lanie527

ABSOLUTLY! I am one year from surgery and happier, healthier, sexier than I have ever been. I have lost 130 pounds (I need to update my ticker) and I wear size 10 or 8 in clothes. I worked hard to get here, but I could not have done it without my band. It is amazing how well this tool works if you respect it on a daily basis. Best of luck and keep moving forward. Lanie

This is a great string. I too can relate to the bat wing upper arms and a few new wrinkle (I also got a couple zapped with botox!). I am down 121 pounds since December 21, 2007 and I love the new me, flabby skin and all. I feel past the remaining fat and skin and I can find ribs and hip bones. I can feel muscle and begin to see the lovely curve of my calf above an actual ankle bone showing. As I uncover this amazing new shape, I wonder at my accomplishment. I am removing the layers I kept to cover my fears and the fat I kept to comfort my loneliness. I am moving to a new city in January and it in interesting to think that a whole new set of people will never know I was once over 300 pounds. They will never see me as anything other than a normal person with an hourglass figure. It is thrilling to imaging fat not being a part of my life any more and yet a little sad that I will get no recognition or kudos for what I have done. What I have come to realize is that I was a happy and fulfilled person except for my obese body and now that I am only overweight, I can focus on that complete happiness. If anything I will need some new hobbies to fill all the time I have wasted binging, feeling guilty about food and planning and executing my next diet attack on my body. The freedom of knowing that my band will protect me from any extreme behavior is a comfort beyond measure. I hope that you all find the bliss in your new healthier bodies and clothes that express you without exposing your floppy arms. Keep moving forward. Lanie

Included in my self pay of 17k, was a year of service of any sort (except surgial fixes) I have only needed five fills and I have done three under floriscope.

I fly all the time without any noticible change in my band. You will be fine adn if you have concerns bring Protein powder to add to juice on the flight in case you can't eat the airline food. Good luck, Lanie

I set an initial goal of 180 and now that I am here, I have moved my final goal to 150. I am unsure how hard it will be to get to 150, but I want to try. If it is impossible to maintain without massive daily effort, I can live with 180. Right now I am in unfill mode. My band was flat and my doc wanted to see if an unfill would allow it to return to an angled position closer to my post-op image. I have struggled to stay within 5 pounds of my pre-unfill weight, but I have overdone it a bit in the last few days. I take this as confirmation that the band works as it should for me. It limits the volume and the rest, food and exercise choices, are my responsibility. So this Friday we will see what my band is up to and hopefully, I can return to restriction bliss and start the long slow march to 150. Thanks for sharing on this topic. It is interesting how few people stick around on the boards after they reach or are close to goal. Lanie

Any one doing the Danskin in Seattle this weekend? I am participating for the fourth year adn very excited to be competing just four pounds from my first weight loss goal. Keep moving forward! Lanie

WOW, this is amazing. SO much success! I made here myself. Over 100 pounds in less that seven months. I love my band. It is the best thing ever to keep losing. I am now just tenpounds for my initial goal and once I am there I plan on losing another 30. Best of luck to everyone on their journey with their band. Lanie

Today I weighed in at 199.4. After only six months with my band I have lost almost 100 pounds. I tried to explain this to a friend, but she is still thinking that she can lose weight without the band after 20 years of trying. What would we do without our fantastic bands! Keep moving forward! Lanie

NAME ____________weight now____ goal___ lbs lost *****:cool2:********** **********:biggrin:******:tt2:***** aJoneen............230.........220.......3....... Bea1128............220.........199.......0....... Babs0101...........185.........170.......0....... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4....... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......0....... Bunkey1965.........209.........198.......3....... Chocolate_Snaps....260.........240.......0....... Darr5380...........170.........150.......0....... erikadawn.................199..............175............0.......... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0....... HeatherO...........169.........155.......3....... JennyPoo...........169.........159.......0....... KarenG.............164.........158.......2....... KathyStrick........305.........290.......0....... Lanie..............199.........180.......0....... Leslie2Lose........224.........209.......0....... Lunabeane..........221.........200.......0....... Luu2008............219.........189.......7....... Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0....... luvinke............206.........190.......0....... mamato3............199.........184.......2....... mcgreen............189.........175.......0....... mdgarcia31665......225.........220.......0....... mominlv13..........316.........300.......1....... MSnika3............228.........204.......4....... NANAbanded.........225.........199.......4....... Ninja..............209.........189.......0....... NukeChik...........227.........199.......0....... Ollie..............242.........210.......0....... Redtulips..........194.........180.......0....... Renewedhope........176.........155.......3....... ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0....... slgandera..........185.........173.......0....... StartingOver.......220.........205.......5....... want_so_bad........170.........155.......0....... Sadie..............220.........199.......0.......

