jfc193

Just passed 13 years having my band in September 2007, Still believe it was one of the best decisions I have already made.

@@jfc193 Weigh to go!!! Great results!!!

Here are a few you may or may not be able to tell a difference
The first one is from September 2015 my kids The Second is from 2003 at my sons wedding and the last one my kids refer to as "My Yetti Look"
Hopefully I won't be banned from the thread for including my spouse

10-26-2006
Life has Never been the same.
I love my band
Still

I have only had my band for 13 years and still that for me it was one of the best decisions I ever made

Man, if I had a dollar for every critic who said this to me on these boards. It's a past time of a certain type of dieter....to send me hate mail and try to shame me for being outspoken.
"You're still overweight! You shouldn't be telling people what to do! How dare you not feel ashamed at that weight!"
Shakin my head over here.
If I wanted to be 140, I could be. Have been. Looked god-awful and felt like I was starving all the time.
If I wanted to be 160, I could be. Have been. I wasn't particularly hungry, got a reasonable number of calories, but thought I looked older.
I like a little more round to my angles. I like less sag, fewer wrinkles. Not real interested in cosmetic surgery. Picked the best option for me.
I like eating 1600 calories a day. I like having space in my diet for a couple pieces of fruit because I think phytonutrients are beneficial and important. I like how i feel eating a high Fiber diet. I like room to be a vegetarian some days. I like flexability. It's how I can face this as a lifelong change. It's how I can make peace with food forever....cause I know this plan is WORKABLE in pretty much all situations. I can eat on my plan during a holiday, a funeral, a birthday party....during a power outage, while recovering from an injury, during extreme emotional stress, on the road, and while dealing with my inlaws. LOL.
I typically weigh 165-170 pounds. I LOVE this weight. It is NOT "the best I could do because I couldn't get to a "healthy weight" ", it is an intentionally chosen set point. It's a choice. This is, I am 100% certain...the MOST healthy weight I can choose for myself.
That whole...Arnold Schwarzenegger's BMI was technically Obese when he won Mr. Universe figures in. BMI is flawed. It doesn't differentiate between light muscle frames and heavy muscle frames, bigger bones, smaller bones. Different ethnicities. Different body styles.
My feet, depending on the manufacturer are size 10 or 11. My shoulders are more broad than most men's my height. My butt, thighs and calves are overdeveloped because I rode huntseat and jumped horses for decades, even when I was quite heavy. My husband says they have a kinda superhero quality now. LOLOLOLOL
So here's the thing....If you feel inclined to send me a snarky note about how I shouldn't say anything....because I'm not American Media model skinny, you might have a problem.
As it happens, I have a good friend who models. He's 5' 10", weighs 157 pounds soaking wet, and they STILL wanted him to use coke for a week and fast...to look more sickly skinny for his last national ad campaign.
Our impression of body image in the media is grossly distorted and unhealthy.
And a lot of folks here....get a grossly distorted and unhealthy obsession with their eating habits, their BMI, the number on the scale, and how it defines them.
Please, please, please remember....health.
Physical health, strength, endurance, good labs, fewer medications.
Emotional health...loving yourself, enjoying your life, feeling challenged and happy.
Mental health...finding balance you can live with for a lifetime.
Love your strong healthy body. Love your good food choices that provide good nutrition to nurture that body. Love the flexability to make it work though the tough spots.
Avoid the fixations, the extremes, the inflexable rules, the disordered eating (and disordered not-eating)
You can trust yourself to get to where you need to be....without punishment.
Love yourself. Love yourself. Love yourself.

I echo the advice of those above: do your research on a different type of WLS other than the lapband. Even if you find a surgeon to place yours, there are fewer and fewer surgeons and fill/unfill facilities so if you have issues down the line, you may not find someone with the background and experience to help you out. Lapbands were a big trend years ago but are seen as arcane now. Today's trend is the Sleeve...this also may one day go the way of the band. The Gold Standard is the Bypass which has decades of data supporting its efficacy. (It is also reversible if needed.)
With that said, I have had a band in place for almost 8 years. I'm one of its rare success stories with no issues. While I never made it to goal (my starting weight was similar to yours), I'm at a weight that is fine for me. No significant regains really, but when I do start climbing back up the scale, I know what to cut out. Not sure if I still have restriction/hunger dimmed by my band....I do a lot of the maintenance work myself.
I had loose skin but I'm much older than you. It wasn't due to "quick" weight loss---my weight came off at the same rate as a traditional diet such as WW. It was just from having been obese. So two years ago, at age 60, I had a Tummy Tuck. It was absolutely life-changing. Best thing I ever did for myself. Not only do I love my tummy for the first time in my life, but having had plastics ensures that I keep my weight off and keep exercising....I would never want to ruin the results of the tummy tuck.
Here's a photo of my tummy now---90% of this is the tummy tuck, 10% of it is my core work that I do every day to keep everything strong and toned. Sorry this photo is so large....something happens when I upload photos to this site. Normally it is much smaller!
Good luck as you move forward but please: do your research, talk to other WLS patients to see their experience with the different surgeries out there.

