Dianechef

Mandy, you look GREAT!! My last trip to Disney World was 2 weeks before my surgery & I was MISERABLE!! I was so big, hot & uncomfortable. One of my goals is to go back there as a thin person & actually ENJOY it. Your pictures have inspired me!! THANK YOU!!!!

HA!! I just went shopping yesterday & had a funny thing happen. I have always automatically gone to the Women's department because that's all that ever fits me. I got some size 1X clothes & headed to the dressing room. NONE of them fit me - TOO BIG!! I went to drop off all the clothes & the lady taking the clothes said to me - "Do you want to keep any of these?" I told her they didn't fit & I'd have to keep trying. She whispered to me - "I think you might be happier shopping in THAT section." (She pointed to the teeny-boppers area.) I truly thought she was joking!! But, I headed over there & picked up the size LARGE & they fit perfectly. I was doing the Happy Dance in the dressing room!! I have officially checked out of the X club!! (1X, 2X, 3X, 4X) I never thought I'd see the day. I'm a size LARGE!!

You look awesome!!! You must feel so good.

Hi Willowbas - the success tips are on pg. 5.

For anyone who cares to see, I've posted my swimming suit pictures on page one. It took some coaxing from my husband, but they are there!! ACK!! :uwelcome:

DIVA!!! I can't stop laughing. You CRACK ME UP!! :laugh I called my husband on the phone & read the poem to him. He was laughing too! Great job. So, my big behind was so inspiring to you that you just couldn't resist writing a poem about it - ha!! I LOVE IT!!! The Best Me - The panties are the same in the both pictures! They're the stretchy kind & just stretched a lot more in the first picture. They are pretty comfortable!!! I am SO RELIEVED To not have to wear the big ol' bras I used to wear. I now have normal undies that actually look decent!! There's a big NSV for ya!!! I'm still laughing.............Diva!! You're hilarious!!:Banane04:

I've never heard of Dr. Cantu. Is he new??! I would be a little leary about using that one!! Just MHO. I researched lots of MX doctors before my surgery & have been around here a long time & thought I'd heard every Mexico doctor there was. Never a mention of a Dr. Cantu. Dr. Kuri & Dr. Ortiz are two doctors you hear a lot who have great reputations. Check them out & do your research. GOOD LUCK!!

I did not use Dr. Kuri, but I have heard lots of great, positive things about him. I was also banded in MX & my husband was freaked out at first. My in-laws flipped & still haven't spoken to me since my surgery 9 months ago!! (Their loss!!!) My husband is now the biggest MX supporter & was very happy that we went to MX. I think youre choice of Dr. Kuri is a good one!!

Here are some tips of what I have done along the way: 1) I drink lots of water!! I had never been a good Water drinker until I had the band. I can eat healthy & exercise all I want, but the water is what flushes all the fat out of your body. (I read that in a book somewhere!) I drink a lot of C-Light. It's similar to Crystal Light except that it has excotic fun flavors like tropical, strawberry passion, peach/mango, pineapple/tangerine & more. I switch flavors everyday & sometimes put them in the blender with ice & it makes a fun drink! I even put a little umbrella on the side to make myself feel special. HA!! They are yummy. 2) I read, read, read & ask LOTS of questions. I'm sure when I was first banded I annoyed the heck out of a lot of people on this board but I APPRECIATE all the help I've been given. I spoke with people who were successful with the band & I keep in contact with them. They give me lots of tips, but the best thing that it does is KEEP ME MOTIVATED!! I lose my motivation on a daily basis & need a little dose of YOU CAN DO IT constantly. (By the way, your great comments on this thread will keep me motivated for a LONG while! THANKS!!!) 3) I exercise!! I am a piano teacher & have played the piano since I was 3. I sat my behind at the piano instead of being outside playing ball or riding my bike. Therefore, exercise has been very foreign to me my entire life!! (Does that explain the size of my behind?!?!? ROFL!!!) 6 weeks after my surgery I joined a gym & even hired a trainer. I cried the first time I went. I was thoroughly emberassed by my size, lack of knowledge & rude stares I got at the gym. I knew if I didn't hire a trainer I wouldn't continue to go. I took out money from my savings to hire the trainer because I knew it was that important. The first 4 weeks were very hard on me. I HATED IT!! I dreaded every second & felt terrible when I came home because I was so exhausted. I hated sweating, the looks, & just the uncomfortable feeling of it all. But, I continued. And, I can now exercise on my own without my trainer & I feel so good. It's hard, but just DO IT!! You will be so happy you did. 4) I eat treats!! I know myself - if someone tells me that I can't ever eat chocolate ever again, I'd immediately rebel & go eat 20 at one sitting. However, I keep treats to a limit. I eat my treat on Fridays. I purposely go to the store, buy my candy bar - eat it with a movie or where ever I'm going & I'm done!! NO TREATS are kept in the house. If I am tempted during the week, I tell myself - " You'll eat your treat on Friday!" It works for me. :D 5) I Follow the Bandster rules!! I don't drink with my meals. I eat Protein & veggies first. I stay away from pop. I stop when I feel the golfball feeling in my throat. (Make sure you have a good fill too!!) I am by far not perfect at all of these all the time!! Some days I don't drink all my water. I've gone 2 weeks without exercise. Sometimes I've eaten my treats during the week AND on Friday.....(oops!) But, I always start new the next day & try to keep my spirits up. Having a supportive spouse & family has made a very big difference. Hope this helps someone out there!! I'll post more pictures when I hit my next goal. ONE-derland.

