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Wow, I think I posted this same post..lol First off let me start off by saying CONGRAT ON 30LBS..That is GREAT!.. Before I had my first fill, I did not loose NOTHING for 3 weeks and I was very frustrated. I thought ok I need a fill. I got my first fill and for the first four days it was great and then I felt like I have never had a fill. I could eat ANYTHING! I was not eating as much as I use to, but anything I put in my mouth I could eat. So two weeks later, I get my second fill. In those two weeks I had lost 3 lbs, which is good. In my mind I thought it was bad and what I was eating was WAY to much. I had to stop and think thqt what I was eating was really not that much compared to what I use to eat. I think we all have it in our minds that we are only suppose to eat two bits and be full. I have GREAT restriction now, but on the flip side of things I have to really work hard to get my 1200 calories a day. I have learned that this is a tool that you have to work with. I now can not eat eggs, chicken, pretty much have problems with anything solid. I have to chew chew chew and eat VERY slow. I get that "stuck" feeling very easy. I think somtime that I would rather have to have the "Self Control" rather that the "stuck" feeling after eating a couple of bits. I have learned that with anything in life, this takes WORK and good choices. Again 30 lbs is GREAT! Keep up the good work.

I used to love my band until I started choking on vomit in my sleep. I am revising to a sleeve soon. The band was great at first, until that started happening. I am not having trouble now, but I have no restriction. I ate a plate of spaghetti and 2 pieces of garlic bread tonight. okay, call me an over eater, but that is what I got the band for. If I were to get a fill, I would go back to choking on vomit in my sleep. It's a very fine line between being too tight and being too loose. I am tired of worrying about fills and unfills so I am getting the sleeve surgery. Sorry, but I have to be truthful here.

Hey cammy That's the incision that takes longest to heal. It comes on the skin fold and yes falls on the bra strip. And the hole factor will go away slowly. But yes it'll leave a big scar:( mine took almost 2 months before I got comfortable with that particular incision.

This is great to know. I'm going to get some papaya and blend it in my shake. It has wonderful healing properties. Years ago when I had a small skin cancer removed on my face, the plastic surgeon recommended I eat some daily to speed the healing of bruises...it really worked! He had actually done some research on this. meat tenderizer is made from papaya, so it sounds like it just dissolves old cells away! I don't like the taste so much, but blended into a shake, it will be edible.

I've spoken to the hospital, actually AJ the registrar and he thinks it should be fine to go ahead with the laser hair removal. He had no concerns about the the laser treatment having any impact on any WLS that I'm likely to have. 29th July 2009. Today I got a call back fromt the clinic, and the lady Candace confirmed that she had spoken to the clinics medical doctor and that based on my medication everythin should be fine. The only had a slight concern about the fact that I'm diabetic and the slower healing process. Anyway, after a brief discussion I've booked to go in for a skin patch test next week Monday in the afternoon. So I guess we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd make use of the time that I have before I get my date for surgery. Will let you guys know how everything goes.

After surgey when should you start doing exercises, and what kind? Are the toning band exercises good to prevent loose/sagging skin? If not which exercises are good for it?

I am being banded on June 4th. I started my pre-op diet on Friday, May 23rd. My starting weight is 200# and my BMI is 35. Can someone who started at about the same place tell me about what they lost each month for the first few months? I'm hoping to be down 25 or 30 pounds in 3 months but I don't know if that is realistic since my total to loose is 75#. I really want to set some goals. I want goals that are achieveable and will require exercise and effort for me to achieve. I just don't want to set my goals so high that I can't reach them and feel like a failure. In the same thought, I want my goal to motivate me to stay on track. Does this sound okay...... May 23 start date... 200# June 4th band date ~ 3 pound on pre op diet???? July 4th 1 month with band ~ 10 pounds???? August 4th 2 months with band/ 1 month with fill ~ 20 pounds????? September 4th 3 months with band ~ 25 pounds????? Please share what you lost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks, TxJuneBug08

Thanks for the info. That scares me because back in Nov I started having MASSIVE acid reflux. They started doing the same thing by saying im too tight and taking fill out. I knew I wasnt too tight but trusted them. The heartburn didnt go away and I didnt wanna go to the dr and have them take more out cause I already was feeling like I was super loose now that they had taken some out. So i lived with the heartburn until Jan. Finally I went back in and they ordered an upper GI to check for slippage and it came back perfect. I still have MASSIVE heartburn but now I take Prevacid OC daily and its gone, but if I forget to take it one day, OH MAN it comes back. Ive just come to the conclusion that my body isnt keeping the acid down by itself. Im never nausiated so Im guessing im ok. I dunno. I see myself being able to eat more but not get sick. I would think I would know if I had slipped right?

