NYC Girl

Should have mentioned that most of the jeans/pants are shorter lengths! I am only 5'3" (part of the reason my excess weight was such a problem)!

NYC people, message me and I'll give you my address and we can arrange to meet.

Lisa in NYC

Tons of jeans and casual pants available. Message me and we can arrange a try on party! I'll also serve tea but no cake. I now wear size 12 and still loosing.

Lisa in a beautiful NYC -- on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

I had hubby take " before" pictures in a bathing suit' date=' 2 piece.... they are hysterical and I was hysterical when I looked at them. BUT, it is very helpful now, to see a new picture after 50-plus loss, and compare!!!!

By the way, until I started wearing properly fitting clothing, NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, noticed my 50 pound weight loss !

I cannot say enough about the value of one great, properly fitting outfit !! Including undergarments !!!!! Got a good-fitting bra to get the ladies looking better !!!!!Huge difference ![/quote']

Agree 100% about bra fitting!! I lost close to 70 lbs but first real difference I noticed was after I had a bra fitting and bought good supportive (albeit expensive) bra. I have gone from a 42DD to 38D. Difference ia amazing!

Lisa in NYC

Happy Anniversary to all of yall!!!! I can not believe it has been a year. Last year at this time I was choking down nasty shakes for my pre surgery diet. Oh it was so worth it! My lifehas and is changing so much! I am dating more and hiking more and just loving life more in general. I am down almost 70 pound and have at least another 50 more to go. I hope you are all loving life and the new you as much as me!

You go girl!

Petey,

That is a question you should really ask your surgeon. Each person is different, depending on their age, sex, initial weight, medical history, etc. For me, I started at 223 and my ideal weight (not necessarily my goal) is 140 which would bring my BMI to below 25 and in the normal weight range. Therefore, for me, 70 lbs is 31% of my original body weight, and 82% of my excess body weight. It might not be the same for you, or anyone else.

My doctor tells me that on average, LGB patients loose between 40 and 50% of their excess weight, less than the by-pass or sleeve patients, and the weight loss is slower. As you can see, I have done much better than average, but I believe the hard part is just beginning -- to maintain that loss over the long haul. As I said, everyone is different, and I wouldn't compare yourself to someone else.

I also highly recommend that you try and get a handle on why you overeat. As you will see from real life, and reading these forums, it isn't difficult to overeat with the band with some foods. For instance, I could probably eat a gallon of ice cream and my band wouldn't stop me. Or drink milkshakes, eat rich puddings, etc. For me, I have been working with a psychologist at my Bariatric Center to deal with my "food issues", and I really think this has been a big part of my success to date, and hopefully will help me in the long run. I'm not perfect with my eating, or anything else for that matter, but I'm miles ahead of where I was before surgery. I also know that eventually, my stomach will get used to the band and the appetite suppression it provides will not be as strong as before.

The way I look at it is that the band provides the "training wheels" while I learned to eat in a more healthy, resonable and responsible way. However at some point those wheels will come off, and I had better have learned how to eat and nourish myself for the rest of my life. I do not want to have to do this again!!!!!!!!

My 2 cents!

Lisa on a rainy post-labor day in NYC

Checking In again!

I'm down almost 70 LBS since surgery on Sept 10 2011 with a few days to go until my first bandiversary, and I feel great! My rate of loss has slowed considerably, but is still going down. My bmi is down to 27 and my next goal is to make it down below 25.

I no longer feel like I'm on a diet and feel that I have changed my eating habits and relationship to food. The band helped but isn't the whole story. I no longer obsess about food as I did before surgery when I thought about food about 95% of the time. At this point I rarely have stuck episodes and can eat most things - just a lot less. I eat lots of veggies' Beans and other Protein rich foods such as Quinoia. I cook a great deal (and carefully portion my food before eating) but also eat out a great deal. What has changed the most is my head!

Mostly I just try to make the best choice I can and eat much less at each meal. I am the queen of doggie bags! I'm not perfect in my choices but try the best I can and then let it go. I try not to engage in self recriminations which I find are self defeating.

How are the other September 2011 bandsters doing?

Lisa in a quiet labor day weekend in NYC.

Forgot to add. Finally went to a good bra store and got measured. Have gone from 42ddd to 38d. Bought three much too expensive bras. The girls look great!!

