Miss Meg

I just wanted to do a quick check in with my very exciting news that this weeks weight loss takes me exactly to my half-way point.
30kg down, 30kg to go!!!!

Since this is the header of the topic, I am officially,whole heartedly supporting those who choose to live life with a lapband!
I hope some of the other band veterans will choose to help answer questions about a healthy life with our bands.
It can be a life changer! For many years!
For this one category, can I ask respectfully for no band bashing, stomach perforation, port flipping horror stories?
I am very pleased with my years of healthy living with my band .. May it always be so for others too⭐️
I DO SUPPORT any type of WLS for the record.
This is just one all place to Celebrate banded life.
Thanks for listening

Just returned from our vacation, 10 days including 7 days on a cruise....
Best news is, I let my band be the boss just as any other day...limited my food intake and controlled my hunger.
I did not deny all the pleasures available to me, just did not make a pig of myself.
I went on a Volcano climb, 3,800 feet straight up rocks and mud through a rain forrest...there was a couple there that were 42 years old, then everyone else was in their 30's and 20's....I'm 63 !!!! Our guide said not only was that a first, but also the fact I was one of 4-5 leaders way out in front setting the pace where everyone had to keep up with.
On another stop, I jumped off a 45+ foot cliff into the Caribbean ocean....there is a bar at the top of the cliff where people sit and watch the cliff jumpers...NO ONE jumped that day but me !!!!
Back on the ship I ran into a family from Holland that were sitting at that bar...they wouldn't stop complimenting me. And when I told them my age, that really put them over the top.
Bottom line....I lost 3 lbs !!! And to think it was just a few years ago I could not carry groceries into the house without having to sit down to catch my breath....not to mention my cardiac issues, diabetes, etc, etc......
Am I bragging?? YOU BET!!! It just doesn't get any better than this...and I have to give all the credit to my Lap Band Surgery....without it, I'd probably be dead....no exaggeration.
Only thing is, with all the booze I consumed over the last 10 days, I need to go on a "Cleanse" including extra time in the sauna to sweat it out of my system.

So clearly I must have had an attachment to my FUPA....now that I'm down 80 lbs....I feel like I should still be shopping in the plus size section...but all their pants have that extra FUPA space I don't need...and I look super crazy wearing these pants with all this extra FUPA space....I guess I must be scared to go to the non plus size section...but I think its finally time to detach myself from the FUPA pants!

Wow ! What a milestone you've reached ! Congratulations on all your hard work ! Great job and keep it up !!!

Congrats!!!

Congratulations! Great work!

Congratulations !!

I've just done a quick conversion from metric to imperial, and realised that if I was one of my fellow bandsters that live north of the hemisphere, I'd be celebrating Onderland!!!!!!!!
Happy days everyone xxx

I've just done a quick conversion from metric to imperial, and realised that if I was one of my fellow bandsters that live north of the hemisphere, I'd be celebrating Onderland!!!!!!!!
Happy days everyone xxx

I've just done a quick conversion from metric to imperial, and realised that if I was one of my fellow bandsters that live north of the hemisphere, I'd be celebrating Onderland!!!!!!!!
Happy days everyone xxx

So I buy Enell sports bras. They are expensive, but the girls are firmly planted in them. I realized that the bra I had prior to surgery was now to big (I noticed more jiggle). They size between 0 and 8, and sizes 6-8 cost extra (like any thing plus size..ugg) and only comes in boring colors.
I was able to downsize from a size 7 bra too a size 4, and got a cutesy color too, with no upcharge! Seems so minor but this really made my day. Can't wait for my run in the morning!!

Absolutely none, zero, nada, zip.... Except of course that I didn't do it years ago...

