NewMechelle

Your story touched me. Though I wasnt obest untill I was an adult I know the pain of carrying around extra weight, part of you feeling unworthy of love, part of you angry because you know you are an incredible woman absolutely worthy of love who shouldnt be judged on the size of your behind but what is inside you. I also am a leader in my church. In fact I am the Pastors wife. I had the surgery one year ago today. Today is my bandiverssary. I was 258 when I started out and 5 3 with all kinds of health issues at 43 years old. Today I am short of my goal but so proud to say no health issues off all my meds except the antidepressants thats part of being a pastors wife with three kids lol and down 85 pounds. I am so mad I didnt do this sooner. I promise you this is the best thing you will ever do. This time last year I could not hardly walk my mile I would get on here and read these blogs and I would want to feel happy for these people but would be envious and just like " that will never be me I will never get there, this is gonna fail just like all the other times I tried" If you do what the doctors tell you to do, you can not fail. I am so blessed. Thinking I am a little skinny thing in my 12 jeans today lol.If you need a friend or support please feel free to call on me any time. I can promise you there will be frustrating days. You will go weeks and weeks and not lose a pound and do the right things and out of the blue you will drop ssix or eight pounds.Your body has to get used to all the changes. You are worth it. Your kids are worth it. Remember my favorite thing to say this year. NOTHING I MEAN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS SKINNY FEELS. GOD BLESS AND GOOD LUCK SISTER, MECHELLE

Hello lapband family. I hope all is well for you out here. I am doing okay. I cant believe it has been a year. It has gone so fast. I wish I had done this years ago. That is my only regret from the year. I have not met my goal. That is a litte dissapointing for me. I am truely happy and feel blessed for the changes in my life despite the fact that I didnt reach my goal of 100 pounds loss. I was a size 22 (bout to explode out of ) when I began my journey and was 258. Today I am generally (notice I say generally because I do fluctuate 2-5 pounds from day to day with fluid) about 173. So I am down about 85 pounds give or take a few. And I am comfortably in a size 12. It has been years and years since I could say that. I feel better about myself now than I have in ten plus years. I no longer take blood pressure meds. My cholesterol was sky high. It is now normal. I was borderline diabetic. Now not even close. I am healthy and happy. I want to lose 20 more pounds and I get really frustrated because these last 20 have hung on for months and wont budge. I cant get another fill. I am so tight now I can barely get regular food down so I think I need to concentrage on the protien and excercise. I walk two miles a night. When i first started, one almost killed me. Now alot of nigts I walk up to four and still feel really good. I know how blessed I am and I am not trying to whine but part of me does feel a little let down because I feel like I let myself down. I didnt quite make it. When I look at the big picture, I did pretty darn good though and this was one of the greatest things I have ever done. If you are debating it, DO IT! It is not easy every day but it is soooo worth it. You are worth it. God bless and good luck. New Mechelle:smile:

HeyI am with you. I wanna join. I have a total of twenty to lose before I reach my goal. I would love to be there or close by 4th of July. How do you get on Board?

Girl it was me that said it and I promise it is true. I love food and I miss it but nothing I mean NOTHING tastes as good as skinny feels. I am down 85 pounds and 20 to go. My one year bandiversary is the 28th of this month. If I can do it any one can. God is good and will give you the strength to do it. God bless and Good luck.

If you have ever talked to people who had fills with out going under "x-ray" they talk about how horrible the fills are. The doctors just kinda guess where the port is and have to poke around looking for the exact spot to hit. When under fluroscopy the doc can see exactly where he is going. Mine did not hurt a bit. I have had about 6 fills. I wouldnt want it any other way. No guess work no poking around. Good luck and God bless.

I have done HMR. As a matter of fact I would still be doing it if I could afford it. That is why I stopped and ultimately got the lap-band. Yes it is expensive but it works. The food is good,the shakes are great but it is costly. I spent approx. 120 a week on it. I did it for a few months and dropped 40 plus pounds. Why do you have to do that diet? I would ask if I could not do a low cal diet low fat diet. It seems crazy that you have to do that specific diet as long as you have your labs weights etc monitored by an MD as you attempt to lose weight for six months. I would ask. If you are like me that kind of money doesnt just lay around myself. It is however good and it does work. Good luck and God bless. Mechelle

I have been where you are and understand your frustration. Believe it or not, you are probably your own worst enemy right now. You have got to start eating more. When you take in that few calories your body comopletely shuts down. Your body acts as if it is being starved and will conserve calories to "save" itself. You also have to get in the protien. I know it doesnt sound right but I promies just try it for a week. Double your calories maybe even triple them. Eat plenty of protien (ie less carbs sugars etc) and see if you dont drop a chunk in a week. Just one week, try it.