Hi Sept 2011 bandsters!

Just checking in. Have hit 60 lbs gone!

Going crazy buying new clothes. Went to family picnic last week and my friends screamed when they saw me. Ran around telling everyone that I lost 60 lbs. Verrry proud!

Still on my journey and rate of loss has (naturally!) Slowed but as my therapist says if its going down (OR STAYING THE SAMEON DIFFICULT WEEKS) its all good! Have about 20 more pounds to go and I know I will get there (even if I dont exactly know when!) Eventually. Its all good!

Lisa in a hot NYC.

But it's really hard to be happy when other people are doing so much better and when you should have lost twice as much by now...

I know it's difficult, but stop comparing yourself with other people and you will be much happier, and more successful! Everyone has a different body, chemistry and metabolism and loses (and gains) weight on a different timetable. If you are doing the right things, and your health analysis seems to show you are, then you will be successful in the long term. The key is not to "psych yourself" out on the way so you sabotage your success.. I'm a firm believer that our heads can do much more damage to our efforts that other people.

Think of it this way: If you were losing weight twice as fast as everyone else, would you be upset because "you aren't like everyone else"? Of course not, you would just say your body is different, and your weight loss rate is different. Give yourself the same respect in the opposite scenario!

Just my 2 cents!

Lisa in a rainy, blustery New York City

awesome story i just posted everything u just said i am disappointed cuz i am not loosing i am at a stand still and i am a aftre dinner nibbler. after posting my blog i feel dumb now that i read what to expect and don't give up i should of read this 1st-- great story and way to go!!

Don't be disappointed, and don't feel dumb. Doesn't help, and often hurts (me at least, I eat when I'm mad at myself). Just move on!

Thanks for your support....I am in North Jersey...Elmwood Park. I need any encouragement you can give me....

Remember, THIS ISN'T EASY, don't expect it to be! If it was so easy, we all wouldn't be in this position! (I had two surgeries in past two years likely due to my obesity) Remember why you are doing it. When I have trouble, I often tell myself: Do you really want to spend more time in the hospital due to avoidable disease!

Also, I'm not a real expert, I'm just beginning to figure our what works for me. You will too.

If you make it into the city, give me a call, perhaps we can get together. I'll send you a personal message with my phone number.

These are my strategies for after dinner eating. I usually try them in sequence (not always), but remember, they don't always work. Sometimes I snack.

1) when I want to eat after dinner, I first try to distract myself. Take a walk, take a book to Starbucks, get a coffee and hang out for a while.

2) I pour myself a large glass of Water and use one of the single serving crystal light or Fiber sticks to flavor the Water. I sip slowly and see if that will do it.

3) I drink a bottled Protein shake (I use GNC Lean Shakes), perhaps I haven't gotten enough Protein.< /p>

4) If none of these work, I just have a snack -- but a healthy one, some yogurt with jam or fruit, or some home-made hummus, or even a hard boiled egg (I boil these in bulk each week and use for Snacks. I figure I tried, and that's more than I every did before!

Like I said, I consider myself a success if these work most of the time. I remember that prior to my band, I would probably always snack.

You can try these strategies, or even come up with your own. What ever happens, move on!

Tell yourself you are doing something good for yourself, it may be a long journey but it will be worth it.

Most importantly, don't set yourself up for failure by your unrealistic expectations. The band will help you, but it won't do everything.

Celebrate what is good, and what you accomplish. Let go of your perceived "failures". Don't let them become an excuse, but don't let them get in your way, either!

Don't measure all of your success by the scale. My center tells me that on any given day, you can be up because you ate something salty the day before. When I was first banded, I weighed myself everyday, but I have stopped doing that. I became too obsessive, and my whole day was colored by "today i lost, yah, today I gained, boo!" You are looking for trends, not the day to day changes.

Best of Luck!

Most important, be kind and forgiving to yourself. Don't know any perfect people in this world, and chances are you arent one either

Lisa In NYC

where in NJ are you? I live in Manhattan.

Thanks, you too! Just remember this when your weight loss slows, and it will. Our bodies just can't maintain these fast weight losses for ever. You have done great, you are out of the "Obese" BMI range! That's great! Look forward, not backward. One of my new mottos!

