JulieNYC

Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci......................238............. ...... 238.................228.............10 Lapbandit.......................231............... .....226………….199.............27 Waterlily........................300............. .......287.................264.............23 Roiansmom....................299................. ...299.................270.............29 Libra...............................248........... .........242.................228.............14 JulieNYC........................212............... .....205.................185.............20 Elisabethsew...................282................ .....278.................264.............14 PeaCeJ............................338............. ......338.................318..............20 RidinMyHDDream.........297.....................289 .................281...............8 Babygirl1234..................260................. ....253.................240..............13 Leecelove70...................228................. ....228.................200..............28 Josette.............................351........... .........351..................335..............16

It took me about 60 lbs to go from a 26 yo a 24 but the smaller I get the fewer lbs it takes. It took me 15 to go from an 18 to a 16.

Betty, Your sweetness and kindness always impress me. Thank you for your thoughful post. Judy, Dr. F. won't kill you. It sounds like maybe you need a fill. Maybe? Yes, I eat real food -- not liquids. I eat about 1000 (or more) cals a day of good, high Protein, food (except when I have weeks like last week when I eat 1500 cals/day because I'm in chocolate/jelly bean hell). I can't see your ticker, but the speed of my weight loss has more to do with the fact that I started with a BMI of 68 (I'm only 5'2 and I was 358) than anything else. I didn't lose a single pound until my third fill, then it was as if my hunger had just been taken away. Love my band. Other positive factors for my weight loss are that I work out most days for at least 40 minutes, and I'm single, so I don't have to keep anything tempting in the house and I don't have to prepare meals for others. That keeps the calories in check, though I'd probably trade a few hundred more calories for a husband if anyone's offering (wink). I had a little freakout this morning. Dad emailed me and said "what day did you want your surgery again? I've got a meeting on Thursday the 28th." Now, I've already booked plane tickets and scheduled my whole life around the 28th. I checked the calendar and "Thursday" is the "29th" -- so I call him and ask -- is your meeting on the 28th (Wed) or is it on the 29th (Thurs)? It's on the 29th. He had it wrong in his head. So, we're all on track. Funny. This is such a huge deal to me. To him, it's just what he does every day.

Awesome, Dawn, that's just awesome. You have the stats of an athlete! Woohoo! Eficka, the guy isn't worth your time if he went after your friend like that -- seriously, you can do better. I know that doesn't take the sting out.

You're not an old poop. You're a young, thriving, NIA-attending grammie. GOOOO Betty! And happy birthday -- I always thought the Mom should celebrate the birthday, not the baby. After all, you did all the work 41 years ago (and beyond).....

Thank you all for your supportive comments. I can't wait to have an update for you. For them moment, I'm making a list of my last minute questions that I didn't think to get answers to. Since my Dad's my surgeon, I didn't really prepare for our "consult" like I would have if I'd had been with a doc's whose attention I couldn't get anytime I wanted. I know there is much more I should have asked. For example, I don't know if patients with a breast lift can breast feed later in life if they have a child. My guess is that they can't, but I don't know for sure and I should know. I also don't know how many drains he expects I'll have and how long I'll have them. I should know these things.... Boo, thank you for your message, my friend. You're such a constant support for me. Thank you, thank yu. Come on in July and we'll do a race together. It'll be great. I can't wait.

Go Lisah, go Lisah, GO, GO, GO Lisah! You're doing fabulously! Woohoo for the SV!

Wheetsin, you look AWESOME! Keep up the fabulous work. Wow, I wish I could see my collar bones clearly like you can! WOOHOO!

