JulieNYC

Karey, Congratulations on getting this behind you! I'm glad you're coming out of the surgery grog. It's an amazing journey, huh.

Hi everyone! This is a support thread for bandsters who are approaching or maintaining their goal weight, whatever that may be. This thread will likely include monthly challenges for exercise and/or diet goals, which members can choose to join or not join at their leisure. I read a book once called Passing For Thin, which was written by a woman who lost 150+ pounds through OA, yet never felt thin on the inside. That is one of the things thread is intended to discuss, as well as the other unique challenges and successes of a bandster who is now Passing For Thin. These issues could be related to food in the maintenance phase, upcoming exercise goals, self-esteem issues, relating to the opposite sex -- anything you confront in your new body. Maybe in the course of discussing our issues, we will become thin on the inside as well as the outside. Let the discussion begin!

My weight was steady for about 7 days post-op, even with the first surgery where they cut off 8 lbs. Fluid retention, they say. Anyway, about a week out, I let go of the water and dropped about 5 lbs. Over all, I lost weight with each surgery, between what they cut off and the extra calories burned/not consumed during the recovery period. About 20 lbs with the TT, 8 with the lateral thighs and maybe 5 with the medial thighs.

I reached goal today. AND it's my bandiversary. Pretty crazy.

I had the opposite with each of my 3 PS -- I started TOM early -- within 3 days of anesthesia. Which was a b*tch to deal with when you're in a binder with drains! Ahh, the glories of being a woman....

Thanks LJM! What's everyone up to this week? I went to the movies last night. Saw The Other Boleyn Girl. It's one you can skip, haha. It was OK -- a little long for my tastes. Natalie Portman was great though. Can't say as I've done much in the way of exercise. I've been walking to and from work, and it's a 3 mile trek each way, so it's not been "nothing" but I haven't really been getting my heart rate up like I should. Basically, what's going on is I'm changing jobs and using that as an excuse -- like, when April 21st comes (when I start my new job), I'll get my rear into gear. I don't know if yall remember this or not, but a year ago, I left my small law firm to chase a great opportunity at a huge law firm. Well, I've done it for a year and I can now concretely say I miss my boutique practice and the people I work with and love, so I'm going back to it. I tried this and am so glad I did (and it let me pay off my entire mortgage, haha), but it's not where I want to be long-term. So, I'm going back "home."

OK, I'm really doing a lot better. I got a fill last Monday -- to take me back to my normal 9.0 (I lost my weight at 9.5 but my doc wanted to take some out at my annual so we went to 9.0 and I maintained there well until I had my port replaced and had a complete unfill). I was convinced I was too tight, but I've finally gotten the balance back! I was eating too fast and way too big of bites. I'd forgotten how to be a good bandster! Now I'm eating tiny bites and tiny portions and I feel really full (but good full, not "I want to barf" full) on very little. I think I could probably lose some more weight at this fill level if that's what I decide to do. For example, I just slowly at 5 tortilla chips and am completely full and satisfied. If I ate 2 more, I'd be in "trouble" -- too full. So, I've got a 1/2 marathon this weekend, which I'm planning to walk not run. I'm doing it with my stepmom and she's a walker, plus, I'm really not trained for that long of a run. The longest I've done in recent history is about 6 miles. That's my news! Hope yall are all doing equally well. Where in the world is Dawn?!!? Take care, Julie

Depression is definitely easing. Spring always helps that! Laniayala, no, the inner thighs weren't particularly painful. It wasn't a walk in the park or anything but the TT was way worse. New pics soon, I promise!

Karey, Oh my gosh, you look SO GREAT!! WOW! I bet you can't wait for summer! Woohoo! Way to go! (The pain's worth it, huh!) Take care, Julie

That's great Julie! I'm so excited for you re being eligible for the small incision on the thighs. That's just GREAT! Woohoo!!

I had a little bit of the muscle repair and even with just having a little bit, I was forbidden from exercise for 6 full weeks. Take it seriously -- that's what caused my seromas in week 3 with my leg surgery! Even if you get to a point where YOU feel like you could exercise, you skin may not have tacked back down in all the right places and movement causes friction between the skin and muscle, which is how seromas come about. Learn from my mistake! This isn't the time to push it! It was such a setback -- I'm really just now healed, 3 months later. What's up with the unfill?? Can you get it replaced?

Well, hello RESTRICTION! Woohoo! I'd forgotten what it was like! LOVE IT! You know, when I had my PS in December, they replaced my port and I never felt like I got back to good restriction. Then I had that nasty stomach flu about 6 weeks ago and got a complete unfill after throwing up probably 50 times until I couldn't keep fluids down, so at 0 in a 10cc band, the food monster was everywhere! 2 weeks ago I had half the fill put back -- they wouldn't go from 0 to 9.0 (where I like to live) all at once, so they put me at 6.0. Today they put me back to 9.0 and boy do I feel it! Woohoo! It's been 3 months since I had restriction. So awesome!