I am very glad I had the Lap Band Surgery in September 2011.

My weight loss has been slow and, but in the final analysis, I am 55lbs lighter(almost 25% of my starting weight) than I was a year ago! In what universe would I NOT BE HAPPY to loose 55 lbs in a year. I read so many forum posts where people are literally expecting so much that they are unhappy with significant weight loss that has slowed down, or they are no longer loosing 4 pounds a week like in the first weeks after surgery. The nasty secret about loosing weight is that once you loose a sizable amount of weight (whether you think it is good or not), your body adjusts, your calorie requirements just maintain your new weight go down, perhaps your metabolism slows down, and you need to to consume still fewer calories to loose weight.

Also, it is very important to realize (and truly internalize) that the band is just a tool. You still need to learn how to eat less, not snack excessively, and learn to find other things to do when you have the urge to eat. As the psychologist at my Bariatric center says, most of the time we aren't really hungry, we just want to eat. And we live in a very toxic food environment, where high calorie, low nutrition food are around us all the time.

The band has made it easier to not eat Snacks (hot dogs, donuts, croissants, pretzels), that I see and therefore want to eat during the day. I've pretty much been able to cut out between meal Snacks during the day, but still struggle at night. I seem to still want to eat after dinner while I'm watching TV or working at the computer.

So I've devised some strategies to resist that urge to eat after dinner. I guess I'm successful about 2/3 of the time, and the rest I just let go. I don't beat myself up, call myself a failure, or think about it. To me that is self defeating and makes me feel bad about myself !!!! I keep a wide variety of nutritious foods such as greek yogurt, hummus, etc so if I do eat an evening snack it is not the end of the world. I'm just thankful to realize that before my band, I couldn't even resist unecessary eating 100% of the time. To me 33% of the time that is tremendous progress!

To summarize, the band is only a tool. T0 be successful in the long run (and that's what I'm interested in!), you need to figure out your triggers, and how to deal with them. The band will not do that for you. Naturally, your weight loss slows once you've lost a significant amount of weight, and your body gets used to the band.

I consider myself a real (and continuing success) ! I have more to go, but i'll do it slowly, without making myself crazy, which only made me eat more.

Also, the bariatric psychologist at my center has been a real help in my journey. I began to see her when I realized I did not have a healthy relationship with food (soothed me when upset or anxious, or even when I felt bad about myself). She tells me that in times of stress (like the holidays, family illness, etc), just staying even is a big victory. If your center has a psychologist, I highly recommend you utilize them. I really think she has been the difference in my success, not just the band.

I'm not saying that I'm perfect, just in a heck of lot better position than I was a year ago. What I don't need is to use unrealistic expectations (which just make me depressed and (no surprise) eat more to derail me. I'm not Pollyanna, just much more forgiving of my self.

So I'm back where I started this post. I am 55 lbs lighter than last year, and by my 1 year "bandiversary" I may be down even more -- although I'm pretty sure I won't loose 55 more pounds in six months. I'm THRILLED!!!!!

The truth is that the amount of food I required was far less than I or society believed it should be. Without constantly being aware of what you are eating it is so easy to eat too much. It would probably be easier if I was the kind of person that loved exercise but I have never been a natural athlete. Ever since school when I was a book worm I have looked at exercise as a chore and a waste of time - who wants to run when you could be reading or creating something - this mindset is really hard to change!

Amen, Sister!

I am very glad I had the Lap Band Surgery in September 2011.

My weight loss has been slow and, but in the final analysis, I am 55lbs lighter than I was a year ago! In what universe would I NOT BE HAPPY to loose 55 lbs in a year. I read so many forum posts where people are literally expecting so much that they are unhappy with significant weight loss, but it has slowed down, or they are no longer loosing 4 pounds a week like in the first weeks after surgery. The nasty secret about loosing weight is that once you loose a sizable amount of weight (whether you think it is good or not), your body adjusts, your calorie requirements just maintain your new weight go down, perhaps your metabolism slows down, and you need to to consume still fewer calories to loose weight.

Also, it is very important to realize (and truly internalize) that the band is just a tool. You still need to learn how to eat less, not snack excessively, and learn to find other things to do when you have the urge to eat. As the psychologist at my Bariatric center says, most of the time we aren't really hungry, we just want to eat. And we live in a very toxic food environment, where high calorie, low nutrition food are around us all the time.

