KatyG

Robbyn, I echo your post completely. People look at me (now), who didn't know me before and assume I am 'tiny (as I am frequently called)' because I have always been, and that I have no idea what it is like to struggle with weight. If only they knew. People who have known me my whole life, and see recent pics of me, are coming out of the woodwork wondering how I did it, and 'Gosh, you look AMAZING, how did you do it, etc.' I get that A LOT on Facebook. I was overweight in high school and college and a ton of people have come to me asking what the heck I did. I also think some people may have 'added me as a friend' because word got out that Katy is skinny and they just want to see it for themselves. I am super proud of where I am and where I have been. But it does put me a little bit on guard. That guard comes down though when a really good friend of mine posts that I look 'smokin.' LOL. I loved it.

I can no longer eat a whole Lean Cuisine. I could however, until my fourth fill. I am at my 'sweet spot' (for me) and I can eat about a half Lean Cuisine now. The amazing thing is, I don't look at the leftovers with dismay, as I would have before. I love my tiny, perfect portions. Every single person is different, in how tight they want their band. You'll figure it out as you go!

Carrie, you look GREAT! What a difference!

I'll tell you like it is: the band has given me two really great things: great sex and cute shoes. LOL. I told DH I would suffer with some of the side effects of the band as long as the sex stays as good (it is amazing what you can do when you're skinny and limber, LOL) and as long as I can wear my 'hot girl shoes.' I love being able to wear heels, 3 1/2 inch heels that have a bit of a thicker heel, whenever I want, for however long I want, with no inkling of pain... That being said, when you first get your band, and you are losing weight, you have honeymoon period. You are in LOVE with being successful. I got my size 6 jeans and CRIED with joy. BUT, I want to be honest... the band is not perfect. It gets fickle, for no reason. I get tight for no reason, and can't eat much, and then a couple days later, I can eat more than I wish I could. The tweaking that will be required with your band will go on forever. That is something I wish I could live without. Someday, I may revise to a sleeve... BUT I will ride this band till the wheels fall off. I love being skinny, I love having energy, and I love having a brain that is no longer obsessed with food. The band is a great opportunity.

Barb, You definitely need an unfill. In the mean time, if you can keep liquids down that are hot (and hot is the KEY), do what I did when I got to the point you are: Buy some v8 juice and warm it like tomato soup. I sipped this morning, noon, and night until I could get an unfill so that I had SOME nutrients going into me. Hang in there, and DO NOT try to eat. Eating will turn into throwing up, which will in turn make you even tighter... Hang in there!

I met my buddy who had the surgery when I did on this forum. Now she is one of my best friends. I went alone, she went with a friend. It was good to have made a friend beforehand. She's gone through everything with me... We met up in Vegas to celebrate our bandiversary. Two very different looking people showed up to Vegas for that party, than the girls who showed up in MX. You'll be fine by yourself. I suggest you find someone who else who is going to be there. It will be helpful! Good luck!

I am now 15 months post op and am down to 142 pounds and a size 6. Unbelievable...

I used to drink 8 Diet Cokes per day. I cut that out. Along with that, I cut out all of the fake sweeteners... including Aspartame and Splenda. I no longer have sweet cravings like I used to. Pretty amazing. The fake sweeteners made me have HORRIBLE sweet cravings. That's why I drank SO MUCH Diet Coke, I am sure. I don't drink soda anymore. No cravings for it. It IS do-able. I was the biggest addict there was...

The only scar you can see on me is my port scar and it is very very faint. Even though I am over a year post-op, it is STILL fading... HTH!

Water and exercise will do a lot, but it will NOT prevent sagging skin completely. I felt like 'I got off' when I hit 180 and still had no sagging skin, but 170 hit and the batwings and the tummy wrinkle came out loud and proud... Is surgery in my future? Maybe. But I still know I look WAY better now even saggy, than I did almost 80 pounds ago...

