JulieNYC

I was really ready to lose the weight and wanted to make as much progress as possible, as quickly as possible. Some people prefer to take things more slowly and I totally get and support that. For me, at 5'2 and 358 lbs, neither my body nor my spirit wanted to stay at that weight, so the first 75 lbs came off with almost no effort. The second 75 came off equally quickly due to moderate daily exercise (about 45 min of cardio most days) and tracking calories (not with the goal of staying below X calories, but just for accountability). The last 12 came off with my tummy tuck, then healing took about 10 more off with it! 72 lbs in a year is NOT unrealistic. You can do it.

Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. .........231.5.................228...........3.5 Lapbandit.......................231............... ........210………….199.............11 Waterlily........................300.............. . .........276.................264.............12 Roiansmom....................299.................. . .....299.................270.............29 Libra..............................248............ ............232.................228.............4 JulieNYC.......................212................ .......185..................185.............0 Elisabethsew..................282................. . ......274..................264 ............10 PeaCeJ..........................338............... ........333..................318.............15 RidinMyHDDream.........297........................ 281 .................281..............0 Babygirl1234.................260.................. . .....244..................240..............4 Leecelove70..................228................. .......228.................200.............28 Josette...........................351............. ...........342.................335...............7 Lizrbit............................289............ . ...........290.................279..............11 losingjusme....................315............. ...........312.................302.5.......... 9.5

Fabulous, Boo! Thanks for running for me. I can't run for at least another month. Grrr. I can't even walk leisurely for 2 more weeks, except as necessary (meaning I can run an errand, but I need to sit tight for any voluntary action). OK, we're all going to run 5Ks in under 30 minutes. Fabulous. You, me, Dawn and Molly -- the roadrunner team -- that cayote will never catch us! Molly, happy bandiversary. It's a weird day, but do something special for yourself if you can, whether you choose to post about it or not. Maybe get your new gym membership? I know you're excited about that! Time for bed....

