Thee-O

You weight less than me I am currently around 301. At my highest I was 375 and at surgery around 340. I lost a lot of inches though. I am right at the cusp between normal and big guy clothing....almost there!! When you go to Knott's get on Ghost Rider. that is a fun ride!

So went to Knott's berry Farm last Thursday... I have not been to an amusement park in such a long time. The embarrassment of not fitting on rides is a little to much to take sometimes....but this time it was different. I was able to go on every single rollercoaster and thrill ride. I had an amazing time and logged in about 7 miles of walking with no real tiredness. It was great to have so much energy and feel so NORMAL! 3 months in and it has already changed my life.

I am losing weight without a fill as well. I think of this thing as a tool. I made the changes to my diet and exercise. The band doesn't really dictate that. Just push yourself and you will lose it.... start exercising and you will feel even better... you might plateau if you start working out but it will start to fall off again. Good luck on your journey.

Good luck in your journey Sabrina. I know it is hard when you don't have the support you need. This really is a personal decision and you can't let them discourage you. Can I ask, why are they opposed to it?

Wow! That is just crazy!

So today is a little over 10 weeks from my surgery date. Had an appointment with my surgeon Dr. Coon. Lost over 6 lbs since I saw him a few weeks ago. He asked if I wanted a fill, I said I am fine with where I am at and even his nurse said to keep the fills away as long as I am losing weight. I feel fine with losing it slow. I am learning a better way of living, working out, jogging, no junk or fast food, low carb, etc.... He then asked if I wanted to schedule another appointment in a month or 2. I told him whatever he sees fit. He asked if I have a scale to which I said yes. He then said he was going to let me loose, set me an appointment for 3 months and if I want to come in before that, just to give them a call. I love it. I love the fact that he has the confidence in me to do it on my own. I love that he is fine with me having no fills and happy with the weight loss I got so far. Right now I am stalled at about 308 for about week and half but from my highest of 375 and my weight right before surgery (340), I feel I am well on my way

So after the visit with my endocrinologist, he is very happy with my progress and my blood sugar numbers, blood pressure is still a bit high but coming down. I am in pretty much normal ranges in my diabetes. From the 7 meds I was taking, I am now on 4 and 2 of them are lower dosages. My Doc said I should be able to remove more in 2 months when I see him next. Super stoked!

I agree also but maybe the band was a catalyst that helped this change. Now after 2 months of being banded I realize I had everything I needed to really lose the weight inside of me. However, it was the year long pre surgery process and the actually surgery itself that helped this awaken in my brain for some reason. Although I feel I could have done it with out the band, I am grateful that I got the band. I don't expect it to do the work for me. I won't stop me from eating crap. Only I do that. It won't force me to work out. Only I do that. So no matter what, no matter how the band works for you or if it does at all, you made the change and maybe, just maybe, the surgery helped that change. I know it has with me.

Was able to do 2 10 minute miles today on the elliptical machine this morning. That felt damn good

No regrets. Diabetes is much better. My blood sugars are now in the normal range. Should be off my meds soon....30 lbs down. I feel more energetic and full of life. And this is only 2 months being banded and no fills yet. Now I look forward to exercise and going to the gym. Best thing I have ever done. Period

You have to start exercising. The hardest part of going to the gym is just getting in the door. Start out light but just make it a routine. Get in there and just keep at it. You only have one life and you have already made a huge step for better health. Adding some exercise is just going to keep you going even further in your weight loss journey.

Be patient guys. I was just banded a month before you guys in June and although we all lose some weight the first week, it is a lot of water we are losing. Just take your time. DO NOT WEIGHT YOURSELF EVERYDAY. As you heal, as you start to be more active you will start to lose the weight. Remember you didn't put these pounds on overnight and you aren't going to lose it overnight. Be patient with the process. Work with it. Exercise. Eat a lot of protein. Stay away from carbs if you can. The band is a tool, it doesn't do the work for you. Just stick your plan and you will see progress.

Thank you for all the love and support. The people on this forum have been great and always supportive. It means a lot.

Here you go Will send body shots soon but you can tell a lot from the face.