YES! Size does matter. Sometimes, when the scale is being sluggish, a drop in size shows I am doing all of the right things and the scale will eventually catch up. I insisted I was a size 10 across the board even though I felt like I was 'shrinking' but the scale wasn't budging. We went into Ann Taylor and I was wearing 8's across the board... I jumped all over... size can't be our only focus, but it sure is something to rejoice about! Congrats!!

YES, it does fluctuate. I have 1 week per moth (right before PMS) where I can eat a lot more... It is really a weird phenomenon but it happens... Also, you may just need a bit more of a fill, if you have lost any weight, or if you were retaining any water when you had your fill...

Congrats! You look great!

Cold Eeze. We swear by them...

This is not true. If your fill doc follows Inamed/Allergan's fill guidelines for the VG band, it will not necessarily take any longer to get restriction. My fill doc follows the guidelines to the letter. I got 3.5 ccs the first fill, 1.5 second and 1.5 third fill and I was at my sweet spot. Some doctors don't distinguish between the 2 bands and fill based upon the 4 cc band, and that would take FOREVER to get restriction. Most doctors are more 'in tune' than that though.

Hi Annette, Are you too tight? Are you drinking while eating? Have you overeaten a lot and stretched your pouch? I find I stop losing if I am ingesting a lot of liquid calories... Here is a link to the 5 day pouch test... perhaps this will help... It doesn't hurt to give it a shot. Hang in there! http://www.5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html -Katy

I think of eating around the band as eating stuff that goes through the band easily... like cheetos and ice cream. Certain foods go right through and sabotage your weight loss. Also, as a previous poster mentioned, drinking while eating. This will wash everything through, also sabotaging...

you look great. Keep it up!

CONGRATS!! What a victory!

I hope that those scheduled for surgery are able to make friends with those who go on the same day... and keep in touch with them. It truly does make a world of difference. Thanks for all of the compliments... I appreciate it! I am not 'there' yet, but getting there, for sure. And DH took a picture of me this weekend in my bathing suit, AT MY REQUEST! That is a FIRST, I guarantee!

It really depends on the person, and OCC will be able to tell you better exactly what their specific standards are. Many doctors recommend a different type of WLS than the Band if BMI is over 50. However, each person is different.

The recommendation that was made is pretty much protocol for a stretched pouch. I would follow that doc's advice because it is exactly what Ortiz will tell you to do.

When I went in for surgery, I weighed 235, with a BMI of 41.0. I was embarrassed that I was 31 years old, and morbidly obese. I didn't suffer major health problems, except for sore knees, god-awful snoring that showed slight sleep apnea, and I was always tired. I had two little girls, ages 2 and 4, who I wanted to have a healthy active lifestyle with. I knew that in my current state, that was not going to happen. As a woman married to a man who could eat ANYTHING and stay underweight, I was frustrated and jealous. I didn't seem fair... The most discouraging part was the constant feeling of hunger. I was not someone who was addicted to food; I did not grab the bon bons when I was depressed. I was ALWAYS hungry. That feeling never stopped, even after I stuffed myself full after Thanksgiving dinner. I tried the diets, and lost weight, but it always came back, because that hunger was always talking to me. My husband and I talked about all kinds of options: diets, exercise, and surgery. He threw the Lap-Band idea out to me thinking I would reject it, and go on a diet and prove I didn't need a device. But instead, I embraced it. I was so tired of the roller coasters, the hunger, the tiredness. So, I did my research. I knew the likelihood of getting approved for a band with my weight and lack of health problems was extremely slim, so we decided to check out options in Mexico. I did my research. I did not choose someone with the lowest price. I wanted someone with experience, low rates of complications, and someone with the reputation of success. I settled on a few different surgeons as options, and made some calls. I felt comfortable with Dr. Ortiz's staff, and booked my procedure... to happen in 3 weeks. It became a crazy mind-shift. I immediately had to go on the pre-op diet of 2 shakes and a Lean Cuisine. But, I knew I HAD to do it, so I didn't suffer. I just 'bucked up' and accepted it. I flew to Mexico and met a woman named Julie down there, who was being banded the same day. We because fast buddies, and it was comforting to me to know I had a friend down there (my husband was at home taking care of the girls) who also was a nurse! We were both impressed with the facilities and the staff. I have 'hard veins' that are impossible to get an IV into. Each time I need bloodwork, it is a nightmare, and it is impossible to donate blood. They had a hard time to get blood, and trying to get an IV in, was hopeless. Numerous nurses poked and prodded, and nothing. I almost called for Julie, just so I had somebody there to hold my hand. But, Dr. Ortiz came in a visited with me, explaining that IV anesthesia was preferred but not the only option, and that I was going to meet with the anesthesiologist and discuss my options. He made me feel at ease and I was instantly calm. The anesthesiologist explained to me some different options and told me he wanted to do the anesthesia via IV, but would put me under with some gas so they could find an appropriate vein without all of the poking and prodding. I agreed, and soon I was on my way down to the OR. Recovery was a blur, pain was minimal. Julie, her friend Lynn, and I went to a beach in Tijuana for a bit to walk around and just get moving, and it was fun to take it slow, but get out for a bit. After I got home, I took motrin for about 3 days and was fine afterwards. I followed the post-op diet to the tee. It was not easy, but I also knew in order to have success, and to protect my investment, that is what I needed to do. Weight loss was slow, but steady. Julie and I kept in touch, and we started at the same height and weight before surgery. We've remained neck and neck in our weight loss, always cheering each other on, and giving feedback and help as necessary. Julie has been one of the best gifts I've received out of this whole journey. Most people don't get to experience a change from start to finish with a friend, someone who knows exactly what you're going through, with someone who can be so supportive. We're going to Las Vegas next month to celebrate our bandiversary and I can't wait to see the new Julie! I work in retail part time, a job where I am on my feet the whole time, running back and forth. The exercise I get from my job is great, low-impact, and I can't 'convince myself I don't have time for it.' I also have made a conscious attempt at keeping the time I spent on the computer 'on the couch' limited. My family and I have become more and more active as the weight has dropped. Before my surgery, I lined up my aftercare surgeon who would do my fills. I chose someone who would follow Inamed/Allergan's guidelines when doing fills, as well as listen to me. Dr. Pleatman followed the specific guidelines for my VG band but also asked me if I agreed with those guidelines or wanted to 'tweak' that recommendation. He is honest with me in what expectations I should have with the band. He did not 'coddle' me and he did not allow me to have false expectations. At my last fill appt, he quite clearly told me, “You're getting down to the end.” His end and my end may be different. I will never EVER be complacent, and I am still losing... but he has kept me grounded. The band is NOT a perfect fix. It is NOT an easy fix. YOU MUST WORK THE BAND. You MUST be conscious about what you eat and the exercise you get. You must have a dialogue and consistent follow-up with your doctor. YOU MUST REMAIN POSITIVE. You will plateau. Over and over. You'll go up and down. BUT, you must remind yourself that as long as you keep doing the right things, you will have success. On my one year bandiversary, I weigh in at 164. I have lost 71 pounds. My BMI is now 28.6. I went from being morbidly obese, to the middle of the overweight category. I have gone from a size 18/20 to a 10. My shoe size has gone from a 9 to a 7 ½. My goal weight is 140, so I hope to lose another 25 pounds in the next 12-18 months. BUT, I am realistic. If I stop losing weight and am doing the right things, then I know I am at a good final weight. There are no disappointments with my band, because I'm so much healthier in the new shape I am in. As soon as a moderator approves my pics, you can view them at: http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?auto...m&album=139 I also duplicated this post at: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f286/one-year-b...ge-thing-79277/ Pics are on that post.