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Can not believe how much time went by since my surgery!!! I am grateful of the results that I have enjoyed so far. Like most slow losers, I wish I had lost more! But things are moving along. I am making changes that will not only help me lose the weight now, but keep if off in the long run. I just went through a super stall, BUT to my surprise I got the most comments and compliments during that period!! Go figure lol!! My upper body slimmed down significantly, but my lower body is stubborn and will not be as flexible:( I did lose, but not as drastically as my top did. I hope that will be the next site of improvement or I am going to look very disproportionate:( NSV: I wore heels for the first time in YEARS today! And I felt ( do I dare say ) so SEXY lol!!! I am of good spirit and faith. I am going to win this fight.

It's been a while since I posted...from the Monday before my surgey to the Monday after, I lost 11.2lbs. It's been harder than I thought only having liquids...I've realized I do not like protein shakes! I'm just ready to have soft foods, and feel like I have the energy to start exercising and being me again. I just didn't react well to the anesthesia, plus having the hernia repaired, plus going back to work this week...I think I've used all of my energy! Next week is a new week, and I'm ready to conquer it. My plan is to rest this weekend and feel even stronger.

Well.................... a very deep subject. So my fellow bandsters, new found cyber friends I want to share my success with you and help you to understand that this process is possible but you have to jump in with both feet and be 100% committed to this process. So I will go back to the beginning. High my name is Diane and 2 years ago I was morbidly obese. I used food as a coping mechanism for every aspect of my life. I ate when I was happy, I ate when I was sad, I ate when I was stressed and i would even eat and lie to myself about the fact that I ate. (Sound familiar) Well one day, I not only had to take a long hard look in the mirror but I had to recognize that my body was no longer coping well with the extra weight on my 5'1" frame. I weighed 252 lbs at my heaviest(Check out my profile, I was very "FAT" there is no other word to describe me. Oh yes I did have a "NICE" smile, still do but now I have cheek bones) I like many of you had tried many WL options from fad diets to Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig and also like many of you I FAILED! Notice I said "I" failed. You see all of those "DIETS" worked but what I failed to do was truly embrace the changes that were needed in my life, the changes that I needed to be successful. But I now believe I had to fail in order to succeed. I see myself just like any addict, I had to hit rock bottom before I truly could commit myself to changing my life. When I started on this site I chose to pick a name that I could grow to love, a.k.a. my user name LovetheNewMe. The other decision I made when I signed onto this site was to be honest and give back as much as I was taking away. I like many of you read and sat in the back ground for many weeks and tried to learn, not only from the successful but also from the struggles. If I could pick three things that have made me successful I would have to say they are "Me, Myself and I" I am sorry to burst anyone's bubble but the Lapband is not why I lost weight, I lost weight because I have learned how to eat and I have learned what a portion is and I have learned that you get out of this what you put into it. If you sit on your butt and expect the weight to fall off, or have your band so tight that you can only drink liquids or puck back half of everything you eat, YES you can lose weight but YOU will not keep it off. You have to embrace the concept of the band, the band does not prevent you from eating the junk food, actually the band encourages you to eat junk food. I know your all thinking this women is flippin crazy. But think about it, when your band is tight and protein will not go down what do you lean toward. SLIDERS! Foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value. I have read over and over on this blog that people had the surgery so they would not have to count calories, track their food or exercise. Well good luck to all of them because I know me, I am the queen of manipulation and I was real good at telling me that it was OK to eat the fast food on the way home from work and still eat dinner because no one saw me eat it but LITTLE olé me, myself and I. So, what is my point... You have to embrace a healthy life style and you have to remember that what you lose you can always gain back if you do not embrace a healthy life style. It really is true, You are what You EAT!. You have to learn to eat like a thin person and think like a thin person to be a thin person. I am still in the phase of my journey that I am a thin person but there is still a FAT girl living inside me that still struggles to get out some days. I am determined that the "FAT" girl in me is gone forever. I keep pictures of me at my heaviest in plain site, in my house and office. I do not want to ever forget how far I have gone. Just looking in the mirror does not always do it for me, a picture is worth a thousand words. Yes I have reached my ideal body weight, Yes I have dropped from a size 24 to a size 4 (no that is not a type "O") I still log my food every day, I still weight and measure my food, I eat off a small plate, I lay my fork down between bites, I do not drink with meals 30 min before or 30 min after meals, I do not graze, I do not eat unplanned snacks, I do not succumb to peer pressure and I DO exercise 4-5 days per week. The best advice I can give any bandster is: Follow the rules Keep in touch with your WL Surgeon Drink Water Exercise Set realistic goals (Boys and Girls we did not get FAT over night and you are not going to get thin over night. To lose weight you have to decrease your intake and increase your activity. Your body is a living, breathing machine and you to have burn calories to lose weight and the only way I know how to do this is to exercise. It still takes 3500 calories less than your body needs a week to lose one pound per week. That calculates out to 500 calories less per day than your body burns. You have to learn what your body needs just to maintain your current weight. There is a very narrow balance between what you need and not eating to little. If you eat to little your body will think you are starving and eventually stop losing weight.) Learn to eat healthy( The reason you have to do this is because of rule #5) And last and the most important, EAT YOUR PROTEIN. (It has been proven that bandsters that heat 70gms or more protein are more successful with weight loss) Protein make you feel fuller longer and takes longer to digest thus decreasing your desire to eat. And last bit of advice and probably the most important; Learn to love your self, believe in your self and know that you can do this. Anything is possible with hard work and dedication. So here is the old me beside the new me. Good luck to all of you who are just startng or those of you who are struggling. If you are struggling, forgive your self and move forward, if you are just starting or thinking about LBS, know you are going to have to work hard because this is a Life Style Change and just having the surgery and the band does not mean you will lose weight. LovetheNewMe

I have had my second fill and am not in the green zone with 3cc fill appear to be stuck at this weight for 3 weeks now. I am trying not to get discouraged, continue to walk thinking about getting a personal trainer just to make the scale move. I had a large celebration this week with my only cheat being a 2oz sample of wine. First and only alcohol since going under the knife. No sweets at all and making healthy choices. Time to get back to my journal I guess to really see what's happening with my intake calorie wise. I have to remain focused, I can feel a difference in my clothes as I have shed an entire wardrobe! Another non scale victory under 100 to lose! I can do this....! Yes..I can!

things went well with the surgery (9/10). i was in and out quickly. they did find that my liver was way larger than normal, so they took a biopsy. came back and i have early fibrosis/non alcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver disease) that could lead to cirrhosis if i dont get/keep the weight off. in the hospital overnight, couldn't sleep. was on an 8 minute dilaudid pain pump, which i thank heaven for. just don't let them take out your IV/pain pump til they are actually ready to walk you out the door, especially if you have a long way to get home. i had mine out too long and got very agitated because the dr took 2.5h to write my discharge orders... i felt horrible and then started running a fever and my blood pressure and heart rate (things i don't have issues with) skyrocketed. the nurse had a horrified look on her face when she took them right before i left. on the ride home, every bump was horrible. i just wanted my own bed. and it felt like years before my husband got home from the pharmacy with my pain meds. other than that just poking and prodding. went home the next day, pain for about a day and a half, only gave my oxycodone. phenergan did not touch the nausea, so they called in some zofran. if you have nausea, DEMAND the zofran. much more effective. turned out to have been pain mainly from the nausea from pain meds. i was fine w just zofran the 2 or 3 days after that, then i felt just fine. within the week, i actually felt GOOD. weird. i did have one night where i laid in bed and felt like there was electricity going through my body. i couldn't sleep and was just restless. it was horrible. i think it was related to an anti nausea patch they gave me to put behind my ear? not sure, but i stopped using it and it hasn't happened since. so far, down 25 lbs and 25 inches. mostly in my arms, legs, and face. coming off slowly on the abdomen, which is where i carry everything. was initially scheduled for 3 weeks off work. i feel good. was cleared for soft food, sex, and exercise today, THANK GOD. walking wasn't cutting it. i did get approved for another 2 weeks off of work though. i want to be less exhausted from healing. my sleeve doesn't hurt. it cramps a little in the am when i am empty and haven't taken my prilosec, but other than that, no pain. no nausea otherwise. i think i am eating too quickly bc i am overly full when i am done. take the time to listen to your body. eat super small bites VERY SLOWLY and you'll avoid getting too full, which feels gross and can make you cough out the extra. it's really not fun. matrix mint cookie protein and i are bffs. the best flavor! and not too thick. so glad i did it! best decision i have ever made! questions? lol

Everyone has opinions and advice and that is what makes us different individually. I am not one to sugar coat things but for someone to come and tell another "you are giving out bad information or advice" is just dead wrong. That is the opinion bad information or advice is being given. Keys to a successful journey in my opinion is: Patience Education Following basic guidelines set forth by a Doctor and/or Nutritionist Making good food choices Develop good eating habits such as eating slow, smaller portions and chewing up food very fine Analyze your hunger to ensure it is really truly hunger and not head hunger Patience Ongoing Education throughout your journey Constant follow up with Doctors and Nutritionists throughout the journey. This is a must should band adjustments be needed. While I understand is is perfectly normal to read up on the manufacture website on the product I think I would put more faith in the experience others have had with the product and that goes for both patients and medical professionals alike. I read up on Realize band on the manufacture website but in the end they are trying to sell a product. I want to hear from the 'end users' and the medical professionals who work with the product. Just my penny worth of thoughts Oh and Fen-Phen said they could help people lose weight as well but in the end the drug was pulled for causing serious health issues along with deaths and they ended up shelling out $13 billion in settlements. Anyone who just takes the word of a manufacturer as FACT or word of law is not a wise person.