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Going to a party today where I will see people that I haven't since Christmas. My surgery was in January and I have lost 96 pounds. At Christmas my skirt/pant size was a 24. Tops were 24 to 28 or XXXL. My sister bought me an adorable skirt and a sexy slamming blouse. Skirt size ---> 6 !!!!!!!!!!! The blouse is a plain MEDIUM. I cried and so did she. I kept looking at the tag on the skirt like it had to be wrong. What a moment. I feel liberated and I feel like I have finally won the battle. I have no regrets going through with this operation. I am very glad I didn't have the bypass or the band. I feel very healthy. Happy girl!! Have a good day everybody.

Today I measured myself for the first time since surgery. It has been 4 weeks and I have lost 30 pounds, but the measurements shocked me!!! I had lost 4 inches in my waist, 3 inches from my chest, an inch from each ankle, 2 inches from each thigh, and 2 inches from each knee. I was worried I wasn't losing fast enough but then I see 17 inches gone from my body and I know that I am going the right way. Today I went to the gym and kind of over did it, but feel the urge to push myself. I know I am still healing and was reminded of this today, especially when I was trying to do triceps exercises laying down on a bench and felt the incision and stomach muscle pull. Ouchh!!! Just gotta go slow. I am so excited to feel great again and have energy. I am happy to hear so many people that I can relate to on this site. I wish everyone the best on their surgeries. This surgery is definitely worth it!!!

​I was just watching a repeat on TLC of Say Yes To The Dress. The bride lost 115 pounds with the band. Her future husband was there with her through the whole thing. Congratulations to the both of them. The bride's mother is thin, discipline and opinionated. The bride tried on so many form fitting dresses and loved a tight fitting that showed off her 'new' figure. The mother hated everything and the poor bride left Kleinfeld's without a dress. Why can't mother's say nice things. It is not 'her' wedding and 'her' dress. I had a cousin that was like that. When her daughter married for the second time the bride did everything her way. Sad but her mother had died. My mother did my wedding my way and when we planned it I was just 19. I got married 1 month after I turned 20 and I am still married. If that bride, Victoria, is part of this site, I hope you finally found your dress and not your mother's.

I must admit, I'm a "closet" sleever. No family or friends know what I'm about to do because I choose not to share. i feel ashamed that i cannot lose the weight on my own. I've been trying for years only to regain the loss weight & then some. My mother has been petite & tiny all of her life, so shes never understood my plight. If she knew, oh would I hear it... Yup, even at the age of 49, she still tries to be controlling. Our phone discussions are never about life events initially, the 2nd-4th question from her is, "HOW IS YOUR WEIGHT?". {I cringe at this question} My friends are all shapes & sizes. My smaller friends call WLS a cop out. My overweight and obese friends say they're ok with their weight, but they're always on a "diet". Instead of acceptance & encouragement, I'm sure I would receive critcism & hateration...{Hateration= a form of jealously and negative emotion about your situation or circumstance, b/c individual isn't able to obtain/acheive the same success} The "excuse" I plan to use with all (including coworkers) is, I had my gallbladder removed & I'm now watching what I eat with a high protien & low carb diet with excercise incorporated within. Yes....... this is my story & my truth. MY truth shall set me free. Thanks for stopping by...I now feel a little lighter, less burdened.

Hello, I had my surgery in November 2012. I was faithful to my surgeon's guidelines for a couple of months. I then began to crave carbs in the form of pudding and ice cream. To make a long story short I went in for only my second fill on June 28, 2013. I was up about 30 lbs. The great news is that by the grace of God, I'm still here and now doing the right things. I've lost 6 lbs since my last fill putting me at 411 lbs total. I've written all this to say that I had a wonderful experience with my surgeon. He helped me to refocus and start again. I hope by the continuing of God's grace, the surgeon's care, and your encouragement to remain faithful to the LapBand Journey. Don't let discouraged (it was easy for me to do). Stay in touch with those who support you and you will have success at on this journey. Larry

