FLORIDAYS

I will preface this by saying the following is written with compassion and concern but I dont sugar coat things. I worked hard to make the band work for me as I think everyone should. Sometimes thats not the popular way of thinking. You wrote that you are hurt and embarrassed. Why? If its because the Dr was being honest with you... you need to put your feelings aside and think about why you got banded. Did you know you would have to make food choices? Were you looking for a miracle? They havent developed that yet...altho I for one think this is close. For your Dr to say you are filled correctly is interesting. I wonder how he knows this? Were you communicating with your Dr each month about how the band is or isnt working? SInce you havent been in over a year I am guessing not. However that said...And I am not trying to be insensitive but what are you doing to help yourself? DO you eat 1000-1200 each and every day? Do you weigh your food portions? Are you exercising? DO you eat healthy? DO you drink Water? Are you able to eat more than 6oz of solid food at a time? If you dont have trouble with skinned fruit or popcorn or big chuncks of meat ...you may not be in the green zone and need a fill. I knew when I needed a fill. I had 5-6 before I felt I was in the green zone. After that... I "thought" I needed a fill some visits but I showed a 10lbs loss in a month and my Dr said... lets wait. Several times he talked me out of it... but a few times I explained why I felt I needed it and he gave it to me. Its because I was working with my band instead of thinking it would do all the work. And my Dr knew it so he respects my opinions. Even now... being 9 lbs from goal I see him every 3 months. The last time I was there he told me to stop tracking my calories. He didnt want me to be dependant on it. I was horrified.... and scared I would gain it all back. Guess what... that was 30 lbs ago!!! He was right. I know how to eat.. how to eyeball my portions. In summary.... if you want to be successful you must do whatever it takes to get there. Start with making an appointment and starting over... I would even ask if I could go on liquid for a week... just like in the begininning. But you need to want it. I think thats where you start. All the best to you!

Thank you so much for those kind words. They are really appreciated!

I think its really very simple.... first you must wrap your head around deciding to make the changes in your life. You have to do it for you...not your partner, your family, your friends, your love life.... just you. Its drastic in the grand scheme of things...its permenant! For me I had dieted my whole life and always gained it back for reasons I am not sure why except that no matter what I "learned" I always ignored it once the weight came off thus gaining it back. I needed a permenent solution and I felt I found it with the band. I learned that food is fuel. I only need so many ounces to feel satisfied then I move on to doing something else. I also did this for my health. I was 50 years old and didnt want to die. I was really scared that I woulod have a heart attack or something. I didnt have an health issues but my Dr said it was coming...... if I didnt make some changes. I was very strict with myself. Maybe too much but I know if I wasnt i would have never made it. Even now I am 9 lbs from goal so I can relax a little but most days I dont. I just want to "get there"! Another thing to remember is you can still function in social situations. I see people on this board asking about...what do I do if type of questions.ANd they are so worried about what people will think. Here is the thing. No one really cares what I eat. If I go to a birthday party I limit myself to eat one bite of cake. I just do not want or need any more. And no one is going to say.. hey...you need to eat that whole piece of cake or I wont like you! Or if I am out with friends having pizza... I have 1/2 a normal sized slice and then I am full. No one says... hey you have to eat 2 slices or we wont respect you. And most importantly If I am watching tv and hubby is snacking on a bowl of whatever... 1 peanut is enough. He isnt going to tell me to eat 2 handfulls!! Its all about setting limits and being true to yourself. As for the medical end of it.... if you do exactly what your Dr tells you... you will succeed. Period end of story. My Dr is very happy with my progress...except one. I didnt exercise. Ok..well I walked 2 miles every day but I didnt go to the gym like he wants me to. I am just not comfortable there yet. But he knows I have followed his orders to a T. I didnt cheat on my pre op diet. I came to every single appointment. I gave up carbonation (ugh). I tracked my calories...never eating more than 1000 which was the number we came up with for me personally. I took my Vitamins and I drank enough Water to fill a whole lot of swimming pools. He told me the band will do 70% of the work. I had to do 30%. SO far this has held true.

You guys are so sweet!, I just want to pay it forward becaue I once was new and remember seeing so many people on this board who lost weight and I was on the other side,,.. It was motivating to see so I thought I might be able to help someone!

I am self pay 10k for me too.... 5k down and balance interest free for 2 year through hospital. (no finance company) but after 2 payments for $208 they sent me a letter and said if I could pay it off by end of month the would reduce it 50%... so in theory it cost $7292 This include 3 months of fills and all Dr appointments. Now appointments are $25 and if I get a fill its $50

I found if I didnt drink enough water it slowed my loss down... it wasand still is a huge factor for me.

