parisshel

If longterm failure were truly a factor in weight loss method decision-making, Weight Watchers would have gone belly-up years ago.

All my fills are paid for by French National Health--which means I have paid for it with my taxes--and done in a radiologist's office with fluoroscope. But I do see what the office bills the National Health agency, and it is 315 euros. I have to supply the barium, however, and that is out of pocket--about 10 euros/bottle.

What a great success you've been. Thank you for telling your story, with all the reality included. Congratulations for entering onederland; what a wonderful Christmas gift!

Pants are my nightmare. I'm down to two pair that kind of fit; one I had saved from my "thinner" days, and one I just picked up for cheap at H and M. I find Talbot's trousers and jeans to fit pear shapes pretty well. They make different cuts, and I think the one I like is "Heritage", which sits at the waist. ("Signature" sits below the waist and is not at all flattering for me). If you can hit Talbot's at a sale, the prices aren't too bad.

You deserve to crow about this! Congratulations on working that lapband so successfully. You have earned yourself the best Christmas present ever...feeling strong, healthy and positive!

I was afraid of apples for several months post-op. But I cut them up very small and added them to my endive and bleu cheese little salad. SO GOOD! I'm glad I overcame my fear. That said, I would never ever just chomp into an apple and try to swallow that. Yikes.

Look at you! Amazing how quickly a year goes, right? And now...you've put into place good health, mobility and a positive outlook, along with lapband success! Great to see your wonderful results.

On Tuesday I saw my GP for my every-three-months review of my bloodwork. My cholesterol numbers have been ideal for the past three months...so no more need for statins! Yay! "Just another benefit to your weight loss," she said. I was especially pleased as I had just read an article in the NYT's "Health" section about the link between statins and diabetes. Thanking my lapband once again for helping me do something that I could not have done on my own.

This is an excellent piece of pre-op advice and I'm so glad you suggested this...I agree that keeping a pre-op blog and/or writing out your decision-making process as you move towards weight loss surgery is an important tool. Equally important when, as you say, your motivation as a post-op might start to wane. Here was what I wrote last year at this time. It was on December 11, 2012 that I first consulated with the surgeon who would band me four months later on March 20, 2013. So grateful for my lapband. Its benefits reveal themselves over and over, each and everyday. 1- What do I care about? I care about living life as I’d like to live it: in a body that is free from pain (weight-related pain), flexible, mobile and aesthetically-pleasing. I care about keeping my moods on an even-keel, something that is difficult when I’m eating sugar. I care about being fit and energetic so as to keep up with my children’s needs. I care about staying disease-free and healthy, as much as I am able to control that through my food choices. I realize that diseases can come about from nowhere, but I’d like to think that taking my weight off will provide me with better health and, at the very least, keep weight-related diseases at the door for as long as possible. Lastly, I care very much for my physical shell, and am very depressed at how ugly the fat has made me. What a waste of a pretty face. 2-Where does this come from? My own experience. At my current weight, I am not as mobile as I need to be. I really have to think if “that errand” (or event) is worth the pain in my knees, ankle, back, etc. What I care about comes from what I live currently, and the “imagined” what I will have when my weight is at a proper number on the scale. What I know now is that I’m missing out on most everything that is important to me in life, because I’m too fat to do these things (travel, sightsee in my own city, go out with friends, sex, exercise, keep a tidy home, etc.) 3-What is not possible in my life if I remain at this level? First of all, I cannot imagine remaining at this weight, although it is likely that if for some reason I were to not have lapband surgery, I’d go back to Weight Watchers and I’d end up at this weight or (probably) higher eventually. This is based on my history. My decision to move forward with WLS comes from realistically pulling back and owning up to the fact I have never kept my excess weight off for more than two years. I’ve been a size 20 for many years of my life, even in college, and now I’m a size 22. So, if I were to remain at this level, here’s what I envision my life would look like: -I’d probably continue to gain weight -My difficulty walking, cleaning the house, moving around would become even more pronounced and I’d have a smaller and smaller life -I’d be in a constant bad mood and depression -My self-hatred and disgust would continue to grow -I’d have no friends because really, who would want to be around someone with such a small life? -And, lastly, my life would revolve around three poles: home, work, and food. 4-What new theory should I have about my body? I don’t know if it is new, but I’d like to be in the mindset that I wasn’t tearing my body and health to bits with my overeating. I am looking forward to the release of the burden of abusing it each and every day. I hope it is not too late to save this one body of mine, and I hope that my lapband surgery coupled with following the post-op protocol to the letter will get me to a weight where the “issue” of my body is something I don’t have to work around anymore.

I had this post band, about 1 month out I think. Quick, painful spasms right between the breasts. I went immediately to my GP who ruled out a heart attack and then to my Lapband surgeon who prescribed Nexium. Seems my band (which was unfilled at the time) was kind of bobbing a bit and irritating the banded area. The Nexium did the trick, and, once I was filled, I never experienced this again.

I use this forum as my support group, as I don't have any hospital-affiliated support group. I come on here every day and I always find it renews my dedication to my mission towards weight loss and better health. It's like a continually-inspiring support team on demand! I stick with the successful bandsters and learn from their choices...what led them to success, what are their challenges, tips and strategies. I do not read weight loss blogs of dieters whose methods are futile or whose mindsets are not like my own. This would put my own motivation at risk, as it might possibly allow me to justify some non-band compliant behaviors.

I always worry before my fills, too. That's my nature, and I understand everything you are saying here. Hopefully all is for naught. Let us know how you are feeling post-fill!

I don't tolerate any fibrous fruit or vegetable: celery, leeks, pineapple (a big no-no for me), too-ripe peaches or plums (the stringiness makes these stick). ripe mango...

I'm 8 months post op and do aqua fitness...which means I'm jumping all around, stretching this way and that...no problems with the band/tubing/port at all. Sure was nice to pull on a swimsuit and get in the Water after years of being too embarassed to do so.

Sorry to read this; a diagnosis of an autoimmune disease is always a shock. I work with a young woman with Lupus and she says what the poster above has suggested--as long as she manages her sleep/diet, she stays in remission and has a normal life. You'd never know she has an autoimmune disease, in fact, except for that she no longer can go out every night of the week! She young (in her late 20s) so this was the biggest adjustment for her...just making sure she got enough sleep. Sending supportive thoughts to you.

Name, real or screen~ Parisshel Goal weight for December 31st~212 Weight on December 1st~217 Age~54 City/State~France Dietary goal for December~Stay under 1500 cal/day (protein-heavy calories) Exercise goal for December~10,000 steps/day during week; 13 km bike rides each Saturday and Sunday. Loving my bike! Personal goal for December~lose 5 pounds; I've been on a long plateau since September Date banded~March 20, 2013 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~47 pounds Favorite Holiday Activity~ Anything with my teenaged kids--be it dancing to Christmas music, window shopping, decorating...I know that soon they will be out of the house so I'm really focusing on our family time.

I'm a slow loser and behind the mean in terms of postop weight loss. But I'm way ahead of the mean in terms of happiness! I'm almost 50 pounds down at 8 months postop. I see others from my cohort who are at -70 or more. It would be great to be a faster loser, but I'm not willing to sacrifice a super-tight band and the possible longterm complications to get there. Still, I'm over the moon at how my weightloss curve keeps going down. And I reflect on how it took me two YEARS to lose 50 pounds with non-surgical dieting vs. eight months with the lapband. I also have a keen recollection of the minute I stopped that traditional diet and how quickly I regained those 50 pounds. Since I no longer diet (in the traditional sense of the word), I have no fear that these pounds will come racing on back. So I keep sticking to my lapband rules, and my weight drops...slowly, yes, but it does drop. I do notice a more-rapid drop when I burn more calories through dedicated exercise (no surprise there, right?) so I've added biking (on the weekends when I can hit the bike path--I'm up to 12 km a day now and loving it) and elliptical (in my flat) to my daily walk on my lunch hour. Anyway, I empathize with your impatience, but just know that we'll get there. And, more importantly, we will stay there, thanks to our lapbands.

Relax. The hair loss will stop around 6-7 months post op. It's more a reaction to the anesthesia than the lapband postop way of eating. It's only temporary.

I got stuck with preparing Thanksgiving, but did not get stuck with any food item, myself. . Hashtag how I wish someone else in my American expat group of friends would take over this yearly task!!!

This is so very true. I pat myself on the back for deciding to get banded rather than live the rest of my life either in constant diet (i.e. hunger and deprivation) mode or (worse) constant eating/searching for more food mode. When I check in on some of the blogs I used to read "for inspiration"--blogs authored by overweight/obese writers who document their "journey" to lose weight by traditional (non-surgical) methods, I shake my head at what an exercise in frustration that life used to be for me. Those bloggers continue to roll that stone up the hill--they weigh more today than what they weighed this time last year--and believe that one day, they will beat this thing with their diet and self-discipline alone. I believed that for myself, too, for 30+ years. Then I finally admitted to defeat and researched WLS, deciding on a lapband. This year, I'm not scared of the holiday season nor am I associating this time of year with a freefall into food and resultant weight gain. I weigh almost 50 pounds less today than I did at last year's Thanksgiving. But more importantly, I am not salivating at the idea of how much I will eat at the Thanksgiving meal, nor frustrated at the idea that I'm going to have to count "points" or starve myself all day so I can eat a bunch of stuffing and pie. And I know I can wake up the next day not hating myself because I didn't stick to my plan. I am so very grateful to my band, and that I took the courageous step to have this surgery.

Happy bandiversary and thank you for continuing to support this forum. Many band veterans drift away--and that's normal-- but there are a handful of you who check in and light the way for those of us who are still learning our bands. Thank you for being one of these gentle and inspirational voices. Now go out and Celebrate your milestone anniversary!

Congratulations! That's a lot a hard work and stick-to-it-ness!

Thanks for more motivational pics. Your beautiful you comes shining through. I sure hope my neck skin looks as good as yours when I get to goal.

You can always ask for the notes from your surgery to see what is in your band. I obtained my OR report and saw that my band was tested with 1 cc, which was then taken out. As the comment above states, now I see this was to test for leaks.

Check your "thin" clothes often, because you don't want to miss wearing them on the way down! (I had some that were so old, they are now "vintage" and back in fashion!)