Iulizbug

I think a great deal of this could have been avoided if Star just came clean about her surgery. Everybody knew that she had the GB but she wouldn't admit it and appeared sneaky and as a liar. Therefore, the audiences got sick of her and wanted her out Especially when for the longest time she was always preaching about how she would never date a man unless he loved her fat and how she loved her fattening dishes. People loved her for who she was, fat or not. Since she lost all of her weight she got an attitude and that turned people off. If somebody asks me if I had WLS I don't lie. I am very happy about my results and inform people that I am eating less and exercising more and that no i didn't have the GB. It seems as though maybe Star is ashamed that she had WLS b/c she wanted ppl to believe she was happy fat for so long..Just my 2 cents ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 241/191/150 5'7'' DOWN 50 LBS TODAY!!!! :clap2:

Well first I will be getting engaged and then married. Boyfriend and I have already talked about it but I want to be looking GORGEOUS for my wedding. Nobody wants to look back and show their kids FAT pics of mom at her own wedding. Then a vacation to Europe would be great. Lastly after I'm thru having kids I would like a tumm tuck, boob job and lift. In that order!!lol... ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 241/193/150 5'7''

I am averaging around 1-3 lbs a week. Of course I am happier on the 3 lbs loss weeks but it IS coming off so that is all that matters. I pulled out some pics from Feb before my surgery and my boyfriend and I were shocked to see how much weight I had lost. You can't really tell when you look at somebody or yourself everyday but it was really noticeable. Last month I lost around 11 lbs. If I keep losing like this I will be at goal by the Holidays. Don't know if that will happen or not but that is what I am shooting for. I imagine it will slow down once I get closer to goal. ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/194/150 5'7''

Great idea!!! I live in Tampa and would love to meet up with everybody!! When and where?? :eek: ~Liz~

I am able to drink beer fine, no pain at all. I do drink slower now than I did before though. I am trying to find alternative drinks though for fear that the carbonation may be damaging my pouch even though it goes down fine. I really like Crystal lite and it is low in calories so I think I will try my vanilla vodka with that this weekend and see if I can tolerate it. I am just not a big liquor drinker--I get sick very easily so that is why I stuck with beer. I like wine on occasions too but also tend to get sick very easily. It will be hard for me to NEVER have a beer but I am trying to cut back on it to preserve my band. ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/194/150 5'7''

30 minutes on high level intensity on elliptical. It kicked my *ss today b/c I was hung over from a few too many glasses wine last night!!! lol...BUT I did make it and am glad I lasted for as long as I did at the gym. Lots of water for me today....:confused: ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/194/150 5'7''

I have had the same thing happening to me at work and it bothers me too. A co-worker of mine hast lost about the same amt of weight as me but he did it THE HARD WAY with a diet plan and exercise so EVERYBODY talks about how he did it, how good he looks, etc. I wish people at work didn't know I had WLS b/c they think the lapband was the easy way out and they think it works like the bypass. With that mentality they think that I screwed up by getting the band and ask why I couldn't do it on my own like my co-worker did. They have no idea on how hard I have worked for every last lb I have lost. I just CAN'T WAIT until my co-worker starts gaining back his weight AGAIN in a few monthes and I am still thin and happy. Don't let 'em get to you!!! We are doing this for ourselves!!! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/194/150 5'7''

I would do it again in a heartbeat! Pre-band I was gaining anywhere from 1/2 a lb to a full lb. I saw no way out of this cycle. I would eat and a half an hr later be starving. I knew food was my addiction but I felt doomed and hooked on it. Since I have gotten the band I have realized that it does take work and willpower and dedication. I am not one of those people that can simply eat less of what they were eating and not exercise and have the weight fall off of them. I have had to work for every pound that I have lost. Having said that though, the band has dimmed my appetite incredibly--making exercise possible and the weight IS coming off. And for once in my life I know it will stay off!! I LOVE my band and would recommend it to anybody that is fed up with the way things are with their weight and are ready to make a change. ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/194/150 5'7''

I weight train 1 x a week and do intense cardio 4-5 times a week. I think that the weight training helps but I notice most of my weight loss from the cardio. Once I get closer to my goal weight I will add my weight training and less cardio to get more toned and athletic looking. Right now I need to burn more fat. ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/195/150 5'7''

I am a 38 DD and wore an underwire no problem. While I was a home healing though I got rid of the bra. I think either would work as long as they are supportive. ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/196/150 5'7''

Hi Alysha, What I really needed and used was my lip balm and a pillow for the way home. I was on a plane for 8 hrs from San Diego to Tampa and the pillow saved my life!!! Your lips will get dry too after surgery so the balm helps. I think you got every thing covered. Good luck on your surgery!! You will do great! :eek: ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/196/150 5'7''

My BMI was only 38 and UHC decided my co-morbities weren't life threatening enough so they denied me. I was beyond frustrated so I did what was best for me and went to Mexico and couldn't be happier. It took 2 1/2 weeks for me to find out. Good luck to you!! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/196/150

