DeLarla

Celest, I look like a bad Carol Burnett skit in that sausage outfit. You really want me to post a picture? I'll have to take one and see what it looks like first. I'll think about it.

Shelly - another perfect example, though I wish you'd eat more than 900 calories because you'll need extra engery for your HONEY MOON!

Another Bravo for Chris. Even though WW is based on a point system, WW has done all the calorie counting for you and has converted calories to points. So when she stays under his points, he stays under his allotted calories. I was banded because I wasn't able to stick to a diet. My band did what statistics said it would do - it helped me take off 1/2 of my excess weight. But I still weigh 240 pounds, and even with the band I stopped losing. Now I'm using the tools I learned with the band, along with a good support system, to actually diet. I just want to wear that sexy outfit in March! Penni, I should post a picture of what that outfit looks like on me now! It's cute on the hanger, but I look like a fat sausage with quadruple panty lines with my butt trying to burst out of it!

Bravo, Diane. Another great program that works for one person. The think I like about Diane's plan is that she's not eating carbs for breakfast or lunch. Michelle has trained me (and I swear, it works) that if avoid carbs in the morning, your blood sugar doesn't crash and burn so you stay full without all the nasty cravings.

Take Penni for example. She chose Nutrisystem, which limits her calories to 1200 - 1400 calories a day. She gets fancy packaged foods that make her life very easy! No counting, just pick the right package and eat. It's the same principal that I'm following, only I'm buying prepackaged cottage cheese so I don't have to weigh and measure. I keep a tablespoon at work to measure my dressing, and I have a scale at home to weigh my protein. All my puddings come in pre-packaged servings, as does my cheese and salmon. The easier you make it, the easier it is to stick.

I don't regret being banded. I take my bad luck as it comes to me. Body for Life is just another fad diet that works if you follow the rules. But if you count the calories in the food you eat on Body for Life, it will still be few enough calories to lose weight. All diets work: The South Beach Diet, the "Eat 2 bowls of Cereal a day," Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Richard Simmons... they ALL work if you follow them, and they all restrict calories in the end. You just have to pick a program that works for you.

Heather, it's all about lean Proteins and lots of raw, steamed & broiled vegetables. 1200 calories divided by 3 meals is only 400 calories per each meal. I've been eating 4oz lowfat cottage cheese for Breakfast so I can save a couple hundred for dinner. I simply can't survive on a 400 calorie dinner, so I borrow breakfast and lunch calories. People printed a chart of what each person eats. Below is an approximate average daily meal plan for someone serious about losing weight: Breakfast: 4 oz cottage cheese Tea or coffee with 1/2 cup skim milk Lunch: 3.5 ounces chicken or fish or 1 oz cheese and 2.5 oz lean meat Raw veggie salad with 1 tablespoon olive oil/vinegar dressing Dinner: 3.5 ounces fish or chicken Steamed vegetables 1/2 small baked tater, 1/2 cup Pasta or rice 1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking Dessert: 1 cup pudding made with skim milk Like Penni said, getting enough Protein in is very important, but it's hard to do on such limited calories, which is why I add milk. As you can see, this isn't much food at all. But to lose weight, we have to change our way of thinking. We can't look forward to our favorite restaurants like we used to. There's no reason even looking at the menu cause your choice will always be vegetables and grilled or steamed lean protein. Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig and Medifast are all similar programs that do the counting for you. It's expensive, but it takes the thinking out of dieting. In addition to their stringent dietary intake, they are all on stringent exericise routines. I'm not talking walking with heavy hand weights, I'm talking an hour on the treadmill going uphill for an hour and sweating bullets 6 times a week.

Kashi is naughty. Is it supposed to be healthy, cause it's yummy! Like goodies to me Thanks, Shelli. Now I gotta think about goo balls all day! That's okay, I'll just have a tub of delicious Water instead. Ug.

I read about that too, and it's very simple. If you count the calories in the cereal and milk plus a small meal, you're caloric intake is pretty low. It's all about calories. Any diet works if you stick to it. It's the sticking to it that's killing me! Damn, now I want a bowl of cereal with berries!

Make sure to discuss your reflux with your doctor so you can get it under control. So far all surgeons I know allow over-the-counter Prevacid once daily. I had problems with acid reflux, and now I have Barrett's Esophagitis, which are pre-cancerous cells that look like spots on my esophagus. Research indicates that it doesn't mean I'll get cancer, it just means I have to be careful and have another endoscopy in a year to keep an eye on it. I'm on Prevacid once a day. I don't know if my condition can reverse, but I can hope.

That's the best, isn't it? Simple things in life like being able to use buttons to actually button stuff instead of just some decorations. Good job!

With all the debating over gastric bypass vs. the Band, I still don't understand the difference between roux en y (sp?) vs Duodenal switch. Which one of these causes some people to battle severe odor? Why does one have a pouch but the other doesn't, and which is which? I'm suddenly facisnated with the gastric bypass and must have info!

"although hubby wouldn't let me spend all of his money!" Did she really say "his" money? Girl, there's no "his money" in marriage so go shopping!

Seeing those pictures makes me lightheaded. I'm fantasizing about a bypass to avoid having to count calories. I just sat through my first birthday party without having cake. I'd rather wear a sexy size 18 hippy outfit with a halter top this summer.

Bandsterhopeful, where are you getting your info on Kuri's erosion rate? I've heard of several eroded Kuri patients but I don't know them personally so I'm not at liberty to discuss their situation. Have you asked Kuri directly?

Hi everyone. I don't want to be mean, but can we crop family members out of this thread and add the family pictures to the regular picture thread? This thread was started after several requests were made by people considering the band. We'd like this to remain a true "Before and After" pictures thread to inspire anyone having a hard time or thinking of the band. Here's my latest. If anyone needs help putting their pictures side-by-side, there are so many helpful people here at LBT. All you gotta do is ask. THANK YOU, HEATHER!

Seeing that actually has me choked up in tears, Heather. Thanks so much... I'm trying to post it to the before & after thread now. Trish, thank you too. I just come here to cry

I love all this info. Thanks!

Congrads, Susan! I also had a hernia repaired when I was banded, but I didn't suffer from any pain. It was pretty uncomfortable as far as bloating, and I was sore, but pain was never an issue. We're all different. I was up and walking 1/2 hour out of surgery while others couldn't get up for 24 hours. The next day some were sick while I was fine, but then everyone was back to normal while I was still miserable from bloating and what felt like Montezuma's Revenge in my belly for 2 whole weeks. Good luck to you... since you're the photo nut, you gotta put an avatar pic up now!

Some of the Vegas bandsters go to Kuri for fills but they are really frustrated. A few gals said he schedules too many patients at once, and they've waited in the waiting room for up to four hours past their scheduled time. You should call his office and see if they have this problem worked out, or at least take a good book.

Anthony, another girl recently started sending me PMs with something similar. She gets shoulder pain when she eats instead of restriction. She's really frustrated because her only sign of being full is shoulder pain, yet she still feels the need to fill her stomach more. Is this the same kind of pain you're talking about?

Shoot the bitch!

Those of you that were (and are) being patient enough to battle insurance companies deserve an award. Good job, Bean! It will all pay off in the end. You'll be banded here in the states, right at home, with aftercare readily available. Damn proud of you!

How did you do that?

Here's one for my current after. Can someone tell me how to make side-by-sides?