princessheather

Yes if I wear a tight shirt you can see it. Definitely can see it when I wear a bathing suit. Drives me crazy! B-52 I do see that in your pic now that you mention it. Oh well I suppose I will live with it cause I sure as heck can't live without it

Yes if I wear a tight shirt you can see it. Definitely can see it when I wear a bathing suit. Drives me crazy! B-52 I do see that in your pic now that you mention it. Oh well I suppose I will live with it cause I sure as heck can't live without it

Yes if I wear a tight shirt you can see it. Definitely can see it when I wear a bathing suit. Drives me crazy! B-52 I do see that in your pic now that you mention it. Oh well I suppose I will live with it cause I sure as heck can't live without it

Ughh the more I lose the more it sticks out. Been at goal for about 6 months. Down to 18% body fat. Actually can see the beginnings of a 6 pack under all my loose skin and now my darn port is more prominent than ever. Planning on skin surgery in November but it seems so far away. Does anyone who is super fit with low body fat have pics of a Tummy Tuck after surgery and experience with a the port being moved or a lower lying replacement? I'm curious if I'm actually going to be able to pull off a bikini or working out in a sports bra after without someone wondering what the heck is that huge lump in the middle of my awesome abs lol.

It sounds weird but I definitely think you are not eating enough. Up your Protein calories by 200-300. I swear it will work . Your body is holding onto the weight because it knows your not going to give it more food. I've been through this. I was stuck and it works. Went from 298 to 138

Banded June 2010. Rid of 168 pounds!

[ATTACH]42404[/ATTACH]

Banded June 2010. Rid of 168 pounds!

[ATTACH]42404[/ATTACH]

It sounds weird but I definitely think you are not eating enough. Up your Protein calories by 200-300. I swear it will work . Your body is holding onto the weight because it knows your not going to give it more food. I've been through this. I was stuck and it works. Went from 298 to 138

It sounds weird but I definitely think you are not eating enough. Up your Protein calories by 200-300. I swear it will work . Your body is holding onto the weight because it knows your not going to give it more food. I've been through this. I was stuck and it works. Went from 298 to 138

You guys look great! !

In fact I really do think you are too tight. It's always scary to think of getting too much taken out but if u can have a little out and the get proper nutrition in its really going to help

Also if you are getting stuck that quickly u may be too tight.

It sounds weird but I definitely think you are not eating enough. Up your Protein calories by 200-300. I swear it will work . Your body is holding onto the weight because it knows your not going to give it more food. I've been through this. I was stuck and it works. Went from 298 to 138

You guys look great! !

It sounds weird but I definitely think you are not eating enough. Up your Protein calories by 200-300. I swear it will work . Your body is holding onto the weight because it knows your not going to give it more food. I've been through this. I was stuck and it works. Went from 298 to 138

It sounds weird but I definitely think you are not eating enough. Up your Protein calories by 200-300. I swear it will work . Your body is holding onto the weight because it knows your not going to give it more food. I've been through this. I was stuck and it works. Went from 298 to 138

