pink dahlia

First off, CONGRATULATIONS !!! 2nd off, take a few deep breaths ................... it will help with the jitters. If this is any help, my surgery was easy, and recovery were easy as long as I moved very slowly the 1st week or so. Food wise , I can eat alot of what I ate before, some of it I choose to only eat occasionally, like fast food, a few things I cant eat at all, ( raw broccoli and chicken breast), some only a little bit ( brown rice , pasta, some breads) . The weight that came off of me was far more important than any food I couldnt have, Im VERY happy I was banded, its just been a win win from the beginning !! Hope yours goes smoothly toon! Good luck !!

Well somebody got dipped in awesome sauce !!! Congratulations and keep up the good work !!!

Loulou29, Amen to the above posts !! Every one of them is right on the money ! I know everyone gets to the idea of WLS on their own sweet time, and good for you for thinking it through ! You really do need to know all the positives and negative s before you make such a big decision. That being said, I have to ask you, ( with all due respect ) in the scheme of things, is having the band permanently in you that big of a deal ? Its to permanently help you with weight loss so you can live a healthy life, as long as you follow the band rules. I always say , the 5 % negative of being banded is nothing compared to the 95 % positive of being banded ! I wish you well on whatever you decide !

"Dont give up cause you' ve hit a wall, progress is progress no matter how small " - author unknown, aaannnddddd.......... my other favorite.......... "Comparison is the thief of joy " - Teddy Roosevelt

Dont worry, stalls happen before and after WLS. Get used to them because it means that your body is trying to adjust to the new changes. Not a big deal. Just stay with the pre op and you'll do good. Also, stay off the scale if it bugs you that much, dont let a # on the scale determine your self worth !! You're awesome !!!

Congratulations ! Great post ! So glad this year turned out to be so positive for you in so many ways ! Keep up the good work !!!

Way to go Alex !!! Thanks for being our "voice" for WLS patients !!! I agree with the above post about the article being so negative. Where was all the success stories and positive comments ? Im almost 3 yrs out and I still can't come up with anything negative !! Where are the stories on that ??

Proud grammy, I just had the exact same thing happen to me just this morning ! Weird !!! Another person parked their car too close to mine at the Y, I had to move my mirror in to get to my door. I slid right through this small space like it was nothing ! I got a swim workout AND a NSV , not a bad way to start my day !! Woot! Woot !!

Congratulations on your bandiversary and your weight loss !!! The haircut looks beyond cute on you !!!!

I put WLS in a similar category as teeth problems , poor eyesite or a broken bone. If you needed help fixing any of the above, such as eye surgery, dental surgery or surgery to fix a broken bone, nobody would think twice about it. But if someone thinks about WLS, well that can be a different story for some. Too bad !!! Getting help to get your body healthy and strong is more important than someone s opinion. Nobody would think those other surgerys are the "easy way out ", neither is WLS. Just sayin '.............

Good for you ! Getting YOUR body healthy and strong is your #1 priority, not HER body. You will have your journey, she will have hers. I like your changing the subject idea, no fighting or discussion, just changeing the subject. Hopefully she'll get the idea. Some celebrity stated "You can be the ripest , juicest peach in the world, and there will be somebody out there who doesn't like peaches !" True . So, stick to your guns and who knows, maybe your mom will see you as a motivation to get healthy herself ! Or somebody else who Iis watching you ! You never know who you might inspire ! Good luck !

You might want to skip breakfast and wait till later in the morning to try some food. From what ive heard , most people have a tighter band first thing in the morning. I used to love breakfast foods, now I cant do any oatmeal, eggs, pancakes etc in the AM. Everything gets stuck or uncomfortable. But for some reason I can slowly nibble on Belvita Breakfast biscuits, turkey jerky, and trail mix with no problems. So if you have to eat something, try some healthy foods that aren't typical breakfast foods and see what happens. Good luck !

