Mamadot

I'm so glad you posted and shared your story, Vanessa! You are a beautiful woman, and quite an inspiration - you should be very proud of your accomplishments and commitment to a healthier lifestyle! Happy Bandiversary :smile2:

WOW! Everyone who has shared their pictures looks absolutely AMAZING!!! Thanks for sharing - so inspiring!!!! I'll share mine in a few days on my 'bandiversary' on 5/19.

You will make an awesome and inspiring speaker, Ann! Congratulations on your amazing success! You worked hard and to be recognized as your Surgeon's most successful patient is truly an honor you are so deserving of!!! Last month my best friend and I were asked to participate in an ad campaign as success stories for the PSJMC Bariatric Wellness program in L.A.. A few weeks ago we participated in a 3-hour photo shoot. I thought it would be more of a local campaign. Last night at my sons’ t-ball game, one of the mothers came up to me and said she saw my picture in Newsweek (a national publication). I didn’t believe her (as I hadn't been informed anything had gone out yet), so I went to a few stores and finally found a Newsweek. Sure enough, our pictures were dead center in a special advertising section featuring the best Bariatric Surgeons in LA. This one didn’t identify us, but future mailers and marketing materials may include some personal info and our hideous ‘before’ photos. We had a blast doing this! So, if you’re at a store with magazines, check out the middle section of this week’s Newsweek (dated 4/26 and titled in large yellow text ‘Don’t Mess with Texas’) I always dreamed of being in a before/after photo, and I'm so excited that it has happened!!!

I started this thread over a year ago on 2/19/09 - 3 months before I had Lap Band surgery on 5/19/09. Recently, several of you have brought this thread back to life. I read through every last post this morning. I laughed some, cried a lot, and felt such a spirit of bonding, compassion, and pride in the strength of our natures to perservere day to day in a world so disgustingly tainted by weight prejudices, intollerance by ignorant people, and unaccommodating to larger sizes. I am now almost 11 months post-op, having lost 85lbs and down from a size 24/26 to a size 12. Daily life is much more accommodating to someone of my current size than it was at my previous size. Regular-sized bathroom stalls and theatre/airplane seats no longer seem so small. The attention received from family and strangers is much more positive. I can move effortlessly throughout my day, and have the energy to keep up with my fast-paced lifestyle as a working Mother of two young boys. As sickeningly wrong as it is to have to endure all that we do as larger human beings, I just want to share with you all the reality that we can succeed with this tool, and it can allow us a much more comfortable, healthier lifestyle with much more positive feedback and interactions with others. I have such a deep-seated sense of joy and pride of accomplishment that I have never felt before, and that I intend to embrace for the rest of my life! I wish the same for all of us struggling with weight issues - May God bless us all on our journeys to a healthier, more enriching lifestyle! :biggrin:

Congratulations on the 50lbs, Rebecca! That's awesome :smile2: I celebrated my birthday this past weekend, and it was the first time I have been within a somewhat 'normal' weight range. It feels SO GOOD!!!! My Husband and family members gave me money towards a new wardrobe. On Monday, my Husband and I spent the day together to celebrate while our kids were in school. We went to lunch and to see a movie, and then he went clothes shopping with me. He actually wanted to see me try on dresses. I have never taken a male with me clothes shopping. I snuck him into the Women's dressing room stall, and tried on several dresses - size 12 - all of them fit and my Husband had the biggest grin of admiration on his face - it was a Julia Roberts 'Pretty Woman' moment for me - just an incredible moment between my Husband and I that I will treasure forever! It's so true - NOTHING tastes as good as thin feels!!!

Congratulations on your success, Sweetbean! I love the honesty of children, especially when it is such a positive compliment! :thumbup: My 7-year old Son used to come running at me with his arms held out as wide as possible to give me a hug and bounce off my very big belly. Now, it just warms my heart that he holds his arms about 18 inches apart and slowly walks towards me with a big smile, saying how skinny I am now, and how I fit in his little arms. He doesn't want to bounce against me because he thinks it will still hurt me from my surgery 10 months ago (lol).

Thank-you all so much for your kind comments and encouragement! I'm in awe of all the accomplishments of each one of us, including every pound lost and each step made towards a healthier lifestyle!

My best friend and I had surgery together on May 19th, 2009. 10 months later we are each down over 80 lbs on our way to our goals of 100 lbs. Here are our before and now pictures...

