Janiece

@Dylan - I am totally misty-eyed right now. I hope having a built-in band buddy makes this journey a bit easier for both of you!

Mine came in the mail yesterday! I'm excited b/c I really need something to help motivate me to lose my last 30 lbs! Here's my link if you want to be friends: http://www.fitbit.com/user/22KV5S

OMG, your arms look great! Thanks for sharing your pics with us. It gave me the kick I needed to start looking into surgeons near me. Please keep us posted on the healing with pics! Thanks! J

I've been trying to take salads for lunch lately. I prefer the darker salads like romaine heart mixes. I find that it usually starts to get slimy or turn brown after a few days. I keep it in the bag and put that bag in an airtight container, but it doesn't seem to be helping. Any ideas from anyone on how to keep salad fresh longer? Thanks! Janiece

I'm a DDD, so there's no option for me to go braless lol. I usually wear underwire, but I did switch to a soft bra for the first week because the underwire rubbed on one of my incisions.

I've lost 100lbs and gone from a 44DDD to a 36DDD...I don't think mine are going anywhere either! Janiece

I have big girls too, and I've occasionally had a problem. I haven't had an intense pain like you described, but it sometimes makes it difficult to breathe for a few minutes. Certain types of underwires cause the weight of my boobs push the bottom of the bra so it rests on something...not sure what...but it's uncomfortable. Usually, I just tighten the straps so the girls are jacked up a little bit, or try to situp straighter. Good luck! J

There's no caffiene: http://www.kraftbrands.com/mio/pages/faq.html Does MiO contain caffeine? No. MiO is a completely caffeine-free product. And that goes for our Tea varieties as well.

I saw a commerical for this a few weeks ago and picked it up while waiting in line at Walgreens. I used to be hardcore into crystal light, but it started to get too sweet for me. I usually put one of the Water bottle packets in my huge 32oz water bottle to help dilute it. I've been a slacker with getting in my water lately, but this Mio stuff is great! I've been drinking water like crazy! So far, I've only had the sweet tea flavor, but I love it! And I love that it's liquid so there's no clumpy powder and you can add as little or as much as you want! So for anyone struggling to get in all their water, try this! I hope to pickup some other flavors to try out soon. J

I think my Dr said to wait 2 weeks, but I agree with Jacqui: if your incisions are healed, you're probably fine. Public pools generally skeeve me out, so I would probably put some of those waterproof bandaids over the incisions just to be on the safe side! I was also told not to do any gym/aerobic activity for 2 weeks after surgery. Make sure you take it easy! Five days after surgery I wasn't in the mood for doing anything other than sleeping, drinking and peeing! J

Quick weightloss in the beginning is normal. Just make sure you go to your post-op appointments. They'll let you know if something doesn't seem right. PS: Cherish these days! In a few months you'll be as grumpy as the rest of us! j/k. Congrats on the 22lbs. J

I'm not yelling at you, but it's really important that you follow your Dr's advice, especially while your body is healing from surgery. I know it sucks, but it's better to obey and be miserable for 6 weeks than to have to go back into surgery for a revision, hernia repair or who knows what else. I would call your Dr and see if you can go in to have him check our your stitches. I can only imagine how hard it will be over the next few weeks while you're trying to recover while being a single mom, but your kids will thank you when you're alive and healthy enough to help them with their kids!!! I hope everythings okay. Go get back in bed, prop your feet up, and watch some soaps! J

@jellybelly - no I haven't told most of my coworkers. I'm in software development, so I work with mostly under-socialized men (lol) so I don't think they'd really care, nor would they be particularly sympathic. A few of them know, but we don't really talk about it. I'm usually fine eating out with them, but it never fails-- they always want to go to a Mongolian BBQ buffet a few days after I get a fill! @Sistersue - Thanks! Spanx are too expensive for me since I have to keep going down in sizes. I've been using the Flexees camis from JCPenney (b/c they're always on sale -- buy 1 get 1 50% off) and whatever the Walmart brand of control cami is. @niterum - Thanks! Well, I'm sure the breast cancer had an impact on your weightloss, but 63lbs is still awesome! I see you live in VA too. It's been hella hot here this summer and yes, I either wear long pants or a kimono dress I found at Target a few months ago. I REALLY need to go shopping. My boyfriend of 5 years is the same way. I love him for it, but I'm standing in front of the mirror jiggling my arms and he's like "no really! you're exaggerating. It's not that bad!" whatever...I have old lady arms... thank you all!

I did all my pre-work with one Dr, then switched to a different one to actually get the surgery. I'm sure as long as you get copies of all your paperwork from the previous Dr, you won't have a problem. From reading the forums, it seems that Drs only have a problem accepting patients who got banded in another country. As for cost, you might need to check with your insurance. Also, I paid a fee for the surgery that included free fills and office visits for the first year. I'm not sure if you were charged for something like that, but that won't transfer to a new Doc. Just a few things to consider. I hope you can find a better Doc! J

It's nothing to worry about. I still get the hiccups all the time. It's kind of annoying, but I think it's my diaphragm's way of letting me know it's irrated. I usually get hiccups the worst when I eat too much or drink something too fast.

This is a total bitchfest, so please skip if you're not in the mood. My boyfriend is getting tired of hearing me complain, so I've come here to vent. I've lost 100lbs in 20 months which is great, but I've been feeling kind of crappy lately. I've one from a size 24 to a 14, but when I try on most clothes they don't look good on me because of my extra skin. I'm only 26 years old, but after losing all this weight, I have bat wings, my boobs are saggy and I need a tummy tuck. While I guess I'm glad I'm not carrying around all the fat I had before, I still feel disappointed that I can't wear any cute clothes in my size. It seems that everything is sleeveless or cut too high on the arms (which shows off my batwings) or is low rise (which shows off my sexy muffin top skin roll). Actually, I'm more than disappointed, I'm kind of angry that I went through all this and I still don't feel comfortable in my own skin. I plan to go see a plastic surgeon soon. I was hoping to get to 170lbs first, but I've been stalled at 195 for the last few months. I just want to be normal already. I'm tired of scheduling fills around business meetings and and making up excuses as to why I don't want to join coworkers for lunch. *sigh* I just want to be normal! I know this is just a phase, but I'm just feeling cruddy. I'm sure I'll snap out of it soon. thanks for reading! Janiece

I don't really feel full the way I expected. It's more like I've run out of room. I get a feeling of pressure just under my bra line and I know no more food can fit. If I overeat, I get really hard and loud hiccups which make my tummy hurt worse! and it's embarrassing...

Losing 1 - 2lbs per week is generally regarded as a safe rate of weight-loss. It looks like you averaged closer to 4lbs a week. I vaguely remember the pre-op materials saying losing weight too quickly can weaken your heart and cause dangerously low levels of potassium and other vitamins/minerals. Your Doc is just trying to make sure you stay healthy. You'll get rid of that last 76lbs soon enough! Don't worry!

I disagree. I'm a "good girl" and there are things I'll do our rules I'll break while I'm in a committed relationship...but it doesn't mean I have to go around advertising it to the world like "bad girls"! That line from Ludacris' song "I want a lady in the street but a freak in the bed" is probably pretty accurate as to how most guys feel!

I was thinking of getting one after I reach my goal and get a tummy tuck. My port incision is about 2 inches above and an inch to the left of where my port actually is so any revisions won't matter. And if for some reason they move the port somewhere else completely, the tattoo will still have sentimental value. I was thinking about getting "Fill Here. Saliene Only" like it says "unleaded only" under the gas cap. I think it would be a fun conversation starter when I'm skinny enough to wear a bikini! If anyone has a port tattoo, post up pics!! Janiece

hmmm...If I were him, I'd be more inclined to sue the person who let me eat 20,000 calories a day! If he was housebound, who was grocery shopping and preparing all that food? Anyway, I'm glad he slimmed down from his surgery and I hope he has the motivation to keep working at it.

My boyfriend was the only person who knew about my band for at least a year. It was partially b/c I was too embarrased to tell the world I needed help to stop stuffing my face, and partially b/c I was afraid the band wouldn't work for me. Over the last few months, I've started telling coworkers and friends. I switched jobs since having the band and most people can't believe it when I show them pics. I think I'm more forthcoming now because I've learned to accept my decision and I love the results. YES, I needed help. NO, I could never have lost 96lbs by myself. If anyone doesn't like it or has anything negative to say, then I don't need them in my life anyway. There are some people who I know won't be supportive and I don't plan to tell unless they direcly ask if I've had WLS. I won't lie if they ask, but I won't bring up the topic. I really just don't feel it would be productive to have a discussion with them about why I had it and how it helps people. I plan to tell my parents the next time I see them. Ironically, my mother is the person I'm most afraid to tell. She's had a weight problem her whole life too (she's like 400lbs+), so I'm not sure why she's so against WLS. She's congratulated me on my weightloss a few times, but not nearly as much as she pointed out how fat I was getting before...

I was a size 24, now I'm a size 14. I was a 44DDD now I'm a 38DDD...still can't do VS bras. boooo Great job everyone!!!

+1 for Land's End! I have THIS one in the DDD version and it's amazing! The straps are adjustable and you can unhook and criss-cross them in the back for extra support. You can pick which bottom works best for you. I got the longer skirt so I can pull it up to tuck in my loose muffin skin roll... I'm 5'6" and I've lost 94 lbs. Oh, note from my boyfriend "Don't forget it makes your boobs look great too!" He's right! They're a little saggy now, but this top gives them a great shape! Janiece