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O..K.. My mouth is still hanging open! Good grief, that's incredible!! *chants* Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!! Congrats and Happy 6 Month Bandiversary! I'm very anxious to know how you do from here. Is your weight loss slowing? How are your eating habits? Are you getting hungrier now that you've lost so much weight? I mean, I've been wondering if the band needs to be tightened simply because our stomachs get smaller (less fat). I'd love to know what you've been eating, and what excercise you've been doing. How's your skin? Are you having any problems with being flabby now? *laughs* A lot of questions, I know. But I would really appreciate being able to pick your brain! What a success you are, Josephine! Added: Oops.. I just read your post again and saw what you said about your stomach. Are you going to get a tummy tuck?

Changing your diet to focus on Proteins is going to prove to be very beneficial for healing after surgery. If you can get in 70 grams per day, you'll be in good shape by the time you get banded. For optimal weightloss, I would focus on lean chicken or fish and fresh veggies and fruits. Begin practicing eating slower. Cut small bites, chew each bite well, and make your meals last about 15-20 minutes. These are good bandster habits and they will help you now as well. In addition to the Protein suppliments and the food I mentioned above, be sure to drink about 4 bottles of Water per day (64oz). This will also help to prepare your skin for surgery, get rid of water retention, and help you lose weight. Best of luck to you!

I think it would depend on which surgeon you spoke with. I was self-pay but was still required to go through all of the standard pre-tests, including the sleep study, pulminologist, and psych tests. My doctor feels that these pre-tests are crucial to determining whether or not a person is in good enough physical and mental shape to not only undergo the surgery but to also be successful with the band. The prerequisites for being banded were a BMI of 40+, over 100 pounds overweight, or a BMI of 35+ with two comorbidities. I believe that surgeons out of the country are more lenient about the requirements. However, before you select a surgeon out of your area or out of the country, be sure you have a doctor in your area set up for follow-up care that you can get to for fills and any complications you might incurr. Best of luck to you. Added: Again, the requirements for pre-surgery diets and weightloss will vary between surgeons. The pre-op diet is aimed at reducing the fat in the liver so the surgeon can safely move the liver out of the way. Fat in the liver can increase its size to the extent that it cannot be moved without risk. My Dr says the goal is to lose a certain percentage of your excess weight, but even though I didn't achieve that I did lose 16 pounds in about two weeks and he was happy with that.

Hi Kathy! Welcome to LBT! You have plenty of reasons for wanting to have better health - 10 grandkids! How blessed you are! I only have one and I love that little guy so much. Best of luck to you. I hope everything works out.

May 1st sleepyjean Hippo's Hope LindaV justduckie txpeach May 2nd Velvetkiss DrewsLou May 3rd kelli louie Judy Ann May 4th mychevygirl TIDGE lululacy Angie71 Trip2bme May 5th Londoner May 8th Poster Child laurapar May 9th Seminole Marianne TN Stitchy dawner119 slwc May 10th missnikki JJinLA May 11th babyjane Karma2 michelletur (approved waiting for confirmation of surgery date) May 12th heresdeb TwinkleLiL Star AMF101 wiggygiggy 4MyFuture missyfan ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Holy Cow that's a lotta new bandsters! Congrats to each of you and welcome to the Bandland! :clap2:

Heyas Robyn, I'm so glad to hear the surgery went without any problems. I'm believing that this time around there will be no infection. It's amazing what you've endured and the success you've had so far. Keep us posted! *hugs*

Weight Commander is a handy little program for all of you who are addicted to the scales. It allows you to enter your weight each day, which is then displayed in a graph chart that shows the 7 day average trend of your weight loss. It has a lot of very cool things like Lifestyle and food Tips-for-the-Day, weightloss forecasts, Pesonal Notebook, Shopping Lists and more. When you go to the website, (click on Weight Commander ) you'll be asked to provide your email address, then the download will begin. I saved mine to my Desktop and went with the Default installation. Once installed, click on the HOW button on the lower right side of the control panel, or if you're like me.. just exlpore! You will be able to look around the program but to continue using it requires that you purchase the program for $9.95. Happy scale obsessing! NOTE: It says when you close it, that you have to pay the $9.95. But I've reopened mine and its working. *shrugs*

Congrats Laura!! What an accomplishment! You should feel very proud! *big hugs*

Awww, what a little cutie! My best guess would be - if she has kittens, she was preggers! *snickers* Hmm.. how about calling a local vet and ask for some advice?

Congrats! Best wishes for a trouble free surgery and quick recovery. Be sure to keep us posted on how you're doing.

I heard from Dody today. She got her date! June 5th. She's really had a hard time of it lately... pneumonia and then she hurt her knee. But her doctors feel good about her upcoming surger, so she's all set to go! Yay Dody!

Those of you who are weighing every day are only making it harder on yourselves. Your body will go through a wide range of ups and downs over a week's time. Try to get in the habit of only weighing once a week. It really helps not to see the fluctuations. Those of who are drinking more than a gallon of water... I'm seriously thinking that's not good for you. Too much water washes the sodium out of your body, causing hyponatraemia - a condition that, while uncommon, can be fatal. Initial symptoms of over-hydration include dizziness, nausea, apathy and confusion. However these symptoms are also associated with dehydration - so it's important to be aware of how much you are drinking. Based on the studies I have been reading, a 350 pound person should be drinking 1 gallon of water per day. There is a forumla that seems to be shared by most of the online health magazines - 64oz PLUS 8oz per 25 pounds of excess weight. If you are exercising and sweating a lot, be sure to drink salted sports drinks rather than just water. Drinking mad amounts of water during long hard workouts can be very dangerous.

I got on mine today... Cheeky scales! Grrr!

Im still laughing my ass off at JerseyTammys!!! Oh, and I ran over a phone because I'm cool like that.

I have trouble in the smaller lay down beds. I cant easily turn on my sides, or move my arms around. The stand up bed lets me get tan all over. I was told that there is a difference in the way these types of beds tan. The laydown beds tan from the outter layers of skin, inward. The stand up bed tans deeper layers of skin, outward. I did the laydown beds twice in the beginning, for 7 minutes each time. I looked red and felt slightly burnt. Then I started using the stand up bed. I started at the max time of 15 minutes, no redness no burning. I did itch a lot though, as I said in a previous post. Once I started putting the lotion on just before going into the bed/booth, I didn't have anymore problems with that. The stand up bed seems to give a more golden tan. The owner recommended I switch between the two beds, which I do. The laydown beds still make me look more red than the stand up ones. however, there are larger laydown beds, which use the same technique as the stand up if you prefer laying down. I was also told that because the stand up bed tans from the deeper layers outward, its important to remember that even though you appear tan, you can still get a bad sunburn from being in the sun.. the top layers are still "virgin" if you will. *chuckles* I hope this helps, Jess.

Thanks Mo! I'm really enjoying this trip downhill. Being a loser has its ups and downs, but overall I think Im doing alright. And so are you! :clap2:

Hello RyanJoey! Those must be your boys' names. My son's name is Ryan too! Welcome to LBT. I think you've found an excellent place to make friends and find support. There are lots of very wonderful people here at all stages of the band journey... from the early stages of finding out what the band is all about - to people who have been banded for many years and have seen great success - to people who have experienced complications and have lost their bands. It's all here - the good, the bad and the exceptional! Check out the Reference and FAQ thread. There are some good pointers in there about the using this board and there is some awesome info on the band. Keep posting, ask lots of questions and make your presence known. You'll have PLENTY of people to talk to! :Banane13:

I am determined to be tan this year! I've been doing the stand up beds and for the first time ever, I'm looking semi-tan. I had to laugh at the "I'm so white I make milk look tan" comment! Too funny! But I feel the same way. I heard that California girls have a saying, "If you can't lose it - Tan it!" When I started this, I was itching like crazy. But I started using the lotions before getting in the tanning bed and that's stopped. It's really important to keep your skin hydrated... so it doesn't look all wrinkly when we have to go to the dermitologist. *winks*

The updates are done for this week! If you all want some inspiration, have a look at the Members Page and the Honors Page. This group KICKED some serious PUHTOOTIE last week! 90.4 pounds of fat - GONE FOR GOOD! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?p=210374#post210374

Hey.. it saves the cost of bottling! *laughs*

Thank you so much for the sweet comments. You ladies are just the best! Teresa, you made my day! *big hug*

I started the updates but was too sleepy to finish. *laughs* I will get it done tomorrow. Im so happy for everyone's fantastic progress this week! Coyotegirl! OMG! So near to reaching TWO HUGE goals! Go, girl, go!! See you all tomorrow!

Ok, I feel like a complete wimp posting this after Tricia's mega workout post... but... I did three minutes on the eliptical tonight, then 15 on the bikes, and then worked on my arms with the bands while Dawg did his arm, chest, back routine on various machines. Three minutes is a WoW for me! *laughs*

Jeepers! I've been so busy I hadn't seen the rest of this thread OR the pics! Diane, you look wonderful hun. Just in the last few months there has been a huge change in you! Keep up the great work! You're such a joy and an inspiration to us all. *big happy hugs*

Hello David. *smiles* Welcome to the world of Lap Bands! You have found a wonderful place to hang out, meet friends, and to get loads of fantastic support and information - as you have already seen. As everyone has told you, the secret to the band is in the filling. Once you get some restriction and get on to eating some hard Proteins, you'll feel a lot more relaxed about how this ride is going to go for you. I hope we hear a lot more of your story as you travel along with us on this fantastic journey!