I had my 4cc Lapband surgery in September 2007 and currently have 1cc of Fluid in the band
Most of my loose skin is around my mid section and thighs and upper legs so it is easily hidden.
I may at sometime in the future have plastics
Best decision for me was to have the Lapband

I’m going to second what catwoman said. I was very worried about loose skin pre op. Boy, do I have it! Belly, breasts, thighs and arms. However, I wouldn’t change my decision to proceed with my VSG. I’m so much healthier, have so much more energy, look better in clothes (and can choose clothes that I actually like rather than just what fits). I’m scheduled for plastic surgery next week and the loose skin will be gone. This surgery is by far the best decision I ever made.

I'd rethink the lapband. A lot of people have had those removed, and most surgeons won't do them anymore. They've largely been replaced by the sleeve.
you may or may not have a lot of loose skin. A lot depends on how much you have to lose and how long you've been overweight. If you're talking 100+ lbs, then yes - you'll probably have loose skin no matter how fast or slow you take the weight off.
I want to add that most of us are worried about loose skin when we're pre-ops or early post-ops, but for those of us a ways out from surgery, most wonder why we worried about it. It's such a minor thing in the grand scheme of things. It's really easy to hide for most of us, and I would say most if not all of us would take the loose skin any day over being morbidly obese again. ANY DAY!
also wanted to add that I did eventually have my loose skin removed, but this is a picture of me BEFORE I had it removed. I lost over 200 lbs, so I had a TON of it. See it? Nope. The right clothes will hide it well!

I gained 23 pounds from March to July during the quarantine. I’ve lost 14 of it so far. A lot harder to lose than gain!

I gained 10-12. Just now working on exercising again (can't go to gym) by dancing around house and walking around house and JUST MOVING! Gone back to basics with eating 600-800 calories/day. Working great so far. Back on track for 2021.

Hello, newbie here...

I’ve had my lap band since 2005! Everything was all good, until I moved to a new state a year ago, went to a new dr a few weeks to have a fill to kickstart additional weight loss (gained weight due to new job, new state, new house, new to Cajun food-lol, liquid calories); the dr added Fluid (was at 2.75/4cc band, made Fluid 3.0) now I feel no restriction at all! I came back 2 days later, he took all the fluid back out which was all present and no leak was indicated, and added more fluid (now 3.25), and still no restriction! He said give it a few days, I feel no difference, my previous experiences are that I feel instant restriction after a fill. I definitely felt more restriction at 2.75cc, I had that amount in for almost 3 years before seeing this new dr a few weeks ago. Since he performed the film under fluoroscope he insists that everything went in. A couple of days ago I asked him to perform a swallow study with barium, he is typically very responsive but I’ve heard nothing yet. I’ll give him time to respond but if my band isn’t leaking, and I feel very little restriction with more fluid, where could the fluid be? In a pocket in the port?
I was hoping to get tightened before the holiday to prevent excess eating, now I’ve done the complete opposite, I’m so disappointed. Any advice appreciated, thanks...

I’ve had mine since 2005! Having a fill issue now (new dr added more Fluid but feel less restriction), but hoping to get that resolved soon...

Next week is 14 successful years and counting!!🌟. Nice to read about decade banders .
It is not always easy....even now after years with a 1cc band
And. I am grateful . I shudder to think that if I had not changed my life , I would be 325+ now.

I was banded in 2007 with a 4 cc band and cannnot tolerate more than 1 cc or am too tight.

still doing well

Thank you! When the surgeon took out my band he said he was surprised as to how much inflammation I had. I am hoping I just need more time.

Great job on keeping the weight loss despite the challenges. It takes a while for the GERD drugs to take effect in your body. Give it some more time.

I went back after a few years. I gained weight due to inactivity - torn meniscus and surgery. Next year bilateral Achilles tendonitis and several months ago a slip on ice fracturing my ankle and surgery and 2 broken wrists. Then I took one bone building pill, Fosomax, that tore my stomach apart. She took 2 cc out and gave me a script. Feeling hungry was awful, even tho I didn’t eat much I gained. Went back to my previous fill and realized I should have gone more slowly. I’m able to get a cup of Soup down and some mush green Beans on Thanksgiving. By Monday I should be better or I’ll get in again and take a cc out of my fill. There was absolutely NO judgement by the NP. She was very helpful.

Congratulations! 90 pounds in 5 months is fantastic, and your NSVs are great as well.

Didn't take a photo, but have my renpho readouts. Only started using it a week after my surgery, though...  

Sent from my SM-G986U using BariatricPal mobile app

Good job! And that fact that you've been able to do this in 2020 is even more amazing!😉

Way to go! Did you take a photo of the scale in Onederland? Most of us do. It's an exciting day! Woot-Woot!

CONGRATULATIONS 🎉