Catherine55

Carrying around 70+ less pounds on my 5'6 frame has definitely helped my back -- and my feet! I didn't have any serious problems before, but my back would get really tight if I walked around all day, and my feet would just throb in pain! I used to get cracked heels, could barely stand to wear high heels, and would wake up with foot pain. All of that is gone now, and my back is totally fine if I walk around all day, or go for a run, etc. I can't imagine that losing weight won't help your back. Just another thing to look forward to! Catherine

Congratulations!! Doing your pre-op diet is the first step, and it's probably the hardest part of this whole journey! You don't have to give up your favorite foods to be banded though -- I haven't totally given up anything other than soda and sparkling Water. You'll just feel satisfied eating them in much smaller quantities. Congratulations on your decision. You are in for a great year! Take before photos and your measurements TODAY if you haven't already! You will definitely want them later! Catherine

My doctor allowed Cream of Wheat during the full liquids phase. If your grits were about that texture (thin, soupy), you're probably fine. Also, if you'd messed anything up, you'd know about it already! I am sure you're fine, but you should make sure to ask your doctor about the grits before you have them again. Congratulations on your surgery! Catherine

Welcome!! I've been really happy with my band and am about 17 months out and 3.4 pounds from goal! I definitely recommend checking out bandster blogs to get a sense of what it's like to be banded. There is a link to mine below, and I also have links to a lot of very good blogs posted on mine. Hope that helps! Best wishes for your success! :w00t: Catherine

Congratulations! You are in for an amazing year! Be sure to take before photos and your measurements as soon as possible if you haven't already! You're going to want them later. :w00t: Best wishes, Catherine

Don't worry -- I would expect that the amount of swelling after your fill will be nothing compared to what you had after surgery. As the earlier poster mentioned, you should drink some Water before you leave the doctor's office. If you are overfilled, you'll know it right away and be able to have them take some out. Hope all goes very smoothly! :w00t: Catherine

Walk around afterwards, bring lip balm into the hospital with you and the pillow isn't a bad idea either! And, if you haven't done it yet, take a bunch of before photos and take your measurements and write them down! You will for sure want them later. :w00t: Congratulations! Catherine

No regrets at all! And I'm a total foodie who lives in NYC and loves to go to good restaurants, underground supper clubs, to have dinner parties, etc. The band hasn't changed any of that. What the band has changed for me is that I eat less and am satisfied more easily. I've lost more than 71 pounds and am 3.4 from goal. Actually, the band has added to my foodie enjoyment. Here is what I mean -- because I am no longer obese, I don't feel self conscious ordering whatever I like (though I do watch what I order) or talking about my enjoyment of good food. So, I can tell someone all about an amazing dessert I enjoyed (read: 3 bites) or some fantastic foie gras (same) without knowing that they are probably thinking "Ummm. . should you really be eating that?!?" The above is not to say that I'm eating fattening food all of the time -- I'm generally pretty good. But, when I do, I don't feel guilty about it and I don't overdo it because my band keeps me in check. I hope that helps! Feel free to check out my blog if you want. :wink: Best wishes, Catherine It's really nice to be able to say that you had an incredi

It really sounds like you need more of a fill in your band. Why don't you do that and, at the same time, make a realistic, but meaningful, commitment to exercise. Even just 3x a week can make a difference. You'll feel better and you'll look better. If you find something that you like, that can be really motivating. I had a hard time motivating to exercise at first (like for the first 7 months or so!), but once I did, it really changed my life for the better. I have more energy and I feel strong, which is such a great feeling. Plus, the side effect of making the body look better is not a bad one! :sad: So, get your fill and get your bee-hind in gear! :w00t: :cool: I bet the rest of the weight you want to lose will really fall off if you do that. Best wishes, Catherine

Call your doctor right away!! You need a bit of an un-fill. If you wait, they may have to do a total unfill for a while -- or your band could slip! This needs immediate medical attention. Seriously, don't put it off. I am surprised that you did not know this already, since you are a year out. I hope it goes well! Catherine

Sounds great!! Good luck to you -- best decision I ever made! :confused: Catherine

I look at the band as a lifelong deal too. I can't imagine being able to control my weight this well without its help. I don't feel the band inside me at all. One thing that you might find interesting or comforting to know is that, if you get all of the fill out of your band, you can pretty much eat like you did before the surgery. I would never want to go back to doing that, but knowing the option is there is a little comforting somehow! Not sure if that makes sense. I've been blogging since before my surgery -- feel free to check it out (link below) if you want to read about one person's experience with the band. I have links in there to a bunch of other good blogs -- it may help you to read them and get a sense of what it is like! Best wishes, Catherine

Don't let it worry you . . I love good wine, and I have some a few times a week! My doctor is fine with drinking in moderation. The main reason doctors don't want bandsters to have it is because of the empty calories. Honestly, I've been very happy to see how easy it has been to live a normal life, continue enjoying good food and wine, cooking, eating out, etc. with the band. The main difference is that now I eat less and I have to pay a little more attention about what I order, chewing, etc. It's all pretty much second nature to me now though, and I love my band. :confused: Catherine

This site is a great place for support and encouragement! I don't think I would have done half as well without it and the banster blogging community! :confused: Catherine (er.. . sorry to post the giant photos twice! I don't know how to make them smaller!)

