JulsJourney

I saw this post and I just had to reply because I hit my goal and I am living my bucket list! 1. Fly in an airplane in comfort...done! 2. Fly in a small plane where they need to know your weight before take off (and I told the truth!)...done! 3. Walk through town eating a ice cream cone (a small one) and not feel like people are staring at the fat lady...done! 4. Buy a single digit item of clothing...done!!!!!!!! 5. Buy boots in a department store...done!!! I started at 244 and I am now fluctuating between 129 and 131...I had a life long problem with obesity, and this is my first time living as a thinner person...I am on a drug known for weight gain, so I am watching daily...I am determined to never weigh over 135 again!!!

My two year anniversary is next week, and I am ten pounds below my goal. I started out at 244, and a size 20. I am now 131 and a size 4! I hit my actual goal of 100 pounds 18 months post surgery. Since then, with exercise, I have tightened from a size 8 to a 4, and lost another 10 pounds. I think I would like to stay at this size and weight forever. My best advice to those struggling is do not forget to get the help of your doctor. I have had my bank tightened an loosened a few times after the initial few fills. I also believe that it was only through exercise that I avoided the dreaded hanging skin. I am 51, so that was a big consideration. Skin is no longer quite as elastic, and working on tightening muscles, I believe helps skin tighten also. I started working with a trainer once a week about a year into the process. I no longer use a trainer, but I go to the gym three times a week, pretty regularly. One of the best moments occurred a month ago...I was taking a small plane with some friends to a tropical island. The plane was small enough that everyone had to give their weight. Some of the other women were whispering to the agent at the counter...I just yelled over to my husband...put me down for 131...the first time in my entire life I yelled out my weight. I felt the weight of the world off my shoulders!

Good luck to all of you for February 2011!. I had my surgery on February 24th, 2009!!!! Two year anniversary and I cannot be happier! I started out at 244, size 20. I am now 131 and a size 4! No way!!!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe I am writing this. Do not get me wrong, it is still a hard journey, but one well worth taking the first step! I think the hardest part was staying on track, admitting my own weaknesses, and getting on with life. For example, I just thought that I had a slow metabolism, and that I ate portions too large for what I could process. I now admit openly that I have a compulsion to eat, and I am still working on myself . My band helps me set limits, reminds me that I am falling off the wagon, and puts me right back on track. After a lifetime of diet success, and then failure, I finally fell like me! I wish you all the best of luck, and the most determined of minds!

Good luck to all of you for February 2011!. I had my surgery on February 24th, 2009!!!! Two year anniversary and I cannot be happier! I started out at 244, size 20. I am now 131 and a size 4! No way!!!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe I am writing this. Do not get me wrong, it is still a hard journey, but one well worth taking the first step! I think the hardest part was staying on track, admitting my own weaknesses, and getting on with life. For example, I just thought that I had a slow metabolism, and that I ate portions too large for what I could process. I now admit openly that I have a compulsion to eat, and I am still working on myself . My band helps me set limits, reminds me that I am falling off the wagon, and puts me right back on track. After a lifetime of diet success, and then failure, I finally fell like me! I wish you all the best of luck, and the most determined of minds!

This exact thing just happened to me. I had no problem for a year and suddenly my band was too tight and I thought I had a slip. Doctor took out .4cc yesterday and I feel fine. He wants me to wait a month for a fill to make sure the inflammation is gone... I don't like being this loose. I have lost 93 pounds and only have 7 to go...hopefully this does not stall my progress!

So funny that I read this from you. I have lost 93 pounds and I am now 150. I asked my husband the other day if you are supposed to feel butt bones when you sit....he thought I was joking...I wasn't! I have been well padded in that area since I was a child. Now , for the first time, I can feel the bones!!!!!! :biggrin:

I thought I'd respond because I am a Feb09 bandster! Yes, I am hitting my anniversary and just thought I'd give some of my (hopefully) sage advice. First, this is not magic. I know your doctor told you that, but it is true. On the other hand, it is the best choice I ever made. I can only say it is though I was injected with self control! Some things are different, as there are foods I just can't eat (pizza, most meat, bananas), on the other hand, who cares about meat when I can now go buy a size 10 pair of jeans!!! ( I thought they were mis-sized, but I have two pairs from different designers, so it must be true!)I never thought I could go out to dinner and leave over two thirds of a meal. So now that I can, I feel like I am free to eat without any guilt. I can't eat much, but I thoroughly enjoy whatever I have. I have lost 70 pounds and now weigh the least amount of my entire adult life. My ultimate goal is a size 6 (I started at size 20), or 30 more pounds, whichever is first! I feel awesome, and think this was the best choice I could have made for my mental and physical health. Good luck to all of you!

I will hit a year on Feb 24th! I wish more people would post so we can all compare results! I have lost exactly 70 pounds, and 30 to go. Wow...Never in my life have I had only 30 pounds to lose! Never! I am lucky as I started a new job not long ago, so they all know me at my new weight, and it is interesting to see how people react to a (nearly) thin person differently than an obese one. I checked the BMI chart, and though I started out as morbidly obese, I have two pounds to only be overweight!!! My defining moment of deciding on this road to lapband world was talking to my doctor about a specific problem and watching him listening, but writing MORBIDLY OBESE on my chart. I guess leaving that diagnosis of his (as well as finding a more sympathetic doctor) has been my goal. Let me know how everyone else is doing...and how much fun it is to buy new clothes!

I have had my band for five months now. I am 40 pounds down, with about 60 to go. I went to my doctor's support group meeting right after surgery, and met a woman who had her band put in the same day as me. We started talking and it now has expanded to a four bander group. We met last night over a nice dinner, and shared triumphs, tragedies and food tips. I cannot recommend this enough to any of you starting out! It is a great way to stay focused, and to ask some silly questions that you might not want to bring up to your doctor!

I could eat anything after my surgery in February. Now, after three fills, I have significant restriction. There are lots of things I just can't eat anymore, and, frankly, it is great. French fries give me acid, bread gets stuck, cake makes me gag...Okay, guess I'll eat lots of fish and veggies to feel full...woo hoo...40 pounds down!

I have six pounds to go and I will be right there with ya sister! Forty pounds down in five months...maybe not the fastest, but I am getting there...Good for us!

Good Thread. I am 4 1/2 months post surgery and down 38 pounds. To some that may seem like a lot, and to some, a little. I have noticed that my clothes are all too big, and much more importantly, that I have much more energy. ONEDERLAND is only 6 pounds away! I feel like I lost much more than 38 because I am fully aware that I would be up a few pounds if I had not done this. I am still working on getting my mind to give up the appetite since my stomach can't...stomach it...anymore...

I was banded this past February and I go for my third fill Thursday. I have lost 34 pounds. I have had some restriction, but weight loss is less than 2 pounds a week on average. I am hoping that this next fill is it for me...I am thinking it may be the sweet spot. If I can maintain a 2 pound weekly loss, I'll be thrilled.

Hi everyone. I was banded on 2/24/08. I had no restriction until I had a fill. I have now had two fills, and I have lost 34 pounds since being banded. Is it going fast? No. Do I lose every week? No Am I thrilled to have 34 pounds off my body? Absolutely! My knees feel great. I am back out of the larger size stores..right now a 16, but heading in the right direction!!! I get my third fill on Thursday and I am hoping that will be it for a few months. I hope I don't sound too much like a cheerleader, but this band will work for you if you give it a chance. If your experience is anything like mine, you will agree it was one of the best decisions you ever made...Do not get discouraged!! The first month or two is the hardest!

I think the canned pasta is great. I buy the cans and use them for two servings and they never get stuck or cause any heart burn. They have high sodium, so I try not to do it often (may as well be halthy), but now and then they are a great, lap-band friendly treat.

You would think chicken would be a good food choice, but I have not found it to be so. After two fills (banded Feb24th 09) I find chicken gets stuck too often to be a good choice. I try and go for fish more often and that rarely gets stuck. My doctor said that chicken at home boiled for a while is a much better choice than anything you can get out. My favorite food right now? Salmon! Who would have thought it? I was such a die hard pizza lover!

I agree with those who think the feeling is different. For me it is a feeling n my chest. If I overeat, it feels like chest pain. I am still learning to control myself when I am hungry. I tend to take a big first bite, and sometimes that is the ONLY bite because I get something stuck. I am sure I will get used to this process, but that satisfied realy full feeling is gone for me. If I am honest, I have to say I miss it...being full in the chest is not nearly as satisfying. On the other hand, I am 26 pounds down and THAT is an awesome feeling!

I don't think you should regret your choice yet. There is a woman in my support group that has the band AFTER having the gastric by-pass. She slowly stretched her stomach over a few years and ended up gaining almost all her weight back...200 lbs...so...moral is there is no easy fix. Once you get restriction, you will lose weight. My doctor says it is harder to go too far astray on teh band because you cannot stretch it. So after two years, most weight loss between by-pass and band end up being about the same. But with the band, you are getting more nutrients. Just remember this is a long process, don't get frustrated so soon!

wow, you were banded in on 2/11 and have lost fifty pounds? That's about 10 pounds a week? Are you eating anything? Were you on a pre-op diet of some sort? I was banded on 2/24 and I just hit 20 pounds. I am happy that I am losing, but I can't imagine it dropping that fast? What's your secret???

I had 2.5cc's put in my 10cc band last week and I can eat very little now. This was my first fill, and I actually had to go back because it was too tight. I could get down liquids, but nothing with any substance. It still feels pretty tight, but I am able to eat small quantities, so I am not complaining. I am definitely losing weight now, and I actually hope it doesn't loosen too much.

I talked to my doc about this yesterday. He agrees it can be frustrating int eh beginning, but says that the struggle you have before you hit the sweet spot (where you lose consistently) helps you modify your own behavior, and in teh long run, lap band people keep off the weight much better, and have healthier lives than bypass patients. He said to focus on two pounds at a time, never more. Don't worry about the ultimate goal, worry about the next two pounds.

Hi Everyone. I was banded on 2/24. The first ten pounds came off quickly, during the first week. Since then I have only lost 2 pounds. My first fill is Apr 6th, and I can't wait for it. I have very little restriction, so any loss is due to my determination to keep the scale moving down down down. I feel better, even with just 12 pounds off, so that is a plus. Every day is a struggle with portion control, but I think I can do this, with a lettle help from my trusty fill doctor!!!

By obsessed are they telling you that you are being selfish about your weight loss? I think that in order for all of us to be successful, we need to be a little bit selfish. Like we need to make sure we have the right foods around us, we need to make sure we do not revert back to old, bad habits, we need to care a little more about our health. All of this may be new to your friends and relatives. I think so many times we that have weight issues compensate for our perceived bad body image by being giving and unselfish. Those that we love and trust must come to grips that we have made a life changing decision, and that along with the weight loss, good health and proper excerise routine comes a new outlook that cherishes the self! This may look selfish to them when in reality it is self-ful!

For those of you that have not had a fill yet, but are past the liquids and mushies, what are you eating? I notice I have little restirction, but that I need to ensure that I chew well. While I am eating way, way less than I did before the surgery, the scale is not moving. I am just wondering what everyone in this stage is eating, and whether you continue to lose weight?

You guys are great. Thanks for the input. I thought I would start a continuous weight lose from the date of surgery, but I see that is not really the case. I feel better now. I'll just keep watching my calories, watching my carbs, and wait for my first fill. Looks like many people need a few fills before they hit the "sweet spot." At least I know I am on my way!