Lynn42

I have always struggled with my weight and then I never really lost the weight after my second baby. I tried every diet around. It seemed I would have success with the diet and then after about a month or two, I would start to gain the weight back and then some. This went on and on and I found myself in a place where I just felt hopeless. It was so frustrating. I was really scared that I was going to start having health problems. My dad has diabetes and my mom died of cancer. I felt if I didn’t do anything, I was going to be in big trouble.

A friend of mine’s husband had a band put in several years ago in France and had lost 150 pounds so I started to talk to him about it and gather information. I decided to take action when I was watching Oprah and I saw that she had gained her weight back again. I thought to myself if she can’t do it with the whole world watching and every resource imaginable…then how could I? I talked to my husband about the band and he was very supportive. I then spoke to my family doctor and he thought it would be an excellent option for me so I then made my appt with the surgeon. He was so reassuring to me in the sense that he said less than 5 % of people can lose weight and keep it off and to stop beating myself up. Anyhow, I got put on the list and got my band a short while later.

Before my surgery, I tried to live like I had a band. I stopped drinking all carbonated beverages and stopped eating with my meals (no drinks 30 minutes before and an hour after). I read all I could about the band and called everyone on a list that my surgeon had given me to ask my  questions.

The surgery was a breeze. Many people have shoulder pain after from the gas they use to inflate the abdomen during surgery, but I was lucky and had no issues whatso ever. The next day I was out for a slow walk The port site was tender for a few weeks(4 or 5?) but now I hardly remember it is even there.

I lost weight steadily for the first 2 years and for the last year and a half have been going up and down. I trained for a big bike ride and got down to my lowest (85 pounds lost) and when I stopped training, 15 pounds slowly started to creep up. I also had some issues with my band being too tight and then I had it loosened too much. It amazed me how hungry i was when my band wasn't tight enough.

Now I am back on track again. i have committed to another cycling event and and want to have a tummy tuck in September. I am back on program status and am plodding along.

I am so happy that I have my band and I feel very fortunate that I was able to get it. My only regret is that I did not get it sooner. My advice to any newbies would be to follow the rules to a T for the first year. This is the best thing you can do for yourself so committ to it and make it worth your while!