Banded June 2010. Rid of 168 pounds!
(sorry if this is a repeat for some of you but thought i should post this in this forum too to
help/motivate more people)
So the truth is the way I had success was to get real with myself. The first year I completely failed my lapband. I lost a little and then gain 30 pounds back. I didn't exercise at all and tried to tell myself walking the dog counted as good cardio. I also didn't count any calories that first year. I ate crap and tried to blame it on my band not working properly. I was very uniformed and thought the band was magically supposed to work. I didn't understand that I needed to get to that "sweet spot". The second year I decided I had to do it and get informed. I read these bariatric pal boards and searched for the secrets to everyone's success. The answer? No big secret, actual real exercise and counting your calories! I got a little cruiser bike and actually rode it 15 miles a day 7 days a week starting the day I bought it. I had always wanted a bike like that and said if I got one i would use it. That day I also started counting my calories religiously...right down to a stick of gum. I stuck with 1200 calories for the first year and then actually had to up my Protein calories once I started doing even more exercise. When it got too cold I tried zumba and fell in love with it and did it 7 days a week. Then I upgraded to twice a day zumba for several months. Then I did the Insanity program and zumba every day for 3 months. I slowly but surely lost steadily that whole time. The majority of my calories was always Protein. 90 grams at least. And when my weight was stuck and I exercised more, i upped it to 120 grams of protein and lost even more. With that amount of protein i felt full, and there was only enough calories left for my veggies, then fruit the sometimes some carb foods. My band is a realize band and if i remember correclty it is at 10.2 in an 11cc band. I almost have to have the darn thing closed shut to feel any real restriction. I havn't had a fill in a year. (acutally i had it to 10.7 for a almost a year until this january when i started randomly having really bad night reflux so decided to just get a tiny bit out). I made little goals as I went along.. If I had a trip planned, I would say, ok I just have to lose 10 more pounds by then. Or I just want to weigh what I was when I graduated college, and the what I weighed when I first got married, and then I just wanted to be smaller than my husband ( that was an awesome day the day the scale said I weighed less than him!). And the it was I wanted to be what i was when I was 21, and then the ultimate was what i was when I was in my teens!
As for extra skin, yes i look dang good in tight workout clothes but naked is an entirely different story. I will be very honest here and many people here can relate. I struggle daily with my body image. While I may look tiny and muscle packed with clothes on ( I'm at 19% body fat), without clothes my skin is soooo wrinkled. My upper arms are super bad and I am pretty self conscious about them. I wore tank tops last year but vowed not to this summer as i swear all i thought about was people staring at the saggy skin. My upper and lower stomach and pubic region have a huge amount of extra skin that gets in the way when i exercise. I can actually hear it flapping about when I workout dang it! My chest is completely non existent, just flaps of skin which will require a lift and augmentation. My inner thighs and butt are the least saggy out of everything but will require a lift if I really want the complete packed. The good news about some of this is my legs and butt have actually gotten better with working out once I added weight training. I was so overweight for almost 15 years and so i just don't have time (or age) on my side for my skin to shrink back. My goal is to concentrate on reducing my body fat just a little more and have my arms, chest and tummy done this fall as a reward for keeping my weight off for a significant amount of time.
The best advice is to get very informed and have a plan. Don't kid yourself, real exercise and a diet plan is the key to success with the band. Exercise is my best friend now. I actually want to be a personal trainer and nutrition counselor. Many people have asked me how I did it and I have to say I was sick of being what I was.
You can do this!!!!!

Banded June 2010. Rid of 168 pounds!
(sorry if this is a repeat for some of you but thought i should post this in this forum too to
help/motivate more people)
So the truth is the way I had success was to get real with myself. The first year I completely failed my lapband. I lost a little and then gain 30 pounds back. I didn't exercise at all and tried to tell myself walking the dog counted as good cardio. I also didn't count any calories that first year. I ate crap and tried to blame it on my band not working properly. I was very uniformed and thought the band was magically supposed to work. I didn't understand that I needed to get to that "sweet spot". The second year I decided I had to do it and get informed. I read these bariatric pal boards and searched for the secrets to everyone's success. The answer? No big secret, actual real exercise and counting your calories! I got a little cruiser bike and actually rode it 15 miles a day 7 days a week starting the day I bought it. I had always wanted a bike like that and said if I got one i would use it. That day I also started counting my calories religiously...right down to a stick of gum. I stuck with 1200 calories for the first year and then actually had to up my Protein calories once I started doing even more exercise. When it got too cold I tried zumba and fell in love with it and did it 7 days a week. Then I upgraded to twice a day zumba for several months. Then I did the Insanity program and zumba every day for 3 months. I slowly but surely lost steadily that whole time. The majority of my calories was always Protein. 90 grams at least. And when my weight was stuck and I exercised more, i upped it to 120 grams of protein and lost even more. With that amount of protein i felt full, and there was only enough calories left for my veggies, then fruit the sometimes some carb foods. My band is a realize band and if i remember correclty it is at 10.2 in an 11cc band. I almost have to have the darn thing closed shut to feel any real restriction. I havn't had a fill in a year. (acutally i had it to 10.7 for a almost a year until this january when i started randomly having really bad night reflux so decided to just get a tiny bit out). I made little goals as I went along.. If I had a trip planned, I would say, ok I just have to lose 10 more pounds by then. Or I just want to weigh what I was when I graduated college, and the what I weighed when I first got married, and then I just wanted to be smaller than my husband ( that was an awesome day the day the scale said I weighed less than him!). And the it was I wanted to be what i was when I was 21, and then the ultimate was what i was when I was in my teens!
As for extra skin, yes i look dang good in tight workout clothes but naked is an entirely different story. I will be very honest here and many people here can relate. I struggle daily with my body image. While I may look tiny and muscle packed with clothes on ( I'm at 19% body fat), without clothes my skin is soooo wrinkled. My upper arms are super bad and I am pretty self conscious about them. I wore tank tops last year but vowed not to this summer as i swear all i thought about was people staring at the saggy skin. My upper and lower stomach and pubic region have a huge amount of extra skin that gets in the way when i exercise. I can actually hear it flapping about when I workout dang it! My chest is completely non existent, just flaps of skin which will require a lift and augmentation. My inner thighs and butt are the least saggy out of everything but will require a lift if I really want the complete packed. The good news about some of this is my legs and butt have actually gotten better with working out once I added weight training. I was so overweight for almost 15 years and so i just don't have time (or age) on my side for my skin to shrink back. My goal is to concentrate on reducing my body fat just a little more and have my arms, chest and tummy done this fall as a reward for keeping my weight off for a significant amount of time.
The best advice is to get very informed and have a plan. Don't kid yourself, real exercise and a diet plan is the key to success with the band. Exercise is my best friend now. I actually want to be a personal trainer and nutrition counselor. Many people have asked me how I did it and I have to say I was sick of being what I was.
You can do this!!!!!