Today is my first year bandiversary! I have lost 173 lbs this year and have gone from a size 28 to a size 14, from super morbidly obese to obese and teetering on the edge of overweight. This is a weird post to write. It feels like emotional homework. For whatever reason, I don't feel like taking inventory of all the things that have changed for me this year -- the new me is so good that I don't want to waste a single second on the time I spent unbanded. Not that they were bad years in every way -- of course not -- it's just that who I am now is who I'm supposed to be. I'm so content and so confident that I've found the long-term solution to my weight management that I don't need to focus on the way things were anymore. Does that make sense? <O:p</O:p<O:p Anyway, for those of you just starting out, I thought I’d give you my top 10's: 10 reasons to get banded:<O:p</O:p <O:p</O:p (1) I lost from 358 to 185 in exactly one year without doing anything I'd consider extraordinary. I'd like to lose 30 or 40 more, but if I don't, who cares. Life in Onederland can't be beat. <O:p</O:p(2) I can travel so much more comfortably. Since I live 10 states from my family, that's a huge deal. I can fly Air Tran and not pay to select my seat ahead of time because if I get stuck in the middle, it simply doesn't matter. I don't live in the world of seatbelt extenders anymore. In fact, I almost like being in the middle seat because I can sit there just as comfortably as anywhere else. (3) food has lost its importance in my life. I don't count the minutes or hours until my next binge. I don't order 2 (or more) Entrees at a "to go" place and come home and eat until I fall asleep. I actually enjoy going to a restaurant or cooking a good meal more now because I still feel good afterwards, since I only eat a reasonable portion for my body. Food doesn't kill the whole night. (4) I fit into life again. I used to walk up 4 blocks to make sure I got a single seat on the bus. Now I don't bother. If I get a double seat on the inside, that's fine too. I fit in a subway seat. I never worry about getting into a friend's car and whether the seatbelt will be comfortable. I don't worry about breaking office chairs our lawn chairs or whether a theater seat will accommodate me. (5) I've found other things that are almost as fun as food. Manicures. Pedicures. New clothes. Haircuts. Even exercise. I didn't do any of those things before. It was too hard to voluntarily look in the mirror. (6) I'm an extrovert. I was always an extrovert, then somewhere along the path of gaining 200 lbs, I became an introvert. Except I wasn't really an introvert, I was a closet extrovert who acted introverted because of the limitations of my size. That's painful and I don't do it anymore. (7) I don't worry about my health on a daily basis. I used to think every little pain was a sign I was about to have a heart attack, whether it was a pain in my arm or a heart palpitation, etc. Now I know I'm healthy. (8) I take no medications. I don't need blood pressure meds. I'm not a walking time-bomb for diabetes. I don't have migraines, lower back pain, or foot pain when I get out of bed in the morning. I have excellent bladder control, even when I sneeze. (9) I'm starting to feel comfortable telling my "story." I didn't tell many people about getting banded. Now I'm more comfortable telling people. I truly don't get bogged down in anyone thinking it's the "easy way out." Anyone who thinks that doesn't understand WLS. And, even if it were the easy way out, who cares? I want the people I care about to have an easy way out of a horrible disease. I don't go out of my way to tell people I have a band, but if I'm asked directly about the weight loss, I don't try to hide it anymore. That feels good. (10) When I daydream about the future, it doesn't make me sad. I'm starting to believe the things I daydream about could actually happen. 10 Things That Helped Me and Might Help You With Your Banding: (1) Just hold your breath and get banded. Quit second-guessing yourself. I second guessed my decision for 3 years of "research" and if I'd just accepted that needing the band is a responsible solution to weight management and isn't a sign of failure, I'd be at goal right now instead of having wasted that time. Yes, I could have lost the weight on my own, as I'd done before, but the band is the only reasonable tool to lose AND keep it off. (2) Once you're banded, quit expecting to lose tons and tons of weight before you get a good fill. Being banded but without a good fill is almost like not being banded. Your cravings won't be dimmed until you're filled. Quit expecting this to be anything other than what it is. Get filled and you'll lose weight. It's frustrating because you just had WLS and it isn't really activated yet, but it will be, so hang in there. (3) Exercise at least a little as soon as you're physically able. Realize this has to be part of your new life in order to lose steadily and maintain for the long term. (4) If you're not losing 1-2 lbs a week, count your calories for a few days or weeks to see where you're going wrong. I happen to believe all weight loss is calories in compared to calories out. Not everyone believes it's exclusively this, but everyone believes it's at least in part this. You don't have to count calories all the time, but if you're frustrated with your progress, it's one way to speed things along. (5) Once you're 4 or 5 months into it, consider finding someone to mentor. It'll help you stay focused on your own journey to help someone else with theirs. (6) Don't worry about sagging skin. You may have some, but it's more attractive than fat, and even if it isn't, if you've lost so much weight that you have sagging skin, think of how much healthier you must be. (7) Don't worry about having to have a revision surgery. Lap band surgery isn't that big of a deal, in terms of surgical recovery for most people. If you have to have a revision, so be it. At least you'll be 100 lbs thinner and having surgery to STAY thinner, not to get thinner. Your recovery will be a ton easier at a lower BMI. (8) Accept the fact that being too tight is not healthy and won't necessarily help you to lose quicker. Get an unfill if you even suspect that need it -- if you suspect it, you really do probably need it. (9) See a therapist as often as you can during the weight loss phase, if you can at all afford it. With very limited exception, there are emotional reasons why we carry extra weight. Even for those with medical reasons for weight gain (PCOS, etc.) there are emotional issues that come up from carrying the weight, even if the emotions themselves were less of a factor in the actual gain. As the weight comes off, you have to deal with those issues or else you might stall until your mind catches up. (10) Quit blaming yourself for being fat. You're a cool person. You're doing something about your weight now. Forgive yourself for not doing something about it before. Just jump on board and do something about it now. There's a whole new world waiting on you. Thank you to all the moderators and members of LBT who have gone through this life changing year with me. You have been my most stable and constant source of support and I am so very grateful.

