3 Year Round-Up for Feb07 Bandsters

[vermonster05488 0]

Well, its now been 3 years for us all!! How is everyone doing? I finally got the urge to check in after all this time. I reached my goal and now am headed back in the other direction. All due to personal choices that I've made over the past year or so. Thankfully, I am at a point where I can still do something about it.

As Bunny was, I am now interested in the following:

Have you lost the statistical 50% of your excess weight? Who has reached their target?

Who has had problems with their ports/bands?

Anyone had to have more surgery?

Any one got plastics or thinking about it?

Anyone had to have their band removed?

Erosion anyone?

With year 3 coming on, I am ready to get back on track. Anyone else out there still at it?

Vermonster05488

__________________

Edited February 2, 2010 by vermonster05488
typo

[irishmae11 0]

Well, its now been 3 years for us all!! How is everyone doing? I finally got the urge to check in after all this time. I reached my goal and now am headed back in the other direction. All due to personal choices that I've made over the past year or so. Thankfully, I am at a point where I can still do something about it.

As Bunny was, I am now interested in the following:

Have you lost the statistical 50% of your excess weight? Who has reached their target?

Who has had problems with their ports/bands?

Anyone had to have more surgery?

Any one got plastics or thinking about it?

Anyone had to have their band removed?

Erosion anyone?

With year 3 coming on, I am ready to get back on track. Anyone else out there still at it?

Vermonster05488

__________________

My date was2/28/07...start weight was 276.5, I am currently at 165.6...about 10# to goal...no erosion or port problems and no plastic planned...not sure where it would all get tucked to....too bad they don't have "Spanx" for the ENTIRE body!!! Very pleased with things, and if I could find a job I would be a very happy camper:thumbup:

[Cocoabean 430]

Yay for you two!! Glad to see this thread. You are both doing great.

I am a Feb '08. Doing fine. Weight stable a bit above my goal and a tiny bit above normal BMI.

I hope more 3 year olds post!

[freeskye 0]

Hi everyone,

I am at 240 now..started at 330. I have been stuck at 90 lbs lost for several months and am needing to have a fill. I have

3.50cc in the band so have some leeway to have another fill. I have not had any band / port problems. I am starting a walking program with some weight training as I have signed up to walk in the Portland 1/2 marathon on 10-10-10. It will be a first for me, lol 3 years ago I could barely walk to the mailbox :smile:

I want to reach my goal in the next year. I had lost the drive that I had in Feb.2007 and was starting to make poor choices again with food, but I am committed again and I really want to reach my goal of 150lbs.

Jean

[Sue Magoo 71]

Hi:

I'm 2 1/2 years out. My bandiversary is in July.

I'm so glad that I did this. My only regret is that I didn't get it done sooner!

I started at 324 pounds. My first meeting with surgeon was in April 2007. The next day I started my pre-op "modified weight watchers plan". I lost 38 pounds pre-op. I then lost 122 more and got to my lowest weight at the end of 2008. My happiest banded day was on April 23, 2008 when I hit 199 pounds. That was a loss of 125 pounds in one year! During 2009 I was maintaining pretty well until I got laid off and had a Tummy Tuck and stressed out looking for a job. Between May 2009 and November 2009 I gained 20 pounds by grazing and eating the wrong things. In November I talked with my surgeon and started weekly weigh ins at their office and I took off ten pounds in the four weeks before Christmas. It's so good to know that if we're good "bandsters" we can take it off again. As long as I stay in size 12's and 14's I'm happy. Since I've started working I've been maintaining my weight again. :smile: I hope to lose 5 more pounds in March and then I'll be between 180 to 185 for the Spring and Summer. That's where I want to be. I still carry alot of extra weight in my thighs and calves and probably won't ever lose that without turning the top half of my body into a skeleton. Besides that I already have alot of loose skin on my thighs and hate it and don't want more of that. I never wear skirts and most of the world never sees me at the pool, so I'm okay with keeping my lower half heavy. My health is excellent even if I carry those extra pounds in my legs. I'm 50 years old and considered to be an "average-sized" woman. Just what I love!

I haven't had any issues with my band, other than "operator errors" during the seven month period that I was slacking. I did have to get my gallbladder removed in 2008, which is a common problem for people who take off alot of weight. Gallbladder removal was easy peazy compared to tummy tuck in 2009.

I did have a tummy tuck. Compared to the LapBand surgery it was ten times more painful, but it also has made me feel so much better about myself. It was alot harder to recover from too. Again, I'm so glad that I did it. There's some pictures on my profile page of me just after lapband surgery and then before and after tummy tuck.