I just have to say WELL DONE on getting w/in 10 lbs of your goal weight!!! That is absolutely fabulous and you should be very proud of yourself! :clap2: I have already told myself that if I get w/in 10-15 lbs of my goal weight then I would consider myself a success with my weight loss. If I want to lose more then I suppose I could but I would just be estatic if I was 10 lbs from goal. Good job to you!! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/197/150 5'7''

LMAO Telly!!! :biggrin1: I love that video with Pink!! Its so crazy how we can change what we like in such a short amt of time. I remember at 240 lbs when I even dreaded going up the stairs to my car in the garage at work and now I leap up them!! ~Liz~

I jog and walk. At first, being that I was so out of shape and heavy I had to walk but as I am slimming down I am beginning to fall in love with jogging again. I used to love jogging when I was thin and in shape back in the day. I still have to take breaks when I run and walk in b/w but the breaks are getting shorter and shorter. I definitely prefer to jog than walk. Bad thing is in central Florida it is almost impossible with the heat. I only go at sunset when it has cooled down a bit. I prefer the elliptical at the Y. ~liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/197/150 5'7''

When I get "full" now it is much different than pre-band. Now I get soft and hard cues that let me know that I have had enough. I try to stop at the first signs to avoid a sliming/PB episode. My cues are a tightness in my chest/throat and sometimes burping. If I continue to eat I then will usually hiccup. That is my last warning to stop and if I ignore that then I am usually off to the bathroom in a few minutes. :faint: Try to get in the habit of taking a breather and waiting a minute after you think you may be getting full. That way you will know if the tightness is just temporary with that particular bite of food or if you are DONE and need to walk away from the table. It does take time though. I really didn't learn until just this month what my cues were. Good luck!!! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/197/150 5'7''

For some people (very few..) just having the band placed around their stomach provides adequate restriction and in turn their appetite is dimmed and they lose weight. This was certainly not the case for me. I was WIDE OPEN after surgery and was able to eat like pre-band. I am happy for those with automatic restriction but am pretty amazed that the band alone can provide that type of restriction. I felt nothing from my unfilled band. ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/197/150 5'7'' current fill-2.7 cc

I think it is much harder to gain weight now with a binge than before. I went on a cruise in the beginning of May and instead of gaining the usual 5-7 lbs that I would have normally gained I stayed exactly the same. While I didn't lose I was very pleased with my results b/c I ate lots of bad foods and drank the entire time I was there. I think the band curbs a lot of our binges and if anything you will just stay the same instead of lose. By the way you have done great so far on your weight loss!! Tomorrow is a new day so just keep your chin up and start fresh tomorrow!! Best of luck! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/197/150 5'7''

I know when I looked and felt the best I was b/w 150-160 so that is what I am shooting for. I was doing lots of weights and didnt' have much fat. It really is all about muscle/fat proportion. I think once I get to 175 I will start to finally see my old sexy body emerge again. I can't wait but I stilll have a ways to go!! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/197/150 5'7''

I am nowhere near goal yet, about half-way there. I do know though that once I am at or near it with even 25 more lbs to go I will feel SO much better in that new body that I won't mind it taking a bit longer. I would killl to be 165 now!!! Just think about how much better you feel in your new, thinner body. I can tell a huge difference in myself just from dropping half of my weight. If it would take me an extra year to get rid of those last 20 lbs I think I would be OK with that. But I guess I will have to wait and see to know for sure though.... Congrats on your FAB weight loss!!! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/196/150 5'7''

Is the complication rate really 9-20%??? That seems awful high and scares me. I thought it was 1-3%...Is that not the case?? I have only been banded a bit over 3 months and I really don't want to lose my band. 20% seems so high... ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/196/150 5'7''

Hi Alysha, I had full body lipo last summer before my lapband. I had it on my belly, flanks (back fat) upper and lower thighs/knee areas and my chin. The only two places where I can honestly still see a difference from the lipo is my belly and chin. I, like you have the double chin run in my family so I wanted to get rid of it. My plastic surgeon actually didn't charge me at all for the chin lipo BUT that is b/c I was getting it in 5 other places. I definitely think 2 grand more for that is WAY TOO MUCH espc in Mexico. BTW I think you could probably get it added on in Mexico for like $500 or so. They really aren't taking much fat out at all. And it didn't hurt very much either. Not the chin area anyways. Everywhere else...VERY bad. I am also down over 40 lbs now though so I might of felt differently about the effectiveness of the chin lipo if I was still @240 lbs. You are in an advantage that you will already be under anethesia but pls try to make sure that the surgeon is qualified b/c i have seen some really nasty, messed up ps done by incompetent surgeons, even on chins. If you have any questions feel free to email me. Good luck you!! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/196/150 5'7''

Economic Left/Right: -5.63 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.15 ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/198/150 5'7''

Hi Amy, Are you still losing weight with the soup?? I am thinking of doing it but I want to make sure it works...thanks ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/198/150 5'7''

My digital scale will vary quite a bit too. What I do is weigh myself 5 times and take the avg of those as my real weight. Oftentimes it will show something that I know is too low so I will weigh myself a couple more times and I will start to get the same reading then. My digital scale seems to weight about 4 lbs less than the medical one at the Y so of course I love mine!! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/198/150 5'7''