So now that we are at the halfway point or almost

[Mom2_4 0]

Lets do a nosy poll.

1. What have you learned about yourself since you have been banded?

2. What has surprised you most about being banded?

3. What foods do you miss that you can't/won't eat anymore?

4. Do you regret being banded?

5. Would you recommend the band to anyone?

6. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything?

7. Would you do it all over again?

8. Has your self esteem improved?

9. Has being banded changed your personality?

10. What do you dislike about being banded?

[Ezma 2]

1. What have you learned about yourself since you have been banded? That I really am capable of losing the weight and that if I could make it through the 2-week pre-op diet, I can make it through anything.

2. What has surprised you most about being banded? That it is more about me changing my habits than the band doing all the work. Sadly, I didn't know this before the surgery.

3. What foods do you miss that you can't/won't eat anymore? pizza and Pasta. Restaurant food.

4. Do you regret being banded? No way! Best thing I've done for myself in a long, long time.

5. Would you recommend the band to anyone? Would and have done so. Three people from my company are in the starting process of it.

6. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? Would have made sure that they got the hospital tax id right so I wouldn't have had to wait until the next year and lost my flex spending money for the surgery.

7. Would you do it all over again? Oh yeah!

8. Has your self esteem improved? Oh yeah again! Told my husband that now I feel like a normal fat person, not some deformed oddity.

9. Has being banded changed your personality? Not really. It's put me back to myself. Gaining the weight changed my personality.

10. What do you dislike about being banded? Not being able to gorge out on something truly delicious if I want. Having to worry about getting stuck and throwing up. Not being able to swallow pills.

[Ezma 2]

Fun thread by the way. Thanks.:biggrin2:

[tapshoes 2]

Lets do a nosy poll.

1. What have you learned about yourself since you have been banded? That I am a food gulper...eeks!

2. What has surprised you most about being banded? The hard work it involves to succeed with the band - it ain't magical!

3. What foods do you miss that you can't/won't eat anymore? There is no food that I cannot eat. I choose to minimize carbs, but I have not eliminated anything.

4. Do you regret being banded? Nope, not at all.

5. Would you recommend the band to anyone? Absolutely - although as I haven't told anyone except DH it is unlikely anyone would ask my opinion!

6. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? Do it sooner - about 20 years sooner!

7. Would you do it all over again? Yes

8. Has your self esteem improved? yes, definately

9. Has being banded changed your personality? Other than my confidence, I don't think so.

10. What do you dislike about being banded? The rare PB

[ReadySteadyGo 8]

I'm not near my halfway point.

Hoping to get there asap

[JaimeSTL 4]

1. What have you learned about yourself since you have been banded? I have more willpower than I ever realized.

2. What has surprised you most about being banded? How much and how quickly my life would change.

3. What foods do you miss that you can't/won't eat anymore? Not really anything. If I want something, I have a small portion. I still eat pizza, fast food, ice cream, chips, etc., just not nearly as much as I used to.

4. Do you regret being banded? No way!

5. Would you recommend the band to anyone? Yep, and I do all the time.

6. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? I would say I would've gotten it sooner, but I don't think I was emotionally ready to make the committment before now.

7. Would you do it all over again? YES!

8. Has your self esteem improved? Yes

9. Has being banded changed your personality? Not really. I'm still me, just a more active and happier version of me.

10. What do you dislike about being banded? Having a huge needle stuck into my stomach for fills. I'm very needle phobic.

[kjeter 1]

1. What have you learned about yourself since you have been banded? That I don't have to stuff myself full to be happy and satisfied.

2. What has surprised you most about being banded? That I could actually learn a fear of some foods!

3. What foods do you miss that you can't/won't eat anymore? I miss bread. I haven't had a single bite since January. I used to eat soooo much bread!

4. Do you regret being banded? Never!

5. Would you recommend the band to anyone? Absolutely. I'm trying to talk one of my sisters into it right now. She's on the fence only because of the $$$ involved.

6. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? Yes. I wouldn't have eaten that piece of chicken that ended up being my worst stuck experience ever!!!

7. Would you do it all over again? Every day of the week and twice on Sunday, honey.

8. Has your self esteem improved? Oh my gosh, yes! I feel sooooo sexy!!!

9. Has being banded changed your personality? Absolutely. I'm so much more outgoing. And another weird thing... as I've thrown out my larger clothes, my closet has gotten so much brighter! I wear bold colors and patterns now that I would have NEVER worn before.

10. What do you dislike about being banded? Okay, I do miss chili dogs and burgers, I have to admit. But I like slim thighs and perky boobs much better!!!

[Mac the Knife 1]

Please disregard this post.

Edited August 21, 2008 by Mac the Knife

[Donna113 2]

1. What have you learned about yourself since you have been banded? I have more willpower than I ever realized.

2. What has surprised you most about being banded? How much and how quickly my life would change.

3. What foods do you miss that you can't/won't eat anymore? Not really anything. If I want something, I have a small portion. I still eat pizza, fast food, ice cream, chips, etc., just not nearly as much as I used to.

4. Do you regret being banded? No way!

5. Would you recommend the band to anyone? Yep, and I do all the time.

6. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? I would say I would've gotten it sooner, but I don't think I was emotionally ready to make the committment before now.

7. Would you do it all over again? YES!

8. Has your self esteem improved? Yes

9. Has being banded changed your personality? Not really. I'm still me, just a more active and happier version of me.

10. What do you dislike about being banded? Having a huge needle stuck into my stomach for fills. I'm very needle phobic.

90 lbs in 5 1/2 months! Wow! Congrats!

[Shinyhappymommy 2]

I love this. Thanks for asking these questions.

1. What have you learned about yourself since you have been banded? I have learned that I am capable of living a healthy life and that it's not just for anal-retentive thin people. I have discovered that I was actually eating a very unhealthy diet and learned how to change that.

2. What has surprised you most about being banded? How easy it has been. I am not throwing up all the time or getting food stuck because I've done fairly well at a medium-to-loose fill.

3. What foods do you miss that you can't/won't eat anymore? I haven't discovered anything that I can't eat, but a big ol' bowl of popcorn or ice cream, or a stack of Cookies are things I won't allow myself, but sometimes wish I could.

4. Do you regret being banded? Heavens, no.

5. Would you recommend the band to anyone? I would recommend to people that need it that they research the band and see if it might be a good option for them. I wouldn't try to convince anyone because it is a serious surgery. My success has been a huge testimonial for others.

6. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? I would go with a different surgeon. My surgery was great, post-op guidance was lacking. Nutritional support was weak.

7. Would you do it all over again? In a heartbeat.

8. Has your self esteem improved? Yes, drastically.

9. Has being banded changed your personality? Being fat changed my personality. Losing that fat is bringing out my original personality. It's like finding myself again, when I didn't know I was lost.

10. What do you dislike about being banded? Trying to figure out if I have the correct amount of fill. Stressing over whether or not I need another one when I might just be at a natural plateau.

[JaimeSTL 4]

90 lbs in 5 1/2 months! Wow! Congrats!

Thank you!

[travel_anna 1]

Lets do a nosy poll.

1. What have you learned about yourself since you have been banded? I don't really enjoy food - I never did. I just eat when I am bored.

2. What has surprised you most about being banded? How much I have to chew. Sometimes I stop eating a meal, just because I am tired of chewing!

3. What foods do you miss that you can't/won't eat anymore? Sometimes I miss the taste of french fries. But I never eat them because they get stuck...

4. Do you regret being banded? No way! Best decision ever, even though I have had slow weight loss and have to be unfilled for about 6 weeks because I was too tight for a few days.

5. Would you recommend the band to anyone? ...and everyone...

6. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? I wouldn't have gotten such a big fill the first week of July - it only set me back for the whole month of July because I had to have such a large unfill. Really, I just needed about 0.2ml more (where I am now) and it would have been perfect.

7. Would you do it all over again? Absolutely

8. Has your self esteem improved? Without a doubt

9. Has being banded changed your personality? I have always been outgoing, and when I got heavier, that changed. I am back to the person I always used to be.

10. What do you dislike about being banded? People making comments like, "Are you feeling alright? You didn't eat much. I ate enough for the two of us."