Hi everyone! Maybe this'll be our anniversary thread. I can't believe it's almost been 2 years. Kat, don't worry about a thing. You're going to get to the right fill level (finally!) and things will click into place for you. Do all the things you mentioned -- join the exercise challenge, see the nutritionist -- and most importantly, stick with fills until you're SURE you're at the right fill level. I think you haven't had a real chance with the band yet. As for me, I had the stomach flu a couple of months ago and I'm just now fully well and back to my old fill level (9.0) as of this morning. liquids and mushies for a couple of days and then I'm going to think about losing 5-10 more lbs. Might be easier to have Dad suck out my thighs again, haha.

YAY!! OK guys, I'm starting to feel like my old self again and am ready to kick it into gear for SPRING. Woohoo! Let's have an exercise challenge from now to MOTHERS' DAY. Here's the challenge: SIX OR MORE HOURS OF CARDIO A WEEK. Add in a weight loss goal, too, if you want to! I'm not going to have a weight loss goal right now. For me, I need to make daily cardio the focus. I've been amazed that I haven't gained weight (I went to my band doc this morning) with all the CRAP I've been eating (the Skittles monster returned), but I feel a definite difference in my clothes and attitude since I've gotten off the exercise bandwagon. Let's get back to it. WOOHOO! Heather and Losingjusme, WELCOME! Soooooo glad to have you both!

I'm here, I'm here. Betty, I had your scale fear too. I went 3 weeks completely unfilled, ate what I felt was the WORLD and didn't get on the scale -- something I promised myself I'd never do. Anyway, I went to get my fill back on Monday and I'd only gained 1 lb (and even that wasn't "real" because my appt was at 4 pm and it's usually at 9 am). So it might not be that bad. I'm still in emotional turmoil over men, work, life in general. I feel like how I used to sense our Australian flight-attendant friend (whose name begins with an "A" but I can't remember it just right now) felt from time to time.

I'm so glad this is behind you, Christine. Hang in there with the recovery -- you're doing GREAT.

Today is my first year bandiversary! I have lost 173 lbs this year and have gone from a size 28 to a size 14, from super morbidly obese to obese and teetering on the edge of overweight. This is a weird post to write. It feels like emotional homework. For whatever reason, I don't feel like taking inventory of all the things that have changed for me this year -- the new me is so good that I don't want to waste a single second on the time I spent unbanded. Not that they were bad years in every way -- of course not -- it's just that who I am now is who I'm supposed to be. I'm so content and so confident that I've found the long-term solution to my weight management that I don't need to focus on the way things were anymore. Does that make sense? <O:p</O:p<O:p Anyway, for those of you just starting out, I thought I’d give you my top 10's: 10 reasons to get banded:<O:p</O:p <O:p</O:p (1) I lost from 358 to 185 in exactly one year without doing anything I'd consider extraordinary. I'd like to lose 30 or 40 more, but if I don't, who cares. Life in Onederland can't be beat. <O:p</O:p(2) I can travel so much more comfortably. Since I live 10 states from my family, that's a huge deal. I can fly Air Tran and not pay to select my seat ahead of time because if I get stuck in the middle, it simply doesn't matter. I don't live in the world of seatbelt extenders anymore. In fact, I almost like being in the middle seat because I can sit there just as comfortably as anywhere else. (3) food has lost its importance in my life. I don't count the minutes or hours until my next binge. I don't order 2 (or more) Entrees at a "to go" place and come home and eat until I fall asleep. I actually enjoy going to a restaurant or cooking a good meal more now because I still feel good afterwards, since I only eat a reasonable portion for my body. Food doesn't kill the whole night. (4) I fit into life again. I used to walk up 4 blocks to make sure I got a single seat on the bus. Now I don't bother. If I get a double seat on the inside, that's fine too. I fit in a subway seat. I never worry about getting into a friend's car and whether the seatbelt will be comfortable. I don't worry about breaking office chairs our lawn chairs or whether a theater seat will accommodate me. (5) I've found other things that are almost as fun as food. Manicures. Pedicures. New clothes. Haircuts. Even exercise. I didn't do any of those things before. It was too hard to voluntarily look in the mirror. (6) I'm an extrovert. I was always an extrovert, then somewhere along the path of gaining 200 lbs, I became an introvert. Except I wasn't really an introvert, I was a closet extrovert who acted introverted because of the limitations of my size. That's painful and I don't do it anymore. (7) I don't worry about my health on a daily basis. I used to think every little pain was a sign I was about to have a heart attack, whether it was a pain in my arm or a heart palpitation, etc. Now I know I'm healthy. (8) I take no medications. I don't need blood pressure meds. I'm not a walking time-bomb for diabetes. I don't have migraines, lower back pain, or foot pain when I get out of bed in the morning. I have excellent bladder control, even when I sneeze. (9) I'm starting to feel comfortable telling my "story." I didn't tell many people about getting banded. Now I'm more comfortable telling people. I truly don't get bogged down in anyone thinking it's the "easy way out." Anyone who thinks that doesn't understand WLS. And, even if it were the easy way out, who cares? I want the people I care about to have an easy way out of a horrible disease. I don't go out of my way to tell people I have a band, but if I'm asked directly about the weight loss, I don't try to hide it anymore. That feels good. (10) When I daydream about the future, it doesn't make me sad. I'm starting to believe the things I daydream about could actually happen. 10 Things That Helped Me and Might Help You With Your Banding: (1) Just hold your breath and get banded. Quit second-guessing yourself. I second guessed my decision for 3 years of "research" and if I'd just accepted that needing the band is a responsible solution to weight management and isn't a sign of failure, I'd be at goal right now instead of having wasted that time. Yes, I could have lost the weight on my own, as I'd done before, but the band is the only reasonable tool to lose AND keep it off. (2) Once you're banded, quit expecting to lose tons and tons of weight before you get a good fill. Being banded but without a good fill is almost like not being banded. Your cravings won't be dimmed until you're filled. Quit expecting this to be anything other than what it is. Get filled and you'll lose weight. It's frustrating because you just had WLS and it isn't really activated yet, but it will be, so hang in there. (3) Exercise at least a little as soon as you're physically able. Realize this has to be part of your new life in order to lose steadily and maintain for the long term. (4) If you're not losing 1-2 lbs a week, count your calories for a few days or weeks to see where you're going wrong. I happen to believe all weight loss is calories in compared to calories out. Not everyone believes it's exclusively this, but everyone believes it's at least in part this. You don't have to count calories all the time, but if you're frustrated with your progress, it's one way to speed things along. (5) Once you're 4 or 5 months into it, consider finding someone to mentor. It'll help you stay focused on your own journey to help someone else with theirs. (6) Don't worry about sagging skin. You may have some, but it's more attractive than fat, and even if it isn't, if you've lost so much weight that you have sagging skin, think of how much healthier you must be. (7) Don't worry about having to have a revision surgery. Lap band surgery isn't that big of a deal, in terms of surgical recovery for most people. If you have to have a revision, so be it. At least you'll be 100 lbs thinner and having surgery to STAY thinner, not to get thinner. Your recovery will be a ton easier at a lower BMI. (8) Accept the fact that being too tight is not healthy and won't necessarily help you to lose quicker. Get an unfill if you even suspect that need it -- if you suspect it, you really do probably need it. (9) See a therapist as often as you can during the weight loss phase, if you can at all afford it. With very limited exception, there are emotional reasons why we carry extra weight. Even for those with medical reasons for weight gain (PCOS, etc.) there are emotional issues that come up from carrying the weight, even if the emotions themselves were less of a factor in the actual gain. As the weight comes off, you have to deal with those issues or else you might stall until your mind catches up. (10) Quit blaming yourself for being fat. You're a cool person. You're doing something about your weight now. Forgive yourself for not doing something about it before. Just jump on board and do something about it now. There's a whole new world waiting on you. Thank you to all the moderators and members of LBT who have gone through this life changing year with me. You have been my most stable and constant source of support and I am so very grateful.

I'm so excited for you!!!

Yay Lynn! You'll make it through just fine. Drains will be gone before you know it.

Yes, I had it bad. I called it the plague because I had all the plague symptoms - fever of 104, rash over my torso, blisters in my mouth, extreme thirst....Alas, the doctor says Influenza A, not plague, so I'm thankful. Wink. Going back to work tomorrow at least for a half day. First day since the 15th, can you believe it? I got so dehydrated I had to have an emergency unfill too, so I know the hunger monster is going to be on my back in no time. I wasn't very tight to begin with, but my fever was so high I still got dehydrated to the point I couldn't hold down Water. Crazy. Glad you've turned the corner too, Betty. Not fun, is it.

I have the flu too. Been home sick for over a week. Mom flew in from Atlanta to take care of me. I turned the corner today. Hope yall have too.

Hmm. I tend to say trust your surgeon at this point. I could have carried a 300 cc implant with no problem (in fact, some days, I wish I'd gotten them -- I'd be a "full" C instead of a medium C). And with your height 20 more cc's just isn't going to be an issue. As to the low profile/regular profile, if your doc didn't even discuss it, I would GUESS it's because it wasn't a good choice for you for the reason you said -- that you actually want more of a fill on top -- it's part of (or the primary reason) you want the aug to begin with.

You look AMAZING!!!! About the over/under the flap thing - haha. I still reach to wash under mine every time I'm in the shower. I wonder when that'll stop! Good job Neal. You've done wonderfully.

I lost weight, if you discount the first 10 days. For example. With my TT, I went in 199. I came out 198 despite having had 12 lbs cut off. During recuperation I didn't have much appetite and at about day 7, I shed a lot of Fluid over night -- like 7 or 8 lbs. I went home 3 weeks to the day, post-op and I was about 178. I continued to lose despite the lack of exercise because my band was still there to help control my food quantities and your body just burns more while healing. OK. Then with my last surgery, I had run a marathon 4 days before. My "normal" weight was about 143 but I weighed in at 149 the morning of surgery (long distance running builds blood and holds fluid). They took off negligeable weight in the surgery, added implants (maybe 1 lb). I came out 153. Again, I peed it off about a week post op, all at once and was back to about 146. By the time I went home (again, 3 weeks later), I was at 141, where I've been ever since (but for normal, minor fluctuations).

Mine were 19.5 now they're 9.75 (I had a brach)