jenibeni

I'm currently 24 but had the surgery when I was 22. I had it on a Friday and was back to work the next Tuesday, where I moved slow but my coworkers knew I had had "abdominal surgery" so they were accommodating and helped lift anything I needed and understood when I couldn't do something. I haven't told the people at work yet, but all my friends and family know. My family knows primarily because the majority of them had gastric bypasses, so this was just another weight loss surgery to them, no worries there. My friends know because I'm not really ashamed of it. Before the surgery I was really shy and upset over my weight, but after I had it something instantly changed. I did it for me and I didn't care what they thought, and most of them were happy for me and ask about my progress. Heck, some people even forget that I had it and ask me why I'm not eating very much! I got back into dating a year and a half ago (about 6 months post surgery). I felt extra confident in my new weight, even though at 210ish I was definitely not skinny! First dates I chose not to do a food date. If they suggested dinner, I suggested something more fun like going to an art walk downtown or just meeting for some coffee first. After the first and second dates, if I liked a guy, I said yes to the dinner date. If they commented on how much I was eating, I would tell them. If they didn't notice, it was up in the air whether I told them or not. It's more of a feeling you get, if they're going to be receptive or not. If they don't like fat people, then to hell with them! Fat people are awesome. I could not abide by someone saying they didn't like fat people when I was one of them. You're doing a great thing by getting the surgery and changing your life. Your health conditions will improve and you will feel so much better about yourself and your body. It's okay to be scared, but know that what you are doing now will change your life forever. I whole heartedly encourage getting banded at a younger age, because it's just that much sooner that you will be able to get more joy out of your life, especially if you are experiencing health issues. After the initial recovery period, you are much like a normal 20-something. You can go out, you can do strenuous activities, and you have the added benefit of helping your health problems. It's a great life choice Sorry if this is so long, I just really wanted to help encourage you! We can do anything we set our minds to

Besides walking up to complete strangers and talking to them about it, I've told pretty much everyone I know if the topic of how much I was eating or my weight loss came up. I'm not ashamed of my band, and it's actually led the people I know to understand more about it. Pre-banding my friends were worried about the surgery, not whether or not I was going to become skinnier than them. I might just be lucky and have really supportive friends and family Also it should be noted that all of my mother's family (my mother, two aunts, grandpa, and step grandma) and half of my father's family (himself and his sister) have had some sort of weight loss surgery, so it's more accepted in my family than perhaps in others.

I'm a night snacker too! I was banded in November '09 and had my most recent fill in February...but then got sick and swollen almost shut. I had 2ccs taken out yesterday, and I'm trying my very best to not have to get another fill, and instead lose weight by portion control and exercise. I still have my band filled up some, but I'm not sure how many ccs are in there right now. Right now I'm having 1/4 cup of cottage cheese for breakfast with a little bit of strawberry jam mixed in for flavor It's actually a very tasty breakfast!

Was a size 22, now a size 14/16.

I'm excited for this weekend. Last July I was way too tight, so I made an appointment for August to get unfilled. My doctor took out 1 CC, and I haven't really had much restriction since. I gained about 15 pounds but have been holding steady since the intial re-gain. This Saturday I am getting another fill, hopefully to get some restriction back! I can't wait to have that feeling again. 1 year is on Nov. 27th, so two weeks after my fill again. I hope to be back down in the 180s by then :smile2:

Congratulations! That's awesome :laugh: If you stay the course at even 1 pound/week you should be able to lose 10 more!

Hello everyone! Last night I woke up to pain in my left shoulder, which I'm not sure what it came from. I haven't done anything to aggravate it, but it feels exactly like the gas pain did after surgery. Is there any way... I dunno, a pocket of gas could have moved around and started causing problems, even though I'm almost one year out from surgery? I know it will dissipate, just wondering if anyone else has this. Thanks! :thumbup:

My advice is to start walking now, however much you can. That will get you in the habit of it, will help you lose some weight before the surgery, and help you be healthier overall :smile:

