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4 Years 5 Months Post-Op Banding

Hey Guys,   I'm well overdue for an entry into my blog. My original weight was about 325 lbs and I've lost over 100 lbs with the lap band. I'm definitely up a few pounds since my last post. I weigh about 206. I had been maintaing about 195 for a year or so. But I've recently gone back to a sedentary job (5 months ago) so I've put on about 10lbs. Since my job is pretty boring, I eat my way through the day. There are snacks...bad snacks at every turn. I guess sweets and cakes keep people motivated in these environments. I'm also in a new relationship, which some say may cause you to gain weight. I cook alot more foods that taste good but may not be very low fat. I'm not exercising much either which doesn't help. I have gone to see a nutritionist who gave me some tips, however, I still gained a couple of pounds after seeing her, so i sort of stopped her recommendations, which included protein bars and shakes. I think I was eating even more food and I was still pretty hungry. So I'm back to eating when I'm hungry and eating what I want :-/ . I do try to get some healthy foods in, like salads and vegetables and I definitely try to prepare as many meals as I can at home.   I recently went back to my GI (gastroenterologist) to get a partial unfill. I had my band tighetened pretty tight about 2 years ago. Then I was laid off from my job, which meant I had no insurance to go back for any adjustments. I really was too tight and I would wake up at night coughing up food, which was pretty scary. I was a little torn about getting an unfill because ofcourse I didn't want to chance gaining any weight back, but after many months of uncomfortable nights, sleeping sitting up waiting for my food to digest or choking in my sleep on food, I dediced to get an unfill. My GI took out about .4cc's he told me. He wouldn't tell me how much was left in the band....I suppose he didn't want me to focus on that. I've felt better ever since. I haven't had any bouts of coughing or choking at night.   I really need to get an exercise regimen on board now. That is really my focus. I was never one for traditional exercise though. I lost weight mainly through going out dancing, but since I'm involved in a relationship,I don't feel it's the best thing to do now. I may join some dance exercise classes if I can find anything I'm interested in. I would really like to do a belly dancing class.   I have visited another plastic surgeon to look at a tummy tuck, butt and breast augmentation. The cost was somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 thousand dollars. So I'm putting that on the back burner for now. I may have to have one procedure then go back for another later, but it's seems safer and more economical to do two at once. It's really important to my self-image to get these things done, because I have a lot of lose and saggy skin that I feel could be improved. Anyway, that's my update for now. I wish I could post pictures, but I will make sure I do so next time. I'm satisfied with my band experience so far. It has helped me to maintain a significant weight loss over the last 4 1/2 years and I don't forsee any significant weight gain. I am pain free and pretty happy about my decision. I wish everyone well in their weight loss journey!   W8tygirl AKA Kia
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