Well, the stitches come out tomorrow and I'll post some pictures when they do -- AFTER my --- wait for it ---- ahhhhh, SHOWER!! No shower for 2 weeks is NOT fun! Actually, it's not as bad as you'd think. I managed to wash my hair and shave my legs pretty normally, then sponge bathe the rest of me, so it hasn't been TOO TOO bad. That said, I can't wait for tomorrow! When Dad got home and looked at my stomach swelling he said it was completely normal and expected. He tightened the binder and everything went back to normal in about 6 hours. As I figured, I was worried about nothing. He said it was a little early to be worried about seromas anyway, that it's really between weeks 2-3 that he would worry about them for me. Anyway, so far so good. I'm feeling really good. I worked about 6 hours today (from home). My head is clear and I don't need to nap so much anymore. If I were in NYC, I could completely be back at the office by this point. I could have done this surgery with 2 weeks off instead of 3, for those of you in the planning stages. Lastly, today is my bandiversary. I'm going to do a separate post on the main thread, but I'm down 173 lbs in a year. It almost doesn't seem real. Take care,

Boo, congratulations on your new time. WOOHOO! Way to go! Run one for me! I'm itching to run, but I know I can't. I still have stitches, I keep telling myself! I feel good though. The swelling has mostly gone down and Dad doesn't think it's anything abnormal. He said I can go back to NY on Sunday if I want to. My ticket is for Tuesday. I might hang out till then, or I might go back. We'll see when the stitches come out TOMORROW. Sheila, congratulations on your conversion. I converted to Catholicism when I was 23. My Dad's family is Catholic and, in a way, my conversion was about becoming closer to them as much as it was finding a new spirituality. In any event, it can be a powerful thing and I'm glad you have something solid to lean on during your recovery. I'm so excited for your banding! Betty, France will always be there. I'm sorry you had to postone though. That's a bummer. Coming to NYC in June is fabulous though and I can't wait to meet you! Do you and Alan have a place to stay? You're welcome to stay with me if you don't. I'm so excited to meet you! We'll have to go for a walk together, or maybe to a NIA class. My gym has them and I have a guest pass -- I've just never been to that class.... Today is my bandiversary. I'm down 173 lbs -- how surreal is that? Strangely, I don't really feel like writing a whole post about it, but I'm going to. Posts like that were important to me a year ago, so I guess I'll do the emotional homework necessary to "pay it forward." As for a real present, I spent $500 on sterling silver (silly luxuries like a set of bullion spoons and a couple of mint julep cups) at my favorite store today. I don't usually go that crazy, but I felt like I deserved it today.

Well, today I'm a little more swollen than I'd like and I'm a bit worried about it. I don't know if it's just normal swelling or -- my big fear -- that I've got a seroma in the works. We'll see, I guess. I'm probably worried about nothing, but Dad'll be home in a few hours and I guess I'll get his opinion then.

Nope, no arm work yet. Arms and legs have to wait till I'm at goal. I did tummy and breasts only. On the tummy, he extended the incision around the hip, almost like a LBL (where it goes around nearly 360 degrees to address back and rear end issues). The point of that was that I had a big roll (an extension of the tummy roll) on the sides of my waist/top of my thigh. This was above where the "saddlebag" thigh area is -- more like a tummy roll on the side, i.e. up at the waist. The extended incision addressed that area more than the actual thighs. On the breast lift, I have an extended incision under the armpit (like by the top rib) that allowed him to take out the fat/skin roll to the side of my breast, under the arm. I think I'm happiest with that part! My arms lay flat against my side now. I haven't gotten a good look at the scar yet, but I'm sure it's worth it. Being "watched over" by my Dad is fine. He's actually out of town for the weekend, but in general, it's fine. They're a little over protective and I'd definitely be doing more if I were home, so it's probably best that I'm with them!

