BayougirlMrsS

I wish you all the best..... continue your research. Look into the sleeve too. I love my band, i just didn't love having to go to the dr. and get fills. and i don't like the idea about erosion and slips... etc. That scares me. My current insurance does not cover WLS, so if anything goes wrong... i'm on my own. I personally would not do the Gastric Bypass.... too scary for me. And it has a higher re weight gain than any of the surgeries.... Look into them all and talk to your doctor and really think about the changes you will have to make for a life time. It's not like weight watchers were you can just stop counting point and not weight in.... or Jenny and stop buying her food.... This is forever.... I haven't had a hamburger on bun in three years.... or a deep dish slice of pizza.. But it's all worth it. Saturday will be my three year anniversary... and i LOVE the new me. Get healthy for you and your future family..... All the rest is just "icing on the cake" so to speak.... One more thing.... you also have to take into consideration how this will not only effect you, but your entire family..... My husband didn't want me to get the band at all and still make remarks about it. He was very secure with me at 223#. He knew that at that weight i had no self confidence and most men would not take a second look at me... Now he has a hard time with the size 6 Christina and has even said that losing weight was the worse thing that happened to us... He hates when other men look at me and feels like one day i will get a better "offer" and leave him.... On the other hand.. he loves the new me in Private... loves the more energy me, the more sexual me, the more confident me...but only in private. My daughter in law (whom i love very much) had a hard time with my weight loss. She was jealous of it, and still is... but it's getting better. My Sister in law, that had the band done in Mexico two years before me, gained weight with the band... (three weeks ago had GB) will not come around me if my brother was with her. He would com pair she and i and say..... why can't you lose weight... my sister did. Which was wrong on his part, but it's what happened. Be prepared to lose friends.... your fat friends won't want to be around you because you will be thinner and will be jealous of you and your thinner friends will start sabotaging you, because they will fear you... no longer will you be "the fat friend".... They will say things like... how much weight are you planning on losing... your getting too thin. Your face is sunk in... You want to come eat ice-cream... a little bit won't hurt..... So you will start getting the attention of being the thin girl in the fat group and the pretty thin girl in the thin group....

I don't think anyone was too Harsh on Liz.... She said her self that she lost 20lbs in the first month for doing what.... EATING LESSSSS.... then didn't lose any more because why..... EATING JUNK!! Hello, did eating junk help you lose weight with out the band...? So how do you expect to lose weight if all you eat is slider food..... if you can eat that, you can eat food that is better for you. And if you chose to go down to Mexico and pay out of pocket for the LB then you could have found someone in the state to do it with that as a down payment and finance the rest....

lol.... he enjoys them... but hate when other men look or should i say... Stare at them... I told him he needs to get over himself. They are what they are.... He's insecure and is just frightened that i will leave him one day.... he says so all the time. He says that my attitude has changed since the LB.... I told him well HELL yes it changed. I feel better about me and more confident. He said... your going to lose weight and find another man..... I said Honey... i had men wanting me at 223#.....lol

Floridays has good points.... The band is a huge step and is not for everyone. You have to be fully committed to doing what ever it take..... For me it was going to the gym 5 days a week and walking in my neighborhood everyday. It was also, giving up some of my most favorite foods....See i was a carb addict..... I loved BREAD, rice, spaghetti, pizza, hamburgers.... Being from the south where our lives are all about the food.... Example of a meal: Shrimp Stew (which is made with flour and oil) is then poured over rice and served with potato salad.... with bread on the side.... No wonder i was 223#. Anyway, those are some of the things I can't eat.... but NO TWO BANDERS ARE THE SAME.... also, as with her question, how much do you have to lose? I don't recommend it for people with under 50lbs. But that's just my opinion. I too had lost 80lbs and at my two year and two month mark and after my weight loss has be stable, i had a tummy tuck to remove the apron. 100% happy with my band and 100% happy with my TT. Good luck too you and what ever you decide.

it gross... but i am proud of where i am now... and my thighs are thinner...lol Scare is a lot lighter and less noticeable. I was still swollen in my after pictures... but i could not be happier.

