Sharpie

I laughed out loud at the last comment "they are a pain in my ass". That is one of my favorite sayings. You know they are right and I even get that sometimes from my daughter who is so happy that I took control of my health . I have to be careful about falling back into old habits too. I am an admitted sugar aholic. When we have Sunday dinners I have been making Desserts or not so healthy meals. So, I know where you are coming from. I would like to lose another 10 lbs before I go on our Alaskan cruise so I am making some changes back to my plan. You can do it too and I think your girls are just so worried about you and love you too much to let you go back ..

what a beautiful day .. You looked wonderful and the bride was gorgeous and the groom was so handsome.. Best day for all.

He did not want gum because if accidentally swallowed it could become stuck requiring surgery to remove it. I personally was never a gum chewer I trust him completely so if he advises against it I will take is advice.

I doubt I can out do you girls with your NSV's but I will list a few of mine.. At age 68 1/2 I feel like a kid again. My diabetes is gone, My high blood pressure is gone and my cholesterol is normal. I am happy to park way out in the lot at the store so I can walk. I ride my horse again and can clean my own house without collapsing In a chair. Lord knows it's great to be able to wear normal size clothes and not dread special occasions anymore because of looking like a stuffed sausage. I am looking forward to going to Alaska in August and know that without my band I would not physically be able to enjoy the trip. I promised myself I would ride horses in Alaska . *It's on my bucket list. I hope to continue being healthy and happy as long as possible. I can do all the other things you guys listed like shaving my legs, bathing etc. So happy to see all of these positive Bandsters here , get tired of the negative stuff.

ask your dr. mine says No Carbonated drinks Ever, No Straws Ever, No gum, No drinking while eating. No Ibuprofen. I have not had a soda in 2 1/2 years but in all fairness Soda was never my issue. doesn't bother me to not drink while eating, you get used to it but I paid my Dr. good money for this surgery, I follow his rules . But, your Dr. is your person who will guide you through your process.

Julie you look wonderful and happy. Have a wonderful day. Best of everything to your son and new wife.

So happy for you Julie, I hope you took lots of pictures. My granddaughter recently got married and I felt so blessed to be healthy and happy enough to enjoy her wedding day. Thanks to my lapband I was able to look good and feel good for her special day.

I cannot even feel my port, barely have a scar where it is. I suppose it depends on your surgeon but even getting a fill for me has been easy peasy. if you can't sleep because your port hurts you need to get another surgeon or someone to fix it.

I went to my Surgeon because he had thousands of lapband surgeries performed successfully. He also does sleeve and by pass. I did not want my intestines re-routed and a large portion of my stomach removed or stapled. the sleeve seems to be the flavor of the week, everyone is rushing to get it. I think over time there will be as many issues with the sleeve as people claim there are with the band. no surgery is 100% guaranteed. I chose the band because I wanted an option of removal or revision if needed. the follow up care has been good for me. I haven't had a fill in 6 months or more, haven't had any issues with my band. I have lost what I wanted and slowly , never lost my hair, never had dumping syndrome or malnutrition. I only take 3 Vitamins a day, B12,D3 and a Multivitamin. I am no longer on diabetic meds, high cholesterol or high blood pressure. I pray that I never have to have my band removed but I will most likely have it replaced if needed. All in all we all have to make the best decision we can for our own health.

Lapband has saved my life. at age 66 I had lapband surgery. I had diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I was becoming immobile to the point I almost could not do my own shopping or cleaning. I would clean the bathroom and be wiped out the rest of the day. I was miserable could not participate in shopping trips with my granddaughters, could not ride my horse any longer. 2 1/2 years ago I had lapband surgery, I became totally compliant and followed all of my Dr's instructions. I am no longer on any medications except my Vitamins, vitD3, b12 and Multivitamin. I do not have dumping syndrome, occasionally have some pb episodes due to my eating too fast, some habits are difficult to break . I have recently competed in an obstacle challenge on my horse and have spent hours shopping with my girls. My life is 100% better. If for some reason I have issues with my band I would have another band put in. I do not want to reroute my intestines nor do I want to lose 80% of my stomach . I might need it one day.

I've never had a fill under fluoro. There are cases where it is necessary if the port has flipped or something but my fills and office visits are covered . I have medicare and BC/BS your bmi is high enough but I don't know what Medicaid will cover . I think there is a weight loss surgery group that helps people pay for weight loss surgery. contact Sandi Henderson @ Bandedliving.com she can help you.

I am kinda like B52 , I eat pretty much what I want but I don't want a lot. This past weekend was busy we had a graduation and of course Memorial Day. I ate some Pasta, pizza (mostly the top) and salad, yesterday we had bbq pork, corn on the cob and some chips. all of that is not super health foods but I ate small amounts. I did gain a lb over the weekend but no doubt that will be gone by tomorrow. I am happy this morning , feel like I was not the odd man out at the party . My problem was huge portions and no matter how much I ate I never felt full. So, today 2 1/2 years later I was happy with my small portions and we also had so much physical activity I feel great.

