juliegeraci

Rain, great NSV. Keep up the good work.

Carla, way to go! Keep up the good work.

I was banded June 06 and have lost 65% of my excess weight. It does take more time to lose the weight with lapband.

My WW leader is really really nice. She mentioned to me how good I looked. I was down about 65-70 lbs so I just told her I had the surgery. She was quite nice about it. It will be interesting when I get to Lifetime. I am not sure if I'm going to tell the whole story or not. I use to weigh 320 lbs and when I get to goal I'll be at 185. Julie

I've been banded for 21 months. Let me know if you have any questions. Julie

Steph, are you at your goal weight? If not how close are you? 13 lbs?

Did you know you can't really eat sugar with RYN? You will most likely experience the dumping syndrome. With the band you can eat everything just less of it. I would never have RYN. I really hope you get the support you need to make the right decision. Good luck.

I am 13 lbs from onederland! I can't wait!

I know how you feel. I haven't lost 160 lbs but I have lost 106 lbs. I don't like my body at all. I hate my thighs the most. The stomach hangs down. I can't wait until my plastic surgery. Don't think of yourself as fat anymore. You are well porportioned now. You look great. Love yourself. You can do it!

Hi Dori, the only words of wisdom I can offer you is you have to be very patient with the lapband. Sometimes it takes several months to reach optimal fill level for restriction. You also need to make sure you slow down your eating and the bite size. When you are really tight you do PB often too so you have to get use to that. I am probably a bit too tight right now. My doctor says that if you PB more than once every 2 weeks then you are considered tight. Congtats on getting banded soon. Julie

I am so scared of those inner thigh scars. Can you share some more recent pictures of how they healed?

Not sure exactly what to do since I am so close. I am 28 lbs from goal but she will operate on me 20 lbs from goal. I'm going to see what the month of April brings. I would love to have my plastic surgery the 3rd week of June so that gives me like 12 weeks to get to goal. Wish me luck!

I agree. YOu need to call your doctor. Its way too early in the game to have reflux issues. Good luck.

I agree. YOu need to call your doctor. Its way too early in the game to have reflux issues. Good luck.

Suzanne, congrats on the NSV. Yes, we are hear to listen!

I use the point system and track. I only do 20 points a day which is 1k calories plus the bonus points. Most of my extra points are spent on alcohol since it is so high in calories. I lost 4 lbs this week and .7 last week. I am 8 lbs away from plastic surgery. My leader is wonderful. I did also tell her I had Bariatric surgery because she notice I had lost weight in between being a member. I haven't told her its lapband yet.

I am really glad you are feeling better!

for me it depends on whether or not it gives me pain. Today I had a Diet Pepsi and it didn't go down very well. It is sometimes painful and sometimes not.

I had nauseau for the first few months. The doctor prescribed an anti nauseau medication for me that really helped. I would call your doctor.

Ann, congrats on the NSV. Recently I went from a size 18 to a size 16 and was quite happy. Good for you. Keep up the good work.

Hi There, Hope this helps. question 1: does the port interfere with anything? (swimming, tanning, sex, exercise, etc.) Not at all. I can do everything without a problem. The only time I can feel it is if I lie down and push on it. Otherwise, I never know it is there. question 2: a friend told me that eating bread was basically out. Does that mean I won't be able to eat bread again? His reason was because it kinda clumps together and won't pass through. It depends on the person. For me I eat bread fine. question 3: what about steak? Is that a possibility after being banded? I eat steak without a problem as well, just not much of it. question 4: I guess this kinda hits the whole food issue...what do you do when you eat out? I was on weight watchers for a while and I could eat out if I was careful. How 'bout with a band? I always have left overs to take home. I do order off of the regular menu. question 5: is the surgery an outpatient thing? Do you spend the night in the hospital? Is the stomach/abdomen swollen after surgery? If so, for how long? Yes, my doctor now does these outpatient. I'm not sure if you will have any swelling. I didn't have any. For me the most painful part was the port site. question 6: how often do you get fills? What determines when you get a fill? I use to get fills quite often. I am one of those with a fickle band so it took me a long time to reach optimal restriction. My doctor does fills every 2 weeks if you require one.

Karey, that is wonderful. I started in a size 24 and now I'm a size 16W. My goal was a size 16. I am 10 lbs away from PS. I have no idea what size I will be when my pannus is removed! This is so exciting!

Loose stools are very common since you are basically on liquids. As far as the head hunger goes that is totally normal. Just try and stay focused and keep the eye on the prize. You will be on mushies then solids then it is fill time. Everything will be okay. Good luck.

What size did you start at and what are you at now?

That is truly amazing. I can't wait to have mine!