1*0*0* C*O*N*G*R*A*T*U*L*A*T*I*O*N*S A*N*N!!!!!!!!!! I've been busy and haven't peeked in for a while, so I'm sorry for the delayed response, but OMG, YOU LOOK FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!! You're my inspiration, and I can't wait to join the 100 club! You should be so very proud of this amazing accomplishment, and your smile is 1000 watts of radiance!!! Thanks for sharing your before and now photos - you're stunning!:thumbup:

I'm sorry that I don't have any suggestions or recommendations for the pain you experience when eating solids, but I do agree with SpideyMom that you should discuss this with your physician and nutritionist, if you have one. I had my last fill back in September, and have felt varying levels of restriction since then. Over the last two weeks, I have felt like I've just had a fill, and was only able to tolerate sips of liquid and very small portions of solids - well chewed. I'm really tight in the mornings, and sometimes have trouble sipping water to take my morning meds & vitamin. Since I hadn't needed a fill, I hadn't seen my doctor since October. Well, I went for a checkup this week, and she was very complimentary on my progress and felt I was going to be successful with this tool. She said people's bodies react differently to the band and feel restriction at varying levels throughout the process. I'm actually glad my band seems to be 'auto adjusting' just when I need a little extra help from it Good luck!

LOVE the Chico sizing :thumbup: You have every right to say you are wearing a size 1!!! (Hey, the actual size 8 is pretty amazing!!!!!!) Isn't it crazy what the numbers on the clothes and scales mean to us? I love the brands that are more generous in their sizing - If I could find a larger size 12 - I would be thrilled!!! And then I find XL tops that I think actually mean 'Extra Long/Lean' not 'Extra Large' - they're super narrow and long - that's so discouraging! Give me a roomy 'Large' and I'm a happy gal!

So glad you joined us and posted your amazing success, LaDawn! Welcome. My goal is to lose 100lbs, so you, Ann (SpideyMom) and John are all my inspiration. I just love my band and have a renewed zest for life

WOW - Size 10 - CONGRATULATIONS ANN!!!! That is my dream size that I haven't seen since I started high school. I'm so impressed! My best friend (who had the Lap Band with me and started as a similar size/weight) and I went clothes shopping yesterday. We held up a pair of size 22 jeans (I was actually up to a size 24), and couldn't believe the difference when we both easily slipped on size 14. We were both giddy with excitement and had the best day!!! When we get into a 10, it will be fun to see the difference from a 14. I was at an outlet store this weekend, and saw a cute sweater in a regular size large. It looked too small (no dressing rooms) and there were no XL's. I liked it so much, I bought the large, thinking I would fit into it some day. Well, I was looking for something warm to wear to work this morning, tried it on, and it FIT! A regular size large - I was in a 3X - I have that giddy feeling again :smile2:

I have the same issue. I work in a cubicle with 3 other women, and I get very embarassed when the gurgling starts, as there is just nothing that you can do to stop it or hold it in . I also have the added issue of salivating after eating. I need to spit 6 or 8 times after eating a meal, and sometimes during a meal. I can't swallow it, because it will just sit on top of my food and cause more problems. It's embarassing and inconvenient to have to excuse myself to the bathroom every couple of minutes when I'm eating with others. I recently found if I carry an empty soda can, I can discreetly spit into it, and it looks like I'm just drinking a soda. I may be a little too tight, but my restriction feels right and I'm able to drink and eat adequate amounts. I'm going to try eating teeny-tiny bites a lot more slowly (tip from Hallelujah Girls post) and sip more slowly to see if that helps. Good luck to you!

Wow, Less-of-Me, that is one AMAZING accomplishment!!! You deserve to be so proud of yourself! I do not love (or even like) to run. But my best friend, who had the Lap Band surgery at the same time I did, just inspired me into joining her on a 5K mud run in the fall. So we start training next week. We're going to buy some good running shoes and go from there. Since I have not established a good exercise routine, I'm thinking this will get my rear in gear (literally)! So, you are an awesome role model for me, as you accomplished about 3 times the distance I'm going for. And in an incredible time - WOW!!! Congratulations

Hallelujah Girl - THANK YOU!!!! You're initial post was SO enlightening for me!!! It is almost exactly what I have been experiencing and feeling. However, I have felt adequate restriction for the past two months, and I think I am at my 'sweet spot' for now (6.5cc in a 10cc band). But I was going down a dark path - eating too quickly, too big of bites, not 'listening' to my body and then making myself throw up after almost every meal to relieve the pressure and 'stuck' feeling. And then I would go back and take another bite, 'cause I felt I deserved to eat more than the band was allowing me to. I started to give up on eating healthier choices, and selected the food items that I could tolerate (chips, cookies, ice cream, etc.) I have been unable to tolerate bread, pizza, tortillas, and many meats. I have a very limited list of what goes down easily. After a scare two weeks ago (I thought my band may have slipped due to throwing up), I stopped this self-destructive behavior and have slowed down when eating and 'listened' to my body's queues of when to stop. But I still haven't been able to tolerate a variety of foods. I can't wait to start with the small - teeny, tiny bites. I am very hopeful that will do the trick. Thank you, Ann, Hallelujah Girl, and all who have posted on this thread!!! This is definitely a learning experience that takes a while to perfect

