I used to frequent this forum, and somewhere along the way I got used to a new normal, and I haven't been back here for a long time.

I was thinking the other day, that I should check back in, and sprinkle some hope around... because more than 5 years later, my story remains a textbook case of Lapband success and I love sharing it for those who are struggling through their first few weeks and months post surgery!

Today I weigh 138 pounds. I most certainly haven't forgotten I have a band... it's still VERY present in my life, and a daily reminder of so many things. I still have "stuck" episodes... more often than you might imagine.... there are still foods that I can't eat, and never will be able to... there still exists the very real possibility of cheating my band, overeating, re-gaining all of my weight and having the past five years be for absolutely nothing... but during all of these things I have gained a huge appreciation and love for myself that I never even knew was possible. And I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but today.... it was all worth it! Every single pound I worked so hard to lose! Every single ounce of blood sweat and tears I've put into trying to take care of myself. Every doubt I had along the way that I was eventually able to turn into hope, and every person who I hadn't seen in awhile who had NO CLUE who I was! That last one was and still is kind of entertaining to me! I won't lie... I still have a few hang ups.... I won't date men who wanted nothing to do with me back then... but who are all about going out with this NEW me.... they piss me off. I still tend to buy clothes too big for me... a LOT. So I've started forcing myself to try them on before leaving the store to avoid returning everything later! Other than those things, I think I've adjusted pretty well to my new body. I was fortunate enough to not have to have secondary surgeries to get rid of excess skin. My skin turned out to be very elastic, and because I worked out from the first week of my new life, it just kind of melted away with the fat.

Sometimes it still blows me away that I have lost an entire other person's worth of weight... when I imagine carrying all of those pounds around with me for all the years I did, it's absolutely amazing that my body held out as long as it did. I love taking care of it now... and I love my other butt! Here's a current photo... it's a selfie, but it makes me happy, because it's a pretty accurate photo of me!

Oh, man! Huge congratulations, and what an inspiration!

This is really great to read from someone who is just starting their journey. I was banded on Monday and today I've started to worry I'm already doing it wrong - I'm meant to be on liquids and I made myself a milky smoothie with a yogurt and banana, in my head I've messed up already :/

Anyway congratulations on your success and thanks for sharing!

Congratulations on your continued success and thank you for sharing your story. I am 5 months post band and only 10 lbs down. Really struggling to use the tool correctly and only in the last couple weeks did I start feeling any restriction or any different than I did pre-op. Could you please share a little bit about your initial struggles or how you have achieved this tremendous accomplishment? Thanks, Gina