Several people asked specifically how fast the weight fell off...when I hit plateaus etc.... so I decided to post my weight tracker of my journey from my phone ap. There was no particular way I tracked it... just when ever I thought about it I entered it. I am obsessed with the scale... but the results are worth it. So here it is.... my loss by the numbers...so far Goal: 160.0 lb Start: 377.0 lb Date Weight 2-Sep-12 169.0 lb 25-Aug-12 170.0 lb 14-Aug-12 173.0 lb 12-Aug-12 177.0 lb 9-Aug-12 179.0 lb 1-Aug-12 180.0 lb 22-Jul-12 182.0 lb 21-Jul-12 183.0 lb 19-Jul-12 183.0 lb 14-Jul-12 184.0 lb 16-Jun-12 187.0 lb 11-Jun-12 188.0 lb 28-Apr-12 191.0 lb 20-Apr-12 199.0 lb 17-Apr-12 201.0 lb 14-Mar-12 206.0 lb 11-Mar-12 207.0 lb 27-Feb-12 209.0 lb 30-Jan-12 214.0 lb 25-Jan-12 216.0 lb 22-Jan-12 218.0 lb 16-Jan-12 220.0 lb 12-Jan-12 222.0 lb 10-Jan-12 224.0 lb 31-Dec-11 225.0 lb 24-Dec-11 227.0 lb 16-Dec-11 228.0 lb 9-Dec-11 229.0 lb 5-Dec-11 230.0 lb 4-Dec-11 231.0 lb 1-Dec-11 233.0 lb 30-Nov-11 234.0 lb 29-Nov-11 234.0 lb 26-Nov-11 236.0 lb 20-Nov-11 237.0 lb 28-Oct-11 241.0 lb 27-Oct-11 241.0 lb 24-Oct-11 245.0 lb 21-Oct-11 247.0 lb 19-Oct-11 249.0 lb 27-Sep-11 252.0 lb 19-Sep-11 254.0 lb 12-Sep-11 255.0 lb 9-Sep-11 257.0 lb 7-Sep-11 259.0 lb 31-Aug-11 261.0 lb 30-Aug-11 262.0 lb 22-Aug-11 264.0 lb 15-Aug-11 266.0 lb 12-Aug-11 267.0 lb 4-Aug-11 268.0 lb 2-Aug-11 269.0 lb 30-Jul-11 270.0 lb 29-Jul-11 271.0 lb 27-Jul-11 272.0 lb 26-Jul-11 273.0 lb 23-Jul-11 274.0 lb 14-Jul-11 275.0 lb 8-Jul-11 277.0 lb 5-Jul-11 279.0 lb 4-Jul-11 280.0 lb 2-Jul-11 281.0 lb 25-Jun-11 282.0 lb 15-Jun-11 283.0 lb 11-Jun-11 284.0 lb 9-Jun-11 285.0 lb 7-Jun-11 286.0 lb 29-May-11 287.0 lb 28-May-11 288.0 lb 26-May-11 289.0 lb 19-May-11 291.0 lb 14-May-11 293.0 lb 10-May-11 295.0 lb 9-May-11 297.0 lb 6-May-11 298.0 lb 30-Apr-11 299.0 lb 28-Apr-11 300.0 lb 21-Apr-11 301.0 lb 17-Apr-11 302.0 lb 12-Apr-11 305.0 lb 13-Mar-11 308.0 lb 11-Mar-11 309.0 lb 8-Mar-11 311.0 lb 6-Mar-11 312.0 lb 4-Mar-11 313.0 lb 27-Feb-11 316.0 lb 16-Feb-11 318.0 lb 13-Feb-11 319.0 lb 11-Feb-11 320.0 lb 9-Feb-11 321.0 lb 5-Feb-11 322.0 lb 29-Jan-11 324.0 lb 20-Jan-11 326.0 lb 16-Jan-11 327.0 lb 15-Jan-11 328.0 lb 12-Jan-11 329.0 lb 5-Jan-11 332.0 lb 1-Jan-11 334.0 lb 31-Dec-10 334.0 lb 9-Dec-10 352.0 lb 24-Nov-10 377.0 lb

agreed...call your Dr

I read it backwards.... I dont see the hidden message......

thank you I was a maniac about sticking to a diet.. This was a very drastic decision for me and I decided to do whatever it took to make this work. so I followed my Dr's orders and ate 1000 calories each day. I can tell you I can count on my fingers the number of times I "cheated" and even then it was a bite here and there.... the band wouldnt let me eat more than 1 cookie!! As for junk food... If you mean ice cream cake, chips, fast food.... none of it. My go to crave was peanut M&Ms... And I would limit myself to 2 when I needed a fix. Seriousy 2 was enough. I stay away from all fried food. Here is an idea of a typical day Bfast - sugar free carnation instant Breakfast ( early food is hard for me) morning snack - banana or 90 calories Fiber bar lunch - 3-4 oz tun mixed with fat free dressing, lettuce, onion, tomatoes / 6 wheat thins / sugar free pudding cup afternoon snack - v8 juice dinner - 4 oz fish, chicken, pork or beef / 1/2 baked potato or wheat Pasta / 1/2 cup of veggies nightime snack - sugar free popsicle hope this helps

