Rebecca Cain Salpacka

Hi Moon I was banded 4/26/12 and am as of this morning (17 months out) down 104 also...way to go. my 104 is total since March 1 tho when I met with nutritionist..we worked hard for those lbs in the Pre-op stages and so they count too lol. total since surgery day tho would be 91. keep up the good work. Ideally i need to lose another 100 lbs but if i could lose 53 and get down to 200 even..i would be ecstatic. Great job and good luck on the last 20.

in the upper right hand corner of your home page, just to the left of SIGN OUT, you will see your name, with a little dropdown arrow, next to your name..click on that, and a dropbox should come down, u will see MY CONTENT, click on that and it will show your posts.

I was 357 on, my highest, on 3/1/12 I was 343 on surgery day 4/26/13..currently 261

Hi smiles, thank you My last fill was Apr 1 (3 wks before my 1 year bandiversry)..i thought it was my sweet spot, as I am never hungry..however i still do have some stuck issues on occasion so its possible im just a wee bit too tight. I have to remind myself to eat tho, becuase im not hungry often. I always get my Protein in the morning sometimes by eggs or kashi Cereal, but most often its a Protein Drink, as my band really doesnt like mornings and is always the tightest then, which is when i have most of my stuck episodes. i will do a salad sometimes for lunch...but admittedly skip lunch about half the time cuz im not hungry...and then dinner i just make sure i have protein..i dont always have the healthiest meal as far as carbs or fat is concerned, but since the rest of my day is so low in those numbers, i still am able to keep well under my max alotted amts. Sometimes i will snakc (out of boredom) and i do my best to make it fruit, wheat crackers, yogurt, etc. Though i recently wwent through a bad period of eating the candys icecreams etc...that we really shouldnt have..which i know also contributed to my slower weight loss. I dont expect to get another fill anytime soon, if anything i may ask for a small unfill of .25cc, i think i may need to increase what im eating because i know if u eat to little u wont lose either. I see my bariatrician doc again on july 25, i will see what she says and then schedule the unfill if she agrees. Prior to my last fill my fills were on average every 2 months...and each were either 1cc or higher.

Oh i realize the 45 is just average..but i wasnt sure just how many passed that mark lol..like I had said, i pretty much figured that the "average" wasnt really what the average was if they redid a study, they would see that its far higher. Im gonna keep going, never plan to give up...im at a stall but my inches are melting off, so much im having trouble keeping clothes in my closet that fit right lol.

This is the number i was told by my docs and have read nearly everywhere online, is the average total weight loss for Lap Band patients. 45% of their excess weight. so if you are 100lbs over your "normal" weight range according to the BMI charts, then you will most likely lose around 45lbs. For me, I started out 230lbs over what the BMI charts say i should be at, and am down 96lbs, which is 41% of the 230extra lbs i had on me. I know this is why im slowing down on my weight loss, i also knew that i may not lose a single pound over the 103 (which would be 45%) and I was ok with that..but as im getting closer it just isnt enough for me lol and im determined to not be the "average" bandster and blow pass that percentage. Im just curious as to how many of you out there, have been able to do this?..I have seen tons of people on here losing over 100lbs, and so im thinking there must be more out there that have done it than even the experts realize and that the "average" percent of weight loss, may be higher than the 45.

14 months after my surgery I am down 83 lbs from surgery day, and 96 lbs total since March 1...that is 5 lbs more than the weight of my son. INSANE..considering that I cant even lift him an inch from the floor, how in the world did I ever manage to carry 96 more lbs around on this body of mine....wow! This is definitely the point where the weight loss slows down, as its taken me 2 months to lose the last 5 lbs ive lost lol. I am also very near the 45% of excess weight that they say is most common for lapband patients to lose. My 45% point will be 103.5lbs...However, I WILLLLL pass that 45%. Now im not saying that hitting that 103lbs loss and then maintaining would be all that bad, but I would still be considered obese and am really wanting to get out of that "label" that the medical fields uses. It has not been easy, and as you get further along in the journey and the weight loss starts to slow down, it makes it even tougher to work hard, go to the gym, and make the healthier food choices..but you HAVE to do it..coming this far and then giving up IS NOT AN OPTION!

what a story...god bless ya! Sometimes its those big eyes lookin up at us from those tiny faces that wake us up. I am so glad you chose to get healthy. Best of luck on your journey and have fun at Disney next year..because you WILL do this!

it isnt easy...but cravings are the head hunger that comes through..i usually try to take that time to exercise..if im at work, ill take a walk break if i can get away, if im at home but dont have time to go to the gym, ill try to get up and clean, something to keep me busy to get it off my mind. Also if its something sweet i will try to "fake out" the craving with a sugar free popsicle..if its something crunchy im craving ill do an apple or celery...

Im just curious, was this self pay for the band. I have had several people say that their insurance wont cover the band over the bypass..but they will cover doing bypass if unsuccessful with the band.

