KelinTx

I will be brutally honest and tell you i have a TON of excess skin from my loss thus far. When you have an extreme weight loss exercise alone will not snap all that skin back to its former glory. When i reach my goal of losing 200 lbs i will have an estimated 10-15 pounds of extra skin that could be removed. Once i reach my goal i will do some plastic surgery in stages to remove some of it. I look great clothed......naked i pretty much look like a train wreck, but i feel GREAT and thats all that matters at this point.

I am also one who started the journey with at least 200lbs to lose. I just wanted to say even though the number may seem daunting, it is indeed possible. Good luck to all of you.

Are you keeping track of your calories? Are you exercising? Sometimes its hard to remember that just having a lapband is not a miracle cure. The weight will not just fall off because you have had a procedure. It takes effort on your behalf to make your tool work for you. Best of luck!

I just wanted to chime in and say that for all you newly banded folks that are reading this thread, its NOT ok to eat solid foods this early so please do not read this and think WOW this person did it so... so can i. Is it really worth risking harm to yourself or your band by not following the instructions given to you by your doctor? If i had to render a guess it would be that no matter if you weigh 195 or 395 a rule is a rule and meant to be abided by.

What has worked for me is 1. I followed the instructions given to me by the doctor. I did not deviate AT ALL. 2. Ive maintained a restrictive fill level so that i am unable to gorge myself. I can eat but i CAN NOT OVEREAT if im filled properly. As soon as i feel that i am being able to eat more then i normally can i head back in for a fill. 3. I drink a minimum of eight 8oz glasses of Water a day EVERYDAY 4. I follow an exercise program

How about tossing in a FREE DAY....i allow myself one day a week (usually Friday for me) where i eat what i want and not count calories. One of the trainers from biggest loser suggested this last season i think i was. Said it tricks the body. I don't claim to understand it, but it works for me.

Good luck and congrats on your surgery...from a fellow Dallas area bander!

I highly recommend Papaya Enzyme. You can get a jar of the tablets in Walmart in the Vitamin aisle or in GNC. GNC has the lil purse size tins as well. I never leave home without it. I pop um if i feel even the slightest bit of discomfort and it seems to move things along quite nicely and they taste great too!

I was one of the folks that did infact go on a last tour of culinary pleasures. Hit all the best Dallas restaurants before my pre-op diet started. As for what i would of done differently. I would have to say i should of started a more regimented exercise program sooner than i did. And as for suggestions the number one thing would be to FOLLOW YOUR POST-OP DIET RULES to insure that you let yourself and your band heal properly.

I lost my cankles now i have ANKLES!

Oh how i wish i had the answer for this. I live with the voice every day. I wish i knew how to be one of those people who don't obsess about food. I have been debating long and hard about seeking councelling for this exact thing. I will say on a positive note however that when im filled properly i am unable to cave into the "i want to eat everything voice" inside my head. Perhaps a good fill would get you back on track?

Ive used mederma with great results. I had port replacement back in october and used it on that area in hopes of getting that scar to fade. I swear with in two weeks you were not even able to tell that area had been tampered with.

My goal of losing 200 lbs is now looking within reach! I have 16lbs to go as of 1/10/2009. Thought i would share my pictures at this point.

Temptation is hard no doubt about it. My way to deal with it is to have what i want BUT only one or two bites of it. That way i feel like i have enjoyed what was available and did not deprive myself. I have learned that one or two bites is just as satifying.

I always keep a jar of papaya enzyme on hands for times like these. I keep a small tin of it in my purse at all times too. You can buy it at Walmart or GNC. GNC has the small purse size tins. I read about this in a post on here years ago and it has worked like a charm for me. It seems to speed up the process of breaking down the food when you take it.

This has frustrated me also. And it seems to be getting worse. Daily there is posts that lead you to belive that folks are getting operated on without having a clue as to what to do afterword. I fail to understand how someone could undergo an operation and not have discussed the follow up instructions with the doctor or one of the staff. I feel sure that these people are not being given an operation and then just sent packing without some further instructions. Lets get real here and accept that it is our own responsibilty to be informed!

If i read this post correctly its saying that you have only had your band for 10 days. Your stomach is still in the healing process from having been operated on. You need to take it easy and let your band heal before you starting eating normal food. Please inform your doctor when you go of what you did so that he can set you on the right path to insure that you wont have any issues down the road. They give us dietary guidelines for a reason and it is up to us to follow them, if your not sure what yours are call your doctor and ask! You made the decision to get banded and its your responsibilty to be informed of how to use and take care of your new tool.

Ill be honest and tell you that in my case i have a TON of loose skin. I have bat wing arms, major saggy thigh skin and a good bit of tummy flab and boobs that are deflated. Ive decided to wait till im at my goal and then decide if i want to correct any of it. The fact is (as told to me by my physician) with an EXTREME weight loss there is only so much exercise alone will do. I can hide all the loose skin under the new pretty cloths i can now wear, but there was no way i could hide weighing 359lbs. So im a happy camper loose skin and all.

As ugly as the word barbaric is i must say i can see where your coming from. I often think think to myself how pathetic am i that i let myself get so out of control with my eating that i had to undergo an operation to insert a foreign object into my body that was going to stop me from from eating myself into an early grave. With that said, boy am i glad i did it. I love my band it has given me a life again and everyday it just keeps getting better.

I still LOVE to eat and everything continues to taste great. Im pretty much still able to eat any food.......BUT........why the band has been so successful for me is that the foods i love and would gorge myself on i now can only eat a few bites of or i suffer HORRIBLE pain. For example french fries i can still eat them but i can only eat two or three. Same goes for anything else thats doughy or cakey or crunchy (like snack food).

Why not try measuring out the portion you should be eating and put that on your plate. When its GONE your DONE! I find if its not infront of me i will not eat it. For example when dining out, when the food arrives i ask for a to go box right away and take all but what i am going to eat off my plate before i even start.

I have the large vanguard band and was given 3cc at the time of surgery. A month later i was given another 3 cc. I proceeded with caution there after...meaning small frequent fills.

How great is that! Don't you find that compliments are just so motivating?

Ive never had a fill without being numbed first. I am always asked before the fill begins if i prefer to be numbed.....to wich i reply YES PLEASE

I think i must of read this post 4 times to make sure i was not seeing things. Are you saying you weigh 124 pounds are are having weight loss surgery?