Since being banded I found a new activity that I love. It's called trikking. Check it out on www.trikketalk.com It's great exercise and it's great fun! I can't wait for the weather to improve so that I can get back out on my trikke again. Unfortunately it's a fair-weather sport and I'm here in New England. I walk alot when it's not trikking season. I also bought a mini trampoline for indoor jogging/walking while in front of the t.v.

I stay active with my LapBand surgeon's support group and this helps me get a motivational kick each time I go. I've been invited to speak to the potential bandsters a few times by my LapBand surgeon. I was also invited to speak to his entire hospital team at one of their quarterly meetings. I think he's very happy with my progress too.

I hope all of you 2007 bandsters have a great third year! I know that I will.

I love my band and my new flat tummy!

Sue

[Minnesotalady 1]

Today is my 3 year bandiversary, and I am feeling fantastic! My starting weight was 233, today my weight is 175. 58 LBS. gone for good! I have 25 LBS. to goal. This is my year, I am going to get there. I have had no complicatons what so ever, and I am very thankful for that. The only real problem that I have had the past two years is going to nuring school and putting all my enery towards my education that the eating and band way of life kind of went to the wayside, but I am almost done with school. since January, I have gotten back on track and have been doing well. From one year ago my weight was up 2 LBS. so I will take that! :smile: I walk on the treadmill and do wii fit one hour a day which has helped out tremendiously with the weight loss. My back also feels so much better, so well worth it. I am still loving my band and feel it's the best thing that i have done for myself. I would do it all over. My blood preasure is even very good it went from 145/100 to 117/70...almost can say good bye to the medication...that in it's self is so well worth it, and the added benefits are all the nice compliments i get and just over all feeling better about myself as a person. Congrats to you all and keep up the great job..... :smile:

[vermonster05488 0]

Hey All, tomorrow is my 3 year bandiversary! Valentine's Day of all days. I went out this morning using email to a few of our previous bandsters with an invite. Maybe a few names will ring a bell: lizrbit, skyeblu79, travelgirl, zannie, skinnyjeans, babygrl1234, armkam, teacher, freesky, readytolose, rebecca, oldgeisser - they were all so good at posting updates.

With my bandiversary tomorrow I have a few things to come forward with. First of all hit my low weight of 144 about a year ago. Yeah! Down 100 lbs. Never felt or looked so gooood! Shopping was fun - everything either fit or was too big on me. Over the last 7 - 8 months I stopped weighing myself, stopped exercising and started resorting to liquids and soft foods in place of good healthy foods. Cream Soups everyday for lunch, Snacks like chips and dip, cheese, cheese and more cheese, little portions of people food for dinner and drinks for the rest of the evening. I have found a new love for white russians containing milk, 1/2 & 1/2, vodka and kahlua or sometimes a few glasses of red wine. I truly think I've enjoyed the white russians so much because they go right down without a problem. I'm starting to think I may have replaced one bad habit with another. Well, now that clothes are getting tighter and I see a difference in how I look in the mirror I finally stepped on the scale and found that I'm up 22 pounds. Ughhh!

(Kick self in butt) Time to get back at it! Time to change my food and liquid intake and start back in with exercise. Dang it, I worked hard for my loss and now I see it slipping away 20 lbs at a time. For Christmas I bought the Wii Fit and now I need to use it! Ok, enough of me. I think this was Phase 1 of my next approach - getting it out in the open and myself out of denial.

You all are doing great! Keep up the good work. I'm reaching out to all of you for support - It does help hearing how everyone else is managing!

[teacher 1]

Thank you for starting us up again...I too have put on a few pounds eating soft foods and wrong, bad choices. Lets get this back on track!!!

Teacher

Michele

[vermonster05488 0]

Well bandsters, it looks like I'm heading in the right direction. Went for 1 hour walk outdoors yesterday with my husband and two dogs. Fresh air felt good and so did the exercise. Living in Vermont makes it a little difficult to get outdoors sometimes.

And if that wasn't enough after 2 months of procrastination, I finally broke out the Wii Fit that we got for Christmas. I did 35 minutes of an assortment of things - hula hooping, hitting soccer balls with my head, step arobics, yoga deep breathing. Oh yeah, had to weigh myself (hmm, might be the reason for the procrastination). Weighed in at 168. Set a goal for myself to lose 10 lbs in 2 months.

Unfortunately, I have a trip to Lincoln, NE all next week so will not be able to get a routine going yet.

I'll keep you all posted as this seems to be motivating me forward!