Thanks Jeff, I too tried to message you about a week ago and it wouldnt go through...strange! Thanks my friend.

I just realized my math was off lol..its 92 lbs lost, not 91...lol

1 year ago today, I was waking up and anxiously awaiting time to leave for the hospital. A day that I knew, would change my life forever, and change it for the better. I started my journey January 27th, while speaking with the bariatric surgeon. A few weeks later on March 1, I was at my heaviest weight ever, of 357 lbs. When I got the call on March 27th, saying my surgery was approved, I literally started dancing in the parking lot, that I was walking through when the phone rang. I knew my life would never be the same. Now, a year after my surgery I am down 78 lbs from surgery day, and 91 lbs total since March 1...that is the entire weight of my son (his doc appt he had this week, weighed him at 90.4 lbs. INSANE..considering that I cant even lift him an inch from the floor, how in the world did I ever manage to carry 91 more lbs around on this body of mine....wow! When i seen the surgeon in January, she asked me my expectations of how much weight i wanted to lose in the first year, and I said 75lbs...she said a very doable goal....and I reached it....one of the few goals I have set in my life, that I have reached (graduating college, getting married, and becoming a mom were the other big ones in which i succeeded) So I am thrilled to be able to add this to the list of my reached goals. However, I am not done...I have 115 more lbs to go, to get to my "final" goal weight...which I am setting and hoping to lose within the next 18 months. Has this been a smooth easy ride...absolutely not! Would I change anything about it...absolutely not! If it had been any easier, I dont think I would have learned as much as I have...the band is a TOOL, not a quick fix, like so many seem to think. I hope anyone out there that may be earlier in the journey, and struggling, will see that you can NEVER give up, or you will NEVER succeed. Good Luck everyone, and remember to listen to your body and your band, and never stop Moving Moving Moving!

i hit my first stall at about 10 months out, it lasted 6 wks and i decided to try a small fill in my band, even tho my portions and things were good already...doc gave me .9cc in my band and i have now dropped 7 lbs in the last 2 wks. Also since you arent able to eat pork or beef, make sure you are getting enough protein..60-80g. good luck.

I will be banded 1 year on the r26th of this month and I couldnt agree with you more. Congrats on your success.

I wouldnt worry to much. The stuff they asked me was basically to find out how i handled certain situations, and to make sure that i wasnt someone who ran to food out of boredom or when i was emotional. Also making sure that I had some sort of support system, people that i could turn to who would help get tme through any rough days I may have. That my family at home wouldnt be people who might sabotage the things im trying to do. I am sure you will do fine. Good Luck.

My Lapband surgeon said that she wouldnt even suggest looking into PS until at least 1 year after i reach my goal weight and have maintained it. I still have at least anohter year to year and half before i reach goal...so will be long while before i can have PS. I have had the rashes since before my band, and have them more so now..so im hoping that insurance will cover it when i do.

I know the changes that need to be made..but that is where my prob lies...i get in a frump and motivation to make those changes is almost non existent..and then i get frustrated that i cant bring myself to do what needs to be done. I recently started on meds because i was diagnosed with depression, im hoping after im on them a bit longer, i will start to come out of it a bit, which will then help get myself back on track.

Wow Carolinagirl..100lbs with no fills...thats amazing! Nice job. Im happy with my weight loss...but it just seems like as time goes on, its harder to stay focused on the right choices, and to get myself moving like i should...and it isnt for lack of wanting it..I do..just sometimes i get into a frump and i hate it.

Down 68lbs since surgery 4/26 and 82lbs total since 3/1! January I only lost about 3 lbs, February I doubled it and lost almost 6. I wish I was having the 8-10lbs per month that I use to have, but I realize that as time goes on, the weight comes off slower..so I am grateful to still be losing at all! I also realize that I can still be doing more to help that along...its just getting harder to stay motivated, and in a positive mind frame sometimes....but I can do this...I WILL do this! Anyone else at this mark of the journey, finding their motivation slipping?

Its crazy how much faster men lose weight then women...Jim..you were banded only 10 days before me, and have lost nearly double what I have since surgery. Way to go and keep up the good work.

I am so glad to see this post and the responses. I will be 10 months on 2/26 and I also have noticed more recently that many are having probs after 18 months or so, and im also noticing people having their bands removed because of the complications..it was starting to worry me, because prior to having the band, i only seen one more two that had been removed...i researched like crazy before deciding to have it. This thread has helped me to feel at ease again.

I was only going by what my surgeon and the other docs have told me...i dont necessarily agree..was just sharing the info i was told. Glad to hear you are doing so well Missy...hope it continues for you.

200lbs in 14 months...that is a bit fast...thats just about 15 lbs a month...i was told bandsters generally keep it off and have the least amt of health issues if they dont lose more than an average of 10lbs a month. I wish you the best and hope that you are able to get answers for whatever is causing the issues.