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I still find it uncomfortable to do the ones where you lay on your stomach and lift your arms and legs (I think they call it the superman). I have no problems with sit ups or crunches. I am 1 year out from surgery.

The goal weight I set up with my nutritionist was 170. I was hoping for 145 and I just reached that (145) on March 1st. Feb 3rd 2012 was my 1 year anniversary.

My Dr said exercise as tolerated. He said to get back to walking as soon as I felt able to and progress as I felt comfortable. I think I started a light jog after 3-4 weeks. The only weird thing (that I never heard anyone else talk about) was I would get a tight feeling where my port was. It almost felt like it was swelling up. When that would happen I would just slow down to a really slow walk. I think I would get the tight feeling for to 3-4 months after surgery. It has been just over a year now and I don't get that anymore.

When I first started this process I really appreciated hearing peoples experiences (good and bad), so I thought I would return the favor. About 1 1/2 years ago I had an abnormal mammogram and it really scared me. 3 big contributers to breast cancer are drinking, smoking, and obesity. I quit drinking and smoking immediately and made an appt with the lap band surgeon. Tomorrow will be 1 year since I had my band placed. I consider the band to be a complete success. This morning I weighed in at 151.8. My highest weight was 270 lbs. I was 250 when I first met with the surgeon, 231 after the 6 month supervised diet, 218 on the day of surgery (after 2 weeks of liquid protein diet). I am wearing a size 6/8 pant and a medium shirt. I didn't think it was really possible since I had failed at so many diets and diet programs in the past. I am still surprised when I pick up my jeans and I think, "look how tiny these are, how is it possible that I fit into these". I follow a high protein low carb diet 80% of the time. I don't count calories, but I estimate about 1000-1200 calories per day. I work out about 5 days a week. I mostly do cardio, but I want to start adding weights to see if I can help this sagging skin. I have an appointment with a plastic surgeon on Friday to see about a tummy tuck. This has really been a life changer for me, I am back to running which I used to love to do. I have done a couple of obstacle course 5k runs and a 4 1/2 mile mud run. I am taking my son to Chicago to do the Lucky 7k on March 16th. In 18 months I have gone from being morbidly obese to 2.8 lbs from being considered a normal weight. I think I have had 2 stuck episodes. I have vomited due to eating too much or drinking too soon after eating, mostly in the beginning while I was learning to work with the band. I have been on these boards pretty regularly since I started thinking about having this done, it seems like the journey is different for everyone. For me it was a fairly easy, complication free experience. I think the hardest thing for me is that I keep thinking it is going to quit working. Every time I go clothes shopping I think, "I better get these now, I don't know how long I will be able to stay in a size 6". I have had a biopsy and I still get mammograms every 3 months, but at least I know I have done absolutely everything I can to live my healthiest life.

Hi Ted, I went through a bout of pretty severe insomnia shortly after my surgery. I didn't have the boundless energy though, I was completely exhausted. I went through a couple of months of not being able to fall asleep until about 4:30 am. I ended up going to the dr and trying a couple of different sleep meds until I found something that worked. I took them for a couple of weeks until my body reset itself. I still take them occasionally. I think that was the only real issue I had after the surgery.

That's awesome! I can't believe how much harder it is to run outside instead of the treadmill (for me at least).

My final weigh in was 171.4

Checking in at 173.

Count me in! Name, real or screen~ Cindy Goal weight for August 31st~169 Weight on August 1st~179 Age~42 Dietary goal for August~Stay below 45 carbs and over 60 Protein daily Exercise goal for August~30 minutes every day Personal goal for August~ Work on building my running time Date banded~2/3/12 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~52 lbs What is your favorite place to travel?~ Everywhere. Short trips... long trips... I love them all. Reward~ New knee high boots for new fall outfits.

Congrats!

USN 88-93

I saw a t shirt once that said, "finished last is better than didn't finish, didn't finish is better than didn't start".

Thanks Jlewis, my mom loved mine but she didn't want to pay the full price. I just ordered one for her too.

My doc never mentioned that. I don't think a light spanx would hurt as long as it's not a compression garment.

Oops, I forgot to say awesome job on completing the run!

I have done 2 mud runs and I thoroughly enjoyed them both. I think I would be very bored just doing a regular 5k now. The 1st one I did was the Dirty Girl. I wasn't as worried about how I would do or look because it was for women only. At the end they announced that the oldest runner who completed the race was 72 (or 73 - early 70s). I couldn't even tell you my time, my goal was just to complete it. The good thing about these races is they have up to 70 waves that they start about 10 minutes apart. If you get into the earlier waves no one knows what wave you started in when you finish. I don't want to sound cliche, but just do it. It is such a wonderful supportive atmosphere and you feel like a total badass when you're done.

