nina874

Here are my before and after pictures, it was a long journey but worth it. I started at 210lbs in October 2007, had a Tummy Tuck in February 2008 when I weighed around 180lb and have been maintaining at around 120lbs for the last 3 years. I kept meaning to come on and post some pictures so I thought better late than never! I got such an enormous amount of support from all of the forum members at the time and you certainly helped keep me focused, I still miss my wonderful canadian friend green, hope you are rocking where ever you are eh? x

Here are my before and after pictures, it was a long journey but worth it. I started at 210lbs in October 2007, had a Tummy Tuck in February 2008 when I weighed around 180lb and have been maintaining at around 120lbs for the last 3 years. I kept meaning to come on and post some pictures so I thought better late than never! I got such an enormous amount of support from all of the forum members at the time and you certainly helped keep me focused, I still miss my wonderful canadian friend green, hope you are rocking where ever you are eh? x

Here are my before and after pictures, it was a long journey but worth it. I started at 210lbs in October 2007, had a Tummy Tuck in February 2008 when I weighed around 180lb and have been maintaining at around 120lbs for the last 3 years. I kept meaning to come on and post some pictures so I thought better late than never! I got such an enormous amount of support from all of the forum members at the time and you certainly helped keep me focused, I still miss my wonderful canadian friend green, hope you are rocking where ever you are eh? x

Mine came off fairly evenly to start with but the last 14lb seemed to come straight off my boobs! I went from a 38g to a 34C and let me tell you it was not pretty, it was like the ultimate trade off. After coping with shovelling the sad little sack of beagles ears type skin into my bras for 2 years and having the trauma of rolling over at night and trapping my own nipple under my arm and waking myself up - yes really - I treated myself to a brand new set. I viewed it more as a restoration project than an augmentation Did exactly the same thing when I had to fold my tummy into my trousers, best decisions I made in a long time, I have a better body in my 40's than I had in my 20's and it is all thanks to my band (and a couple of very skilled plastic surgeons lol)

I get a terrible pain under my ribs if I get well and truly stuck - or when I fly which I do every other week? - it has only started happening in the last 12 months, but it always wears off. Cant tell you why, but wanted you to know that you aren't the only one!

Mine came off fairly evenly to start with but the last 14lb seemed to come straight off my boobs! I went from a 38g to a 34C and let me tell you it was not pretty, it was like the ultimate trade off. After coping with shovelling the sad little sack of beagles ears type skin into my bras for 2 years and having the trauma of rolling over at night and trapping my own nipple under my arm and waking myself up - yes really - I treated myself to a brand new set. I viewed it more as a restoration project than an augmentation Did exactly the same thing when I had to fold my tummy into my trousers, best decisions I made in a long time, I have a better body in my 40's than I had in my 20's and it is all thanks to my band (and a couple of very skilled plastic surgeons lol)

Mine came off fairly evenly to start with but the last 14lb seemed to come straight off my boobs! I went from a 38g to a 34C and let me tell you it was not pretty, it was like the ultimate trade off. After coping with shovelling the sad little sack of beagles ears type skin into my bras for 2 years and having the trauma of rolling over at night and trapping my own nipple under my arm and waking myself up - yes really - I treated myself to a brand new set. I viewed it more as a restoration project than an augmentation Did exactly the same thing when I had to fold my tummy into my trousers, best decisions I made in a long time, I have a better body in my 40's than I had in my 20's and it is all thanks to my band (and a couple of very skilled plastic surgeons lol)

Bubbs, it could well be that you havent reached the right restriction yet, something that we used to refer to as the "sweet spot". It depends on what types of food you are eating. If you are eating lots of slider foods, chips, chocolate, ice cream - even normal food with a lot of sauce on them - then you will be able to eat a lot more than you should because they just slide past the band - hence the term slider foods.
I actually disagree with the other posters, I have had my band for nearly 5 years now and even now if I ignore the warning signs and try to wolf down that extra 1/2 a plate full I will throw it back up again. That isnt because my band isnt working its because it is! I call it my choke chain - it yanks me back when I get greedy.
The best tip that I can give you is to eat your food dry. By all means have chicken and veg - but you cant have mash because that sliiiiides down too easily - but you have to have the chicken dry, no gravy or mayo or anything else that will turn it into a Soup in your mouth. I ate a lot of salmon mashed up with a smidge of mayo that I spread onto ryvitas ( dont know if you have those in the states) loads of chicken and fish and flavoured rice - but I never allowed myself a sauce.
If after doing that you can still eat whatever you want, you need a fill!
You should not be able to eat a 12" sub when you have a band - I know, I tried and it did not go well for me! When I could eat a 12" sub my doctor told me I needed a fill, the whole point is, as you rightly said, that it RESTRICTS the amount you can eat.
I also had no restriction at around 7 but reached my sweet spot at 8.5. The band is a tool that if you use it correctly will enable you to no longer worry about food, if you cheat constantly, it wont work.

