♥LovetheNewMe♥

I like many had a high BMI over 40 but I wish I had done something sooner, when I was younger. I had surgery at 54 and over the past 20 years I have lost and gained the same 100lbs over and over again. I seriously hope with lap band I have finally learned how to eat and keep this weight off. Before surgery I was told your not fat enough just go on a diet you can lose the weight. (5' over 250 is fat, got pictures to prove it) Now all I hear is how skinny I am and don't lose anymore weight. I weigh 130. Well guess what, I really could care less what they think, I love me, I love how I feel about me and I am the only one I need to please. Do I sound a little selfish well it is about damn time.

Excellent article. Losing weight has so many ups and downs and a new set of problems around every corner. I feel one of the most important steps in successful weight loss is continued follow up with your surgeon, nutritionist and psychologist. So many try to do this on their own and fail to under stand why they fail. After all the did have WLS and why is it not working. I wish the medical community would stress the needed follow up for their patients. The emotional side of this journey is extremely hard and requires a lot of behavior modification. Relationships do change afte weight loss no matter how hard you try to keep them the same. I am a different person now after losing 112 lbs. I look at food differently and I chose not to place myself in situations with people that continue to not eat healthy. Now I can't a avoid my family or family events but I can always chose to bring healthy alternatives and show my family that Healthy Food does taste good. I think in the beginning I really believed that I would not change but I have and I really like me better now than I did before. I like my choice to live healthy, eat healthy and exercise. I feel very passionate about what an opportunity WLS has given me, it has given me my life back.

Great job, I remember when I hit 100lbs, lost never thought I would get there! Keep up the excellent work.

Excellent article. Losing weight has so many ups and downs and a new set of problems around every corner. I feel one of the most important steps in successful weight loss is continued follow up with your surgeon, nutritionist and psychologist. So many try to do this on their own and fail to under stand why they fail. After all the did have WLS and why is it not working. I wish the medical community would stress the needed follow up for their patients. The emotional side of this journey is extremely hard and requires a lot of behavior modification. Relationships do change afte weight loss no matter how hard you try to keep them the same. I am a different person now after losing 112 lbs. I look at food differently and I chose not to place myself in situations with people that continue to not eat healthy. Now I can't a avoid my family or family events but I can always chose to bring healthy alternatives and show my family that Healthy Food does taste good. I think in the beginning I really believed that I would not change but I have and I really like me better now than I did before. I like my choice to live healthy, eat healthy and exercise. I feel very passionate about what an opportunity WLS has given me, it has given me my life back.

I am 4 years post op and I can only speak for what helped me continually lose during my journey. Always eating Protein first, staying away from sliders, not eating something just because it would go down, exercising and drinking lots of Water. The journey is hard and it takes time to change bad habits but with patience and perseverance you can do this. Yo-yoing is common and can be frustrating just like staying at the same weight no matter what you do. It took us years to pack on the pounds and it takes years to get it off. Good luck to you and hang in there. PS: I am at goal, it took me 2 years to loose from 262 to 122. Today I weigh 130's. I overshot my goal and needed to gain some back because I was too thin! Never thought I would say that do it is possible.

I am 4 years post op and I can only speak for what helped me continually lose during my journey. Always eating Protein first, staying away from sliders, not eating something just because it would go down, exercising and drinking lots of Water. The journey is hard and it takes time to change bad habits but with patience and perseverance you can do this. Yo-yoing is common and can be frustrating just like staying at the same weight no matter what you do. It took us years to pack on the pounds and it takes years to get it off. Good luck to you and hang in there. PS: I am at goal, it took me 2 years to loose from 262 to 122. Today I weigh 130's. I overshot my goal and needed to gain some back because I was too thin! Never thought I would say that do it is possible.

I am 4 years post op and I can only speak for what helped me continually lose during my journey. Always eating Protein first, staying away from sliders, not eating something just because it would go down, exercising and drinking lots of Water. The journey is hard and it takes time to change bad habits but with patience and perseverance you can do this. Yo-yoing is common and can be frustrating just like staying at the same weight no matter what you do. It took us years to pack on the pounds and it takes years to get it off. Good luck to you and hang in there. PS: I am at goal, it took me 2 years to loose from 262 to 122. Today I weigh 130's. I overshot my goal and needed to gain some back because I was too thin! Never thought I would say that do it is possible.

Great job, I remember when I hit 100lbs, lost never thought I would get there! Keep up the excellent work.