Hi, Brandi!! Welcome! Here is my advice for you. . . 1. Take before photos ASAP if you haven't already! 2. Write down your measurements ASAP so that you will have a reference point as you lose! 3. Read up on "Bandster Hell" and make a plan for how you will eat when you're off the liquid diet and before you get to restriction. That's it! You are in for a really amazing year, and I wish you much success! Best wishes, Catherine

Thank you so much, Bob! It was so nice to read your posts and hear that you found my blog helpful! :confused: I really appreciate your nice feedback. Living with the band really is a lot easier than I thought it would be. It's not that hard to order foods that work well with it when I go out, and I'm used to chewing my food and not taking huge bites now, so it's pretty much second nature. I haven't given up anything that I miss, and I feel good about my weight for the first time in my life. BTW, how funny -- the site popped the ® symbol into my earlier post because I wrote Lap Band in it! I was wondering why so many people went to the trouble of putting that in their posts . . and now I find out it's automatic! LOL Catherine

You are doing great! And, as the first person who responded pointed out, you are in "Bandster Hell!" It's totally normal that you should be feeling hungry. Bandster Hell is that phase before you get to restriction where your band is in, but b/c there is no fill, you still get hungry easily and can eat bigger portions. You're just going to have to tough out this phase -- it will be over soon. As for me, I gained 5 pounds during my Bandster Hell (it fell during Thanksgiving 2008. . rut-roh!), but they are long gone, as are lots of their friends! :confused: Welcome! :confused: Best wishes, Catherine

Yikes -- that sounds like torture! During my pre-op diet, I felt so anxious (kind of in a panic, sort of) being around people eating normal food. It helped me to bring boullion and to have it when others were eating. Still -- if you can avoid situations like that, it would be good! One of the best things about the band is that you don't feel deprived if others around you are eating more than you! So, you don't need this type of hard core training that much! Good for you for hanging in there in that tough situation. If you waiver, think of your liver slopping around during surgery . . that was enough to keep me on the straight and narrow. This is going to be SO WORTH IT. You absolutely can do it! Best wishes for your success, Catherine

Congratulations on coming this far already!! From what I've seen for myself & the other bandsters I know, the band works like a charm if you follow the rules by & large. It's a great tool, and I can't imagine having been able to get so close to goal (and counting!) without it! Best wishes to you!! Catherine

Sending you best wishes today!! Welcome to Bandland! Catherine

Hi, Jessica!! One of the things I liked the best about lap band surgery are that the statistics are so much in our favor for keeping off the weight! I've been banded for about 16 months and am just over 3 pounds from my goal. It's been a great ride, and I am really glad that I decided to get the band. I can't imagine having come this far without it. I've been keeping a blog since right before my surgery. Link is below -- feel free to check it out. I have links to a few other really good blogs in there as well. For me, that was one of the best ways to research what it would be like, and I found reading other people's blogs really helpful. Good luck with your decision! Catherine

Whatever! I literally JUST ate a cookie. If I want one, I have it -- but I typically just have one. I don't approach this as a diet -- my overall strategy is just to make good, healthy food choices. I may have lost slower than others, but I'm only 3.4 pounds from goal, and my slower rate of loss has given my skin time to shrink (I am not going to need plastic surgery). Make sure that your wife understands that this is a marathon, not a race. It does not matter AT ALL how quickly you get to your goal, as long as you are regularly losing and moving toward it. Stick with what you like on the exercise front. That's what keeps us exercising! The weights idea isn't a bad one though -- Maybe you can throw in a day of weights every other week -- or do some yoga or something less hard on your body to round it all out (plus, the stretching would be good to balance you from the running). There is no one way to do this -- am sure you will settle into the path that works best for you. :thumbdown: Best wishes, Catherine

That is so awesome!!! It was such an incredible feeling to hit Onederland!! It happened for me last March, and I just stood there, crying tears of joy on my scale. It had been too long since I'd seen a 1-anything on that scale, and it was such a fantastic milestone to hit! I think I treated myself to a massage and some new jeans when I hit it, but I can't remember! So excited for you!!! :thumbdown: Catherine

CALL YOUR DOCTOR!!! Seriously, this is a doctor-worthy thing -- and your doctor can give you much better advice than we can! Catherine

I did mine in Monterrey, Mexico with Dr. Roberto Rumbaut -- price including hotel, airfare (for myself and my mother) and meals was about $9,000 all in. The hospital is brand-spanking-new and gorgeous, the level of care was amazing, Dr. Rumbaut is a bandster and arranged for my after care here in NYC before my surgery, and I had a private room. I was freaked out about the Mexico thing, but then I met someone who had gone to Dr. Rumbaut and told me about her experience. Also, his office staff will spend a LOT of time with you on the phone when you are deciding, and I really appreciated that. Good luck with your decision! You can see photos of the hospital at the begining of my blog. Best wishes, Catherine