Susan, Wow, what a saga you went through with your band. I'm so, so glad you're ok and that your slip resolved itself with an unfill. I think it's a HUGE accomplishment that you didn't gain any weight back while unfilled. I can't even imagine. I know I'd gain 10 lbs/week without my band. I'm so proud of you. Of course you're welcome in the challenge (or any version of it you set for yourself). We're so glad you're checking in with us this month. And, wahoo! It's almost our bandiversaries! Kat, I think you're stronger and more self-confident now that you're "normal" sized and that's part of why you said no to doing Atkins with your friend. What do you think? You know what you're doing is working and that it's the right thing for your body. I'm so happy for you I could just jump up and down! And, you're exercising and, as you said, getting smaller, so that means the lbs are going to come off when they want to, but they WILL come off. You rock. Boo said: "There is NO contest going on here! Please don't anyone feel that there is pressure to be in an elite group of marathon runners. We are all improving our lives on several levels. The exercise endows us with vitality, strength, and an upbeat attitude...." I am SO ON BOARD with that. Please, please, everyone feel that way. This group means so much to me. Without it, I would not have gone to the gym the last 3 days of February just to do the best I could, even though I couldn't technically meet the challenge that month. There are so many days where I don't want to go out -- whether it's for a walk or a run or whatever -- and I GO because of this group. I think of checking in on this thread and it really gives me something motivationally that I wouldn't otherwise have. It doesn't always get me to push myself to the "max" I've ever done -- it gets me through the door to do SOMETHING, which is the most important thing of all. Heck, one day I might even try another NIA class, just to see what Betty does, or I might chop wood like Kat. It shouldn't be everyone's goal to be a marathon runner --heaven knows it's not my goal-- (or a runner at all). It should be our goal to do something, more days than not. That's all. It's part of our new lives and I'm so glad you're all here with me making that part of my new life work. Betty - I'm all moved in, thanks for asking. I've got little things to do -- one piece of furniture to buy and drapes to hem, but nothing drastic. I've already had houseguests and it all went well, so I'm officially moved in. I'm so sorry you're cancelling your trip to France, but Alan's health is, of course, the priority. Maybe you can reschedule for September, which is my favorite time in Paris. Did I ever tell you I lived there for nearly 4 years? If you need recommendations for anything, please let me know. Somehow I think we've already had this discussion and that you're a Paris veteran too. I think I'm going over in May, myself, if I'm all healed from my PS (which is March 28th, since you asked). Lastly, YES, I will be in NYC the first week of June. I so hope you make it to the city while you're in NJ for Alan's reunion. I would love, love, love to meet you in person (before I come see you sometime next fall, of course). As for me generally , I'm with the rest of you -- my weight is STUCK STUCK STUCK at the same thing it has been for nearly 3 weeks. I guess we're at the hard part now. I'd been having a hard time with food, which was partly coming off of vacation and partly due to the place in my cycle (I have about 3-4 consecutive ravenous days in the month that I just have to suffer through to be "just right" the rest of the month and they fell last week). I've kept my exercise up, including running 4 miles today (in 45 min!), so when in times gone by I would have gained, I'm holding tight. Plus, the crazy head hunger is hopefully past me and I'm feeling good, so maybe the scale will reward me soon. I hope so because I'm dreaming of Onederland....I made a special (out of the way) trip to Trader Joe's today to get some really good groceries to help in my Quest. I'd been relying on deli food and other medium-quality items for too long, but now I'm stocked with fresh veggies, soy and fish. Onederland, here I come!

Bluehill, We're so glad to hear from you! Thrilled that you're better, even though your accommodations are less than ideal. I know your daughter is doing everything she can for you and you'll be back home in no time. Happy TV watching.

Thanks, Enterprise! I'm looking forward to sharing my updates. For the moment, I need to lose 10 more lbs before the surgery, so I'm going to TRY and get focused. I was on vacation last week and I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of things.

Soniacan, I'm so stoked about the prep bowls you mentioned. I'd been looking for something just like that and there they are in a set of 6! Thanks for mentioning them....

Mary, Your words are so kind. Thank you. Even though it's a much bigger procedure, I'm so glad to be facing this journey (PS) instead of the journey last year (banding). I'm looking forward to it!