1
 

3 Years And 2 Months Post Op - Doing Well

Hey Guys,   It's been quite a while since I have posted on my blog here but I know how much others like to see the progress of those who have had this surgery. I also enjoy looking back on my progress. Well firstly, my current weight is 194. My initial weight was around 325lbs, so I've lost about 130 lbs so far. I really haven't lost more than 4-5lbs this year, but ofcourse I haven't really been putting in much effort. However, I find that I am able to maintain any weight that I lose. My goal is still to get to 170lbs. To be honest I have been a little apprehensive to lose more weight because I'm not happy with the way my naked body looks. My concern is that if I loose more weight I will just become more saggy and have more loose skin. I've really been taking a really hard look at my body and I feel that I need alot of plastic surgery to obtain a more aesthetically pleasing and shapely appearance. To be clear, I believe I need a tummy tuck, a thigh lift, butt lift, breast augmentation and probably liposuction. Everybody's body is different and I probably wouldn't have had as much lose skin had I lost weight at a younger age. (I'm 37) Also, I probably would have needed to do some form of strength training aka weight lifting. Perhaps I would have firmed up a little better. I mostly focused on cardio exercise because I didn't want to do exercises that I knew would frustrate me and make want to give up an exercise program. Right now, I really haven't been doing any formal exercise, but my energy level is so much higher since losing weight that I find it difficult to sit still for very long periods of time. So I'm sure that helps me to burn calories.     Ok, now about my eating habits. I eat pretty much whatever I want. Obviously, I cannot eat large quatities of food. I can probably consume about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food at one sitting depending on what I eat and how empty my stomach is to begin with. If I decided to eat a cheeseburger from checkers for instance. I may be able to eat half or maybe the whole thing but that's it, no fries. Not that I should be eating from that particular place! I will admit that my diet does consist of a significant amount of high fat foods and I tend to think that this in part to wanting to feel satisfied because of not eating high quantities of food. Ofcourse, old habits die hard too so I wll blame it on that too. I definitely try to eat healty food as well such as salads, fruits and vegetables. I probably eat about 4-5 small meals and/or snacks per day. I do drink regular juice more that I like to admit to, but I drink diet teas, crystal light and water as well. I do still eat too fast or don't chew well from time to time and I will vomit or rather have a PB (productive burp) episode. This may happen 1 to 2 times per week. It really does not bother me too much that it happens but it can be embarrassing at times to have to run to the bathroom or grab something real quick to vomit in. It's usually caused by me trying to eat and drink really fast at the same time. Basically my doctor recomended that I don't eat and drink together but I will admit that I do it and usually have no problem if I take my time. I don't have to eat really slowly or anything, I just can't scarf my food down in a hurry. I can say that fibrous foods are foods that I tend to avoid because they don't go down easy. Unfortunately that does include vegetables. I eat them but I like them cooked well. I love spinach and broccoli. I like cabbage and peppers but things like that don't always go down easy if not cooked to being soft. I really love seafood, particularly fish, scallops, and crabs. My sinful pleasure is haagen daaz ice cream . But again, I might eat tablespoon or two and I'm satisfied, unlike before my surgery when I would eat half of a pint.   I'm overdue to get my band checked, but haven't been back to the doctor since being laid off from work and losing my health insurance. I had my band tightened about a year and a half ago (i think) and I got a great level of restriction that I haven't wanted to increase or decrease. Every so often I may have a dull ache around my port area, but it's rare, almost like a cramp. I don't drink carbonated drinks because they are supposed to cause some sort of problem, but I do take ibuprofen from time to time which is a no no because supposedly they can cause ulcers. I've been taking a multivitamin regularly. Overall, I feel good. I don't have any pain around the band area. I consider the surgery to be a success. I'm just looking forward to the next phase which is to get plastic surgery. I don't think I will have any difficulty losing the last 25lbs once I really get serious about losing weight again as I work toward my goal of plastic surgery. I hope this offers some helpful information to someone and good luck to all on your weight loss journeys!   W8TYGIRL AKA KIA
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

0
 

20 months Post-OP........Onederland.....Yesssss!!!!

