Ladybandito

That's awesome! It does work ... And works well! Slow and easy and you will keep losing until you reach your goal! Cheers! Sorry, I grabbed the wrong quote! Lol! Buts congrats to all of us, anyway!

Congratulations, Alex, and thank you so much for this forum. You have undoubtedly touched and improved the lives of so many, many thousands of people throughout the years with the information and community provided through this site. Thank you again!

Me. Going on 4 years. :-)

Keemi, I find that I get a sore throat -- usually at night -- and sometimes on one side only, when I have not taken in enough fluids for the day! Never noticed this before the band, but now after, I can tell I need more hydration by the way my throat feels. In all my years on this forum, I've not seen anyone else mention this -- but for me, keeping up on my water intake keeps the sore throat away. Go figure, but you might try upping your water intake. :-)

Great to see your update, Terry. Glad your health is great and the floor is done. I, too am dealing with the holiday munchies and not being as active. 'Tis the season, lol! I don't get on here as much, but I'm still maintaining +/- 5 lbs of goal, so band life is good, eh? :-)

I used to mix butter and white sugar together and eat it with a spoon. I'd usually just make a small amount, and then sometimes go back for seconds. Ugh!! And Coffeemate Creamer powder, by itself. Looking at what we were all drawn to really shows there is a neurological or chemical connection here ... Fats and sugar, fats and sugar. I haven't seen any posts about spinach or tangerines, haha. It's funny, although I am no longer drawn to the butter/sugar thing, I can still "feel" the euphoria I felt eating it at the time.

My very first fill was 2. Second was .5, and subsequent fills were .2 and .5 to my current fill of 3.6 I believe.

I'm 3 years out ... The founder of this forum, Alex, is over 11 years with his original band...

I'm approaching my third year banded, no issues or complications, down from 226 to 145, and my band has become a "way of life." I no longer have to wear a CPAP for sleep apnea, I can wear a size 6 comfortably and look great in a t-shirt and jeans, and am much more "alive" and "happy" than for many years pre-op. Being banded has freed up an incredible amount of mind-space that used to be spent on food -- and I am so appreciative of that! As B-52 said, so many people (when they reach goal, and even before) move on from these boards and so we don't hear a very large number of the success stories out there. I know, personally, I get tired of replying to the "same-song, different-verse" again and again -- but I try to make it a point to post at least once a month, because God knows a lot of comments on here helped me with my 2 year research on WLS -- and still today, help keep me in the WLS community mindset. And don't forget Alex, our forum founder... He's been banded for a decade! :-)

Gorgeous! So proud of you!!

Hi All long-termers... I will be going in for my 3 year checkup in a few months. I've done well, maintaining my loss without problem, and no issues or complaints. My question is ... Did any of you get touch-up fills after being at goal for two or more years, and if so, what led you to request one? I'm asking because I feel hungry a bit sooner than I used to after a meal, and I am thinking more about food again. When I actually diary what I am eating, it is still quite good (funny what seems like 'alot' after a few band years, lol). I will talk it over with the office when I get there, but I'm wondering about others' vet experience. Do you 'touch-up' or have you stayed the same fill from the day you met goal originally? Thank you in advance for your sharings.

Thank you, Tomander and B-52. I still have a while before my appointment, so I have some time ... And will ... Do the liquids for a while to see how that goes. I feel like I am "just under" the sweet spot I have known and loved, so that may do it. The reason I am hesitant for any more fill is because when I get stressed or angry, my band seems to tighten right to that sweet spot --and I'm afraid that if I was already there again, and got upset at all, it would be too tight. I'll discuss it with the doc at the appt, and in the meantime, I'll try the liquids. Thank you for sharing your experiences, it's not just the newbies that have questions, sometimes! :-)

Thank you, RKImom! Haven't been on here in a while, so I just saw this... But that answered exactly what I was asking!

I always took soft foods to mean no chewing was necessary. Sugar free pudding, yogurt, mashed veggies, etc.

You make an appt at DMV to change the weight on your drivers license to what you truly, actually weigh!!

Steamer with sugar free caramel!!!

Thank you, Jack! Over-fill has always been one of my fears, so I've been very conservative. I've got something like 3.6 or 3.8 in a 10cc, can't remember which. I know the last one was .2 and made a big difference at that time. Thank you for the reply; I always read your posts, and enjoy them! :-)

Fantastic! Kudos to you! :-)

Most of the time, I drink the majority of the broth first, and then eat the noodles and solids (because I was not ever sure about this too, lol!). I love soups, have always loved soups even pre-band), but you may find that the thinner-broth soups are not near as filling as thicker ones, like lentil, or split pea. But love me some chicken noodle! :-)

Oh, Lisa, I stumbled on your post somehow (I am a bander) and it touched my heart. I am sending you love, light and prayers. The suggestion of drinking Protein shakes is a good one. May I also suggest hard exercise? Working out was the only thing that brought me relief when I lost someone I loved very much recently. It did something, I don't know what, to make me feel alive and in the moment, for brief periods of time. And we need that, so very much, when we're overwhelmed with grief. I am sorry you lost your beautiful husband. He is still lovingly watching over you, I'm sure. Xx

Hello? hello? hellllllloooooo???? Miss you guys!

So, how are you feeling after surgery yesterday?? :-)

Ok, I'm almost three years out and at goal ... Last week I walked into a dept store and bought 3 pairs of size 6 capris -- off the rack -- and they all fit!! One pair was tight, and when I looked at the tag, they are a size 4 that I picked up by mistake. Now, I have not lost any pounds on the scale in quite some time, but with my continued exercise and weight lifting, my body shape continues to get smaller. Whoo-hee! I feel so darned "normal!" Lol. Stick with it, everyone, there are many NSVs as the years go on!!

You are beautiful. So very happy for you!!

Same as Costco or Sam's Club.