Adjua....................347...............337...........240......... ....97 Amy......................289................226.5..........160........ 66.5 Angie64.................270................270...........210....... ......60 Astrasmom.............254................254...........170............ . .84 Babe.....................265................265...........199.... ..........66 Band_Groupie.........172.5..............157.5..........0-148........0-9.5 BetsyB..................226.6..............206.8.........109...... ......97.8 BigMomma..............209................209...........135............ . .74 Bklynike.................258...............258...........150......... . .108 BobbieND...............224...............207...........150..... .......57 Bree99..................259...............234...........155..... .......83 Brigette................198................198............150.... ........48 Bristlecone............157................145............130....... .....15 crzytchr................217................217............180..... ... ...37 Dana36.................233...............229.............160....... .....69 daqui26.................274...............274..............200....... ....74 DDGALARZ..............185...............183............150............ .35 destined4thinness..215.5.............215.5...........150.............6 5 5 Diamondgirl81........317...............270..............225........... . 45 ericanda1973.........198.5............198.5...........130.......... ..68.5 Fourme.................189...............168.............145.......... . ..23 Healthy-me-in-Az...242................183.6..........139.............44.6 HummingBird..........204...............161.............150............ .11 jenibeni.................224...............187.............165........ ....22 Jennih...................232...............232.............130.... .......102 Jeni 85..................185..............192..............150............. 35 KDEE....................240................240.............150...... ......90 kyleegirl01.............245................194.............160...... ......34 Lady LAP...............217................217.............125...... ......95 Lisa65...................174.5............165..............145..... .......20! Liz........................193.4............174..............155...... ......19! lotzasunshine..........271..............269.6............225.......... ...46 MaggieGT..............238...............236..............208.......... .. 30 newdicarlo.............187...............174..............135...... .. ...39 Northernmist..........289...............265..............175.......... . ..90 ol55andahalf..........184...............184..............144...... .......40 Peggy1.................308...............308..............225......... .. ..83 RandaPanda...........194...............161..............150........ ....11 RAYNE913.............234...............210..............160....... ......50 RobinAnn.............232.4.............185.4.............154...... ....31.4 scoutmama...........270...............270...............180........ ....90 shadst8................333...............291.2.............233........ ....58.2 skinny31................261...............236..............182..... .......54 SNDYCNRD.............207...............194.5............150........... 44.5 sueinne.................220................226.............180.... ........46 swjtlongdrive..........242................217.............179......... ....38 Tabithan................244...............234..............190....... .....44 TARASGIRL.............305...............259..............225....... .....34 tdtucker................256...............256...............160...... . ....96 Teacher2010..........192...............174...............150...... . ....24 Tealeaves..............305...............289...............150...... . ...139 TeriLu....................215...............212...............150.. .... .....62 TIGGER71G............224...............224................130....... .....94 Tinksmom..............256................213................145....... .....43 unshackled............277...............277................180....... .....97 Valerie.................190................190................150... . .......40 wonderwoman2009 175...............175................160..............15

These are pictures from my race yesterday, weighing in around 186! I'm the one in the blue dress... team name Walk of Shame, haha.

Hey guys :smile: Haven't posted in here in a while, but yesterday was a huge NSV for me. I ran in Urban Dare with my friend Suzy, which is like a 1-day Amazing Race. We covered about 7.5 miles in less than 2.5 hours and got 7th place out of 43 teams! I didn't run it all, but we were able to power walk and choose a smart route to get 7th :ohmy: My knees and hips are killing me today, but I invested in some Joint Juice and a bottle of liquid tylenol :smile2: Weight loss has been slow, but it's the little things like this that make up for it.