Hello Everyone,   I have wanted to come back sooner for a posting but I wanted to be able to report that I am officially in onederland! I weighed in this morning at 198lbs. I had been struggling to lose the same 5lbs for a couple of months now and have finally done it! To recap, my highest weight was 325 lbs, 316lbs just prior to surgery. I have lost 127lbs so far and I am amazed that I have been able to achieve this milestone. I owe it mostly all to the band. My appetite and capacity to eat large quantites was holding me back from maintaining any significant weight loss prior to having this surgery. My excercise has been mostly dancing but I've been limiting that lately due to an incident at a nightclub. I just bought a new basketball so I plan to start shooting some hoops. I'm am seriosly considering some plastic surgery for my saggy stomach and deflated breasts and bum. Maybe far off since it costs so many thousands. I am looking into some fat transfer procedures for my breasts and bum also.   My diet has been okay but never has been perfect. I have been trying to limit salt in my diet (HARD) due to my high blood pressure. I have cut beef and pork out of my diet comepletely for the last 6 weeks. That probably helped the most. I think that is how I was able to lose the last 5 pounds. Oh yeah, and I went back to drinking my EAS protein shakes. I eat more sweets than I should. My family keeps cake and cookies around all the time. So it's become a bit of a habit for me to eat them. Although I do not binge on sweets and I still stick to crystal light and I love the ocean spray sugar free cran grape. I try to cook as many meals at possible (High protein, sometimes low carb). My portions are normal, but much smaller than before surgery. I am very happy with my bad so far. I was reading a post from someone who was tired of throwing up (PBing) and just felt tired of having the band. I do have bouts of PBing, mostly my own fault I.e. eating to fast, eating and drinking at once. Sometimes I want to eat more than I can at one sitting but I just come back later for more if I want. Eating is not always as pleasurable as it was before, but I am far from unhappy. I can cook very delicious meals so I have learned to improvise so I don't miss anything. And if I really want something I just have it. I love the progress I have made I only wish I was able to do this years ago. I don't wish for my band to be removed. I was not able to lose weight and keep it off without it. Good luck to all on your journey.   Sincerely, W8tygirl AKA Kia
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

5
 

16 months Post-op

Hi Everybody, I'm back again with another update. Well I am sort of at a plateau at the moment. But just to update you on my current status post-surgery, I was 325 at my highest weight and I'm now at 220. I was down to 215 but, per doctor's orders I was told to drink more water in preparation for laser fat reduction. So what do you know I gained weight. I was probably dehydrated anyway. I don't know if the laser will work, but I was offered the services at a discount so I thought, why not? Not much to lose but fat! It's been 1 week of treatments and no noticeable results yet. I have only lost 4lbs since my last post two months ago. That's why it's good to keep this diary because you can actually see your progress. I think it's time for a fill but I am kind of worried about the next fill. I don't want to go overboard and be too tight. But ofcourse looking back on my posts, I was worried the last time too. I get hungry pretty fast now. It seems my food is moving through the band faster and I'm eating about 4 meals a day plus snacks. If I lay down after eating and go to sleep I will wake up coughing up food (bad idea, I know), so I do have good restriction. Maybe being slightly tighter will allow the food to move down more slowly (while I'm awake ofcourse). As far as exercise, I have slowed down on going out dancing and have been doing some hip hop abs lately. I think it's low impact aerobics and I probably need to sweat more for better results. So I am going to have to find a better alternative. My eating has been a little crappy lately, I must say. I try to stay away from the sweets. I've recently gotten back to drinking my EAS shakes and eating greek yogurt for snack. I've mostly stuck to drinking crystal light or something similar. I mostly still bring lean cuisine and weight watchers for lunch, but sometimes I'm hungry after a couple of hours so end up having an early lunch and a late lunch. Also, I suffered a bad break-up so I kinda ate what made me feel better for a few days. Although, my cheating is not as bad as it used to be. I may eat an odd candy bar or go get some chicken from KFC, but I cannot eat huge quantities of anything. The snacking really gets me...things like chips. I think I just slow myself down from losing weight moreso than cause myself to gain. I can't stand to eat foods that are extremely sugary anymore. Since I have limited them for so long, my tolerance has gone way down. Right now, I need to make better food choices, eat less, increase the exercise, and drink more water. But I honestly feel more hungry lately and making better choices is harder, so it may be time for a fill. I'm scheduled for one on 12/8/10. I need to lose 50lbs to get to my goal. I hope to get there by my 2nd year surgiversary in June. My short term goal is to lose 20lbs by January 24th. Wish me luck!! It's time to put in some serious work. Good luck to all on their weight loss journey. Kia AKA W8tygirl
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

