freelance frog

Just stopping by to say it's ALLLLL worth it!! Every gas pain, every struggle, and every doubt that creeps in (because they do sometimes!) I'm 15 months out and have lost more than 150 pounds. I feel healthy and strong and I look damn good if I do say so myself! The first year flew by for me, and thinking back on it it's better than a dream come true! I'm a different person in so many ways, and there is just no price tag that could be placed on that kind of gift. It wasn't easy, but watching the pounds melt off was so sweet that I wasn't even tempted to slack off! I've always loved life, but the 125 pound me loves it with gusto! Hang in there!

Happy wedding planning!! Loved your blog today ~ I love hearing positive stories, and it doesn't happen all that often it seems! Isn't it fun to share?! Congratulations to you! You look AMAZING Miss BOMBSHELL!!

Thank you phatkatblue!

I wasn't put on a special diet either! I was happy about that lol, I wasn't looking forward to what everyone else was having to do. Now that I'm at my goal I can tell you not to worry about it.. it didn't make a bit of difference for my journey!

The day of my surgery I weighed 273! My highest recorded weight was 278 I believe.

I can share a super positive experience with you! I am almost 10 months out from my surgry (april 12, 2011) and I have lost almost 130 pounds altogether! I feel absolutely fabulous!! I will be doing my monthly check in in a few days with more details.. but just know that the lap band works VERY WELL if you are dedicated to losing the weight! I currently weigh 150 pounds and I can say without a moment's hesitation that my lap band not only changed my life, but saved it! It works if you work it!!

It's a good thing!!! I have lost more than 120 pounds in 9 months, and the one thing I can count on is that I can almost always eat steak!! You are one of the lucky ones, and it may not last forever, so enjoy it while it does! I don't know why I can eat steak easier than hamburger, chicken, or any other type of meat. Maybe because I take care to chew it better, it chews up easier because of the texture?? I don't know, but I LOVE it! I have issues with the strangest things, but I can eat steak, and because of my need for protein, I truly appreciate this fact! SO... don't be sad.. be HaPpY!!

Strangely enough I didn't start losing the girls until i was 8 months post op!! FINALLY I'm seeing them go and I couldn't be happier! Of course that's after I bought 2 Victoria's Secret bras that cost a small fortune LOL!! They aren't disappearing quick, but they're going. From what I've heard from 99% of my weight loss buddies, that's the usually the first thing to go. I don't know what happened in my case. I literally lost over 100 pounds before I noticed any loss in the boobs!

in 8 months you lost 106?? Holly moly! I can not wait..

Yep.. 8 months! You can do it!!

Remember that even when the scale isn't moving, you can be (and probably are) still losing inches!!

It happens to me, still almost 8 months later and remembering that always makes it a lot easier! Hang in there!!

Hmmm.. I was banded 4/12/11 and to date have lost 105 pounds. I have had several fills, and haven't ever counted my calories. EVER!! I just eat what my band allows, and when I'm full, I'm done. Over time and with my fills my band has disallowed different foods, but I seriously haven't had to worry about a single calorie, fattening food, sauce or dessert. I absolutely can not tolerate anything carbonated. It makes me so sick... so I'm grateful for that because I can't drink my calories either (pepsi, coke, beer, etc) But if I want cheese on something I eat it. If I want sour cream on something, I eat it. I decided from the very beginning that I wouldn't have a miserable experience with eating, and I absolutely haven't!! I love that I can eat whatever I want, but my fills keep the band tight enough that I can't eat enough of it to sabotage myself! The key for me has been to listen to my body. Thankfully, overeating isn't comfortable, and super crappy food makes me throw up!

So... while what you have done worked great for you, I have to add that there are other ways to be successful with your band and have the same rate of weight loss along the way! It's not always all about calories in and calories out!

Congratulations on your success Michael! I love hearing how the band works for everyone differently!

Oh, by the way.. I'm a little over 7 months out and have lost 98 pounds! Seee... there's hope! You're going to be fine!

I ate corn chips on day 3 post surgery, I had to do it, I really needed to chew something LOL! I ate very few, probably 5 or 6, and trust me, there were no bad consequences! You'll be alright! Promise! I didn't feel a bit guilty about doing that for the record.. I knew that 6 chips weren't going to do any damage. However, had I eaten the whole bag, and did it again the next day I'd have worried! No harm, no foul.. tomorrow's a new day! Hang in there!

