okiekatt

Luck girl here, no weight needed on DL
My most recent NSV is going from size 24-26 jeans to 18 dress pants 20 jeans.
Love making a pile to get rid of clothes, also makes me nervous!lol

I WEIGHT LESS THEN WHAT MY DRIVERS LICENSE SAYS!!!
I just noticed this, I can remember it being as high as 40 lb. over, but too
embarrassed to update it, Always thinking by next renewal I will loose it only to have gained a few more. I am so happy right now!
What is your latest NSV? I really LOVE reading them!!!!!!

Okay curiosity got the best of me...I'm about 10 lbs less than my drivers license!! How encouraging. I always have them bump the number up when I renew. This year I will make SURE they move it down!!

Oh my goodness. I just got my DL out and it is 29 lbs less than I weigh right now. Better than 5 1/2 months ago when it would have been 95 lbs less. Thanks for forcing me to look at it. Makes me feel pretty good.

I just checked in my wallet and oops...my weight listed is 18 pounds under my current weight! Not as bad as 3 months ago when it was 46 under (the truth).
Congrats to you and your NSV!

Wow brebre I thought I was reading about myself! You are not alone. I am 2 years out (as of 12/20) and started @ 238 and am now 206..and the scale hasn't moved in a LONG time. I too often make wrong choices, take bites too big and eat too much, and then end up in the bathroom, regurgitating loads of that same clear mucus you describe. One of the issues is I think my band is too tight because I am getting discouraged with that lump in my throat feeling and "wet burps" sometimes after just a few bites so I am eating slider foods which is very bad. But I have been afraid to ask for a little unfill fearing I will still make the wrong choices b/c I often get cravings for sugar/salt/fat and if I get a little unfill then I can eat more. On the other hand if my band is a little looser maybe I would be able to eat the appropriate foods high in Protein and then I wouldn't crave the junky food. I have resolved one thing tho even if I cheat on wrong foods, DON'T drink my calories-EVER-it becomes wayyyy to easy to get wayyyyy to many calories. Frappes, Juices, smoothies, milk etc. You will put on weight faster than you can blink your eyes and it is easy so you will do it more and more.
Anyway brebre, I know EXACTLY where u r coming from and I hope you can conquer the mental thing and I hope I can too!!

Please avoid the mistakes I made by having high expectations. I lost a ton of weight out of the gate and stalled out. Reason I lost the weight was bc I was eating right, I was eating to protect my post op tummy. Then, when I couldnt feel restriction - all the rules and seminar guidelines went out the window. Finally with my 4th fill - I have that elusive restriction that everyone talks about. If I DON'T eat slow, it feels like a tree branch going down sideways. I have to avoid the slider foods now and get on track. Enough about me - good luck to you.

LENGTH ALERT! (This has very detailed tips and tricks, so this is not a short post. Just a "heads up")
People asked me a lot how I went from Slow Loser to getting to goal. I did better my second year of banding and when the weight came off - it really came off.
This is something that worked for me, and I recommended to other Bandsters.
Granted, these are tips that's not in any LapBand brochure or doctor's manual, and YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY - but if you already think of yourself as a Slow Loser like I was, then maybe you will be open to trying something to shake things up a bit.
When I needed a weight-loss push, I didn't cut down on calories much (if I'd recently had a fill adjustment, that's different) but in general:

I *added* Protein to every thing I ate.