LOL its all relative.... I am tall and no one guessed me at 377... most would say... 250 / 275 mybe. I think its because I carry weight low.... my legs were tree trunks. But maxi skirts were my friend. LOL My measurements were / are Bust 46 now 34 Waist 43 now 29 Hips 77 now 38 so I still carry low....LOL Damn Genes

Not really.... the hardest part of all of it was the pre op diet in my opinion. I was on Optifst for 2 weeks.... not eating for 2 weeks did make me realize i only need to view food as fuel.... other than that I had one 3 week plateau which was frustrating ... it was about when I hit the 100 lbs loss mark... but looking back I didnt have any major obsticles.

its not as bad as I have seen...but there i most certainlly excess skin. I would say the worst places are my upper thighs, under arms and boobs. My tummy isnt too bad but I have a 1/2 inch of flap at the hip area and my belly button now frowns which i really hate. Nothing a tummy tuck and boob job will not fix. I am not sure about getting the arms and thighs done.... that seems very drastic to me although I am sure they would look better. The good thing is I look pretty good in clothes. In a bathing suit I look...well... a little wrinkled. But I think thin, healthy and wrinkled is better than fat and unhealthy.

I tried to eat 4 oz protien, 1/2 c of veggies and 1/4 c of starch at each meal as soon as I was off liquids. Some days you will finish it... but most days especially in the beginning you will not. 1000 calories each and every day worked for me. My Dr wanted 1500.... but it was just too much and I didnt lose well. I discussed it with him and he agreed to letting me go to 1000-1200...which worked very well for me.

I would bet there arent many people in your office who hasnt dieted at one time or the other. You dont have to say anything other than ... I am dieting if nosy people inquire. Remember this is about taking control of YOUR life. And mixing up the Optifast tastes better with ice.... so why not enjoy it? Best of luck!

Hopefully you have a Dr. appointment soon because I am sure your surgeon will have an answer. I didnt have that specific trouble but maybe someone on here may have. Hopefully its nothing but I would certainly ask the Doc! Congratulations on making the decision to change your life!

I got mine the day before surgery.. Nice huh. But then that was the last one I had.....my obgyn thinks my weight loss maybe somehow triggered my body into menopause ....Sounds weird I know but everything checks out... And I am through menopause according to my blood levels.... and I never ever realized it...I guess there was too much going on in my body....but I sure do not miss it!

My dr was an optifast guy too... I had to have 5 each day during pre op diet... I wasn't allowed anything but shakes, v8, chicken broth and sugar free Popsicles. The shakes are so much better if you mix with ice in a blender. I on,y liked the chocolate...but others have added flavoring to the vanilla ones I have been told. Just drink them super cold. If a blender wasn't availed...like at work I would pour them in a cup and toss in the freezer for about 20 then shake.

Obviously this is my post band list...lol 1) sugar free carnation instant Breakfast 2) tuna fish 3) chicken noodle Soup 4) v8 juice 5) sugar free Jello instant pudding

I felt like I was floating but I got in 1000.

For those of us over 50 who have lost over 200...it's a sadder state of affairs. If you look closely at my profile pic you can see all the skin on my arms. It's not as bad as I thought but if time and money weren't an issue I would do something about it. My upper legs are the worst...and my tummy isn't horrible but it could use some lifting.... And my chest is....well all I can say is thank goodness for padded bras. I may look into the chest....and I hear they can do the tummy at the same time so we'll see.... Being young I would think you should fare pretty well.

I wasn't allowed avo's on my pre op diet because I was on a liquid one. However as much as I enjoy them theyre so high in calories I eat them rarely.

I didn't do it nor was it suggested by my surgeon. Which of course doesn't mean wearing them wont be beneficial ....but I wasn't required to.

I was told no caffeine on the pre op diet. But then my dr is pretty strict from what I have heard on this site...

I started in 2-3x shirts and 26/28 or 4x skirts and shirts or leggings so I had been blasting through a lot of sizes! I basically pinned my skirts until it just wouldn't work and more.... Then I started buying cheap .... what I call disposable clothing... Tj maxx, Walmart, target, old navy online sales are super......etc. I work in an office but it's not suits and heels thankfully so I work skirts and blouses or leggings with long tunic sweaters in the winter.. I would buy elastic waist stuff so it was forgiving.... And then start the pinning again when they would get too big. I only had about 5 things I rotated for work and not much more than that for the weekends. It's funny it as you get closer to goal the clothes seem to too big way faster...before I could make them last through 40 or 50 lbs... Now every 10 lbs I am noticing things are too big! It's a fun problem to have.... But costly. I did go to a few thrift stores which I would never have imagined myself doing in my fat days. I bought 4 tops which all had the original tags that were all brand names...for 4 bucks each!!