Do anyone have any great ideas on toning the arms befor the loose skin kicks in. Any ideas would be best, I haven't got the flabby arm skin but I want to prevent it.

Hello everyone! It is me Zhanna! I have been banded 1 month tomorrow. I am kinda dissapointed with my results since I lost about 12 pounds. I can eat anything nowwith tiny restriction. Of course my portions are 1/2 smaller than I used to eat but I am afraid I am not loosing enough at this time. I am going for my first fill on Jan 7th. Please let me know if it is normal. Also what is good restriction in terms of portions. If you are able to eat CHicken breast and some veggies for dinner or lunch is it alot? Thank you for your help!

Instead of cutting out the stretchy portion of the stomach, they measure ( with the same bougie), and fold the stomach into itself, double stitch it in a way that has the same restriction as a sleeve but does not cut off blood flow to the stomach. The sleeve boasts a dramatic reduction in the grenahlin horomon, however a perk to the plication is not actually loosing any of your stomach incase it's needed lol... Hopefully one would never need a revision but the options there. They say its reversible then, but why would I want it reversed lol...

Yesterday I joined six other ladies on my journey to a new life, and I must say I am both happy and scared about the choice to have surgery. I worry that because I am not jumping up and down, feeling like I have won the lottery is a really bad way to start. Am I afraid? I have failed so many times before, will I fail again? When I had a heart attack last May I woke up with a clear goal - loose the weight and live to see my daughter grow up. I jumped right on the bandwagon and started Simply for Life the day I was released. Three months and 30 lbs. later I fell off the diet and never tried again. Where is that go getter, I can do it attitude? Is it hidden amongst all the past failures at weight loss? Is it fear of disappointing everyone? How do I kick it? Well, I took step number one, I gave up diet pop yesterday. I have gone two full days without a drink of it, and thats the first time in 12 years (during my pregnancy). Please God, give me the will to face myself. Give me the strength to try and succeed.

Yesterday I joined six other ladies on my journey to a new life, and I must say I am both happy and scared about the choice to have surgery. I worry that because I am not jumping up and down, feeling like I have won the lottery is a really bad way to start. Am I afraid? I have failed so many times before, will I fail again? When I had a heart attack last May I woke up with a clear goal - loose the weight and live to see my daughter grow up. I jumped right on the bandwagon and started Simply for Life the day I was released. Three months and 30 lbs. later I fell off the diet and never tried again. Where is that go getter, I can do it attitude? Is it hidden amongst all the past failures at weight loss? Is it fear of disappointing everyone? How do I kick it? Well, I took step number one, I gave up diet pop yesterday. I have gone two full days without a drink of it, and thats the first time in 12 years (during my pregnancy). Please God, give me the will to face myself. Give me the strength to try and succeed.

It's Easter Saturday here and I have succumbed...a bit! I ate two chocs but they were little individual squares so not tragic. I have two more for tomorrow and refused to be ashamed about them...I decided that when I want to give myself little treats I will thoroughly enjoy them and then not fall off abnd wagon completelyfrom feelings of guilt. I was worried the doctor had damaged my port site by the way he went about trying to find out how it had moved but am more relaxed today. the slight pulling snesation I had whenever I stood up the last couple of days has eased off enormously and so hopefully I was just a bit bruised. DH calls me delicatalison because I have always had very sensitive skin:) I had soups for a couple of days after 1st fill but was hungry today and so had a scrambled egg and later some pureed peas and a slice of ham. Everything seems to be going down just fine and haven't felt any real restriction but am still not worried 'cos am eating fine. I got weighed today and have lost another kilo so that's Ok too:clap2: We are going out just before midnight to the square outside our home for the anastasi...A holy flame is taken all around Greece and spread from one candle to another to announce the ressurection. We take our candles and the priest at midnight passes the flame around. Then we come home and make the mark of a cross on the house door. It's a Greek service I really like. Only thing to spoil it this year might be the rain. Never mind eh!?!?!?

