Why I am in love with my Lap-Band

[TheProfessor 378]

I was banded in Mississauga (Toronto) on December 18th, 2014. I am 11 weeks post-op and down 37 pounds.

It may not be a ton of weight lost, but its all gone, gone gone forever, and I am losing slow and steady. As I lay in bed last night, I touched my ribs (I have ribs?!) and reflected on how things have changed for me since being banded two and a half months ago.

I realized last night that I am totally, completely, madly in love with my band. Here's why:

• My size 22 pants fall down to my ankles if I don't wear a belt.
• Even when I do wear a belt, my size 22 pants look like I'm wearing a parachute.
• I can put on my "old" jeans without unzipping/unbuttoning the fly.
• My tummy scars are a proud (and only slightly scary) red/purple, and serve to remind me every day of the commitment I've made to myself.
• My College students talk about me when they think I have my back turned/can't hear them and say things like "Damn, she's looking GOOD".
• I no longer have to use a "bath sheet" sized towel. A regular sized one wraps around my bod, thanks very much.
• I am no longer winded when I climb a set of stairs.
• People at work tell me hair looks AMAZING. What they are actually saying doing is choosing my hair as the way to give me a "YOU LOOK AMAZING!" compliment without verbalizing my obvious weight loss. This gives me JOY.
• I can no longer feel my thighs pressing against the sides of my office chair.
• Truth: In the shower, I no longer have to lift stuff up to wash other stuff. Seriously.
• When I get up to pee in the middle of the night there is no pain in my body. Anywhere. The aches are gone.
• My favourite LL Bean down jacket from before I chubbed out FITS ME and I can zip it up easily.
• I proctored an exam the other day sitting cross-legged on a desk.
• My herniated disc (due to obesity) has resolved. I can now roll over in bed pain-free.
• I can sleep on my stomach again. This is also something that gives me JOY.
• I sat on the floor with a group of students the other day, and realized I had gotten up again with absolutely NO EFFORT.
• I can chug water! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do this after being banded. (It's the little things...)
• I have been watching my cheekbones emerge. Wow.
• Our grocery bill has gone down dramatically. I eat 1/3 (if that) of what I used to eat. My husband says with the grocery money saved since being banded we could buy a cottage in Muskoka. (lol!)
• Speaking of my husband, I weigh less than him for the first time in a decade.
• And more about my husband: I've noticed him touching my bum. A lot. And smooching me up. And hugging me close. He's proud, I can tell.
• My band gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) reminds me to slow down when I eat. Thank you, dear band.
• I have learned what freedom from the hunger monster feels like, and MAN OH MAN is that ever sa-weet.
• I have a constant backdrop of satiety. I no longer think about, or worry about, my next meal. Love those band adjustments!
• I am looking forward to getting into my MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op - the Canadian version of "REI") 'Rad Pants' I've kept from 1994. They are red, they are a size 10. The summer is almost here and with it comes a canoe-trip. I will be wearing those pants.
• I feel like a I have a new lease on life. Woo hoo!

It's okay to stall. It's ok to have the occasional chocolate banana fritter. (Whoops - damn it was good). I am in a love affair with my band, but more importantly, with myself.

THIS is why I am in love with my band.

Happy happy!

[ivona0909 38]

Thank you for this post!

This is so encouraging for the ones like myself who are going through this process . I am having surgery on March 20th and have had a little bit of anxiety but your post took all of that away ! .. I cant wait to have my very own post about my Lap-Band

Good luck with everything !

[TheProfessor 378]

Hooray ivona0909! March 20th is just a heartbeat away. You must be getting so excited! I know in my 2-week fluids diet the time dragged so slowly, and drinking just fluids got a little tired at the end ... but it was just SO worth it.

You will find this board a wonderful place to have questions answered, good discussions and supportive chat! Do keep us posted with your progress and journey - you will find so much support here!

[enjoythetime 1,457]

This just made me smile. You're doing fantastic! Your post just made me remember all of those "first" feelings It's great isn't it. Just think, it only gets better!!!!!! Thanks for the reminder and for the smile. This was great!

[gabita 8]

Mine is April 6 im happy already

[B-52 7,113]

Congratulations....

Not to be a Debbie downer, but it's still very early. Enjoy the Honeymoon....everyone looses weight post surgery simply from the diet one must follow, and for Obese people, those first pounds are easy to loose...I've done it 100's of times.

Eventually, the reality of real weight loss is going to sink in, the fills and band adjustments will start, the adjustments one must learn to make to oneself and the band can be very difficult, and frustrating.

You say you can chug Water...that's good....say that a year from now, if you progress with the band.

Again, not want to rain on your parade, but I would not want you to be one of those who start calling themselves a failure or complain about stalls and want to give up when in reality it's all part of the program.

Everyday there are people on this forum saying they failed and get down on themselves when in reality it has not even started. They're not looking at the big picture, or perhaps can't see it yet...

But know this, the band DOES work. And it's for life, not just the first month or two. IT EVEN GETS BETTER than most people can ever imagine!!!, Orr want to believe!

But again, congratulations...you are obviously very motivated and getting a good taste of what success can be like....and that's saying a lot.

[TheProfessor 378]

Debbie Downer (love it...) - Fear not, got this thing in perspective. Got my reality goggles on and firmly adjusted.

I am indeed a motivated, 'big-picture' person. The years (yes, years) I spent researching the realities, stats, potential complications etc. of the band to see whether it would be a good choice for me have mentally, emotionally and physically prepared me for setbacks and stalls. I'm actually in a stall at this very moment!

Yep, I see it all as part of the bigger plan.

I'm a person who is upbeat, buoyant and positive in the face of adversity - and the decision to be banded was not taken lightly. The deep research, reading and realities all weighed heavily in my decision, and so I go on into this next 'settling in' phase armed with knowledge and PREPARED for the long haul.

(Ain't the first few months fun, though?!)

Especially nice was yesterday - easily slipping into a pair of black dress trousers I haven't been able to wear in 4 years. Comfortable, dressy, gorgeous. Felt like a million bucks at my lecture yesterday. This is a nice honeymoon thus far!

[Bandista 7,466]

Happy happy joy joy! I love your list and your excitement. At sixteen months out I am still jumping for joy and totally in love with my band, too. Going to a party this weekend and wearing a shortish dress with tights and boots. I feel so good now. Damn, we are something! PS my husband is proud, too -- loves me just the same but I like how he smiles when I'm undressed. Oh, and even though I looked like I had been in a knife fight post-surgery, I can't find all my scars now. Little dots, really.

[Bandista 7,466]

Just noticed we have very similar stats.....

[TheProfessor 378]

Yes we do, Bandista - I noticed that, too! Congratulations on being in the 180's (almost in the 170's!) ... I've been over 200 pounds since 2004. Though I know we are always discouraged against comparing ourselves to others on the board, It is kind of neat to track the progress (in a curious and non-competitive way) of someone who is roughly the same height and start weight as myself.

Good to hear the scars fade a little bit. I just this moment finished a visit with a girlfriend (one of the two who know about my WLS) and showed her my scars - her eyes popped out of her head.

I kinda like 'em. "Physical history" - they remind me of my commitment to myself.

[mom2201 3]

Thank you to TheProfessor. I am so grateful to have read your post on 'firsts' it made my day.

I am getting banded April 6, and I'm so excited. Almost to the 2 week pre-diet, and have been trying to do it early. Why? I'm trying to prepare for the hard first few days of that. However, have failed each and every day, mainly due to a horrible headache, that goes away as soon as I eat something. BI finally realized, this is why I chose the LapBand. The hunger issues I can't seem to get a handle on, and

Mainly to feel good/proud about my health/appearance.

[mom2201 3]

Sorry, sent that too soon.

My post was to say Thanks. I am so happy I found this. Can't wait to post some 'firsts' of my own. ????

[TheProfessor 378]

Hey @mom2001 - lovely to hear from you!

April 6th - oh my goodness, so close!!! Yes, the headache is just you detoxing. I think many (if not all?) of us really had a couple of YUCK first two or three days, and yes, headache was part of it. For me the headache went away around day 3-4, and I started feeling AMAZING. I was NOT hungry and felt great on the Protein shakes I was having. I will admit that I burst into tears day 10 of 14 from the frustration of craving something SALTY or CHEWY or ANYTHING other than Fluid.

It passes. Just like everything with the lap-band, the WHATEVER passes.

It's a wonderful thing that you are doing this for yourself - appearance, health, whatever. :-)

No matter what, you will benefit from (and LOVE!) the band! I did it for my health, but I have to tell you - the benefits in my appearance, how I feel (No more pain!) and my overall well-being have been tremendous!

[hmj2015 13]

I love this post! Thank you!!

[TheProfessor 378]

Just an update: I am so close to "One-derland" (weighing in the 100's) that I can taste it! Wah - I'm so excited!

I was banded 8 months ago, and I am down 58 pounds. I currently weigh 201 lbs. I have not been in the 100's for 15 years... I was 160 when I became pregnant with our baby girl... and then I ballooned up to 259 lbs in the 15 years that followed.

Now I'm down these 58 pounds I have changed my lifestyle and my relationship with food significantly. I am alcohol-free, (that habit was packing on thousands of calories a week!) plus I no longer eat rice, Pasta, bread or chips. I am on the treadmill 3-4 times a week and my FitBit tracks my steps.

I have learned not to be too attached (yes, I still do some serious comparing from time to time) to the results of others and realize that my progress is mine and mine alone. unique to me. Patience, patience patience... and trusting in my process.

This is why I am in love with my band - it is my constant companion and serves to remind me of what a healthier ME feels (and looks!) like.