Seanamw

$12,500 for me, too! I was at 32bmi just for a year. My insurance company said I had to have a BMI of 30 or higher for three years. I figured I would be dead by then! Best money I ever spent and it included a year's worth of follow up and fills. Good luck & please keep us posted!

I remember last Memorial day well. My son was participating in his first triathlon. I was 70lbs heavier, waddling around the thousands of athletes taking pictures of my son and the city. My legs and feet were swollen and sore by the end of the day and I was exhausted. I remember feeling so low, so sad, so hopeless, so out of place among all those healthy, active people. This Memorial day I still had my camera...but gave it to my husband so he could take pictures of our son doing his second triathlon and ME participating in my first! (just the bike leg on a relay team this year). I was standing in the bike corral surrounded by thousands of bikes watching the sun come up and it all hit me.... How far I have come, how much my life has changed, how I don't feel out of place anymore. I cried a little, said a prayer & kicked butt for 20ks! Next year....first Tri on my own. Let's see what this next year brings!

I always order steam chicken & veggies at chinese restaurants, with brown rice if they have it...no white rice!

The best of luck to you & prayers your way! Please keep us posted on your successes!

Don't talk yourself out of exercising....HA...how easy was that for me to type! It's so hard to committ and make time for yourself, but so important. I make it a part of my schedule 3 mornings a week and give myself some kind of reward if I go more...which I actually have been lately. The stuck in your chest feeling is probably the biggest downside to getting banded, I hate it. You are doing good by doing protein first! I hate the "I have to go to the lady's room NOW" feeling. That happens to me if I have any kind of milk product mixed with food when I go out so I have to be careful. Good luck & keep trying!!

I had to get on & off the scale a bunch of times today...can that be right? I have not seen that number on the scale in about 10 years....and that time it was like a fluke and only lasted a few months! I have been up and down for the past few months...too much wine during the week, not always making good choices, skipping the gym. Well, spring is the time for new beginnings and also a time to start wearing white capris (GASP!). Got back in the gym on a consistent basis, started my training for the bike leg of a triathlon on May 30th and back to the old food log. I haven't weighed myself for about 3 weeks, but got suspicious when every singe pair of size 12's I tried on yesterday fit with ease! (Size 12 may sound big to some of you, but I am 5' 8" and have a big frame, so 12 is awesome to me!). I am thinking I may even get to a size 10 when I am at goal! How is that possible? I am still amazed every time I see myself in a mirror. I was so obese for so long, sometimes I don't realize its me! Now every single part of me is smaller, including my fingers and feet! A very dear friend just had her surgery last week. I am so excited for her and for all of you starting this amazing journey. It truly has been life changing for me. Thank you to God!

Good for you! What a great post!!

The best of luck to you!

Pasta can be a real irritant to your new tummy, as well as the cheese. I have had my band since July of last year and I have kept away from all breads & pastas except for one day when that loaf of bread on the table at the restaurant looked so yummy....one piece won't hurt, right? Well it did, big time, and that was a few months into having the band. Maria's list looks like mine did save the pudding, I think I became lactose intorerant after being banded. Good luck!

I had the same thing with my hubby wondering if I was going to leave him for someone better once I started looking better! Some men get insecure when their wives get thinner & more confident, it took a lot of reassuring! As for the lack in sex drive, call your doctor. You may have a hormone imbalance that can be easily cured with a cream or pill. Good luck! I hope things get better!!!

Go back to where you were mentally when you decided on getting banded. You had your body surgically changed for this....remember that and go back there!

I am so much like you with the meal preparation! I love, love, love cooking for people and it sounds like you do too! I like hearing about other people who cook & can't partake and who are fine with it! I don't feel so alone!

I so feel your pain! I had my surgery back in July and I still remember the gas pain! One thing I can tell you is it DOES go away! Keep doing what you are doing and you will be OK. Good luck & keep us posted please!

Happens to me, too. Like Xavier, I have to go back to liquids then mushies for a few days. My nurse told me that if you have a stuck/vomit episode that your tummy gets swollen or "angry" and you have to give it a day or two to get back to normal. Good luck!

Stay strong is right! You need to shrink that liver before surgery! I drooled a little reading what you had....Ithere is no way my new tummy would let me eat any of that! I was banded 9 months ago and have lost 65 pounds with 20 very stubborn ones to go. You need to ignore your husband since he is not being supportive (how easy to say & hard to do!). You made a decision to change your life, do this for you and your happiness and hopefully your hubby will begin to see the positive changes you are making and be more supportive! Good luck! Keep us posted!

Like another bandster who wrote about a comment she got on her narrow hips, I have never heard those words come from my husband's mouth! Let alone anyone's! All these years I bought clothes to try and disguise or hide my butt, now I have to look for clothes to NOT hide them! Laugh out flippin loud! Thank you God for all of the little miracles!

Wow, I hear you! My band has its own, what I call, PMS. Once a month I am not able to eat anything but liquids for 3-5 days for no apparent reason. It starts with having trouble with just water when I first wake up and just gets worse. After 3 months of this I know to have high nutrition soups on hand and my favorite protein shakes. It's like having to deal with a roommate lol!

The pain you are feeling might be gas pains. I had them in my back and the only thing that got rid of them was walking!

Good for you! You are an inspiration! Thank you so much for this post!

Great post! Congrats to you! And I love the toes!

Your post breaks my heart! It sounds like you need some help with your depression. Do you have a doctor you can go to? If not, maybe your lapband people can refer you to someone, I am sure they have run across this before, I have seen lots of posts like yours. I pray that you find a solution! Please keep us posted!

I cannot imagine making my protien shake without my magic bullet! You are doing great!

You are doing great! Keep it up!!!

Would not have read this unless I read your new one, I'm afraid how to say this, so I'll just say it....I get what you're saying!

WTG Thomas! Keep it up, I am cheering for you!!!