I do not understand that gum rule, I have never in my life accidentally swallowed a piece of gum, why would I start now. Once I get my braces off, I am looking forward to having that little helper to get through some of the tough temptation times. Glad to know some of you chew without fear! Lanie

I talked to my doctor about this and her reply was that my health care plan's emergency services will not turn anyone away. That said, there would still be bills.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> My lap band surgical group said that they are contemplating a supplemental coverage plan for self-pays that would cover slippage re-op or removal, but they have not offered it yet and that I would have to pay if needed.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> You should ask the group, but the chance of complications is slim and depends, in part, on your compliance with the lap-band protocols.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> After almost six months and a great time losing, I would not let that stop me. Good luck!<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> Lanie<o:p></o:p>

Jack, thanks for this suggestion "pureed deli meat with a little LF yogurt" for days when I am feeling extra tight or irritated. I have struggled to find a good savory protein. Lanie

This is exactly how I feel about my almost five months with the band. It has taken away the anxiety and obsessing about food. I have been on a diet or a binge for my whole life and the band has for the first time allowed me to put food in its place. A PART of my life, not the central thought and driving force.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> I don't worry about a week when I stay the same because I trust that if I keep doing what I do, eat healthfully 95 percent of the time and work-out at least 30 minutes every day that, in time, all my excess weight will come off. <o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> I appreciate your post, I had not thought about the idea that the band has allowed me to begin living my life as a non-food obsessed person. <o:p></o:p> Thank you for introducing me to a different way to think about these changes. Lanie

I agree that it is a tool, but for me the key is the portion control, enforced portion control. I eat healthy food; I just ate WAY TOO MUCH of them. I was hungry all the time. With the band I am not hungry for three or four hours after I eat one third of what I used to consider a meal. The not being hungry is where the band earns its keep. It is soooo much easier to resist all the food that is placed in my path since I don’t feel hungry. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Then, as has been said the choice of what to eat when you are hungry is up to you, high-fat, high carbs for me would remove the success I have had. I am a happy camper on scrambled eggs, fish or chicken and some sort of veggie or fruit. I also include occasional treats in the sampler size; in fact I can have a sample from the store bakery and be happy on a one inch chunk of cookie or cake. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> When I get into trouble is when I buy a treat that is bigger than I can eat, I tend to try to eat it all and BLAH it comes right back up. Enforced portion control!<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Best success with your band!<o:p></o:p> Lanie<o:p></o:p>

Salsa - I am going to be working in Olympia, WA for the summer. Can we chat off-line about lap-band support? Lanie

Triathlons are the best! I have done the Danskin Triathlon for four years now. You might want to exchange the tri top and bottoms for a one piece. I got annoyed with having to pull the top down all the time. With the one piece you are all covered up and ready to swim, bike and run in it. I add a t-shirt over the tri-suit for the bike and run. A few tips: Do what ever you can to eliminate surprises (walk the course before race day, swim in the lake, have a spare pair of goggles, and practice transitions) Bring a spare bottle of water to rinse your feet after you swim and before you put on your shoes. On race day, walk to each starting place from your changing station so you don’t get confused. I have never felt anything so wonderful as crossing the finish line and remember that you will finish before all those people who never got started. Have fun! Lanie

You will get past the cravings and BRAVO for keeping to healthful foods. There is no secret weapon, you just have to keep doing whta you are doing every day. Resist the temptation and knwo that the band will become more useful as you get restriction. Keep moving forward. Lanie