[Zannie 6]

Today is my 3-year anniversary. :wub: I started at 320 & am at 240 now, which is up (far more than I care to admit) from my low of 205. I’ve totally stopped exercising, a huge factor in my initial weight problem & not something solved by inserting the Band. I knew that going in, however! My eating itself is only so-so. When I eat real foods, I’m still using the band correctly & it works exactly as it should to control my hunger. I’m all about Protein 1st, then veggies (love salad), and then carbs. :lunch: Yea me! :wink2: But I’ve slipped back into the skipping meals habit & have also found that Protein shakes aren’t the only kind that goes down easily if I need to eat & am out unprepared! :sneaky: Argh. I knew that going in, too. Anyhow!

I’m very thankful I’ve got my Band. I’ve had no problems with it and no follow-up surgeries related to the LAP-BAND®. Everything about me is saggy, wrinkly & hangs something awful; something else I expected going in, so I’m not complaining. I’d love to have my arms done (forget bats, I’ve got pterodactyl wings), remove the “abdominal appendage” (as I call the apron of excess), and put “the girls” back in their proper location, but there’s no money for plastics so that’s the end of that. My life is so much fuller now, thanks to the LAP-BAND®. I’m active with my kiddies & feel better at 35 than I did at 30, heck…maybe even 25. :frown: But I have to say that I do “feel” this weight I’ve gained back more than I “felt it” the 1st time I saw 240 on the upswing. :frown: And I don’t like it. :mad: I need to get back on track, particularly with the exercising – which always was & will likely always be my big stumbling block. Having had the success I did initially, I know I can do it again if I would just get on the frickin’ treadmill! I’m so glad to have achieved what I did with this tool & remain grateful for my Band!

LBT was a vital part of my post-op experience & I regret letting Life's issues get between my support network & Me. Perhaps it’s time to not only get back on the treadmill, but back online with y’all, too, eh? :biggrin: It’s wonderful to hear from some familiar Bandsters & touch base with how y’all are doing at 3-years out. :frown: Can’t wait for more updates! And Happy Bandiversary!

Suzanne

[vermonster05488 0]

Welcome back Zannie - There are a few of us in the same boat. I'm up 22 pounds and decided to do something before it becomes 42 pounds. It creeps on so easily. Like you, I've stopped exercising and eat and drink easy/soft foods.

Time for a change! I've gone three days now with adding exercise to my day - not that it has been strenuous, but it's exercise.

Kudos to those of you who have lost and maintained and also those that have been on a downward trend continuously over the last three years!! We know it's not easy. We still have to efforts to make and smart food choices. We were all told that the band was only a tool and can't expect anything more. I just have to keep reminding myself.

Off to Lincoln, NE for the week, and will check in when I get back. Let's all have a great rewarding week!!!

[skinnyjeans 2]

Hi Everyone!

I too need to get back on track. I had to have a partial unfill a few weeks ago. Was having bad acid reflux again and something got stuck, so now I think i'm only at 1.9cc (4cc band). So basically I really don't have much restriction. Haven't been able to have good restriction since 2008 without getting acid reflux.

I had TT and BA in November and hadn't exercised until yesterday. I'm so sore. Before TT i was exercising 5x week to be in best shape for TT. I hope to get back there, but it has been hard to get motivated. We're taking a cruise in June so want to be down 15-20lbs. The TT/BA for me was a lot easier surgery than the lap band. I have been struggling with my food choices since the unfill. Haven't been journaling and this has always helped. I gain/loose the same 3lbs so maintaining but need to loose. I am committed to getting these lbs off.

I love to eat cheese and chips, popcorn, ice cream. I really need to stay away from these. I do fairly well at work, but when I get home I start grazing. I also have started to eat again when I'm not hungry. Why is it so hard to do what is right?

Happy Bandiversary. Glad we all have each other.

[bunnykin4u 0]

Hi all,

My 3 year anniversary was also Valentines day. I have lost the sum total of 20 pounds since banding. I am not happy with it and its the worst decision I ever made. Should have gone with the bypass.

[Ready to Lose 0]

Hello to all of my fellow bandsters!! Wow it has been a long time.

I am so grateful for the 'shout out' because I really need to get back on track!!!

I have successfully gained back @ 25lbs. (I will need to verify that) No, the band didn't give up on me, I have just fallen into 'bad choice' mode.

I will fix my banner when I can and I welcome all the help and encouragement you are willing to give.

For all my friends out there........ The journey begins again!!!

[skinnyjeans 2]

Ready to Lose. You can do it. Sounds like a lot of us just need to go back to the basics.

Together we will do it.

Zannie so glad you are on here again.