I am 30 years old, have always been plus size (5"10, 368 lbs, size 28) and have extremely high self esteme. I was a plus size model in my earlier years and I'm sure that helped with body image. My desire to have the band isn't necessarily to improve my self confidence, rather to improve my way of life. I'm looking forward to working out (surprisingly), to not dreading stairs, booths at restaurants and shopping. Finding boots that will easily fit my calves is going to be amazing.

So after a cousin of mine had the surgery I decided to look into it. I've done much research, read A LOT of postings on this website (all incredibly helpful) and spoken with many people. It has all happened really quickly. After meeting with the surgeon and the psychologist, my surgery date is set for December 21st (3 weeks). I am both nervous and excited. My question for you all is what to expect, right after surgery, the weeks and months to come. How quickly did you all see results?

Mar

Hey Mar,

It's good to see someone else on here that's similar to myself. I just turned 29 two weeks ago, I'm 5'11 310 lbs. I've also always been confident. Never felt as big as I truly am. I've done all the pre op testing and find out tomorrow what my surgery date will be. I'm really excited & terribly nervous for the changes about to take place in my life ( although I know they are necessary).

Good luck with your surgery & success. Do they have you on a pre op diet??

D :-)

I am 30 years old, have always been plus size (5"10, 368 lbs, size 28) and have extremely high self esteme. I was a plus size model in my earlier years and I'm sure that helped with body image. My desire to have the band isn't necessarily to improve my self confidence, rather to improve my way of life. I'm looking forward to working out (surprisingly), to not dreading stairs, booths at restaurants and shopping. Finding boots that will easily fit my calves is going to be amazing.

So after a cousin of mine had the surgery I decided to look into it. I've done much research, read A LOT of postings on this website (all incredibly helpful) and spoken with many people. It has all happened really quickly. After meeting with the surgeon and the psychologist, my surgery date is set for December 21st (3 weeks). I am both nervous and excited. My question for you all is what to expect, right after surgery, the weeks and months to come. How quickly did you all see results?

Mar

i love to read about people wanting to loose weight just to make getting around eaiser, not because they feel "fat" just because you are big never means your not beautiful good for you

December 21st is my surgery date as well. I too am looking forward to a better way of life. just getting around lately has been tough on my knees and ankles so I am excited for you. I hope to see your future posts. December Bandsters unite! Good Luck and God Bless!

Hi Marlene.

I had my band surgery on 9/17/10 so I have only been a bandster for the past 2 1/2 months. Bariatric doctor practices vary but I'll tell you what it was like for me both leading up to my band surgery and my post surgery experience.

My MD (I went to NYU) is a big proponent of reducing the fat in your liver before surgery so I was on a pre-op 10-day diet consisting of liquid Protein shakes and no solid meals during this period. Although I was given a choice as to which Protein shake to use (providing it was not high in fat and sugar), I still found this to be a very challenging period for me. I complained constantly during this period of being either hungry and/or feeling sick/bloated. It was not easy to get through this period. Nonetheless, the results speak for themselves! I lost about 9 pounds in 10 days during this period and have kept this weight off!. This is the most weight I have ever lost in so short a period of time. Awesome! In retrospect, this was a great way to jump start the band surgery and I would do it again in a heart beat, even with the negatives I cited.

On the day of my surgery, I was very nervous. My being nervous was heightened because my surgery was seriously delayed causing me to wait almost the entire day. I ended up being the 2nd to the last patient done that day and had my surgery many hours after it was originally scheduled! Waiting with nothing to do really gets on your nerves. I suggest bringing an ipod/itouch/ipad, knitting or book, even though they say to leave valuables behind. Just give them to your significant other to hold and take home when you are about to go into surgery. The band surgery itself and the PACU (recovery room) experience went smoothly with no problems,

Post-op, my instructions were to keep on a liquid diet for 10 days. While in the hospital (I stayed overnight) I was on a clear liquid diet with no issues. I was discharged the next day and went home in the early afternoon. I was not told to keep it to Clear liquids. In fact, I was told to make sure I ate enough protein each day and to have at least 2 Protein Shakes during this period. When I had the protein shake on my 2nd day after surgery, I began to feel sick (nauseous) and had trouble breathing starting about 1 hours after I ate the shake. It was discovered that I was swollen from surgery and, therefore, the thicker liquids, like in protein shakes, would take longer to go down and should be eaten slowly and in smaller quantities (the shake did go down eventually and I began to feel better, but this was MANY hours later). After this episode, I was more careful with the thickness of anything I put in my mouth. I now tell people to stay with a clear liquid diet for 3 days after your surgery and then slowing begin to introduce thicker liquids into your diet to see how it is tolerated.

After my post-op check up at day 10, I started mushy food and stayed on that for another 10 days without any issues. After the 10 day mushy period comes the real challenge of "real" food. This is when some people have weight loss plateaus. I still did not have my 1st fill when I began solid foods so you really have to be careful during this period. Even with the 1st fill, you may overeat until you actually get to your "sweet spot". The real weight loss comes when you get sufficient fill in your band so that you can eat smaller portions. It is an art that takes many visits to the doctor's office, usually.

I've had one fill (3cc in a 10cc lap band) but I don't feel I have found my "sweet spot" yet. I eat less than before but still think my portions are too big. My next fill is in about 10 days. I will ask for more fill.

I am currently 28 pounds down from my highest weight. I am fairly happy with my weight loss so far. Some of my weight loss came with my pre-op diet but much of it came after my surgery. What you should know is that the lap band is NOT the fastest way to lose weight compared to other weight loss surgeries. Other weight loss surgeries, like RNY, have faster weight loss averages. However, lap band surgery has been proven to be the safest surgical way to lose weight and, eventually, we all get to the same place: at our ideal weight. Lap band surgery lets you lose about 0.5 to 2 pounds per week on average if you follow the guidelines set by your doctor's office. If you go by the experts, any faster weight loss is not healthy and can cause serious health issues, like gall bladder problems.

I am very happy with my lap band and would do it all over again if I had to. You did the right thing to research the surgery before you decided to go ahead with the surgery so you know what you have ahead of you. I think you are making the right decision. Best of luck with your band journey.

Maxi

I JUST started on the pre op diet yesterday and I already hate my life. I understand the importance of it (the liver shrinkage and all) but it doesnt make it any easier. The one I am on is 800 calories a day - which consists of 2 shakes and 1 bar a day. Thats it. The next 3 weeks are going to be extremely tough!

Hey Mar,

It's good to see someone else on here that's similar to myself. I just turned 29 two weeks ago, I'm 5'11 310 lbs. I've also always been confident. Never felt as big as I truly am. I've done all the pre op testing and find out tomorrow what my surgery date will be. I'm really excited & terribly nervous for the changes about to take place in my life ( although I know they are necessary).

Good luck with your surgery & success. Do they have you on a pre op diet??

D :-)