Molly, I don't know much about reading disorders, but to me it doesn't sounds like dislexia, which (I believe) is usually the reversal of two letters or a single letter (d for b, etc.). A whole word sounds like something else. Was he being silly? If not, can you speak with his teachers who may have more experience with this/knowledge of how often it happens? Good luck and keep us posted. Boo, woohoo! Congratulations on meeting your time goals. We're going to rename you Speedy.

4-3: JenRN - 263/257/223/150 - 40 total 4-3: jenn28 - 282/265/229/165 - 53 total 4-3: Picardy3 - 298/300/257.5/150 - 42.5 total 4-3: tipper - 300/290/259/165 - 41 total 4-4: Sugar1 - 311/289/231/150 - 80 total 4-4: DeltaDawn - 358/202/179 - 156 total 4-4: Dak – 255/251/205/150 – 50 total 4-4: Angels - 264/255/235/? - 29 total 4-4: Harpseal Al - 327/295/220 - 34 total 4-5: Boo - 208/203/165/132 - 43 total 4-5: siestaqh - 180+/177/117/110 - 63 total--NO MORE BAND :-( 4-6: Disneynut - 290/287/260/125 - 27 total 4-7: Guysis - 234/170/134 - 64 total 4-10: JulieNYC - 358/186/179 - 172 total 4-11: Vickie1177 - 320/297/267/137 - 53 total 4-11: tellymelly - 240/235/143.5/140 - 96.5total 4-11: Fel0816 - 307/284/265/to get under 200 - 42 total 4-11: dsrjrr - 231/230/210/130 - 21 total 4-11: truckinmama - 262/234/160 - 28 total 4-11: waterlily1072 - 354/281/150 - 73 total 4-13: Nursekathy2u - 358/356/335/175 - 23 total 4-13: NJgirl - 248/230/188/140 - 60 total 4-13: Miper70 - 217.5/187/145 - 33 total 4-17: Amourette - 22.5 total 4-17: Jeepergurrl - 242/192/140 - 50 total 4-17: MelAnne - 245/207/150 - 38 total 4-18: KAYBEE-284/198/180 -86 total 4-18: Danaclark2 - 270/260.5/266/150 - 4 total 4-20: TrustUfirst - 210/205/177/135 - 32 total 4-20: Omamoon - 220/211.5/179/130 - 41 total 4-20: KimInMD - 288/288/228/156 - 60 total 4-21: Yoda - 273/257/198/150 - 75 total 4-21: kristielynn - 310/302/237/150 - 73 total 4-22: alisonb - 286/270/176 - 16 total 4-24: Eficka - 125/117/95/69 - 27 kgs/66 lbs total 4-24: Ceparano- 255/270.5/201/170 - 69.5 total 4-24: Kat - 289/281/203/165 - 86 total 4-24: hlj25950 - 262/257/206/160 - 56 total 4-25: momof2boys - 270/266/237/145 - 33 total 4-26: Bostongurl - 264/244/184/150 - 80 total 4-27: tinaj - 226/221/210/150 - 15 total 4-27: lookingout - 185/178/165/101 - 20 total 4-27: flowergoddesstn - 214/204/190/130 - 24 total 4-27: Dimples0323 - 284/284/241/145 - 43 total 4-28: Susan4794 - 283/228/150 - 55 total 4-28: bluehill - 333/228/150 - 105 total 4-28: Irish Girl - 225/214/150/135 - 75 total 4-29: Momofsixkids - 238/188/140 - 50 total

Gooo Julie!! Woohoo! Dancing bananas for you!! :confused: That's an incredible milestone. Way to go.

I've always gone through phases like that while in bandland. I'll have 10 days or so where I "give up" and eat all the old things again. One of the differences though is that I will continue to exercise while I'm "off track," which helps to maintain rather than gain during my off period. Then, slowly, I'll start to replace my unhealthy choices with lower calorie items and before you know it, I'm back on track. For me, it's a cycle. I can get in a bad rut for about 10 days -- and that happens about every other month -- but then I'll have a good spell that lasts for about 2 months, so I come out ok in the long run. Does that make sense?

