dlynn1635

Good Morning Everyone!!! I just wanted to check in with my fellow July bandsters and see how everyone is doing with their new lifestyles and weight loss. I feel that being banded has been a lot more challenging than what I expected but I am happy with the decision. I have lost 41 lbs and gone from a size 20 to a 14 as of today!!! YAY!!! Looking forward to your shares! :iloveuall:

My name is Demetra and I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I was banded on July 14, 2010 and have lost 86 lbs so far... I still have another 25 to go according to my doc. Weight loss is at a stand still right now. No weight loss prior to surgery so my starting weight was 273 and am currently at 187 give or take a few pounds day to day. Was wearing a 20/22 to start and am down to about a 10/12... Very happy with my progress. So I would love to hear from others that had surgery around that time!

145 lbs!!! Wow that is AWESOME!!! I wouldn't trade my band either... I have found that now that I am closer to my goal it is harder to get off... I have bought the Zumba videos and am currentl using those to burn and tone it is a fun and challenging workout. Thanks for responding and good luck on the rest of your journey!

LOL!!! that was a good one!! thanks for the laugh...

My 1 year anniversary is July 14 and I have lost 82 lbs with 16 more to go. It has certainly been an interesting year learning how to eat again but - am totally satisfied! Congrats on your weight loss!!! Keep up the good work!

If u stay focuse on your main goal and that is to lose weight by adopting a healthier eating lifestyle, you can do it!!! A lot of people tend to get stuck on what they CAN'T eat instead of focusing on eating the good stuff we need to lose the weight... I knew that pizza and burgers and beer would be out of the question for a while if not for good but I was willing to let them go to lose the weight. My surgery date was 7/14/10 and weight was 273 I am down to 191 today (hallelujah) and I feel great. I don't feel deprived because I have learned to enjoy the foods that I can eat. Don't get me wrong I miss having a good juicy burger bub and all but now I just get it bunless with all the toppings I would normally eat on it... LOL... Waiters and waitresses get a kick out of it when I orser it and sy it is mt cheat day! LOL... Good luck on your journey!

As long as you practice the rules you should be fine. Dime sized bites and chew chew chew! I was banded 7/14/10 and I wasn't afraid of eating but I had to learn what I COULD eat. eggs and lettuce and bread and Pasta were all no no's for me... Tried to eat a raw baby carrot on Thanksgiving an dthe pain was indescribale. So I adjusted and stuck with meat and veggies only! It has worked well for me as of today I am 191 down from 273 on surgery day no pre-op diet for me... Good luck on your journey!

I have finally reached ONEDERLAND!!! I have been afraid to claim it for the last couple of weeks because I have been boucing between 199 and 201-202... But this morning I weighed and I am 196 and I am ready to claim the victory of reaching ONEDERLAND. My bandiversary is July 14th and I was hoping to reach this point before then and it hasn't been easy but... I DID IT!! Although there are days that I wish I didn't have this band and I could just take the easy road to eating, I have no regrets, I feel GREAT! Newbies... hang in there and the hard work and discipline will pay off... Don't get me wrong, I have fallen off the wagon a couple of times in this journey but once back on the weight just continues to come off... The advice I have received from some of the veterans on this site has been so helpful! Good Luck to all of my fellow bandsters!! We can do this!!:woot: :clap: :huggie: :iloveuall:

Thanks you guys!!!! And yes it does feel WONDERFUL!!! My sister has been my biggest cheer leader and she cried when she saw me last month at her daughter's graduation. I hadn't seen her since Thanksgiving... That was pretty awesome!

Congrats!!! On your accomplishment!! I'd say this calls for a new outfit or something...

I was banded July 14, 2010 and fortunately have not had this problem. Have you tried scheduling your appointment so that it is an extended lunch from work. I have to drive about 30 mins to my appt from work and if I can't get in at the end of the day I will schedule early and just use it as my lunch break and return to work. Your fill this time will prayerfully be what you need to get the weight loss rolling again! I will be cheering for you!

One of my biggest fears before being banded was that I would NOT lose weight... I have found that by replacing bad food with good food it has made the journey somewhat easier. Like instead of eating chips, I eat cucumber slices or sunflower seeds or I drink Water or iced tea or something in times when I am craving and know that I shouldn't eat. As you get closer to your "sweet spot" your cravings should go away and then you are just eating the good stuff because that is about all you have room for anyway. Bandster hell is HARD and it lasts for different lengths of time for everyone. For me it was the first 3-4 months and although I could have eaten whatever I wanted during that time, I didn't because again I was afraid that I wouldn't lose the weight and the surgery would have been a waste of time. Always keep your goal in mind. Not the one the doctor has set for you but the one you have for yourself. None of us went under the knife just to have something to do. Remember your commitment to getting to a healthier and thinner lifestyle. Revel in the sense of accomplishment you feel when you see the inches and weight come off. Bask in the compliments from friends and family as they see the changes in you. And don't allow anyone to sabatoge you with negativity and doubt. And when you have a bad eating day, brush it off and start over the next day. There is no magical eating formula for the band. You just have to find what works for you and stick with it. Good luck and you can do this!!!

I started mine from the day of surgery since I didn't have to do a pre-op diet...

They do offer these things, however, I have not taken advantage of them. I have been going for fill only and the awesome recipes that they put out regularly! I met with the nutritionist a couple of times prior to surgery and also with my husband who is diabetic over the last couple of years and have a pretty good foundation with eating. I had pretty much changed my eating habits before being banded. The technicians are all very well informed and trained and can help you with most of your questions and concerns, anything else I would call your surgeon's office. I have not had any problems since being banded, well except for one when I ended up being too tight and had to have an unfill but even with that my weight loss has remained steady. I don't stray far from the program when it comes to eating. I am just now reaching a point of where I am really having to work to reach my goal. I think this is because I am so close. What part of Dallas do you live in? Good luck with your lapband journey!!

Hello Weesie, I am in the Dallas area and also use True Results Aftercare in Richardson. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I have been very satisfied with the care and results I have received...

I was sooooooo hungry right after surgery that I really felt that I had made a HUGE mistake getting banded. I was hungry the same night of surgery when I finally woke up at home and it just got worse from there for about 6 weeks!! That was 10 months ago and I am so glad to say that with will power and determination the band has worked wonders for me. When I went in for my post op visit, I met a lady in the waiting room that had been banded for 6 months and she told me to drink instead of eating during this phase. It is hard to get in the 64oz of Water daily anyway and I should use the time between meals to drink drink drink and it took the edge off my hunger and I was able to go longer between eating. My surgeon told me that he would have been surprise if I was not hungry because I had no Fluid in my band and he offered me a diet pill til my first fill. I didn't take to offer, I told him the purpose of me having the band placed was to learn a different way of eating and taking a pill was not going to help me with that. So needless to say the first few months were what is referred to as bandster HELL but I did it and lost weight to boot. I reached restriction after my 3rd fill and all has been really good since. I say this to say we have all fallen off the "band" wagon, but all you can do is get up brush yourself off and move on up the road to better choices from there. Don't keep persecuting yourself because that is not productive. Just say okay today was a bad day, but tomorrow and the days to come will be better. Good luck to you!!

The Green Zone for me is when I can eat small meals and not be hungry for 4-5 hours between meals and losing weight at 1-2 pounds per week. Now with that being said, I have been in the Green Zone several times and the reason for this is that as I drop weight I am having to have small tweeks to my band to get and keep me there. Something about losing the fat padding in the stomach area (finally!!) :clap: As far as eating what I want in small quantities, well, I base that on what my band can tolerate at the time. I did have ice cream last week for the first time since my surgery July 2010 and it was OH SO GOOD!! but it will be a while before I have it again. Reaching my goal is more important to me right now than having pleasure foods...

I can totally relate to the stress/tired factor on some days. I never begin a meal without first cutting up my food into dime sized bites. Some days I find myself counting chews like I used to when first banded 10 months ago. On really tight evenings, if I find that food is not going down well, I will put my plate away and try something hot first and then go back to the food. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and those are the nights I call it a bust and just pack it for my lunch for the next day. My doc is not a stickler for absolutely having to have 3 meals a day and it doesn't happen all the time. Really when I think about it, those are usually the days when I am not really hungry anyway. I have also found that on days when I am really hungry when I get home I will snack on some raw veggies before I sit for my meal and that helps me keep the bites small and slow... I am a cucumber FREAK!! and those slices of cucumber really help with my cravings for things crunchy (i.e. chips)... Good Luck to you!

:clap: :huggie: :success1: :waytogo: Congrats!!! that is awesome... I hope to be joining you soon currently at 202...

I guess I am one of the few that CAN NOT eat pizza with the crust. I can pull the toppings off and eat them but the mozzarella is still a challenge becaus the more you chew it the drier it gets. So I have eaten pizza maybe three times since my surgery July 2010... But I was never really a big pizza person to begin with. You just have to try it and see if it is a food you can tolerate. Eating with the band is trial and error and we are all different in what we can and can not eat. Good luck!

You know what is so funny Skinny? The fact that I still find myself looking at the plus sizes when shopping for clothes and then I hold it up to look at and am like, OMG, I can't wear that size anymore! And it is such a motivator to keep on going and making the food sacrifices and working out like a maniac (LOL)... But yes it does feel wonderful and I do have to pinch myself at times. I just came back from having lunch with a friend and this guy came over to the table and gave me a compliment on how good I look and that was pretty flattering!! YAY!!

Oh yeah... I was banded July 2010 as well...

Hi Skinny!! That was very well said! I have to agree with you on the ups and downs of the band. Even though it has not been as easy as I thought it was going to be, it has been wonderful watch my body transform and my energy skyrocket! The foods I can't eat, eggs, bread, Pasta, beef, cake, ice cream are just a few of the things that my band doesn't like, but I no longer miss them. Well that is a small lie because the other day I wanted a burger with all the fixings so bad I could taste and smell it. But I am okay with that. I have 23 lbs to go (slow moving, hit a stubborn plateau ) and I am excited about that. It has been almost 20 years since I have been this small and I am loving it.. So, would I do this again??? YES! Would I recommend it to anyone else? Only if they are ready for a complete lifestyle/eating change. The band definitely changes the way you eat, look at food and how you eat when you are out. Most of what I want I can have but I have found that my wants have changed tremendously. I crave veggies in the place of chips and candy... But I do have the occassional piece of candy or small bag of chips and that is okay too. In the beginning I was anxious about not being able to have certain foods but that is more of a mental thing and I had to deal with that. I pray that we all stay strong and committed to our journey to a healthier and slimmer life!! Live well!!

I notice my hair was shedding at about 3 months after surgery. I have really thick hair as well but I could see it and then I had my sister cut my hair for me one day and she noticed it as well. No bald spots but places where it is a LOT thinner. It was coming out when I shampooed, combed or just ran my fingers through my hair. This has lasted around 6 months and I noticed last week that it has stopped :woot: :clap: ... If you are going to lose it, all the protein and biotin you can get down won't stop it, believe me I tried. But you won't go bald, just practice good eating habits and hair care and all with level out eventually...