Hi all. I joined this group shortly before my my surgery on 12.18.06.
I have posted once or twice since then. I decided to sign on and
update on my progress. Two weeks before surgery, I was at an alltime
weight of 327 lbs! Most of this was due to stress at work plus the
fact that I had to appeal twice to my insurance company for the
surgery. Over the course of the past 6 months, my health and life
have changed drastically. No longer am I a slave to FOOD! 10 days
after surgery I joined 24 Hr fitness and began doing YOGA. This in
and of itself made a big difference in my healing time. At 6 ft 5
inches tall and 28 years old, the lifestyle of eating fast food and
not exercising was killing me! Practicing Yoga and working out 3
times a week over the past 6 months combined with the lapband, today
I am 71 bounds lighter weighing in at 257.

I have lost 9 inches in my waist and 10 inches in my chest. I've had
to buy new clothes and the old me has returned. As far as the fills
are concerned, the first couple of fills I did not see any
restriction at all. However, the last fill I had was the most
restrictive of all. At first I thought something was wrong because I
was not able to digest meat on the 2nd day, but then I realized that
I needed to take things slowly. That was 2 weeks ago and I feel
great! To anyone who is skeptical about the surgery, please don't be.
Just remember to follow specifically what Dr. Fox says. Be sure that
you go in at regular intervals to see him so that he can talk with
you about your progress. You may think this is not important, oh but
it is. He has a wealth of knowledge and information and it is always
good to let him know how well you are doing and have your questions
answered. It just feels so good to no longer crave soft drinks,
sweets or BREAD!!

There have been times over the past 6 months that I have gotten down
on myself because I wasn't losing the weight fast enough...but that's
the beauty of lapband...it comes off slowly and it is up to you how
fast you lose it.

There is no magic pill or tonic. It is about more than just not
eating as much...it is about improving the quality of your life.
Being active, making healthy choices for yourself. So to everyone who
has had the surgery...CONGRATULATIONS because it saved my life!

Regards,

KWC487
12/18/06

327/256/200