1
 

16 months Post-op

Hi Everybody, I'm back again with another update. Well I am sort of at a plateau at the moment. But just to update you on my current status post-surgery, I was 325 at my highest weight and I'm now at 220. I was down to 215 but, per doctor's orders I was told to drink more water in preparation for laser fat reduction. So what do you know I gained weight. I was probably dehydrated anyway. I don't know if the laser will work, but I was offered the services at a discount so I thought, why not? Not much to lose but fat! It's been 1 week of treatments and no noticeable results yet. I have only lost 4lbs since my last post two months ago. That's why it's good to keep this diary because you can actually see your progress. I think it's time for a fill but I am kind of worried about the next fill. I don't want to go overboard and be too tight. But ofcourse looking back on my posts, I was worried the last time too. I get hungry pretty fast now. It seems my food is moving through the band faster and I'm eating about 4 meals a day plus snacks. If I lay down after eating and go to sleep I will wake up coughing up food (bad idea, I know), so I do have good restriction. Maybe being slightly tighter will allow the food to move down more slowly (while I'm awake ofcourse). As far as exercise, I have slowed down on going out dancing and have been doing some hip hop abs lately. I think it's low impact aerobics and I probably need to sweat more for better results. So I am going to have to find a better alternative. My eating has been a little crappy lately, I must say. I try to stay away from the sweets. I've recently gotten back to drinking my EAS shakes and eating greek yogurt for snack. I've mostly stuck to drinking crystal light or something similar. I mostly still bring lean cuisine and weight watchers for lunch, but sometimes I'm hungry after a couple of hours so end up having an early lunch and a late lunch. Also, I suffered a bad break-up so I kinda ate what made me feel better for a few days. Although, my cheating is not as bad as it used to be. I may eat an odd candy bar or go get some chicken from KFC, but I cannot eat huge quantities of anything. The snacking really gets me...things like chips. I think I just slow myself down from losing weight moreso than cause myself to gain. I can't stand to eat foods that are extremely sugary anymore. Since I have limited them for so long, my tolerance has gone way down. Right now, I need to make better food choices, eat less, increase the exercise, and drink more water. But I honestly feel more hungry lately and making better choices is harder, so it may be time for a fill. I'm scheduled for one on 12/8/10. I need to lose 50lbs to get to my goal. I hope to get there by my 2nd year surgiversary in June. My short term goal is to lose 20lbs by January 24th. Wish me luck!! It's time to put in some serious work. Good luck to all on their weight loss journey. Kia AKA W8tygirl
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

2
 

14Months Post-Op - Still Losing Slowly

Hey All -   I just wanted to come back and drop a quick note. I hope to help others with this blog as well as I love to look back on my progress.   I am currently at 224 lbs. So that is 100lbs since my highest weight and I'm about 85lbs down since the surgery. I'm very happy with my progress thus far and do not regret my decision to have lapband surgery at this point in time. I still have pretty good restriction since my fill back in June 2010. I'm not in a rush to get another fill right now. I need to work on my eating habits first and try to continue to lose weight through diet and exercise instead of relying too much on fills.   My last fill was pretty aggressive. I wondered if I should go back and get some fluid taken out. But I'm glad I didn't because I eventually did loosen up. I can eat practically anything I want in small quantities. The only thing that doesn't work well is bread, which I'm grateful for since it leaves me feeling sluggish anyway. I did see a negative comment from a fellow bandster to one of my posts stating that I shouldn't be able to eat steak, but I think you can eat just about anything if you chew it very well and it's not too dry.   Anyway, my exercise is still mainly dancing and doing work around the house (painting, wallpapering etc.) I need to work on getting my vitamins in. I sometimes feel like the walking dead when I don't take them and I constantly forget. My doctor did tests that showed I had a vitamin D deficiency, so I really need to get on the ball fast. Anyway, that is how things are going so far.   Best of Luck~   Kia AKA W8TYGIRL
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