Adjua....................347...............337...........240......... ....97 Amy.....................289..............237.4...........160........ .. 77.4 Angie64.................270...............270...........210....... ......60 Astrasmom............254................254...........170............. .84 Babe....................265................265...........199.... ..........66 Band_Groupie........172.5.............157.5..........0-148........0-9.5 BetsyB.................226.6..............206.8.........109...... ......97.8 BigMomma............209.................209...........135............. .74 Bklynike...............258..................258...........150......... . .108 BobbieND..............224.................207...........150..... .......57 Bree99.................259.................234...........155..... .......83 Brigette................198................198............150.... ........48 Bristlecone............157................157............130....... .....27 crzytchr................217................217............180..... ... ...37 Dana36.................233...............229.............160....... .....69 daqui26.................274...............274..............200....... ....74 DDGALARZ..............185...............185............150............ .35 destined4thinness..215.5.............215.5...........150.............6 5 5 Diamondgirl81........317...............278..............225........... . 53 ericanda1973.........198.5............198.5...........130.......... ..68.5 Fourme.................189...............169.............145.......... . ..24 Healthy-me-in-Az...242................183.6..........139.............44.6 HummingBird..........204...............169.............150............ .19 jenibeni.................224...............188.............165........ ....23 Jennih...................232...............232.............130.... .......102 Jeni 85..................185..............192..............150............. 35 KDEE....................240................240.............150...... ......90 kyleegirl01.............245................194.............160...... ......34 Lady LAP...............217................217.............125...... ......95 Lisa65...................174.5............165..............145..... .......20! Liz........................193.4............174..............155...... ......19! lotzasunshine..........271..............271..............225.......... ...46 MaggieGT..............238...............236..............208.......... .. 30 newdicarlo.............187...............174..............135...... .. ...39 Northernmist..........289...............265..............175.......... . ..90 ol55andahalf..........184...............184..............144...... .......40 Peggy1.................308...............308..............225......... .. ..83 RandaPanda...........194...............173..............150........ ....23 RAYNE913.............234...............225..............160....... ......65 RobinAnn.............232.4.............195.2.............160...... ....35.2 scoutmama...........270...............270...............180........ ....90 shadst8................333...............291.2.............233........ ....58.2 skinny31................261...............240..............182..... .......58 SNDYCNRD.............207...............194.5............150........... 44.5 sueinne.................220................226.............180.... ........46 swjtlongdrive..........224................224.............179......... ....45 Tabithan................244...............234..............190....... .....44 TARASGIRL.............305...............271..............225....... .....46 tdtucker................256...............256...............160...... . ....96 Teacher2010..........192...............183...............150...... . ....33 Tealeaves..............305...............289...............150...... . ...139 TeriLu....................215...............212...............150.. .... .....62 TIGGER71G............224...............224................130....... .....94 unshackled............277...............277................180....... .....97 Valerie.................190................190................150... . .......40 wonderwoman2009 175...............175................160..............15

Hey everyone! This is the first time I've posted pictures...I'm at 195 this morning, so I figured it was darn time. First picture was three weeks before surgery, before I started the pre-op diet so I was about 249. Second picture was taken on St. Patrick's Day, and I was around 208 then. Last picture was taken two weeks ago at my mom's house...that was my skinny goal outfit! (Well, one of the first ones). I wore my skinny jeans from Old Navy and this really cute olive green top thing from Charlotte Russe...and a t-shirt from Forever 21 in a size L! Yaaay :smile:

I went to Mexico and brought my dad with me. I had it done with Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, and I highly recommend going to Mexico! The hospital I was at was soooo much cleaner than any US hospital I've ever been to. It cost me $6500USD total, which I didn't think was too expensive for such a life-changing surgery. My doctor recommends a two-night stay for recovery purposes, but I only had to stay one night because I'm so young and was in really good health (besides being obese) before the surgery. If you choose not to drive in, the doctor's van will pick you up and drive you from the San Diego airport. The drive is about two hours but you don't even notice because you're talking with the other patients, asking them how far along they are, stuff like that. For fills, I fly down to the San Diego airport and the doctor's van picks me up. It takes from about 10:00AM - 4:00PM (so a full day) of driving/filling/crossing the border/driving back to the airport but it is worth it because my fill is about $75USD, very cheap! Take some time, do some research, but I personally would recommend going to Mexico if insurance won't cover it for you or it is too expensive elsewhere.

