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I did it !!!! I have lost 122 lbs in 10 months with my band! I am 36 yrs old and I have been heavy my entire life in 8th grade I weighed over 200 lbs. I had lost the same 80 lbs twice which only brought me down to 245 and then I would gain it back in a matter of months when I gave up and put on even more. I was always active but always heavy. I had my band put in and actually my port got infected and had to come out so it was a bad two months letting the open wound heal, packing this hole the size of a plum twice a day and waiting for it to close. Then I had my port put back in. It was one of the scariest things I had ever gone through but it was all worth it. I have gone from a size 32 pants 5x shirts to a lose size 18 and 1 x shirts I think one of the biggest things and changes is that I can not believe how much less room I take up. Every time I sit in a seat that was to tight, sit on the couch and look how much room is left on the cushion or just moving around a store it is amazing to me that I can fit down the aisle with bumping things. It makes me smile. I still have a 40 lbs to get to goal and I know I will do it. The band has changed my life. My doctor said because of the weight I had to lose I should do the bypass but it was up to me. I did not want to have that done and knew I could lose the weight with the band and I have. October will be one year since I had my new port in and started my weight lose journey. Every time I walk past a mirror or a store window I can not believe its me. The band even with the complication has been the easiest thing to do. It has controlled my hunger. I keep up with my fills and it turns off the part of my brain that wants to eat all the time. I would eat one meal and before I was done be planning my next meal. I used to think about food ALL the time and the band has made the difference for me. Everyone out there keep up the great work and dont give up the band is a wonderful tool if you use it to its best potential. Listen to your band and it will work for you. Rae ________________ Start weight 316 Banded 10/08 Current weight 184 GOAL 155

I seem t have a head cold with nasal congestion. Has anyone become really tight while sick. I hurt my throat last week with potato chipcs my fault Kellte cooked dont go down. But now I am sick and am really really tight. I havent been sick since I had my lap band last year and was wondering if the cold or the phlem is cloging me up? Rae banded 10/08 start weight 316 weight today 150

my doctor told me the same thing some patients with the band lose weight with no fill. I actually met a woman who lost 60 lbs with no fill. For some people just the band being there is enough. No in my case I have three fills and have lost 143 lbs. Rae

Hello jmperry, I started my journey last fall at 316 lbs. and my doctor told me the same thing that I really should get the bypass. I am 35 years old and did not want that. I told him that I did not want the bypass and wanted the band my mind was made up. He said ok but that the band only guaranteed 40% weight loss over 4 years as where the bypass guaranteed 85% in two years and that it would be hard work to get the weight off. I told him that I was willing to do the work and that I know I could do it. Well one year after my band was in three weeks ago I went in for a yearly check up and he was shocked. I have lost 143 lbs. in one year. It is possible to do it with the band however it was ALOT of hard work I worked out alot and watched my diet. The band is not a fix like the bypass it is a tool. I am here to tell you at our weight it can be done but it is hard work and you need to be dedicated. If you know you can do it then go for it the mind is very powerful once it is set. :thumbup: Good luck, Rae

Hello everyone is anyone doing p90x? I am down 112 lbs. am am tired with all my workouts, really bored I guess. :biggrin: I have walk away the miles, biggest loser, the wave, the bow flex and I walk and jog. I have not exercised honestly in a month I was exercising two times a day 5 days a week for four months and then fell off the wagon and haven't in a month. I am still losing but I know I have to get back to working out. So I was interested in this p90x thing, if anyone with the band is using it, my brother and cousin say its great but I dont know how I feel about it. Anyone who had tried it or heard anything about it please let me know. Thanks, Rae ________________ Banded 10/12/08 start weight 316 lbs current 204 lbs 112 lbs lost :biggrin:

Down 143 Lbs. Since October 23,2008. What a year ! Woo hoo :drool:

Hello Stacy, Dr. Bertha is amazing. Let me tell you through him you WILL get approved. He did my mom & step dads bypass and my cousins band like mine. I am in Pa and traveled to Jersey to have him do mine. My port did get infected and had to come out and a new one put in. But even through that he was amazing and straight forward. He is kind and tells it like it is. He was up front with me that I should have the bypass because of how much i had to lose but when I said I wanted the band he said ok and told me that it was my choice and would help me with my journey. You will be very happy and well taken care of. Keep me updated and good luck to you, Rae

After I started to jog again after dropping 100 lbs I did notice that for a little while I had pain in my port area or discomfort. It went away but if it continues call the doctor. Rae

my fills we as follows: Banded 10/16/08 weight 316 lbs I have a 14cc band First fill 12/16/08 ~ 7cc's no real restriction weight 300 lbs Second fill 2/04/09 ~ 2.04 cc felt it weight 285 lbs Third fill 7/20/09 ~ 1 cc weight 216 lbs. This is my fill I am working with now and today 8/14/09 weight 194 lbs I have 11 cc in my 14 cc band I hope this helps Rae :thumbup:

