ragergirl

Well I hope to be a bander mommy soon ......LOL I am gonna start trying with in the end of the month here , Just started my period today and am NOT getting any more bc, I have been on them for 2 yrs now since my surgery and thinking it wont take long to be pregnant I had twins the last time...LOL Hope not again this time though !!! wish more baby dust LOL GOOD LUCK to YOU ALL TRYING !!!

My BMI was 35 when I started and it took me almost a 9 months to get to goal, I was extremely physical and took away most carbs outta my eating except things that were gluten free or made with rice (like rice crakcers) no bread , Pasta or rice as the dr told me and with the exercising it worked pretty quick , congrats to you all

wow soooo great to get the info..... were like test subjects in a way..LOL I am really wanting a baby now... I had 2 pregnancies prior to ever be banded and am at a good goal weight I have been banded well over a year now and think in the next couple months I will wanna try to have one again..... CONGRATS to all of you on your WLS and your PREGNANCIES

I am one yr today april 4th :biggrin1:

It has been the best thing I ever did and I am past my goal and feel pretty good, I would like a Tummy Tuck but that can wait

WOW Soo many have been an inspirational person to many others haning or had the surgery! I have lost 70 as thats almost my full amount But CONGRATS YOU THE REST OF U

I also had problems with my kidney's apparently they are very spongy and perfect to produce stones, Ive only had some pain and nausea but NO stones as of yet. He thinks I will get them though, and he says its more from my high Protein diet and the fact Ive put my body through ketosis. I eat NO bread , Pasta, OR RICE and he says I should. I refuse to get this far and have to try to eat that way. PAIN OR NO PAIN. So I expect in the near future to have more pain unless they catch them first as he's tryin to with ultrasound. GOOD LUCK TO ALL OTHERS WITH THIS PROBLEM

Hi , nice to see another islander on here....LOL

Are youon Dr. A's board too? ??

GOD, I can relate to you and what you have said. DRUGS, SEX, AND MAJOR SELF IMAGE PROBLEMS. I am currently seeking a counsellor for eating disorders, becuase I am soo depressed and my self image is worse NOW THEN WHEN I WAS FAT. I refused to take the depression meds cause IM PARANOID OF GAINING WEIGHT. I commend you on talking about this issue. I wish there were more facts on life after the band including these addictions. I feel SCREWED right now and I should be happy not sooo depressed, I have a good job and kids and I feel like JUST LEAVING IT ALL and never coming back. You can beat the addiction, I have to tell myself that, Ive seen my brother beat his drug addictions ,and saty clean for over 3 yrs. So I guess my self help has only began. THANKS FOR COMIN OUT ABOUT IT

I have a problem with the apron area, Im pretty much at goal and that is the most troublesome spot on my body and it' s not goin away, I also had twin girls 6 yrs ago , but what kind of prices did everyone pay just for that? My medical does not cover ANY of that and It will be self pay. I was thinking about goin back to mexico to get that done, anypone else go to mexico to have it removed ?

I waited 6 months I figure the weight loss IS WAY MORE IMPORTANT!! to me anyway, I got loaded the first time it was great!!, then again I drank the other night it's almost way more fun now :-)

Im very happy about being banded in Mexico and I was coming from Canada, Dr javier de la garza and he was great Im over 8 months and at goal now, never had a problem

Ive had a great experince and am soo glad I did it!! Im at goal and havent had a problem, there are lots of us happy lap banders out there dont be discouraged

Like some of the others, I am an older bandster (59). I was banded in April, 2006 and have lost about 60#. I originally set my goal at the last weight I remember being "good" for me so many years ago-110#. I admitted to 180# when I started (I had stopped weighing several weeks before surgery, and things that I could squeeze into at 180+ no longer fit when I finally made the decision to do the surgery...).

I have lost weight in fits and starts, with plateaus in between that made me wonder what was going on. I got one fill in June that was very tight to begin with and then got TIGHTER. A flu bug pushed me over the edge the first week of October and I ended up getting a complete unfill. What amazes me is that I am NOT ravenously hungry, continued my bandster eating and exercise, and have continued to lose. Before the unfill, there were many foods that I couldn't eat, but now I can (salad!). I am not eating much, if any, more than I did when I was filled and have continued to lose. This tells me that the behavior changes that the band imposes (sometimes quite forcefully) are the real working force. Don't get me wrong, I am going in about 10 days for another (smaller) refill, but I don't feel that I need to be cranked down to the point of having a long list of "can't eat" items for this to work. Ironically, I would PB on tuna and cottage cheese, but was always able to eat Pasta and bread if I tried. Go figure... As someone on another board says, "Just because I CAN eat it doesn't mean I SHOULD..." In a way, this time has been really exciting because it has convinced me that I will be able to maintain a healthy weight indefinitely--something I "knew" cognitively, but wasn't so sure on the feeling level.

