It's_Christine

Annie100 there was no choking for me ever with my band. Be honest with your surgeon about your fear and I am sure they will also be able to reassure you about this. Good luck!

Double the blessing of your weight loss and donate those clothes as soon as they are too big. Someone needs them and you never will again!

Welcome Craig. I also started on the heavier side and have found my band to be the answer to my prayers. I was banded on 5/28/2008 and recently my band got me over one of my previous problem areas which was getting bored 6 months after starting a weight loss plan. 6 months after being banded was still difficult for me but working with my band I am past it and still losing weight. I hope you find the same. I know you will find help and encouragement here.

Down 121 lbs since 5/28/08 and I am in sight of my first goal which is to weigh less than 200lbs. Should be able to get there by tax day! I am so encouraged because my band is giving me what I hoped and that is a "fall-back" plan when I get frustrated or just plain want to pig-out. I really see it working as an essential tool for me and the one piece that has been missing in all my previous weight loss efforts. YAY for all of us!

dbeers, if you do not want people to know do not tell them. I chose not tell people at work and when I was off for 2 weeks I simply said I was puttering around the house. When people notice my new eating habits I tell them I am actively trying to lose weight through calorie restriction and exercise. It is no one's business that I had a band placed. People are still supportive of my weight loss efforts and I appreciate that but it does not change my approach to maintaining my privacy. One morbidly obese co-worker did approach me and I shared my story in confidence so it may help you to know this approach need not be an iron-clad rule. So dbeers establish a story you can live with and stick to it is my best advice. Good luck!

When I was on my 6 month pre-op supervised diet for BCBSIL (last year this time) my dietician told me they needed documentation that I was on a "low calorie" diet and their definition of that was 1200-1500 cal a day. If you think of it that amount makes sense since that is the average calorie intake recommended for weight loss. Good luck to you, I am now 8.5 months post-op and happy, happy, happy with my band!

Congrats Long2bthin. You are doing GREAT and so close to your goal!

Love it Miss Michelle! For me I have reached a BMI where I am no longer characterized as morbidly obese. YAY for me I am now clinically obese!

I made a decision not to tell everyone prior to getting the band. We all know this is not the easy way out and I just do not want to have to justify myself or my choice to anyone so only people who care about me and I trust to be supportive know. That winds up being a few people in each area of my life and this has worked well for me. When someone compliments my weight loss I thank them for noticing. If they ask how I am doing it I tell them I am eating less and moving more. I did have one co-worker who is also obese ask to speak to me privately and when she shared her struggles and interest in getting banded I shared my story with her. That felt really good but also tells me there may be some chatting going on about how I am losing weight. I agree with cwm, at least they are not talking about how much weight I have gained!

Sooverit, I am right there with you. I was banded 5/28/2008 and have had only one fill so not sure how really restricted I am. Well, this is until I dont chew or try to eat too fast and wham I am stuck. This happens to me more in the AM which from what I read is normal for bands. I sometimes wonder if I have more spasm than restriction but in the final analysis I do not care because I am losing weight. It is a comfort to me that if I lose what I am feeling now I can always have fills. The wonderful mysteries of the banded life!

I am so thankful because this AM I weighed myself and I have lost 101lbs since getting my band on 5/28/2008. I started this process as super obese (not sure what was so super about it) so my goal is not right around the corner but I have never felt this confident about my ability to reach and maintain a normal weight. One thing I have learned is how the scale responds when I am eating correctly. I do not lose weight "evenly". I can go for weeks without losing and then suddenly will drop pounds quickly. I know that when this happened in the past those weeks of stalling were excuses to eat more and just the start of regaining. The best tool for me has been an on-line diary (I use the www.dailyplate.com) so I could look back and see how the weight loss stalls were followed by rapid drops. Also it keeps me honest. Happy New Year to all of us living our new lives.

A usual day for me is between 800-1000 cals. I am 7 months post-op and have lost about 1/2 the weight I need to lose to achieve that elusive label goal, a normal weight.

Glomo, I am also 55 years old and was banded 5/28/2008. I have lost 97 lbs so far and my surgeon actually thinks I may acheive a normal weight for the first time in my life. How is that for positive talk? The band is a tool not a fix but if you are ready to work it you will be very happy with the results. Good luck!