You probably havent hit your sweet spot yet. saying which you will still feel hungry when you have a band - you just wont be able to eat as much and you will feel full for longer. Dont forget that actual 'god I am starving' hunger and "nom nom that cake sure looks tasty" hunger are two entirely different things. Learning to distinguish between the two is as much of a learning curve as learning to eat with your band. I call the latter one head hunger..... that one is trickier!
Wait a couple of weeks and if you can eat way to much in each portion and you are still feeling hungry then get a top up.

I know that there have been a number of people on here who have had what is sometimes referred to as a mummy makeover which is breast and tummy at the same time, I believe it is quite common - why dont you google mummy makeover and surgeons in your area? I would say that due to blood flow issues they may try to avoid doing your arms and breast lift at the same time, but I know a lot of people have breast and tummy done at the same time. I would say that post op will be a b*tch but it will be all over at once rather than having 2 lots of down time.

Bubbs, it could well be that you havent reached the right restriction yet, something that we used to refer to as the "sweet spot". It depends on what types of food you are eating. If you are eating lots of slider foods, chips, chocolate, ice cream - even normal food with a lot of sauce on them - then you will be able to eat a lot more than you should because they just slide past the band - hence the term slider foods.
I actually disagree with the other posters, I have had my band for nearly 5 years now and even now if I ignore the warning signs and try to wolf down that extra 1/2 a plate full I will throw it back up again. That isnt because my band isnt working its because it is! I call it my choke chain - it yanks me back when I get greedy.
The best tip that I can give you is to eat your food dry. By all means have chicken and veg - but you cant have mash because that sliiiiides down too easily - but you have to have the chicken dry, no gravy or mayo or anything else that will turn it into a Soup in your mouth. I ate a lot of salmon mashed up with a smidge of mayo that I spread onto ryvitas ( dont know if you have those in the states) loads of chicken and fish and flavoured rice - but I never allowed myself a sauce.
If after doing that you can still eat whatever you want, you need a fill!
You should not be able to eat a 12" sub when you have a band - I know, I tried and it did not go well for me! When I could eat a 12" sub my doctor told me I needed a fill, the whole point is, as you rightly said, that it RESTRICTS the amount you can eat.
I also had no restriction at around 7 but reached my sweet spot at 8.5. The band is a tool that if you use it correctly will enable you to no longer worry about food, if you cheat constantly, it wont work.

Mine came off fairly evenly to start with but the last 14lb seemed to come straight off my boobs! I went from a 38g to a 34C and let me tell you it was not pretty, it was like the ultimate trade off. After coping with shovelling the sad little sack of beagles ears type skin into my bras for 2 years and having the trauma of rolling over at night and trapping my own nipple under my arm and waking myself up - yes really - I treated myself to a brand new set. I viewed it more as a restoration project than an augmentation Did exactly the same thing when I had to fold my tummy into my trousers, best decisions I made in a long time, I have a better body in my 40's than I had in my 20's and it is all thanks to my band (and a couple of very skilled plastic surgeons lol)

You probably havent hit your sweet spot yet. saying which you will still feel hungry when you have a band - you just wont be able to eat as much and you will feel full for longer. Dont forget that actual 'god I am starving' hunger and "nom nom that cake sure looks tasty" hunger are two entirely different things. Learning to distinguish between the two is as much of a learning curve as learning to eat with your band. I call the latter one head hunger..... that one is trickier!
Wait a couple of weeks and if you can eat way to much in each portion and you are still feeling hungry then get a top up.

This is similar to another thread only the opposite lol. I was having a moan about the fact that my much loved girls died a death during the last 10lbs of weightloss and I ended up getting them restored. It would have worked out a lot cheaper if they had just gone down proportionately
I am happy for you ladies that your puppies are now more managable!

You probably havent hit your sweet spot yet. saying which you will still feel hungry when you have a band - you just wont be able to eat as much and you will feel full for longer. Dont forget that actual 'god I am starving' hunger and "nom nom that cake sure looks tasty" hunger are two entirely different things. Learning to distinguish between the two is as much of a learning curve as learning to eat with your band. I call the latter one head hunger..... that one is trickier!
Wait a couple of weeks and if you can eat way to much in each portion and you are still feeling hungry then get a top up.