Hey everyone, I'm two weeks out from my second fill, and I've seriously come to the conclusion that bread and Pasta are no longer for me. They make me hurt. I was hoping I was just tight from my fill and it would settle...but no. I think that's the end of it. So my question to you is how you've replaced that aspect during meal times? For example, I was bringing a half sandwich for lunch. What do do now? I also have difficulties with lettuce, so wraps seem out of the question. Just eat the meat? Do you find that you prepare you meals the night before, the day of, or the whole week all at once? Do you cook for one? I have to just cook for one person...I'm finding it difficult to be creative with my meals. I also get tired of just a Soup diet, so I can only do that maybe 4ish times a week. I'm not really eating Breakfast anymore, though I do start to get hungry around 10:00AM so I have an earlier lunch. Any ideas, tips, suggestions, or words of wisdom are welcome

Deb - could be lack of protein! I know on Survivor, where protein is a premium and people are losing weight like crazy, their hair begins to fall out. Try upping your protein intake I'm 2 days away from 4 months out and I'm down 46 pounds. That is insane! So much weight lost... it's getting easier to eat the right things and make good food choices. Even though I want to take another bite because it's tasty, I've learned that if I do...it causes pain. I've been running lately, which is nice. I'm not very fast and I can't go for very long, but slow and steady wins the race.

Sharing clothes is a fantastic NSV! All throughout college I was jealous of my roommates because they could all share clothes... just once I want to wear something that belongs to a skinny friend. I'm getting there!

Thanks for all the ideas! I think I'll definitely try the chicken salad with avocado... I bought two avocados a couple days ago and almost forgot about them! Perfect use for one of them; the other I will save and make a turkey avocado wrap :thumbup:

Name*********Starting****Current******Goal******ToGo Adjua....................347...............337...........240......... ....97 Angie64.................270...............270...........210....... ......60 Astrasmom............254...............254...........170............. .84 Babe....................265...............265...........199.... ..........66 Band_Groupie........172.5.............157.5..........0-148........0-9.5 BetsyB.................226.6.............206.8.........109...... ......97.8 BobbieND..............224................210...........150..... .......60 Bree99.................259................259...........155..... .......104 Brigette................198...............198............150.... ........48 Bristlecone............157...............157............130....... .....27 crzytchr................217...............217............180..... ... ...37 Dana36.................233...............229............160....... .....69 daqui26.................274...............274............200....... .....74 destined4thinness..215.5.............215.5..........150............65 5 Diamondgirl81........317...............309.............250............ 59 ericanda1973.........198.5............198.5..........130......... ..68.5 Fourme.................189...............188............145........... ..43 HummingBird..........204...............188............150........ ...38 jenibeni.................224...............208............165....... ....43 Jennih...................232...............232.............130.... ......102 KDEE....................240................240.............150...... .....90 kyleegirl01.............211................209.............160...... .....49 Lady LAP...............217................217.............125...... .....95 Lisa65...................174.5............165..............145..... ......20! Liz........................193.4............187..............155...... ......32 lotzasunshine.........247...............245..............175........ ...70 newdicarlo.............187...............174..............135...... . ...39 Northernmist..........289...............265..............175.......... ..90 ol55andahalf..........184...............184..............144...... ......40 Peggy1.................308...............308..............225......... ..83 RandaPanda...........194...............180..............150........ ....30 RAYNE913.............234...............225..............160....... ....65 RobinAnn.............232.4...............220.6..............160...... ....60.6 scoutmama...........270...............270..............180........ ....90 shadst8................333...............317..............217........ ....100 skinny31................261...............255..............182..... .......73 SNDYCNRD.............207...............197.5............150.......... 47.5 sueinne.................220................214.............180.... ........34 Tabithan................244...............234..............190....... .....44 TARASGIRL.............305...............289..............225....... ......64 tdtucker................256...............256...............160...... . ....96 Teacher2010..........192...............183...............150...... . ....33 Tealeaves..............305...............289...............150...... . ...139 TeriLu....................215...............212...............150.. .... ....62 TIGGER71G............224...............224................130....... .....94 unshackled............277...............277................180....... .....97 Valerie.................190................190................150... . .......40

I live in San Jose and work in Newark (on the edge of Fremont). Yay I saw "anyone from the bay?" and I was hoping it was the SF bay area :thumbup:

