Who are you??

[PrincessErin 64]

HI! My name is Amy I am from TEXAS!! I am 26 and have been married for almost 2 1/2 years to my best friend! We have a very spoiled pug named Jax and a german sheppard mix named Duke, they are our babies! I am a student at Tarleton State University studying to be an elementary teacher! I absolutely love it! I will graduate next May and I can't wait! I have a degree in Architechtural drafting I loved drafting but I hated sitting at a desk for 9 hours a day! I have been over weight all my life... I am 5 feet tall, but I have always had an athletic build so I never looked as big as I really was... since 2007 i had a horrible reaction to poison ivy, I have not been able to keep weight off so i have steadily been gaining weight like nobodies business! where as I used to stay around the same range... but since then I have gone from about 180 up to 240... i have done numerous diets/workouts/bootcamps you name it ive probably done it... but it just wont stay off! So I decided to go the lapband route! I have been banded for 18 days and I could not be happier! I have lost a total of 16lbs so far and looking forward to losing much more! My hobbies include playing with my dogs, scrapbooking, crafts, taking pictures, and being outside. Well thats me in a nut shell! Its good to meet everyone and good luck on your journey!

I love how people from Texas are like I'm from TEXAS!! It really must be the coolest state, ever! <3

I think us March Bandsters have this!! Don't you? WE're so gonna rock it!

[momof3armybrats 1]

My name is Karrie and I am 30yrs old. I lead a fairly simple life as an Army wife. We have been married for 12years. I have three wonderful children 11,3 and 9months. For now I am a stay at home mommy. I will be starting school in May to become a Medical Office Assistant. As soon as my youngest starts kindergarten I will be going back to work. It has been nearly 10 years since I have held a job...WOW now that I wrote that I am in shock!! LOL Anyhoo, I have 2 of the greatest pups in the world. Charlie is my 7yr old Great Dane/ German Shepard mix. He is such a goofy dog! And then there is Godric my 6 month old English Mastiff. He has the most lovable personality. We also have a black and white cat we rescued. His name is Buster and he is the typical lazy cat. He only moves for food, lol.

I was banded on April 5th. I am very excited about the life I will have after i lose this excess weight. My family and I love being outdoors. We like to fish, hike, camp and go out on boats. This weight loss should make doing all these things easier and more pleasurable for not only me but my family too. Plus I want to ride on a RollerCoaster!!! It has been 15yrs!!!

Now that I have rambled on and on I will stop. Nice to meet everyone! This site has been such a blessing to me.

[Mrs.Doxie 1]

I love how people from Texas are like I'm from TEXAS!! It really must be the coolest state, ever! <3

I think us March Bandsters have this!! Don't you? WE're so gonna rock it!

Yes, it is and BTW, I'm from TEXAS!!!

[newbandlady 3]

Hi my name is Candice. I live in Houston Texas. It is one of the coolest states ever! I'm from Indiana/Illinois though. My parents were military and so was I so I've lived in a lot of different places. That's a different story though. I am 41yrs old and I have 3 amazing children. A 19 year old daughter in her first year of college, a 3yr old daughter, and a 1.5year old son. I just adore my babies. I am currently a stay at home mommy to the two youngest but wasn't fortunate enough to be one with my oldest. I have been a stay at home mommy for 3 years. Other than that I have worked hard all my life so I got to be both sides....stay at home and working mom. Let see... pets... I have a pitt bull and a cat. I love them and everything but after they are gone I don't think I will have more. They are a lot of extra work with little ones to take care of. I got banded about 5 weeks ago. After dieting for almost 30 yrs (started drinking diet coke when I was 11) and failing I had given up on ever being thin. Hopefully this will work for me and I will get to live the second half of my life as a thin person! Nice meeting everyone. Best of luck to you all!

[zinhaa 363]

Wendy from NY. 51 years young. Married 25 years and have 2 kids 23 and 19. I was banded 2/11/10. I lost 68lbs. Exercise a lot, work a lot and try to use my band best I can. I am glad I have the band most days. i have rediscovered jeans and color in clothes.