I am 18 days away from my Bandiverssary. I cant believe it has been a year. It has gone so fast. Unbelievably fast.I feel so blessed. I love my band. Dont get me wrong I would be lying if I said that every day has been easy but there is no way I could have been where I am right now with out the band. I had tried every thing every diet you could think of in he world I have done. For a while they worked but only for a while. The band helps me to be the best I can be. It helps me to stop when the food is good and I want more just because it's good. It gives me the ability to say no or even yes to just "a little bit" I am down 85 pounds, 17 to my goal weight. Seriously doubt I will make it before my year but I look and feel better now than I have in years. I just cant complain. 85 pounds is nothing to be ashamed of. I thank God for my new lease on life and thank my wonderful supportive husband and family and even the supportive friends here who have helped me thru. God bless and hope all is well. Come on 17 pounds, get off of me LOL!!!!!!!:smile:

Dont think you are alone. Most of us who have been thru this feel the exact same way. For me it has been almost a year. It will be n 18 days. I was terrified it wouldnt work for me. I had done everything else tried every diet known to man and was scarred to death that after spending $16000 it wouldnt work. I have been so blessed and my only regret is that I didnt do it sooner. Some times you go several weeks and not lose a pound then out of no where you start dropping again. If you do what the docs say, you will do great. I am down 85 pounds. I am only 17 away from my goal. Cant wait to get there and already feel like a different person. This works If you do what your told. Not always easy some days stink but overall I wouldnt change it for anything. You are about to enter a whole new world. Scarey as it may be you cant imagiane how awesome you will feel when you are thinner and more importantly healthier. God is good. Good luck and God bless. Mechelle

I am so very sorry for the loss you and your family have suffered recently. With your Daughters future mother in law I believe and then her husband and now this.Yes I do Actually read and pray for my bandster friends out there. I am so so sorry. I know it feels like when it rains it pours and God is obviously taking you thru a very trying season. I pray for stength and for you to lean on him right now. Even though we dont understand these things, he is the only one that can get you thru. God be with you and your family in the loss of such a irreplacable person in your life. Please tell your husband though I dont know him, there are those out here praying for his (and the whole family) heartsto heal. No one can ever take the place of your momma or daddy. I am so sorry.God be with you all Mechelle

I used to pop 800 mg IB daily like they were going out of style for head aches. I have been told to be VERY careful. If they are taken and lay on the top of your band it could be very dangerous.

Hey guys I promise you if I can do it any one can. I tried every diet possible in the world. yo yo 'd up and down off and on the wagon. This is doable. Not always easy but if you want it and your ready to make some changes, you can do it. I am so blessed to have my band. God bless and keep you. YOU CAN DO IT TOO I PROMISE!!!!!

i was starting to think that scale would never move. Honestly. I finally am out of the 180's. Now if history repeats itself and I know it will. I will be in and out of it several times before out of it for good but it sure feels nice to see 179 this morning. I am sooo darn excited to just see some change!!!:thumbup: So I am 24 pounds away from goal. When I started it seemed like a completely un attainable goal. 103 pounds. I never in a million years thought I could possibly get here. Now I can actually see it happen. I feel so proud. May even make goal by the 28th of May my bandiversary. Good luck and God bless every one. What a ride!!

i was starting to think that scale would never move. Honestly. I finally am out of the 180's. Now if history repeats itself and I know it will. I will be in and out of it several times before out of it for good but it sure feels nice to see 179 this morning. I am sooo darn excited to just see some change!!!:w00t: So I am 24 pounds away from goal. When I started it seemed like a completely un attainable goal. 103 pounds. I never in a million years thought I could possibly get here. Now I can actually see it happen. I feel so proud. May even make goal by the 28th of May my bandiversary. Good luck and God bless every one. What a ride!!

I said I would not panic when my year started to approach and I was not at my goal of 100 pounds loss (I am an 77 loss) I said I would be grateful for how healthy I am now and that I have lost several sizes. I have lost 40 inches on my body, between 3-4 clothing sizes, off all blood pressure meds, no longer borderline diabetic, no longer have high cholesterol etc. but here I am the scale will not move and I am feeling a little down. I cant recall the last week or even month the little sucker moved. Not even a pound. Please dont think me not grateful. I am so blessed I just want this other 27 pounds off do you hear me OFF AND GONE!!! I am walking 2 miles a day, eating healthy, feeling like I am doing all the right things but the body is a funny thing. My year is May 28. I REALLY want to be at my goal by then. Besides a fast, (lol) any suggestions?

Dont know how far you are willing to travel. I have an excellent Surgeon in Indiana. Some dont think he has the best bedside manner but it is because he is honest and to the point and he definately knows what he is doing. I wouldnt go any where else. Almost a year banded!!