Hello thank you to all for your kind words, you WILL all get there just stick with it. I have one egg or a Protein drink in the morning depending on what I can get down. For lunch I have a piece of meat either some cold cuts or meat left over from the night before with a piece of cheese or cracker. dinner is meat and veggie. I get all my Water in. My Snacks are maybe three crackers with cheese spread or cheese sticks, sometimes a small salad if I am craving the fats in the dressing. I do have a candy bar maybe once a week and do snack. I dont exclude anything but now for the first time in my life can have just one serving or just a few chips. I will drink an ensure if I cant eat enough. I am getting 70-80 g of protein in each day and take my Vitamins. The band has turned off my cravings so that is a big help. I eat about 800-1000 calories a day all small meals every few hours. I do exercise however the last two weeks I have been in a slump. But I do 45 min in the morning of cardio and another 30 minutes at least sometimes through the day. I do weight lifting twice a week and I also get in Yoga and Pilates. Even at 316 lbs I was able to work out. Walk away the miles is a great work out to get started with. I walk, well now jog the dog a few days a week and and will even just walk up and down the stairs a few times if I dont have time to do my work out. My new venture is going to be the P90X I am ready to start that August 31st when my teen goes back to school. I did hit one plateau and was stuck at 219 for a month but got a fill and changed my routein and was able to break it and got 25 more pounds off the following month which brings me to today. Plateaus stink and I know on any other diet that is when I would have fallen off the wagon and started to gain back, but just listen to yur band is all you can do. We will all have bad days but the great thing with the band is that it wont be that bad. Before the band if I had a bad day I would eat a bag of chips 2-3 ham and cheese sandwiches icecream and whatever I could find. With the band a bad day is maybe and extra few hundred calories not an extra few thousand and so it is easy to get right back on track. It is great just listen to yur band and you heart and will power will follow. Good luck to all :thumbup:

Hello I am am also a year out myself. I had a fill three weeks ago and did what you did and hurt my throat and made my insides swollen from eating a pickle !! I did not have to get an un-fill though. Where they place the band first of all is to send a message to your brain that you are full so you dont crave as much. However the small pouch that is above the band is your "new" stomach. Once this is full you cant eat anymore because if you do you will get sick. You are to eat just enough to feel satisfied. Now the food sits in the upper pouch for a while till it slowly falls into your old stomach and then on ward. That is why you should not drink after you eat becasue the Water can either hurt or flush the food down You are to eat protiens first becasue these stick around longer and keep you full longer before they drop into your old stomach. So the food sticks in the upper pouch making you feel and think your full until it continues on its journey. This should take 1-3 hours depending on what you eat. So you eat less and less often. I hope this helps, Rae ______________ 316lbs post op banded 10/08 current 194 lbs

Hello, I got a fill three weeks ago, for the first few days I didnt fell the difference much. Then Monday last week it kicked in I was sick alot on monday and tuesday I wasnt chewing enought getting used to the new fill, then seemed to get things under control. Saturday morning I had a cheese stick and some coffee and was fine everyhting went down. Later that morning I had a pickel and it got stuck. It was stuck all day saturday and when I woke up on sunday I felt fine. But then I started to feel a little pain each time I drank or ate and I got sick on monday & tuesday. My question is could I have scratched my throat or caused some swelling form the hard pickel being stuck to long? I was fine after the fill it is tigher then the last but it didnt hurt to drink. I feel like maybe it is scratched or swollen can this happen from getting food stuck? It hurts. Rae ___________________ banded 10/28/09 start weight 316 current weight 199 WOO HOO under 200 !!!:wink:

wii fit is awesome and got me going. I am down to 209 from 316 lbs. Now I just got the wii fitness and that is a great step up once you have mastered wii fit. Good luck, Rae

I had to show all the diets I was on and the weight I was. I typed up a sheet and gave it to my doctor and she signed it. This was good enough for the insurance company. Rae

When I started I was 316 lbs. my doctor asked me what I wanted I told him the band and he said with the amout of weight I had to lose he would rather I do the bypass but it was my choice. I had the band put in 10/09 now 9 1/2 months since the band I am now 208 lbs. I have lost 107 lbs and only have 50 more to go. If you know you will work hard and listne to your band than i know it can be done. y doctor is very happy and impressed with what I have accomplished. You know your body and mind and what you can do. Good luck. Rae