That's so cool, Ann! I was just thinking the other night how badly my heels and ankles would hurt, and how I have had no pain for months. And my shoe size has dropped one full size - from 9.5 to 8.5. On my lunch break today I went shopping and I fit in and bought a pair of Route 66 'Skinny Jeans' in a regular size at a regular store. OMG - I think I will sleep in them tonight. The legs looked so slender, I didn't think there was any way I would fit (I've always had thunder thighs) but I did - and I didn't have to stuff myself into them like a sausage - they are really comfortable and fit well. I think I'm going to sleep in them tonight (LOL)

To Ann and the rest of the Mayo Banditos... A belated 'Merry Christmas' and a very happy, healthy, and blessed New Year! I am so thankful that I started this journey in 2009, and I hope to reach my goal in 2010. Thank you all for your postings and support you have offered to eachother and myself. I wish us all continued success in 2010! :thumbup:

I asked about this at my support group meeting, and our program facilitator brought up the model of the stomach with the lap band. She said the opening (at good restriction) is about the size of a dime, and the pouch above the band starts out about the size of a walnut.

Very helpful reminder - thanks!

That is interesting, Ann, thank-you for sharing. I would love to see something like that. Like you said, it would help me better relate to what is happening when food is not passing through, and may help reinforce band basics re: small bites and chew, chew, chew! I'm going to ask my program facilitator if they have anything similar they could share at an upcoming Lap Band support group meeting.

Today is my 6 month 'Bandiversary' and I am absolutely thrilled with this whole process!!! Best decision I've made for my own well-being. I'm down 63 lbs and I'm in 'Onederland' - unbelievable to me, as I've been over 200lbs for most of my adult life! I started in a size 24, and just fit into a size 14. I even received a precious bandiversary 'gift' this morning while I was getting my two young boys ready for school. My 6-year-old came up to me and threw his arms around me and said 'Mommy, you're getting REALLY skinny' with a big smile, and my 7-year-old replied 'You surely are!'. They didn't even know today was a special day to me in my weight loss journey. My Husband has been so complimentary and supportive. He and my boys have a 'Boys Night' on Wednesday nights while I attend support group meetings. I'm taking the time to take care of myself for the first time in my life and I feel SO GOOD!!! My challenge over the next 6 months is to establish a maintainable exercise routine, including resistance training to tighten whatever I can :confused: Congratulations on all of your successes, and a sincere thank-you to this group as you have been inspiration and support for me and a big part of my success!!!!!:scared2:

I've been stalled for a bit, but down 3lbs over the past week, so now I'm officially 'Walkin' in a Winter ONE-derland"!!! I'm BEYOND excited, as I've been well over 200lbs for most of my adult life.

I am SO inspired by all of you!!! What an amazing group of people we have! Reneek - I can relate to everything you wrote. Congratulation on your successes! :woot: Ann - You are such an inspiration to this group and should be so very proud of your amazing accomplishments - massive inches and pounds lost and a new zest for life - you go, Girl! John - our 'Mayo Banditos Biggest Loser' - truly a phenominal accomplishment in such a short time! Lead us into the maintenance phase, my friend! I will post on my 6-month 'Bandiversary' next week (11/19) - but a little sneak-peak - I'm in ONE-derland!!!!!:wink:

This band is an interesting 'tool' and it always surprises me how differently we are all effected by it. My best friend and I were banded on the same day, and we have both been very successful but have had entirely different experiences and food issues. I have found I don't tolerate bread or doughy foods and she can. That is actually a welcome restriction for me, because I was a carb-aholic and lived on breads and donuts/pastries/pizza/breakfast burritos/egg McMuffins/etc. I am AMAZED that I have not missed these foods. I feel SO much better not eating them, and attribute a lot of my success to a low-carb, high protein diet. The only thing I still love the taste of is garlic bread, so when my family has some, I may have a bite or two - chew and savor - and then discreetly spit it into a napkin and throw it out without swallowing. I can tolerate rice, and my favorite is the whole-grain Chicken rice in the microwaveable packet (I think it's Lipton brand?). I'm hit and miss on deli meats, chicken, and ground beef - one day OK, another day stuck. My family has become familiar with my bug-eyed look when something isn't going down good :smile:. But overall I am THRILLED with this tool and how it helps me limit all of the junk I once filled my body with. :tongue_smilie: