Jenn1214

I've lost 42 pounds since March, so my size 20 bathing suits no longer fit me. Can you ladies recommend a place where I can get a halfway decent bathing suit without spending 50 bucks a pop or more? I'll just grow out of it by next summer anyway (I hope!)

Hey all, I'm back from my honeymoon in beautiful Hawaii...now it's back to real life. I did have a strange experience, and maybe someone else has had this happen. Here goes: Pretty much the entire time I was away, I had a tough time eating. I got stuck on a lot of foods that normally wouldn't give me a problem, so I had to be even more careful than I usually am. Sometimes even drinking liquids felt icky. I also had a lot of GI upset for most of the trip, but I chalk that up to eating foods that I'm not used to. Anyway, the second I got home, no more problems. I still get stuck occasionally if I'm not being careful, but nothing like on my honeymoon. What gives? Was it the air travel? Stress? Dehydration? I'm going to check in with my surgeon about this, but I was just wondering if anyone else had issues like this.

In a perfect world, I would be a millionaire and I could afford every plastic surgery procedure I wanted... I definitely need a TT, brachioplasty, thigh lift, and breast lift and/or implants. I know it's a completely personal decision, but if you had to choose just one, which would it be?

When I get stuck it's usually because I'm talking to someone and not paying enough attention to how big of a bite I just swallowed. This is how it usually is for me: 1. Swallow too much 2. Oh crap. 3. Pressure in chest/sliming/sweats 4. Where's the bathroom? I've only actually thrown up a couple times. After a few minutes, the stuck feeling passes, but it feels like an eternity. I did try pineapple juice once and it helped, but I took tiny sips. Big gulps probably would have made the problem worse.

I have averaged about 5 pounds a month since being banded. Not amazing, but slow and steady wins the race!

I had SILS so mine is about two inches below my belly button...I don't know of anyone else who has theirs in the same spot so I guess I'm the weird one!

The only thing I would change is the consistency of restriction. Some days I hardly want to eat anything, other days I could eat a horse!

EVERYONE tried to talk me out of getting the Lap Band. Everything from "You can do it on your own" to "Oh you don't need that, you're not that big" and beyond. My fiancé's cousin had it years ago and is still morbidly obese because he eats around the band constantly, so of course he told me "it doesn't work". I let everyone have their opinion and did what was best for me...I have never regretted it. I feel better physically and mentally, and I never get tired of the compliments!

I love the Boca Chik'n patties but today I wanted to dress it up a little. I microwaved the pattie for about a minute, then took it out and topped it with a little fat free pizza sauce and low fat shredded cheese (I like the Kraft Italian 3 cheese blend). Then I put it back in the microwave for another 40 seconds to finish heating the pattie and melt the cheese. I finished it off with some dried oregano and two slices of chopped turkey pepperoni. Yum!

Yesterday I went shopping for a dress for my rehearsal dinner. I saw a cute one but they only had it in a size 8...I figured "What the heck, it can't hurt to try it". It fit! I don't think I've been a size 8 for my entire adult life. I assumed that when I fit into an 8, I would cry or something, but I'm just happy and glad I made the decision to have the lap band. It has really changed my life, and I wouldn't be where I am now without it!

I always love to read success stories from long term bandsters...thanks so much for sharing and congrats!

I keep hearing about chia seeds as being the new "superfood". From what I've read, they contain Omega 3s and are a complete protein, but I also read that they expand in the stomach, which sounds like it could be dangerous for bandsters. Has anyone had any experience with these? Are they really worth trying?

I have three...two are one my upper back and one is on the top of my right foot. After losing almost 100 pounds, I haven't noticed any changes in them. But if you have a low pain tolerance, stay away from foot tats. I almost broke the damn chair when I was getting it done!

I find that when I don't have good restriction, I weigh and measure more often. When I'm "in the zone", I let my band tell me when to stop eating.

I love not hiding from cameras anymore!

Good - being able to work out 45 minutes or more without feeling like I'm going to die. Bad - still thinking I'm fat even though I've lost over 90 pounds.

I never eat chicken now without some kind of condiment to help it along...otherwise it's stuck city!

I had a sedative in the pre op holding area so I was feeling loopy once I got to the OR. I hopped up on the table (well, not literally...that would have been interesting with Valium on board) and was talking to the anesthesiologist about the cruise I had just taken to the Caribbean. Suddenly I felt a burning in my vein which I knew to be Propofol, a drug used for anesthesia induction. I knew I'd been out in about 10 seconds, and sure enough the next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery area. My vision was a little blurry because they put lubricant in my eyes to keep them from drying out, but otherwise I felt fine. Then my incision started hurting, so the nurse gave me some pain meds and I felt better. The worst pain in my opinion was from the carbon dioxide the surgeon used to insufflate my abdomen. It goes away after a few days though.

I can totally relate, Jacqui...I have always been very hippy (think thunder thighs) and getting the saddle bags and inner thigh flab taken care of is definitely high on my list. Never having had kids, I'm probably not a candidate for a TT but maybe some lipo would make a difference. But my batwings have got to go too...such a tough decision!

I'm still getting used to the adjustment I had Thursday and swallowed too big of a bite at dinner...instant misery. Sliming, burping, pain, the whole bit. I don't keep any pineapple juice in the house because I never think of it, but I knew I needed something acidic to help the food go down and fix my stupidity. Desperate, I started rooting through the fridge and found a bottle of lime juice...unsweetened, mind you. I couldn't take the pain anymore, so I squirted some in a cup, held my nose, and drank it down. Holy crap, was it horrible! It actually made me shudder, it was so sour. The next time I decide to be careless about my eating, I'll remember the taste of that lime juice and that should set me straight. Never again!

I have the same issue with reheated meats. If I have leftovers from dinner, I just eat them cold...not worth the hassle of getting stuck.