I just realized, 3 years ago today I was banded....and it was just as cold and snowy outside....
Nothing unusual, went through the same as everyone else...6 month diet ( which I failed at like any other diet), all the hoops I had to jump through, clearances from cardiologist, pulmonary, psych, etc, .
Went in for surgery at 7 am for prepping, wheeled in around 10am, home by 5 pm...became one with my lazy-boy recliner, a warm comforter and my pain meds for the next 24 hours....wife kept me supplied with broth and Water...(also had coffee...can't live without it)
One week after surgery, had my post-op appointment with surgeon...check incisions, few questions, released to go back to gym, etc...also returned to work after 1 week....
4 weeks after surgery went in for first fill....then had 2 more after that, all 4 weeks apart....have to say that this was the most difficult and hardest phase of this entire experience...the band was there, but not adjusted....I was as hungry as ever....I actually gained weight during this period...I was told I needed to count calories, measure portions, keep a journal, etc....all the same things I gave done over the last 30 years with every diet under the sun....I WAS FURIOUS! I did not need surgery, and all the prep work and anxiety, not to mention the $$..... Just to repeat what I tried and failed at for all those years...I thought surgery was going to be different....
Fortunately...my surgeon sat me down and explained the process, very thoroughly, and assured me that if this is what I really want, and willing to make the many small sacrifices and not retreat and back down, that it will work for me....
After 4 months and 3 good fills, it hit me like a storm....could not keep anything down, was getting stuck numerous times per day......called the Dr., he reminded me of our conversation and asked to hold out one more week....also made the point it was my old eating habits giving me the problems, not the band....he was right, I had to learn the hard way...
Fast forward.....4 months to hit the green zone...then another 2 months, at least, to learn the lessons, apply the rules, learn new habits, give up certain foods, in order to find that harmony.....my groove.
After that it just continued to get easier and easier.....and still is today.....I stopped counting calories and portion sizes, learned to live by the band...rely on it to set my portions-eating habits, and to relieve me of hunger and cravings.....food no longer interests me, and if am rarely hungry...
Today, three years later, I have learned there us a life after lap band.....a life where I don't have to remind myself what I need to do or not do....all those rules and hard lessons have become a part of me...the new me.....living a new life day to day....the new normal...
I have been at my goal at the 12 month mark, but living the new life my body simply continued to "level out" until it reached a normal body fat %..... We gradually went from normal to obese by living with bad habits, and we gradually return to normal by living everyday with new habits....
I go to the gym at least 5 days a week...even though I have lost the weight, it continues to "tone" the body and tighten any loose skin....
I have not gained, nor lost weight for almost 2 years now....I have no fear of ever gaining weight back, falling off the wagon, etc....only fear is medical complications and for that I perform certain maintenance routinely....
Absolutely the best thing I could have ever done for myself....reversed all my health problems, boosted my self confidence and social life....
Never had a single complication in 3 years with the band....I'm at the point where there is simply nothing left for me to do....
This thing does work!