It's funny you should ask this now,I just (5 minutes ago) opened my Ozeri Precision Plus II that I ordered from Amazon. I really like the looks. It consistently weighs the same when I get on and off it. It weighed me the same as my old scale. It will weigh up to 440 lbs in .2 increments. I needed to get a new one because my old digital scale didn't light up and it was really difficult to see. It also had great reviews on Amazon. When I ordered it I used the coupon code ACCULOSS and ended up only paying $17.37 and it shipped free (but I don't think there is free shipping any more).

I was looking at a coach purse for when I got below 200 lbs. It finally happened last week and it coincided with our local aesthetician having a sale on botox so I did that instead. I am 42 and have lost 75 lbs from my all time high so I was looking a little saggy. I just did the (angry) lines between the eyes and the upper corners of my eyebrows. I really like the way it turned out so I may keep doing it. Congrats on your weight loss!

Hi Sasha, I had insomnia pretty severely also. It's funny because 4:30 was the time I was falling asleep too. I went to the drs 3 times because I couldn't function without sleep. They changed some of my med times around the 1st time then gave me trazadone the 2nd time (it did nothing), finally at my follow up psychiatrist appointment he gave me triazolam (halcion I think). What a huge difference! He gave .25 mg and I only took 1/4 each time. After about 2 weeks my body seemed to reset itself and I don't usually need to take anything now (occasionally if I am not asleep by midnight I will take a small piece of one and I am out). I know how frustrating it is, talk with your doc and let him know how much it is disrupting your life.

I had never heard of this before so I googled it. I found that there is an app that tells you what foods are supposedly better. What is FoodGauge? FoodGauge is a revolutionary food rating system that helps you make food choices to assist in weight loss. This 5-point system simplifies food labels and nutrition. It was developed by Bariatricians (weight loss physicians) Robert Ziltzer, MD and Craig Primack, MD FoodGauge favors food with Protein and Fiber, and disfavors food with carbohydrates and fat. Why did we develop FoodGauge? Trying to figure out if a food is going to cause weight loss or weight gain by reading a nutrition label is confusing. We made it simple! A single score tells you what you need to know. It is available for iPhone and iTouch through iTunes or direct download, and Blackberry through App World. What types of foods will be highly rated? Foods that are high in protein and/or fiber will rank highly. This includes lean meats, chicken, fish, eggs, and nonfat cheeses, as well as vegetables and low sugar fruits. Many high protein, low-carb Entrees will be highly rated. What types of foods will receive a low rating? Foods that are high in sugars (carbs) and/or fat will be poorly rated. This includes baked sweet products, candy, butters and oils, most cereals. Sticking to lean Proteins, vegetables and fruits will assist in making proper choices.

I understand where you are coming from. I I have only lost 2 lbs in the last 5 weeks. I am keeping my cal around 1000 cal and working out 5 days a week. I can't understand it, but I can accept it. What else can we do? I chalk it up to my years of extreme yo yo dieting and being in my 40s. Even though the weight isn't coming off I can tell that my body is reshaping - my clothes are getting looser. It will come off as long as we keep working the band correctly and exercising. If you haven't gone too much over your regular caloric intake I would bet that it is just water weight and will leave as quickly as it came.

Yeah, he said he would rather do it gradually than overfill and have to remove it all and have to start over. ( I am not sure if that's his process to remove it all if the pt is overfilled?) I am good with that.

I just had my first fill yesterday. He put 1 cc in a 11 cc band. Anybody else have a dr put in such a small amount? He said it usually takes 4-6 fills before his pts feel any restriction. He does fills every 4 weeks. I don't feel any restriction and apparently I won't for a while. He's a pretty good dr so I trust his judgement. I just wish restriction would come sooner.

I completely understand where you are coming from. I am doing all the right stuff - I am doing at least an hour in the gym 4-6 days a week. When I run / walk on the treadmill I do about 3.5-3.75 miles - The cal counter says 425-450. When I do the elliptical I burn about 700 cal. I am keeping my calories around 900-1000. I am eating mainly tuna and baked fish with green beans and greek yogurt. I do a sugar free jello pudding cup and a popsicle every day. I drink a ton crystal light (1/2 strength) ice tea and 2 cups of decaf coffee. I was banded Feb 3rd and I have lost about 5 lbs. I get your frustration. I finally quit getting on the scale because I was having hissy fit every morning after I got off the scale. I am going to keep doing what I am doing because I figure my body has to eventually let it go. I am really relieved to read that I am not the only one that wants to throw themselves on the ground like a f'n 3 year old when I don't see that scale move! I just added some weight training to my routine so I am hoping that will maybe help. I will let you know if it does. I have only been doing it for a week but I do notice my clothes finally are feeling a little looser. I also wanted to tell you that all of your blogs have been very entertaining. They totally crack me up. You have a way of venting that doesn't come across as whiny at all. My favorite was the "calories in vs calories out is bullshit". I could have written those exact words myself just not as well or entertaining as you did. Keep it up and stay strong!

My final weigh in is 212.8. I did not meet my goal, but I wasn't sure how my 1st month after surgery would go. I was hoping for more, but if I can continue to lose 1-2 lbs a month I will be happy.