Yesterday was a fill day. I am going to make this my last fill. This is the fill that will get me to Onderland. I weighed in this morning at 232.8 and I know for a fact that my scale is two pounds off so I am actually 230.8. So this fill has to help me lose at least 31.8 pounds. My goal was to be in Onderland by July 4, 2010. That’s 10 lbs a month including this month. I really tried to be 220-something by March 24, 2010 (my two year bandiversary). Well, obviously I was not successful with that. That’s okay though. I still have my main goal and I am still determined to get there. I am kicking up my physical activity. Every day I have to do something (walk, exercise video, clean up, cut the grass, play Wii – I don’t care… as long as it’s something). I want to join the gym, but I’m waiting for EKG results. Since my blood work and chest x-rays came back great I am almost sure that my EKG results will allow me to begin working out. I really just want to be able to master the elliptical machine; use the abductor and inductor equipment; and use some sort of arm machine to try to tighten up my flabby upper arms. I’m praying that the elliptical machine will not only help me build cardio strength, but will also lift my sagging thighs. I love losing weight, but I hate that I allowed myself to get so fat that my skin is loose. I saw a woman at the hospital the other day. She was wearing short sleeves and her arms led me to believe that she has lost quite a bit of weight. Her skin was loose and covered with shrunken stretch marks. But she was wearing those short sleeves with confidence. Who could blame her, aside from her arms, she looked great (fully covered in her shirt and long pants) but great. So, I’m increasing my activity so that even if I end up with “loose meat” I can still look decent in clothes. I’m also doing it because I’ve had a few weird episodes of chest pains and burning sensations from my jaw line down to my chest. That’s why I had all those tests done. Heart disease runs in my family. I need to everything I can to avoid any kind of heart disease. So this morning I am drinking my protein shake – very slowly because I am very tight. Usually after a band it is recommended that I do liquids for 24 hours. I think I may do 48 hours. We’ll see it may be longer, I really am tight. All I can do is sip. But that’s the norm for me right after a fill. Anything more and I’m asking for trouble. So I’ll be checking in later to record how I’m doing.