Banded June 2010. Rid of 168 pounds!
(sorry if this is a repeat for some of you but thought i should post this in this forum too to
help/motivate more people)
So the truth is the way I had success was to get real with myself. The first year I completely failed my lapband. I lost a little and then gain 30 pounds back. I didn't exercise at all and tried to tell myself walking the dog counted as good cardio. I also didn't count any calories that first year. I ate crap and tried to blame it on my band not working properly. I was very uniformed and thought the band was magically supposed to work. I didn't understand that I needed to get to that "sweet spot". The second year I decided I had to do it and get informed. I read these bariatric pal boards and searched for the secrets to everyone's success. The answer? No big secret, actual real exercise and counting your calories! I got a little cruiser bike and actually rode it 15 miles a day 7 days a week starting the day I bought it. I had always wanted a bike like that and said if I got one i would use it. That day I also started counting my calories religiously...right down to a stick of gum. I stuck with 1200 calories for the first year and then actually had to up my Protein calories once I started doing even more exercise. When it got too cold I tried zumba and fell in love with it and did it 7 days a week. Then I upgraded to twice a day zumba for several months. Then I did the Insanity program and zumba every day for 3 months. I slowly but surely lost steadily that whole time. The majority of my calories was always Protein. 90 grams at least. And when my weight was stuck and I exercised more, i upped it to 120 grams of protein and lost even more. With that amount of protein i felt full, and there was only enough calories left for my veggies, then fruit the sometimes some carb foods. My band is a realize band and if i remember correclty it is at 10.2 in an 11cc band. I almost have to have the darn thing closed shut to feel any real restriction. I havn't had a fill in a year. (acutally i had it to 10.7 for a almost a year until this january when i started randomly having really bad night reflux so decided to just get a tiny bit out). I made little goals as I went along.. If I had a trip planned, I would say, ok I just have to lose 10 more pounds by then. Or I just want to weigh what I was when I graduated college, and the what I weighed when I first got married, and then I just wanted to be smaller than my husband ( that was an awesome day the day the scale said I weighed less than him!). And the it was I wanted to be what i was when I was 21, and then the ultimate was what i was when I was in my teens!
As for extra skin, yes i look dang good in tight workout clothes but naked is an entirely different story. I will be very honest here and many people here can relate. I struggle daily with my body image. While I may look tiny and muscle packed with clothes on ( I'm at 19% body fat), without clothes my skin is soooo wrinkled. My upper arms are super bad and I am pretty self conscious about them. I wore tank tops last year but vowed not to this summer as i swear all i thought about was people staring at the saggy skin. My upper and lower stomach and pubic region have a huge amount of extra skin that gets in the way when i exercise. I can actually hear it flapping about when I workout dang it! My chest is completely non existent, just flaps of skin which will require a lift and augmentation. My inner thighs and butt are the least saggy out of everything but will require a lift if I really want the complete packed. The good news about some of this is my legs and butt have actually gotten better with working out once I added weight training. I was so overweight for almost 15 years and so i just don't have time (or age) on my side for my skin to shrink back. My goal is to concentrate on reducing my body fat just a little more and have my arms, chest and tummy done this fall as a reward for keeping my weight off for a significant amount of time.
The best advice is to get very informed and have a plan. Don't kid yourself, real exercise and a diet plan is the key to success with the band. Exercise is my best friend now. I actually want to be a personal trainer and nutrition counselor. Many people have asked me how I did it and I have to say I was sick of being what I was.
You can do this!!!!!

