I was just thinking in the car earlier about this and thought I would ask you guys to share the list of things that have improved for you since being banded.

Please let us know how long you've been banded, too.

I've been banded since early April and this is my list:

1) I've lost 21# forever

2) I've joined a gym for the first time ever and am loving it!!

3) I've reduced caffeine from 5+ servings per day to 1, maybe 2

4) My recurrent back pain is almost gone completely

5) My plantar faciaitis is almost gone

6) I have way more energy and feel much stronger

7) I move with greater ease

8) I feel sure my bloodwork will be much improved

9) I always have at least 64 oz of Water each day

10) I have reduced my alcohol intake from 6-8 cocktails/week to maybe 3 per month

11) My blood sugars are completely stable (previously hypoglycemic)

12) My salt intake is greatly reduced

13) I have hope

14) I have a bunch of new friends on LBT

15) My sex life has improved

16) I take greater pride in my appearance & self esteem has improved

What about you?

Great thread, Terry..

I read each post and find myself shaking my head "YES" each time.

Woo! Collar bones, I forgot!

I find myself staring in the mirror...is that a shadow, or are those actual BONES!!!!!!

It took a few weeks to believe they were really there!

Woo Hoo.

Great happy thread.

I've got a good one (and I've post it many times on this board):

The voice in my head that was contantly nagging at me to do something about losing weight is finally SILENT!

Yeah, i think it's a great thread, too...don't understand why more people aren't postiing on it.

It doesn't make any difference if someone has already posted the same things that you were gonna say....it's YOUR list....for YOU to take inventory of YOUR improvements!! Go ahead...do it...it's fun! :eek:

This just happened this morning to me....I made it to the 40's. I am officially 247.5......I am so freakin siked about that...I can't believe I made it over the 250 hump....I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!!

1. Great camping trips for the whole family, propping up my old "flowerdy" Hawaian shirt as a tent...

2. Summer getaways including parasailing under the shade of non-flatulent wind-inflated size 54 undies.

Seriously... I was banded back in April of this year, and actually started watching my diet and walking in February, so my highest weight was really a couple of months before surgery. I started out at 388 and this morning was 316, so 72# so far. In this relatively short timeseveral things have happened:

1. My blood pressure has come down such that the doc has cut my dose in half and expects that in time I should be able to come off of it completely.

2. Went from size 54 to size 50 in the waist, and 4X tall to 2X tall in shirt.

3. No longer winded when walking up stairs.

4. Can actually jog 1 out of 4 laps at the track. (Without causing a self-sustaining jiggle wave like before. )

5. I can see (not clearly mind you) the faint outline of my lower ribs! I do have them!

6. No more waking up with headaches from sleep apnea.

7. Grocery and eating out bills are MUCH lower.

Like others have posted, I am sure there are many more, but these are the first that come to mind. It is definitely an encouragement to read what everybody is experiencing as a benefit of the choice to be banded! I hope the benefits continue for you all!

You're hilarious, Ross!! Welcome to LBT! ....and major congratulations on your progress so far. 72# in 5 months is absolutely incredible!! I'm happy for you!!

Hi everybody! Congratulations to each of you. WAY to go Ross, welcome to LBT

1. all the extra room in my closet (after weeding out the too-large sizes)

2. realizing I weigh less than before I got pregnant with my son (11 yr ago!)

3. not being ashamed to wear a bathing suit

4. feeling "cute"

5. not feeling as though I need to hide, not minding that others take notice

6. feeling like a WINNER

Yea to us all!

Karla

Here goes:

1. I can reach to wipe properly now!

2. I don't feel bloated all the time

3. Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, and High Cholesterol all normal WITHOUT meds!

4. I can fit into a booth again!

5. I can go for a walk without back or leg pain

6. I don't get winded as easily

7. I'm not a sweaty mess all day long like before.

I'm sure there are a hundred more, but those are the ones off the top of my head.

I Have Not Been Banded Yet, And Can't Wait To Start Posting All The Things I Can Do Again.

Wow, I can sum mine up easily....just ditto to what everyone else has said and I am one of the people having fun, not one of the spectators anymore.

Oh, and my undies do not resemble shrub covers anymore

Being able to climb through the tunnels on the playscapes with my 2 and 6 year old

No more asthma meds

No more arthritis meds

No more blood pressure meds

Stable blood sugar

Able to walk 7 miles a day and actually feel good - and still feel good the next day

Able to have the option to ride a roller coaster - only thing is now I don't want to

Love swimming again

No more plantar fascia problems

No more broken bones in my feet (I have low calcium levels - not related to obesity)

Carry my 2 year old and wonder how I carried that much weight every minute of every day

Carry my 6 year old and wonder how I carried that much weight every minute of every day

Can't wait to carry my 13 year old and say the same thing!

