swimming. I also miss taking baths. When is it ok to do this?

I used to live on diet coke and starbucks! Now its hard to drink things that are not soda or caffinated. I bought a decaf iced coffee yesterday and it was great! Its like everywhere you go out they have diet coke. I had some wine last night and that was good. I just bought diet lemondade and that is good because it comes in a can so it reminds me of diet coke except it doesnt have the bubbles or caffiene.

I had really severe port pain when lying down, getting up, picking things up off the floor/etc. It seriously made me regret having it cuz I was like, what did I do to my body that i am in pain all the time! Then magically around the 2 week point, the pain went away. I think my stomach healed or something. Now I can do whatever I want (bend over, pick up my dogs, etc) without pain. Now I have been banded for 3 weeks and dont have any pain at all.

I've lost 8.5 pounds so far in 3 weeks. I hope I am losing enough weight. Its just that surgery made me seem to gain weight so I am not counting that in my weight loss. I need to work on losing more before my first fill because a)im going on vacation and want to look hot :confused: i want my doctors to be proud. Its just so hard because i am so hungry. If I keep active and stick to soups when I go out to eat, its easier to be successful.

You have to realize, it is a tool, its not an absolute solution. You need to diet after you get it. It makes it much easier to diet. But there are ways to sabatoge it so just be prepared to give up your relationship with food and be committed to doing this. Do it for yourself; dont do it for anyone else. I got my lapband in August and am equally afraid of blowing it by eating the wrong kinds of foods/too many calories. You just need to decided you are done being an overweight person and the comfort that food gives, and you need to make the commitment to yourself. Best of luck babe:)

I was banded on Aug 21 and now I am back to my old self, except for tenderness around my port area.

I just got banded on Aug 21st. I have had stomach pain and gas pain in my shoulder. It has been getting better but I am a week out now and right where my port is, it feels really sore and tender and weird. I still cant sleep on my side or get up or bend over well. When I wear clothes that rub against it it feels really uncomfortable. I think I am all better except for where the port is. When does this pain go away?

Is that like a tummy tuck? I was watching Dr 90210 yesterday and it looked like they removed this lady's omentum (or the lower half of it) when they gave her a tummy tuck.

If any of us could do it alone, we wouldn't do this. 99% of people who lose weight on diets gain it back plus more weight. We are no more flawed then other people. Some people are drug addicts, alcoholics, smokers, batterers etc. Its just that our addiction shows up on our body as extra weight. I think having the lap band isnt a cop out. I think it is smart. Because we are taking responsibility for our lives and our health. Its nothing to be ashamed of. But we don't have to tell everyone either. Its a personal choice to take care of ourselves.