Kimbo

I started considering WLS when Carnie Phillips started showing up in all the mag. She looked great & I wanted to be where she was, but my husband would not go along with it. The risks at that time were very high & the actual surgery & recovery was horable. Last spring I started hearing about the band but at that time I still had hopes of doing it on my own one more time. Then in June I went to see a new orthopedist who told me I had to have my 1 1/2 year old knee replacement redone, but refused to do it because of my weight. Said because of the conditions caused by my weight if I had the surgery I could lose my leg. I went to the seminar that night. The band has saved my life. I have lost 69 lbs in 5 months, My knee relpacement is schuduled for June 27th & I planned to be below 200Lbs by then(24 to go). The band has been so great for me & I believe in it so much My Dr asked me to speak at the seminar tonight. Yes RNY is faster, & sometimes I get bummed when I go to my support group & see how fast the RNY folks are losing, but they also talk about the difficulties they are having With iron & B Vitimins & maintaining their weight lose & I know I made the right choose. Good luck to you in what ever you chose & know we LBT will be here for you, KIM

JenWillwin & Dana, Way to go girls, you attitude to suceed is you biggest tool besides your band. Staying focused, keep on track & yes, treat yourself every once in a while & you both will do great. I go to 2 support groups, 1 for lapband & the other is all RNY but me. The lapband group is mainly social, we meet at aTGIFridays once a month & have a great time visiting. The RNY group is very structured, but they are a great group of folks who are there to give & receive support. I have learned alot from both groups & look forward to the meetings. Good luck to you both on you journey. It is the best choose you have ever made, Kim

Hey Josette, Welcome aboard, so happy you have joined us. Yes, I had 4 months of last meals until I strarted my pre-op diet. Pizza, sandwiches & tons of chips. You would have thought I was having my last meal ever. Even though I miss those things terrible, the results on the scale makes it all worth it. Good luck to you, Kim

Let him know that being banded is in no way easy. The band is a tool, just like diet pills & all the other crap we have all done in the past. You still have to watch what you eat, resist sweets & snacking, & exercise. It is hard work to be sucessful, but totally worth it. Also let him know we all have choosen to do this not because we are lazy, but we are desparate to be healthy. He needs to realize that over eatting is an addiction, if we were drug addicts or alcholics rehab would not be considered "the easy way out", so us food addicts seeking help is no different. Being banded is a choose you will not regrete.

I love Designer Whey Protein, Chocolate. I mix it with chocolate Carb Countdown milk. I freeze 8oz of the milk over night & in the morning I defrost in 1min in the microwave pop it in the blender w/ a scoop if the protein & it is taste just like you are having a chocolate shake, mmmm. Kim

Here in Austin there is a sonic every other block. For those who don't know what a sonic is, its like the old fashion drive ins where the girl delivers your food on roller skates, it has every fantastic junk food you can imagine. It wonderful! Try the diet cherry lemonaide, it's delish! I sure do miss the chili cheese burger, somrtimes the salad just doesn't do it. Kim

Well ya'll for the most part, this has been a great journey. The weight lose, the energy & the mobility have been incredible. But then there have been some thing that I have experience with the changes in my body I expected, like hair loss & the inability to eat bread. But then there have been some things that have knocked me for a loop, like the loss of my period for 2 months & a 4 week plateu. With all of them going on at the same time I really started to feak out. I saw my regular Dr, who ran a bunch of blood work, from thyroid to hormones & monpause & everything checked OK, but still no period. I had my tubes tied 19 years ago, so that was not an issue. I saw my Gyno, who gave me some meds to indose my period, but she wanted me to wait 1 more month before taking them in hope it would happen on its own. So I wait, & then last Tuesday it happened! I was releived, but it managed to be the worst one of my life, after 3 days I contacted my Gyno becaused I thought I was bleeding to death, she wanted me to go into the ER if I was not better by that night. Fortunately by bedtime it was motr like normal & after 3 days it was done. My Dr thinks that with the lose of so much body fat in so short a time my hormones went in to shock & now I should be back on track, Which I hope so because if my hair does not stop falling out I will be the bald skinny lady. I guess there are always wigs! Anyone else dealing with some strange stuff? By the way I'm off the platue & doubling up on the multi vitamins & taking biotin.

It was great to hear for ya'll to know that I am not just a freak. I am also cold all the time, & that is great living here in Austin where we were running our air conditioners 2 days ago and last night we had to cut on the heaters & I slept in a sweater. Going without a period for a while was not so bad, to me that is the greatest thing about getting older & menopause, so I was a little disappointed when it did started, but now maybe things will get back to normal. Don't want to lose much more hair, didn't have a lot to start with & when you are a hairstylist with no hair it really sends negative message. I guess if this stuff is happening to us, it must mean we are doing the what we all set out to do, lose weight, so congrates all. Kim

Hey ya'll, I was so nervious to weigh in today, with my body being really wacky lately( which I will tell ya about on another thread) & a few social events which have maded chips & dip really hard to resist. I managed to lose 3 lbs, WAHOOOO! Everybody keep up the good work. Kim c223, -3, Total loss 69

I went to my 1st wls meeting 3 weeks before my banding. Everyone there was rny & 2 ladies did pull me aside & suggested I rethink the band because everyone they know that had had the band were not sucessful & eventually went back for the rny. I saw my Doc a few days after that and voiced my concerns & doubts. Dr Clark is so anti rny & so positive about the safty & sucess of the band, that after talking to him, I knew I was making the right choice. I still go to the wls group,where the support is great & since that 1st meeting, know one has said anything else about the band. Now I do sometimes get a little bummed when I see how much weight they are losing with zero effort, but I also hear how they are really struggling to not gain weight because they never learned to change their old habits, so when their pouch starts to get back to a normal size they start to spin out of control. Theyy are also all on B12 & iron shots! I have been very happy with my chioce. It is a tool to help you get to where you want to be. It is alot of work & willpower, but if you us the band right you will succed.

Hi everyone, My name is Kim Botello. I was banded Oct. 14, 2005. I have been a member for a while, but have not a active one, I hoping to change that. I'm 45 & I have been married to great guy for 24 years. We have 2 sons, 23 & 19. I live in Pflugerville, Tx, which is outside of Austin where I am a hairstylist . Being banded has been a wonderful thing for me. I have been over weight all my life. I have tried all the diets, starting at a very early age. My parents & sisters were all thin, so my parents had a real issue with my weight. My band has helped me lose 66 lbs, the most I have ever lost at one time. I have managed to already to acheive 3 of my goals with my 4th being bellow 200 lbs by the time I have my knee replacement redone on the 27th of June. With help of all of you I know I will do it. s292/j226/-66

I an independent contracting Hair stylist. I rent a private suite at a large 75 suite salon in Austin. I have been a stylist For 21yrs. I love what I do!

Banded Oct.14, 2005 By Dr. Stephen Clark In Austin. Tx. No problems

O.K. ya'll, I love the Designer Whey Protein, chocolate. I mix it with chocolate Carb countdown. I freeze 1 cup of the milk the night before, in the morning defrost it in the micro toss it in the blender with a scoop of the protein along with 1/2 a banana. It is as fantastic. It like having a milkshake. I can't wait for breakfast. Kim

Illude, I am so impressed! You look amazing. You are my hero. I'm sure you feel like you are floating. I know your future is going to be fantastic, after doing what you have done you can do anything. Congradulations on your new life. YOU GO GIRL, Kim

Kim, I was banded in Oct., my Dr. used a large band, which I found out about about on my 10 post op visit. He told me that he leaves the band totally open til the swelling goes down & his patients can ajust to being banded. On my 4th week I had my 1st fill (4cc on a 10cc band). My Dr. is pretty agressive with his fills, I'm at 6cc now & I'm schuduled for my 4th fill on the 6th. I'm feeling pretty restricked & having some trouble adjusting, but I'm digging the high I'm on from the weight loss (54lbs & down 3 sizes) so I may just go for it. About your eating, my Dr. says that everyone progesses at their own pace, he said you know your body & what it can handle, by 3 weeks post op, I was on a full diet & feeling no restriction, I had to limit food myself, which was tough. I think you are doing great, relax, be proud of yourself everyday & enjoy the beautiful change that your body is going through. Kim

It's so wild how every Dr. has their own set of crazy rules. My Dr. had me go on a low carb diet for 2 weeks before surgery to shrink my liver & clear liquids the day before. My Dr. is not as stricked as most, but luckly I did not have as tough a time before or after. The beginning is hard, but you will get thru it. good luck Friday.

makena2, Today is day 24 for me & I got my 1st fill, so I am back on liquids for the next day or so, but yesterday I had steak & veggie stir fry. I feel great, down 24lbs, started back to work on day 10 & working out on day 11. 2 solid weeks of liquids is tough & depressing, I really feel for you, it should at least give your weight loss a major jump start. I would not tell you to go against your Dr's orders, but my Dr was really great about allowing me to decided when my body was ready to move on to the other stages. He beleaves that starving yourself is very bad, it robs you of the energy you need to heal. I'm sure that was the best darn egg salad in the world! Kim

I was banded on the 14th. My Doc said everyone is different when it comes to moving from one stage of eatting to another. He said that it would be up to me as to what I felt I could tolerate. At one week I was on soft food and when I saw my Doc 10 days out, he said for me to introduce fish. He said that it would not hurt my pouch or my band if I moved from one stage to another to quickly, I would just have be careful. Friday was 2 weeks & I had chicken & a salad, it was great, just have to take it really slow. Take care & happy losing. Kim

Hi, my name is Kim, & I was banded on Friday morning. My experience has not been to bad either. The on problems I have really had have been with the pain meds. I am allergic to all the liquid ones & the childrens Tylenol does not seem to last long. Also the blotting, gas & diarreha Iam having a hard time getting relief from. I would love any advise.