♕ajtexas♕

Sounds like you are doing great. Well on your way! Good luck with your journey, Bee well.

ROFLMAO!

Are you willing to change your lifestyle? Are you willing to follow the band rules? Are you willing to follow up with your doctor when you are supposed to no matter what? Have you researched this fully? Have you read about all the complications as well as the successes? If the answer to these questions is yes then talk with your parents and PCP. If they agree then it is time, but if the answer to any of these questions is "not sure", "I don't know", "maybe", or "no" then it is not the time. The band is a wonderful tool and if used correctly can give you wonderful results, BUT it takes a lot of hard work and commitment on our part and as you read from some of the responses our concern is that you won't give the commitment that is needed for success. This is nothing against you as you are young, just entering college and life will get in the way, trust me college life takes over everything else. All I'm saying is if the answer is yes then you are ready but be sure it is truly yes. Good luck to you. Bee well!

Funny thing about an open forum.... it's open! Everyone says what is on their minds & hearts. Sometimes it's love & support and sometimes it's harsh & truthful. I don't think any of us want to be mean to any fellow bandster. We all have good days & we all have bad days. We are in this together and together we will beat this terrible disease called obesity. Let's all Bee thankful we have each other.

oladad, you are doing great. You are in hell and it sucks the big wet one! Trust me I remember it well, something I will not forget. I don't see myself as an old timer, but I am at my goal. I understand your frustration, I think we all do. The band is our tool to use, the problem is we have to follow the rules & damn that wasn't in the brochure! It isn't as easy as we though, as you are seeing. We have to change our lifestyle and in the meantime we have to wait for our band to catch up. It sucks! You will get there and if you want it you will see success. Bee patient. We support you and will bee there for you. You can do this! Bee*lieve in yourself (we do)!

No my bottle doesn't have a straw.

Cause I kicked it all out! I went to my PCP today for a follow up on my high blood pressure. When I was banded I was on 3 different medicines to control it. About 3 months ago my PCP took me off the last one and said we will monitor your pressure and see how you do. I was so proud of myself, for the last three months I have posted how I went from 3 meds to no meds… Well, today my doctor put me back on one of the meds at half the dosage. I was so disappointed in myself. I felt like I had failed, that NSV pulled right out from under me. I wanted to cry. I pouted all the way home. I know this is something that is not in my control. Everyone in my family has high blood pressure (the skinny ones too) and I know this could be genetic. But, dang it feels like I went backwards. To make myself feel better I went shopping for new pajamas. Mine where too big and the pants would fall off me as I slept (hubby didn’t mine this). Anyway, I got me some cute new PJs. See! Now time to put all my sand back in my sandbox. Thanks for listening.

Kohl's

If only we could band our head! I have said that so many times. The mental side of this journey is the hardest, whether it is the head hunger or how you see yourself. This is the new me and it takes time to get use to....so very true! We just have to Bee"lieve in the new person that we are!

I have a Water bottle in my hand all day long. It sits at my desk, goes to meetings with me, in my car, next to me as I watch TV in the evenings.... I am never without it. If its there I sip and when its empty I fill it. I was never a water drinker and by doing this I now drink about 80 ozs a day. Just find a way that works for you. Bee Well!

Do you admit when you are struggling? Or eat wrong? Or over eat? Or do you just hide it?? I feel like I have been successful at my weight loss, I’ve lost 75 pounds in 10 months and I’m at goal. But, was I an A student the whole time? NO! I slipped more than once during my journey. I had nights where I munched on peanuts and chocolate chips, didn’t measure them out so I have no idea how much I truly ate. I also had times when I ate more carbohydrates than protein and times when I ate so fast that I was PBing my food back up. What I did do was be honest with myself. I tried to log everything in my food journal (I had to estimate some things). And I got back on the saddle as soon as possible. Perfection is not required for success; my doctor told me if I could give 80% I would see results. And I did see results. So to all of you struggling know that for every success story you read there are behind the scenes struggles, too.

My surgery was out patient, took 1 week off work. I work at a desk job so working was not a problem. The hardest part of recovery is the shoulder pain from the gas that they use during the procedure, then the second hardest part is the post op diet. I was on 4 weeks of liquids. The band was the best decision I made for myself. It is a tool and if you use it correctly by following the band rules you will see success. Take this time to read all stories here, read the successes and the failures, ask questions and research. This site is full of wonderful friends who will love & support you every step of the way. Good luck on your new journey.

You are well on your way, congratulations!!

The scale will catch up to the inches! Congrats!!

I agree with all of the above. Plus be sure to drink lots of water. Bandster hell is just that, hell! What got me through it was drinking lots of water between meals (I drink 64-80 ozs a day). You will make it through this!

You will love the fitbit! It's a pedometer on steroids!!!! I Love mine!!!

Do you log your food? Eat 1 cup per meal, 3-4oz of Protein? Drink enough Water throughout the day? I log my food on myfitnesspal everyday, eat 1200 calories per day and focus on high protein. I also drink 64 to 80ozs of water per day. Keep at it, you'll get there. Good luck!

I've done that, it sucks!

It will get better. Hang in there! In a couple of months you will have forgotten all this. Good luck.

You can do it! We are here for you anytime!! ((hugs))

What a great Chirstmas present. Good luck to you.

Way to go. You look fabulous!