Gowalking is right on the money ! Um, yeah, what she said ! To say that the band literally gave me my life back is not an understatement ! It will be 3 years this December, and I couldn't be happier ! I was slim all my life until I started gaining around 30 yrs old and it just got worse, even a year on Weight Watchers did nothing except a 12 lb loss . Thats it for a year ? But following the band rules got me down 65 lbs to a happy healthy me ! Go Lap band !!!!

You're amazing wrapped up in awesome sauce !! Wow ! Way to go ! Keep it up !!

I agree with all the above advice. ANY sort of WLS advice is going to be tough for him to hear , but yes a seminar is a great place to start , if you can get him there. The hardest part for me, of your post, was the "starting a family " part. Id rather not go into detail, as im very private person, but i will tell you that alone can put more strain on a marriage than most other problems a couple will face. It literally rocked me to my very foundation, not to mention the stress it will put on a marriage. Stress wise, id give a 10. (And we were both at a healthy weight). The last thing you want is to go in to ANY sort of this family situation in an unhealthy body. Wouldn't wish any of it on my worst enemy. Sooooo, maybe see if your hubby will look at getting a "healthy body for our future family " , and then mybe a Seminar ?

I was banded by Dr. Neal almost 3 yrs ago, he's the best ! I give him and his staff an A+ !!! I only had to visit his Olympia office for the pre surgery visit, the surgery was at Harrison Hosp in Silverdale, close to where I live, fills at the Bremerton office. I highly recommend him and his team ! Good luck !!

I flew from Seattle to New York a few weeks ago, no problems at all , airport or otherwise.

Yes, yes and oh hell yes, id get banded again, but sooner if id known about it and not wasted years of a skinny girl trapped in an overweight body. The 5 % negative of being banded is nothing compared to the 95% positive of living with a happy, healthy body !!! NO REGRETS !!!

Silly aunt Di, big difference between traveling when you're heavy and when you're lighter. 3 and a half years ago, a trip to Austin TX. Long flight, hot , tired, difficult trip physically. A few weeks ago, a trip to NY. Long flight, hot, not tired, easy trip physically. Huge difference, made this trip alot more fun !

Congratulations on all your NSV's ! It s the little things that count, right ? And since you asked .................. I have to tell this story because I think its hilarious, but my deepest apologies to any one that might be offended !! A few weeks ago my hubby and I were vacationing in upstate NY. As we were leaving the hotel one AM, I saw 2 ladies sitting together outside near their room ..( it was hot, I had a long red maxi dress on, looked nice ) As I walked near them to get to our car, I nodded and said a quiet " Good morning ." They both looked back at me, and one said in a kind of low, sexy voice, "Well,........... good morning !".. My hubby teased me all week long about my " girlfriends !" Im sure you get the picture, but we couldn't stop laughing about it !! You had to be there !!

No, I dont think you're nuts because you want WLS. It sounds like you're doing your research well. Smart thinking on your part ! Just because you hit one brick wall does 'nt mean you should give up, it just means you might have to shop around for a good surgeon who is willing and able to work with you. A big part of success with WLS is to be on the same train of thought with your Dr. , so keep looking ! You need to be happy and healthy to raise your kids, and it sounds like you're on your way ! Good luck !!

Well, you're just amazing wrapped up in awesomeness , now are'nt you ??? Way to go ! I love the fact that your goal was a thing , not a number on the scale ! Congratulations !

Well, you'll get lots if support here, no doubt ! I think you've done great ! 30 lbs in about 6 months is excellent ! !! My Dr. told me I d average a weight loss of 4-8 lbs a month, some time s a little more OR less, so you're averaging 5 lbs a month ! For someone who isnt exercising and has a thyroid problem, id say you're doing just fine ! The band itself IS working, I just think you have to wrap your mind around that idea and not compare yourself to anybody else progress. You'll get there, slow and healthy is better than fast and unhealthy ! Good luck !!

Congratulations ! Hope the year is just as successful for you as this year has been. Keep up the good work !!

You look amazing, confident, beautiful, sassy and most importantly, happy and healthy !!! Congratulations !!! You re an inspiration ! And PS - the1st pic of you I thought it could'nt be you because it was soooooo different from t he 3rd pic !!! Wow ! Congratulations on all your hard work !!!