lellow

carole, I've been a lapband patient now for 5 years. I got my lapband in 2008. I've maintained most of my weight loss despite a band leak that was present for 15 months. I had a body lift 4 years ago and the plan was to go back to get lipo after 8 months or so to tackle the stubborn fat but I never went back and tried to diet the fat off instead. That didn't work. I have maintained at a BMI of between 22 and 26 for 5 years now, and I currently do not wish to lose anymore. I have had both a breast augmentation and a lower body lift and both definitely made me happy. So I don't expect the lipo effects to be temporary.

I must be nuts. My boyfriend keeps reminding me how miserable I was in the week after my band replacement 4 weeks ago. But honestly I don't care. Or I don't remember! I came into a little bit of money and I want to get lipo done. Even at my lowest weight (BMI of 21) I had pockets of fat that wouldn't go away - my inner thighs, my love handles (above my body lift scar) and upper back fat (near my bra line). I remember trying to lose more and more trying to get rid of those spots and while I did manage to reduce them, they were never really 'gone' and the rest of me was looking VERY thin, as in "you could see my ribs clearly in the valley of my cleavage" thin. So I've made some decisions - I like the weight I'm at now, a BMI of 24. I look voluptuous, womanly and healthy. I want to stay looking like that. But I want to get those stubborn pockets of fat out. Contour this body so it doesn't look lumpy, like it always did until I got way too thin. I have tossed this up over and over the last few days. I know it's about vanity. I know I look good for my age (43) and am fit and healthy, and to spend that sort of money on me again seems, I don't know, a bit indulgent. But then I think - why not? The money came from my hard work. Some of it is going to paying some money off our mortgage off and doing stuff around the house, boring stuff like that. Why can't I spend some of it on me? Plus, as I've always said when people ask me how I justified the WLS and the body lift and the breast augmentation, that most people spend more than I have on a luxury car they drive for a couple of hours a day. I drive this body 24/7, so why shouldn't I spend that money on it? The boyfriend is worried about me going under the knife again quite so soon, so while I have a consult with a PS on Tuesday, I'm thinking of waiting for a couple of months before I go ahead. But I won't lie, if he says it's no problem to do it now, I'd probably go ahead! Lol! No pain, no gain. With weight loss and everything else.

I fell asleep on my guy last night while he was surfing the net, and today I've been sending him sexy messages all day. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT BAYOU!

Aww Cazzy thanks hun you are awesome. I think what you said about never being happy was the reason I didn't go back for lipo all those years ago. I thought, I look great for my age, I should be happy. And even now it feels like vanity. But you know what? I remember someone once asking me how I could justify the amount of money I spent on WLS and then my body lift and BA and I said to them "People spend that much on a car, and they only drive it for a few hours a day. I drive this body 24/7, why wouldn't I spend more on it than a car?" So I'm doing it. My surgeon has had a fair amount of experience with banded patients so I'm just going to come out and ask him when he thinks I'll be ready to do it. I love my body lift, I love my BA and if this is one more thing to love, than it'll be worth it. And I know there will be other things I don't like, but at least there will be less of them!

I look forward to hearing about it! Spoke to my surgeon again and he is going to do Vaser lipo so I've been doing some research on it. It looks like there's less downtime for it. He also said I could do it on a Thursday and all going well, will be back at work on the Monday. I hope so! I've taken so much time off work recently they're starting to wonder if I actually work there. I also spoke to my man and he's said that he's not keen for me to do it so soon after my band replacement surgery, especially since that knocked me around a LOT and I've still got tenderness and swelling at my port area. So I'm going to schedule the lipo for August I think. At this point, I'll probably do all three areas. I'm still a bit shell shocked that I'm spending that money on something that really is a vanity thing, but strangely enough I didn't think twice about doing it for my breast augmentation, but I think that maybe that was such instant gratification! The other weird thing I'm worried about is having to have an unfill (no one's mentioned it and I don't want to) because after 18 months I'm finally seeing the possibility of getting back to the green zone and I don't want to go backwards!

Lapband nymphos... it sure has a ring to it. I think I've always had a high libido but didn't have the energy to go with it. And the improved self esteem from the weight loss certainly helps! And for all you ladies not getting some - go get some! When my marriage broke down I was like a starving man at an all-you-can-eat buffet (pardon the food reference). I had a new body and I used it with extreme prejudice.

When I got my lapband 5 years ago, the port stuck out when I lost the weight. When I got a replacement band 3 weeks ago (because my band had a persistent leak, an very uncommon band fault) he put in a new style of port, deeper down and I can't see it even though my BMI is 24. I was someone who I suppose chose the lapband over other WLS, not once but twice. The first time I chose the band because it was a band or gastric bypass and I was scared of removing so much of my stomache. The second time I chose the band because: a) it was very successful for me, so why not stick with what I know works? when something went wrong, I could fix it and get back into the game c) The recovery was shorter (though this didn't end up being true through no fault of the band) d) I'm less scared off removing so much of my stomache but between that and NOT removing it, I prefer the latter So when the time came to decide between a replacement band and revision to a sleeve, I went back and got a replacement band.

