SanDiegoPhotog

Thanks! Me, too. But, you know . . . if I don't it won't be the end of the world. I'm just super happy to have made it this far and everything from here on out is just sugar-free icing on a carb-free cake! :whatchutalkingabout

Oh . . . now I just need to figure out how to lose the next 48 pounds before my 1-year! :whatchutalkingabout

There is one person in my family who is jealous. I was afraid she would be, and my fears are starting to be proven as the reality of the situation is setting in. Sadly, I am very close to this person and now I can see "this" getting in the way. She used to be tiny, but age and 2 children are making it more difficult for her, while I'm losing what seems like effortlessly to others (nevermind all the freaking working out I do and logging my calories, etc). A very close friend has refused to acknowledge my weight loss. I doubt she will EVER acknowledge it.

I haven't gotten to that point yet. My husband is just now starting to make comments to me because he thinks my last fill was too tight (I beg to differ), but everytime my mom sees me eat something (does not matter what it is), she asks, "You can eat THAT?" uhhhhh . . . yes mom, I can eat THAT. Doesn't matter what THAT is . . . she just likes to ask that, no matter how many times I've explained to her how the band works. Someone in her office had gastric bypass and has told her all sorts of crazy stuff, so I think she has some weird misconceptions about the band. I've lost a considerable amount of weight thus far, too, and she always tells me that she thinks I eat a lot of food. Geesh. I can't catch a break.

I am so over this menstrual bleeding, I can't even tell you. I'm ruining clothes despite ALL of the measures I take to stay protected: I soak through tampons AND pads. I've been on the pill for almost 2 weeks now (my doctor's decision to stop the flow, obviously not working), and I'm STILL bleeding. I understand that I've lost a lot of weight in a relatively short amount of time, but enough is enough! I am a tad afraid of an endometrial ablation because of the permanency. Have you had a D & C? Did it hurt? Did it stop your bleeding? I'm seriously going insane right now. Advice?

oh yeah . . . I can totally feel my port. And it sucks when the dog or my children jump on me while I'm laying down -- other than that, no problems!

People are always really surprised when they stop working out and they lose weight. Sadly, YOU'RE LOSING MUSCLE! Muscle is HEAVY. However, muscle keeps your metabolism revving and actually helps you to burn fat, so when you lose muscle, you may have a temporary and enjoyable and easy weight loss, but it's TEMPORARY. Without the muscle to burn fat, you can end up in another cycle of storing fat. So, yes, while sleep deprivation is a bad thing and detrimental to weight loss, so is NOT exercising. Your sister's doctor SHOULD have told her to take it to the swimming pool and the advice you gave her, basically to become a couch potato, was, in my opinion, very bad advice.

When did you have your tummy tuck? Were you at goal or near goal? And when did you start the consultation process? I think I am way too far away from my goal to even think about PS, but the whole body is getting pretty toned and trimmed while my belly just sags and sags. :/ I am getting frustrated with all of this sagginess. hmph.

Oh, I had twins in 2007 -- BIG twins . . . 5 lbs 15 ounces and 6 pounds 15 ounces . . .and they were fraternal with separate sacs, placentas, umbilicle cords, EVERYTHING. I don't think there's any question . . . I WILL be having PS. My stomach was wrecked completely when I was about 6 months into my pregnancy with them - and it just got worse for the 3 months after that!

at least a year from when you got your band or at least a year from when you got to goal? I am thinking that if my goal is 150 . . . then I should start the consultations and the process at 160, but schedule the surgery so I'm pretty darn close to being at 150. Does that make sense? I'll ask my surgeon, but we've talked about PS before and he didn't seem to have any timeframe suggestions for me at all. He said that he might consider going in and moving my port at that time, but he didn't tell me to wait a year.

OH, don't get me wrong . . . I think some men love talking about weight -- especially those who workout. But I think most men notice, but are too afraid to say anything.

Did you say that you're a barber? Does that mean that most of your clientele are men? I think some men are scared to death to say ANYTHING, even if they do notice.

I can say that it's a lot of freaking work to lose ONE pound. ugh!

I think you should find out WHY he's not supportive -- and that might take some counseling or some talking things out with someone other than just the two of you. He could be scared of surgery. He could be scared of the person he thinks you might become. Who knows? But only through talking these things out can you get to the bottom of it. My surgeon was very good at relieving my husband of some of his fears about me going under . . . not just for lap band, but for ANY surgery. My surgeon was very helpful and kind. I also made my husband go to the mandatory informational seminar with me. When he heard the statistics about diet failures and since he knew how hard I really tried to stick to a program, he knew in less than an hour that the lapband was perfect for me. Now, he is enjoying looking at his new wife . . . who gets closer and closer to goal with each passing day. But I'm not sure how he's going to handle the extra attention I tend to get from other men when I am thin (I've lost weight before, but never kept it off). My husband is actually kind of a jealous type. My MIL was actually the one who, when I told her about the lapband, went straight into stories of her heavy friend who had gastric bypass and got super thin and then divorced her husband. I think she is just scared I am going to leave her son. But she's very adverse to change no matter what it is, so I took it with a grain of salt. Good luck to you.

No . . . not better. We just all have very different shapes. I'm 5'7", so that has something to do with it. I also have a very athletic build -- and muscles are dense weight. I just wish my muscles didn't bulk up so fast. I have to really vary my workouts to keep from getting bulky.

Seriously, that is what someone asked me today in a restaurant -- very, very loudly. Today was the first day someone really "tried" to call me out on having surgery. I have an acquaintance who works in a restaurant and when I walked in she was shocked at how much weight I have lost. I dont see her very often, so she hadn't seen the progression. And I don't eat out very often, either, so I doubt I'll be bumping into her too much. Anyways, first she was a little loud and a little rude while she was literally standing at another table and asked: "So, what, have you lost like 150 pounds or something?" I said, no, I've lost 60 (while thinking to myself that it's none of her business, but whatever). Then she comes over to my table and asks me if I had gastric bypass -- quite loudly so that other diners could hear. I was shocked. I mean, I answered no (cuz I haven't -- LOL), but when she asked me my "secret" I told her that I've just been working out like a madwoman and really, really watching what I eat. Then she asked me if my husband was happy. Seriously. I felt like telling her that my husband loves me just as much now as he did back then -- but I just sheepishly said yes, he was happy. I don't know. I'm sure I could have handled the whole thing better, but I was so taken aback. I haven't kept my surgery a total secret, but I sure as hell wasn't going to tell a mouthy loud nosey person like that any of my business. UGH! What would you have done? Thanks for letting me vent!

When everyone is talking about sizes though, are we all talking about "normal" sizes? I think my body style/shape is just whacked out disproportionate! You would think that after having lost 60 pounds, I'd be happy to go buy new clothes . . . but figuring it all out is a NIGHTMARE! Lane Bryant 14s fit me very, very easily . . . so I'm afraid to buy more because I'm losing so fast and they are getting loose. Lane Bryant shirts are pretty much all too big. But, when it comes to "regular" 14s (outside of Lane Bryant), some fit and some don't. Some 16s fit and some don't, for that matter. For instance, in Bandolinos and Sevens, I wear a 14 no problem -- the 16s are too big. But in other brands, I can BARELY button the 14s. Then again, most XL shirts fit me . . . some Larges fit me . . . but then there are some XL shirts that are way too tight. The clothing sizes seem to have no standard and now that I am exploring places beyond Lane Bryant, I am shy. Like, am I supposed to be shopping in here? Will these clothes fit me? So far I've only braved Nordstrom, Macys, and New York & Co., but I don't even really know where else to shop. Weird!

Oh, and the funny part is, she stressed me out soooo badly that every bite got stuck and I couldn't eat ANYTHING! haha. I ended up getting hot tea and was fine, but I was really stressing hardcore because I thought that if I have to leave without eating ANYTHING, she's REALLY going to think I had gastric bypass. oh boy!

I agree with the previous posters. You NEED to go to the doctor. If you had a recent fill -- as in the past week or so -- I would say go back to liquids for 24-72 hours, then mushies, and so on and so forth . . . but it's been quite some time since your fill. You're having symptoms for a REASON and your doctor will help you determine the reason. Remember, you doctor wants you to lose weight, too, so even if you have to get a slight unfill or complete unfill or whatever the case may be, he or she is still going to be there to help you lose the weight and make the band work for you. Good luck. That all sounds very frightening. :thumbup:

I have an Allergan band.

I am halfway to goal. The befores were taken in June, the "durings" were taken last night. Here I tried to find the same outfit as my before pic. I didn't find the exact jeans, but they are the same size and brand as my before pic.

I feel comfortable in my old clothes . . . so my family usually has to tell me that I look ridiculous in order for me to go out and buy myself new stuff. My 5 year old told me my pants were way too big the other day. And she was right! I am 5'7". I started off at 263 pounds, size 16/18 top, size 22 bottom, and a bra of 42DD. I am now 204 pounds (-59), and I wear L tops from most brands or XL if it's a slim brand like Calvin Klein. Most Lane Bryant tops, even the 14s, are too large. My bra is a 38C or 36D, depending on the cut. My jeans and pants are either the "Red 1" from Lane Bryant (the moderately curvy ones in a size 1), or the 14s from Lane Bryant. But I can also fit in a lot of non-plus shop size 14s and definitely the 16s. I will probably never be able to wear Levis or Calvin Kleins, though. They are just not the right cut for my body, even at my thinnest. I really feel like in about 10-15 more pounds, I will be done with Lane Bryant for FOREVER and I will be sooooooo happy!

Since my surgery in June of this year, I basically have 3 weeks on my period and 1 week off. It's annoying as all get out. I have an appointment with my OB/Gyn to make sure that I don't have a cyst or anything, but my surgeon says that it most likely IS from the weight loss and the sudden release of all of that estrogen. Which would also explain my moodiness . . . . hahaha! Oh well. I've never had great times of the month anyways, so this isn't much of a surprise -- it's just REALLY annoying. Oh, and when I'm ON my period, I lose weight like a madwoman. When I'm off my period, it sort of stalls. Weird!

I am starting to look like the person I always saw myself as . . . I'm starting to look like "me." I didn't know the chubby faced girl I used to see in the mirror everyday - she was a stranger who couldn't control what she ate.

Only you know yourself. How many diets have you tried? How many worked? How many times did you fail? Why do you eat? Why do you not exercise? What are you willing to sacrifice to do this and how long will you make that sacrifice for? Could I lose weight on another program? Yes. Did I understand calories, metabolism, Protein, carbs? Yes. Was I able to do the amount of exercise required to lose weight? Yes. Could I have lost almost 60 pounds without my band? Honestly, I could have . . . but I know I WOULDN'T have. That's me. That's the mental state I was in. I couldn't do it on my own anymore. And it certainly wouldn't have stayed off -- but since I'm relatively newly banded, the jury's still out on that one. I started my pre-op diet and the weight started to come off rapidly. All I had to do was keep a food and exercise journal that roughly followed the South Beach Diet to prove to my doctor that I could stick to a "program." It was easy . . . but my band date was so close in sight that I thought "I can do ANYTHING for 2 months." And I did. Then, the weight started coming off and I started second guessing my decision to have the band. I started wondering if I was making a big mistake and if I could stick to a program and go at it without the band. Then I remembered my history with dieting. Then I started feeling hungry again. Yeah . . . I NEEDED the band. BEST thing I ever did for myself. BUT, I also was not one of those that was going to sit quietly by and wait for my band to start working before I started working -- but that's a mental thing for me. Regardless of the fact that I had an empty band post-op and I was hungry, I started working the program with 1200 calories, high protein meals, TONS of exercise. But I needed to do that for me because I'm impatient. And I hear sooo many stories about people who were banded around the same I was and who have only lost 5 pounds, or 10 pounds, and they're frustrated and discouraged. BUT, they also aren't the ones working the band, typically. So, if you can stick to a program, great. Only you know that. But most of us didn't get here because we could stick to program or lose weight easily or keep it off easily. If you do decide to get the band, though, take a real hard look at the people it's working for. I must have private messaged 10 people who were at goal, maintaining goal, or close to goal and had had their bands for a long time. The common denominators? Their bands curbed their appetite while they stuck to a program, usually 1200 calories. They all seemed to be avid exercisers. THEY did the work . . . the band merely helped. A few people were really awesome at letting the band do it's job and they relied more on hunger cues. I'm terrible at hunger cues and a little Type-A personality . . . so I went with the methods where I had to work a little harder. And it's working really well for me. But, time will tell. We shall see if I can keep it off or if I can continue to lose. However, I AM on a roll and I love my new body . . . so I'm guessing I can! :eek: