Cazzy

finding what worked for me and sticking to it, i weighed every day, did all my exercises everyday and ate similar food every day, sounds boring yes, but i had a lifetime of eating too much good food, i never ate junk food anyways, so a couple of years being rigid with myself paid off , now i am in maintenance i mix it up now and manage to keep my weight stable so it was all worth it

Feeling a little better now .. some pics of how much skin overall was removed in 11 months 3 Operations and a total of 28 hours surgery.
My surgeon is extremely cautious and takes her time with all surgeries she has done for me. I had a total stay in hospital of 13 days .
Only complication i experienced was allergies to the medical adhesives causing stitch abscesses when i had my thigh lift in October 2012. I also developed an encapsulated seroma in my thigh which was removed when i had my maxoplasty 8 days ago. I developed a haematoma in my left breast and ended up with an additional 2 hours in surgery and 4 pints of blood transfusion.
My band is playing up due to the swelling from all the iv fluids but overall i am feeling much better and looking forward to no more surgery and no more scars
good luck to all of you contemplating skin removal.
   

I totally agree Lee, losing the amount of weight we did required a massive amount of self denial and re-adjustment to eating. I do understand that fast food has become such an issue that its almost up there addiction wise to drugs/alcohol/cigs etc.
I am in maintenance mode so i do allow myself the odd moment of home cooked treats like a fruit cake, or home baked oat Cookies but i control the calories and the ingredients, it is mainly made only with wholewheat flour, there is no fat added or extra sugar so i dont feel food like this is addictive or harmful, i make any recipe i cook as healthy as possible, it seems to work for me and taste much better than anything i can buy in the shops.

Today I have accomplished a huge place in my journey. I finally am below the 300's and I am never going back! Surgery was 1-4-13 and I am down 40 pounds. It's slow, but I am learning more everyday.

Thanks for sharing! You look AMAZING!!
Seeing your pics is the inspiration I need right now. I'm having a Tummy Tuck and (big) hernia repair on Wednesday and I gotta tell you, I'm scared to freak'n death lol. I know the recovery from this surgery is going to make past surgeries look like a cake walk.
The part I'm dreading most is those drains. I've had them before and they are so uncomfortable! Do you still have yours in?

Thank you and I really like your positive attitude ! So please take this feedback knowing I give it with the caring heart of a person that was on an oxygen machine, given two years to live and a prisoner of my body. It's more than a unlikely to believe you will achieve a large weight loss and maintain it when you chose to believe that "Chocolate" or pizza is your friend or shield from insanity when in fact it is your enslaver. That being said / I hope that you are successful and maybe you don't need to drop BIG pounds. I have met people that can still eat that stuff and lose 100 (or slightly more) or less but NOBODY that has lost over 200 and KEPT it off.
Hope in Your Future is Power in your Present,
Lee

I AGREE ! Fast food kills / sugar fat salt is now KNOWN as a lethal addictive formula specifically designed to spark dopamine and RING the $$ register. I will go farther to say I have never met or spoken to ANYONE that has lost over 200 lbs (and kept off) and still eats "fast food". I also have yet to meet a single person that has lost over 200 lbs and believes they "deserve" a "little" cake or candy etc... A New life requires New Life!
Lee
280 lbs Lost all diseases reversed

fast food doesnt make me sick..i just dont care anymore....i am enjoying wearing smaller clothes and being more mobile and love having my hub having trouble keeping his hands off me that those little things help keep my mental attitude on straight..

Me too - although I've gotten into the habit of taking a container of raw veggies to work every day. I've simply accepted that I don't like fruit much, won't eat it despite my buying it and making a lovely looking fruit bowl for the kitchen bench.
But I happily munch my way through raw carrot, cucumber, button mushrooms and red capsicum and for some reason the texture is better for me. The only fruit I really like is the occasional Jonathan or jazz apple, peeled.
I loathe pizza, can't even cook it at home, the smell nauseates me. Mc Donald's I never eat, haven't had KFC since I was a kid but do love a south Melbourne dim sim! Hate subway and usually end up with just a coffee at the food court.i always pack food for road trips so when the family stops, I'm quite happy with a coffee and carrot sticks with Peanut Butter.
I do love a good, oven (not bainmarie) meat pie though.

I have never liked Mcd's. I remember the first time I tried 1 of their burgers was at Heathrow and I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. A thin tasteless burger, covered in grease on a sweet bun. Rather give me a Spur or Steers burger any day. Thick and juicy, made from real meat and with some gorgeous mushroom sauce. Yum.
I have never been a great pizza eater and now even less so. I will take thin crust over deep pan anyday.
I like Subway but there is no way I would attempt to eat that now, even though it is healthy.
I used to like the healthy wraps at McDs but they didn't have them as an option for very long.
Now if I am out shopping and I need to buy a quick lunch I usually buy a spring roll or a dim sim. Really unhealthy but not too big and easy to eat. So being banded , for me at least, doesn't necessarily mean you eat healthier.
One of my favourite foods has always been tomatoes, in any shape or form, now I hardly eat them and they often end up going off. I also hardly eat fruit even though I know that I should , so i am not sure that my diet is any healthier than preband, it's just that I eat less.

Every doctor seems to have their own "rules" for this one.
I was told I could drink right up until the time I start eating then again a half hour after.
However, studies have proven the no drinking thing may not even be necessary. food doesn't sit on the band like previously thought, it passes in less than a minute (as long as you are taking small enough bites and pausing between them). Being as food passes through quickly there is nothing to "wash away" as originally thought. So, many surgeons are now allowing band patients to sip liquids during meals and resume normal drinking immediately after.