Now that it's less than a month away, I wanted to start a thread where I post all of my experiences regarding my upcoming plastic surgery. I loved watching Telly and Puddin's journeys and I thought I'd enjoy sharing mine with others as well. The background is that I'm 5'2, 34 years old, no pregnancies. I've lost 150 lbs in 10 months and would like to lose 40 more. I carried 100 lbs of my excess weight for a long time, given my age -- at least 15 years. The other 100, I gained in the last 6 years upon entering the workforce. I've lost weight successfully twice before being banded -- once on NutriSystem (about 60 lbs) and once on Optifast (about 90 lbs), but was unsuccessful at keeping it off. Though under ideal circumstances I would wait until I actually hit goal to consider my major plastics, three factors have encouraged me to go ahead with surgery on March 28th. First, I'm changing jobs and have the unique ability to take the month of April off. I won't have this kind of flexibility again for several years and it's a "now or never" kind of thing. Second, both my band doctor and my plastic surgeon are on board and don't think I need to wait. I have substantial excess skin in the stomach and breasts and the whole team thinks the majority of my remaining excess weight is in the lower body (hips & thighs). Finally, my father is my plastic surgeon, so cost issues should I need a revision later for losing additional weight are less of a concern that they would be were I paying surgical fees. Thus, March 28th it is! I had my "consult" with my dad last week and we decided on what will likely be the procedures (he's still thinking it over before deciding for sure). At Christmas, we had tentatively decided on a breast lift and a mini-abdominoplasty (where just the excess from below the belly button is removed). Now, we've decided on a larger operation because I've managed to lose quite a bit more weight between Christmas and now and he thinks I'm close enough to goal to go for a more aggressive result. So, I'm having a breast lift for sure. As for the stomach and thighs, he's going to do what he calls an extended tummy tuck. This is a complete tummy tuck (i.e. both above and below the belly button), but the incision will extend around the thighs, akin to a LBL, to take out some skin and fat from the outer thighs. It won't go around 360 degrees like a true LBL because I don't have much excess in the back -- it's a bit of a hybrid. Plus, since I haven't had children and I've been working out consistently for several years, I don't require the muscle repair that often goes along with a tummy tuck -- just the skin and fat ressection. This should make the recovery a bit easier. As far as preparations go, I've bought my plane ticket (I live in NYC and my parents are down south). I'm staying home for at least 3 weeks before returning to NYC -- longer if necessary. I rented a hospital bed to help with getting up and down and keeping the legs raised. My step-mother is a nurse and she'll be staying with me for about 10 days post-op, and, of course my Dad will be home in the evenings/on the weekends. I have bought all of the seasons of the TV show "24" to keep me company in the early days. I got a wireless card for my laptop so I can use it from any room. I have a shower chair but no raised toilet seat. Dad said without the muscle repair, I'll be moving around fairly well pretty quickly. I'm spending one night in the hospital. That's it for now. As things develop, I will post again. For those ahead of me in the journey, if I've neglected any preparations, please let me know!

If you were banded in the US, there is only one company whose bands are currently FDA approved (Inamed -- though several other companies have bands in trials and may very well be approved soon), thus you have one of three sizes, as Inamed only has 3 bands actively on the market (there are at least 2 others in development). The "standard" band would probably be the 9.75 cm band that holds 4 cc's. There is also a 10.0 cm band that holds 4 cc's. Then, generally for a patient with larger anatomy (whether because it's a bigger person or because the person has a higher BMI and, thus, a bigger stomach due to surrounding tissue), there is an 11 cm band tht holds 11+ cc's. The 11 cm band is called the "VG" or "Vanguard" band. If you're not in the US, there are numerous other companies apart from Inamed (owned by Allergan) that provide options and different sizes of bands.

Welcome to March, April Bandits! Can you believe next month is our Bandiversary? It doesn't seem possible that we've been banded almost a year. Let's keep up our exercise goal and cruise on into goal.... We're upping our challenge for the month in number of sessions (by one). Our ultimate goal is 20 sessions a month for 45 minutes each session, and we'll get there by April. For now, here's the March challenge: (1) Complete 19 or more exercise sessions (counting only one session per day, if you're the type to do more!); and (2) To count, each session must be at least 40 minutes in duration (two 20 min sessions in one day still counts). Once we get past April, I would love to incorporate Boo's suggestion of having at least two levels to the challenge (maybe 15 sessions and 20 sesssions) in order to accommodate more people's long-term goals. Let's talk about that this month, as well as how we plan to Celebrate our bandiversaries. I love Amourette's idea of planning a chat time for all of us to "meet." Maybe we should set aside time on April 1st?

Eficka, I would apply for the job if I were you. Applying doesn't mean you have to take it, if you find out the money doesn't justify the move, or that you don't really like the people. Just continue to check it out for now and pretend (to them) like it's the best job you could ever dream of. Then, once you have the offer, you can figure out if you really want it. Good luck deciding.

