Alexandra

Pretty much anyone I know who is close enough to ask me about it is someone close enough for me to tell. So far in my business life no one has mentioned a thing--not even the colleagues in my office whom I didn't clue in at the start. I figure if they're not going to bring it up I certainly won't. Recently I saw someone I know professionally after a long time apart. She had no idea anything was up and when she saw me she just said "wow, look at you!" She didn't continue and I just laughed and said hi. She took her cue from me as much as I take my cue from others. So I guess the short answer is that if anyone asks, I'd probably tell. But most people I know socially don't ask. Anyone close to me probably already knows.

Maureen, that's wonderful news!! Now that you know your worst fears are NOT coming true you can concentrate on getting your symptoms cleared up. I know that when I see my band in an x-ray it looks slightly tilted, and I'm assuming that's normal. Maybe my stomach isn't completely straight.

Hi Michelle, Congratulations on your banding and your weight loss thus far. You've hit on some key truths about the banded life and sound like you're really on the ball with it! It's nice to have you here and I hope we'll get to know you better. :D

Great idea, Shelly! Look for my post on the 20th. (I've jumped the gun on photos, already.)

Darcy, I'm so sorry I missed this thread! Lots of good healthy vibes going out to you from me, lady. I SO hope it's nothing and will be cleared up with a little Prilosec or something. Take care!!

It sounds to me like you have new restriction, yep. I've found that it really takes a few weeks--three, at least--for a fill to "find" itself and for me to become accustomed to it. The burping means you're taking in air with your food or drink. If you try to minimize that, you should get some relief. Now is the time to concentrate on eating slowly and taking really tiny bites; this is a new level of restriction for you and you should proceed slowly with it. Eat mindfully, really trying to swallow ONLY the chewed food and no air. You may be subconsciously gulping and have to re-learn how to eat to stop doing it. Good luck, and let us know how it's going!

Hi Dee, There is no question that a slower loss will decrease the occurrence of excess skin. But the rest is, I think, largely a matter of circumstance and genetics. The younger you are the less trouble you'll have with it. The advice I've heard about keeping yourself well hydrated also make sense to me, but outside of that I don't think there's much we can do to influence the situation. Loose skin will be my badge of honor, a talisman of a battle won. As of now I can't imagine voluntarily going under the knife again for any reason--I hate general anaesthesia that much. But ask me again in another 60 lbs; my feelings may have changed by then.

Ok, see, this is why I can't do these once-a-week things. Last Wednesday through Saturday I was at 257, which for me was a huge victorious milestone. Then on Saturday evening I got my period and bang, this morning I'm at 260 again. So the hell with weekly weighing. I'm sticking to my daily thing and taking the notches downward as they come. I don't mind plateaus because I can see daily what's happening. If I hadn't been weighing so often I'd have missed that milestone and still be thinking I'm stuck! I like my way better. Or is that my weigh?

Candy, I'm with you. Fun is fun but I'm afraid DeLarla will wake up one day and discover there's nothing fun about endless debt and an out-of-control life. Lisa, Chris has shown you that he's fun and exciting. Can he show you that he's a grown-up? I don't know about you, but I like being married to an adult.

Hi Debra, welcome! I'm so glad you found this board and have decided to post. Nice to meet you!! :D

Oh my, oh my, oh my. I don't think even strenuous exercise can damage the band, but slippage is a possibility. I guess. But I can't imagine what you could be talking about! I'm square.

SO MUCH of that post I'd like to frame and put in the Bandsters Hall of Fame. Gold, every one of them gold. To wit: I think the very most important thing I learned while I was banded was that PLATEAUS ARE NORMAL. In the past if I'd been "dieting" and didn't see results each week it would send me off on a binge. THIS JOURNEY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DRASTIC TO BE EFFECTIVE. Many people cannot be satisfied with 1.34 pounds a week AVERAGE. They're thrilled when they lose 5 pounds one week, and then desperately unhappy when they lose nothing more the next two weeks. This is dieting mentality - letting the scale control how you feel about yourself and your progress. Donali, I <3 you.