Today is my 2 month anniversary of getting my surgery. Since then I have lost almost 30 lbs, a couple of inches and also gained a lot of "You look great" comments. I decided on not getting a fill on my 6 week visit but I am going to see my surgeon next week to see where we are at. The band has been great for me, but I don't think in the ways many people would think. Has it cut my appetite? Sure it has. That is what it is meant for. But a lot of other things changed for me after I got my band! Myself as a person, changed first and foremost. I think what the band has done for me more than anything is change my thinking. I gave up things that I don't really have to with the lap band. I can't really say why either, but I know I needed a change. I know I needed this to be more than just "well I can eat less but still eat crap". I needed to change my head and it is funny how a piece of plastic around my stomach can change that. I have given up what a friend of mine calls the "white devils". Sugar, Rice, Potatoes and Bread. This was not something I was planning on doing. It was something that kind of happened naturally after I healed from surgery. I am not sure what triggered this but I am glad it happened. I also started working out. A LOT. At least 4 days a week. It has now become somewhat of a addiction. I feel like I need to get my "sweat on" and if I don't I feel like I let myself down. I also started counting calories and that has helped a lot. Again not something you have to do with the lap band and not something I was planning on but it just happened. Restriction is great, but the real deal for the lap band in my case has been the change in my head. The lap band is my daily reminder to do right, to stay on the difficult path and to move in positive directions. It came upon at the right time of my life where I was truly ready for change. I don't think the band would have worked for me if my head wasn't ready to make this all possible. The band is a tool. It doesn't do the work for you. It can't change your habits if you don't want them to change. It can't stop you from eating that cookie if you can't stop yourself. I guess those of us who have had the lap band use it differently. I just know it didn't just affect my hunger and I for one, am very happy about it.

I am a burping machine now. I had to apologize to my coworkers in advance and just let them know, this is part of new me

I was banded on May 13th and so far have lost near 25 lbs. I started working out a lot, 4 days a week at least. Counting my calories and also given up bread, rice, fried and processed food. Feeling great so far and looking forward to keeping this weight loss journey going. Oh yeah, my diabetes has never been better, I went from having glucose numbers in the 230-330 range to now in the 90-130 range. Feeling great about that

I had my 6 week appointment about 2 weeks ago. I had the opportunity for a fill but since I am losing good weight and I feel a good amount of restriction, the doc said it was fine to not have a fill at this point. As long as you are losing weight and are comfortable on your journey I don't see any reason to get fills. The fills don't do all the work for you. Your mind, motivation and will power overpower all the fills in the world

What has been working for me: Counting Calories - I use MyFitnessPal on my iPhone. It has allowed me to really take stock in what I put into my body. It helps to focus you on getting good calories in. Giving up the whites - No sugar, no flour and no white rice. I just stay away from the above. You begin to not miss them as you keep at it. Hitting the gym - at least 4 days a week. 40 min of cardio and 20 min of weights. No fried foods or junk - I guess it is easy to assume I won't be enjoying that deep fried snickers this summer at the fair. Support - having good support from family and friends is essential. Lots of Water - I try to drink 3 liters a day. Healthy attitude - it helps to to think healthy, to have the right mentality helps out so much. Knowing your weaknesses also allows you to avoid traps and pitfalls.

I also use MyFitnessPal. It has helped me tremendously. I know what you mean about the amount of calories. On a day with no exercise it says I can have up to 2,230 calories day to maintain 1 1/2 of weight loss per week. If I exercise that number is almost 3000. I never get close to that number. I am not interested in losing weight really fast. I am more interested in gaining perspective of what I put into my system and keep a nice controlled weight loss. Plus I don't really want that deflated look. I am working with a nutritionist and they say it is the best way to go to keep off the lbs for good. Everyone is different though and no matter how you use it MyFitnessPal is a great product and service. You can add me on there if you like. My username is djtheeo thanks

2 weeks for me as well. I stated back at the gym mainly doing cardio and now 6 weeks later I am hitting the gym 4 days a week for at least a hour and doing weight training also.

Thank you all for the moral and loving support. It means the world to me to have people in the same situation rooting me on. Thank you again.

It will do that for you but remember it is a tool and not a cure. It requires you to take the lead in your weight loss and health. People fail on the band all the time because although they may have restriction, that doesn't stop you from eating high calorie and high fat food. You need to be the one to force that change.

I am currently getting 1200-1600 calories a day. I work out a lot and it is suggested that I get in 100 grams of Protein a day and it can be very hard to do so by eating less than this. I also chose to give up a lot of carbs. While the lap band does give me good restriction I also feel that it is the increased activity and the wiser selection in food that is helping the most. Restriction is easy to obtain with the lap band, your habits are much harder to tackle. It can be very possible to be malnourished with the band. Balance is what we should all strive for.

I can tell you that before my surgery on May 13th my blood sugars were in the 230-340 range. 6 weeks later and 21 lbs lighter I am now in the 90-120 range and have never hit past 140. I see my endocrinologist next month and hope to take myself off a few meds. I got the lap band mainly for my diabetes and ithas helped tremendously.