Instead of just taking my children's clothes in, I have a pile of my own clothes to take in

I go to McDonalds and now I buy lite lemonade and nothing else

No blood pressure meds, fitting into booths, fitting into clothes from places I couldn't shop before, not stuffing my face till I am miserable, people not recognizing me, more energy, fitting in my tanning bed and not being squished. Seat belt in my Titan not digging in the side of my butt, getting in the boat without worrying I am going to make it wop sided. Wearing a bathing suit at the boat dock and not worrying who is making jokes. I could go on and on but I think you get my drift,lol

Wow! What a great thread! It's totally cheered me up this afternoon.

Here is the beginning of my list. I was banded on May 17, 2007, and I've lost 50 pounds so far.

1. The feeling of control. I am the boss of what I put in my mouth now, and I decide how well the band works for me.

2. I can run around like a teenager again. I'm not always overheated (and it's been a hot few weeks here in Utah). I don't avoid walking like I used to, and I'm no longer the slowest of the most winded one in the group.

3. I have a new respect for what I can do. I didn't know I could start walking the day after surgery and work up to miles a day in two months. I didn't know I had the willpower to stick with it. I am just now finding out exactly how much of a stud I really am!

4. I am off some meds, decreased dosages of others. That will only get better. I'm thinking the money I save on prescription co-payments will be well spent on some cute little outfits in the near future.

5. I feel so much calmer overall. I feel better able to cope with stress and far less emotional.

6. I enjoy food more. It's all about taste and pleasure now. Before it was all about stuffing down feelings with as much bulk as possible. So, I only get a couple of bites, no biggie! I now really really enjoy those couple of bites.

This is just a start. There is so much more, and so much good has come from this. I had the days just after banding, like everyone else, when I thought, "Oh God, what have I done to myself?" But, those days are gone and I love my band now. It's a great tool and I intend to use it!

Well, y'all have hit most of them.....

crossing the legs was a biggie for me, and eating in a booth with extra room---face it, the hostess just taking us to a booth, like it is a natural thing is AWESOME!!! Salespeople being willing to help me is nice, although it still irks me how I was treated before!

No more meds....none, not a prescription in the house with my name on it!!! My Dr. is thrilled, and very supportive---he has witnessed the success!

Another biggie for me---I now weigh less than my DH!!! I thought dropping below 200 was great, but it was anticlimatic compared to being smaller than Rick!!

I no longer feel like I am too big for our motorcycle. DH says he lost the best backrest he ever had though!! I can walk around the rallies, and buy the cheap tshirts---I don't need the extended sizes anymore! If I actually chose to buy a leather halter---I could!

I can mow the lawn, and not worry that the neighbors are going to have to dial 911. It is now something I do without a problem---I consider it nice exercise, not the dreaded chore I used to consider it as sweat POURED off of me. Now I can mow it, and have energy left over!

I don't feel like the guest exhibit at a restaurant....I always felt like before everyone was staring at me wondering what in the heck I was doing eating even more! Now I blend in....no one pays a bit of attention to what I order...it amazes me how judgemental people are.

I smile for pictures...I do not avoid the camera! Before pics of me are few and far between. I have taken, willingly more pictures in the last 6 months than I have in the last 10 years! And I even like some of them!

My neighbor just told me if I don't quit losing weight he is not going to be able to tell my DD and I apart----I could have kissed the toothless old man!!!!

I enjoy wearing my jewelry again. Necklaces had seemed so tight around my neck, and my rings were tight, and earrings just drew attention to how broad my face had become. Now I love wearing it again!

In the same idea, I can wear my hair in all kinds of ways again. I had chosen a style, that was as flattering as I felt I could. But trying to draw attention to the eyes, not the double chin, and flabby jowls. Now I wear it up, down, in a pony tail---whatever, it does not matter anymore!

I can get up off of the air mattress when we camp without help! We actually GO camping, where I had all but quit. Now we go, and we hike, and bike, and DO things! We go often enough now, that we keep the bike trailer loaded with the regular items!

The list could go on and on and on....I feel like I have a new chance at life. I give horsey rides to my grandbabies....who will never remember Granny as morbidly obese! I breath easier, and do things to make myself breath deeply willingly! I love going and doing. The Plus size dept., and my recliner probably both miss me...they got left behind!

My husband, got his wife back. He calls me "Slim"......I could not have ask for anyone to be more supportive. The band has been a blessing in countless ways! I would do it again in a heartbeat, and recommend it highly!!!!!!

Love these answers!!!

Kat

what a GREAT thread and congrats to everyone!

I'm still early in my journey but am thankful that with excercise I can now easily go up several flights of stairs without feeling like I'm going to die!

no more seat belt extenders!

bye bye super-plus (> size 28) size clothes!

more to come