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I've heard it talked about before, and i knew what it was, but i guess not going through it I was never really sure... the "sweet spot" that is. Last friday i go to the doctor for another check up, and maybe another fill, the doctor asks me if the band is starting to work for me yet.... i say yeah sure, I can only eat two slices of thin crust pizza, a year ago i could have eaten 5 or 6 slices easy...... so i think yeah must be the sweet spot, now an hour later, i could have eaten maybe another slice, i just usually didn't. Doctor Mike say's,.... I think you need a fill? so Wow all those months i thought i was at my "sweet spot" I was wrong!!!! I think i am at a perfect place right now with my LapBand. I can eat about 6 to 8 oz of food, no more. white breads, doughy food pasta and potato's arent working right now. I am drinking all liquids fine, I have to focus on eating slow now, and chewing EVERYTHING well. i tried pizza yesterday, i could eat 1/2 slice of pizza only, and stayed full for the rest of the night. That has never happened too me. I am enjoying my Sweet Spot, very much.......... wonder if this will speed up my body changes again.... although i am not complaining. here is a before surgery and 4 months after surgery photo (taken from a cell phone) real pictures, no touch ups... no special camara's for the after picture, they are blurry, but you can still see * i posted it in Introduction instead of post surgery accidently the photo's are on my weightloss journey blog ~~ I am Just Sayin'~~: full body view, although a little blurry

I had my lap band at the end of March, and it is STILL one of the best decisions I have ever made. I know I am losing weight, and I know i look different, but i didn't realize I was changing so quickly. I have a link to my blog where i posted a couple "cell phone" pictures. obviously they are a little blurry, the first picture i took just to prove to my personal trainier that i was working out at home , a day I couldn't get to the gym.... the second one my daughter took for me, cause she said i needed to see the difference of pictures before and after surgery. it is early in the morning, no hair fixed, no make up, ..... It is a very long journey, but i sure am enjoying learning, and getting healthier. ~~ I am Just Sayin'~~: full body view, although a little blurry keep up with it folks... it is possible to succeed with the Lap Band

Having this Lapband was one of the BEST decisions i ever made. I am feeling great. and losing weight, I've dropped about 58 lbs to date. Haven't had any issues at all. sometimes if i eat too fast, i do get "stuck", i've even slimed for a few minutes. But it is teaching me to be more careful. i don't spend much time on the website anymore, and actually I don't spend much time on the Internet, I am too busy going to the gym, hiking in the woods, laughing and playing...... I am in the proccess of getting my body in enough shape so that next year at this time, i will be able to ride a bike to and from work (30 miles round trip) a few days a week. i am in NO hurry to lose this weight. I'll take what i get....... The band won't work on it's own........ but the Band and I make a pretty good team.......

gee i gained exactly 10 pounds the day after surgery, and within 2 days lost that plus 5. Surgery is trauma to your body, therefore does cause increadible fluid retention amoung other things!!! of course it isn't "fat" weight. i had surgery a little over a month ago~ and have dropped 40 pounds now! i see by the scale the big weight loss has stopped, and it seems to be going much slower, which i am totally fine with it. although i must admit the 10 lbs a week was a dream, a short dream but a dream none the less.

Had sugery on 3/19 and I am suprised that I am doing so well. I heard so may horror stories......... wasn't sure if i'd be one of them~ so far, it has been text book perfect. but then again i am listening to exactly what the doctor told me. I just started eating "normal" foods.. I haven't "tested" the band though. so i eat just until i start to feel a little pressure in my chest (not pain, just pressure). i can't start weight training with my trainer again until May 1st. But walking is allowed. I don't know what is going to happen down the road, but for now i will bask in the joy of working with my Lapband, as my Lapband is working with me. the year of preperation, and the 6 months of exercise before surgery has really paid off.... 39lbs in 3 weeks how is that possible.... i know some of it is fluid, but not much...... and i know esp the first 2 weeks it was so hard to just drink first week clears, second week full liquids..... i mean it isn't easy........ but it is doable.

hey i used a pillow too. and i walked a lot, and took my pain medicine to sleep when i could i slept with the pillow, sat with the pillow, carried the pillow for the first 3 days

I had surgery last week, and my doctor told me she would decide what band to use after she got in there she had both lapband and realize band. she ended up with the realize band...... she said they work about the same BUT i love the free site i get with realize, it is interactive that my doctor can get on and check my progress too. it has charts to keep track of weight and measurements it has a place to keep a food diary, Gastric band friendly menu's and recipe's, and tons tons more. you can only use it after you get the code from the doctor after surgery.

i had my surgery on the same day as you March 19. and i am still on clear liquids until tomorrow. all doctors are different, but i am not even ALLOWED to try real food for another 3 weeks. I guess the reasoning is that we don't realize but every swollow we take, Our stomach's are in motion moving and churning... and the less your tummy has to do while healin the better. i mean the stomach is connected and sutured around the band. I feel great, and had no complications... i am just going to do what my doctor says, cause if i can't follow her instrudctions now, i'd worry that i wouldn't be able to follow them 6 months down the road Good luck to you

