HeatherO

Everyone looks awesome . . . keep up the good work. I am just going to have to take some pics myself.

Way to go!!! I hope you have a wonderful trip.

My husband bought me a birthday outfit and I was scared to take it out of the gift bag (fear of the fit and the style) but would you believe it fit perfectly and very flatteringly??? I am now in a 14 petite pants and a large/sometimes medium shirts.

I am at 8.3 in a Realize band. I hit my sweet spot on the second fill and am just now starting to get a little hungrier two months later. I have a fill 3 scheduled on 7/29 but I am not sure if I'll need it yet. I guess we shall see.

Isn't great . . . I love those kinds of surprises. I have been doing a ton of "closet" shopping lately. I am already reaching the lowest limits of the smallest things I have. I might actually have to venture shopping soon. 32 to 26 is really awesome. Best of luck to quickly go to 24 . . . 22 . . . 20 . . . the skys the limit. Being banded is awesome.

I can't wait to see those pics!!!!

You will get there, I am sure :0). My last couple of months have been a continuous cycle of plateau, lose, plateau, lose . . . . . and on and on and on. It is not even a surprise anymore. You are doing awesome being 60 pounds down. I can't keep up with you :0)

. . . when you go to the bank and some woman you don't think you have ever seen before in your life says "did you lose, like, a lot of weight?" and you look at her dumbfounded because you don't know what to say to a stranger about that topic and are just a little surprised.

. . . when your formerly despised scale becomes your new best friend.

. . . when your good friend (who doesn't know about the band) gives you concerned, suspicious looks when you immediately walk away to the bathroom without speaking because something is stuck and you cant talk about it.

. . . when you are starrrrvvviiinnnggg because you worked too late and missed dinner, only to be completely satisfied by two triscuits.

. . . when you start going out with your friends for coffee because a meal is just too much trouble.

. . . when a very small glass of icy cold water first thing in the morning causes all kinds of weird gurgling sounds for the 20 minutes.

. . . when you don't want to buy new clothes because what fits this week will be too small in a month and moneys a-waisting.

When you tie up your pants with a ribbon because you dont have any belts and your pants are waaayyyy tooooo biggggg.

I had the same fears, but now that I am banded I realized I had nothing to panic about. The biggest thing is that you don't even feel it, even directly after surgery you don't feel it because of the pain meds. I only know it is there when I am not eating properly. Even then, it is just feeling overly full (like thanksgiving) or sometimes you have pb or sliming. It becomes such a part of yourself, it would be like saying I really want my lower right rib or a tooth filling out because it is bothering me so much. Also, you don't have to be tightly restricted to lose weight. Before my first fill, other than seeing a couple tiny pink scars in the mirror, I couldn't feel it at all even after eating. Really it is not that big of a deal. I only wish i could have gone back and told myself that before surgery so I didn't feel so panicy about it. However, I have to say there is one part of it that is really different where it is hard to adjust to the changes post banding. I keep looking at my legs and thinking, are those thinner more shapely legs really my legs???? I walk past a mirror and don't recognize myself. I shop and I can pull stuff off the rack and not only does it fit . . . it looks pretty darn good. This is a harder adjustment to me than the band ever was . . . but I am lovin every minute of it.

It is always great to look at the basics again. Helps to keep us on track. Thanks, bxlisa!

I followed my doctors orders probably 95% of the time, and those couple of times I didn't I communicated where I didn't. If I didn't follow, I got back on plan asap. I don't have any complications now, I don't want any complications in the future and I am taking the health of my band seriously. I don't know if I will have a problem in the future, but if I do, I want to be able to say to myself that I made a strong go of this and I put forth my best effort. I am really becoming disturbed by all the threads lately with the theme "I didn't follow doctors orders and don't intend to" or "I got off my diet plan, so please validate me by telling me everything is OK so I can continue not quite following doctors orders (but if you don't agree with me then you are against me and being opinionated)." However, threads with the theme "I got offtrack but really want to make this work, can you help me get back on the bus" are great threads for support and are helpful. noahsmomm, This response is not specifically to this thread, just a response on a number of similar threads that I have seen lately. Many people move through their liquids stages faster than the plan allotted but all I would suggest is to call your doctor and make sure it is supported. I am just worried that too many threads along this line may have a negative impact on newbies that are just learning the new lifestyle. How did I end up obese??? By making excuses to myself daily about why I can overeat. I am stressed because work was difficult . . . I had a bad day . . . I am so happy because this happened . . . time to Celebrate a good grade on my midterm . . . and the most important one of all (albeit frequently overused) . . . I am going to eat what I want today because I am starting my diet plan tomorrow (thank goodness I don't have a count for how many times I thought this, I am sure the number is enormous). So what is my point . . . no more excuses for me. I have to take responsibility for my actions. I can cheat every single day if i want to, but I don't because I put myself under the knife due to being sick and tired of being sick and tired. If someone writes, I had pizza and ice cream 3 days after surgery and my band and I survived it . . . does that give me an excuse to go out and have a Big Mac??? If you are reading this thread, you have probably gone under the knife as well. That is no small step and not an easy road to take. If you start your journey by disregarding the rules, then you set yourself up for the possibility of failure. If a few weeks of liquids and unpleasant foods can put you on the road to long term health and all of the benefits a more normal weight can provide . . . then you deserve to do the right thing for yourself. You can do this by taking personal responsibility for your actions and making no more excuses for not doing the right things.

I just read on a pregnancy weight gain thread in the pregnancy forum that someone there had a failure of the iud and ended up preggers. I wouldn't think that being banded would have anything to do with the failure but I am curious. My TOM is a lot worse since being banded, even with control measures that usually made my period almost non-existant. It used to be a minuscule nuisance to being a huugggee problem now.

You are so newly banded and are probably still on a specialized diet. I definitely would not quit now without doctors support. Three months is really not that long and you should at least wait to see how well your blood sugars are stabilizing when you move onto more solid foods. Ultimately your overall good health is the goal and it makes sense to take a little time adjusting your medications. You probaby did not develop diabetes overnight, so I would be careful assuming it would go away so quickly. Also keep in mind that not every diabetic is the same and what works for one person may not work the same for you. What were your average levels before banding and what are they now? Are you maintaining a healthy range? Have you already stopped taking meds or are you just contemplating it?

I can understand why you feel hurt. Perhaps your husband doesnt understand how hard it is to take it off. However, not all men know how to say things in the right way. My husband told me that he wants me to be healthy so we can spend a long happy life together. This is after I told him the same thing before we were married and he stopped smoking cigarettes on our wedding day. I know he loves me at any size and just wants me to be happy and healthy. So basically, our husbands said the same thing but just had different ways of saying it. Your husband might also have your health and happiness as the primary motivators for saying something. Try to focus on the positive, there are definitely many things to gain from living life at a more normal weight. The band is definitely one way to help you get there. I eat normal foods, only a lot less of them and I am more satisfied then ever before. It is a lifetime commitment for me and I make sure that I follow the rules to make my band last. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

I actually noticed in the shower the other day that as I pulled my hands through my hair after shampooing, they didn't come away empty. I did it a couple more times and found a few strands of hair in my hands each time . . . and there was no pulling whatsoever, it was like they werent even attached to begin with. So I think I will shed a little hair. I have really been great with Protein (low carbing it) and Vitamins and milk are a regular part of my daily consumption. Really I am not surprised because it happened when I was pregnant as well (so I figured I was already predisposed). I guess I'm off to the beauty supply store to stock up on some Biotin, or would the pharmacy be more likely???

I don't know anyone who has had this kind of band. However, you or your insurance paid for your band, it does not make sense that you can not have the card to adjust it if you are the owner of the band. It may be their policy to strongly suggest they maintain the card (perhaps there is a fear that a patient might lose the card). If you are definitely transferring to this other doctor, the other doctors office should be able to contact them and request that the card is sent directly to them.

My doctor said I can take pills (as long as they are not horse pills like Vitamins which are exceptionally huge and hard to get down even before banding). I was just told to make sure I drink a large glass of Water entirely after taking the pill. You can always give them a call as well.

My scars are hardly noticeable at 5 months out, and I have 5. The port scar is about 2 inches long and is pink in the middle but is already fading to nothing. The other ones are not really noticeable unless you are looking for them. I did not do anything special to protect my scars other than keep incisions clean and bandaged. I am also a person who scars easy (I have indents in my arms from donating blood over the years). Really they are nothing to worry about . . . but one thing to keep in mind, if my scars where ten times worse it would be worth it for my much flatter belly. I probably wont wear a bikini but I look really great in my clothes now.