Allison0927

I've actually lost 100 pounds in 8 months and am 30 pounds to goal with very little exercise. Therefore, there is no direct correlation between weight loss and exercise for me. With that said, I certainly need exercise to tone up and for heart and other health benefits. In short, there's plenty of great reasons to exercise but it would not be accurate to say it is always necessary for weight loss or lap band success - at least not for everyone. And you are dead on about excuses - everyone can find time for 30-45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week - period.

Oh my - i think i will need to find a re-run of that show and see this catastrophe for myself so that I can raise my glass of water to the TV and brag to her how i've lost 100+ in 8 months. LOL - that's just what the country needs to see - a Lap Bander that probably had her band paid by insurance (or worse, public dollars/medicaid) only to blow it like that when so many people out there would give their right arm to have Lap Band and don't have the insurance coverage, the money to self-fund or the public dollars at their disposal. Very nice.

can drink shot of vodka in water glass with ice/water/crystal light to fill up the difference - lowest calories that i know of for a drink - goes down fine - several of them in a night.

I remember being that excited in the countdown mode!!!!! Best of luck to you sweetie!!!! I had sugar free popsicles, crystal light, sugar free jello, and clear broth. I was hungry beginning with week 2 and could not wait to go to mushies!

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going through the same thing right now - I just got out of plus sizes about a month or so ago so I"m new to the "regular" section LOL!!!!!! That is good to know i'm not the only one!

WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!! GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They warned us at the seminar that we would actually "mourn" food. I did not understand until the last few months. Yes, I have those same exact fleeting thoughts - fantasizing about having all the fluid removed "just once" for that one big pig-out meal. The thought is fleeting the minute I step on the scale (100+ pounds down in just under 8 months) or look in the mirror, or shop the regular stores instead of the plus size, or get a second look from a cute guy (I'm married - it's just harmless fun . In the end, the good of this band VASTLY outweighs the bad. So the fleeting thoughts of pity/mourning are quickly replaced with positive ones. BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS!!!!!

You will be absolutely fine - literally you will go to sleep and wake up banded - easy as that - will feel like it happened in seconds. Recovery was actually pretty nice - got to relax, watch tv, sleep, take pain meds, have my hubby wait on me - it was like a little vacation! Yes the gas pain hurt but that was the worst of it and i'd do it all over in a second!!!! Best of luck to you tomorrow!!!!!

great job and love the pics!!!!!!

my only regret with lapand after 100+ pounds lost in less than 8 months is that i did not do it YEARS ago (i'm 38). I don't think you're too young. You have to live with it - so only you can decide what is best for you. BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS!!

You should take off work a couple days this week - if you work at a place with 50 or more employees within a 75 mile radius and you have been there 12 months/1250 hours then you are entitled to leave for this surgery - albeit unpaid unless you have the paid time off or short term disability to cover it. Sounds like you are rushing to get back to work and if you are not ready you may have options.

right on the money B-52. The posts from the whiners are like train wrecks - I know I shouldn't read them but I'm powerless to stop myself LOL - truly they do not bother me and after reading them I actually get a lift and feel better about myself and my success if that makes any crazy sense. BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS!!!

one thing that works for me is - i stick to the 800 calories per day about 85% of the time. About every 7 -10 days i have a big "cheat" day where i eat everything and anything i want - because of restriction that may put me to about 1200-1500 calories that day. I then immediately go back to the 800 calories per day. I think this is working because i'm shocking my body and letting it know there will be big calorie days so no need to go into starvation/plateau mode.

my surgeon has me on 800 calories per day. 1000-1200 seems high.

