mrspopeye

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

These are the things that I think have made me successful:
DIET: I eat 1200 cal a day and I break it down as follows: 50% Protein (150gm) 40% fat (53gm) and 10% net carbs (30gm). Net carbs is derived from taking the total carbohydrate and subtracting the grams of Fiber. I religiously keep track of all my food and exercise at myfitnesspal.com and you can manually input the calories and p/c/f any way you want. I use it a lot for planning as well. Around lunch time, I see how much of each I have left and I play around and input different things that I could have for supper, and choose the one that fits in to what I have left for the day. Some of my favorite foods are: string cheese, Atkins chocolate Peanut Butter and Caramel Nut Chew Bars, a homemade ham, cheese and spinach omlette, 100 cal packs of almonds, Smart Ones Salisbury Steak & Veg, Turkey & Potatoes, Roast Beef and Potatoes, Lean Cusine Herb chicken & Veg, Healthy Choice Beef Merlot. Hungry Girl Flat Out breads make great sandwiches, pizzas, burritos, tacos, sloppy joes, etc.-get the whole wheat with flax one (always near the deli) and I like Nature's Own Whole Wheat Double Fiber. I have to have bread toasted to go thru my band. My go-to fast food is a small Wendy's chili. You can find the nutritional information for most all restaurants at dwlz.com and exercise4weightloss.com. There will be restaurant links.
I also drink 10-12 cups of Water per day, so I label the 16oz bottles 1-6, because I lose track if I'm busy at work. I will occasionally use the sugar free flavorings. My favorites are Hawaiin Punch Lemon berry and Cherry Limeade. I drink nothing carbonated, nor do I drink any caffeine. I was told the carbonation stretched out your stomach and makes you hungrier.
First thing in the morning, I get down 2 bottles of Water, 1 on the way to work and I make a point of finishing it before I get there. Then I drink my Protein shake about 9am. Then I dont drink anymore water until about 30min-1hr before lunch and I have my 3rd bottle. Otherwise, you will wash the shake down and get less benefit from it making you feel full. I do not ever drink anything 20 min before a meal, during, or 1-2 hr after, then I drink one late in the day and one on the way home. I always eat the Protein 1st, then vegetable, then carb. I almost always eat a lower carb WW, Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meal for lunch, then reasonable dinner. You can look at the nutritional content of each of the frozen meals online and then it is easier to pick them up at the store than looking at the back of every box. I probably eat the same 10-12 meals all the time. I really don't snack much. If I do, I try to eat a Protein Bar on the way home for work so I'm not tempted while I'm cooking supper.
PROTEIN: This is by far the single most important part of my success. For Breakfast everyday I have a Protein Shake. My favorite is Pure Protein, which comes in an 11oz can with 35gm of protein. I like the chocolate, banana and strawberry the best. vanilla was just ok. I did not like the consistancy of the Cookies and creme. I havent found a chocolate mint one in the store to try yet because it is new. I only get the 35 gm ones- that way you get more "bang for your buck" as far as higher protein content for the least amt of carbs and calories. If you end up not liking them, you still only have to drink just the 11 ounces. They are kind of expensive- they end up being about $2.25 each, but who doesnt spend that at a drive thru anyway? It has been worth the investment for me and IT WORKS. I always feel full before I finish the shake.You can buy single cans to try at Vitamin Shoppe, but once I figured out which ones I liked, I bought them by the case thru Amazon.com. I also like a powder made by Forza Pro in chocolate mint. It is a very smooth powder and mixes well and only availabe tha Nurtishops. It has 30gm of protein a scoop.
HEAD HUNGER: This has improved over time for me, but this is the one thing that no one can really prepare you for pre-op. It just plain hard sometimes. Have I ever cheated? Sure. But just because you take one step back, it doesnt mean you have to fall down the whole flight of stairs. I kind of have a 5 bite rule: if I want something really bad- I eat 5 bites and walk away. Get it in your head this is a TOOL, not a cure. You can sabotage this easily with slider foods. You will still be on a "diet" with the band. You still have to make good decisions everyday for the rest of your life. Which do you want more????
WEIGHT: I do well with negative feedback- I choose to let it motivate me instead of discourage me. Therefore, I weigh myself every single day, first thing in the morning. I also track it on myfitnesspal.com. If my weight is up, I can look back over the previous day or two and identify the problem. Then I correct it, not dwell on it, and MOVE ON. Pat Summitt, famous coach of the Lady Vols and my hero, always said you get 24 hours to Celebrate a victory and 24 hours to feel sorry for yourself when you lose a game, then get over it and get back to work. That what I try to do. I would not do well if I had a big surprise 3-5 lb weight gain after not weiging for a week and then trying to figure out where I went wrong. Some people hate weighing every day. I want to know sooner than later. I have figured out to a science how many carbs, fat, protein, etc I can have a day to lose and it takes the guesswork out of it, but this took several weeks, and it keep changing as I lose also. I got annoyed with my scale at home, so I did some research and bought one on Amazon called EatSmart Precision Digital scale and I really like it. I make sure it on the same tile block in my kitchen everyday and I zero it out then step on- and only once. I searched a really long time for the perfect one and this has certainly been worth it. That is the mentality I use.
I do go to Weight Watchers religiously. No one is going to teach a nurse and master dieter something she doesnt already know. Some people think it silly to pay a weekly fee to let someone else weigh you. It's a proven fact that people who go to meetings lose 1/3 more weight than people who do it online or on their own. I am as proud of my 10% keychain, my 25lb, 50lb and 75lb charms as anything. I am also always good on Mondays before weigh in. Another negative feedback thing for me.
EXERCISE: 45 minutes of aerobics twice a week with my girlfriends from church who don't care how stupid we look doing it.
I hope this helps someone! Maybe bits and pieces of what I do may help you in some way. That is what were are all here for! Good luck on your journey!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