I've always gone through phases like that while in bandland. I'll have 10 days or so where I "give up" and eat all the old things again. One of the differences though is that I will continue to exercise while I'm "off track," which helps to maintain rather than gain during my off period. Then, slowly, I'll start to replace my unhealthy choices with lower calorie items and before you know it, I'm back on track. For me, it's a cycle. I can get in a bad rut for about 10 d

Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. .........231.5.................228...........3.5 Lapbandit.......................231............... ........210………….199.............11 Waterlily........................300.............. . .........276.................264.............12 Roiansmom....................299.................. . .....299.................270.............29 Libra..............................248............ ............234.................228.............6 JulieNYC.......................212................ .......186..................185.............1 Elisabethsew..................282................. . ......274..................264 ............10 PeaCeJ..........................338............... ........333..................318.............15 RidinMyHDDream.........297........................ 281 .................281..............0 Babygirl1234.................260.................. . .....244..................240..............4 Leecelove70..................228................. .......228.................200.............28 Josette...........................351............. ...........342.................335...............7 Lizrbit............................289............ . ...........286.................279..............7 losingjusme....................315............. ...........315.................302.5........12.5

TERRI ROCKS THE EXERCISE CHALLENGE!!!! Dancing bananas for Terri!! :confused: Terri, take care of yourself first though, ok? Still on pain meds -- we'd give you a hall pass on exercise if you need it. I'm so glad you're in bandland now! Woohoo!

Dawn, what do you think about training for a 10K together first? I'm up for a 1/2 marathon, but I want to do a bunch of 10Ks first. I should be back up and "running" in about 6 weeks. I can't wait to put on my sneakers again. Betty, I'm so thankful that you can't tell Alan had valve surgery 2 weeks ago. That is soooo amazing. Way to go for getting out there and walking with him so quickly. You guys are fabulous.

I was the same, Maziemommy. I was home in 8 hours and went back to work post-op day 2 simply because I was BORED. Bored, bored, bored. It is different this time though. This was a much bigger surgery. I needed the 2 nights in the hospital and the 2 weeks of downtime. I feel totally fine, but my body gives me subtle reminders that it's been through a lot. On the plus side, I'm starting to feel THIN. My stomach is flat, my breasts are perky and my face and arms are thin. My legs and hips still have some meat, but it's not so bad. I could be happy at this weight, though I do plan to lose 30ish more....

When I need that comfort that I used to get from food, I curl up in a blanket and go to sleep. It works most of the time. And, I work with a therapist weekly to try and have that need for comfort met through my daily life instead of needing it at the end of the day so much. It's a work in progress....

Yes, Elisabethsew, I had a tummy tuck a week ago. They took off 12 lbs, though all of them haven't shown up yet (swelling). I'm feeling great. Thanks for asking! Julie Geraci, I updated you when I updated me, so your new totals will carry forward....

They use regular sutures on some places and dissolvable ones on others. My belly button and nipples have dissolvable ones. My tummy mostly has regular ones, except around on the sides where it has regular ones and staples. I think it has to do with how much stress is on the given area, but I've never actually asked. Yes, I wear normal clothes, as long as I don't have to lift my arms too high to get into it. V-necks and things that zip or button up are the best, though by now I can get into most tops unassisted. I can bend over fine. What I can't do is stand up straight. They don't want me to do that for at least 3 weeks. You walk in kind of a crouched position to protect the incision line. Can you imagine? My stomach is so flat that the incision line could pull if I stood up too straight! 3 weeks of crouching isn't much to pay for that, I think. I haven't left the house yet. Not because I couldn't, but because they've asked me not to. Dad just wanted me to take it as easy as possible for a couple of weeks to ensure the best possible recovery, so as boring as it is, I'm trying to comply. I don't have any of those "I wish I'd have known" moments. I knew everything so far, though, ask me again when I've seen the actual results. I might feel differently once I've actually seen my skin.