This helped me to lose steadily (although it sped up my weight loss, more importantly it kept it steady). And it worked! Some Bandsters in my same banding date were better at counting calories - I wasn't. Some were better at counting carbs, I wasn't, but I excelled at ADDING protein. And I did well and later, other fellow Bandsters were asking me for help and tips. :crying:
How did I do it? I did not reduce calories or the amount I consumed (without a fill it wasn't much need to try that) and yet, I still lost. (I added a little bit of Beans, or a sprinkle of cheese (my favorite), or eggs - whatever I could. I didn't reduce what I ate, but I "upped my protein" - and it worked.
With the band, if you eat more protein, you generally will find yourself eating less overall - it doesn't feel that way but you do.
Every single time I added more protein to my regular Band-friendly meals, I lost more weight, even though I wasn't eating less calories sometimes. Sounds crazy - but in my particular case, if I didn't keep my protein levels up, my body held on to calories a lot more. Who needs their bodies "hoarding" calories? :thumbup:
If adding a bit of food meant I would lose more, it was worth a try. It worked.
And I paid attention to the TYPE of protein I ate. (Even before banding, I didn't eat beef or pork at all. And the band was developed in other countries where the pork and beef consumption is a lot lower than it is here in the 'States. I'm not a vegetarian, I just eat seafood and poultry only. My doc said this helped my weight loss a lot because the protein I ate was leaner, not fattier protein like pork/ham/bacon or beef/hamburger/fatty red meat. So I didn't have to regulate my portions as much as some Bandsters did. My can of tuna did more for me than a hamburger ever would have.)
Also, I'm a single/childless Bandster who lives alone, so I eat out for almost every meal. If I could make it to goal - while eating out - ANYBODY can.
How did I do it? Here were some tips.

At Breakfast, with my morning egg(s), I added a bit of cheese on top. Or I would have cottage cheese added. For protein and hunger reasons, cottage cheese did better than yogurt for me - unless I just had a fill or was very very filled or adjusted. The most filled I am, the less I eat in the mornings. So especially if you are not at your sweet spot, try Proteins that "stick" with you more to keep hunger away. Yogurt alone was not good enough of a Breakfast for me, with the band it just went through, and wasn't really filling. Now if I charged up my yogurt with lots of nuts, seeds, and wheat germ - then BAM! I'm not much of a cold Cereal eater (I prefer hot cereals) but if I had one I made sure it was a protein-packed one (I LOVE Grape Nuts cereal best. Go Lean is awesome, and several of the Oatmeals & Cream of Wheat cereals have good protein content. I also added a few nuts to those, too. If I had a yogurt smoothie drink as a snack, I had them had a half scoop of Protein powder (a full scoop can make it too thick sometimes) or some soy or nuts.
Lunchtime was easy to get more protein in. I'd eat a scoop of tuna salad or chicken salad for lunch - and have them add some shredded cheese, some seeds and/or some nuts. I also love Soup. Usually a cup is a nice start to my lunch if I'm having a scoop of salad or tuna. If it's my whole lunch I get a bowl of Soup and eat what I can from it. My band will tell me when to stop. Almost any kind of any soup is great with a sprinkle of cheese or nuts added. Beans, too!
With my dinner I always like a cup of soup to begin. Gets me going, jump starts & 'primes' my band and it's a great protein opportunity. Then if I could, I concentrated on seafood. ANY type of fish worked great with my band - From catfish to salmon to snapper to Tilapia. Or even shrimp or my all time favorite, calamari. I enjoy oysters in season and clams all year. The weeks that I ate more seafood, I lost more weight - across the board. Usually grilled is a good choice to be honest I even ate it fried (sorry, weight loss experts) and I still did well. And with my seafood, if I could I added beans to almost everything. With my steamed veggies, I added nuts and a sprinkle of cheese sometimes. I know it's not very It really does work!

See when I restrict my calories or even when I try to cut down on fat - I usually just end up cutting down on protein. And no matter how "well" or how much less I eat, if I cut my protein my body won't 'burn' up the fat. It holds on to it. I know that protein is the fuel that helps the LapBand machine work and not trying to diet or 'cut down' was a blessing to me.
I've had other Bandsters try this, and yes they are skeptical at first but when they start seeing inches lost (muscle really does weigh more than fat, so your clothes tell you before the scale ever will) then they get on the bandwagon. So don't just 'cut down' - ADD some food on your plate. That's right. ADD MORE nuts, boiled/diced egg, beans, cheese, seeds and other yummy forms of protein. Your body and your LapBand will thank you for it. Also adding protein allowed me to eat fewer carbs and save them for what was really a nice treat - a nice martini or occasional glass of wine, with dinner. Yes, I'm a drinking Bandster. All the successful European Bandsters I knew drank a glass or two now and then and they were my role models. I can't drink a lot AT ALL - a little goes a long way, but it was nice to get to goal weight without ever missing a Friday Happy Hour. I got the band to enhance my life, not take away some of the things that make it enjoyable. I eat out at restaurants, I go have drinks with friends - and I feel and look great. BRAVO!
Good Luck to you. (And since so many people asked me the same question in private posts - that's why I am posting it on the Slow Losers board too...)
Keep up the good fight. I did it - and you can too.

