I was banded in Mississauga (Toronto) on December 18th, 2014. I am 11 weeks post-op and down 37 pounds.

It may not be a ton of weight lost, but its all gone, gone gone forever, and I am losing slow and steady. As I lay in bed last night, I touched my ribs (I have ribs?!) and reflected on how things have changed for me since being banded two and a half months ago.

I realized last night that I am totally, completely, madly in love with my band. Here's why:

• My size 22 pants fall down to my ankles if I don't wear a belt.
• Even when I do wear a belt, my size 22 pants look like I'm wearing a parachute.
• I can put on my "old" jeans without unzipping/unbuttoning the fly.
• My tummy scars are a proud (and only slightly scary) red/purple, and serve to remind me every day of the commitment I've made to myself.
• My College students talk about me when they think I have my back turned/can't hear them and say things like "Damn, she's looking GOOD".
• I no longer have to use a "bath sheet" sized towel. A regular sized one wraps around my bod, thanks very much.
• I am no longer winded when I climb a set of stairs.
• People at work tell me hair looks AMAZING. What they are actually saying doing is choosing my hair as the way to give me a "YOU LOOK AMAZING!" compliment without verbalizing my obvious weight loss. This gives me JOY.
• I can no longer feel my thighs pressing against the sides of my office chair.
• Truth: In the shower, I no longer have to lift stuff up to wash other stuff. Seriously.
• When I get up to pee in the middle of the night there is no pain in my body. Anywhere. The aches are gone.
• My favourite LL Bean down jacket from before I chubbed out FITS ME and I can zip it up easily.
• I proctored an exam the other day sitting cross-legged on a desk.
• My herniated disc (due to obesity) has resolved. I can now roll over in bed pain-free.
• I can sleep on my stomach again. This is also something that gives me JOY.
• I sat on the floor with a group of students the other day, and realized I had gotten up again with absolutely NO EFFORT.
• I can chug water! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do this after being banded. (It's the little things...)
• I have been watching my cheekbones emerge. Wow.
• Our grocery bill has gone down dramatically. I eat 1/3 (if that) of what I used to eat. My husband says with the grocery money saved since being banded we could buy a cottage in Muskoka. (lol!)
• Speaking of my husband, I weigh less than him for the first time in a decade.
• And more about my husband: I've noticed him touching my bum. A lot. And smooching me up. And hugging me close. He's proud, I can tell.
• My band gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) reminds me to slow down when I eat. Thank you, dear band.
• I have learned what freedom from the hunger monster feels like, and MAN OH MAN is that ever sa-weet.
• I have a constant backdrop of satiety. I no longer think about, or worry about, my next meal. Love those band adjustments!
• I am looking forward to getting into my MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op - the Canadian version of "REI") 'Rad Pants' I've kept from 1994. They are red, they are a size 10. The summer is almost here and with it comes a canoe-trip. I will be wearing those pants.
• I feel like a I have a new lease on life. Woo hoo!

It's okay to stall. It's ok to have the occasional chocolate banana fritter. (Whoops - damn it was good). I am in a love affair with my band, but more importantly, with myself.

THIS is why I am in love with my band.

Happy happy!

Hello all i am hving a hard tone getting to the green zone i am going to have to get tiny fills to avoid being uncomfortable. Any auggestions ? At night when i eat a littlr bowl of plain chlli for instance i go to bed after 2 hrs of esting then the whole ight im getting up to vomit. Very hard to aleep maybe is too tight?

Hi @@gabita - Oh dear, that's not good. If the band is working for you it should NOT be causing you to vomit or not sleep. I would get in touch with your surgeon immediately and ask for advice.

In terms of fills, I had tiny fills, too - seven of them - until I got to the green zone. Took me 8 months to get into the green zone and it was worth every second of 'creeping towards the green' rather than rushing there and paying the price through frequent sticking episodes.

The name of this thread is "Why I am in Love with My Band" - so let me relate this post back to the thread. I am in love with my band because I had a superb, experienced surgical team/support team who placed the band correctly, followed up with me when I had questions and required me to participate in (awesome!) educational webinars.

The band is wonderful. If you are having problems with sleeping, maladaptive eating or vomiting, get in touch with your surgeon asap in order that the issues can be resolved, and YOU TOO can fall in love with YOUR band!

Hi! I just finished reading all of the threads and I can't even tell you how better I feel. I got banded on Tuesday. I started the whole process in August last year and my decision was a solid one regardless I had almost no support. My mother and boyfriend were the only ones who went through it all with me.

