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Aug 6 will be my 1 year anniversary. I'm trying to lose 100 pounds prior to my 1 year mark. It will be close as the weight has come off slower lately. The docotr is allowing me to eat more variety of foods.

Hello everyone......I am new just posting today!!! I think this website is great....I have been researching lapband for awhile and there is so much information on here its fabulous.... Well a little about me I am 27 years old, have strugled with my weight my entire life, have a BMI of 37 with existing comorbidities and I am here because I feel this is my last resort to live a happy fufilling life and accomplish what i want too....I have not been approved for surgery yet I am going to my PCP next Monday for a referral letter and have my actual consultation on 10/24...I am very excited and nervous at the same time...I have in the back of my hea what if I dont get approved but then I think its silly because if they dont approve me what is the sense of them even having this surgery around, I am a prime candidate....That is me being the worry wart that I am....I am here to find advice, suport, and friends....Who for once know what I am going through....I get along with everyone and welcome any opions, advice, help, and/or friendships.....God Bless Angie

Im new here. I was banded 9/20. I have spoken a little on some threads and figure its time to introduce myself. Y'all r all so nice here and Im happy to have found this ap. I started at 227 .. Have never been over weight really.. Had ovary cancer 2 yrs ago and had a hysterectomy and stopped smoking. So i had went from 140 to 227 in about 5-6 yrs. I love food period! When i jogged i could eat a lot but once i stopped running i gained fast. I have been depressed the last few days... Wondering what on earth i have done! I can't burp, in sore, weak, feel a little confused or uninterested .. Im glad i have y'all!

Awsome job. I went on vacation a couple months ago and lost .5 pounds. I too had thought I might gain- was thrilled I didn't.

congrats! my doctor wants you to but doesn't hold it against you if you don't - my husband had vs/ds 3 years ago and didn't lose anything before, that was pre-insurance waiting period. I'm down to my last month of the 6 month and hadn't lost anything - I weigh in this week and think I've lost about 4 pounds. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that not gaining will be good enough for the insurance.

Hi Everyone! I haven’t logged into this website in quite some time but I am back on the journey to wls. Would any of you mind posting the pre-op diet you followed? It would be a great help to me as I need to get as much weight off as possible. Thanks in advance!

Hey Mary, Just curious - you were banded in december o5? Do your numbers mean your starting weight and middle number current weight? We were close to starting weight but i haven't lost near as much? Do you mind sharing a little of your journey - how many fills have you gotten, etc. Congrats! mary

hi, i'm new to this site. i got banded on feb. 10, 2006. so far i've lost 28lbs. i wish i knew about this site before i got banded. there are so many different issues anything u want to know about. how do u set up one of those weight graphs on the botom of your postings. understand i am not very computer literit. i think those are cool.

I also got on this site for support when I think that i'm at a downfall! I was very surprised that I also lost that much weight so fast but now thank god it's going slow because I want it off for good and what actually helps out is that I work out everyday except fridays and saturdays! I go for a fill on the 28th of january but kind of nervous on how that actually works but I guess I'll just have to wait and see:)

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 1995. It went undiagnosed for years. I was miserable. As the years passed my dose slowly went up. After banding I went from .15 mg. to .112 mg. The doc told me that this hormone is stored in the fat cells. Since I'm losing fat, my body requires less. I lost about 50 pounds when my levels started getting to high. Low I'm leveled off, but may have to go down some more as I lose. It doesn't seem to be affecting my weight loss to much.

WOW. You certainly went through hell but I'm glad that you, your baby, and the family are all well and happy. You should be commended for being able to keep any weight off given the nightmare you went through. Congratulations on getting a date for the sleeve. You'll find it's nothing like the band and in your case, that's life saving.

If you haven't started your program yet I would hold off. Depending on your personal situation, starting BMI, and insurance, you may need a higher starting weight.

I just had my consult with my surgeon and I've been given a surgery date of Feb.11. I'm so nervous and scared and I am trying to get as much information as possible. My worst fear is returning back to my old eating habits. I know this isn't a magic cure for weight loss and I hope I have the strength within to change my lifestyle and make this work! Looking forward to meeting you all.