I just had to share - I finally saw 198 on the scale this morning! I have been looking forward to this for some time now and I have to say it is all that I imagined! I am even more motivated to continue with my weightloss now!

Hey we have the same doc!

So a few weeks ago I posted that I would be taking a business trip this week and was hoping that I had lost enough weight to no longer need the seat belt extender. I am happy to say that I DID NOT NEED IT! Not only that but there was 5-6 inches of belt left! I usually ask the flight attendant before finding my seat for the extender. I made the decision to not ask this time. I felt pretty sure that I might not need it but I was prepared to ask for it if I needed to. I sat down and easily put it on. I just sat there and cried. With tears rolling down my face, I called my husband to share my excitement with him. He just said over and over, "I am so proud of you.". I flew back this morning with such comfort. I used the tray in front of me for my beverage (couldn't do that before) and even crossed my legs for a while. I am floating on a cloud!

Please don't beat yourself up. We ALL have eaten something less than a stellar choice since being banded. And you probably will again, the important thing is you satisfied the craving & got back on track the next day and I am proud of you for that.
My support group recommends the "3 bite" theory when cravings it.
Bite 1 because it looks so good & you really really want it
Bite 2 because you need to confirm it really is good
Bite 3 because this is the last bite and we all know things come in 3's
You might try that the next craving you get.
PS: next time at chick fil A , try the grilled chicken sandwich and toss at least 1 part of the bun if not all of it. If you think it looks weird, you can eat the chicken by nibbling it while "pulling" it out of the bun. You are holding the whole sandwich but only eating the chicken - sneaky works for Mcdonald burgers too.

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I inspire myself!! I see what I have done so far and can't wait to see how much more I can do. I feel like I got a second chance at life.

Absolutely see a difference! You must FEEL lighter as well. I've lost 20 lbs and I don't really see a difference at all but I feel lighter and don't have this big stomach in the way anymore. Plus I have no more lower back pain when I walk!

Boy what a difference! You look great. Your mind will catch up in time..... The biggest reinforcement for me isn't the scale, it's the clothing sizes. I started at 20W and now I a wearing 12's.This morning I realized that I wear the same size as my 13 year old daughter, boy is she going to be pissed when I tell her I can wear her clothes.....lol

I swear this chit just doesn’t want to let go, get pissed! but use it to win this brutal game of tug-a-war! do what you got to do, just don’t let it win! we have fought this with shakes, pills and programs, we now have the ultimate fighting weapon WE ARE SPARTACUS!!!

A so called friend said "You would be pretty if you only lost weight". Karma is a b***h becaus she is bigger than I am now.

so sorry you had to go through that i feel your pain , some people are just so cruel and dont have filters on their mouth !

Yesterday you were too tight, so you are awful close if not at restriction. Some people cannot eat solids in the morning. I would take it easy on the eating front for another day or so to let your stomach settle down. When you start to eat normal foods, make sure to take small bites, chew,chew,chew, and wait a while between bites. If you start to feel pain in your throat, stop eating and let it pass.

I swear this chit just doesn’t want to let go, get pissed! but use it to win this brutal game of tug-a-war! do what you got to do, just don’t let it win! we have fought this with shakes, pills and programs, we now have the ultimate fighting weapon WE ARE SPARTACUS!!!

I swear this chit just doesn’t want to let go, get pissed! but use it to win this brutal game of tug-a-war! do what you got to do, just don’t let it win! we have fought this with shakes, pills and programs, we now have the ultimate fighting weapon WE ARE SPARTACUS!!!

I swear this chit just doesn’t want to let go, get pissed! but use it to win this brutal game of tug-a-war! do what you got to do, just don’t let it win! we have fought this with shakes, pills and programs, we now have the ultimate fighting weapon WE ARE SPARTACUS!!!

thanks for that insight it will be so helpful to a lot of newbies.you laid it out so well it makes me feel a bit easier and I am sure it will to many of us. hope you feel better soon.
Line-dancing

i agree...if you are throwing up blood, in my opinion, instead of posting on here, please go to the ER and/or let your surgeon know what is going on. better to be safe than sorry.