3
 

Bandiversary Post - Another Fill

Wow, I cannot believe it's been a year since my surgery. Well in 1 week it will be a year. I was banded on 6/18/09. I definitely do not regret my decision to have this done. My activity level has increased significantly. I just feel so much better and lighter on my feet. My highest weight was 325 lbs two years ago, My pre-surgery weight was 309. Since then I have been able to get down to 242. Which is 83 lbs lost from my highest weight and 67 lbs lost since having the band. I basically have had no complications so far, which I am very greatful for. (Thanks to GOD and Dr. Finelli for doing a great job)   I probably could have lost more weight over the last year if I had consistently excercised and gotten my fills closer together. The main form of excercise I get is going out dancing. I dance hard for a couple of hours about once a week. That's not enough I know, but it is much better than nothing, and that's what I was doing before contemplating surgery, no excercise at all.   I just had another fill 2 days ago on 6/11/10. I was well overdue for the fill. I had to postpone due to having a couple of breakins in my apartment and having to move to a new home quickly. I didn't want to take too much leave from work at once so I postponed my appointment by 3 months. By the time I had this last fill, I was pretty much ravenous. I was hungry all the time, I could eat more than what I think is reasonable to be able to lose weight and I started to snack alot to try and keep my hunger down. I found myself eating out more often and not being able to make it home from work without eating right before leaving work or stopping somewhere on the way.   Thank goodness for this last fill. My hunger has gone way down and my restriction is much better. The last time I went to the doctor he told me that I was filled to 5.5cc in my 10 cc band. This time when he checked the fluid in the band, he told me it was only at 5.0 ccs. The other .5 ccs must have evaporated. I am now filled to 5.75 ccs according to my doctor. I have lost 2 llbs since having this fill. Not bad for 2 days. I'm glad to see the scale moving again.   On my previous fill, I lost about 20lbs in the first 4-6 weeks, then I only lost 5lbs in the next 3 months, so I really needed to come back for that fill sooner. 25lbs lost since my last fill is still not bad though. Now that I have another fill, I think I will be able to control my eating habits much better.   Anyway that's my story thus far, I am looking forward to seeing myself 1 year from now. I am really optimistic about how I am going to look and feel. I'm really happy that I am living in a time where there is something available that can actually work for me. I'm glad I don't have to be stuck at my highest weight feeling like I can't do anything about it and being on a continuous cycle of failure that only weakens the self-esteem on top of the fact that you have to walk around feeling extremely self-conscious.   Anyway, I just wanted to update you all and let you know I am happy and healthy thus far and continuing on my lapband journey. Good luck a and much success to all on your goals.   Takiyah
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

1
 

9 months post-op

Well I guess it's time I check in again and post on my progress. I got my last fill back in January and I have somehow managed to lose another 20lbs or so. I am filled at 5.5cc in a 10cc band. My current weight is 253 which is down from my pre-surgery weight of 309. My highest weight was 324. So that is 54 lbs with the band and a total weight loss of 70lbs. I really can't complain about the band so far, being as though I have been able to lose a significant amount of weight and I didn't have to kill myself doing it. I am still doing some exercise, such as dancing, playing basketball, or just plain walking. I will admit I don't have the routine part down yet but I've never been a very routine person anyway (my real problem).   I have another appointment to see the GI doctor for a possible fill in 2 weeks. I am really debating whether I want this fill. I have good restriction (I get full on a cup of food), but the food moves through pretty quickly and I am hungry often. I guess this is a sign that I need a fill. Also, I have been losing really slowly within the last few weeks. I keep fluctuating with the same few pounds and haven't gotten below the 250 mark yet. I think it's time to beef up my exercise plan and be more strict with my diet (HARD). I'm a little worried that more restriction might be a bad thing. I don't want to be so restricted that all I want to eat are soft foods. I want to be able to eat but I don't want to be hungry alot like I am now. I think I am going to discuss it with my doctor - ask for a small fill - and see if he agrees. Well until next time! Good luck to all in your weightloss goals!:thumbup:
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