That is awesome.....glad you have a good support system. Mine is ok, but he is jealous of the attention men and women give me now... I said what you want me to do get fat again..... I told him.. i can tell you now it ant going to happen. and there is not way to Hide 36ff breast on a size 6-8 body, You take care ..... and keep up the great work

Nette.... What a great post... I have to say that i have noticed a large influx of people saying that their band is not working for them... All i have to say is why are you depending on the "band" to do all the work? My personal observation is MOST of the people that went down in OLD MEXICO are having most of the problems. My sister in law is/was one of them in 2007. She had her band one year and only lost 20lbs. She had her band re-done in the states and guess what..... she still failed... why you ask?... because all she eats are the "slider" foods. My brother comes home and in the trash is a empty 1/2 gallon blue bell container.... empty candy wrappers ... Her and my brother don't visit me together because she says it makes her uncomfortable to be around me when he is there because he points out my success and it makes her upset. Grant you my brother should not do that, but, now we don't do family functions together anymore because she didn't follow the rules and do what she needed to do. Fast forward to two week ago... she had her band removed and had gastric bypass.... We shall see how that works out for her... When i asked her about her pre counselling and pre dietary and psychological visits...... she said she had NONE of that... She call the dr. , made appt. , had surgery with a 4cc band and left mexico never to return. HELLO.... PEOPLE..... do you think this could maybe a cause..... you think!!! REMEMBER THE OLD SAYING...... YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR...

Thank God i'm married and my hubby says no... that's too sexy because i would be right there with you...lol All i can say is the girls would be out and up and proud.....hehehe Im an exhibitionist at heart and i know if i were single.... TROUBLE TROUBLE TROUBLE. You ROCKED that costume .....

Hey Love.... and seeme... and others... lol There are a lot of variables that you need too look at. I think losing slow is a good thing. I was a slow looser and i think that has a lot to do with how much sagging skin you end up with. Along with how much you exercise. And how big you are to start. When i started i was at 223 and size 18-20... 5'2". my problems areas were never my arm size or leg size. Mine where my stomach and my breast. This is where i carried my weight. My breast is still my larges area. I started at a 44H and i'm still a 36FF. This past January i went for a consult with my plastic surgian. Even after losing 80lbs i still had and have large breast. I really really really wanted a breast reduction and still do, but i chose to do the Tummy Tuck first. I had a apron from the two c-sections and the weight. It was painful and painful to look at... Painful in the since that in the summer i got a terrible rash and working out. Plus i thought i didn't go through all i have work my ass off in the gym to be left still un happy with my body. So Feb 15 i had a tummy tuck and i could not be happier with the results. My only regret was not doing the breast reduction and lift at the same time. If i had know that it was that pain-less...i would have done both. I asked my dr. for a inner thigh lift and arms.... he told me i was crazy that neither needed any work. He said he could tell i worked out and that i did a great job. So that validated to me that exercise is a HUGE part of having less sagging skin.

wow... I love a heated debate. When you look at everything as a whole.... everyone is right and everyone is wrong in some aspects No one has all the answers on what does or what doesn't cause bands to fail. All we can do is our best with what we have and what we know. this i do know..... i have seen first hand the following: four friends that had Gastric bypass.... Jenny who has maintained her weight loss for over 10 years now, Todd gained all his weight back, EJ gained all his weight back plus some, and Krystal who is in the process of gaining her weight back. two friend that had the sleeve.... tammy lost over 100lbs, but recently put back 30 (according to her), and Kelly who has the sleeve done about a two years ago. She has lost weight, but not as much as she could have... according to her. and then there is the LB friends..... Paula.. who was my mentor, is over 4 years out and has lost over 100lbs, smokes, drinks soda every day all day and so far so good. Her girlfriend Mia.. who had surgery same day and same dr. as me.... has lost 100lbs and has kept it off. No problems so far. Tamiko.. who lost over 100 and until recently kept it all off. she got in a bad accident and is on steroids and has made her gain a little back.. she was a by the book person... her band is six years out... and so far so good. And then there is my sister in law... Jenny... she had hers done in Mexico and one year out had to have it re done here in the states.... she didn't fellow the rules and lost about 20lbs and then gained it all back.... but hey if you eat ice cream and candy all day... you will gain. three weeks ago, she had the band removed and had gastric bypass.... so we shall see. Bottom line is .... with every surgery there is success and failures..... some or due to the surgery and some are due to patient compliance..... Either way... we all have to step up and take accountability for ourselves... I know that i have gained 5lbs back... but i'm at fault... eating wrong and not going to the gym.... my bad... not the band, and not the doctor... me. Best of luck to everyone