These are the things that I think have made me successful:
DIET: I eat 1200 cal a day and I break it down as follows: 50% Protein (150gm) 40% fat (53gm) and 10% net carbs (30gm). Net carbs is derived from taking the total carbohydrate and subtracting the grams of Fiber. I religiously keep track of all my food and exercise at myfitnesspal.com and you can manually input the calories and p/c/f any way you want. I use it a lot for planning as well. Around lunch time, I see how much of each I have left and I play around and input different things that I could have for supper, and choose the one that fits in to what I have left for the day. Some of my favorite foods are: string cheese, Atkins chocolate Peanut Butter and Caramel Nut Chew Bars, a homemade ham, cheese and spinach omlette, 100 cal packs of almonds, Smart Ones Salisbury Steak & Veg, Turkey & Potatoes, Roast Beef and Potatoes, Lean Cusine Herb chicken & Veg, Healthy Choice Beef Merlot. Hungry Girl Flat Out breads make great sandwiches, pizzas, burritos, tacos, sloppy joes, etc.-get the whole wheat with flax one (always near the deli) and I like Nature's Own Whole Wheat Double Fiber. I have to have bread toasted to go thru my band. My go-to fast food is a small Wendy's chili. You can find the nutritional information for most all restaurants at dwlz.com and exercise4weightloss.com. There will be restaurant links.
I also drink 10-12 cups of Water per day, so I label the 16oz bottles 1-6, because I lose track if I'm busy at work. I will occasionally use the sugar free flavorings. My favorites are Hawaiin Punch Lemon berry and Cherry Limeade. I drink nothing carbonated, nor do I drink any caffeine. I was told the carbonation stretched out your stomach and makes you hungrier.
First thing in the morning, I get down 2 bottles of Water, 1 on the way to work and I make a point of finishing it before I get there. Then I drink my Protein shake about 9am. Then I dont drink anymore water until about 30min-1hr before lunch and I have my 3rd bottle. Otherwise, you will wash the shake down and get less benefit from it making you feel full. I do not ever drink anything 20 min before a meal, during, or 1-2 hr after, then I drink one late in the day and one on the way home. I always eat the Protein 1st, then vegetable, then carb. I almost always eat a lower carb WW, Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meal for lunch, then reasonable dinner. You can look at the nutritional content of each of the frozen meals online and then it is easier to pick them up at the store than looking at the back of every box. I probably eat the same 10-12 meals all the time. I really don't snack much. If I do, I try to eat a Protein Bar on the way home for work so I'm not tempted while I'm cooking supper.
PROTEIN: This is by far the single most important part of my success. For Breakfast everyday I have a Protein Shake. My favorite is Pure Protein, which comes in an 11oz can with 35gm of protein. I like the chocolate, banana and strawberry the best. vanilla was just ok. I did not like the consistancy of the Cookies and creme. I havent found a chocolate mint one in the store to try yet because it is new. I only get the 35 gm ones- that way you get more "bang for your buck" as far as higher protein content for the least amt of carbs and calories. If you end up not liking them, you still only have to drink just the 11 ounces. They are kind of expensive- they end up being about $2.25 each, but who doesnt spend that at a drive thru anyway? It has been worth the investment for me and IT WORKS. I always feel full before I finish the shake.You can buy single cans to try at Vitamin Shoppe, but once I figured out which ones I liked, I bought them by the case thru Amazon.com. I also like a powder made by Forza Pro in chocolate mint. It is a very smooth powder and mixes well and only availabe tha Nurtishops. It has 30gm of protein a scoop.
HEAD HUNGER: This has improved over time for me, but this is the one thing that no one can really prepare you for pre-op. It just plain hard sometimes. Have I ever cheated? Sure. But just because you take one step back, it doesnt mean you have to fall down the whole flight of stairs. I kind of have a 5 bite rule: if I want something really bad- I eat 5 bites and walk away. Get it in your head this is a TOOL, not a cure. You can sabotage this easily with slider foods. You will still be on a "diet" with the band. You still have to make good decisions everyday for the rest of your life. Which do you want more????
WEIGHT: I do well with negative feedback- I choose to let it motivate me instead of discourage me. Therefore, I weigh myself every single day, first thing in the morning. I also track it on myfitnesspal.com. If my weight is up, I can look back over the previous day or two and identify the problem. Then I correct it, not dwell on it, and MOVE ON. Pat Summitt, famous coach of the Lady Vols and my hero, always said you get 24 hours to Celebrate a victory and 24 hours to feel sorry for yourself when you lose a game, then get over it and get back to work. That what I try to do. I would not do well if I had a big surprise 3-5 lb weight gain after not weiging for a week and then trying to figure out where I went wrong. Some people hate weighing every day. I want to know sooner than later. I have figured out to a science how many carbs, fat, protein, etc I can have a day to lose and it takes the guesswork out of it, but this took several weeks, and it keep changing as I lose also. I got annoyed with my scale at home, so I did some research and bought one on Amazon called EatSmart Precision Digital scale and I really like it. I make sure it on the same tile block in my kitchen everyday and I zero it out then step on- and only once. I searched a really long time for the perfect one and this has certainly been worth it. That is the mentality I use.
I do go to Weight Watchers religiously. No one is going to teach a nurse and master dieter something she doesnt already know. Some people think it silly to pay a weekly fee to let someone else weigh you. It's a proven fact that people who go to meetings lose 1/3 more weight than people who do it online or on their own. I am as proud of my 10% keychain, my 25lb, 50lb and 75lb charms as anything. I am also always good on Mondays before weigh in. Another negative feedback thing for me.
EXERCISE: 45 minutes of aerobics twice a week with my girlfriends from church who don't care how stupid we look doing it.
I hope this helps someone! Maybe bits and pieces of what I do may help you in some way. That is what were are all here for! Good luck on your journey!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