*They said that you will still be hungry - they described it as being constantly hungry, but not able to eat enough to satisfy your hunger. So, it is very frustrating not being able to feel full. It is true that "full" feels different after banding, at least for a while. Now that I've been banded almost a year I can honestly say that I feel FULL in a completely satisfying way when I've had enough. During the first few months there is a conflict between our stomachs and our minds--it really can be difficult to realize that the inside of half a sandwich is a perfectly fine lunch. But that's our brains resisting, not our bodies. *They said that it takes a really long time to eat a meal - one person said they just ate little bits of food all of the time, because this was the only way they ever felt full. They said that eating a meal can take up to two hours. Sure, it's possible to graze all day if you want. But if someone takes two hours to eat a meal that person is eating several meals' worth of food. I usually eat for between 10 and 20 minutes and I'm done. People eating for so long are not feeding their physical hunger, but rather refusing to recognize that their heads and mouths don't know what's ENOUGH. We have to learn to let the band tell us. *They said that eating became drudgery - basically, eating was definitely not pleasurable anymore, and that they ate purely for survival. This wouldn't be that big of a deal for me, but I'm just wondering if it is true. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Get it? No. I have a whole NEW appreciation for food, adding to my enjoyment of life. The other night I ordered an $8.50 soft-shell crab appetizer at a restaurant for my dinner. Much as I love soft-shell crab, I'd never have bought such an expensive appetizer before (and the soft-shell crab dinner was over $20). But now that the appetizer is my meal it's well worth the price. And it was beautiful, delicious, and plenty of food. *They said that you still have to diet. Only if you want to, and I don't recommend it. If you hand over control of your eating to your band, IT will pull a lot of the weight with regard to self-control. When I was on diets in the past, I could push away from the table after a meal of salad and tunafish with the best of them. But 10 minutes later I'd be in the fridge looking for something more, something satisfying, because my stomach wasn't satisfied any more than my brain was. It's a LOT EASIER to stay out of the fridge after a meal now, because my stomach really is satisfied. There is just no more room after a meal--and I mean a small meal--and so now I eat better meals and satisfy myself from the start. I'm really sorry to see that what you're quoting is still in print. Those comments could be made by anyone after ANY weight-loss surgery, and they sound like the patient is expecting the surgery to do all the work. It's not that way. And with time, at least with the band, the life gets easier and not harder. I don't worry about the surgery no longer "working" after a year, or two, or five, because my band isn't going anywhere. So when the RNY patients are frantically counting calories, again, and worrying about their compromised nutrition, I'll be toodling along my merry way healthfully losing at a rational pace. And KEEPING it off. I'm glad you're here and checking this out, Kim. Keep asking questions!

YEP, YEP, YEP!!! That's the ticket, yeppers. Welcome to the world of restriction. I LOVE MY BAND!!! :D

Hi Heidi! Congratulations on taking this big step towards a healthier you. Welcome to the site and please let us know how you're doing. Hope your recovery is smooth and quick!

Jennifer, how are you feeling now? Today is a nice rainy day which will give you an excuse to laze around all day and read a good book. Hope your recuperation is going well!!

Lisa, wow, what a mess. When we're kids stuff like this is kind of exciting, funny in a scary kind of way, playing with fire. But not NOW, not anymore. You are letting this man make serious dents in your financial health, and you WILL regret it (if you don't already). I was married to this same man once and thankfully got out with my credit rating intact, but only barely. But I was 30 and had time to repair the damage. With a home to think about you CANNOT mess around!! Do you know what kind of damage a late mortgage payment makes to your credit rating? Just one will follow you around for years and will have to be explained to any future lenders. And "my husband went out and bought a Harley on an impulse" is not the kind of explanation lenders like to hear, to say the least. I can't comment on the health of your marriage; only you can decide whether the pros are worth the cons. But don't mess around with the finances!! Chris has to understand that what he thinks is funny and exciting can have a SERIOUSLY negative impact on both of your futures.

My girls are 3 and 5 (will be 6 in Sept.). They sure do keep us hopping, don't they?!!! Thanks for the nice words, everyone. I think I'm FINALLY seeing a difference in photos, too. I have reverse body dysmorphia, I think; I look better in the mirror to myself than I do in photographs. But I'm not complaining!

And one more, because he doesn't get NEARLY enough props from me, here is one of me and my darling rock of Gibraltar, Michael:

And today we attended the same birthday party, so I gathered my young 'uns around and we took this:

My town just got a Walmart!! I know it's not PC to be happy about that, but I am anyway. And this Joisey goil doesn't have an accent. It's a myth perpetrated by those Lawn Gislanders, really.

Suz, Marie is right. You have nothing to gain by setting your sights on a particular number and date. Imagine losing even 60 lbs by one year out. Isn't that a hell of a lot better than NOT losing 60 lbs? Or than GAINING weight? I'm here to tell you that it is. When coming off a lifelong treadmill of fighting to lose three pounds only to gain five back, the experience of taking off 60 lbs in a year and KNOWING they will not come back is absolutely breathtaking. One year is by no means the end of the road. The band is always there and there is no expiration date on its help. I'm still going strong and feel like I'm still in the beginning stages of my new life.

Maureen, I sympathize completely. I did a 12-week Optifast stint once, and during that time I was a bridesmaid at a wedding in Bermuda. Imagine sitting through the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself without being able to eat OR drink! It was horrible. But I managed, because I knew it was temporary. You're taking the best care of yourself you possibly can. On Tuesday you'll know what's what, and you can get back on the road to eating normally and WITHOUT PAIN. You will get there, and it will be easier than you think. Just have a little faith and be prepared to move ahead with the help of your doctors and your bandster friends.

All of my digits are crossed for you, Maureen. I hope everything turns out OK!!! How are you getting through the weekend? Are you still on liquids? Are you feeling OK, at least? I hope you're not suffering through all of this, on top of being so worried. Take care of yourself, and try not to think too much about Tuesday. It'll be here soon enough. We're thinking of you!!

That's amazing, Princess!! :D Congratulations and YOU GO, GIRL!!!