No one has mentioned any exercises to avoid on here but u must always be in line with what your surgeon says especially the time line for specific exercises

Am able to comfortable wear my size 14 pants today, no button marks on my skin, no gasping for breath.
Am wearing a large light sweater and size 14 pants….life is good
I am down to 183…..24 more pounds to go to goal weight 159
It’s been a long sometimes difficult trip, had some setbacks but am generally very happy I got the band
No way would I ever go back to pre band eating
Feeling very good………even though I pulled a muscle in my side at the gym this weekend…no pain no gain…don’t want to miss the gym later this week……who I the heck am I ????

Well I'm counting down the days until my surgery and everything is coming together well and time is flying by so quick. I started this process back in February and I can't believe its almost May already lol. Well its been a long time coming to get a Lap Band and its been a full year of researching all the surgeries and soaking up all the info I can get. I'm stoked on getting the surgery and living a better lifestyle and being healthy and doing the things I thought I would never be able to do with being overweight. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I will get there!!
My Pre-Op diet consist of High Protein and low carbs (800-1100 calories per day). I'm not looking forward to it but I have a great mindset and I will push through it!! I have been doing little things for the past week to kind of prep myself post op by portioning my foods, reading food label's, chewing thoroughly and not drinking while I eat. I gotta say its rough trying to kick the drinking part but I know if I continue doing that I will have nothing but issues after getting my lap band.
I had the chance of going on video last week to document/track my progress after surgery and beyond. I never thought in a thousand years of making a YouTube video and letting the whole world see me lol. Since researching for my surgery, just watching other peoples videos it gave me the bravery and inspiration to do it and knowing in a year or two I could look back on it and just smile on how far I have came.
Well I will shut up for now Good Luck to everyone that is about to have there surgery
- Amine

It is strange how the countries differ somewhat in the fast food addictions, i would say in the UK people tend to be addicted to chinese and indian takeaway or kebabs, but children/teeenagers are addicted to the usual Mac D KFC etc,
I never really went mad on take aways and always prefer a home cooked burger than a fast food one.
Years ago i remember trying a MacD and thinking why is the bap around the burger so sweet, why is the Tomato ketsup so sweet, why are all the dips so sweet, then i realised that was their secret to getting people addicted. Sugar is way more addicting than fat is, but it is still addicting too, they get you all ways.
make your own if u cant live without a burger or a pizza or fried chicken, at least u control what goes into it.
Am glad u all gave up the commercial fast food rubbish.. well done

Feeling a little better now .. some pics of how much skin overall was removed in 11 months 3 Operations and a total of 28 hours surgery.
My surgeon is extremely cautious and takes her time with all surgeries she has done for me. I had a total stay in hospital of 13 days .
Only complication i experienced was allergies to the medical adhesives causing stitch abscesses when i had my thigh lift in October 2012. I also developed an encapsulated seroma in my thigh which was removed when i had my maxoplasty 8 days ago. I developed a haematoma in my left breast and ended up with an additional 2 hours in surgery and 4 pints of blood transfusion.
My band is playing up due to the swelling from all the iv fluids but overall i am feeling much better and looking forward to no more surgery and no more scars
good luck to all of you contemplating skin removal.
   

I'm so tired of people asking me what am I going to do with lose skin .... Really??? They haven't even seen me now!! Why are they worried about my skin !!!! Sorry venting here.... Ugh!!

Jealous is what it is...just smile

Hi Awanda,
If your band has failed, that's unfortunate. I'm really sorry to hear that.
Bringing other people down to your disappointment isn't the answer though. I've lost 154 lbs and I did it in a few years time. I'm happier and healthier then ever.
If the band didn't work for you, then maybe you need to find another forum to complain on.

I used to live on fast food, too. I probably ate McDonalds or Taco Bell at least twice a week- and huge quantities of it too. I absolutely loved it and didn't think twice about having it multiple times a day.
Now, it makes me feel nauseous. I tried a McDonalds hamburger about a year ago, took about three bites, and promptly threw the rest away. It just tasted totally gross. If I'm traveling or have no choice but to eat at fast food places I either get a salad or skip the meal entirely. I just really despise the nasty, greasy fast food.
I never, ever thought I'd be saying this btw. It's amazing how your tastes change!

Hi everyone!
It's been a while since I've visited, so I thought I'd pop in and share something with you.
The other day I ate KFC for the first time in about a year. The smell of it actually made me want to be sick and as soon as I put a greasy piece of chicken into my mouth, the taste and fat of the chicken was unbearable.
These days I mostly eat salads and lean meat. A few years ago, when I got my first job, all I would eat is McDonalds and KFC chicken. The thought of eating salad or vegetables disgusted me and I never thought I'd be a salad lover. I never thought I'd come this far and I considered I'd be a junk food addict for the rest of my life. The thing that lead me to wanting to try KFC again was that I'd gone to a party and eaten greasy finger food (it was the only thing to eat there) and was craving it for a few weeks afterwards.
I'm going to stay away from this kind of food for the rest of my life. I actually think sugary and fatty foods can be addicting and when you cut them out of your diet completely, you forget about them and start enjoying the foods that your body deserves.
I'm interested to know if anyone else has had an experience like this.

159!! I am cleared for surgery may 1st!!!!!!

7cc in a 14cc band and need a small fill.

It is medical progression that objects can be placed inside our bodies, from pacemakers to replacement hips and joints, even some dental work, no need to fear a small piece of plastic, look forward to the results !

Before lap band and current pix..I'm down 70 lbs