I must have had the strictest surgeon ever. it was 3 weeks before I could eat solid food.. I graduated slowly . and No Straws EVER. No Carbonated drinks EVER. we had a big book that took each day and phase and mapped it out. I believe because I followed his instructions to the letter that I have done so well. no complications . Some of the way I eat now is second nature now. Ask your Dr. before you do anything, that is the best course of action. I also had a great nutritionist and support group .

nothing specific for me except I love ice cream so now and again I do get a small ice cream cone but honestly I don't feel guilty and I eat pretty much what my band let's me eat.. been maintaining with a few lbs or so and just don't stress about it

my dr said no straws no carbonation, no gum. I paid him good money for his expertise. he has done thousands of lapbands. if he says stand on your head while eating or whatever,that's what I do. I have tried to be complaint and so far so good. I don't need to use a straw and I don't need gum and I don't need soda. I am happy to follow the rules. I have also rules for eating which I follow. so far I have not experienced any problems with my band and I want to keep it that way.

Even after 2 years, I am still always bothered by throwing food out. I try to save leftovers but I always end up throwing food away. My husband is not a leftover eater and I have found out I cannot eat reheated food . I guess it's the one down side of weight loss surgery but I have to learn to live with it.

Oh Kitt I am so sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine saying those kind of things to my daughter or granddaughters. My mother was never complimentary to me. She always said I was homely or my hair looked horrible or something. I do not think she was ever proud of me. I grew up with lots of self confidence issues and somehow I turned out to be a pretty good person. I was a mother and successful business owner and my daughter and granddaughters all are great kids but my mother never acknowledged anything good about me or my life. It still hurts today even though she has been gone for 16 years I was never able to get close to her even in her later years. I don't even think she realized how much she hurt me. I guess we all have hurtful things happen we have to realize that our happiness is for ourselves and not for others. I applaud everyone of you who are taking steps to become healthier and happier. I pray for peace for all.

Angel you missed your chance.. You shoulda said I thought you said she was not ugly.

Like B52 and Bandista I miss Lapbandtalk. I am sure that is why some of our veterans have signed off. It gets very discouraging to have your choice to have lapband talked about negatively all the time. There are a very few of us who still come here for any advice or encouragement. I check in some but mostly get aggrevated. Even though I chose Lapband over the other WLS forums I still get the same ole "My surgery is better than yours" on here. There are many , many successful lapband patients who were here at the beginning but have since moved on. Sadly sometimes change is not for the better and I for one loved the lapband site. I don't think that there are any bad surgeries and I encourage everyone no matter what type of surgery they had or are going to have but my choice should also be respected.

my stepdaughter is morbidly obese. she is only 45, my husband asked me to talk to her about having surgery like I did. I refused because I know how mad I would be if someone had done that to me when I was obese. She is having mobility issues and teaches kindergarten I know she is getting more and more problems with her knees, which were bad genetically before she became obese. Her husband is a full on health nut, he runs in Spartan races and never eats bad, I'm not sure how that is working In their marriage but I am afraid she has given up. She had lost about 80 lbs 2 years ago by using MyFitnessPal and walking but she put it all back on and then some this year I feel so sorry for her and I would love to make her understand how beneficial surgery would be for her. As much as I love her and am afraid of her future health, I just cannot bring myself to say anything to her. She knows how I am doing and when she is here we just stay away from the subject of diets or exercise.

I have eaten good ole movie popcorn with butter, it was good but couldn't eat a bunch. it didn't make me gain or anything and I don't eat it as a snack every day but there are way worse things you can eat. if you like it and it's okay with your Doctor, go for it. I actually do not eat like i'm on a diet, just eat what I want in much smaller portions. not saying I eat fast food or junk food all the time but occasionally a little treat is okay.

No matter what you can show confidence and I am sure you looked wonderful. Looking better and feeling better plays a big role in success. I have a definite attitude change when I feel and look better. fingers crossed for a good outcome

Liz you have to admit that losing 154 lbs is monumental. I am sure if people knew you before it would be alarming to see that big of a transformation. I would be happy that people care enough to ask. I have seen a few people lately that had not seen me since my lapband and they were surprised at my appearance. but, I doubt anyone thinks I am sick.

yep have had a few interesting moments in restaurants . My husband always knows by the look on my face if I eat too fast or don't chew. I have learned to stop eating and rest a little, if I feel uncomfortable I excuse myself and go to the restroom. Most of the time I can just bring it up. Even with that occasionally happening, I would still do my surgery any day . I am getting better at eating the right food and chewing and eating slowly. drinking Water or soda will bring it up quicker.

thanks , I know the man looks familiar . I watch 600 lb life so I remember Zaylynn's story. Sandi is a long time banster, recently had hers replaced . she started @ 424 lbs I believe . she is great. I am working towards going to the next event .