During surgery, I had some complications as my esophagus is anatomically different from other people. I stayed in the hospital for a little longer and experiencing more pain. I was ready for the pain but I was not ready for were my second thoughts. I woke up on Wednesday and cried...asking myself if I made the right decisions. Should I have tried harder on my own? What if I could have done without it? For past days, I have been feeling really down....feeling like my life is never going to be happy again. I hate to admit it but I love to cook and experience new foods...I love having fun and drink wine or mixed drinks with my boyfriend...Is all of that over? Are our dinner nights over? So much has been going through my head ....today, I found your post and my mood changed. I feel hopeful now. I am scared for some reason but you are the reason I am finally smiling in past 4 days!

@@Katy Walton

Yay for you, Katy. CONGRATULATIONS on an amazing decision. Welcome to the other side.

Should you have tried harder on your own? Well. Many of us, if not all, have asked ourselves the same question. Like most of us, you probably yo-yo dieted and experienced weight loss and weight gain and frustration and heartache until you just couldn't take it anymore. Chances are, YOU DID INDEED try hard enough.

Now you have a tool that will help you FINALLY get where you need to be. What a great decision.

Like you, I love to cook and experience new foods. For me this has NOT CHANGED. I'm 14 months out from being banded, and I have cooked loads of new things this year. I've been diving into the glorious world of Indian food and have made lots of new dishes this year. The thing is, I eat much less than I used to, and

As for drinky-poos ... I had a few months there while I cut out wine completely. This helped me kickstart the weight-loss process when I hit a wee stall (where you don't lose weight for a few weeks). I now enjoy a glass or two every few days just as joyfully as I did before being banded. No cocktails for me, though - too much sugar/carbs.

So life is good, Katy. I still love food but use it for nourishment now rather than therapy. The band has eliminated the 'hunger monster' that used to dominate my life. I am now in control, with the help of the band, and experience long periods of satiety and have NO CRAVINGS.

Finally free! And 73 pounds skinnier for it!

My husband and I still go out to dinner and have a great time. (And we go with friend, too, even though they don't know about my surgery). Dinners out are terrific as long as I follow my "new" way of eating - ordering appy sized portions and eating slooooooowly. I skip the bread, butter, rice, Pasta and potatoes. Instead, I hit the Protein - fish, chicken or red meat, and round out my plate with salad or veggies. I enjoy eating meals out just as much as I ever did before.

You will adjust, you will heal and you will lose weight. Trust the process, be patient, be kind to yourself and get ready to watch the magic as the weight begins to fall off.

Woo wee - - excited for you, Katy. You are doing great!

Hi everyone

Had my first fill today and all went well. Ge put in 2mls. I didnt feel a thing wasnt uncomfy at all. Am on liquids for 48 hours

Hello! I am new to this site, I just have to say first off.. I love your attitude and outlook on this all "the professor" I will be having my surgery for my lap band on April 7th!!! I am equally terrified and excited! I have struggled for so long and am ready to take the plunge. What is a realistic goal for weight loss?? I am 5'6 24 y/o and 234 lbs and at my heaviest. My lightest adult weight has been 149 and I miss being that size terribly. Just years of bad habits and depression helped pack the weight on. Also what do you choose to drink when you do have an alcoholic beverage? How long after surgery were u able to have a drink? I would just hate to give up my social life completely.

@haley1297 Welcome and hello!

Ohhh my goodness, April 7th is just weeks away. Are you excited? Nervous?

The 'realistic goal for weight loss' is different for everyone. We have roughly similar stats - I'm also 5' 6", my ideal weight is about 140 (that's my goal weight) and at my heaviest (ie; the week before my surgery 14 months ago) I was 259 lbs.

The goal you set for yourself (or your ideal weight...whatever you want to call it) will depend on what feels right for you. Some folks here are happy to lose 50 pounds. Me, I have 100 pounds to lose (and I'm 3/4 of the way there).

It will be up to you to see what's right. There's no use in comparing yourself to anyone else on the board, or finding out what a realistic weight loss goal is. Everyone has had different procedures and has different goals, and depending on how diligent you are with using your lapband (it's a tool, not a magic bullet), results will vary wildly.

As far as booze goes, I love red wine. I didn't have a glass of the grape until 6 weeks post-op, and it was a teeny one. Since then, I've noticed a correlation between drinking wine and stalling my weight loss, so I simply don't do it much anymore. (And I still have a great social life!)

Enjoy the next few weeks - we are here for you to lean on!