Name*********Starting****Current******Goal******ToGo Adjua....................347...............337...........240......... ....97 Angie64.................270...............270...........210....... ......60 Astrasmom............254...............254...........170............. .84 Babe....................265...............265...........199.... ..........66 Band_Groupie........172.5.............161.5..........158-148........3.5-13.5 BetsyB.................226.6.............215.2.........109...... ......106.2 BobbieND..............224................212...........150..... .......62 Brigette................198...............198............150.... ........48 Bristlecone............157...............157............130....... .....27 crzytchr................217...............217............180..... ... ...37 Dana36.................233...............229............160....... .....69 daqui26.................274...............274............200....... .....74 destined4thinness..215.5.............215.5..........150............65 5 Diamondgirl81........317...............317.............250............ 67 ericanda1973.........198.5............198.5..........130......... ..68.5 HummingBird..........204...............193.............150........ ...43 jenibeni.................224...............212..........165....... ....47 Jennih...................232...............232.............130.... ......102 KDEE....................240................240.............150...... .....90 kyleegirl01.............211................209.............160...... .....49 Lady LAP...............217................217.............125...... .....95 Lisa65...................174.5............167..............145..... ......22 Liz........................193.4............193.4...........155...... ......39.4 lotzasunshine.........247...............245..............175........ ...70 newdicarlo.............187...............177..............135...... . ...42 Northernmist..........289...............265..............175.......... ..90 ol55andahalf..........184...............184..............144...... ......40 RandaPanda...........194...............183..............150........ ....33 RAYNE913.............234...............234..............160........ ....74 scoutmama............270...............270..............180........ ....90 skinny31................261...............258..............185..... .......73 SNDYCNRD.............207...............199.5............150..........4 9.5 sueinne.................220................220.............180.... ........40 Tabithan................244...............234..............190....... .....44 TARASGIRL.............305...............294..............225....... ......69 tdtucker................256...............256...............160...... . ....96 Teacher2010..........192...............183...............150...... . ....33 Tealeaves..............305...............289...............150...... . ...139 TeriLu....................215...............212...............150.. .... ....62 TIGGER71G............224...............224................130....... .....94 unshackled............277...............277................180....... .....97 Valerie.................190................190................150... . .......40

Congrats to everybody on their successes! It's about time we're hitting the 3 month mark... eek! How exciting. I'm down 35.5 pounds as of this morning, but my three month bandiversary isn't until the 27th of this month. I was having some troubles with moderating the quality of the food I was eating, but I started keeping a food journal that one of my friends reads so it keeps me accountable. More fruits and veggies for me! I'm hoping that I can get to 40 pounds down by the 27th, but I won't push it. It'll happen if it wants to :biggrin: On another note, I bought Large sized clothing from Charlotte Russe and Forever 21 yesterday! AMAZING!! It looks good, too. I'm wearing the shirt from Forever 21 tonight for Fat Tuesday, I'll try and remember to take a picture to post on here :thumbup:

10 DAYS?!?! Where is everybody? I think the "honeymoon" phase is over and people are now going about their normal lives instead of obsessively checking the boards for new and exciting information. I got my first fill last Saturday I've lost 4 pounds since then. I also experience my first "STOP YOU'RE FULL" feeling. My throat started burning and I felt like I was going to puke. This happened twice... yesterday from overeating and this morning from eating too fast. I didn't know it was so painful! Now I'm taking more care to eat slower, chew better, and pay attention to when I am full.

Hey everybody! Elfie, that's a good thing that she's encouraging you to do exercise Maybe you'll begin to like it? Welcome, Lexi! As for me, I'm doing alright. I went to Disneyland on Saturday and it was a blast. I was able to go for longer on my feet, which I couldn't have done before my surgery. I spent about 12 hours in the park, with some sitting, but I estimate a total of 9-10 hours walking around all day or standing in line. The outside of my hips hurt and my feet hurt a bit, but I know next time I go it'll be fine! I fit into all of the rides (except the Finding Nemo ride, which has tinnnny seats but I sat next to a little kid and she didn't notice my butt creeping a bit onto hers). All in all I had a lot of fun! I also saw my cousin there and he noted how much weight I've lost. Last time I saw him was at Christmas, and I actually haven't lost any weight...but I think it's been redistributing itself since then.