Lol elcee. I do think I'm being vain because with clothes on I look just fine. But I hate that my pants slip down to my hips because of the bulge just above my body lift incision. I've had a body lift and a breast augmentation but I just sold an investment and made a little bit so thought, what can I do for *me*? Paying some money off the mortgage and doing stuff around the house is fine but I wanted to do something I wouldn't normally be able to afford to do. I spoke to a surgeon today and he mentioned a few areas that he would suggest lipo on - those love-handles, my inner thighs and my upper back (on my bra line) because that's where I seem to have stubborn deposits of fat. And he said the recovery is no worse for one area than 3 areas so if I want to do it, I should consider doing it all in one hit. But omg I didn't think I needed it in so many places so now I'm hesitating. I thought love-handles and that's it. But the difference in price between love-handles and adding the thighs and upper back works out to be just 50% more all up. AND he can get me in on the 13th of June so now I'm panicking!! I only just had band replacement surgery and I'm thinking that 13th of June is too soon!

I am pretty happy with my current weight. But I have been thinner - my BMI at one stage was around 21. Even at that weight, I had uneven-ness in my waist. I have pockets of fat just above my body lift scar which looks like a permenant little muffin top. At my current weight it's barely noticeable with clothes on, but when I gained a bit, it became more obvious (proof is in the pic below from when I was jusy 8lbs heavier). It also means that I currently can't wear anything but low rise pants because I have a 'faux' waist on my hips (where the body lift scar 'dips' into my body) I also am interested in seeing if I can get any improvement for my inner thighs, which remained heavy at the very top even at a BMI of 21. This is less important though. My body lift surgeon suggested 'finishing' off with lipo after my body lift 4 years ago but I never really got round to it. But now I would like to finally get my body shaped correctly so I don't look lumpy in weird spots. Which now leads me to my questions: Who here has had lipo to their waist or love handles? Was it day surgery? Did you do it under general or twilight sedation? What is the down-time like? And roughly what did it cost?

Lol yes, yes and yes. My boyfriend went from his previous girlfriend who had no libido to meeting me 2 years ago and thinking all his Christmases came at once. Two years on and I'm still not slowing down! He calls me his nympho sex kitten roflmao.

It's a deal! I'm aiming for 130lbs by end July! Let's go! And omg I now have to spend some major dollars on iron fist. I have some of their shoes already!

When I was single and a date was at a restaurant, I would order the soup or something similarly slidey, and then say I had a late lunch so wasn't very hungry. Problem solved. If you're engaging enough she won't even notice that you're not eating much!

No it's a t-shirt from Liquor Brand. Love them, I have 2 of their t-shirts and a handbag! I'll join you on that bike, btw. Gotta get back into it!

The band stopped my hunger when I was in the green zone. I know it doesn't work like that for every one but it works like that for me. When I have the right fill level I feel exactly like I did right after surgery - I have zero interest in eating because I nearly never feel hungry.

Thank you Android app for posting multiple times!

It's gotten cold here this week and I still am no where near restricted enough so it's 10.30am and I'm starving! I hate not having my band helping me with my hunger. Off to the canteen and praying they have healthy options. Next fill is still 2 weeks away. BOOO!

It's gotten cold here this week and I still am no where near restricted enough so it's 10.30am and I'm starving! I hate not having my band helping me with my hunger. Off to the canteen and praying they have healthy options. Next fill is still 2 weeks away. BOOO!

It's gotten cold here this week and I still am no where near restricted enough so it's 10.30am and I'm starving! I hate not having my band helping me with my hunger. Off to the canteen and praying they have healthy options. Next fill is still 2 weeks away. BOOO!

Like anything, anything you ingest goes towards your calories do you should consider that. But I've never refrained from drinking if I wanted to. As long as I don't get so falling down drunk that I need to vomit (and therefore potentially damage my band) I (and my dr) have no issue with it. Having a band doesn't mean you give up living. Well it didn't for me anyway.

Hahaha! Good compromise!!

Lol wtg, Terry! You look great! Though I disagree with your priorities!

I didn't expect to get skinny. I did it to be healthy. I wasn't someone who was really unhappy with being bigger - i thought i was beautiful, i dressed well and i had a great personality (if i do say so myself lol) so being dissatisfied with myself was never my motivation. But I did get skinny. And then I realised that what I look like on the outside doesn't change who I am on the inside. I am still big hearted and kind, funny and a little nuts, opinionated, stubborn, loyal and as much ME as I was when I was big. What changed was how people treated me an that's what I had the hardest time with getting used to. And that I can't be as 'open' with my time and affection than I used to be. But I'm still fundamentally the same person now as I was then. The advantages I gained ARE around my health but also my lifestyle. I feel like I participate more in life than I used to just because I physically can now. Don't convince yourself you don't want to lose because i feel like you're then going to fight yourself after surgery. Lose if you can, get healthier, and look for the NEW advantages of your weight loss. Because I promise you there are many.

Unless you recently had your surgery, nausea isn't band related but can affect the band. tmf is right, don't really know how to reply without knowing anything else.

It's why animals (including humans) put on weight in winter. For the insulation. When you lose, you lose your insulation. The more weight you lose, the colder you will feel. But it doesn't sort of level off, or maybe you just acclimatise after a while. Maybe after 3 or 4 years or so? Lol!

And I wasn't even drunk when I typed that....