With November just days away, thought i would check in with all my November 2009 bandsters.... to see how everyone is doing. So how is everyone? I would really love to hear about all your success.... and your road-blocks. Were you stated and where you are now... Me... started my new life Nov. 10, 2009. Went in at 5'2" and 223LB. Sizes... 18-20 paints, 2xl shirt, 44H bra, 7 1/2 shoe.... 0 confidence.... Today.... Oct. 30, 2012..... still 5'2"..(darn)... 145lbs, size 6-8 jeans, med-large shirt, 36FF bra and 6 1/2 shoe..... 90% increase in confidence... No problems with the band so far, although i feel like i lose my fill after a few months... i'm can eat more and i'm hungry faster. It's been a while since i had a fill. I had a Tummy Tuck Feb. 15, 2012 and i feel WONDERFUL.... I am no longer addicted to food..... now i'm addicted to Victoria Secret underwear.....lol... If you can, post a before and after.....

Awhhhh.... Thank you so much. It has been a wonderful journey. One that i would do again today if i had too. Keeping positive and embrace every lost pound is very important. Rewarding yourself for small goals met and never let anyone tell you that your are weak for choosing WLS... You are strong for making the decision to change your life FOREVER. The road will have bumps, but what road doesn't..... right. Except them so you can appreciate the smooth parts...

With November just days away, thought i would check in with all my November 2009 bandsters.... to see how everyone is doing. So how is everyone? I would really love to hear about all your success.... and your road-blocks. Were you stated and where you are now... Me... started my new life Nov. 10, 2009. Went in at 5'2" and 223LB. Sizes... 18-20 paints, 2xl shirt, 44H bra, 7 1/2 shoe.... 0 confidence.... Today.... Oct. 30, 2012..... still 5'2"..(darn)... 145lbs, size 6-8 jeans, med-large shirt, 36FF bra and 6 1/2 shoe..... 90% increase in confidence... No problems with the band so far, although i feel like i lose my fill after a few months... i'm can eat more and i'm hungry faster. It's been a while since i had a fill. I had a Tummy Tuck Feb. 15, 2012 and i feel WONDERFUL.... I am no longer addicted to food..... now i'm addicted to Victoria Secret underwear.....lol... If you can, post a before and after.....

DAMN... Girl... you look HOTTT

I too was a slow loser. It took me one year to lose the first 60 and another year to lose 20. At first i felt the same way... Why am i not losing fast like everyone else... Then i got a message from a friend that explained that.... EVERY LB story is different and every one losses at a different pace. So i excepted that even though i was only losing 2-4lb per month... it was still a lose and i learned to embrace every pound. Remember.... Slow and steady still finishes the race. You friend is correct... water, protein and exercise. Keep positive....

I remember the first time i was able to put on a 12.... OMG. I was so excited i told everyone. Wishing you continued shrinking.....

Congrats on your band... wishing you great success...

I was a slow loser.... i loss on average 2-4lbs per month. My largest loss was during my two week pre diet. At first i was worried that i had failed at this too, but then through everything i did always lose, i never gained (until now). So i excepted it and was grateful for every pound. My first year i lost 60 and then the next year i lost 20. I had my Tummy Tuck this past February couldn't work out for 6-8 weeks and got lazy and that's how the few pounds found me. Starting the C25k today. As much as i didn't want to admit..... Exercise is the key. eating small amounts of good food through out the day kept my hunger at bay.... Time will come faster than you think.... i can't believe it's been almost three years.... I would do it again in a heartbeat with out a second thought.... it was and still is worth everything you go thru.

I started out at a 18-20. Now i'm a 7-8. Was in a 6, but i gained about 5lbs. I was starting to get a lot of .... how much more are you going to lose... and ... your getting to thin. My gain has nothing to do with others think. It has to do with me getting lazy and not going to the gym. I also think i may have a leak. But that another story. You can certainly obtain a size 8. My starting weight was 223 and im at 149. was at 144.