Early Wednesday morning and I am still awake as usual. I wake, therefore I write. I weigh on Monday mornngs and otherwise avoid the scales because it would just make me crazy. This Monday morning I weighed 207. Things are still moving in the right direction. Last night I gave a reading of my short stories and poetry at a local music and literature event that happens each summer. It's fun- I get feedback on my work and $100 for 45 minutes of reading. A friend of mine took a picture of me last night and showed it to me today. There is less of me than there was, though I still look pretty soft and spongy. I wondered if it is really possible that I shall eventually dig myself out of all this too, too solid flesh and if a thin person might actually emerge in time. It won't be the same person that emerged the last time I lost weight- for one thing I am six years older and even in the normal course of events, certain parts of me would be heading south by now. I'm a bit afraid I might wake up one morning and discover I am a thin person hiding inside a fat person's skin, and I don't have the financial resources to have a lot of excess skin sculpted away. On the positive side, I don't have a lot of stretch marks to indicate damage and I didn't have a lot of loose skin the last time I lost a significant amount of weight. On the negative side- well, no reason to belabor the batwings or relaxed throat that come with five and a half decades of life even in some of my thin friends. It will be what it will be, and even so will be better than hauling around the equivalent of my fourth grade self on my body. A loss of 33 pounds is just beginning to really show to other people, but I feel much better living inside my body. I move better, dancing is easier, my horse doesn't have such a load to carry, and my jeans need to be replaced pretty soon. I saw the doc last week as planned and told him that I was still dealing with some issues including carbonated beverages. He asked, "Do you drink the high octane stuff?" I thought he meant caffienated, but he meant sugar. Told him no, I haven't drunk sugared soft drinks since Tab came out about a hundred years ago. He said, "Then what's the problem?" I explained I'd read and been told that the carbonation caused stomach stretching. He smiled and said that was usually more of a problem with the gastric bypass than with banding and not to worry about drinking occasional diet soft drinks. That made me quite happy as I love carbonated drinks, including things like Perrier and lime, and it makes life easier and more pleasant to not have to work to give them up altogether. DISCLAIMER: I am not suggesting anyone else should or should not imbibe diet soft drinks and I am not particularly interested in discussing the pros and cons of diet soft drinks. We shall now return to our irregularly scheduled blog. I have discovered there are some things I can no longer eat and the reality actually bothers me less than the anticipation of having to give them up. Black pepper Trisket crackers don't sit well, with or without Brie cheese. Microwaved chicken breast is a seriously bad idea. Hamburger patties are on the way out of my life, which is just as well since I really liked hamburgers and ate a lot of them before banding. French fries aren't too bad in small amounts, but what good are french fries without hamburgers? Most bread is a problem, though toast seems to be okay. This was one of the biggies for me- man may not live by bread alone, but it was a pretty serious part of my diet. Still, pain and foaming are excellent incentives to give up certain foods, and I find it bothers me less as time goes on. On the positive side, I can still eat rice and angel hair spaghetti and I am learning to eat fruit so that the fibrous membranes don't trip me up. Cheese and low fat low sugar pineapple sherbert are still edible, though I have to be careful not to eat all my meals in some form of frozen milk and eggs. That'll probably get easier as the weather cools off and as I figure what else I can eat without causing myself problems. One step at a time; I'm not going to freak out because of a chocolate malt every couple of weeks. I am not a person who can eliminate all fats and sugar from my diet; eating an occasional small package of cocoanut M&Ms is not going to set me back, but I also need to not become complacent about the amount of sweets I eat. Getting enough protein has always been a problem for me and even more so now, but I'm working on it. I've been eating a fair number of almonds because they are easy to chew up and get down. Well, this has been a remarkably boring entry, but it helps me to line some things out on paper in order to see where I am so I know where to go next. I haven't eliminated all problems from my diet, but the good old LAP-BAND®® keeps me from eating too much of anything. I realized this week that I am stopping when I feel full instead of finishing that last bite of ice cream or the second half of a sandwich. "Clean your plate" was hardwired into my psyche sometime early in life along with the idea if you fail to eat what someone puts in front of you their feelings may be hurt because food=love and affection. For years I've known intellectually this isn't true, but tell that to my inner child. Maybe she's finally getting restructured. Off to bed. I have several newspaper articles to write tomorrow and need to get up before noon to do the research. Blessed be.

I don't track calories. I think I need to follow a eating plan and I am starting back to the gym tomorrow ! I am so sad I can seem to loose anything. I was 241 now 153 give or take I feel like a failure that can't get down any more

I lost 15lb in 1 week with glandular fever. I couldnt exercise for 3 months as I was so sick and was hospitalized twice for severe dehydration. I lost all of my weight REALLY quickly because of it and the only real side effect I'm suffering now because of it is HEAPS of saggy skin. It just didn't have time to contract. Focus on getting better, not on the weight.

Well I would like to say that everything is awesome my first day after surgery, but it's pretty painful. I will say though it isn't that bad to swallow which I was overjoyed to see. But the tenderness and soreness feels like I went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson. Another cool thing I was glad to see was that they glued my incisions up instead of stitches. You can almost barely see the cuts on my skin. All in all I don't feel real bad but like I said the soreness is pretty extensive. I'm going to get up and try to be more mobile today and hopefully some of the gas pains and little aches and pains will get better by tomorrow.