Lapband for Life is an excellent book! I read it cover to cover before I had my surgery it was very helpful. It has a lot of helpful information for you AFTER surgery. If you have complications, questions about fills...etc. it gives you lots of helps & hints. My favorite part of the book are the Before & After pictures & stories all through the book.

Hugs to you Lisa!! I am so sorry you are struggling so much with this!! Have any of you been watching Oprah lately? She has done this show called the Debt Diet. She said something on her show that really struck me & I think it really ties in with this thread. She said that America is looking for happiness. We think it's found in the next car we buy, the next house we get. It's found at the mall when you buy a new outfit. Happiness is found in our next relationship. And, it's found in the next bowl of ice cream or big plate of lasagna. Being obese, in debt, on drugs, out of control is simply everyone searching for something we can't seem to find. HAPPINESS!! And it has to come from within. You have to truly love yourself. No amount of money, fancy cars, or big ice cream sundaes are going to give us what we need. It only covers up what we're truly feeling. Happiness comes in short little spurts as we feed ourselves & then it goes away. And once that small spurt of joy has faded, we need more food. Not sure if any of this helps, but it can at least explain why we do what we do!! It answered lots of questions for me. There's a hole in my soul that I'm trying to stuff full. That hole needs to be filled with something else. It's up to me to find out what that "something" is. Okay, time to call a therapist.

HA!! I am lovin' all your responses!! My husband is standing behind my back saying - "See, I told you you looked that good!!!" Truly, I appreciate your comments. Gurly - Husband LOVES it!! (A little toooo much?!?!) I am very blessed to have an extremely supportive man who stands behind me 100%. He is not threatened by me one bit. He is my biggest cheerleader & best friend. He's also pretty cute. NJchick - My stomach still has a pooch AND it has some hanging skin & strech marks from the 3 little kiddos I gave birth to! (Are you still bowing down?!?!) I just happen to have some really good jeans that hold it all in & hide it. But, it is definately smaller then it used to be. If I were to show you a front undie picture you'd see it. But, I'm not sure I have enough guts to do that!!!! It could get a little pornographic. HA!!!!!! And to everyone - I swear it's only 55 lbs!! But, I have to give lots of credit to exercising!! I've not only lost fat, but I've gained some muscle. This is the first time I have worked out in my life!! I've had 3 people send me personal messages asking me to share with them my tips to success. I would be happy to & I figued I'd post them here!! I only have 2 min. right now & will have to do it a little later when I have some time. So, you'll have to come back & look for them!!

Hey Tricia - Your questions have stumped me! I'll ask my husband if we have a web server!! Ha! I have no clue. Hi Donna! You have the same underwear as me?!? FUNNY!!! I am 5'7" & the proper weight for me is supposed to be 146 which means I have 56 more pounds to go. I'm not even half way! But, we'll see when I get there. I was 175 when I got married & I thought I looked pretty good then.

Thank you Tricia!! How do you do that?!?! Is there something I can do to make the pictures show up on the first page? Is it easy?!?!? YOU ARE AMAZING!! Thanks for the kind words everyone!! You all have just become my new best friends!!

Okay, these pictures I'm posting out of the insistence of my husband. I've NEVER taken a picture in a swimming suit, much less post it to the world!!! Vin.bmp

Here's some more pictures! I can't believe I'm posting pictures of me in my underwear, but oh well!!! Most of my weight was lost in my big ol' behind. I am emberassed that this is the view people saw the most of me!!! I had no idea my behind looked so HUGE!! It was eye-opening to see this photo!! I didn't realize how much I had truly lost back there until I looked at these photos.

Here's some pictures of me trying on the same pants I wore in the first picture. (With the orange shirt!) They are a size 24 & they are falling off me. This is the first time I have tried to wear these pants in 9 months & I can't believe how big they are!! It feels so good!!!

I'm 5'8 & started at a size 24. I'm currently fitting comfortably in a size 18. I would love a size 10, but I'll see when I get there!!

Okay Anne, add me to the "No fill - gained weight" club!! I am now at 205. I don't get another fill until 2 more weeks. :faint: I NEED this club!! I definately think we all should have a reward once we get there. THIS IS BIG!!! I don't know about you, but I haven't weighed under 200 in about 10 years!!! I would love to get a full day at the spa. A facial, massage, nails & toes done sounds heavenly. Gosh, not sure how much that would cost, but I'M WORTH IT - RIGHT!?!?!

Hi Jule! Same here!! I weighed 165 when we got married. I was also on Phen-fen. However, over the course of time I gained 100 lbs. My husband has never said one negative word about my weight! Of course he wants me to be healthy, but he has told me over & over that he loves ME for who I am & all that comes with it. And, in return he would expect me to love him with all his flaws as well. Reading your post was very sad. It sounds as if you have listened to him for a very long time & now TRULY believe that you are repulsive & unattractive. I am so sorry that you feel that way!! I am sure that you are a beautiful person regardless of how much you weigh. I know several people who are attrative on the outside but are truly ugly people when you get to know them. It's who you are on the inside that counts!! Your husband is missing out - BIG TIME!!! I agree that you need some counseling for this. Just because you lose weight, your problems aren't going to go away. You need a good support group who loves you unconditionally & will support you through thick & thin. If your husband had a problem, I am positive you would be right there to support him through it. You deserve the same!!! I hesitate to say this for those who may be offended by religious comments, but I'm just going to put it out there... What keeps me going everyday is knowing that when I leave this world, I will meet up with God who will love me for who I am. There will be no scales to stand on & I won't have to prove myself to him. It's what I did for others & what kind of a person I am that will count!! NO SCALES!! I wish you the best Jule!! *HUGS*

I love these bars!! I also like the Pria bars that only have 110 calories.

HA! I just bought the exact thing at the store. I hadn't opened it yet, but when I sat down to read this I couldn't believe you mentioned it!! Now I really have to go try it!!! I bought all three flavors! I'll have to tell you which one I like best.

That is pretty cool Penni!! Please don't tell me you figured that out all by yourself. You may just have to win an award or something for if you did!! I would be impressed.

You will love Dr. Ortiz!! Great doctor & great follow-up!! I loved everything about my surgery with him!! Good luck!!

I AM SOOOOO IN!! I'm been sitting on 202/203 for so long. You'd think I should be able to lose 3 lbs. by May 4th - right?!?!? I am unfilled & need a little kick in the butt. I don't get a fill until April 17th, so I will really need an incentive!! This is perfect!! I have an idea. As soon as the person hits ONEderland, everyone sends them a box of GS Cookies. (Thin mints to be exact!!!) :hungry: Oh, just kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I think!) HA!! I'm sure we'd all gain back our weight & MORE if that really happened. ONEderland - HERE I COME!!!!!!!! :eek: :eek: Thanks for starting this Anne!!