Hey there! I'm a newbie waiting for a surgery date! I've actually been waiting quite a while. As a Kaiser patient in Northern CA, Lap Band wasn't available until just recently (this month they did their first round of installations). When the FDA approved it in 2002 I was all over their backs to start offering it to their patients. So, here I am four years later, and ready to go. I've done the pre-op routine: nutritionist, psychologist, surgeon, lost 10% body weight...and now I'm in a holding pattern. Hoping to at least maintain my loss until I get my date. Kaiser says if you're over your goal weight, they'll walk you out of the surgery room and back into your car. Don't know if this is true, but don't want to find out. I've been to a few support group meeting for weight loss surgery patients, but have only met one person who has the lap band. I can't seem to find a support group around here specifically for LB. Alas, I found you! So, I've got tons of questions which I'll post in other threads. For now, here are my stats: 35 years old 5'7" 254 lbs heighest 220 lbs current sleep Apnea High Blood Pressure Lower Back issues Knee issues Reflux Sounds familiar, huh? --Alisha

Congratulations and it sounds like you are of to a great start with your weight loss!! welcome to LBT!!!

Myrori, well done on getting through the 170 barrier...I am in the same boat; I bounce between 179 and 181 and have been doing so for since the beg of April!! My cals are a little more, say, 800 - 1200 but still low enough eh? What I tell myself is that as long as there is no huge gain, I am ok. My mindset has changed a little more recently, and yes, I still get frustrated and a little cheesed off when the scale doesn't move... but now I have come to terms with the fact that this might take me a lot longer than I first thought. At last I can move how I WANT to and that keeps me focused! Keep up the good work and regardless of the time frame, you will get there! Just look at what you have acheived in such a short space of time... and hey just 24lb from goal... that is bloody brilliant!! Bask in your glory to date, that is what I say ...lol =]

Losing weight while not hungry will come with your restriction. Until then, chances are (unfortunately) that you're going to be hungry. And you should eat as you're still healing and not really to the point of "weightloss" with the band. I totally lucked out and never regained my appetite, which now almost 9 months after the fact isn't as great as it may sound. When you do eat focus on solid Proteins (when you can), and foods with Fiber or mass (e.g. mashed potatoes vs. Jello, cottage cheese vs. soup). They help you feel full longer.

Hey there! I am new to this board, but not to the world of the Lap Band procedure. I began researching this WLS back in 2001. I went for the first visit with the surgeon, got freaked out that I could actually have surgery and lose weight, and then lost my health insurance so I could not follow through with the surgery. I am recently married, and am getting my Masters Degree in a week and a half. I am going to start teaching English in the fall. I realized that I want a better life for myself. I have severe asthma, and walking long distances has become a chore, to sometimes impossible on my bad days. I need this surgery to live a normal life. I just want to be able to breathe. I am eager to continue on this journey into Bandland

I began reading about the lapband about a year ago when a close friend at work mentioned it when I was down in the dumps about my weight. I researched it at the time but I was just not ready. Here I am about a year later and I am ready. Do it in your own time...not on your parents time. I understand how hard it can be but if you do decide to do it--Do it for you. As for the Mexico part. My BMI is 35.8 so my insurance would not ok me. It had to be over 40 to even be considered. SO...I am going to Mexico on June 6th for suregery. I have researched and researched and researched. I have even made sure friends and family researched. I feel good about my decision to go there but can let you know more when I get back. Feel free to get back in touch with me if you have any questions. Good luck!

Hi, It is amazing in the amount of money that we spend to remain fat. As we lose the fat we gain control over our eating, and being healthy and our money too. Good for you and I wish you nothing but success. Hug, Suzanne

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. Katldy - Yes that would be great to have a buddy. I went to a local support group last night. The only thing is that everyone was a RNY patient and most of them were a year or more out. They had lost lots of weight but they all complained of hunger. I hope that is better with the sleeve.