I have to admit I am awful about weighing. I used to weigh every time I was in the bathroom. No joke. Now I am much better. I weigh in the am and at Night. Still awful I know. I am some what obsessive. Just terrified I will gain the weight back I guess. Thanks for the encouragement and God bless. Mechelle

I said I would not panic when my year started to approach and I was not at my goal of 100 pounds loss (I am an 77 loss) I said I would be grateful for how healthy I am now and that I have lost several sizes. I have lost 40 inches on my body, between 3-4 clothing sizes, off all blood pressure meds, no longer borderline diabetic, no longer have high cholesterol etc. but here I am the scale will not move and I am feeling a little down. I cant recall the last week or even month the little sucker moved. Not even a pound. Please dont think me not grateful. I am so blessed I just want this other 27 pounds off do you hear me OFF AND GONE!!! I am walking 2 miles a day, eating healthy, feeling like I am doing all the right things but the body is a funny thing. My year is May 28. I REALLY want to be at my goal by then. Besides a fast, (lol) any suggestions?:thumbup:

I was banded May 28 2009. Other than Accepting Christ, it was the best thing I have ever done in my life. Any one who believes it is EASY has not done it. Yes it helps, it is a tool only. It is not a magic pill or potion. You still have to watch what you eat. You still have to excercise. The band assists you in being successful because it keeps you from being so hungry that it is misserable while you are losing weight. If you are not ready to do the work and make a committment you can fail again. I say this to encourage you. Yes the band helps, Yes it is a tool. When it comes down to it people fail even with the band every day because bottom line, it is all you. You are the one making the choices to eat healther and excercise every day, you are the one saying no to icecream and junk food and only occassionally indulging yourself. The beautiful thing about the band is that you can have small amounts of just about any thing as long as you dont do it every day and listen to your band. Eat when your hungry. Not just when something sounds good to you. If i can do it any one can. I was scared to death I would pay for he surgery (yes I was Private Pay at 15000) and I would fail. I was actually terrified. as I had over and over and over again every other time I had tried to lose weight. I am down 77 pounds and feel like a new person, It is so worth it and I promis you you can do it. It is NOT the easy way out but the band is an incredible helpful tool that makes its possible. I thank God for my band and for the love and support of people around me and also on this web sight. Use them when you feel alone. God Bless and good Luck.

Hey I am not in the "promise land" any more I live in Indiana now because my husband is a Pastors here. I do however still consider myself a Kentucky girl and am just a stones throw away. I was banded May 28, 2009. Comin up on my one year. Cant believe it. What a journey. It has been incredible!!!!!

Hey I am not crazy! I was trying to send this to band groupie some how I sent it to you. Du. Hope you do well. It is one of the smartest things you have ever done. I am so blessed and so happy I have done it. I am now banded ten months, 77 pounds down. Good luck and God bless! Mechelle

Hey congrats on your year!!! Do you have any suggestions on how to get the last 25-30 off? My one year is the 28th of May. I have lost 77 and would really like to get to 100 or as close to it as possible. My weight has all but come to a screeching halt and I am doing all the right things I believe. Any suggestions to boost me into some loss and get the rest off?

Just wondering if you have any suggestions to get to goal. I have lost 77. My year is May 28th and would love to be at 100 lost then or at least closer. The wt loss now is sooo slow it is almost non existent. Do you have any magic formulas or ideas to get rid of the last 25-30 of this unwanted weight? Thanks for any ideas and congrats on your year. What a blessing it has been to all of us hu?

Congrats! you have made a step towards your new life. You did one of the hardest parts. Admitting where you went wrong and verbalizing it. We all mess up but it is so hard to admit it. We are all in this "band" world because we have food issues. Honestly unless we learn why the band probably wont help long term. you need to find a good support group with others that have been banded. Your surgeon should be able to give you the meeting times of one. Keep using this sight. 95% of what is on here is really good stuff. Find a couple of good supportive friends that will hold you accountable. Not a complete diet Nazi who makes you wanna hang yourself and give up if you have one bad day but some one who will hold you accountable and who will be honest with you even when it really sucks. If you were going to stop smoking or drinking people would say stay out of those enviroments dont go in the bars dont buy cigs you cant do that with food. what you can do is try to buy only the healthier foods that will promote wt loss and good health and every once in a blue moon its okay to treat yourself to that ice cream. thats what is great about the band. once we learn about our demons we can have most things in small moderate portions on occassion. first though you gotta figure out how to just eat to live and not live to eat. been there done that. I promise you NOTHING I MEAN NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS SKINNY FEELS (I have lost 77 pounds) Good luck and God bless. I never thought i could do it in a million years. I promise if i can do it any one can.