nothereanymore

I’m there as well, had a partial unfill and have been putting off going for the total unfill. However it’s really on my lists of things to accomplish. I would like to not worry about tightening under stress, travel or all of those other fun times (PMS, salty foods, etc.). I need to know that I am strong enough to control my relationship with food on my own without relying on the band. However I have this bit of fear that if I do it I will start to gain the weight again. Having some fill does keep me “honest” with my eating. I’ve taken classes on eating healthy, focused myself on having a good relationship with food and still don’t trust myself enough to do it. I most likely will do it at some point, and if I start gaining the weight back, I'll just go in for a fill - that's actually what’s so cool about the band. We can manage it, for life. Try it lose, or tighten it up if needed - with what other WLS can you do that? Damn we’re lucky….. Best, Lisa

Congrats Shelby - that's awesome!! Get a picture up for us! I'm telling you sometimes the weight is just the weirdest thing. I can weigh more at times and my clothes are loser. I know now that since I work out so hard that my body just does odd things, and I do know muscle weighs more than fat – and I’m very muscled out. And since you're doing the same that might be it. One note - I’d rather weigh more, have a more toned and tighter bod – than weigh less on a darn scale. Best, Lisa

I've been very open, told my family, not everyone right away - but when the moment was right or if I was asked how I was losing the weight - I was honest about my band. I'm not looking for approval and I didn't get any negative responses - just questions, which can sound negative when you're just getting the band, and if they ask why you are going to Mexico for it, Dr. Ortiz's reputation and experience makes that an easy explanation - just pull his website and credentials. Anyone with half a brain can figure out why you’d go to him. Be aware that it’s generally a pretty emotional time for us when we first get our band; we're making a huge change in our lifestyle and can take things personally. If anyone was negative I'd probably shut them down, it’s my body, my life and my decision - they can support it, or not - but if not - they need to keep it to themselves. We have enough to deal with in learning how to succeed with our band, as well as dealing with the emotional issues that come from not being able to rely on food anymore to deal with our emotions. (For me it was a big change to not be able to “eat” through my emotions). One note - as you go out and eat you do have to be good at hiding how you eat - which is different. (It’s nice to have a support system to help, at times I'd have help with eating all the food). I use to tell business associates that I was on a diet back in the day, now at a size 2 and still eating smaller amounts, it’s not working so well..... Its actually harder now than it was back when I was losing weight. Best, Lisa

Red, You're right in the middle of bandster hell time, it happens. Just make sure you are measuring your food and focused on eating bandster style. You'll do fine. I find that I can gain between 5 to 6 pounds really easily even now. Most of it is water and muscle weight. I think its just part of who we are – so I try not to focus on it if I’m doing the right things. (Now if I’m not exercising and eating crappy foods, then I know I “deserve” to gain the weight. And then I just jump back on the band wagon and start focusing on eating right). Your first fill will help you learn to “feel” your band – but remember it often takes a few before you hit your sweat spot. Don’t sweat the small ones and stay focused on your success! Lisa

Alley, It’s really hard for us to not lose weight. What you'll hear most is that people lose at different rates. Some fast, some medium, some slow. But we all own a part of our success and the failures. It’s a great tool, and you are so lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to regain your life again. Obesity can really hold many of us back from living life to the fullest. Based on my average rate of gain before the band, I would now weigh 335 pounds if I didn't receive my band, instead I received the band and now I weight 135 pounds. Follow the rules and your chance of slippage is low - don't and you can put yourself in jeopardy. It’s generally our mistakes that get us into trouble. And make sure that you always work with Dr Ortiz and his team, they are great at assisting and making sure we are in good hands. You decide where you want to be and you control your success – I never want to be that morbidly obese person again – its not who I truly am. Take care, Lisa

Hello RevyD, I received my band on 10/6/2006 I’m done with my journey – lost 140 pounds from my high. It took me about 18 months to reach my first goal, and I lost about 85 to 95 pounds the first year and then the rest came off throughout the second year. (I never thought I’d lose 140 pounds, around 100 was my goal - however I really got into exercise and fitness and I continue to change my body). Along with the help of PS.... I’m 47 so I’m a baby boomer like you. It’s been great; I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Ortiz and his staff at the clinic. I'm live outside Seattle, so I'm in the NW as well. Best, Lisa

Not me - there was no way I was going to jeopardize my band, and would not have taken the chance under 6 months. I had a wedding at almost 2 years and I let the champagne sit - and drank a little toast. I've had some drinks in the last year after letting it sit and de fizz - but it taste bad and I can fill it on my band. For newbies out there – you own it – it’s a risk, like anything – you might take a chance and try something and nothing bad happens – then again – it may. You have to decide if it’s worth the chance of doing the damage. We are told not to do it for a reason, and I get that its hard and honestly most of us have a weakness in the first place or we wouldn’t be here with the band – but at some point we need to step up and take a stand if we want to succeed. And if we don't succeed we need to honest about how we used our bands, and how we treated them. Its a tool, treat it right and its very powerful, treat it wrong and you just wasted a lot of money, the doctors time, your hopes and efforts.