I have been a bit down in the dumps lately because the past few weeks' weight loss has been really slow. But this week was great -- over 3.5 lbs. lost! I am now down to 192.2, very close to being in the 180s and so excited about that! I had a NSV today, too. About a month ago I went shopping for some new jeans, since my size 22's were getting pretty loose. I was really happy to find out I could fit into size 18WP jeans, even though they were a little snug. I bought two pairs of jeans. I am very short and the jeans were still a couple of inches too long, so I needed to get them hemmed (I can't sew at all!). I had a lot going on the past few weekends, so kept putting off taking the jeans to get hemmed, but today I finally did it, because the size 22s are so loose they are going to fall off any day now, and just *have* to go. So I went to the seamstress to get the jeans hemmed, and put on the size 18s for the seamstress to measure, and I was quite gratified to notice that they were looser than I remembered when I bought them. The seamstress made me stand on a little dias so she could get the length right and I was facing a large full-length mirror. At that point I noticed the new size 18's were actually already pretty darn loose in the legs, and comfortably loose around the torso. I started wondering if maybe I was getting close to fitting into a size 16WP. So, after I finished with the seamstress, I headed on over to Macy's and decided to try on some new jeans. I picked up a pair of Levi's size 16 short, the Macy's house brand of jeans, and a pair of size 16 capris. When I got to the fitting room, I picked up the Levi's first and was aghast because the size 16s looked really, really small. I didn't think I could even get them up over my thighs ... but I did. I even got them buttoned and zipped up, to my amazement. OK, I have to admit, they were tight, and I wouldn't have felt really comfortable wearing them, so off they went. I nearly bought them just to measure my weight loss progress, but decided to hold off for a few weeks and come back and try again in a month or so. The Macy's jeans, however, fit perfectly and so did the capris. I took my new size 16 jeans to the seamstress and had her swap out one of the size 18 jeans (which I will hem using that magic hem stuff I bought from Walgreens). So, I am officially able to wear size 16! Woo hoo! I ended up buying a couple of new bras this weekend too -- the balconette style from Lane Bryant, size 42DDD. I was pleasantly surprised at the nice shaping they provide. My girls are hangin' low, so to speak, so they need a strong support and shaping bra! Now I will be brutally honest -- I look like total crap with clothes off. I have horrendous cottage cheese thighs right now -- not just the normal cellulite area, but everywhere down to my knees, front and back -- ick. And as I mentioned, I pretty much have the breasts of an 80 year old woman. And I still have a big old gut and butt. And, I am sporting a rather nasty wattle on my chin, making me look years older. Every day I put bio-oil on my chin hoping to moisturize and firm the loose skin, but it doesn't seem to be working that great. My body is definitely smaller than it was, but by no means is it a body I would be willing to parade a bathing suit around in! But, all in all, I am totally thrilled with my sleeve and feeling better and more confident every day. I am really looking forward to the summer, when hopefully I will be down in the normal size clothes range, and will look and feel even better. I talked to my husband and we are going to try the couch to 5K program this spring, and sign up for a local 5K race this summer. That will be a HUGE NSV for me, to finish a 5K! I am really excited about the future!

You are loosing really GREAT!!!! I wish I lost at that pace. I agree with previous poster. I wish I had the guts to ask really personal questions back. I was dieting and exercising preband and had lost about 100 pounds. I had an older woman yesterday ask me how much I had lost. She told me her daughter told her about a girl at the gym who had lost "So much weight". So I told her 170 pounds. They get so excited. Kind of wish the gym had taken before picture, I might have been able to get some money out of this if they used me in Before and After advertising!

Hey yall. So my underarms are icky and flabby. I work out everyday and do pilates 3 days a week and can see that the fat is visibly being lost in them but they still have that not attractive left over skin. How can I make that skin tighten up and be more attractive? My mom offered to get me surgery (she is the best) but I want to try everything else first. Its almost bathing suit season and tank season so I wanna be not embarrassed by them anymore. Thanks!!!!!!!!!

I need some help getting motivated. I had a 13 week bedrest period (had stomach skin removal surgery that got infected and had another surgery to remove infection). After surgery they emptied my band to 3cc's. I was at 7cc's at time of 1st surgery. Those 2 surgeries were Sept and Oct 2011. Since, i had gallbladder removal in Apr 2012. i have gained 22lbs since. My band is at 6.8 but don't feel much restriction. I have no motivation since i have not worked out since Sept.....help!

Well everyone I have come to a point where I am extremely happy with my size and my wife thinks I need to gain a few pounds back! LOL. I started my journey 02-24-10 and was at a whoppin 340lbs and thats after loosing 55 on my own, but I am at a wonderful 208. 32-33 inch waist pant and med.-lg shirts, I have seen people I havent seen in 6 or so months and they dont even reconize me AT ALL! My wifes uncle thought that she had remarried when we drove to Mississippi to see him, 132lbs in 7 months and I can honestly saw I have worked my @ss off in the gym and I am proud of myself and my weight loss. I have still not had bread, pasta, or sweets!