healthy and happy

You look fabulous, hair and body! I do know what you mean. I look at my pics and think wow you are still fat. That is why I go back and look at "before" photos of myself about once a week to see how far I have come. when I do that, it quickly takes me to a place of saying "Dang, I do look good now and I sure feel better than I did when I was that heavy!" We are all telling you that you look fabulous, so believe it!

You are definitely not crazy! I just ran my third half marathon on Labor day weekend in Virginia Beach. I sign up for them knowing that it somewhat keeps me disciplined and on track. I know that I have to eat right and keep up a good training routine to be able to make the run. Without having a goal to work towards, I would fall off the wagon too easily. Good luck with your run! You will do great!

For whatever reason, fries do not do well with me. I just quit eating them altogether which is a good thing! I have problems with very few foods but that is one of them.

I couldn't agree with you more Terry! I know for me, the weight would have killed me. I had high blood pressure, cholesterol was getting dangerously close to being out of whack, and diabetes and cancer run rampid in my family. But now I am in the best shape I have ever been in at age 46. Not to mention the sheer quality of life has soooo improved too. I am so active now and can do so many things that I could not do before. I would definitely say the benefits of me losing this weight far outweigh any potential dangers as a result of the band.

I just want to say thank you for having the courage to post this. Karen is correct and I think that what she means by saying that people will condemn you is that there are many people who will chastise you for not following the rules and will say that you did all of this to yourself. Well duh, that is exactly what you are saying. You are admitting that you did some things wrong and you are gracious enough to help others by posting this and advising others not to make the same mistakes. I applaud you! A lot of people don't like it when they see posts where people are talking about problems or issues that they have had with the band, especially when it was due to not following the rules. I think that people think it discourages others and gives "banding" a bad name. Well I will tell you that what it does for me is it keeps me on track and encourages me to take care of myself and follow the rules. We are all human and most of us who had to have the surgery in the first place obviously have eating issues. I know I do and it is difficult to stick to all the rules all the time even though you know it could hurt you if you don't. Stories like yours help me realize that I have to look into the future and see what I am doing to myself in the long run when I don't do what I am supposed to do. Thank you so much for posting and I pray that you will be able to get back on track now and get yourself healthy. You can do this. Look at it this way- you learned from your mistakes so now you know what you need to do. Best of luck. If you need a lapband friend to talk to, just let me know. I lost 90 pounds and then started breaking the rules- drinking carbonated sodas, overeating, etc and gained back 40 pounds. I really started feeling the effects of my behaviours and started reading how it affected people long term to do these things and it got me back on track quickly. I am now doing what I should, re-lost the weight and my head is in such a better place.

Since being banded, I have run numerous 5k's and 10ks' and have run 2 half marathons and I haven't experienced any problems with my band. Go for it!

Wow. What a great post. You are a true testament to the success that you can have with the band if you follow the rules and keep your head right. You are an inspiration to so many people and I think your coffee meetings are fantastic. Keep on posting your success and helping others. Congratulations on your long term success. I am two years out and so far so good for me. I have lost and then regained weight many times before my decision to get the band, but i must say my success in keeping the weight off has been so much better since the band. I think I may be finally conquering this weight struggle with the help of my band.

I am with B-52. I get some kind of cardio in everyday, whether its the treadmill or elliptical at the gym or a good bike ride or run outside. I do believe however that weight training will kick your weight loss up a notch too. Muscle revs up your metabolism helping you to lose even more. Plus it tones everything up as you are losing. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Do both.

Good Morning! How exciting for you! I have been banded for almost 2 years now. I am typing this as I sit on the deck looking out over the ocean. I am on vacation in Outer Banks, Nc. I have lost 90 pounds and it is so wonderful to go out on the beach in my tankini 2 piece bathing suit and not feel self conscious about the way I look. I am proudly strutting around! So all that being said to make this point.... You will have a couple of tough days during your first week or so after surgery, but think about the payoff in the long run. It will be sooooo worth it. I lost the weight relatively quick (about 6 months to lose the 90 pounds) but everyone loses at different rates so don't be discouraged if it is losing slowly as long as it is going in the right direction. Walk! Walk! Walk! as much as you can after surgery. The more you move the better you will feel. Go shopping now and buy the stuff you need for after surgery. Your diet and nutrition needs, the gas x (I never used them though). Take very loose fitting clothes to wear home after your surgery. Most importantly- stay focused and be positive!!!

Wow! I had my surgery on a Thursday (band with plication) and I went to a wedding on Saturday. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't tearing up the dance floor or anything but still I felt well enough to go. Then I went to work on Monday. I don't understand a whole month. A week would be plenty I think. In fact I think it is helpful to get up and start moving as soon as possible.

Don't worry. The smaller you get the faster the sizes will change. I was 253 pounds when I started and I too lost probably 30 pounds before I changed sizes but then every 10-15 pounds or so I would go down in size. If you think about it the larger you are, the more area the weight is coming off, if that makes sense. just keep on working on that loss and you will see it in your sizes soon!

What will really be exciting is when you can leave that plus size side and go to the regular side of the store. If you are in 1x now you are very close. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I used to hate shopping. Nothing looked good anyway so what was the point. But the day that day that I went shopping and had to go to the regular side was an amazing feeling. My daughter was with me and we had a blast. she was bringing outfits to the dressing room saying "here mom, try this. it will look great on you." I don't know who was more excited, me or her. There are so many more options when you get to those sizes. Keep on working at it girl!

Im with sp70. It sounds like you know what you need to do. I will tell you I have to plan in order to exercise and eat right. I pack my gym bag every morning before I leave for work so that I can stop by the gym before I come home. if I come home first, it wont happen. I pack my lunch and snacks for the day. That way I don't have to make choices and there is no chance of making a bad one. It really keeps me on track. Plan, plan, plan! Once you do these things for a while they become habit and it will become easy. Good luck!

I too had the banding with plication in Aug 2011 so it has been almost 2 years now. I went from 253 pounds to 160 in probably about 7 months. I will say that it doesn't happen by itself. I do watch what I eat and exercise, but I truly don't feel hungry and the band and plication help me know it is time to stop eating. Just follow the rules. Good luck!

Soontobe.... You really need to eat more. I believe with you eating that few calories each day, your metabolism has probably slowed down to nothing and your body is probably in starvation mode. I try to eat somewhere between 1100 and 1200 calories of healthy food a day. Every now and then, I will eat a little more especially when I hit a plateau and then I get right back to my 1100-1200 calories and it seems to kickstart loss again. When I do that, I keep a steady and consistent loss going. Also I am doing this for health not just to look good in a bathing suit, so nutrition is important. There is no way you can be getting everything you need nutritionally if you are eating so few calories. Eat more and exercise more. Good Luck!