All day I was in a slump...trying to figure out what my problem was. It wasn't until I got online earlier tonight and chatted with some wonderful people on Vertical Sleeve who have a lot in common, and I realized that is what I have missed, to talk with those who I can relate to and seek encouragement and advice from this site. I immediately felt a smile come across my face and a peace in my heart. I found my new beginning! I found where I need to wake up tomorrow and put my feet on the floor knowing where I am headed; my plans and goals and ideas...all to reach one destination, to be at my ideal goal weight. I am grateful for people who come into our lives and glad for God's leading to these people. I am definitely moving forward in the right direction, starting tonight! Thank you Lord! ~Missy~

I'm learning my way, so I apologize in advance for the repition. This was posted yesterday I've been struggling with my weight since I was a child...Always gaining and never losing. Excercising, watching what I ate. Green Juicing & organic eating. Cutting back the salt, decreasing the sugar, omiting the bread, bagels & donuts. Stoping the fast food quick trips, increasing the steamed veggies, and loving fish & fowl. Drinking water, carrying water. Drowning in water. I have water in my car, my desk drawer, a bottle in my purse...It became my newest accessory. I've done Nutri System, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and starving. I've used videos, joined classes at the gym, water aerobics, kick boxing, walking & jumping rope around the track. With minimal results, I started crying, lost hope & then binge eating. I have high blood pressure, sore knee joints, an achy back, & a sad spirit. Yet I continue to smile on the outside, because fluffy people are supposed to be happy & jovial. I'm a 49 y/o female that needed help. I started my journey January 2013 by attending a Bariatric Center of Excellence Seminar in the area. It motivated me & I realized this was the help I needed. I immediately signed up and went to my 1st appointment in Feb 2013. I followed the instructions of my insurance carrier, jumped through all of their hoops, crossed my T's, dotted my I's and was still declined the sleeve in May 2013. I questioned, how can that be when I'm in such bad shape? The Bariatric Center of Excellence filed an appeal on my behalf June 2013. I received a call yesterday. My appeal was approved, YAY! Anxiously awaiting 2mrrw to schedule my Sleeve Day. I'm grinning from the inside out!! Please be my support.... Thank you for allowing me to share.

Yesterday was my 49th birthday. As I look back over the past almost-decade, I’m amazed at how much has changed, and how far I’ve come. Since I turned 40, I have gone through a number of big life changes, including divorce and remarriage, job/career changes, and achieving a college education. All of those changes have been enriching and empowering for me. It feels like my 40’s have just been one change after another. I have really come into my own over the past few years, in so many ways that I never anticipated. I am excited about becoming a professional counselor, and inspired by the opportunity to have a positive impact in my small corner of the world. I have been so blessed by supportive friends and family, and I am very grateful for the love that lifts me up each day. Over the past few years, the one major negative change has been my mobility. I can no longer do so many things that I used to do and still want to do. The degree of limitation in my life has become unacceptable to me, and the time to take action is now. So, as I celebrate turning 49, I am already looking ahead to my 50th birthday next year. At that time, I will be 11 months post-op. I have no idea how much weight I will have lost, but I trust that my physical condition will have changed for the better. My plan is to celebrate the beginning of my new decade by doing something physical that would not have been possible at the end of this decade. I don’t know exactly what it will be, but I’ll think of something. It seems very appropriate to celebrate turning 50 by doing something that was not possible for me at 49. I don’t expect to start running or take up mountain climbing; I just want to walk without pain. I want to be able to stand for more than a few minutes, and maybe even to dance again. I want to be able to walk around downtown, or go shopping at the mall. I want to be able to do projects around my house and work in the yard. When we go to the beach, I want to be able to take Tony’s hand and go for a walk in the sand. But until that day comes, I will be thankful to hold his hand as I take this next step, and give myself a gift for next year and beyond.