The band has made it easier to not eat Snacks (hot dogs, donuts, croissants, pretzels), that I see and therefore want to eat during the day. I've pretty much been able to cut out between meal Snacks during the day, but still struggle at night. I seem to still want to eat after dinner while I'm watching TV or working at the computer.

So I've devised some strategies to resist that urge to eat after dinner. I guess I'm successful about 2/3 of the time, and the rest I just let go. I don't beat myself up, call myself a failure, or think about it. To me that is self defeating and makes me feel bad about myself !!!! I keep a wide variety of nutritious foods such as greek yogurt, hummus, etc so if I do eat an evening snack it is not the end of the world. I'm just thankful to realize that before my band, I couldn't even resist unecessary eating 100% of the time. To me 33% of the time that is tremendous progress!

To summarize, the band is only a tool. T0 be successful in the long run (and that's what I'm interested in!), you need to figure out your triggers, and how to deal with them. The band will not do that for you. Naturally, your weight loss slows once you've lost a significant amount of weight, and your body gets used to the band.

I consider myself a real (and continuing success) ! I have more to go, but i'll do it slowly, without making myself crazy, which only made me eat more.

Also, the bariatric psychologist at my center has been a real help in my journey. I began to see her when I realized I did not have a healthy relationship with food (soothed me when upset or anxious, or even when I felt bad about myself). She tells me that in times of stress (like the holidays, family illness, etc), just staying even is a big victory. If your center has a psychologist, I highly recommend you utilize them. I really think she has been the difference in my success, not just the band.

I am very glad I had the Lap Band Surgery in September 2011.

My weight loss has been slow and, but in the final analysis, I am 55lbs lighter than I was a year ago! In what universe would I NOT BE HAPPY to loose 55 lbs in a year. I read so many forum posts where people are literally expecting so much that they are unhappy with significant weight loss, but it has slowed down, or they are no longer loosing 4 pounds a week like in the first weeks after surgery. The nasty secret about loosing weight is that once you loose a sizable amount of weight (whether you think it is good or not), your body adjusts, your calorie requirements just maintain your new weight go down, perhaps your metabolism slows down, and you need to to consume still fewer calories to loose weight.

Also, it is very important to realize (and truly internalize) that the band is just a tool. You still need to learn how to eat less, not snack excessively, and learn to find other things to do when you have the urge to eat. As the psychologist at my Bariatric center says, most of the time we aren't really hungry, we just want to eat. And we live in a very toxic food environment, where high calorie, low nutrition food are around us all the time.

The band has made it easier to not eat Snacks (hot dogs, donuts, croissants, pretzels), that I see and therefore want to eat during the day. I've pretty much been able to cut out between meal snacks during the day, but still struggle at night. I seem to still want to eat after dinner while I'm watching TV or working at the computer.

So I've devised some strategies to resist that urge to eat after dinner. I guess I'm successful about 2/3 of the time, and the rest I just let go. I don't beat myself up, call myself a failure, or think about it. To me that is self defeating and makes me feel bad about myself !!!! I keep a wide variety of nutritious foods such as greek yogurt, hummus, etc so if I do eat an evening snack it is not the end of the world. I'm just thankful to realize that before my band, I couldn't even resist unecessary eating 100% of the time. To me 33% of the time that is tremendous progress!

To summarize, the band is only a tool. T0 be successful in the long run (and that's what I'm interested in!), you need to figure out your triggers, and how to deal with them. The band will not do that for you. Naturally, your weight loss slows once you've lost a significant amount of weight, and your body gets used to the band.

I consider myself a real (and continuing success) ! I have more to go, but i'll do it slowly, without making myself crazy, which only made me eat more.

Also, the bariatric psychologist at my center has been a real help in my journey. I began to see her when I realized I did not have a healthy relationship with food (soothed me when upset or anxious, or even when I felt bad about myself). She tells me that in times of stress (like the holidays, family illness, etc), just staying even is a big victory. If your center has a psychologist, I highly recommend you utilize them. I really think she has been the difference in my success, not just the band.

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4371946&cp=3593186.3593187.3079648

Just to be clear, I use the bottles (premixed, not the powder) and the chocolate and vanilla bean are great!