Thank you very much, Even at 316 I was always active but I was very big and didnt notice that I really wasnt moving alot. In 8th grade I weighed 220 lbs so I have been heavy my entire life. In high school I was a 22/24. Now I am a size 18 I was a 5x shirt now I am a 1x. The most amazing part is that I am only 7 lbs from being under 200 lbs. I have a 4 yr old and I am able to play with him. I think I feel mostly proud. I had lost 80 lbs twice before but put it back on. My doctor wanted me to get the bypass but I told him that I wanted the band because I knew I could lose the weight just needed some help to keep motivated. I know twice now since my band if I was on Weight Watchers again or something else I would have fallen off the wagon and started eating again but the band stopped that and I was able to work through whatever the problem was and keep going. I am no longer the fat friend I always was before dont get me wrong I am still heavy according to americia but to me I am alot healthier. I can not believe that I only have 50 more pounds to go, I am at amazement with myself. It was not easy I had to work out and learn to control myself but it has been worth it. Rae

Hello, It is hard at first to know when you are full, alot of times I would eat know I was full and want to continue eating. Sometimes I would get sick. I exercise, The last two weeks I have not in but that is a big part of it. When I was over 300 lbs. I started with Leslie Sansom walk away the pounds and it is a great work out and not to hard to do even at that weight. My fills have been a big part of my weight loss my doctor is great and does the fills just right I have had three. The first one did nothing the second one took me to 70 lbs. lost, I had 36 lbs off already and now I just got another one last week. It is a mind set the band is only a tool not a fix we all know that. I keep a food and workout journal along with a weight and inches loss journal. The journals are motivating. I eat between 800-1000 calories, well I did till my last fill. I am still a little tight so am not eating as much. Don't give up I had a really rough time in the beginning my port got infected and had to come out and I had a huge open wound the size of a plum that I had to pack every day and clean, it had to close on its own. That took 6 weeks then I had to get the port put back in then wait 8 weeks for my first fill. But even going through all that it is worth it. The band tells me when I am full and has turned off that need to eat ALL DAY like I used to. Listen to your band if it is not stopping you or slowing down your need to eat then get a fill. The minute I feel I am eating to much I get a fill because we all know how easy it is to put the pounds back on. Drink your water that is a big help to. Keep motivated it will come off some faster then others but use the band to its full ability, and dont wait for fills that is why I went with the band so I could control our weight loss with help. Rae

9 months since my band and I lost 108 lbs. Only 50 more to go I started at 316 lbs. Rae

Hello, I was banded the end of october and an down from 316 to 209. 107 lbs so far. My doctor says I am doing great. I exercise alot to. It is still a slower weight loss then the bypass and your doctor is working with you so I think you are doing great. As long as you feel good. Rae

I am having the shoulder nerve pain when my stomach is empty not full. Before my last fill it was normal if I over ate I got it. Now it happens if my stomach is empty and also it likes to happen at the same time in the afternoon, around 2:00 and I ate my lunch at 12:30 so I know I am not to full. Also I think I am a little tight not to bad but could this be a reason for the shoulder pain on an empty stomach. Thanks for you help, Rae Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Online Calorie Counter

Coolcrystal That is a good point I told my friend that it is weird now because I used to be looking for something to eat all day and spent a lot of time preparing food to eat. Now I am satisfied and do not even thing about what I am going to eat next. When it is time to eat I eat I am satisfied and I move on. It is a big difference. Sometimes I am bored because I have so much time freed up from not eating as much. It sounds weird buit it si true. I spent alot of my day eating! That was a good point. Rae

I got my second fill two weeks ago and it is a big difference. My first fill I could still eat whatever i wanted with a few times maybe things got stuck for a second or two. With this fill I have a Protein drink for Breakfast. For lunch and dinner I have a few ounces of protein maybe two and a TBS of veggies and I cannot eat anymore. I know if I take one more bite I will get sick or be in alot of pain and have to get sick to relieve it. Then after I eat I am full for a few hours. For me it has stopped me from over eating, even in the afternoon I have my 12 almonds for snack I am full and satisfied. I was lucky my doctor is aggressive with fills so in two fills I have 9.4cc in a 14 band. But reading these forums every one here sometimes it takes three or four. Dont get discouraged, when you get there you will know and it will work. Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Calorie Counter

hello, I had a good week down 6 more pounds. I have been doing my wii fit every day and some walk away the miles and also I started the new WAVE stepping program. I feel really motivated since my last fill really has me restricted. I drink my Protein drink for Breakfast and am able to control my lunch and dinner. Snacking is also minimal. When I get a sweet tooth I have two kisses or a cup of coffee (I like it really sweet). When I want salty I have almonds. I feel good. I do get a little tired but I work through it. Start weight 316 Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Calorie Counter

Hello and congratulations and best wishes on your new journey. I live in PA but I was banded in Jersey in October 08'. This forum is great I use it alot. If I get bored and want to eat or tired and dont want to exercise I come here read whats new and it helps me get motivated.

Hello and congratulations and best wishes on your new journey. I live in PA but I was banded in Jersey in October 08'. This forum is great I use it alot. If I get bored and want to eat or tired and dont want to exercise I come here read whats new and it helps me get motivated.