[cardmaker 0]

Hi ,my name is Rose. I'm a retired RN and I'm 60. I'm single and live with my wonder dog, Molly, who is 14. I love being retired and being able to work on my greeting cards and going to the Y. Like many of us, I have been over weight for all of my life but more so in the past 25 years. I was a hospital nurse and switch to geriatric nursing, surveying health care facilities in my state. Because of the traveling I did the first 9 years in that job, I gained over 100 pounds ( I was overweight before but not as much). I would be away from home, staying in motels and eating in restaurants. I developed arthritis in one of knees and then later type 2 diabetes. Well, my knee got so bad and the ortho doctor said I needed to lose weight before they would do surgery, I finally had to face the issue and realized I couldn't do it on my own. I was banded the first part of August and have lost 66 pounds since then but a total of 125 pounds (59 pounds in the months before surgery)! I want to lose 85-90 pounds more. Well, I'm off my diabetic meds and my blood sugars are in the 70-80's and off my bladder med J and blood pressure med.

I have gone from zero exercise to exercising 5 days a week. I do Water walking for an hour and then Water jogging for 45-60 minutes. I would never have guess I could do this a year ago.

The scale doesn't move fast enough to suit me but I keep reminding myself that I didn't gain all this weight in a year so I can't expect to lose it in 7 months!

I cleaned out some dresser drawers today and tried on some tee shirts to see if I should keep them for this summer. It was a great laugh!! They were so big but it was also sad! They went in the donation pile.

My only problem has been replenishing my wardrobe! I buy things on sale and also buy 2 sizes smaller if I find a good deal so I can have something waiting for me.

I love all the compliments from my friends and church people. It really keeps me going when the scale is being stubborn!

Have a great week, everyone!

[newbandlady 3]

Tonight it seems boring here. Lets all tell each other about ourselves. I am 50 years old, graphic designer for a printing company. Been married for 30½ years to a great man. have a 29 year old son, great-daughter-in-law, two little Granddaughters both blond hair, blue eyes and both left handed like my son, they are 4 and 2. I see them almost everyday. I have 2 little doggies that I love so much they are 13 and 12 years old. I suffer with clinical depression and anxiety, so I am pretty much at home all the time. In July I will have been banded 2 years down 84 lbs. No real problems at all.

Cheri

Btw Cheri, You look amazing! I would have never guessed you were 50 by your profile pic! And do you really only have 3.8cc's in your band? Is that your highest amount and you lost 84lbs?

[123crod 170]

Btw Cheri, You look amazing! I would have never guessed you were 50 by your profile pic! And do you really only have 3.8cc's in your band? Is that your highest amount and you lost 84lbs?

Candis, thanks for the compliment. I sometimes can't believe I am 50 it just seems so old to me. That picture is about 6 months old. A little makeup and a box of hair color makes a big difference. Yes, I only have 3.8 ccs in a 10cc band and that was put in at .50 cc each time. My Doctor went very slow with fills and it was good for me. I did have 4 ccs but had .20 taken out about a year ago as I was too tight. On the day of surgery I was 251 lbs and now 165 - 167 lbs depending on the day. Want to drop another 15 lbs but it is slow going. But happy with the 84 lbs gone. This thread has been so much fun getting to know about everyone. Almost everyone is a pet lover and there a quite a few nurses. Can't wait to see who is next.

[ElfiePoo 109]

I'm 54, mom to 3 adult sons, 2 cats and 2 ferrets. I'm a 'constant student'. I think I've been in school, taking at least 1 class every semester since I graduated from high school. Love books and love learning. As a result I hold several degrees, a master and a doctorate. Currently I'm halfway through a program on naturopathic and holistic medicine and finishing up a program as a master herbalist. I'm also the founder and owner of a 16 year old essential oil import company that sells essential oils to pharmaceutical companies, naturopathic doctors and aromatherapists.

I'm not holding my breath for grandchildren since my two older sons and their wives are in one state or another of working on their masters or doctorates and focusing solely on careers. Normal for mid-20's and they have time but I am looking forward to being a grandma some day.

[Mrs.Doxie 1]

Wendy from NY. 51 years young. Married 25 years and have 2 kids 23 and 19. I was banded 2/11/10. I lost 68lbs. Exercise a lot, work a lot and try to use my band best I can. I am glad I have the band most days. i have rediscovered jeans and color in clothes.

Isn't color just the coolest thing? I did not realize how much black and brown I owned until I started replacing clothes! Guess I was trying to blend in.

[mandyb 3]

Hello,

My name is Mandy, I am 29 yrs old... dreading 30 in Sept. I was banded on Dec 6, 2010 and I have lost 77.2 lbs I have 2 cc's in my 10 cc band. Hoping they will take at least 1 cc out my next appointment.

I have 3 children, 2 girls 11, 10, and 1 boy 6. I have been married 4 years in June and we have been together for 6 years.

I work as a Case Manager with adults with developmental disabilities. I love my job! It is a bit stressfull at times but well worth it!