These are the things that I think have made me successful:
DIET: I eat 1200 cal a day and I break it down as follows: 50% Protein (150gm) 40% fat (53gm) and 10% net carbs (30gm). Net carbs is derived from taking the total carbohydrate and subtracting the grams of Fiber. I religiously keep track of all my food and exercise at myfitnesspal.com and you can manually input the calories and p/c/f any way you want. I use it a lot for planning as well. Around lunch time, I see how much of each I have left and I play around and input different things that I could have for supper, and choose the one that fits in to what I have left for the day. Some of my favorite foods are: string cheese, Atkins chocolate Peanut Butter and Caramel Nut Chew Bars, a homemade ham, cheese and spinach omlette, 100 cal packs of almonds, Smart Ones Salisbury Steak & Veg, Turkey & Potatoes, Roast Beef and Potatoes, Lean Cusine Herb chicken & Veg, Healthy Choice Beef Merlot. Hungry Girl Flat Out breads make great sandwiches, pizzas, burritos, tacos, sloppy joes, etc.-get the whole wheat with flax one (always near the deli) and I like Nature's Own Whole Wheat Double Fiber. I have to have bread toasted to go thru my band. My go-to fast food is a small Wendy's chili. You can find the nutritional information for most all restaurants at dwlz.com and exercise4weightloss.com. There will be restaurant links.
I also drink 10-12 cups of Water per day, so I label the 16oz bottles 1-6, because I lose track if I'm busy at work. I will occasionally use the sugar free flavorings. My favorites are Hawaiin Punch Lemon berry and Cherry Limeade. I drink nothing carbonated, nor do I drink any caffeine. I was told the carbonation stretched out your stomach and makes you hungrier.
First thing in the morning, I get down 2 bottles of Water, 1 on the way to work and I make a point of finishing it before I get there. Then I drink my Protein shake about 9am. Then I dont drink anymore water until about 30min-1hr before lunch and I have my 3rd bottle. Otherwise, you will wash the shake down and get less benefit from it making you feel full. I do not ever drink anything 20 min before a meal, during, or 1-2 hr after, then I drink one late in the day and one on the way home. I always eat the Protein 1st, then vegetable, then carb. I almost always eat a lower carb WW, Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meal for lunch, then reasonable dinner. You can look at the nutritional content of each of the frozen meals online and then it is easier to pick them up at the store than looking at the back of every box. I probably eat the same 10-12 meals all the time. I really don't snack much. If I do, I try to eat a Protein Bar on the way home for work so I'm not tempted while I'm cooking supper.
PROTEIN: This is by far the single most important part of my success. For Breakfast everyday I have a Protein Shake. My favorite is Pure Protein, which comes in an 11oz can with 35gm of protein. I like the chocolate, banana and strawberry the best. vanilla was just ok. I did not like the consistancy of the Cookies and creme. I havent found a chocolate mint one in the store to try yet because it is new. I only get the 35 gm ones- that way you get more "bang for your buck" as far as higher protein content for the least amt of carbs and calories. If you end up not liking them, you still only have to drink just the 11 ounces. They are kind of expensive- they end up being about $2.25 each, but who doesnt spend that at a drive thru anyway? It has been worth the investment for me and IT WORKS. I always feel full before I finish the shake.You can buy single cans to try at Vitamin Shoppe, but once I figured out which ones I liked, I bought them by the case thru Amazon.com. I also like a powder made by Forza Pro in chocolate mint. It is a very smooth powder and mixes well and only availabe tha Nurtishops. It has 30gm of protein a scoop.
HEAD HUNGER: This has improved over time for me, but this is the one thing that no one can really prepare you for pre-op. It just plain hard sometimes. Have I ever cheated? Sure. But just because you take one step back, it doesnt mean you have to fall down the whole flight of stairs. I kind of have a 5 bite rule: if I want something really bad- I eat 5 bites and walk away. Get it in your head this is a TOOL, not a cure. You can sabotage this easily with slider foods. You will still be on a "diet" with the band. You still have to make good decisions everyday for the rest of your life. Which do you want more????
WEIGHT: I do well with negative feedback- I choose to let it motivate me instead of discourage me. Therefore, I weigh myself every single day, first thing in the morning. I also track it on myfitnesspal.com. If my weight is up, I can look back over the previous day or two and identify the problem. Then I correct it, not dwell on it, and MOVE ON. Pat Summitt, famous coach of the Lady Vols and my hero, always said you get 24 hours to Celebrate a victory and 24 hours to feel sorry for yourself when you lose a game, then get over it and get back to work. That what I try to do. I would not do well if I had a big surprise 3-5 lb weight gain after not weiging for a week and then trying to figure out where I went wrong. Some people hate weighing every day. I want to know sooner than later. I have figured out to a science how many carbs, fat, protein, etc I can have a day to lose and it takes the guesswork out of it, but this took several weeks, and it keep changing as I lose also. I got annoyed with my scale at home, so I did some research and bought one on Amazon called EatSmart Precision Digital scale and I really like it. I make sure it on the same tile block in my kitchen everyday and I zero it out then step on- and only once. I searched a really long time for the perfect one and this has certainly been worth it. That is the mentality I use.
I do go to Weight Watchers religiously. No one is going to teach a nurse and master dieter something she doesnt already know. Some people think it silly to pay a weekly fee to let someone else weigh you. It's a proven fact that people who go to meetings lose 1/3 more weight than people who do it online or on their own. I am as proud of my 10% keychain, my 25lb, 50lb and 75lb charms as anything. I am also always good on Mondays before weigh in. Another negative feedback thing for me.
EXERCISE: 45 minutes of aerobics twice a week with my girlfriends from church who don't care how stupid we look doing it.
I hope this helps someone! Maybe bits and pieces of what I do may help you in some way. That is what were are all here for! Good luck on your journey!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