1
 

7 Months Post-Op - Feeling Restriction

Hey Everybody,   I thought I would go ahead and post about my progress now. I had hit a plateau at 275 lbs for the last 2-3 months. I was able to eat anything I wanted and I was hungry alot too. With the increased hunger I did pretty much go off of a sensible diet in terms of eating out at fast food restaurants and so on and so forth. I didn't completely lose sight of my goals, but, I wasn't truly as strict as I know I should have been. I was able to maintain not drinking high caloric/sugary drinks so I didn't gain. I went to get a fill last friday and the doctor told me I lost 10 pounds since my last fill in August.   I received my second fill on Friday, January 29th. I am now filled to 5.5 cc's in a 10 cc band. I have "REAL" restriction. I have a really tight fill, but I am gonna hang in there because the very strong hunger pains have gone down significantly and I cannot eat alot. I had no difficulty getting down water in the doctor's office, however, when I got home I think I got swollen because I had a little difficulty getting fluid down. I have noticed that I am tighter in the middle of the night and in the morning. I have since started drinking a lot of fluids, and I'm now making sure I don't get dehydrated because I think that leads to me being tighter. I do still feel hunger, but it's nothing water or a protein shake won't fix. I have actually lost 7-10 lbs since my fill which was less than a week ago, so I'm really happy that I am progressing again. I tend to lose weight very easily if I restrict myself, however, the same is also true about gaining. I can gain a pound a day if I'm not careful. I'm basically still on soft foods, fish, beans, yogurt, applesauce and some chicken. I have to take super small bites now or swallow very small bits at a time, otherwise I experience pain of food being forced through my band. I did have an episode where I had eaten too close to bed and laid down only to wake up in the middle of the night coughing up food. Now I know not too eat right before bed although that has been a long standing habit. Perhaps I'll just drink some warm milk maybe 30 minutes before bed. My doctor told me to follow up in 3 months so I am going to try to hang in there with the amount of restriction that I have. I may ask to have some of the fluid removed from my band on my next visit depending on how I adjust to this one. I have forgone traditional exercise for going out dancing, dance classes, and I bought a basketball so I can shoot hoops. I do need to add more activity during the week days which I plan to do. Anyway, my scale says 265 now, so I have lost about 50lbs since surgery and about 60lbs total from my highest weight 1 1/2 years ago. At this point I am happy with my lap band experience.:drool:
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

2
 

5 Months After Surgery

Hey everybody,   I just wanted to check in because it's been over 2 months since I've been on the site. I want to be very honest and forthcoming about my experience thus far. Perhaps I could help someone either to have the surgery or not. My highest weight was 325 and I was 309 right before surgery so that's a total of 34lbs lost since surgery. Well I am now at 275lbs and I know I could have done more but I would say this is pretty decent progress. I feel sooooo much better physically. This small weight loss has made a big difference in my life. I am more interested in doing things and going places and being around people (energetic). I have healed pretty well so far. I did receive one fill back in late August and I definitely have more restriction. I decided not to have another one too soon because I wanted to give my body a chance to heal because I was still feeling soreness here and there in my stomach area. I only rarely feel any pain now. On occasion I feel a dull pain around the port area or I may have a little indigestion but nothing serious that keeps me up at night. I haven't really been trying as hard as I know I can. See old habits are hard to break. I was never one to exercise consistently. I would go to the gym for a few months then stop or have an excersice regimen for a few weeks then stop. I wasn't really going to the gym so I cancelled my membership in favor of going out dancing which I have done a few times. As far as my diet is concerned, I have really fallen back into a lot of my old habits. Eating out, not preparing meals ahead of time or planning what I will eat. The only thing I have held onto is not drinking sugary juices and sodas because I know that's where a lot of my excess calories come from. I try my best to stay away from sugar (I dont always win) but salt is my true weakness. Now, to talk about hunger and the feeling of fullness. I'm sure I need another fill at this point, but part of the reason I haven't had it is the healing process and the other part is because I don't like the feeling of food being caught up in my esophogus and I don't want to feel hungry and full at the same time. This is how I believe this surgery works: You get the band tightened, you cannot eat very much because the food gets stuck, but you may not feel satisfied with the amount of food you have eaten. But I think that eventually your body gets used to eating the smaller amount of food. I can definitely say I eat less now and I try not to graze. When I had my first fill, I didn't eat or drink for hours before getting the fill. I was sooooo hungry beforehand, in fact I had a plan for what I was going to eat afterwards. As soon as I got the fill my hunger went away and I didn't need to eat right away. So it does affect how hungry you get but I think after a few weeks the restriction may be lost to certain extent. One thing I can say is that although my diet and excercise has been off course, I have not gained the weight back and that was one of the big reasons I wanted surgery, because I didn't want to gain it back again. Only time will tell if I actually do gain it back. So far I don't regret my decision, I haven't had any serious complications. I do vomit if I eat too fast or eat something dry but that's about it. The only other odd things are that I crave fish like crazy and I have started to have acne on my nose (embarrasing). I've read here on the site that it's the toxins trying to leave my body. I hope that's all it is but it's a little odd for me because I've lost weight before without those side effects. Anyway, it's good for me to talk about this because it helps me to face what I have been doing wrong and perhaps that will be enough motivation for me to make a few changes. I keep rememembering that this is a process and I've been told it could take up to 3 years to reach your goal but ofcourse it doesn't happen without personal effort. I would like to get to 170, so I have about 100lbs to go. Much success too all on their journey!:cool2:
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

6
 

Doing Pretty Well - Losing some

Thanks for your responses to my first blog. I only noticed today that anyone saw my comments. I'm a little new at this! Well, it's been an eventful month since surgery on 06/18/09. I am trying to get used to the band. The healing process can be very daunting especially in the first couple of weeks. I could feel the heaviness in my stomach and yes I could feel the band around my stomach. I am still very aware of it, however, my surgeon says that eventually I will not notice it. I can feel where my stomach has been stiched over the band when I strech after sitting for a while. Sitting still for long periods of time can be uncomfortable and I have a job where I sit alot (so I get up and walk more than I used to). I have been losing some weight. I weigh in at 286 right now. So that is about 20lbs down since surgery. I know I could have done more except that I do very little excercise. It doesn't seem to take much for me to make an excuse not to go to the gym and I live really close to it. I am really going to make more of an effort to excercise because losing 1 pound a week (maybe) is not why I had the surgery. I have been trying to increase the amount of protein in my diet, drinking shakes and eating protein bars. Ofcourse, I cannot eat as much as I could before. Maybe half of my previous portions. I try to make good food choices. I take a lot of weight watchers and lean cuisines for lunch. I did eat some foods that didn't go down right and that caused some discomfort but it got better after about a day. I hope this doesn't discourage anyone, just being honest. You really have to train yourself to chew your food well. One thing I can say is that I feel a lot better physically just losing this small amount of weight - so that in and of itself makes it all worth it. I'm not scheduled for a fill yet, perhaps my surgeon will okay it on my next visit at the end of August. I just wanted to check in and say I'm doing pretty well after surgery and I hope I continue to progress and heal completely. Good luck to anyone about to have surgery or who has already had it!
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

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Banded 6/18/09

This is my first post although I have been on this site for several months. I was banded 3 days ago and I am doing pretty well. Despite all of the research I had done, I was still very nervous about the procedure, but I felt like I could no longer control my appetite and every attempt that I made to lose weight would fail more quickly than before. I didn't want to yo-yo diet anymore and I wanted any efforts I made toward losing weight to have a chance to be more permanent. My pre-surgical weight about a week prior to surgery was 309. I weighed myself today and I was 297. My highest weight was 325 and I haven't been below 300 in about 1 1/2 years... probably longer. I consider being below 300lbs to be an accomplishment and I hope that I can keep moving toward my goal of 170 lbs. Since I have read so many posts that have been inspirational to me, I thought I should add mine in case it could help someone else in their decision making process. I will do my best to stick to the diet and exercise plan and follow the rules of the band.
W8TYGIRL

W8TYGIRL

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