JosieK

hi butterflylady and all march 08 bandsters surely it will be good luck. i am going to be 1 year out in march and plan to be at my goal. this is the best thing i've ever done for myself and i am sure you will feel the same way. it isnt easy but it is soooo worth it. it has changed my life. good luck, erin go braugh and godspeed (an irish good luck)

absolutely....i stopped dating because i didnt want to go out with anyone that would go out with someone as heavy as me. i recently started dating someone and i think i am very comfortable in my own skin so this is coming across to others. you will see just a little weight off and you automatically start feeling "sexier" (thats what happened to me) you definitely have something to look forward to and it also helped to give me more reasons to stay on track good luck....

hi i didnt talk to my GP went to LB surgeon on wednesday and was operated on friday (2 days) i was self pay.. the best decision i've ever made....

i would love to go...just tell me where and when

hi i wore loose clothes to/from operation. jog pants and PJ top. one key thing my brother thought of was to bring a pillow and blanket for my ride home which was great. i wore regular clothes within 2 days

hi stacie, actually i think less about food and weight. initially when i was banded of course it took alot of time because i had to re-work what i ate, how i ate, etc. now...i have more time to actually live. before banding all i thought of was food, eating and how bad i looked. it really has freed me from this addiction. now i have to conquer my shopping addiction :eek:

thanks luluc....it's been quite a year hasnt it? this time a year ago i was miserable.....never thought this would happen. i'm happy i found this thread. i need ideas for meals.... thanks for emailing....how are you doing?

breakfast: coffee mid morning: protein shake with a banana lunch: 2 stone crab claws 32 oz of water plan for rest of the day: dinner: tuna fish + vegetable 32 oz of water i dont get enough vegetables. up until last week i was having trouble eating them. my doctor took some of my fill out and i can eat them now. so i want to get them back in. Prebanding i loved veggies.

Go Giants....yeah!!!

hi lizzie, early on...i did a similar thing and went on vacation......never did it again. thanks for sharing your story.

hi barb, welcome. there is a website called Welcome to LAP-BAND.com. this site has alot of technical info on the band as well as doctors in your area. i ended up finding my doctor on this site (lapbandtalk.com). there are folders here by state. i looked around for doctors in texas and read patient feedback. i then went to the seminars of the ones that looked most interesting....best thing i ever did. i didnt go to my primary care...he didnt know much about lapband. usually the lapband doctor has a seminar to attend where they explain the good, the bad and everything in between. after that i had a private session with the doctor. i was self pay so i had my surgery 2 days after the seminar. (altho' i researched lapband for years) good luck and let us know if you have more questions. there is a ton of info on this site

Hi this is one area i miscalculated so it's good you are getting input from various people. in the past i never lost weight like i have in the past 10 months. so when i went from 24/22 to 18...i went crazy buying expensive jeans, dresses etc. thinking i wouldnt lose more weight "in the near future". i was in 18 for a short time. i did the same thing in size 16 which i barely wore. i am in size 10/12 for awhile and want to end in size 10. so St mary's clothing donation received a "motherlode" this year. if i had to do it over...i would order cheaper clothes and much less. the good news is...my top hasnt changed much...so those clothes are still good. i lost most of my weight in my belly and bottom good luck

once i made the terrible mistake of keeping myself too tight after a fill and i almost ended up in the hospital. Water should definitely go down.... i also lose better when i can eat. when i couldnt eat.....my weight loss stopped

great thread tommy... how about the people who work out on 2 machines back and forth and dont want you to take one in between? i feel like chewing on glass when that happens. i find the fancier gyms worse at proper "etiquette" (spelling?) i used to go to a down and dirty gym called , "pumping iron" in NYC (it was actually quite clean) but a real weight gym...not fancy and it was one of the best experiences i ever had in terms of people being "gym polite"

hi megan, i totally relate to your feelings. the day before my surgery i actually walked around target saying goodbye to "peeps" "twizzlers" etc ha! one surprise ..... before surgery i thought about all the things i anticipated "losing" i never thought about all the things i would gain....i have higher self worth, i dress better, i feel sexy,. and i have to tell you i dont miss foods like i thought i would. in fact many foods i thought i "loved" before...i dont even like them now. i know everyone's experience is different but i was quite surprised that half of what i worried about never happened. good luck....

hi grayorm, i have to agree with Jachut. in my opinion... it really is up to whatever we want to accomplish and what we put into it. since being banded...i've had periods of eating junk and not exercising and my results showed this. i would stop losing and even gained a few. ...exercise has been key to keeping my "metabolism going". that and eating sensibly the best thing in the world my doctor did for me was to say "i may not lose all my weight" that propelled me into action to prove i could. (a silly little quirk of mine...tell me i cant do something and i become super focused to prove them wrong ha!.) my new goal is to lose the balance of my weight by my 1 year anniversary. so i'm back to the gym 5-6 times a week. i will tell you...unlike other times i lost weight before the band...this time i actually enjoyed the many steps down (ie. lower size clothes, fitting in airplane seats with extra seat belt length, etc). i didnt just focus on the end result. so this is a gift of the band. anyway good luck

hi crystal, my advice would be to get a new doctor..... for me my doctor's staff has been an important part of my journey and they have made it very pleasant. if the doctor has these type of incompetent people working for him....how much does he care for his patients? i know you are probably anxious to get the ball rolling but this is very early in your process. you are lucky to be in dallas...i've seen alot of people on this site that have great experiences up there good luck.....

hi luluc, thats funny re: your husband making you make a choice. i'm pretty much a front runner in baseball. (my brother hates this...he is die-hard met fan) tom brady was limping tonight on the news....uh oh

hi i started to really lose weight when: 1.i stopped weighing myself every day 2. i started exercising 4-5 times a week 3. journalled my food on sparkpeople.com 4. i drank at least 64 oz Water. the fills were a part but not the whole reason for my loss

Go Giants!!!! Tom was limping away from Giselle's house tonight on the news.....is this an omen?

My doctor did not have a pre-op diet....thank god

Yes, Yes, Yes.....did i say YES??? the best thing i ever did for myself

hi luluc, i am also a NY'er now living in texas. usually i am a Jets fan.....but i loved the way the giants pulled off the past 3 games..... cant believe we still deal with the boston-ny rivalry down here. but i have to tell you....i respect boston fans. they are tough when they come to yankee stadium and i love it....good competitors.

Go Giants!!!

hi shiny i use Centrum chewables. they have the proper amount of Vitamins for adults. when i was operated on, i didnt know about these and used the flintstones. but they are for children, i needed to take more then 1 a day. i've had to use Protein shakes and protein whey bullets for a large part of my journey. i've had issues eating from time to time. i tried many of them and found: 1.isopure whey protein powder shakes. they come in pouches in various flavors. i like chocolate and vanilla. i mix banana or other fruits in the vanilla....yum. it has 50 gms of protein in it and since i only used ice Water (Instead of milk) it is 300 calories. and i stay full for hours. 2. whey protein bullets. they come in 25 gms and 42 gms sizes and are only 75-100 cals. i use these if i find i'm getting in enough calories for the day but not enough protein. i havent had problems losing my hair and i must say it's because i have been religious about getting my protein and vitamins in. i get both of these online at: A1Supplements.com - Wholesale supplements to Build Muscle, Lose Fat with EAS, MuscleTech, BSN and more! good luck