I had a great run last night. 4 miles in an hour seems to be my new "comfy" speed -- plenty of time in there for walk breaks, including a 15 minute warmup. I'm starting a new running program -- 2 days running, one day something else, 3 days running, one day something else (or off). I'm going to do that for March, until my surgery, then I'll be in the best possible cardio shape I can be in. Time for lunch. I'm HUNGRY after my run last night! Take care,

Try slicing new potatoes, squash and zucchini very thinly, spritzing with "I can't believe it's not butter", salt and pepper then broiling for about 5 minutes, turn them over and broil for about 2 more minutes. They come out like a "chip" consistency and are so yummy. The same prep for red bell peppers is divine and can be eaten alone or added to salads.

I don't have complete info for you, but I can help you with part of your question. I think by the "Inamed" band, you're referring to the 9.75 and 10 cm bands (that both hold 4 cc's of fluid). The reason your question could be modified is that the VG band is made by Inamed too. The VG band is 11 cm in length (thus larger than the other Inamed bands) and holds (I understand you don't care about how much they hold but someone might) about 11 cc's of Fluid. So, the largest of the Inamed bands is the VG. I have no idea how the VG compares in size to the Sweedish band. I also don't know if there's a difference in where the two bands are placed on the stomach -- that could impact your question too. Happy searching!

Congratulations. The band-gods will reward you for such sacrifice -- with an even smaller body and a higher self esteem. I need to make a couple of sacrifices myself. Thanks for the encouraging post!

I guess the first one, is how you felt after surgery, the 1st 48hrs of what to be aware of I had a great surgery experience. Not everyone feels as good as I did after surgery, but many do, so it's something to hope for! My surgery was at 7 a.m. I remember being worried about whether the surgical gowns would fit me (they did -- with room to spare). I remember the anesthesiologist telling me I would probably wake up in the recovery room -- that they only woke up larger patients in the actual OR, since a larger patient might need to assist him or herself in being moved from the OR table to the transport table. I remember thinking it was odd that the anesthesiologist didn't think I was a "larger" patient (I'm not quite 5'2 but I started at 358). I woke up in the recovery room and was immediately NAUSEATED. I remembered reading that if you tell them that, they'll give you a shot that will make it go away. I told them, they gave me the shot and it IMMEDIATELY took away the nausea. Ahh, relief. I wasn't in any real pain -- maybe a 3 on a scale of 1-10. I slept for about an hour, my Mom came in to bring me my glasses. They moved me up to a room and I immediately started walking around the ward, just as soon as they unhooked my bootie things that were squeezing my legs (to prevent blood clots from forming). I walked a lap every 20 minutes or so. At 2 p.m., I went to the bathroom (a pre-requisite to discharge) and asked to go home. At 2:30 I walked myself (wiht my Mom) to the exit, got in a cab and went home! I lived (at the time) on the 4th floor of a bldg with no elevator. I walked up slowly, but was totally fine. I took one pain pill, but it made me nauseated, so I moved to liquid tylenol, which kept the pain at a 1-2, which was better to me than having no pain and having the nausea. Day 1 post-op, I went for a walk, watched TV and slept. Day 2, I had some shoulder pain. I took some tylenol, put a heat patch on my shoulder and a heating pad on my stomach and took a nap. That afternoon, I felt so good and was so bored, that I went in to work for about 3 hours (desk job)! Day 2 post-op, I went for another walk, watched TV, was overall tired. Didn't go to work. Day 3 post-op, I felt fine. 70% normal. I went to work full-time, all day, on day 6. I didn't need any more time and wouldn't have taken it even if I could have -- I was bored. I will say, though, that it took me a full month to feel "like myself" again. I was fine for 10 hours or so at work, but I CRASHED hard every night. I probably slept 10-12 hours for that month post-op. Then I started to have my old stamina back. what support did you get in the first year from your hospital/Dr My surgeon had me come in 7 days post-op, then monthly for 12 months. I actually don't go monthly anymore at this juncture -- after about 6 months I started going every 6-8 weeks. My doctor's office is very supportive if I need them and I reach out to them, but they don't reach out to me unless I seek them first. I probably prefer it that way, but I remember being miffed that they didn't call to check on me in day 2-5. I felt like they should have called me after cutting on me. What if my Mom hadn't been there and I wasn't ok? I'm probably oversensitive. how many fills did you need to have in the first year My first fill was in week 7 (because the office was closed in week 6 when it's usually done by m,y practice). I am one of the few who gained weight during the pre-fill period. I found being pre-fill really hard. I'd just had surgery, yet wasn't losing weight! I knew -- logically -- that it was because I didn't have a fill yet, but I felt like a failure. I was soooo ready for that fill. Anyway, so I got my first fill on something like May 24th. I had 6.5 cc's in my VG band (it holds about 11) -- I'd had 4 cc's in there from surgery. Anyway, I was relieved that getting a fill was NO BIG DEAL at all. It hurt, for me, less than pulling an out-of-place eyebrow. I did liquids for 2 days and mushies for a day. Then DEVISTATION. I could still eat just as much as always. Bummer. So, I made an appt for my second fill the very next week (I'd read so much about what it was like to have restriction -- I wasn't going to wait months to get it). On May 31st they took me to 7.2 cc's. I did a day of liquids and a day of mushies. Crap. Still could eat ALMOST as much. (Keep in mind, I'm not advocating testing your band like I did -- the point is to see how little you can eat, not how much, but I was really in a bad place). Made a third appointment for the next week. So, ahhhh, June 7th came -- GLORY DAY! They took me to 10.0 and filled me while drinking Water (actually had the needle in while I drank and I told them when I could finally feel the water backing up, which was at 10.5, so then they backed a little out). 10.0 has been my sweet spot. I've lost 150 lbs at 10.0 and haven't needed a fill since. Yea! So, I've had 3 fills, but all in the span of 2 weeks (3 consecutive Wednesdays), so I really consider it one fill. I'm so thankful that my surgeon's office listens to me and doesn't make me fight for fills. did you have a support group that you could attend Yes. My surgeon's office runs a monthly support group that I go to about every other month. I find LBT to be my best source of support though. First, because I need more than monthly support. Second, because my in-person group is a little odd. It's a very large group (about 40 people show up each time) and is very dominated by 2 or 3 patients. I don't find that so useful. I go, when I go, to support the new people. The 2 or 3 patients who dominate the group don't have the best band experiences and I want to make sure the new people know there are people like me who the band really works for. Good luck to you all. I know you're going to do great.

