Boykie

Yippee. The scale read 235.0 this morning. am down 10 lbs in the past fortnight, however this is 'cos i had a rough couple of weeks. Had a fill prev wed, so 3 days of liquids. Then I ate something that caused my stomach to swell, so went back onto liquids after begin off for 5, it was rough. Taking the rough with the smooth, it is the results that count, so I too am a happy camper. Great week to everyone

way cool - a good week after a few boring weeks .. maybe cos i had an adjustment and am on liquids again. 4 lbs in about 8 days.. amazing how much better you feel when you loose.. i went thru 2 months of yo-yo and found it depressing.. So, look forward and good luck to all..

Good luck to you. your stats seem similar to mine - except that you are 10 years younger. I had surgery on Good Friday (April) 2009, and am down 45 lbs. My medical did not pay for anything, but I decided if I wanted to live beyound my 55th birthday, now was the time to start. Good luck on your journey. Sometimes i find it frustrating (like when i yo-yo'd for 2 months - not setious, just 3 or so pound bandwidth). Other times it is so rewarding. Like, taking my belt in 5 notches -- until i got banded my belt always worked for a living, now it still works, but is in 'keeping up' not 'keeping in'. Also, wearing clothes i have nt worn since i stopped smoking 10 years ago.. this is bloody magic. Good on ya.

244.4 today.. YAY - I am loosing again. After a couple of months of bouncing up/down the same 4 pounds [which included a vacation on the road], i got a fill last wed, and 9 days later here I am - 5.5 lbs down from the weight9 days ago.. I am also almost half way to my initial goal - down a cumulative 43 pounds.. Good luck to everyone, have a fantastic weekend.. k

Yeah, but holding pants up is a holiday compared to the real work of keeping me contained (and protecting the clothes from shredding) LOL :thumbup: Still a ways to go, but much more comfortable in my clothes, and fitting into some that had been hanging on the side of the wardrobe that catered to the clothes that had shrunken over time... another LOL

bugger, sorry about the double post - guess i forgot to press refresh - thought it had gotten lost .. sorry bout that

until recently, my belts really had to work.. now they are optional... that is great

until now, my belt always had to work. . .

Damn, how I am hoping to find that sweet spot.. I have only had one fill, and my doctor wants me on two days of Clear Liquids followed by 2 days of full liquids after a fill. I abbreviate it to 3 days of Protein shakes.. LOL Also, I guess your stomach may have swollen slightly, so taking it a little easier for a day or two might help.. keep well, good luck k

WOW guys - some seriously motivating stories here. I am 2 months post-op, and feel most my weightloss was pre-surgery & during recovery thereafter. We will see. Am down 34 lbs so far, but very little of that has been subsequent to about a month after the op. We will see. I believe I still have to find my GreenZone .. and then hopefully. My BMI has come down from 44.5 to 39.5, so that is good, but am really looking forward to dropping the next 52 lbs so I can Celebrate OneDerLand with so many other bandsters.. Keep smiling k

I am on about the same timeline as you. feeling hungry a lot, and not loosing near the weight i thought i would. I am down 33 lbs, but most of that from the pre and post op liquid diets. I am thinking of joining weight-watchers to get my food groups/mixes better.. Any comments on this ? tks k

Go for it -- it is great to have tools that help us achieve our goals. I have yo-yo'd for years, and i am about to venture into territory I have not been in for over 5 years... cool... after my first fill past Wed, i am now down a few pounds .. 253 today .. bloody magic .. k

Nice words of encouragement from you. I have found this board so helpful - as you said, many people in the same boat have gone down this road, so we can learn off of each other. Onto the password comment though.. I was in the same position, so just created a new tickler.com account. k

be weary.. your doctors office may be 'sure', but when you sign the paper at the hospital, you are also undertaking to pay anything not covered by the insurance... be cautious. i am a 'self pay', and it is a lot of money [my daughter is still pissed that i spent 'her car money'] .. just kidding, she is not... k