No honey, you're not being mean, but this is going to happen. He doesn't have the lap band, you do. And I'm sure you knew how it was going to be before you got it. I don't want to sound mean to you, because I'm on your side. I get it. It's not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but I promise you it will be worth it!!! It stinks that he mentioned he wanted to share the cookies with you. That was definitely thoughtless, but it's pretty new, and maybe he forgot, or just wasn't thinking. At any rate, I don't feel like you will be able to expect him to not make popcorn, not have snacks, and not continue to eat the same way he did before. Think about how difficult it was for you not to eat that way before surgery, and what you had to go through in an effort to make it stop. YOU had the surgery, so the difficult part is yours to take on. It would be awesome if he could manage to stop eating in his normal way to make it easier on you, but that's not likely to happen. Sooooo, the best advice I have to give you is to hang in there, and don't be too hard on people for doing what they have always done. And mostly, remember that nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!! NOTHING! You can do it and I hope you will. By the time your first 100 pounds is gone, you will realize that it was a very small price to pay! Trust me on this! Cheering you on from the Nebraska prairie...

Cheering you on! How exciting!!

You look absolutely amazing!! Happy Bandiversary!!

I'm not sure why your band isn't working how you think it should.. but if there's any chance at all that it's not working because you're not helping it, then the gastric bypass and the gastric sleeve won't work for you either. It's possible to cheat ALL gastric surgeries by eating the wrong things, and not changing your habits. And like LovetheNewMe said, I too know two people who have had gastric bypass, lost all of their weight, and now weigh more than they did when they started. I also know 1 person who did that with their band and have heard of MANY more.

You have the perfect tool. This isn't an easy journey.. I hope you will give your band the chance to do it's thing for you. 4 months isn't that long.. if you do what you're supposed to do, nomatter how hard it is, I don't see how you can't lose your weight eventually unless there is some other medical issue not being addressed.. in which case I'm out of my league for advice.

Hang in there!! YOU CAN DO THIS!!

I agree with everything zil has said in the above post. I'm sorry that you aren't finding support where you hoped you would.. but it's important that you keep searching for that support, because without it this journey will be much more difficult! Ask your surgery coordinators if there is a support group for lap banders in your area that you can attend!

I"m not going to lie to you.. you will miss eating the way you used to, but once those pounds start to melt away, you will have more resolve, more determination than ever to keep on going. I've been very pleasantly surprised at how I still find it very enjoyable to cook food for my family, and am completely satisfied to sit with them while they eat like normal people, and I eat what I can eat.

I've lost more than 95 pounds since April, and girl, I don't miss eating that way anymore!! I look and feel fabulous, and it was worth the difficult beginning when all I wanted to do was eat the way everyone else ate. Quite honestly, I love being the one at the table who eats fractions of food portions, and easily turns down dessert without a problem. It feels fantastic, and I hope you will find this out for yourself!

Hang in there Daisy!

Cheering you on from the Nebraska prairie!! :welldoneclap:

Yes, you toot that horn!! Beep Beep! Way to go!!

hehe it made me laugh too!! Thank you arnetta!

-44 pounds in 3 months is pretty fast weight loss lady!! YOu should be VERY proud of that! You'll always have people trying to tell you what's best for you.. just let it go in one ear and out the other! You are doing AWESOME!! Cheering you on from the Nebraska prairie!! :woot:

You didn't ruin anything for yourself. My doctor advanced my diet fairly fast.. I was eating solid foods by the end of the second week. He let me advance as I could tolerate it and I did fine. I'm at six months post op now and have lost more than 85 pounds, so I'm fairly sure I didn't screw anything up by doing that! Don't worry!

thank you myseason and Glenda045! It's been a very exciting journey so far! I'm excited for both of you and will be cheering you on from the Nebraska prairie!!

I agree with SageTracey! Don't be afraid to celebrate every little thing along the way.. sometimes the end goal can seem so daunting, but as you celebrate each little victory it will help you to realize that you're really getting there~~ however long it may take! Even if the scale isn't giving up the pounds you may still be losing inches!! That has been a big one for me.. I've found that when I'm not dropping pounds, I drop more inches! It doesn't make sense in my head, but it's reality! Every time you drop a size, or realize a non-scale victory get on here and toot your horn! It not only will help you to feel better, but it will help encourage others too!