Hi i've been on this journey for some time, and it is hard to beleive that i am coming down to the end. I remember going to my informative class in May, started my Nutrition classes in July, and then got accepted to the PREP study in August. it is a study to see if more intense involvement will help increase the success of the lapband. I was given a Diet/life coach that for the first two months i had to see in person every week, now i have to talk to her on the phone weekly and visit every 3rd. I must say that I know that this is a journey, so i am taking my time and enjoying the journey. I've spent months learning how to eat and work with the lap band. I will be a part of this study before, during and after surgery, I stopped drinking pop in July.......now i don't crave/need it, ... i have routinely taken my vitamins since July, therefore i don't need to incorporate that "new" habit after surgery....... get the picture....... Life is a Journey, slow down and enjoy it...... I am:thumbup:

it seems like forever, and yet so quick that i've come to this point. I made the decision to look into Bariartric Surgery last march, had my informative meeting in May, began classes in July..... got accepted to the Prep Study (more intense weekly visits with a diet coach assigned to me) in August. Did all the testing i needed then some. I have a personal family doctor that is so supportive and proactive in my care. Turned into the Insurance for approval on February 11th,...... heard that i was approved February 16th and scheduled the day on February 19...... I am having Surgery on March 19th at Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh Pa with Doctor Anital Corcoulas.... i was in no hurry.... learned so much... lost about 15 pounds from last FEb to Jul and lost about another 25 lbs since August...... I didn't have a date in mind.......and if it would have taken another few months to get my date.......then i figured that God wanted me to wait..... I am so scared and so excited all at once..... and i am going to make a big effort in not experiencing the "last supper syndrome"....... wow its almost here

i live just outside of the greensburg area but i am having mine done at Magee Womans Hospital with the surgeon Dr. Anita Courcoulas

okay i need to know, i am getting ready to get banded and the only food i worry that i won't ever be able to eat is .... oranges!!! I know not right away....... but will i be able to eat oranges again . gee you'd think i'd be worrying about steak, and big pasta dinners and fresh baked bread...... nope just oranges

I have yet to be banded so i can't say too much yet. but just reading your post has made me aware of a mistake i too could do... it is a myth that just because it is soup it is low fat/ healthy.... i didn't know this until i read your post and did some numbers Campbells Cream of chicken soup nutritional info after ingesting 6 cups Calories 1440 Fat 96 grams Sodium 10440 that is enough to make a person without a band not feel so well,,,,,,,,,, the high high sodium alone i think could cause some Fluid retentions and inflamation Good Luck to you ...... and it isn't the mistakes that makes us failures..... it's failing to learn from our mistakes that causes problems....

I love blogging and have been doing it for some time ~~ I am Just Sayin'~~ for the longest time i thought i'd keep this journey quiet so to speak... and then i decided i was Proud of the work I am putting into myself and this proccess. I find blogging helps me keep going........ good luck to you and i'll check your blog out now :0)

with your other issues diabetes and such, i don't see a major problem. what part of Pennsylvania are you from? I am finishing up my prep for surgery now. i am going through magee hospital in Pittsburgh

I weighed myself at My dietitions office and came directly to the nursing office i work at and weighed myself again, just to see how close the scales were, there was a 6lb difference (in 25 minutes). so Scales are calibrated differently..... so don't stress. and if you did happen to gain 4lbs.... remember...... it's not a Sprint, its a Marathon :0) good luck to you

Love yourself first. I know heavy people that are in wonderful relationships, and i know skinny people that can't find a relationship. So i don't think the outside of a person is all that does it..... when you start loving yourself, you'll see, people will notice, and a confident woman is quite attractive.

Well, over the weekend I finally put in my personal blog ~~ I am Just Sayin'~~ that i was in the beginning stages of preping for the Lap band.. I've had some negative feedback and some positive feedback from a few close friends and family that I already told. I have been faithfully blogging about my weightloss journey for over a year now, and suddenly for the past few months i sorta have been "skirting" the issue, I have decided that what i am doing is right for me, and whether you agree or disagree I am going to do what is best for me. I feel good not being ashamed that I may be getting the lapband to asst me with my journey to better health. i have a few people that i know read my blog, and are morbidly obese, maybe something i do or say will help them with their journey whether they decide on surgery or not.... feel free to read what i blogged yesterday........ it is long :0)

When I told a "friend" about my desire to look into the Lapband as a tool, She became very angry with me! and almost hateful. She said, i was copping out! along with other hurtful things. She is a ministry major in college. Well I actually began to doubt my thought process, I mean i've prayed about this and all, as I do rely on my Faith for daily decisions..... well a story i heard in Church years ago came to me..... and I wrote it in my Lapband Journal at Home....... i'd like to share the entire entry with you, ~ one day a great flood hit a small town, A man was able to climb onto the roof of his house, the flood Water rose higher and higher.... the man prayed "dear Lord, save me from this flood." twenty minutes later a boy in a Row boat came past, and told the man to get into the boat. The man refused saying "no thank you, I asked God, and I trust that He will save me." The young boy sadly shook his head and left. The water rose higher still, until it was level with the roof. A family came by in a motor boat, again the man refused to get in stating again that God would save him. Finally with the man holding tightly to the chimney, with the water up to his neck, A helicopter came by, dropped a ladder, and told the man to climb on.. once again the man refused. Moments later he was swept away to his death. When he got to Heaven and met with God, He asked God with Anger in his voice .. "God, I trusted you, why didn't you save me?" God looked deeply into his eyes, and said "...... i sent you two boats and a helicopter what more did you want?" ~ Yeah God could make me thinner and healthier over night, I've prayed to God about my weight. I so wish he would just "take it off" for me. God doesn't always work that way, Sometimes He sends boats and helicopters, or sometimes He sends Surgeons and Lapbands!!!!

Thanks for all the wonderful replies. I have accepted my "friends" anger as her own issue and not mine! She has 150lbs to loose, and maybe she is experiencing fear and jealousy about being the "only" fat one in a group when we go some where......... there is comfort in being with another "fat" person. I have long timed learned that the only person in this world that can make me unhappy......is ME! I cannot control someone elses emotions........but I CAN control how i react to these emotions. But i also know, that i need to distance myself from negative people...... and I hope and pray that she finds her path to better health...... my direction is heading toward the lapband!

Hi I am in the beginning stages of preparing for the Lap Band Surgery. I was just wondering if over all, are you happy that you had the surgery, would you do it over again? Or are you someone that wishes you never had it done? I just want to collect some data for myself as i continue on this Journey to a Better Me :wink2:

Hi I am in the beginning stages of preparing for the Lap Band Surgery. I was just wondering if over all, are you happy that you had the surgery, would you do it over again? Or are you someone that wishes you never had it done? I just want to collect some data for myself as i continue on this Journey to a Better Me :wink2:

I read how so many people are upset about "having" to do the 6 month classes before Insurances will even think about covering the surgery. I am from the Pittsburgh Area and just found out that i am accepted into the more intense program for pre and post lap band surgery. I will have a more intense version of what is normally done, instead of 6 classes, i will be getting 24 classes. I will be going weekly. I will be assigned a "coach" to specifically work with me, as well as a nutritionist, exercise psycologist etc..... they will also closely monitor me 24 months Post op. It is a new study... to see if this can help make the surgery even more successful. I look at it this way. I am here to change my life, and I will do what it takes to make this work, Heck i've tried for 25 years without much success. Sure weekly trips to the city, and lots of homework to do, and lots of forms to fill out, can be a pain. I am not putting a time frame on my life, therefore if it takes 6 months or a year..... it's all about making the changes and preparing the best way I can for the surgery..... to help the surgery become MY success story. So a word of advice to those who just want IT done now. use the time wisely, learn to change your behaviors, learn to help yourself in the process, remember the surgery will fail if you don't make it work. So you have only 2 choices, learn from the 6 month wait. Or be miserable the entire 6 months.

i use Emergen C in the winter... one thing about it though, it is "fizzy" like pop .... you add the powder to water or juice and it taste okay, it is also loaded with B vitamins and other things as well as C However like i said, the fizzy part might not be so good.

In one week I go to the Informative Class at Womans Magee Hospital in Pittsburgh. My husband is coming with me so he too can learn all about the process. I told my best friend, and that is really about it. I tried to tell another friend, but she flipped out just mentioning the surgery.... saying that I am taking the easy way out, and I will prob die, and why can't i loose weight the Normal way? Please understand, she prob has 135lbs to loose, she just recently became a type II diabetic, and has tried to loose weight her entire life. Maybe she is jealous that a I am starting to take this road! I have prayed about this and put this in God's Hands, but He seems to be leading me down this road also. I wouldn't keep any other surgical procedure secret, when i had my tonsils out, and intense sinus surgery I told everyone, When i spent days in the hospital for "lung" problems i told everyone. And gee, I told people when i was on Weight Watchers, and Curves Eating/Exercise program, and Atkins, and Slimfast, and Had personal trainers and personal Nutritionist......... Am i still ashamed of the LBS? Or am i afraid to "watch" people see me fail again? Am i afraid of having more comments thrown at me like my one friend said to me? .......... I don't really know. :thumbup: ALL i do know is that I am tired of being so FAT that i can now hardly tie my shoes. I can't ride a rollercoaster, or jump on the trampoline, i am tired of having Breathing problems and Stomach Problems... i am tired of spending time in the hospital for Obesity related issues. I have 4 teenagers who need me now more than ever. ...... i am tired of working so hard and loosing 12 lbs in one year, just to put it back on and 25lbs + I've said to God....... "you know you could make me thin....... just Touch me in the night, and I'll wake up a size 12, you could if you wanted too" And right now he keeps saying to me........ I'll send you the tool to do this....... i'll send you A wonderful doctor that does Lap Band Surgery!!