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Hey all! For anyone that needs a buddy or mentor I wanna help! my name is ashley I am 27 from NJ I am married and dont have any children yet... I am 9 months post op and have lost about 100 lbs woot! (still cant believe it) I have gotten a lot of help and support in, my journey and want to help someone else out too! Look forward to meeting some new friends

Hi, I had my band fitted in August 2011. Not always been easy, but very much worth it.

That is incredible!! I get so excited reading stories like yours. Tomorrow is my surgery and I can hardly wait to be posting this same story. Congratulations on your amazing accomplishment.

Hey Man, I am in Longview, TX. I am 5' 11" and 405lbs. I am similar to your weight. Can you give me any advice? Are you glad you have done this? How long were you in the hospital? Any information you can give for a fellow Texan would be great. I believe I am about to endure this journey and I believe I will qualify with my insurance, just freaked out a bit on where to start and where to go to even begin. Thanks in advanced. God Bless you and may he grant you strength and consistency through your journey.

Excuse my language but Screw Them. People just want something to be nasty about. People dont' have the right to complain I'm fat and then complain when I loose weight. Choose a side you can't have both.

My surgery was Jan4th and had my first fiill early Feb, 2.9 cc and I feel no restriction. I have lost 10 lbs since surgery but zero since my first fill.... I go back march 9 and I hope I start feeling something....I pretty much can eat what I want. I would like to feel full

Kymie- that is awesome! My first fill is a week from Monday, I can't wait. I'm doing okay with just willpower, but as I was driving home yesterday I was thinking about how in a way it's like I don't have a band except for the awareness it gives me. But I know the restriction will come!! Grace- I know what you mean about the follow up- it's kind of hard to try to figure out everything on our own. I too love the boards for all the information I get! NJ2NC- I have no idea where my port is- my surgeon said I wouldn't be able to feel it, but right by my port incision is a bump- it may just be the scar healing from the surgery, though. Let me know how the fill goes, I'm a little stressed out about it, honestly!

Well...this is definitely NOT the first time I have heard that! Let's see, since I have scheduled my lap band surgery I have had folks exclaim, "but you are NOT THAT big?!"...or "jeeze, just go on a diet"...or "but YOU don't need it!" (this last one typically comes from folks that are bigger than me). *sigh*...deep breath...OK, it took me a minute to think about whether or NOT I should even reply. I mean, come on! I am ashamed that I am unable to diet and KEEP the weight off. I feel like a total failure. Sure, I can diet and I will lose some weight, but then my willpower cracks, I get hungry...and the rest is a history of up and down. If my weight is down, I feel great about myself...but if my weight is up...forget it, I am miserable - God forbid I run into someone I haven't seen in awhile, I just feel like a pile of failure. Trust me I have tried EVERYTHING! (here is a quick sampling) * I am a lifetime member of Jenny Craig (bought my membership when I was 21, I just turned 38 yesterday) * Starvation * Sensa (that stuff is disgusting, makes me extremely jittery) * 7-day miracle diet (not what it sounds like, it is a diet where you eat every 2 hours, very low calorie, and quite balanced, however, like I said, VERY low calorie) * Atkins diet * Stopped eating dinner (for years...because doctor recommended this in order to lose weight) * Diet pills (worked great, until you stop taking them...but I was basically high all the time) * Lots of exercise (I was teaching aerobics twice a day...lost weight, but I wasn't able to spend the time I needed to spend with my daughter, she was 3 at the time) * Cabbage Soup diet * Diabetic Diet * Weight Watchers * Ali (gross) * Relicore So I have made the decision to get the lap band. I am only about 40 lbs away from my goal weight. But I am tired of never reaching my goal. I am tired of never having enough willpower to succeed. I decided on the lap band because of the way it acts like a tool to help you achieve your weight loss goal and most of all maintain it! Yes, I can make the decision to eat only 800 or so calories a day without a lap band...but I already know the outcome if I were to take this on without the lap band. I am choosing to be proactive. I am choosing prevention over reaction. Why would I want to put this off until I am diabetic, or have high cholesterol? Why would I wait until I destroy my knees? I don't think I SHOULD have to wait. I don't think that SOME people are more "deserving" of the lap band than others. It is a personal decision. I think it is quite thoughtless and flippant to say to someone in my position that since I only want to lose 40 or so LBS that I should just go on a diet. Trust me when I say, I WISH, I really, really WISH it were that easy!

I've been going to the gym regularly for about 6 weeks now. 3 days a week I do an hour of cardio and the other 3 days I do cardio and then weights with a trainer. My tolerance and endurance have been steadily improving...until today. I did my cardio with no problems, then met with the trainer. From the get go I knew something was off. I was getting winded way too easily and sweating more than usual. Finally about half an hour in, I was doing some leg extensions with a cable and I felt nauseous and dizzy and the lights started to dim, so I sat down immediately. I have never passed out before, but I assume that's what almost happened. I never want to feel that way again. My trainer said I need to eat more on training days, because by the time my cardio is done I've already burned off most of the calories I consumed for the day and my body has no fuel left. Makes sense, but I'm afraid that my weight loss will slow down or stop. Am I right to be worried? Anyone else have a similar experience? I'm sure having my TOM isn't helping either but my body's reaction still seemed pretty extreme.

Hi Jr Guru, I am done, and just came home a little while ago. Tired but did fine. It's not bad at all. No complaints yet. Came home to have a protein drink and lots of water and now for a nap. Funny, I took my cell with me and checked my email while waiting for the surgery and what was on there, promo from Lane Bryant for their February sales!!! LOLOL Timing is everything! Good luck on Monday and I'll check in on you during the week.