Let me just start by saying, I've been banded 11+ months. I don't keep or have any desire for my band to be really tight and my surgeon is leaving how tight up to me. I like that. I just wanted to share my story.

I have a very addictive personality. A type AAA lets say. Everything I do, I do full steam ahead. Eating, drinking, you name it. I experienced the alcohol thing when I was younger and did it much to excess. Coming from a home with an alcoholic father, this scared me and I eventually with some help was able to leave this behind. Then the devil on my shoulder became smoking. That was a really hard one to kick, but eventually, I did that too, this time on my own, but with much failure and restarting. food being an acceptable addiction crept up on me then it stopped creeping and just started moving in. After years of yoyo dieting and trying every diet I could find and making up others on the way, with thousands of dollars spent on fads and diet pills I found I could not handle this on my own. I decided to get the band.

When I first got my band, I admit I thought it would cure me my addiction. I didn't know it was a tool. I had been told it was, but I still didn't know it. I had not yet found this forum and a part of me wishes I had, but another part of me wouldn't change a thing.

The preop weight came off great, I didn't totally hate the shakes though I missed the lunches out 3-4 times a week with my coworkers and found it difficult to avoid the Snacks that were constantly being delivered to the office by well meaning clients. The post op diet was more difficult for me as by then I hated the shakes and had very little imagination as to what else to try. My first eggs, 3 weeks post op was the best food I had ever eaten. I had hiatel hernial repair and plication with my band. I do love the plication and believe I avoided BANDSTER HELL because of it. The surgery itself was pretty hard on me and it may have been because of the extra procedures involved, but like we all do, I eventually bounced back. I had my surgery on Friday and went back to work on Monday. Tuesday I had to go to surgeons office and have all of my residual fill removed due to too much swelling. I had my first stuck feeling that day due to gulping fluids through a straw (I forgot no straws). Looking back, it was probably alot of gas in my stomach, much different feeling than the gas around the stomach.

Anyway, 11 months out, I'm down 75 lbs and only a few to goal. My goal isn't set in stone, so may be adjusted depending on how I feel when I get there. I'm not going to have any reconstructive surgeries as my body has managed to bounce back ok. Not bikini-ok, but I'm 55 and never was a bikini personality anyway.

I put a full length mirror in my bathroom 4 or 5 months back so I could make myself look at me. Something I haven't been able to do in a long time. I'm just starting to convince my mind that I'm not obese anymore. I eat what I want, I just don't want as much and I'm mindful of what I eat so I don't sabotage my weight loss. I don't feel like I'm dieting, just reprogramming myself to want healthier foods. I exercise 4 to 5 days a week and mix that up a lot. I feel I have developed alot of tools to go with the band and if I lost the band, I might could manage now. I hope I don't have to find out. I just want to give a shout out to all of you out there that are on this journey with me. I know we each may do it slightly differently, but we are all heading in the same direction and it helps. I love that most out there aren't trying to tell others how to do it, but how they do it, which is sometimes different.

Thank you! This is great inspiration. You sound very happy and you look amazing! - K

AWWW! Thank you. As for being happy, I definitely am. I feel like I'm finally doing something for myself.

Awesome story. Thanks for sharing and congratulations