Apples2

Rachel...congrats on finally getting your surgery date and also for taking the steps to get banded and onto a healthier YOU. Don't start this journey doubting success. Tell yourself you can do this. Follow the rules your doc has set up for you. Good luck!

AFmom....first of congrats on your success. You have done an amazing job of taking the weight off. As far as not following your doc's rules all the time....none of us are perfect. We all need to have a few treats once in awhile so as to not feel deprived. The thing to keep in mind is that you can allow the treats but not let it trigger feelings of being out of control The way I see maintenance is this: Not much different than the weight loss stage...just maybe with a few more calories allowed daily. Once you get to goal you will need to adjust your calories to what you think your body will need to maintain. Good luck to you as you take off that last few lbs and slide into maintenance.

Amber...just give your TT doc's office a call and ask them the question. I'll bet they say that it does not make a difference but I would check with them. Wishing you the best with your surgery and recovery.

I have always pretty much eaten most things but I make sure they are healthy. I do not like fatty foods or sweets. Just feel so much better eating whole foods. I do have a bit of luck on my side in that my metabolism switched over to be what it was when I was in my early 20's. I am not real limited on what I can eat.

I have been at goal for over 2 yrs now. The way I see the band and maintenance is "Never too tight and never too lite" is the way to go...try to be able to eat "normally" but smaller amounts. If you are very restricted right now, you might want to wait till you get to maintenance and see how your scale does. Not a lot of difference between maintenance and the weight loss stage. Just had to figure out what it took for sure (calorie-wise) and go from there. I have kept my band fairly loose during the entire LB process and even now. I would rather get hungry every few hours than suffer the affects of a too tight band. Just my take on it.

You said it....don't beat yourself up. Just have a plan the next time to grab something healthy instead of something that you know you should not have. There are room for treats once in awhile if you plan ahead and allow for them in your daily calorie count. Just start tomorrow more determined than ever. Did you get the 20" of snow? Out here in WC MN we had a storm...not very good visability and housebound but not a lot of snow to move and clean up.

Welcome...just wanted to wish you luck and congrats on taking the steps to a new and healthier you. Keep your eye on the prize (being around for your family) as you go through this process. Follow your doc's rules and be strong. It's not a quick fix and can be a lot of work at times. Just take it all day by day, get out and move daily and you will be on the other side of things b/4 you know it. All the best.

Not having the depressing thoughts about being fat going through my brain as I go to sleep at night and not having depressing thoughts about being fat as I swing my legs over the bed to get up in the morning. Now I just wake up and hit the floor on a dead run to start my day.

During the weigh loss phase, I weighed and measured and journaled EVERYTHING....and....very happy I did. It set me up to trust my way of eating. Now that I have been in the maintenance stage, I trust my good judgement from the things I learned while weighing and measuring. Now I eat when hungry....make good/healthy food choices and don't stress about it. I do make room for treats on a daily basis and love my stress-free way of eating. I also am a believer of every day getting adequate amounts of protein and fueling my body every 2 hours with some kind of snack. Learning how to eat by weighing a measuring taught me how to "wing it".

Lellow...have you tried PMing a mod to find out? I know that even after 2 weeks, there's a great deal of work to still be done on this site. Very frustrating. Have noticed on a thread that I frequent that it's not possible to click on a photo without complications. Either it does not come up at all or it kicks me back out of thread. Ho Hummmmmmm....enough already!

Blondeej....I am hoping that you continue to post and keep us updated. I am looking forward to seeing a thread titled "100 lbs LOST in 1 year". Wishing you the best!

Welcome Ann Marie...I am by no means a busy young mother with young children but just wanted to let you know that I would be willing to answer any questions you might have. I do have a fairly busy life and was pretty good at juggling and living the lapband life and having great success with it. I was banded June, 2008 and have been in the maintenance mode for a couple of years now. Either fire away with questions here or you can email or PM me any time. Wishing you a great lapband experience.

Bob...were you released the same day as surgery? Good to hear you are doing as well as you are with no major pain. Sorry, but I forget if you talked about where your cut would be located. Hip to hip???? Take care of yourself and looking forward to more posts on how your recovery is going.

Welcome Paula and congrats on your decision to make life a healthier one for yourself. I made the decision at the age of 52 to have lapband. I was a walking ticking bomb. But, I can tell you that today at the age of 55, I have so much energy and feel as if I am a impostor...(55 yr old living in a 19 yrs old body)....I feel that good. Wishing you luck as you go through this process. If you ever have any questions or concerns, feel free to send me a personal message or email. Take care.

Has anyone else had this? I go into my contents to see my subscribed threads. I have checked and rechecked to make sure I have everything in order in my settings. The main thread that I post on has disappeared within my subscribed threads and I cannot get it to show up in my list. Also, lost over half of my "friends" list. And, still not getting email notifications. I'm not a quitter and usually adjust to change easily but this site is testing me. I have been visiting another site and may just make that my new obscession.

First of all, congrats on your weightloss thus far. And on your new-found energy level. As far as the rate at which you are losing....please try not to compare yourself to others. Every pound lost is a step in the right direction. You are averaging 6lbs per month. If you continue at this rate, next year at this time you will be down another 72lbs. Just keep focused on your ultimate goal. Good luck!

Elcee....I sure am missing my email notifications, too. As far as the hovering over topics....there's a little icon (greenish) off to the right of the topic. It's a little hard to see at first. Click on it and it will open the first paragraph of the thread. Change sucks, doesn't it??????

Jess...I keep papaya tablets on hand. Chew three of them and that usually takes care of it. I have been very lucky and have not had to use any for over a year or more. They really do help. I keep some in my purse for when I am out and about also.

You most likely are a little too tight (like you didn't know that already) and have some irritation going on that is causing some swelling. Definately would be a good idea to do liquids (with protien) until you can talk with your doc and get a little unfill. It might just take a very small of an unfill to make a huge difference. Even after the unfill, it might be a good idea to baby the band for a bit with liquids. Good luck!

I really miss paging down the current threads and seeing the OP directly under the thread title. In order to see it, you have to travel over to the middle column and to see the last poster, again, a different column. Maybe will get used to it but where OP's name is now, I get it mixed up with the last poster. Ugh

Bob...just wanted to wish you good luck with your panni. Not sure if you have a thread going so we can follow but would love to hear how everything goes for you. I have been considering for a bit and have decided to put off until early spring. I am about 2.5 yrs out and panni seems to hang more and bug me more. I had an initial visit with doc about a month ago and he will do a mini TT similar to what Alienbandit had. I will have a scar in the same area as my Csection scar and would be from hip to hip. I would much rather have a scar than tuck this thing in when I get dressed and pull it out from under my hip bone when it wakes me at night. Not to mention the rashes that I got over the summer months and during harvest season. (Farmers).

Arlene..thanks for the birthday greeting...OMW...a new thread just for me....Funny I have tried everything. I do just as I used to to change font. States it's all set up and I see black. I am doing it EXACTly as b/4. Will have to play with it

To put your mind at ease, give your lapband doc (or staff) a call to let them know of this situation and to have them recommend something for you. Always better to check in with them on something like this.

Yes, you've done an amazing job, Reverie. Just be careful not to have too great of expectations with that last weight to come off. Not to discourage you but plateaus do tend to set in with that last 20lbs:cursing:. Just mix up the exercise and food plan once a week or more and be patient. You cand do it.

Reverie...you are not the only one to mention being so thankful for you mother's support. That is just wonderful. My DH was my biggist supporter and he still is. Congrats on your success...not too far from goal. :thumbup: