NewSho

Dang. I don't know what happened. They were showing up at first. I'll try to re-edit them but I'm using my old laptop at the family house, and they are stored on the hard drive at my new laptop at my place. Let me see what I can do from here. First one is early 2005 & early 2006 - Before & After Banding (same outfit). Second one is me in Black - in Late 2006 after a TT (but I was still losing). I'll try to make the link to my newest pic (Fall 2007) to show up.

Don't worry. There are those banded abroad (either in Europe, Mexico or Australia) who have had their bands for than 10 or 12 years so far. As long as my band continues to help me (and doesn't harm me, knock wood) then I want to keep it in. I want a long term solution to obesity and luckily patients in other countries have found it with the Lap-Band. Let's stay positive!

<p> Who is this Sequoia person? I have also worked with, approved, and followed more than a hundred LapBand patients. Guess what, even slow losers are folks who are actually following the Band rules. Maybe the missing piece of the puzzle is just a slow metabolism or something that's not an error on the patient's part. I'm tired of hearing "so-called" medical professionals blame patients for being obese - we've had enough blame handed to us. I was a slow loser and eventually I got it worked out. Therefore if there are others who are finding that the scale isn't moving as fast as they would like, why not have them seek fellowship with others in a similar position?Just because someone is a slower-than-average weight loss loser doesn't mean they are not successful. I know this first-hand. </p> <p>So you might have 'worked with' a zillion LapBanders but your testimony isn't any more valuable than one LapBander who has actually been there.

You betcha. As my level of restriction went up - the symphony of sounds that my stomach makes is incredible. I never knew I could make such noises. It gurgles, churgles, and makes noises - but I listen to those noises because that first hiccup means it's time to stop eating. If I hear too many noises it may mean that I didn't chew my food well enough. All in all, I've learned to listen to my band - it's usually telling me something! :-)

<HR style="COLOR: #e9e9e9" SIZE=1>Time for an update. I hope the pics work this time! First pics of me: Before and After LapBanding. The first is in 2005 and the second pic is Early 2006. Same outfit, different look! OK, next is late 2006 after a Tummy Tuck but I'm still losing weight. Finally, here I am a few months ago - after goal weight. (I'll just put a link here. I'm fresh out of the shower in this picture, in my undies. Don't want to offend anyone!) http://tinyurl.com/32lcnx Even though this is an ongoing journey, Im proud of where I am. There are those who make snide comments ("Well you lost so much weight, you probably have so much hanging skin." or even "Oh, I guess you think you look so good now. Don't get a big head.") No, I don't have a big head, but I haven't been this size in years. Hooray for the LapBand!

Well, I'm past goal but still not 100#. Goal was 80-85 lbs - I've lost about 90-95 lbs or so. Once I got within 10# of my goal - my weight loss understandably slowed down. And now I lose a pound here or there, but it's so slowly that I don't notice. My body no longer fights to hold on to every pound but if I lose something, it's accidental and painless. First time in my life that was true. What do I always say? If The World's Slowest Bandster can get to goal, then anybody can! Hope that still qualifies me!

OK, I'll see you on the "Lighter Side." I never aimed at being skinny, I'm totally not skinny and I don't think "Thin Is In." I was always big too - but who knew there was a NORMAL-sized girl in me? The LapBand found her! Come on over, it's pretty darn good living on "The Lighter Side."

Oh My Goodness - No No No! Let me clarify. I am past goal but it's my friend Rachael who lost 150 lbs in One Year with her band. Not me! No, I was the slowest LapBander ever - so I lost most of my weight in the first 20 months but didn't get at/near goal til my 2nd "Band-iversary." I'm so glad I saw this post because I was reading some of the old ones and thought - Gee I need to update my original 2006 answer. It's the same answer but as we approach 2008 - I have so much more to say. Here's my story (sorry for length): Trying to be proactive with my health - I thought I should get surgery before my weight issue got worse. (I recommend this to anyone who has ever struggled with their weight over a long time and is considering surgery. Don't wait til you gain more - if you want surgery do it sooner!) My Goal: I wanted to lose 75-80 lbs overall. I consulted 7 weight loss surgeons. Doctors' Goals: I was told with the Bypass I'd lose 80-85 lbs and with the band I'd probably lose 70-75 lbs. (I got full insurance approval for both procedures. Like I said, I was serious about getting a Weight Loss Surgery!) Time Period Estimate: The docs said I'd lose the weight in 12 months with the bypass and it would take about 18 months with the band. Finally after soul-searching I decided that the bypass was a whole lot more intense to just lose 10-15 extra pounds over the band. Plus I didn't care a whit about pounds lost - only about CLOTHES sizes lost. So I nixed the idea of the bypass, and got LapBanded. But keep this in mind: I was not going to exercise or seriously work out. Period. No need of lying to myself or my surgeon. I have a slight medical condition anyway so there is no benefit to me dieting & working out together - my body lets me do one or the other. Due to the fact that I wouldn't be working out, my doctor said it would take me at least 6 months longer without any exercise. So that's 18 months + 6 months? That's 24 months to get to my goal weight. OK, no problem, I thought. But when the bypass folks I knew lost their weight in one year, I was feeling really sorry for myself. And I even had people tell me "Oh you should have had the bypass - that band isn't working, is it?" :mad: I started called myself the "Remedial Bandster" and "The World's Slowest Bandster Ever." :phanvan But I stuck with it and over time, my weight loss caught up, sped up, and after 19 months I was near my goal. After 24 months (just like my surgeon said) I was at goal and dang near past it. I even lost 90-95 lbs total - past my goal, my doctors' goal and past what I should have lost with the bypass. That doesn't sound like much to some folks but coming from a Plus Size 2X and going down to a regular size Medium (sometimes a Small) is a big deal. And guess what? Basically, my bypass surgery pals LOOK like they've lost a lot of weight quickly. And I don't. Not one bit. I lost slowly but steadily so my body eventually caught up. People *refuse* to believe I've ever been overweight ( I wish I had photos to show them) and they argue me down that I'm not banded. I don't look like I was ever fat (and that's what I was - make no mistake about it). I haven't had an ounce of lipo and other than some Thickish Thighs (I sound like a turkey) I don't look like I was fat and lost a lot of weight. So take that Bypass. I lost all my weight and never missed a Happy Hour. I don't count calories or carbs now - and if my weight ebbs and flows a bit here or there I try not to sweat it. I'm so at peace and eat like a regular skinny person. No diet plates or special foods, just Band friendly mini meals. My friends who said "You should have gotten the bypass" have had to all apologize now. In fact two of them are now banded since I got mine - Ha! So I'm delighted that I was banded and I speak to pre-banded folks at doctors' seminars and support groups all over my area. Your mileage may vary but if the 'world's slowest bander' can do it, I anyone can. It may change tomorrow or my band may go 'kaput' or anything odd might happen. But ask me today - and this is the best thing I ever did for myself!

Flavoured CofW is great stuff. The instant ones come in a package just like instant oatmeal and they come in the same flavours as instant oatmeal packets. CofW now has Apples-n-Cinnamon, Maple-n-Brown Sugar, etc. etc. I don't go to the grocery store much (single gal, no kids - eat out almost every meal :paranoid ) but I picked the CofW up at Target - in the quick foods aisle. I don't do grocery shopping, my Super Target has the little bits of things that I might buy for the pantry - instant Cream of Wheat, tea, etc. [Confession: My entire refrigerator is full of beverages - just 4 shelves of beverages from bottled Water to juice to Gatorade to Starbucks drinks to Red Bull. I have cheese sticks &butter spray, etc but not much of it. It all fits in the produce drawers at the bottom!]

So true, FairyF. (BTW, what an adorable pic & signature). I know people always say "liquids only stick around XXX amount of time" but when you've been banded awhile, and once you have higher levels of restriction - then a semi-liquid (like a yummy Soup or a turkey chili) can be very filling and hearty.

= Cream of Wheat. (Not made too thick - but just the right consistency) If I can spoon it easily, it goes in easily. A quick bowl (one Instant packet) of Cream of Wheat leaves me full a good long while. (I like the flavours, but original is OK too. I sometimes add a packet of Splenda, but either way, it totally is Band-friendly. = Quizno's Soups. One $1.99 cup (or if I'm semi-starving, a $2.99 bowl) of their new Seasonal Soups totally are like a meal. I prefer the Seasonal soups in "Green Chile Chicken" or the totally vegetarian "Mushroom Bisque". (The Broccoli & cheese is OK but the new soups, totally rock!) Both are creamy (I don't count calories) and filling. There are quick, economical and perfect for lunch or dinner. They come with packs of Saltine crackers (yuck, I hate those) but I skip those and still end up with a great meal. I'll try to think of some more quick, filling, little gems.

Accidental Finger Licking? No Biggie. Plus that icing is mostly oil/shortening/butter - so it becomes liquid pretty quickly when it moves through the system. I think that was unconscious - not really, cheating. Eating is a habit that we've done 3x a day for all our lives. It's not automatic to think about every single thing that goes it our mouths, right. You're fine. Good Luck on your upcoming banding! :clap2:We'll make room for you over on The Skinny Side.

People are so funny.When I was overweight - everyone had something to say.;Doesn't everyone wish they had a dime for every time we've heard: You are SO pretty - Gee, if only you lost weight... Well now that I've lost the weight, now they want to make sure that I'm not going to lose too much weight. Guess what? It's my body - I succeeded at my goal and they should respect that. Bottom Line: People want to define us by what they think of us - let's NOT let them!

I had a TT after about halfway through (Keep in mind, I thought I was more than 3/4 finished. I was not thinking I would keep losing so much weight...this band is a miracle)! Anyway I think I got more positive results (and compliments) from the TT than I did from the weight I lost with the band! :-) I am so happy I did it. I'm lucky I didn't have a lot of excess skin, but it wasn't going away with diet or exercise - surgery was the only option for that unneeded extra skin. I'm grateful!

I go about every 6 wks or so while actively losing, and rarely try to go longer than 6-12 wks. I plan to go about every 6-12 months during maintenance, assuming all is well. Lots of folks stop visiting their surgeons after a year or so but even if you're at goal weight, you shouldn't go much longer than that because sometimes bands just naturally 'lose' a bit of Fluid or restriction over time. It's always good to keep your fluid at optimal levels, just like you would for a car!

I go about every 6 wks or so while actively losing, and rarely try to go longer than 6-12 wks. I plan to go about every 6-12 months during maintenance, assuming all is well. Lots of folks stop visiting their surgeons after a year or so but even if you're at goal weight, you shouldn't go much longer than that because sometimes bands just naturally 'lose' a bit of Fluid or restriction over time. It's always good to keep your fluid at optimal levels, just like you would for a car!

Man, PreOps have this question a lot. Here's a common from my (off-site) blog: I often see Weight Loss Surgery Pre-Ops and Newbies (new patient) worry or obsess about whether they’ll need Plastic Surgery later. I’ve even see morbidly obese people struggle with needing to lose 100, 150, or 200 pounds but they say that they don’t want to have Weight Loss Surgery because they think they might need Plastic Surgery later. I guess my thought on this is - It's only an issue if you lose the weight. Why stress about it? Concentrate on getting the weight off first then start thinking about reconstructive work. One thing at a time! And of course I don't think it's a case of everyone 'needing' plastic surgery. Everyone has a different tolerance level for hanging skin. I had zero tolerance! I want to look great. So maybe my attitude is a bit different. I'm single/no kids and wanted a single girl's wardrobe. I knew a long period of obesity had done a number on my body. Nothing on me "bounces back" no matter how fast or how slow I lost weight. Period. And since I don't have some man who has sworn to love me "for better, for worse" or "For wrinklier, or For saggier" I approach this knowing that someone would be seeing me for the first time. One day I might not be single - and I was hoping not to traumatize whoever the poor sap is who sees me unclothed (the only men who see me unclothed now all have medical licenses so they're not allowed to faint on sight). But I knew I'd only need some work if I got the weight off first. Trust me, for a lot of people you won't know how you'll look or how you'll feel about how you look, until you get nearer to your goal weight. So maybe it's not something to really quantify until you're at that point.

OK, I'll be on the lighter side of things. I normally read non-fiction (particularly Biographies & Political History) but this another thread on LBT made me think of an author I really, really love. This time of the year - we find ourselves surrounded by friends and family - and sometimes these gatherings are a bit off-kilter. So speaking of holiday laughs - her brother, the famed author David Sedaris, wrote "Holidays on Ice" which is a side-splitting look at his family's Christmas hijinks. It's one of my favourites. I love all of Sedaris works (his book "Me Talk Pretty One Day" is the funniest book about living abroad ever) but this is a Holiday classic. Oh and his sister, actress Amy Sedaris (From the TV show & movie "Strangers With Candy") has a hilarious new book about entertaining and life itself. I will pick it up ASAP - I'll need a laugh for the holidays. She's no stranger to spiking the punch bowl if you know what I mean!

Very funny and very true! I heard Amy Sedaris ("Strangers With Candy") has a hilarious new book about entertaining and life itself. I will pick it up ASAP - I'll need a laugh for the holidays. (Oh, and speaking of holiday laughs - her brother, the famed author David Sedaris, wrote "Holidays on Ice" which is a side-splitting look at his family's Christmas hijinks. It's one of my favourites.) OK, I'll post this on the book worm thread, LOL.

The more I learn about this disease (mainly from you, Vines) the more it occurs to me that thousands of women are probably suffering unknowingly. This is such a 'stealth' disease - I'm sure it's very much under-diagnosed. So keep posting about it, Vines. Knowledge is power.

Exactly - anyone who was banded 16 years ago has nothing like our band. People often tell us 'Oh I had that same band surgery 20 years ago" - but it's a common mistake on their part. The non-adjustable band isn't new or unique. It's an older surgery, older procedure - and they are many of them around. Nor were they done Laproscopically very often back then. So the current LapBand (which has improved in technology & technique, since I got my LapBand 5 1/2 yrs ago) is light-years away from the non-adjustable one, which has significant complications & regain. Like all technology, things improve - ten years from now maybe there will be something newer and hipper than the LapBand. For now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed....

...But we don't always post about being at/near goal. It's easy to see how PreOps & Newbies get focused on the "Does anyone meet goal?" question, but a lot of times veteran Bandsters are sort of past that mindset so we don't really chime in on those threads... But, I'll jump in: I met my doctor's goal sometime in the last 2 months, it seems. In fact last month'*, the doctor calculated that I achieved about 90% of my Excess Weight Lost with the LapBand, so I'm officially a "band success" in his eyes. :clap2: That's funny as I proclaim myself "The World Most's Remedial Bandster" for sure. I think scale weight is just one measure of success - I care about clothes sizes and how I look! :Banane17: So I'm happy that I'm at my doctors goal but I am hoping to maybe peel off another 10# or so of "vanity pounds." before it's all said and done There is no rush on that, of course, and at goal the pounds tend to come off much slower. That's fine, meanwhile I'll be shopping and enjoying life! ** Yes, I try to go no more than 2 months MAX without a 'fill' or 'follow up' appt. I used to go every 4-6 wks or so. Now that I'm at/near goal, I can probably stretch that out a bit - but I am a believer in regular visits with the surgeon or fill doctor. Why? It keeps me focused, I weigh regularly at his official scale (I don't weigh at home), the doc can monitor my progress, and we decide on a fill or not. I didn't get one last time, but still had a great visit. It really helps me!

Whatever path we take - it's the success that matters. Good for you, Sue!

NSV Goal? Um... Playboy? Oh yeah, Carnie Wilson did that already* back in her good days. Dang. I have to think of some other ultra-shocking post-WLS goal now... LOL *(Everyone's seen the pics though, right? I dare not post a link, :rolleyes )

:hungry: I have to admit, some of these questions just didn't even occur to me - because I just didn't deal with other people's questions as a PreOp patient. I'm single and so there just wasn't anyone to "answer" to about having this surgery. I did for me, with me, and only had to convince myself. But I'll try... what are the possible long term effects of having a silicone band inside our bodies for such a long period of time (she still remembers INITIAL myths re: breast implants and cancer)I don't know. Does medical science know? I guess I look at the LapBand like any other life-saving medical device. So what are the long term affects of having a pace maker inside your heart, or knee or hip replacements? Or titanium pins in your joints? After five and half years of being banded, I don't know, I just hope it stays in. It works. how will I feel going out to dinner with people and not being able to eat like a "normal" personIs this your Mom's question or yours? It seems odd that she'd ask this one. I mean, I eat out nearly every single night. (And I go to Happy Hour quite a bit, frankly.) I go out with friends who are banded, friends who are NOT banded, friends with RnY bypasses and friends who have never had surgery. I don't think banded folk eat that much differently overall. So as someone who still eats out regularly :hungry: I still eat "normal" food. I just eat less of it. My band hasn't really made me miss any restaurant meals (except when I was on liquids, and even then I ate Soup out every night. Now it has made me pickier about what I eat. I just no longer eat things that don't taste good, that I don't really want, or that are improperly cooked. Other than that, Bon Appetit ! how will others look at me if they know I have undergone this surgeryHuh? Can't answer this one. Before I had it, I was obese. How did "others" look at me then? Either way, this is better. My intention is to use the band in its intention, as a tool to lose my desired amount of weight and then have it removed...Oh, excuse me here... but people kill me with this. I really think this is a misconception. If you think the LapBand was invented so you'd lose weight, then take it out and keep the weight off - you're seriously barking up the wrong tree. :faint: It's a lifelong tool to prevent obesity, and that's how I plan to use it unless I'm unable to keep it. If they invent something better that works down the line, sure - sign me up. Until then, I hope to keep it in and keep the weight off, hopefully for good. ...(and then have it removed) and continuing behavior mod. programs like WW and exercise.Um... I guess I'm the only formerly obese person in America who was HAPPY to get off of the diet bandwagon.Weight Watchers is great - if I needed to lose 15# to fit into a bridesmaid dress. But for long term, life long control of obesity? Nope, didn't work for me like that. And if I had saved every dime I paid WW over the years - I could have almost paid for my LapBand cash. Exercise is a wonderful way to help to help keep the weight off, but there are a lot of fat people in the gym and on the track. Sadly, I was one of them. :cry So I never delude myself into thinking that exercise alone will keep my weight off, I need a little more help than that. Doesn't embarrass me to say I needed help - the band seems to be doing its job (although I still call it the "Silicone Freeloader":) ) and hopefully it will keep doing so. I have maintained a significant weight loss of over 3.5 years, but just stopped losing weight. I am confident that with my discipline and proper supports I can maintain this weight loss too.Well no one gets to "this point" in the Weight Loss Surgery game without taking a long hard look at themselves and their weight over a lifetime. Personally, I could lose weight, but never enough and it never stayed off long enough for me. Other people's experiences may be different along the way, but a lot of us still end up in the O.R. getting the tool we need to make life improvements. Her questions are valid though, and things that I really did not think about up to this point. Anybody have any insight for me?Some of us never get comfortable with the idea that they needed "surgical help" to lose weight for good. I understand that. No matter what your path or your decision, hopefully this method or some other method will be what works for you. That's all I think matters overall. Do this, or anything else that will work If you're confident, I hope it will translate into achieving whatever goal you set for yourself. Attitude has a lot to do with people's feelings about their success. And as for your mother's questions... over time when you get to your comfort level, you might find that you are less likely to weigh other people's opinions (even opinions of people you really respect) so heavily. Their questions, misconceptions, and concerns matter less, once you're confident that you're doing what's right for you. As always, good luck.