I had my first fill 4 weeks after surgery...4cc's
was told to come back in another 4 weeks, and that I would be coming in every 4 weeks for at least 6 months.
Anyway, after my first fill, I started to GAIN WEIGHT!!! I too was a little hesitant about going in for my second post op visit...
My Dr. laughed at me....said all new patients are the same, we just don't "get It"
He explained everything the best he could to me, how the band worked, it is adjustable and can take time, explained why I had to come in every 4 weeks, explained the "Yellow-Green-Red" zone poster he had hanging on the wall.....
So he gave me my second fill, 2cc's for a total of 6, which was 8 weeks after surgery. After my second fill I stopped gaining weight....really did not loose either, just held steady until I came in for my 3rd fill....now 12 weeks after surgery...he gave me only 1cc, which now came to 7cc's total.....
That last fill, of 1cc, put me over the top fir sure....like many people here reported, I could not keep anything down, even trouble with liquids...this went on for weeks. called him to get that last 1cc taken out, but he talked me into waiting it out a little longer....I'm glad he did. It was not the band that was the problem, it was me...I had to to change to meet the expectations of the band....but that's another story.
I read posts her everyday from people, many who have just has surgery withing the last 90 days, sometimes as little as a week or two, complaining or rejoicing about the weight they either loosing or not loosing....
IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY!!! We're talking about something that will change you for the rest of your life (if you let it)...it takes time to get it all balanced out...took me 4-6 months before the band really kicked in and I started to loose consistently....took around a year before I started to feel comfortable and normal living well within the Green Zone...been there ever since, longer I'm there the EASIER it gets!
EASIEST THING I COULD HAVE EVER DONE!!!! But getting there was the hard part!
It's now 4 years and I don't think about it all that much...what and how to eat is now second nature, normal.
So to all those just starting out, stop and think about it.....give it a chance...give it time....and start now to learn the lessons that you will need to survive later down the road as the band starts to do it's thing. Lessons like a new way of eating. Which foods to give up. What kind of foods to concentrate on...and most importantly IMO, is how to "LISTEN" to your band, learn how it will speak to you and what it is trying to say....if you get stuck, etc, it's saying something!!!
And remember, in spite of the negative posts, this thing DOES WORK!
I have no fear of the Holidays, no needed strategies or challenges (other than enjoy myself) because I have learned to live with the band and let it dictate everything. Not me.

James you look great, I am also 4 years 3 months post op. My spouse and I have had our ups and downs along the journey but we had a strong bond do we have made it. He was proud of my weight loss and feels like he now has a trophy wife. ( his words not mine) I am comfortable in my new body now, it took me a while but you are right it does help to have a partner to lose with. I had two friends who also had surgery, one the sleeve and one bypass. They both were Julius because I lost well, but what they failed to relieve is I worked at it day and night. Happy for you, and a great transformation.

Hey I lost my butt but I got the smile! When I was younger my mom said she always hemmed my skirts 2 inches longer in the back because they would hike up from my big butt. See I was scarred as a child and doomed to have a big butt.

I obviously went to bed to early last night, LMAO. You guys kill me!

Excellent article. Losing weight has so many ups and downs and a new set of problems around every corner. I feel one of the most important steps in successful weight loss is continued follow up with your surgeon, nutritionist and psychologist. So many try to do this on their own and fail to under stand why they fail. After all the did have WLS and why is it not working. I wish the medical community would stress the needed follow up for their patients. The emotional side of this journey is extremely hard and requires a lot of behavior modification. Relationships do change afte weight loss no matter how hard you try to keep them the same. I am a different person now after losing 112 lbs. I look at food differently and I chose not to place myself in situations with people that continue to not eat healthy. Now I can't a avoid my family or family events but I can always chose to bring healthy alternatives and show my family that Healthy Food does taste good. I think in the beginning I really believed that I would not change but I have and I really like me better now than I did before. I like my choice to live healthy, eat healthy and exercise. I feel very passionate about what an opportunity WLS has given me, it has given me my life back.

Excellent article. Losing weight has so many ups and downs and a new set of problems around every corner. I feel one of the most important steps in successful weight loss is continued follow up with your surgeon, nutritionist and psychologist. So many try to do this on their own and fail to under stand why they fail. After all the did have WLS and why is it not working. I wish the medical community would stress the needed follow up for their patients. The emotional side of this journey is extremely hard and requires a lot of behavior modification. Relationships do change afte weight loss no matter how hard you try to keep them the same. I am a different person now after losing 112 lbs. I look at food differently and I chose not to place myself in situations with people that continue to not eat healthy. Now I can't a avoid my family or family events but I can always chose to bring healthy alternatives and show my family that Healthy Food does taste good. I think in the beginning I really believed that I would not change but I have and I really like me better now than I did before. I like my choice to live healthy, eat healthy and exercise. I feel very passionate about what an opportunity WLS has given me, it has given me my life back.

Congratulations on your success and hope you continue to do well!

Congratulations, you look amazing, so happy for your success!