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I have been banded since 3/2004. I started my journey at 241 lbs. and wanted to be 175 which i reached slowly but without stress, all I really wanted was to be a size14..........I have been at 167 for well over a year now and bought my first pair of size 10's last week. If I tried I know I could weigh much less but at 56 I am concerned with saggy skin and it is much more important than my size so I am very happy with myself. This is the most wonderful tool and the very best thing I have ever done for myself. Just remember it is a TOOL to weight loss and it takes awhile to figure out what to eat, what you can tolerate and what is a GOOD fill. I get on the scale every morning and if I am up a pound I watch for a couple of days and it goes away. I LOVE MY BAND !!

Good Luck on your weight loss journey no matter what you chose. I too after 3 1/2 years PB when I eat food I can not tolerate and there are several, ie PASTA, BEEF, SANDWICHES, BREAD, ANYTHING DRY but most of these are the things that made me fat to begin with(my weaknesses with portion control) so I am happy that I cannot tolerate them and after awhile I no longer desired them. For the first time in my life(now 55) food is NO LONGER an issue for me. I never wake up and think about what I will cook for dinner because I do not crave food. I eat only because I want to stay healthy. Eating slow is also very, very important. There are times my husband says to me slow down because he knows the next minute I will be in the bathroom but I LOVE my band because it has forced me to give up the foods that put the weight on, it has forced me to eat slow. and it has forced me to always ask for a take out container when dining out because I never finish that meal in a resturant. When I am with friends and I find that I am almost able to eat 3/4s as much as they do I know it is time for a fill. I keep my band at a low restriction also because I have found that if it is too tight it causes too many problems so I do diet but it soooooo much easier now to eat less and stay focused. Sorry if I am rambling but just wanted to share my experiences........GOOD LUCK TO YOU

Have you been tested for sleep apnea ?? This was my ticket for insurance approval.........if the weight causes you other health problems sometimes it is approved. Talk to your family DR and ask what medical issues could be solved with the weight loss. Good Luck.

It is now 3 years later........I lost what i wanted to lose, 65 pounds.......sometimes I gain a few but it is so easy now to just give up that ice cream and get right back on track. In my "other" life that 65 pounds would have ca me right back as soon as i over ate, THERE IS NO OVEREATING NOW......just bad choices !! That 1/2 pound of pasta that used to fill me up is now less than a cup and i remain full for the rest of the evening. I no longer look for a snack late at night. You will also find there will be some foods you canot tolerate. I am very lucky because those for me are the things that i always struggled to give up on other diets and believe me you LOSE the desire for these foods......for example I was a beef eater, loved it and now it does not agree with me and I no longer want it.......AMAZING !!! Doesn't faze me to feed my family a roast and then sit down and eat the potato and veggies and a salad !! In the past that would have never happend because I didn't have the will power to have a little piece or as always I would think "i will have it tonight and start my diet tomorrow !!" When you find you are eating too much you just get a fill and you are right back where you started !!I have friends who had the by-pass around the time I had my band, they are now dieting big time because of weight gain, i just watch what I eat for a few days and the weight starts to drop again........but it is a TOOL........soda, ice cream, puddings,anything liquid goes through the band and you do not fill full..dangerous foods because there is nothing to keep these things from making you gain weight. The band is the best thing i have ever done for myself and the best way to lose weight and keep it off but YOU have to work with it................it is so very worth having done !!! Good Luck !