For over forty years I have hoped for help with weight loss from many sources:

Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Tenuate D,Pondimin, Redux, Phen Fen, Meridia, liquid diet drinks, powder blender drinks, grapefruit diets, lemon cleansing diets, Fat Camps, Spas, Lindora's shots, MD's nutritional 1,000 calorie a day diet lists, decades of gym memberships, walking partners, Jack Lalanne, Richard Simmons (oh does that man make toys!), Gramham Kerr (newer stuff).. Doesn't our list of 'helpers' seem long? I wanted to be skinny like I was in the 70's thanks to all those wonderful simple white pills (yeah, you remember the little generic white dots your doctor gave you don't you? suddenly you have energy to dance the night away, & your apartment was spotless!) It was so sad when we discovered that they could kill us! Not to mention what they did when we went off them.

Back to the present!

Nothing really worked and all the lost weight came back-& brought along friends!

I knew I was loosing the battle of the bulge, & loosing was getting harder with each diet as I got older, each weight loss toy seemed to fail faster and never to achieve the performance of the one before it... 5 years of carrying the same poundage regardless of which pill, diet plan, or exercise program.

So I searched the Internet willing now to try anything, well almost.

I found Gastric By Pass. But I wasn't that desperate- 1 out of every 200 DIES! Plus a myriad of other complications. & by the way, did anyone notice that Dr. Fobe is a large man? That is the ONLY weight loss Surgery my health provider pays for (after jumping thru 2 years of hoops, including more neutritionist diets, months of tests, and more opportunity to fail than a souffle).

So, more research. LapBand. Interestsing concept, restriction on the amount you can eat to a minimum caloric intake, no room for more, as the band never changes except with fills either in for more restriction out for less, or not at all in case of medical need. My favorite, no one dies from the operation! & it is 100% reversible if it doesn't work, or if seriuos repercussions are found to have occured! This is getting better and better!

So, after meeting a bew bandsters, attending a bash (go LV Bandsters!) meeting Dr. Kuri-wow this is not medicine as practiced in America-this is respect, kindness and a much better brand of Doctor, I am all for improvements on the run of the mill American Medical Practices can't say I am a fan. This I can do!

So I Did, I became one of Dr. Kuri's 73 bands done in August 2004. Between now & then, I have lost 38 pounds, a dress sizes (or 2, as this morning I got into my xl as opposed to 2X totally skipping 1x), a shoe size (standard instead of extra wide) and a lost that feeling of failure that has lasted me for years.

Hip Hip HOORAY!!

& I haven't even had a fill yet!

I love all the support on line, I love the get togethers and the bashes, but most of all, I enjoy envying the skinny people...yep all those wonderful bandster veterans who have lost 100, 200, plus pounds and glorifying in their before and after stories & pictures. I go into nirvana when I see someone stand up, skinny- together, looking good- who tells me that they were where I am, and I can be where they are. Because that is where I am going..

Want to Join Me?

I am on my way to being skinny. I am enjoying every moment of my band, even the pb's, even the learning curve.

Because soon, I am going to be one of those heavy loosers, who used their band to do what I could not do alone.

I can't turn back the hands of time, but I can sure try to reverse the weight scales!

Sincerely,

Socallady Alicia

230/192/125

Great Post!

Congratulations on your success to date. We are practically neighbors. I live in Mission Viejo

Keep it up! Love your attitude!

Hi Alicia,

It is good to meet you. Glad to hear all is going well. I got my band in May and have been really happy with it as well. Best wishes, Teresa

Hi Alicia and welcome. This is a great post. You have lost a lot of weight. I felt like that was me writing that post. Sort of a been there done that. Looking forward to getting to know you.

You're doing great! So glad you found what you needed and your journey is starting off so well.

Congratulations on the loss, and as for joining... count me in!

Great loss! You definately have your head in the right direction. I loved reading your post. Please keep up updated on your progress.

Great post!! It's always so nice to see the positive posts, especially for the new-comers or pre-ops! You're doing great! Welcome to the board!

Brava, Alicia! I had to laugh at your list of weight-loss programs . . . used to think I was the only one. (You mean you didn't try liquid Protein in the 70s?) One benefit of the band, for me, has been purely psychological: knowing this time I will succeed because, for once, I have a tool that works. Like grasping a hammer for the first time, after trying for years to pound a nail with a piece of Saran Wrap.

Keep writing; let us know how you're doing.

Zoe,

Shhhhhhhhhh

Don't let my wife hear the band called a tool. She'll want me to build something.

It is the best thing I have done too.

Good Luck

Greg