Dawn, I'm so excited for you and your race!!! It's going to be a blast. I know you can get it to under 40 minutes. You're a star. You're not going to believe the rush you feel when you finish. It's amazing. I'm sorry to report that there's no way I'll meet the challenge this month. I'm a little sad about it, but I'm not letting the fact that there are only 3 days left in the month yet I owe 5 sessions bog me down. I had a fleeting thought that I wouldn't go to the gym until Thurs since I couldn't meet the challenge, but that's just crazy talk. I'll do the best I can do, which is 16/18 sessions. Given that I ran a race this month, moved apartments and went on vacation, AND it's a short month, I think I'm OK with the results and I look forward to meeting the challenge next month. Sound good?

You're going through the stage we all go through. Here's the thing to understand -- it's 99% in your control whether you can eat these things. Some people choose to stay less tight and take a slower road to goal, others want to maximize the speed of weight loss and may lose 1/3 of the things on your list. You're not likely giving up anything on this list forever, unless YOU choose to because YOU choose that quicker loss is better for you. I ate a wasa cracker with peanutbutter this morning for Breakfast. I eat cottge cheese and berries or grapes nearly every day. I eat cornbread and tortillas, but not much of them because they fill me up so quickly that I can't get in the things my body needs. I might eat 2 bites of cornbread when I'm eating chili, but I'd never eat more than 1/4 of a piece. If I ate a whole piece, I could do it, but it wouldn't leave room for the chili. I could eat a whole corn tortilla (one of the small ones) but I couldn't eat 6 like I did pre-band. You'll find the right balance. I remember thinking pre-band that I'd heard you couldn't eat cake ever again. I remember being so sad that I'd not be able to eat one bite of my own wedding cake, if I ever got married. Now I know, that's just not true. I can't eat a lot of cake, but I can totally eat a bite of my own wedding cake if I choose to. It's a balance.

Bl.uehill, We are all so thankful you are out of the hospital. We were worried about you! I'm sure your daughter is taking great care of you and your birthday will be here before you know it. Keep us posted on your recovery. Sara, Betty is right -- just start something and commit to it -- walking 3 times a week would be great. Or, if you're up for more, all the better. Dont kill yourself early on. This is about setting yourself a goal that you can keep attaining monthly for a lifetime. I know you'll do great.