LOL we almost weigh exactly the same and i would have been upset to see 180 pounds on scale! Just relax and lay around the next few days and take your pain meds when needed and you will be good as gold by this time next week. I had my gall bladder out in 2001 and sounds similar to your experience.

i'm in exact same boat - vegetarian - even before surgery HATED paying big bucks to pay for all the steak/lobster/crab whatever everyone else was eating when i was eating cheap salad/mac cheese/bread. Double my displeasure now that i will be lucky to get down 1/2 plate of a salad. LOL oh well - i am usually successful in talking everyone into going where i want to go instead of the buffets - and if i have to "suck it up" and pay for a buffet - i just tell myself i'm paying for that atmosphere/social time. It has become amusing to watch just how much others eat there - i mean talk about ripping our stomachs apart with that much food!!! LOL BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS!!!

I'm a vegetarian - no meat or seafood but i do eat dairy. Doing well on protein shakes and morning star products - and occassional carbs. BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS!!!

i'm lacto ovo vegetarian too!!! (will eat dairy but no meat or fish of any kind). Doing great and there's plenty for us to eat and keep our protein up.

DO NOT GIVE UP!!! IT IS WORTH THE WEIGHT (I MEAN WAIT! LOL)

i'm lacto ovo vegetarian - no meat, poultry or sea food but i eat dairy. For my mushies i did vegetarian refried beans (low fat cheese and sour cream on it - maybe salsa) - light mashed potatoes/butter, light yogurt, protein shakes (I do EAS AdvantEdge Carb control - strawberry, vanilla and light chocolate), morning star fake chicken strips (the grilled kind you would put in a stir fry - i ate a ton of them during the soft food time after surgery). I would dip the strips in low fat sour cream yum!

phatkatblue - i'm reprinting my "tips" from another post i made (at 95 pounds lost LOL people are probably tired of me posting a success story at every 5 pounds LOL) For anyone wanting my "tips" to the loss - here they are: It took me 5 fills and 4.5 months to feel ANY restriction. I now have 8.5ccs in 14cc band. I do not know if I'm in the green zone but I do have restriction and things get stuck and "hurt" going down when I do not chew well enough etc. This helps me psychologically because it makes me more disinterested in food (i.e., takes the "sport" or "fun" of eating away - which is what got me morbidly obese to begin with). Per my surgeon I'm at 800 calories per day - I stick to this about 85%-90% of time. I have a "cheat" day about once every week to 10 days. I go to about 1200 calories or so on that day. My surgeon and nurse care manager at health insurance both say this is actually a good idea as it keeps the body from plateauing (sp? LOL) by shaking things up a bit. I've hardly exercised - my guilty little secret is that I am waiting to "kick in" the exercise when I hit a plateau which I have not done yet. I know, I know, this is not good - it's my one "bad bandster" issue but I know I'll HAVE to do it at some point either because of a plateau or to maintain once at goal. I tell anyone that asks me how i'm losing the weight about the band (and I educate them on it when they seem interested/ask questions). This works for me because I care way too much what people think and it holds me very accountable - in other words I'd do about anything to avoid the embarassment of gaining weight when others know I had the surgery. Again, this works for me - not everyone. That's about it. YOU ARE ALL TRULY A BLESSING AND I LOVE THIS SITE. BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS!!!!!!!!!!

This is just surreal. I've read the stories of those that lost 100 pounds or more on this site and thought I would NEVER EVER be writing that post myself. But here I am!!!!. This morning I officially broke the seal and crossed over the 100 pound mark. I just cannot believe it. Life sure is different in so many ways - and being told how fantastic I look, and being hit on by cute guys, is a whole new thing and feels pretty good (I'm married so it's just harmless attention . ) I love this site and all the supportive people on here. We are all in this together and need to be there for each other as no one else truly knows what we are going through. THANK YOU to everyone on this site and hopefully I will make my goal of losing about 30 pounds more by my one year bandiversary! BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! you are doing fantastic - keep up the great work!!!

LOL - chalk that up to MEN. Oh well. I understand about having "go to" frozen lien cuisines on hand in case there's a dinner foul up. They are not exciting - but they get the job done! =)

best of luck to you - you will do fantastic!!!!