Sounds like a very similar experience to the one that I had when I had my band fitted, I was also self pay as at the time in the Uk they would only consider patient with a BMI of over 50 for surgery - which my surgeon at the time pointed out was a nightmare for the surgeons involved! I didnt get much info and luckily didnt have to go on a pre op because of my BMI. I did have access to a post op team of nutritionists - will your doctor be providing any post op back up?
As for the surgery itself, please dont worry, it is over so quickly (well obviously because you are alseep, but you know what I mean) and then you have the first couple of weeks post op and after that it is just getting used to a new way of eating, some basic rules, and getting the right fill so that you reach your sweet spot.
I found the help that I got on here invaluable when I had my band fitted, they were a fantastic bunch of women, and although I havent been on in a long time, it see,s that the people on here now are just as friendly and welcoming.
Dont be afraid to ask questions - I came on here a few years ago when I has the worst overfill ever and someone in the chat rooms managed to find me a hospital in Cornwall UK that could unfill me on a sunday from their bedroom in America!

Here are my before and after pictures, it was a long journey but worth it. I started at 210lbs in October 2007, had a Tummy Tuck in February 2008 when I weighed around 180lb and have been maintaining at around 120lbs for the last 3 years. I kept meaning to come on and post some pictures so I thought better late than never! I got such an enormous amount of support from all of the forum members at the time and you certainly helped keep me focused, I still miss my wonderful canadian friend green, hope you are rocking where ever you are eh? x

Way to go on the weight loss so far hon! You will notice the difference immediately when you have your fill, are you having it with an xray/barium? Cheezits and other crisps are the devils foodstuff, they will just slide down even when you have good restriction lol

bring chapstick and a positive attitude

I'm a complete control freak and just threw caution to the wind when I decided to band...jumping in with both feet and refused to allow myself to think about it. Honestly...I had a really rough first 2 weeks and was ready to throw in the towel and demand they take that thing out of me. But, it was because my body was rejecting the Vitamins I was taking...it had nothing to do with the band itself.
Once that got sorted out I've felt...well, exactly how I did before...in fact I was just saying in another post that I forget I even did this occasionally and resort to eating big bites or gulping or whatever...thats when the band shows up and wags her finger at me.
It sounds like you have really thought this out. I'm excited for you!

I am really happy for you that you are thrilled with the job that your PS did, its the best feeling ever isnt it

Sounds like a very similar experience to the one that I had when I had my band fitted, I was also self pay as at the time in the Uk they would only consider patient with a BMI of over 50 for surgery - which my surgeon at the time pointed out was a nightmare for the surgeons involved! I didnt get much info and luckily didnt have to go on a pre op because of my BMI. I did have access to a post op team of nutritionists - will your doctor be providing any post op back up?
As for the surgery itself, please dont worry, it is over so quickly (well obviously because you are alseep, but you know what I mean) and then you have the first couple of weeks post op and after that it is just getting used to a new way of eating, some basic rules, and getting the right fill so that you reach your sweet spot.
I found the help that I got on here invaluable when I had my band fitted, they were a fantastic bunch of women, and although I havent been on in a long time, it see,s that the people on here now are just as friendly and welcoming.
Dont be afraid to ask questions - I came on here a few years ago when I has the worst overfill ever and someone in the chat rooms managed to find me a hospital in Cornwall UK that could unfill me on a sunday from their bedroom in America!

I would say not to worry about stretching your pouch if you are only eating a cup full of food. Do you feel full after that cup full? Drinking with your meals kind of defeats the object of the band as you just kind of swill the food down the plughole IYKWIM. That could be why you have plateaued as you can always eat more if you have a drink at the same time. Everyone has months where it seems no matter what they do they stay the same weight, my advice would be at a cupful you arent going to be stretching the pouch and start some exercise to kick up your metabolism, it absolutely made the difference to my weight loss and overall body shape. Well that and a very good plastic surgeon......

Mine came off fairly evenly to start with but the last 14lb seemed to come straight off my boobs! I went from a 38g to a 34C and let me tell you it was not pretty, it was like the ultimate trade off. After coping with shovelling the sad little sack of beagles ears type skin into my bras for 2 years and having the trauma of rolling over at night and trapping my own nipple under my arm and waking myself up - yes really - I treated myself to a brand new set. I viewed it more as a restoration project than an augmentation Did exactly the same thing when I had to fold my tummy into my trousers, best decisions I made in a long time, I have a better body in my 40's than I had in my 20's and it is all thanks to my band (and a couple of very skilled plastic surgeons lol)

Take painkillers and dont try to bluster through it. Avoid shaking the duvet out and things like that for a good couple of weeks and remember you have had surgery, dont be too hard on yourself. The burping is probably a combo of the gas pain from the keyhole and your tummy getting used to its new situation, and dont forget they move things out of the way to get to your stomach when they do the surgery, a little bit of bruising on your diaphragm is not uncommon. Hope you feel better soon and start to enjoy the benefits that your new best friend will bring to you