Cindy C

Pre surgery 324 Day of surgery 309 1 month 285 2 months 279 3 months 268 4 months 265 5 months 259 6 months 251 7 months 248 8 months 238 9 months 232 10 months 226 11 months 220 12 months 209 2 years 197 3 years 181 1185 days (today) 176 As you can see, I had a couple bad months the first year and since my first bandiversary it has come off much slower. It's still coming off, though and that's all that matters!

We've all failed at diets. The good news is this is NOT a diet! It will help you change your habits as long as you follow the rules. The approval process is just a bunch of red tape you have to cut through. There's really no need to be nervous. I cut though all of mine in less than a month.

I'm one of those people too. Always cold. We had a 106 degree day this summer and I don't think I even broke a sweat!

In the beginning, I told absolutely everybody! I thought the more people who knew, the more I would have to be accountable. I also felt that if the whole world knew it would cut down on potential gossip. Nobody would say, "How is she losing weight? You think she had surgery?" They all knew I did. Now, after 3 years and almost 150 pounds, if someone I haven't seen in a long time asks, my answer is usually something like, "I took over control of my life!" The only time I go into detail is if it's someone I think could benefit from it. My son still tells everybody but that's OK. It's because he's so proud of my success. He had his own weight problems too but managed to get them under control in High School. At 10 years old and he was zeroing in on 200#. Now he's 21, 6'3" and 185 pounds. He's quite the little hotty and I'm proud of him too. If he hadn't gotten control, he would have been right next to me having surgery too!

Thanks. Corrigan. I have no idea about success rates for Centers of Excellence vs unaffiliated centers. I can tell you, though, my surgeon and his partner have been doing Lapband since 2002 and have done over 2700 surgeries between them. They were the first WLS Center in Michigan dedicated exclusively to Lapband. They received their ASBS designation in 2006. My doctor is a proctor for Allergan and trains other surgeons across the country to do the procedure. Their success rate is high. I'm so glad that I chose him and, if I had to do it over I would never dream of going to anyone else. As for plication...I really don't have a clue. It wasn't something that they did when I had my surgery and I've never researched it. Good luck Monday. Hope it all goes well for you.

I couldn't agree more. It seems that a lot of people think that lapband is a magic bullet. We know it's not. It requires a whole lot of hard work, dedication and patience.

It took me a year to lose 115 pounds. It's been just over 3 years and I'm down a total of 149. At 51, I weigh 5 pounds less than I did at 18!

I love all the bones that I never knew I had! I love that I no longer have to ask for a table when I go out....I fit in the booth! I love the reflection in the mirror, especially when I stand sideways! I love that I can shop in regular stores and not even have try anything on...I can just buy and know it will fit! But thing I love the most is that my thighs no longer rub together when I walk!

I stop eating when I no longer feel hungry. If I keep going until I feel full, I get pain in my port area.

That's great, Kim. Congrats on your successes!

If you're on liquids for 14 days before surgery, you have nothing to worry about. Your stomach has to be empty for any surgery. That's why they say nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before.

You might get some ideas by reading other peoples blogs. Good luck.

Remember that marijuana stays in your system up to thirty days. Better make sure you quit in time.

You should definitely listen to your doctor. His protocol sounds pretty typical.

No, you're not doing anything wrong. You appear to be doing everything just like you should. 16 pounds the first week is great but this time is about healing, not losing weight. Just keep doing what you are and the weight will start falling off when it's time!

Good Luck! You'll be fine!

Prebanding, my normal my 110/80. Now it's 95/65. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Generally if the diastolic (bottom #) is above 50 and the systolic (top #) is at least 20 points higher than the diastolic you're good. But definitely keep track of it and discuss it with your doctor.

Listen to Jacquie. Find something that if filling and just thin it out. Try refried beans thinned out with salsa. That always kept me full for hours. Still does!

That's really normal. Try drinking something hot in the morning. It helps loosen up the band.

After my initial loss of 39 pounds the first 2 months, I consistently lost 8 pounds a month for the first year.

The thing that helped my gas pains was a good chiropractic adjustment.

Actually, according to most studies, the long term complication rate is around 8%. I'll take those odds any day!

No, the fluid doesn't leak out. (If it does, that's a problem!) However, as you lose weight, you lose fat around your band site which loosens it up more, thus causing you to need another fill. My last fill was almost 5 months ago. I've never gone that long. I've lost about 15 pounds since then and can tell that my restriction has changed a little. I'm still in the green zone, but I'm sure that if (make that when) I lose another 10-15 I'll probably need another fill.

There's always going to be something coming up that could make you want to wait. If you wait for November then are you going to be freshly banded for Hanukkah. If you do it now, by November you could easily be down 40 or 50 pounds. There's no time like the present. If it was me, I would go for it as early as possible.

I hear ya, sandworms! I think the problem is that we've (most of us, anyway) have been fat our whole lives and have never learned how to handle compliments because we never got them. I'm the same way. It really does feel awkward!