Thanks everyone!
To answer the questions: I drink several Protein shakes throughout the day which have 30 grams of Protein each. Then the rest of my protein comes from fish/chicken/turkey. I am a numbers person and a creature of habit so i normally plan my whole days worth of calories/protein each morning or the night before so I have a plan to follow each day and even if i am busy I can just consult the log and grab what i need.
As for how I get so much exercise, well..I do not have kids so i know that can make it a bit easier, That being said, I have worked more than one job during the majority of my weightloss and what i have done from the start is schedule my workouts a month in advance. They are all in my calendar and i treat them like a job. Everything else gets scheduled around them no matter what. Even when i am dead tired i still get up and do it. I actually get up and hour and half before I have to workout to give me time to drink a smoothie and let it "hit my system" as it takes me about 30 mins to drink one then i let it process through my body for that hour before i workout. I make the time because it is so important to me. I have so many friends that want to workout but i hear so many excuses when it comes down to it. You have to figure out what you can do and when you can do it and then DO IT.
I never expect anyone to go full blast immediately, but just start something and don't give up! You guys got this!!!!

Banded June 2010. Rid of 168 pounds!
(sorry if this is a repeat for some of you but thought i should post this in this forum too to
help/motivate more people)
So the truth is the way I had success was to get real with myself. The first year I completely failed my lapband. I lost a little and then gain 30 pounds back. I didn't exercise at all and tried to tell myself walking the dog counted as good cardio. I also didn't count any calories that first year. I ate crap and tried to blame it on my band not working properly. I was very uniformed and thought the band was magically supposed to work. I didn't understand that I needed to get to that "sweet spot". The second year I decided I had to do it and get informed. I read these bariatric pal boards and searched for the secrets to everyone's success. The answer? No big secret, actual real exercise and counting your calories! I got a little cruiser bike and actually rode it 15 miles a day 7 days a week starting the day I bought it. I had always wanted a bike like that and said if I got one i would use it. That day I also started counting my calories religiously...right down to a stick of gum. I stuck with 1200 calories for the first year and then actually had to up my Protein calories once I started doing even more exercise. When it got too cold I tried zumba and fell in love with it and did it 7 days a week. Then I upgraded to twice a day zumba for several months. Then I did the Insanity program and zumba every day for 3 months. I slowly but surely lost steadily that whole time. The majority of my calories was always Protein. 90 grams at least. And when my weight was stuck and I exercised more, i upped it to 120 grams of protein and lost even more. With that amount of protein i felt full, and there was only enough calories left for my veggies, then fruit the sometimes some carb foods. My band is a realize band and if i remember correclty it is at 10.2 in an 11cc band. I almost have to have the darn thing closed shut to feel any real restriction. I havn't had a fill in a year. (acutally i had it to 10.7 for a almost a year until this january when i started randomly having really bad night reflux so decided to just get a tiny bit out). I made little goals as I went along.. If I had a trip planned, I would say, ok I just have to lose 10 more pounds by then. Or I just want to weigh what I was when I graduated college, and the what I weighed when I first got married, and then I just wanted to be smaller than my husband ( that was an awesome day the day the scale said I weighed less than him!). And the it was I wanted to be what i was when I was 21, and then the ultimate was what i was when I was in my teens!
As for extra skin, yes i look dang good in tight workout clothes but naked is an entirely different story. I will be very honest here and many people here can relate. I struggle daily with my body image. While I may look tiny and muscle packed with clothes on ( I'm at 19% body fat), without clothes my skin is soooo wrinkled. My upper arms are super bad and I am pretty self conscious about them. I wore tank tops last year but vowed not to this summer as i swear all i thought about was people staring at the saggy skin. My upper and lower stomach and pubic region have a huge amount of extra skin that gets in the way when i exercise. I can actually hear it flapping about when I workout dang it! My chest is completely non existent, just flaps of skin which will require a lift and augmentation. My inner thighs and butt are the least saggy out of everything but will require a lift if I really want the complete packed. The good news about some of this is my legs and butt have actually gotten better with working out once I added weight training. I was so overweight for almost 15 years and so i just don't have time (or age) on my side for my skin to shrink back. My goal is to concentrate on reducing my body fat just a little more and have my arms, chest and tummy done this fall as a reward for keeping my weight off for a significant amount of time.
The best advice is to get very informed and have a plan. Don't kid yourself, real exercise and a diet plan is the key to success with the band. Exercise is my best friend now. I actually want to be a personal trainer and nutrition counselor. Many people have asked me how I did it and I have to say I was sick of being what I was.
You can do this!!!!!