Lisa in NYC

Try the GNC Lean shakes. They are pre-mixed, and the vanilla and chocolate are great. Not chalky at all.

Dalex -- Just keep going!!!! One foot in front of the other.

Remember, the band is only a tool. According to my Bariatric psychologist, you still have to control your eating -- the band won't do it all for you. In my case, that means confronting my constant hunger. When I eat, smaller portions do satisfy me (that's the band!), but I'm hungry again in two hours (that's me!). The band won't keep me "full", I have to do that for myself. Drinking Water helps, as does distracting myself, but I need to learn to not react to my perceived hunger by eating between meals. It's a struggle, and will probably always be!

You are doing great, Dalex! Cut yourself some slack, and keep it up! You are not perfect, but who is?

Lisa

Hiya All!

I'm just checking in as well!

I'm still loosing slowly, between a pound and a pound and a half a week, some weeks more, some less! My doctor is thrilled and says a slow, steady weight loss is more likely to be sustained. And as I have said before, my plan is to do this only once. I've had my third fill, and the restriction is really kicking in.

I am now under 180 pounds, and that means over 45 pounds less than I weighed last year at this time! HOORAY! I've been circling around this milestone for a while now, so I promised myself that I would get a new bag when I finally got there. So I'm taking myself off to my favorite handbag store this weekend!t I do have a handbag fetish!

Despite all this, I'm still still struggling with perceived hunger. The band helps me moderate what I eat at one sitting, but I'm generally hungry two hours later. I know this isn't real hunger, so I'm trying what the Bariatric Psychologist at my center calls "Mindful Eating". I tell myself that if I'm still hungry in 30 minutes, I can have something more to eat. If not, I won't. Usually about 50% of the time, I'm able to avoid in-between meal snacking. I'm working on the other 50%, not to be perfect, just better.

BTW, my New Year's resolution is to be kinder to my self! No more expecting perfection and putting myself down in what I say. Until I started paying attention, I didn't realize how often I put myself down subtly, and not so subtly. It's a process!

My next goal: below 30 BMI. This may take a while! Must come up with a good reward for that one! Any suggestions? Just remember, I'm currently unemployed, so no high ticket items like a new house, or car!!!!!

Lisa in a Giants crazy NYC! (Go Big Blue!)

One question: Are you eating less than you did last year or before your surgery? My guess is the answer is YES. PLEASE don't feel like a failure because you've "taste tested a few times". This is NOT failure.

None of us are perfect, so stop expecting perfection from yourself and set yourself up for failure. Loosing a significant amount of weight is a long process and there will be ups and downs.

Give yourself some pats on the back, and MOVE ON!!!!!

Lisa in NYC

Dalex -- the psychologist I visited is associated with the bariatric group at Bellevue Hospital in NYC where I had my surgery. Why don't you ask your surgeon/nutritionist to recommend someone. She also leads the support groups. Another alternative might be to see if there is a support group at your group.

.

A note to everyone: I see that lots of people on our thread seem to hit a a plateau recently. I certainly have. m not gaining, but I'm not loosing at the moment. Makes me think this is "normal stage" Most of us lost a lot of weight right after surgery, but now it is slowing down. Perhaps our bodies need to adjust to our lower weight, and it will pick up again at some point, or just level off to a slower, but steady rate. Again, I know I am always saying this, but perhaps a slower, but steady loss will allow our bodies to adjust quicker.

Remember, a lot of us (ME!) did this to be healthier, not just to see quick changes on the scale which can be motivating, but probably not sustainable. Right now I am taking comfort in seeing how far I've come, not how fast -- and the reaction of friends that haven't seen me in a while (" Wow, you look GREAT!" YES I DO! Repeat after me: YES I DO!-- ))

Lisa on a beautiful, but slightly chilly night in NYC (and watching the NYCBallet Nutcracker on PBS)

Sorry to be negative on this, but doing surgery on a patient with Hepatitis is dangerous for both the surgeon and the patient. Your PCP is right to request the Hep test and the ultrasound before giving you the letter of necessity. Otherwise s/he might be accused of malpractice.

If your WLS is willing to go ahead before being assured there is no hepatitis present, I would look for another surgeon!

Get the tests!

Lisa in NYC