At the risk of throwing fuel onto the fire.... I think it is a personal choice. In my research, I liked three main things. (1) I am not cutting out any part of my body (2) I can remove it if I need full absorbtion in the event of a serious illness/surgery (3) I know three people who have had GB and all have absorbtion problems. Further, I decided I would try band and if I did not make it the whole way, I could then do GB/GS. I thought that if I lost some weight first it might lessen the chance of problems from surgery. So, it is a personal choice. Either way, the surgery is just a tool and you have to make the mental commitment. I have heard of people who have had either and lived on fast-food milkshakes, and not lost weight. I know of someone who is planning to have GB because then she 'can eat anything she wants to'. That is so wrong. Lastly. In reading these communications that our "Band of Brothers/Sisters" share, there are plenty pf people at or below target weight, so I do not know where the "you only loose 50% of your excess weight with LBT" comes from. You are doing the right thing to help you change your life. Get informed and do what is right for YOU.... Regards k

i used OptiFast800, and fortunately my dr sells them.. i thought i saw them on ebay though,, good luck It is a great step - the start of the rest of your life.. k

Good luck guys.. I am 6 weeks post-op, and had my first fill this past Wednesday. This LapBand thing is tool to help form the new way of life.. Enjoy the journey.. and, good luck getting to Op day... later k

256.0 today [cumulative total to date is 30.0 lbs]

My experience (2 days ago) was much like CelticAngel reported. Was my first fill, 3.0 cc's. I am on 4 days of liquids following that fill, then shall see how it helps. I spend about 10 days being really hungry before the fill. Started seeing some yo-yo weights, up and down by 2.5 pounds. As I detest broth like liquids, I am just doing the Optifast milkshakes for the first few days. Looks like the yo-yo has stopped and I am now down 30 pounds so far (from start of pre-op diet). So, relax and enjoy, it is all part of the ride to a better healthier life. Kind regards k

Relax. I waited most of a week. In my situation, I had been on liquid diet for 15 days pre-op, (absolutely nothing to eat) then post op I only drank water and some fruit juice for the 4 days - so all in all, there was not much of anything to get rid of... So, unless you are uncomfortable, I would relax and not worry k

Thanks for that.. Looking at your stats, you have done amazingly well. Congrats. Yesterday I heard of someone who was banded 2 years ago, is at her goal weight, and now her doctor is recommending removing the band. Has anyone heard of this before ? I thought that was a setup for disappointment, but will post next time I get an update from her.. well done. k

Hey Jim I also noticed a lack of men on this board - was not sure if it was a tendency of men to not use the board, or the ratio of men vs women in the banding process. I am right behind you mate - got banded 4/10. Post-op days 3 & 4 were hell for me. Sunday (day3) I found I could not keep any liquids down, so monday 630am i jumped into my car and drove the 2 hours to my doctor, he took 1.2 cc outta the tube ('priming' residue) and I felt immediate relief. so, day 4 was marginally better (managed to keep about a half glass of Water down) and then improved each day since.. I am interested in what you are experiencing, so will follow your discussion. You might also attribute the weight gain to the exercise - assuming you were starting-up. (is that not what they always tell you at Weight Watchers - you are building muscle ?) Anyway, good on ya mate. kevin

pure luxury My doctor had me on Optifast for 15 days before the operation, After day #2, I was not hungry. So-much-so that i often forgot to drink the 5th shake of the day. On Op day, he said my liver looked 'good'. Since then, I have not been able to drink much more than Water or a little gatorade.. but it might be too soon to judge as I am only on day #5 post surgery (counting the day of surgery). I would love to be able to have milkshakes now, this water is getting pretty boring (although I am not really hungry) So, i know it is hard, but hang in there.. Good luck going thru the process.... k

Could not wait until the morn. found 24 hr pharmacy, sucked 3 Gas-x strips. feeling much better already (only been 15 minutes, so let me see how it goes). many thanks for the advice k Followup: Went back to Dr, he removed 1.2cc of saline, and i felt like a choke-hold had been released. Turns out that I had become inflamed and that caused the issue. Thanks for the advice team

tx - appreciate the feedback. guess i know what i am doing in the morning k