As far as my weight goal goes, I am not so sure now where to "quit" losing. I have gone from a size 2X to a 4 (I am 5' tall if I lie), but am still just under 20# heavier than the goal I set. My friends (and even other bandsters) tell me not to lose much more or I will start looking scrawny--not a look I am aspiring to. I recently talked to a trainer and she also suggested I stop losing soon. I told her that I recall that as I was gaining, I already felt and looked heavier than I do now at this weight. She explained that, being heavy for so long (and pretty active during that time), I had actually developed denser bone and more muscle over time in order to pack the extra weight (You mean there is an UPSIDE to being heavy for years???) I have been pretty diligent about making sure I have a balanced diet (especially protein) and done modest exercise since being banded, so I have lost FAT but not muscle as my weight has dropped. She said that many people who get heavy then lose find that they are actually heavier at a given size (as demonstrated by those "someday" clothes that we all have in our closets) than they were before getting heavy. She said that the standard charts assume a minimal level of bone and muscle development and if we reach the lower limits of the "healthy" weight on them, we have to lose muscle to do it--something we do NOT want to do.

I think I would like to some more to try to get rid of a bit more tummy, but if I end up stopping here, I am thrilled. As someone else mentioned, I have been told that I look 10 years younger and I feel at least that. At my age, I was starting to get several age/obesity-related health conditions that were promising to severely limit the quality, if not the length, of my life. Those have virtually disappeared and I feel better than I have in years.

My goal was to get to a healthy weight and then be able to maintain it without having to obsess about "dieting" and feeling "deprived" constantly. I know that I will always need to be a "mindful" eater--make good choices MOST of the time--but I want to make food receed into the background of my consciousness and focus on other things in life. In that regard, I have achieved my goal and am fully confident that I will be able to maintain it with the support of the band.

Penny

banded 4/5/06 Dr. Ortiz, TJ, Mexico

180+/128/110??

WOW were alot alike:) Almost the same weight to start and both went to Mexico, congrats to you u have done great!!

I am currently 120 pounds today and have reached my goal, I was banded on april 4th I am also the same height as you too!! I would like to be about 115 pounds I have a tummy still and might not be able to get rid of it but I am soo happy to be where I am now, CONGRATS TO EVERYONE:)

Im pretty sure its anywhere from 4 months to 8 months , Ive heard

Id be intersted IVE ALWAYS WANTED TO SWIM WITH DOLPHINS!!!!! I d like to spend my 30th bday that way this next year!!, what kind of cost and when would it be ???

Ya I didnt tell any of them , theres way too many of them and its too much hassle to even explain it to them, if you have a close relationship I would tell them, but I had 150 others I didnt really want to know!!

This is the best thread!!

I am now just over 6 months out and I have beat diabetes and hypertension, I was on 6 meds a day making me sick and I was very moody and depressed. I had to take a sick leave before I even got banded just to deal with my medical issues. I was a size 18-20 and am now a size 2/4 depending on the clothes!!! I feel soo much healthier, and happier and hopefully my choices to live life better and eat healthier will affect the life of my 3 childern. CONGRATS TO ALL OF YOU!!!

I just started walking and then a little running at a time and now I can do 3 km like nothing, I also started going to every run I can like the charity ones cause I like the competition and just finnished my second one ever and did 8km run!! I almost puked at the finnish line but well worth it and I finnished in 51 mins!! whhooo hooo very addictive

Hmmmmm I think im very strict about what I eat , all though I do have things that I treat myself to , but Ive never had bread or Pasta or rice, and I ll let myself eat if its something with less than 100cals. I also do a fair bit of exercise I had a personal trainer, I swam alot and I now kickbox 4hrs a week and surf when I can :-) Its best to change before you get bored cause I hate exercise too but I like to hit things helps with the bitterness of life before!!!!!......LOL

Its more important to heal thats WHY u need to be on mushies for that length of time, you shouldn't really be eating anything but that, and I felt hungry but at that point I think I was mixing up hunger for thirst try drinking a bit more in between

Its less riskier than having a hernia repair, I know Ive had both and my lap band was NOTHING compared to that, and Ive had TWINS god that was worse than any of it!!!! child birth vs. lap band .....I LL TAKE THE BAND PLEASE!!!!.....LOL RNY is VERY different and much more hader for your body to go through, I know I was also on the wait list for it myself at one time and researched it ALOT. NO ONE HAS DIED FROM LAP BAND

change is what the fear is ..... think about it your on a verge of a life change thats scary as hell!!! You will look back and realize what a great choice you have made to change your life , Im just over 6 months out and its changed MY LIFE ALOT!! good luck

I also got my box and paper work the band came with I can assure you its an inamed and I got my little card with it and the needle and everything

can we say SCARE TACTICS.....thats the prob with other though you will have to defend ur descison of getting the band and also the fact that you have gone to mexico on top of that

I don't think you can lift anything over 20 pounds until about 4 weeks , I have heard no serious weight training til 3 months depends I guess, I walked everyday since the surgery and started jogging and cardio at about a month ask your doctor. Pack light would be my suggestion fro travelling and you will prob sleep on the way home anyway, maybe bring your own fluids to eat as it really sucks to watch everyone else eat while u just drink. You will feel yucky but just take ur pain killer and sleep GOOD LUCK

Im only 5 ft tooo :-0

congrats to you !!!! at least u can start again after loose all the weight at one!!! I was on birth control right away ive had twins and am VERY fertile ..lol GOOD LUCK TO U