I am going through the same process right now. I was banded 8/21/08 and I find myself sooooo hungry through out the day that I feel I am eating constantly. I talked to the nurse about this and she reassured me that is normal. She said #1 they want you to eat healthy right now and not to be concerned about losing weight. The process until the 1st fill is getting your body used to the band, healing from the surgery and getting yourself used to eating properly (i.e. chewing throughly, not drinking with meals, to stop eating when your full, etc). For my hunger problems she just suggested I eat more foods that I have to chew and will stick with me longer. My body isn't sustaining the foods I am eating therefore making me hungry all the time. Don't be discouraged though. I know you are like all of us...so ready to get this weight off and get on with our new life. But until we get to our 1st fill we just need to concentrate on how to eat and make sure we are healing ourselves. Hope this helps!

So, now that I'm almost 3 months out and down 37 lbs since surgery, 61 lbs total since i started in April, ppl have started to really notice my weight loss. So many people ask me how I'm doing it, and I hate that I feel so weird being honest that I had weight loss surgery. I always feel like they are judging me. I know I shouldn't care, but it bothers me that I do! Does anyone else feel this way?

Hi BeBopp. If you aren't SURE, you probably should keep thinking about this. The band is wonderful, fabulous and incredible - however, it will only work if you are committed to working with it. For instance - the band keeps me from wolfing my food - but so far it hasn't stopped me from eating any particular food. Some folks can't eat bread, or french fries - but I can still eat it all. Can I eat a LOT of anything? You know, if I eat slowly enough and really concentrate, I CAN actually eat a pretty good amount of food. But notice that I have to concentrate and work at eating too much. Who the heck does that? Plus - after over 10 mos of eating much less - my idea of what A LOT means has changed significantly. A LOT of pizza used to mean 4-5 slices of pan/deep dish pie. Now, A LOT of pizza means 2 slices of thin crust. When I am good, the band helps me be VERY VERY good. When I am bad, the band keeps me from being Horrid. I live a pretty normal life, and eat pretty normal foods. When I do that, I don't lose much and I don't lose fast... but I do actually keep losing. When I focus on eating better, when I drag myself into the gym, I lose faster. So, I get to live a VERY normal life. I don't have to obsess every moment of every day to lose the weight. (Been there, done that!) I don't have to eat only parsley & pine nuts for 3 meals a day. I don't have to buy tasteless pre-packaged foods that I hate. I don't have to go to meetings everyweek and get harrangued if I haven't lost weight. All I have to do is eat Protein first, then veggies, then carbs if there is room... Drink as much Water as I can stand... and chew my food REALLY well. That's it. Nobody even notices that I am on any particular plan. I get to join in on company lunches and parties. If I want a cookie - I CAN have one without dire physical consequences. And still, I lose a few pounds a month. More if I am eating right and exercising. What more could anyone ask? As to Why you need to be SURE - The band won't stop chocolate. I have to consciously choose not to bathe in the stuff every day. Cause then I really wouldn't lose any weight. The band cannot stop Starbucks. God, I love those Carmel Macchiatos - but 400-500 calories at a whack does NOT help the weightloss process. I still have to choose when and if I will eat real ice cream, pudding or candy. I know that if I eat those things all the time, I will be right back where I was before. So, I choose to work with my band every time I eat lean chicken instead of chips and Queso. Be SURE before you get this done. It is surgery, there is healing involved and the pre-op and post-op liquid diet stuff sucks. If you can handle all of the above - if you are really ready to lose the weight and keep it off - then I think the band can work for you... or for anybody. Good luck in your deliberating.

I have an appt with my new PCP on Weds. I have not met her yet and I am going to ask for the sleeve referral. I have already faxed my records from a weight loss clinic that I was going to, but I don't know if there is anything I should know about how to approach the subject with my new doc. I am DESPERATE! I am 30, struggling for 10 yrs. 5"2 247. That should be reason enough. I just want to make sure I say the right things to get things moving. Any advice?