Hello, Your inspiring story is just what I needed to read tonight. I'm getting ready for my pre op diet the 26th....ate all day and never fill full, so u can imagine I'm a little concerned about those 14 days....Congratulations and whether you meet your 100lbs by Christmas or not, you're already a winner. Thank you so very much for sharing and please share more. God bless and continued success to you....Oh, by the way, your little girl looks exactly like my little Sofie...hope that means I'll do a well as you Ha!!!! Effie

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

Thank you! She has kept me company on those hungry days and is full of unconditional puppy love!

BJL, your weight loss is super impressive! You deserve a congratulations too!!!

Awesome news! By the way, you were banded on my birthday

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream.
For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

I also think that the more a person has to lose, the faster it may seem in the beginning. I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised that it came off faster than I thought it would.

Congrats to both of you on your success!!! YAY! 77lbs makes a huge difference physically and emotionally. I too feel like I am having to buy a new wardrobe every month. Lots of consignment store, old navy, and target clearance for me. I still deal with head hunger every day and have to be strict with myself. However, when I stay on top of my exercise, I do allow myself a little treat once or twice a week. Keeps my cravings down and I am still losing. Exercise is equally important to my weight loss as nutrition is.
I am down 111lb since I began the 6 month pre op diet. I feel like a whole new person. My next goal is to get under 200. I went in for a fill appt today but since I am in the green zone, they didn't put any Fluid in. I have been losing about 13lbs per month but they said expect it to slow down the smaller I get... 4-8lbs per month is average.
Keep up the great work everyone!

Yes - me too, but I will take cold and skinny over warm and fat anyday!

I also think that the more a person has to lose, the faster it may seem in the beginning. I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised that it came off faster than I thought it would.