Thank you @ the professor!!! I am so excited and I know it will be a long and some times miserable road, but I tell myself no cheese burger taste as good as thin feels, heck even just being healthy! I will struggle the most with wanting a drink while being social, but I feel once I start losing the weight it will be all the "buzz" I need to feel good, can't wait!! I will keep you updated. Is there a way to follow you?? I like reading your posts!

Hi everyone

Had my second fill yesterday of 1ml and after a few hours found it hard to keep fluids down. This happened after drinking a sludge of chocolate left in my hot mocha.

Hopefully its only the band that needs unfilling. Have been frightened. Am at the surgery to see my specialist to have some Fluid removed.

Edited March 16, 201610 yr by bel1995

Luckily it was too much fluid! Had .7ml removed and can now drink

Good to hear it was just the band overfilled!!! When ur band is too tight do u still get hungry?

@@haley1297 Sure there's a way to follow me - friend me! Click on my profile and click "add friend".

I haven't had a cheeseburger in 14 months. Haven't even craved one. WILD as I was the Queen of the double-quarter pounder with cheese.

Lose 75 pounds and the desire to fall back into old habits dies a pretty quick and unceremonious death.

Thank u for telling me that!! @@TheProfessor I am so afraid I will miss all my junk food, but I figure once I am back down to 150 I will care less and be more excited about a new dress or goin out with the friends.

I am down another pound today, and BOOM my BMI is 29.5 - the first time in 15 years I have been under 30. I don't really care about the BMI, but there we go anyway - just another milestone result from being banded.

When I first started this thread all those months, I had experienced some pretty awesome things. Here's my new, updated list:

• I popped out to Lululemon just for the hell of it to see if any of their gorgeous yoga-bum pants would fit. Yup, they did. Now I am poor (but my ass looks divine, so it's a fair trade).
• I have experienced a surge of confidence in my appearance, which has translated into a surge of confidence at work.
• With the energy I have now, I am joyful about new projects. I begin my master's degree in education in September!!!!
• My daughter says she's proud of me for the nutritional changes I have made.
• I am down from a 42DD bra to a 36C.
• I have returned to hot yoga and am no longer the biggest person in the room. NOT that it's a competition, but come on, I'm only human.)
• I was not concerned with being judged as I got naked to shower after my yoga class. The other women didn't even notice me in my nakedness.
• I no longer have to support my breasts as I walk up or down stairs to prevent them from jarring as they are significantly smaller
• I can wear a strappy pair of wedge heels with 3/4 length summer pants and not look like a sow's ear trying to be a silk purse
• I can no longer park a Volvo under my booty. (Seriously. My butt was horribly heavy and big...)
• I cannot wear my "old" size 22 or XXL clothes anymore as they swim on me. I have donated more clothing to Value Village this past year than I have ever in my entire life combined.
• I can sit on regular folding chairs worry-free.
• I no longer scout out the sturdiest place to sit at a party.
• I can stand for hours and not want to cry from foot pain
• I can hop up on a bar stool and reach the highest cupboard in my kitchen without any stress.
• I am able to ride my hybrid road bicycle again!!!! When I gained all the weight, I felt horrible shame that a) I simply could no longer ride my bike due to obesity-related balance issues, and the frame of my bike would likely not support my weight. This is no longer the case.
• My body no longer craves carbs, and so I eat no rice, bread or Pasta. This has become remarkably easy.
• I went down the slide at the park and did not get wedged! THE SLIDE. As in, made for 4 year olds.
• I went into the "Plus Size" section at Forever 21 and nothing fits me. I walked out with a grin on my face.
• I am a 10-12. This is the size I was 20 years ago.
• I do laundry and I sometimes have to check twice which t-shirts and jeans are mine and which are my slender 15 year old daughter's. (She's a size 8).

So. The band is still teaching me about eating right, and eating differently. Sometimes I mess up and over-eat, and then feel gross. Sometimes I have "tight days" where the band makes me feel a ton of restriction. Other days, I can eat like a moose and feel snacky. I've learned not to sweat it.

Here I am 17 months in, and I am STILL in love with my band. Huzzah!

The Professor, you are awesome; your posts are inspiring. Your last post was on my 4 year bandiversary but I haven't done as well as you. I lost my focus after two (successful) back surgeries but I am currently on Day 4 of the 5 day band test. My weight has started back in the right direction and I feel motivated to keep it up! It doesn't hurt that the local pool has opened either. I was 285 on the day of my surgery, was 220 after the second back surgery and was back up to 255. This morning I was 248! Here we go!