Major non scale victory for me today!
I was banded on the 14th. Altogether from starting the pre-op diet to now I have lost about 28 lbs. I have only been really conscious of it due to the scale moving and my clothes becoming baggier. I didn't look in the mirror and feel like I looked any different.
Today I had one of my first NSVs. I noticed my Facebook picture was kind of old and needed updating, so I took a few selfies. This was the first time I was like "wow, nearly 30 pounds does make a difference." Well, I have vacation in a week or so and my husband reminded me to try on my old swimsuit to see if it fit in case I needed to buy another. After trying it on and looking in the mirror I, for the first time, really saw myself. My luck with my selfies inspired me to take a picture, which led to me making the jump and posting the photo to my Facebook page. This may not seem like a big deal to some but I don't even wear shorts in public and feel naked if I leave the house without a cardigan, regardless of the temp outside. I have always felt uncomfortable in my own skin and to post a photo of myself in a swimsuit on social media was MAJOR for me. I was sweating bullets with my finger over the "post" button and was so afraid I would be met with negativity over it but friends have come out of the woodwork to leave positive messages on the photo. It has become my most liked and most commented on photo. I even had a girl friend say "God, I wish I had your legs!" I have NEVER had ANYONE say they wanted a part of their body to look like mine. I was floored.
The point of this lengthy post is that I overcame a major fear today and it came as a result of this weight loss journey. I feel like I have made a step forward with my confidence and self worth today. And it didn't come from the people who commented on my photo, it came from the realization that I am a person of worth and beauty and I deserve to be happy and healthy. I couldn't have made it to this point without having decided I was worth WLS. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to do this and am looking forward to more personal growth and additional NSVs along the way.
Has anyone else had a NSV recently? I would like to hear more uplifting stories, no matter how small or large!

Lisa, I think you have just answered my question... It's a pretty cold winter here downunder and last week I was pretty sick with flu. Even though I am feeling much better, I am still finishing my course of antibiotics and still have a dry irritating cough. It totally makes sense that this could be why my band is a little tighter at the moment. I will take your advice and stick with more liquid foods for a couple of days. Thanks.

It really is a huge adjustment, I have 42 years worth of bad habits to lose. Sometimes it's really difficult to not get too bogged down in the idea of dieting when I still have a lot of weight to lose... Just gave to remember to let the band do it's thing first and foremost...

For me different things cause my band to be tighter and/or looser. If I am congested, or have an infection...that causes my band to feel tighter as (nasty) stuff usually goes down my throat and can create more mucus around the stoma. If I have a stuck episode the regurgitation can irritate my stoma and cause swelling which then makes my band tighter and the more I try to eat and force food through the opening the more irritated it gets.
Also for me certain medications cause the opening to feel tighter as they may irritate my stomach I don't "feel" irritated but clearly my stomach is inflamed and the opening through the band is tighter. Also spicy food can do this for me as well.
It really depends on what affects you. We each have different reasons for why the band might be tighter than other times. My husband and I are both banded and he is totally different than I am he may be eating something with no trouble and I can't eat it and vs versa.
When we run into those issues or we just can't tolerate something I won't keep trying. If I know I have had a bad stuck episode the next couple of meals I will switch to liquids. I have had an issue in the past where I just ignored the stuck episodes and kept on trying to eat solid Protein and it caused a pouch dilation and I had to have my entire band emptied and it took me more than 6 months to get even close to the green zone again.
So my advice is to pay attention to what irritates you, and if you are stuck give your stoma a break and eat something that won't cause more irritation the next couple of meals. Then resume eating as normal. If you find your "tight" go easy with the meal and try to eat things that are not going to get stuck. For me when I am not feeling well and I have that extra mucus feeling something warm like coffee or tea helps tremendously. I usually start my day with a warm cup of coffee every day, but that's just me

What a great question... Like a lot of others, I clearly was not ready mentally and emotionally for it until recently (I was 41 when I had the surgery in November). I do find myself wishing I had taken the step at around the age of 33-35, and the reason I say that is because I am still single with no children. Being severely overweight really affected my confidence when it came to meeting Men and I really believed that I wasn't worthy of meeting someone. It has taken a bit of maturity for me to realise that isn't the case and there should be no reason for me to meet a partner. I'm now in the position of being 42 and the clock is seriously ticking, and I may not have the time to meet a partner and create a family. So I'm considering options of doing it alone - I'm okay with that because I have an amazing support network and I know it would be okay - but I realise that time may not be on my side. That is really the only reason that I wish I had have made the decision earlier...