Susan - Look into Geneen Roth. I love her CDs. Lanie

I haven't been taking any vitamins. I eat a wide variety of foods and dairy on a daily basis. I think I am doing fine. Lanie

Ann - I was also banded in December and travel often for work. I always carry Liveactive cheese snacks in one ounce packets. They say they need refrigeration, but I have eaten one after a week and not gotten sick. This is the perfect "in a pinch" tied me over snack. As for restaurants, I generally stick to both based soups and crab cakes or other "wet" appetizers. If I order a full meal I tend to get distracted and eat too much. But if I do order a meal fish is the best bet, it will generally be soft enough. There are also times when I am eating with strangers that I will say I am not that hungry and just order dessert, like a small dish of ice cream or cheesecake. I know this sounds like a bad choice, but no one is going to question only eating a few bites of dessert, they will about meals. The hardest thing for me is to remember to eat slowly. I aim for a snack about 2 hours before a meal so that I am not starving and risk an embarrassing moment. Hope this helps; I consider not throwing-up in public a success and worry less about losing while away. Best of luck, Lanie

I love this one! I was in the exact same boat. At 298, I had no co-morbidities, worked out regularly, but I could not stop eating healthy foods so I lost nothing. Too healthy and morbid obestity, how out of touch is you PCP. As everyone has said switch docs and NOT just because of the band. Keep trying, it is SOOOOOO worth the fight. I am down 60+ pounds in four months! Lanie

I do plan for special events. I plan to eat like everyone else. I went to a big event on Friday night and ate one small plate of the wonderful spread, then I stopped when everyone else went back for seconds, thirds etc. I was full and didn’t feel deprived. Sometimes if I am unsure of the food on hand, I will eat a high protein snack before I go; like tuna or chicken salad. As for treats, I allow my favorites in, occasionally. I have a weakness for mac & cheese and white cake. Once every five weeks or so, I just have to have one of these. So I do. I am very regimented in-between. I find that allowing a luxury and knowing that I will get it again in the future helps me to feel good about the in-between times. The idea of NEVER is what drives me to nibble on this or that in an unsatisfying way. I would rather have good consistent weight loss and then a spike from cake than to have slow progress al the time from little cheats. When I do plan a splurge, I savor every bite. The long term goal for me is to be able to walk into any food situation and be in control enough to eat around 300 calories max. For me, this is what I can fit with the band and is an appropriate amount of calories to consume at one time. Hope this helps. Lanie

I had similar experiences with binge eating and the band does help me. It limits the volume of the binge. When I am stressed out I want white cake. In the past I would buy a whole cake and several other binge favorites and now I can buy a piece of cake. It takes me two days to get through it and then I am satisfied for a month or so. Most of the time I eat healthy protein and veggies, but I find that if I recognize why I am eating the cake and allow myself to enjoy that cake; I am able to feel the difference between wanting and needing food. Everyone eats for emotional reasons at some point, the beauty of the band is that it slows down the amount and, for me, the frequency of binges. I was low-carb for three years pre-band and re-gained all 130 #s when I stopped low-carb. With the band, I can eat a small amount of carbs with no ill effects, I am eating a more balanced diet and so the carb cravings are less severe. Best of luck and remember it is a process. Lanie

I log daily, but I prefer a paper journal. I keep it by my bed and enter information each evening. I record the day of the week, date, my weight from the morning, and foods with calories/protein numbers. Then I record the total for the day of calories and Protein. There are also days when I enter a little information about how I am doing or feeling. For example, tired today. yea! half way to mini-goal. frustrating day, ate cake. Noticing the patterns of my mood, stress, and wekend eating helps keep me motivated to do my best working with my band. I know that when I am doing my daily exercise, under 1200 calories, and around 60 grams of protein; I lose weight. I often use Sparks People to calculate calories and protein in "new" food items. Hope this is useful, Lanie

Totally normal. They pump gas into your guts to puff up enough space to do the lap procedure and the residual gas can cause all kinds of weird pains. I just delt with whatever happened for the first month. That said the pain should not be too strong.