I am 1 year clean from SMOKING! I used the chantix to quit! Best thing I ever did for myself!~

I suffer from Anxiety and Depression and Asthma.

Losing 77 lbs has done wonders to my life and I am so much more active and full of life! I love being outdoors and in the nice weather walking, camping, biking, fishing... ect...

Check out my blog below.. I love new followers!!!

[lulu losingit 1]

Greetings from sunny South Florida,

I'm Amy. I'm 48; divorced once; no kids. But I do have 2 cats that keep me company. One is old and ill and gets shots etc so that keeps me busy.

Mandy, like you, I also work with the MR/DD population. I am a therapist/behavior analyst. I have 2 degrees - two careers. They do overlap a lot though.

I am only 2 weeks post op so just started enjoying Soup and yogurt. Trying to figure out how to have a social life that doesn't revolve around food.

A few posts back (sorry I can't remember who) mentioned bad aftercare. Can you tell us more about that. I want to make sure that I know what to expect for good aftercare.

Amy

[isit5yet 37]

Hi all! Great topic since I'm sure we see people come and go on this board; it's nice to know a little bit more about those who are currently active.

My name is Carrie, I'm 35, and live in Shawnee, KS, which is a suburb of Kansas City. I grew up in St. Louis (Go Cards!), and my family is originally from New York, so I have a crazy weird Midwestern/NY accent. Some things I say make me sound like I'm straight out of Brooklyn and I talk very quickly. I went to the University of Missouri (Mizzou) with a BsED in Secondary Education English and taught high school English for one year. My husband's job transferred him to Kansas City in 1999, and I followed. I've been married for 9 years, and we have a little girl who just turned 2. We also have two dogs: A 4 yr old black lab mix and a 12 yr old yellow lab mix - coincidentally Mizzou colors

I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2001 after gaining 40 lbs out of nowhere with no changes in diet or exercise since college. I was always athletic with cheerleading and track and field. I probably had PCOS in high school since my periods were very sporadic but the extreme workouts I did for my sports held off the weight gain. I went through four years of infertility treatments before being successful after rounds shots and IUIs.

When I turned 35 I kind of freaked out about it and realized that I'm lucky. I have no issues with blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, etc. I knew I wouldn't be lucky for long carrying around 100 more pounds than I'd like. The PCOS, even with Metformin, made it frustrating to lose weight and almost impossibly no matter what I tried. I decided the band was drastic but necessary. I was banded on 2/17/11 and don't regret it at all.

I quit teaching for numerous reasons when I moved to KS and started doing Project Management. I'm now a Quality Assurance Manager for a software company that does software for smartphones (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, etc). I actually get paid to play with the latest mobile devices; very sweet!

Nice meeting you all!

-Carrie

[MaineJackie 3]

Hi...I am Jackie from Maine.....I am almost 46 years old, single, never married mom to an 18 year old daughter. She is graduating high school and off to college next year....well...not really "off" as she has decided to live at home and commute! I was kind of looking forward to a house without a teenager but I guess that won't happen for a while.

I was banded at the end of October 2010 and am down 60 lbs. I have lost track of how much fill I have in my band...I have had small fill (0.5cc) at a time. I go on Monday for another one. I have been at a standstill with my weight for a few weeks so I am looking forward to the fill.

Jackie

[Pammy S Lewis 2]

great idea, cheri! thanks for starting this thread.

i'm pam and am 45 and live in L.A. i have been a tv producer for about 15 years and i have really loved my career (mainly reality and docs: a couple of new shows on OWN, apprentice, bachelor. my favorite one was a show several years ago called "starting over," that i won an emmy for).

i have suffered from depression since i was a teen and started taking antidepressants about 15 years ago. i was thin prior to that but they caused me to gain about 50 lbs, which i have never been able to lose. because of my discomfort about my weight (and because i live in LA where everyone is overly weight conscious!!) i stopped dating in my 30's and never got married. i did several years in therapy to deal with some other issues involving maternal neglect and finally ceased suffering from depression and am 90% off of antidepressants and feel great!! i knew though at my age that i wouldn't be able to lose the weight so when the fda recently lowered the bmi to 30, i decided to do it. i had to self pay and my weight is not life threatening (yet), so it was risky and expensive. am about a month post op and despite being stalled right now, i am happy with my decision to do the surgery.

i also decided to do a career change because tv is extremely demanding with long hours and i can't keep doing it into my old age, so i started grad school. i am almost half way done with my masters in psychology to become a therapist. am looking forward to a new career and losing the weight so that i can feel comfortable about myself to have a relationship again. i miss men!! :-)