Hi everyone, today marks 31 weeks since my lapband surgery and I have lost a total of 25.7kg in that time.
It's taken me a while to feel any real restriction, although I have had my moments of stuck episodes here and there.
This morning however, I decided that my usual Cereal and fruit, or yoghurt or a shake were not going to cut it for my Breakfast, so I decided to purchase myself a toasted ham and cheese sandwich, something I have not gone near in a very very long time... Well.... Said ham and cheese sandwich was not going to go anywhere - not at all!!! The way I eat has changed and will continue to change and I need to remember that with every single mouthful.
It was at this moment that I realised I actually do have the restriction that I need, and I need to work more with my band.
I really thought that I was working with it, but I realise that every single stuck episode or feeling of discomfort that I get means that I have to change something.
Light bulb moment!!!!!

That is a great idea. I don't either, but I do sit with the family in the evening for a couple of hours. Plenty of time to do something.

One of the suggestions my psychiatrist gave me was to do arm curls during commercials, especially food ones. I don't watch a lot of tv but I think it's a great idea.

I've had some what of an epiphany this week!!!
Last week I posted about a bit of a light bulb moment about needing to change things along the way to make the most out of my band.
In that, I decided to do a lot more research and re-educate myself about how the lapband works.
This week I've realised that I've been eating too much slider foods and not enough of the stuff that will send the signal to my brain that I am satisfied, being foods that need to be chewed well and pass through the band at a steady pace.
I'm nearly 8 months out and I've just had this realisation now.
I have to say though, that I really need to give a huge big shout out to @Bandista. I've always seen the articles at the end of your posts and have sometimes gone into them but haven't really read and understood them. This week however, I took the time and read and re-read and really took the time to let it sink in and fully understand it. Thanks so much, you've made a huge difference to my understanding and I will be forever grateful

I've had some what of an epiphany this week!!!
Last week I posted about a bit of a light bulb moment about needing to change things along the way to make the most out of my band.
In that, I decided to do a lot more research and re-educate myself about how the lapband works.
This week I've realised that I've been eating too much slider foods and not enough of the stuff that will send the signal to my brain that I am satisfied, being foods that need to be chewed well and pass through the band at a steady pace.
I'm nearly 8 months out and I've just had this realisation now.
I have to say though, that I really need to give a huge big shout out to @Bandista. I've always seen the articles at the end of your posts and have sometimes gone into them but haven't really read and understood them. This week however, I took the time and read and re-read and really took the time to let it sink in and fully understand it. Thanks so much, you've made a huge difference to my understanding and I will be forever grateful

I've had some what of an epiphany this week!!!
Last week I posted about a bit of a light bulb moment about needing to change things along the way to make the most out of my band.
In that, I decided to do a lot more research and re-educate myself about how the lapband works.
This week I've realised that I've been eating too much slider foods and not enough of the stuff that will send the signal to my brain that I am satisfied, being foods that need to be chewed well and pass through the band at a steady pace.
I'm nearly 8 months out and I've just had this realisation now.
I have to say though, that I really need to give a huge big shout out to @Bandista. I've always seen the articles at the end of your posts and have sometimes gone into them but haven't really read and understood them. This week however, I took the time and read and re-read and really took the time to let it sink in and fully understand it. Thanks so much, you've made a huge difference to my understanding and I will be forever grateful

There are lots of posts here from people who have done wonderfully with their bands including Alex who started this site. Do remember many happy people move on with their lives after some time and no longer come here but the ones who are struggling still do. Follow your Drs orders and enjoy your new life.