Well Mazie, you can't take an host-to-goodness shower until your stitches come out. Dad says the earliest they'll come out is Monday and the latest is Wednesday. Wednesday would be TWO FULL WEEKS of no shower. Fortunately, I can still sit on the side of the tub and wash the important places, shave my legs and wash my hair, so it's not as bad as you'd think. It's just my torso that hasn't seen Water in a while. Today, I get the stitches out of my breasts and move into a sports bra. I also get the last of my tummy drains out. YEA! My Dad and Stepmom are leaving to go to an out of town wedding and my Mom's coming to stay with me for 3 days. I'm excited for the change (as great as my Stepmom has been -- and she has been) just to make the time pass. Plus, I think I can get Dad to agree to let me ride in the car. I'm seeing Target in my future, even if I have to ride around on one of those little mechanical carts! Woohoo! (I may be getting my hopes up for nothing -- we'll see). I weighed and am down 10 lbs from pre-op. They took off 12 lbs and I know I've lost more from not eating this week, so I bet I still have 10 lbs of swelling in me. Still, the 180s are nice....

Week Six of Eight Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. .........231.5.................228...........3.5 Lapbandit.......................231............... ........210………….199.............11 Waterlily........................300.............. . .........276.................264.............12 Roiansmom....................299.................. . .....299.................270.............29 Libra..............................248............ ............234.................228.............6 JulieNYC.......................212................ .......189..................185.............4 Elisabethsew..................282................. . ......274..................264 ............10 PeaCeJ..........................338............... ........333..................318.............15 RidinMyHDDream.........297........................ 281 .................281..............0 Babygirl1234.................260.................. . .....244..................240..............4 Leecelove70..................228................. .......228.................200.............28 Josette...........................351............. ...........342.................335...............7 Lizrbit............................289............ . ...........286.................279..............7 losingjusme....................315............. ...........315.................302.5........12.5

Kat, a woman who ranches with a manicure is even cooler in my view. Wink. I updated my ticker. I think I've still got about 10 lbs of swelling in me, but we're making progress. With my PS, I pretty much skipped the 190s! I'd like to skip the 180s as well.... Today I get the dressing and the stitches taken off my breasts and I move into a sports bra. What normalcy! I also get the staples (yikes!) taken out of my stomach, but the stitches stay in for another week. Betty, I WISH I would be walking for exercise within a week. Unfortunately, I'm under strict instructions to only walk in a crouched position for two more weeks. This is to ensure that the incision line doesn't split (can you imagine that my tummy is so tight that they worry the incision line might split!). So, Alan wins the race FOR NOW.

Sheila, At 20, I was about 230 lbs. If I could go back and have the band then, instead of at 33 at 330 lbs, I would do it in a heartbeat. I really think for those who have done the reseach and think that the lapband is a good match for them, in terms of correcting their particular type of eating challenges (often the need for quantity eating more than difficulty making healthier choices, at least some of the time), there is no sense in waiting. Obesity is a progressive disease. You can lose weight without the lapband, most certainly. But, very, very few (i.e. statistically impossible for any one individual) can lose it and keep it off. The studies show 1 in 50 who need to lose 50 lbs or more will lose and keep it off for one single year. So what does that mean for someone like me who needed to lose 150+ and keep it off for 60 years? What does that mean for you, who wants to lose 100+ and keep it off for 70 years? Getting the lapband just makes sense. Assuming YOU are comfortable with the surgical risks, do your best to educate your Mom on the process, but don't let her deter you. If you aren't comfortable with the surgical risks, it's ok if you need some more time. 20 is very young and this is a big decision. If some of the things your Mom is saying are making sense to you, that's ok too. Feel free to talk out your concerns some more with us. It's going to be fine.