Thanks everyone!
To answer the questions: I drink several Protein shakes throughout the day which have 30 grams of Protein each. Then the rest of my protein comes from fish/chicken/turkey. I am a numbers person and a creature of habit so i normally plan my whole days worth of calories/protein each morning or the night before so I have a plan to follow each day and even if i am busy I can just consult the log and grab what i need.
As for how I get so much exercise, well..I do not have kids so i know that can make it a bit easier, That being said, I have worked more than one job during the majority of my weightloss and what i have done from the start is schedule my workouts a month in advance. They are all in my calendar and i treat them like a job. Everything else gets scheduled around them no matter what. Even when i am dead tired i still get up and do it. I actually get up and hour and half before I have to workout to give me time to drink a smoothie and let it "hit my system" as it takes me about 30 mins to drink one then i let it process through my body for that hour before i workout. I make the time because it is so important to me. I have so many friends that want to workout but i hear so many excuses when it comes down to it. You have to figure out what you can do and when you can do it and then DO IT.
I never expect anyone to go full blast immediately, but just start something and don't give up! You guys got this!!!!

Banded June 2010. Rid of 168 pounds!
(sorry if this is a repeat for some of you but thought i should post this in this forum too to
help/motivate more people)
So the truth is the way I had success was to get real with myself. The first year I completely failed my lapband. I lost a little and then gain 30 pounds back. I didn't exercise at all and tried to tell myself walking the dog counted as good cardio. I also didn't count any calories that first year. I ate crap and tried to blame it on my band not working properly. I was very uniformed and thought the band was magically supposed to work. I didn't understand that I needed to get to that "sweet spot". The second year I decided I had to do it and get informed. I read these bariatric pal boards and searched for the secrets to everyone's success. The answer? No big secret, actual real exercise and counting your calories! I got a little cruiser bike and actually rode it 15 miles a day 7 days a week starting the day I bought it. I had always wanted a bike like that and said if I got one i would use it. That day I also started counting my calories religiously...right down to a stick of gum. I stuck with 1200 calories for the first year and then actually had to up my Protein calories once I started doing even more exercise. When it got too cold I tried zumba and fell in love with it and did it 7 days a week. Then I upgraded to twice a day zumba for several months. Then I did the Insanity program and zumba every day for 3 months. I slowly but surely lost steadily that whole time. The majority of my calories was always Protein. 90 grams at least. And when my weight was stuck and I exercised more, i upped it to 120 grams of protein and lost even more. With that amount of protein i felt full, and there was only enough calories left for my veggies, then fruit the sometimes some carb foods. My band is a realize band and if i remember correclty it is at 10.2 in an 11cc band. I almost have to have the darn thing closed shut to feel any real restriction. I havn't had a fill in a year. (acutally i had it to 10.7 for a almost a year until this january when i started randomly having really bad night reflux so decided to just get a tiny bit out). I made little goals as I went along.. If I had a trip planned, I would say, ok I just have to lose 10 more pounds by then. Or I just want to weigh what I was when I graduated college, and the what I weighed when I first got married, and then I just wanted to be smaller than my husband ( that was an awesome day the day the scale said I weighed less than him!). And the it was I wanted to be what i was when I was 21, and then the ultimate was what i was when I was in my teens!
As for extra skin, yes i look dang good in tight workout clothes but naked is an entirely different story. I will be very honest here and many people here can relate. I struggle daily with my body image. While I may look tiny and muscle packed with clothes on ( I'm at 19% body fat), without clothes my skin is soooo wrinkled. My upper arms are super bad and I am pretty self conscious about them. I wore tank tops last year but vowed not to this summer as i swear all i thought about was people staring at the saggy skin. My upper and lower stomach and pubic region have a huge amount of extra skin that gets in the way when i exercise. I can actually hear it flapping about when I workout dang it! My chest is completely non existent, just flaps of skin which will require a lift and augmentation. My inner thighs and butt are the least saggy out of everything but will require a lift if I really want the complete packed. The good news about some of this is my legs and butt have actually gotten better with working out once I added weight training. I was so overweight for almost 15 years and so i just don't have time (or age) on my side for my skin to shrink back. My goal is to concentrate on reducing my body fat just a little more and have my arms, chest and tummy done this fall as a reward for keeping my weight off for a significant amount of time.
The best advice is to get very informed and have a plan. Don't kid yourself, real exercise and a diet plan is the key to success with the band. Exercise is my best friend now. I actually want to be a personal trainer and nutrition counselor. Many people have asked me how I did it and I have to say I was sick of being what I was.
You can do this!!!!!