Go on a wine tasting tour and find what you like - they are fun and I always find something new to like!! There's great wineries up your way Stormy, go have some fun and visit them!

Hi, and welcome back - you've been missed! I'm so happy for you - I have the VG and haven't had that much put in at one time - but we're all so different that you do have to work with your doc and do what's best for you - not worry what others have done. I'm excited for you and have complete confidence that it will work for you! Keep the motivation up - we own that ourselves and have to learn to work it - I know it’s hard sometimes, but you need to find it in the little things some times! Just like sometimes when I wake up and remember how in the morning my feet use to hurt when I first walked – it was due to all the weight I put on them – they just got soar! I never get that now! Find the changes and think about how far you’ve come – you’ve got this amazing tool, you have a great doctor to work with you – you have us! The world is your oyster!! You deserve the best! Lisa

Ahhhh, Carrie, congrats - you look so beautiful! What a great transformation, I love watching your journey - you're truly an inspiration to us all! Can't wait to see what the next year brings for you! Its going to be awesome! Best, Lisa

Pammie, congrats – you are such an inspiration and role model for us. I can’t thank you enough for always being there, and I love how you honestly share your opinion. You’re never afraid to speak your mind and you do so with a kind, honesty that is so respected and appreciated. You’ve documented your progress in photo’s and share with all to help pave the road for others to reach their goals – you just ROCK!! You’re the best girl, congrats on your success – we love ya!! Lisa

And I agree, you both are looking amazing! I'm not into the crystal lights anymore - I do try to stay away from anything that has the really strong chemicals in it and both have things in it that may affect the liver functions which can lead to obesity. (Read the labels then do Google search on some of the ingredients you can't pronounce and don't understand – its pretty interesting). I buy a bag of lemons at Costco and squeeze one into my water – add some agave nectar, or organic sugar to it and I’m good to go. (With restaurants its super easy – I always ask for lemon on the side for my water – I like lots). http://www.lookgreat-loseweight-savemoney....emon-water.html Best, Lisa

This is very normal, you're in bandster hell time. You do have to focus and fight the mental hunger, don't push - keep eating small amounts. Remember you have shrunk your "old" stomach since you've been on liquids to 4 weeks so you do have restriction from that. The worse thing you can do is eat large amounts and push the limits. It will change with your first fill, however we're all different - some take longer to get to their "true" sweet spot - but even if the first fill isn't heavy - its a great learning. This is the time when you really have to focus - we all have been there and understand that it is hard. If we did it - you can do it too! Congrats on your band, and cheers to you starting your new journey! Best, Lisa

(sorry for the late reply) One other thing we can't do - any juice (sorry) I just have fresh fruit in the morning, with nuts, fruits and veggies to use as my snacks. I generally will cook some chicken breasts, or salmon and bring that to lunch at work - then eat some at dinner, with stir fried veggies. I’ll eat a lot of frozen fruits, (like mangos and blueberries – those are a great desert). I drink a lot of green tea with fresh squeezed lemon and lemon water. I only eat when hungry and I'm sure it can get boring but when your body starts getting all of the good for you foods it does stop craving and after 2 weeks you get a lot of pent up energy and it can lead to heavy exercise. After 2 weeks I can add in organic breads (unbleached white flour) and organic milk and honey. Be careful, you can really feel it when you add these back in. Best and hope all is going well! Lisa

Hey Carrie, If you have a good plastic surgeon, and the right body type (which means he can remove much of your skin and fat) you can. My stomach was absolutely holding me back from exercise – it got in the way mentally and physically. Dr. Nyte told me that if we need to go in and do an aug later we could (didn’t need one, and that means to go in a just take out any extra skin if needed - normally they are really small amounts) the after pictures are over a year after surgery. That’s also why I did an extended rather than a tummy tuck with lippo, I had so much skin and fat to remove. I’m glad I did it and was able to get focused on exercise – it worked out great for me. I've been able to sculpt my body through exercise to my plastic surgery and work with it. Best, Lisa

I personally wouldn’t, the less to lug around and worry about the better - just use those at the hotel and the center. Pack light – travel easy!

I didn’t have much pain, (that was worthwhile to mention) or much gas and I didn’t take GasX or any other medication, including the pain pills we were sent home with or any aspirin. Like everyone says we’re all different – but one important point, out of the thousands that have been banded by Dr Ortiz, only about a hundred are actively posting. Generally people post when they have questions, or need advice – the truth is most are probably out there running around without much pain like I was and trucken on their merry way. Even if I had more pain than I dealt with, I can honestly say now that I’m done that it could never be near the pain I suffered on a daily bases dealing with my obesity and the baggage of carrying over 130 pounds around on a daily basis. Mentally and physically it was horrible. You may have some pain and discomfort and you may not. There’s no way in hell that I’d ever give up a chance to live a healthier, happier, more fulfilling life. Best, Lisa

Since so many of us lose the weight so fast and we go through so many different sizes – I also thought it would be smart of us to put out the word when we see a big sale. Right now there is a sale going on at White House / Black Market: http://tinyurl.com/nmv2lq Also there is a coupon code for $20 off an order of $80. White House | Black Market Coupon: $20 off Your Merchandise Purchase of $80 or more Coupon Code: 8889 It worked for me (but there are no guarantees on these) I just put in the coupon code box at checkout. Have fun! Lisa

Wow Pammie!! I can't believe you are done - how amazing! I can't wait to see you after the wraps are gone - please take it easy! I was thinking about you all day yesterday as I drove back and forth from Boise with the grandkids. (What a trip) Would have much rather been there with you! (Between the car sickness, Cooper throwing up, handing him what I thought was just my extra clean shirt to wipe his face off with, then realizing that there was a lacy pair of thongs tucked in, then he realized the same - I think he'll be traumatized for a while). Take care! Lisa

Sabrina - congrats - that is so awesome - I can't believe it came up so fast!! You're doing great! And girls, those times when you are stalled - try this, stop eating all grains, sugars, coffee and milk for 2 weeks and focus on eating really clean. You can do meats, but focus on not processed (free range - organic) veggies, fruits, beans and watch what happens. I'm not kidding you - it’s pretty impressive. Understand that you will most likely feel sick for a few days as you detox. (Lemon water works wonders). I can lose between 8 and 12 pounds doing this - and that’s at a lesser weight. (you still have to eat in the right process - meat, veggies, fruits, beans. And you don't mix them up. When you exercise - Shelby I know you're getting ready for a marathon, but if you threw in some lunges before you ran, 50 sit-ups and pushups - mixed it up a bit - just to give an extra kick to change it up. Good luck - and remember - you can't stall forever - its not possible! Lisa

Hey Diana, I did exactly what you’re doing right now - I asked people who had tummy tucks what they liked, didn’t like, what they would change. I then went out on the internet and looked at hundreds of before and after pictures – found what I liked and what I didn’t like. I then brought my concerns, questions and preferences to my doctor. He helped me to understand what were realistic ideas of what I could expect, and what he could try to provide. Below is a great website to look at hundreds of tummy tucks. I tried to find one’s I liked and ones I didn’t like, I also looked for people who I thought might scar like me and see what they looked like. For example my scars tend to keloid so I looked for girls like me to have an understanding of what I could expect. In regards to lippo, Dr Nyte recommended it, I explained that it was important to me to have curves - he explained that lippo really helps to bring them back - I listened to him and it did. http://www.locateadoc.com/pictures/cosmeti...tummy-tuck.html Hey Stormy, I did have a breast lift, but not at Cosmo, however I've only heard great things about them. From my experiance , they do get smaller - but its fine since they are much perkier and higher and they look bigger - however I did have an aug 6 months later - missed the D's and wanted them back. In regards to the TT quesion, I know that my doctor works around the port and so do the doctors at Cosmo - you do want someone that has experience working with us - they can't pull down from as high up as a normal pt without the port - but it still looks fine. From my past research it doesn't include the stay - but its a great price. Also it wasn't that bad for me - I was just so happy to have that "thing" gone. Dr Nyte has a special were a tummy tuck is $3950, http://www.nytesurgical.com/index.cfm/PageID/2966 Have fun exploring and researching! Lisa

Very cool - yaaaa!! Welcome to the start of your journey - I can tell, you're going to have an amazing ride! Get some sleep and rest up! Congrats! Lisa

One thing I noticed that I don't see mentioned is salt - it really affects my band, when I retain water due to high salt I really get tight. I was having some issues and finally started writing down everything I was eating, and dealing with in my journal and it really helped me to better understand my band and what affected it. The weather is a great one - both hot and cold weather get me tight, and flying (that time) - however stress is my band killer - it always gets me. That's my main focus and the hardest one to manage.