Banded June 2010. Rid of 168 pounds!
(sorry if this is a repeat for some of you but thought i should post this in this forum too to
help/motivate more people)
So the truth is the way I had success was to get real with myself. The first year I completely failed my lapband. I lost a little and then gain 30 pounds back. I didn't exercise at all and tried to tell myself walking the dog counted as good cardio. I also didn't count any calories that first year. I ate crap and tried to blame it on my band not working properly. I was very uniformed and thought the band was magically supposed to work. I didn't understand that I needed to get to that "sweet spot". The second year I decided I had to do it and get informed. I read these bariatric pal boards and searched for the secrets to everyone's success. The answer? No big secret, actual real exercise and counting your calories! I got a little cruiser bike and actually rode it 15 miles a day 7 days a week starting the day I bought it. I had always wanted a bike like that and said if I got one i would use it. That day I also started counting my calories religiously...right down to a stick of gum. I stuck with 1200 calories for the first year and then actually had to up my Protein calories once I started doing even more exercise. When it got too cold I tried zumba and fell in love with it and did it 7 days a week. Then I upgraded to twice a day zumba for several months. Then I did the Insanity program and zumba every day for 3 months. I slowly but surely lost steadily that whole time. The majority of my calories was always Protein. 90 grams at least. And when my weight was stuck and I exercised more, i upped it to 120 grams of protein and lost even more. With that amount of protein i felt full, and there was only enough calories left for my veggies, then fruit the sometimes some carb foods. My band is a realize band and if i remember correclty it is at 10.2 in an 11cc band. I almost have to have the darn thing closed shut to feel any real restriction. I havn't had a fill in a year. (acutally i had it to 10.7 for a almost a year until this january when i started randomly having really bad night reflux so decided to just get a tiny bit out). I made little goals as I went along.. If I had a trip planned, I would say, ok I just have to lose 10 more pounds by then. Or I just want to weigh what I was when I graduated college, and the what I weighed when I first got married, and then I just wanted to be smaller than my husband ( that was an awesome day the day the scale said I weighed less than him!). And the it was I wanted to be what i was when I was 21, and then the ultimate was what i was when I was in my teens!
As for extra skin, yes i look dang good in tight workout clothes but naked is an entirely different story. I will be very honest here and many people here can relate. I struggle daily with my body image. While I may look tiny and muscle packed with clothes on ( I'm at 19% body fat), without clothes my skin is soooo wrinkled. My upper arms are super bad and I am pretty self conscious about them. I wore tank tops last year but vowed not to this summer as i swear all i thought about was people staring at the saggy skin. My upper and lower stomach and pubic region have a huge amount of extra skin that gets in the way when i exercise. I can actually hear it flapping about when I workout dang it! My chest is completely non existent, just flaps of skin which will require a lift and augmentation. My inner thighs and butt are the least saggy out of everything but will require a lift if I really want the complete packed. The good news about some of this is my legs and butt have actually gotten better with working out once I added weight training. I was so overweight for almost 15 years and so i just don't have time (or age) on my side for my skin to shrink back. My goal is to concentrate on reducing my body fat just a little more and have my arms, chest and tummy done this fall as a reward for keeping my weight off for a significant amount of time.
The best advice is to get very informed and have a plan. Don't kid yourself, real exercise and a diet plan is the key to success with the band. Exercise is my best friend now. I actually want to be a personal trainer and nutrition counselor. Many people have asked me how I did it and I have to say I was sick of being what I was.
You can do this!!!!!