CaGottaBand

Congratulations and good luck!

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery!

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

I ran into the same thing at my seminar. The surgeon who ran it was anti-lap band and actually doesn't even perform the lap band procedure. I'm not sure if I'm just stubborn and don't want to take his opinion...but I said screw his opinion and am basing my opinion on the success stories posted on this forum. I know that if I follow the plan and exercise the band will work for me. I know it will be a struggle, but I'm willing to fight. I'm betting you're willing to fight as well. Good luck on whatever path you choose.

I think I read on here that carbonated drinks make a person burp a ton. If you really want a beer, try a Guiness? Don't think that is carbonated. Also not sure if it's worth all the calories. I'd go with Rayanne's apply vodka peach concoction instead :-)

I ran into the same thing at my seminar. The surgeon who ran it was anti-lap band and actually doesn't even perform the lap band procedure. I'm not sure if I'm just stubborn and don't want to take his opinion...but I said screw his opinion and am basing my opinion on the success stories posted on this forum. I know that if I follow the plan and exercise the band will work for me. I know it will be a struggle, but I'm willing to fight. I'm betting you're willing to fight as well. Good luck on whatever path you choose.

I ran into the same thing at my seminar. The surgeon who ran it was anti-lap band and actually doesn't even perform the lap band procedure. I'm not sure if I'm just stubborn and don't want to take his opinion...but I said screw his opinion and am basing my opinion on the success stories posted on this forum. I know that if I follow the plan and exercise the band will work for me. I know it will be a struggle, but I'm willing to fight. I'm betting you're willing to fight as well. Good luck on whatever path you choose.

A friend who lost 100 pounds wears her wedding rings on her middle finger. I asked her why not resize? She said it reminds her of her accomplishments every morning when she puts her rings on.

That sounds awesome!

just a FYI when I go out for drink with the old man i ask for a Water with a shot of apple vodka then add a crystal light peach to it...its yummy and low calorie...

i dont think anyone is trying to be rude but merely trying to offer advice and guidance....again, call and discuss with your dr what you can and cannot eat as they are whom operated on you. (the people on this forum are terrific, but the advice on here should not be took over what your own doctor recommends).

You could try a Ring Snuggie until you get down to your goal weight and then have your rings sized. I found these at Wal-Mart.

recently, i have been able to wear (pants) comfortably again as i am down 8 sizes down since june
before they were so tight that if i ate or drank i felt as though my circulation would be cut off..
so today i am wearing a pair of gray cords
and i am sitting in my chair..comfortably..and i am not dying from them being too tight or thinking that when they come off i will have scars where the zipper and buttons go...
and in the past, the buttons were so tight i feared i may get arrested if they flew off and hit someone.
so that is my silly success story
thought i'd share

As many of you know, I was stuck for more than a month. I was monitoring my calories, getting in all my Protein and exercising, yet the scale didn't budge. I know, plateaus are normal, but they still suck. Around the time the plateau hit I also started taking birth control pills. I even gained 2 pounds, which for me was the deal breaker. I had to find a way to break the plateau and start losing again.
So I started researching. Low carb, high carb, no carb, etc. I see so many variations on here! What's right? What's wrong? I already knew it was a matter of choice without a clear right or wrong answer, but I also knew individual body needs also played a very big part in it. During my research I kept coming across something called carb cycling, so I decided to look more into it.
Carb cycling is essentially trying to optimize your metabolism by alternating high and low carb days. Body builders often do this to build muscle and burn fat before a contest but it's also very helpful for weight loss. Then one day I turned on Doctor Oz...and wouldn't you know it... it was an episode on carb cycling. Chris Powell, of The Biggest Loser, was on his show talking about he has all the contestants on the show carb cycle and how he does it. For me, this was the point I decided to give carb cycling a try.
Chris Powell's method is specifically for weight loss so I decided to go with his (there's many out there). He has an excellent book called “Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution”.
His theory: No carb diets don't work. It's not sustainable long term and eventually it significantly slows the metabolism. Worse, people who cut out carbs usually end up gaining all their weight back and then some when they do suddenly reintroduce carbs. Carbs are the energy block of the body and a long term lack of carbs will cause the thyroid to slow down significantly.
7 day diet/carb cycling: High carb day followed by low carb day, alternating daily. Start on a high carb day and always eat within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning. Always limit or omit carbs after 6pm.
All this is within your own personal daily calorie allowance.
High carb day/energy day:
Preferably complex carbs. Protein, low fat. unlimited veggies.

Low carb day/burn day:
A little carb in the morning to boost metabolism
Cut carbs the rest of the day.
Protien, healthy fats, unlimited veggies

3 of each/low carb and high carb. 7th day is cheat day
Cheat day:
Boost calories to boost metabolism
Boost to no more than 1000 extra calories a day
Cheat at Breakfast and lunch, not dinner. 6-12pm “behave”
Cheat at a table. Not in a car, or at a sofa, etc. No “hypno binging”
No leftovers allowed.

Mind you, this is the short version of all this. If this interests you, I'd strongly suggest buying his book for a better understanding. It's very enlightening.
...So this is what I've done for the last week. I am very happy to say, carb cycling broke my plateau, despite still being on the birth control pill too. I lost 5.4 pounds this week!
I have decided I am going to continue to carb cycle. I am not a fan of the low carb days, but I am getting more used to them. Plus, I find my "carb cravings" have all but disappeared since starting this- something I didn't think possible.
For me, it's working. I just thought I'd share the results of my little self experiment

Maddison Elizabeth Rachels-Gomez (Maddie)
My West Highland Whie Terrier (Westie)

I agree...yes I want to be healthy and all that jazz....but I really want to shop! Feel better about myself. Be a trophy wife. Be able to hike on my next trip to Hawaii. The goals are endless

Hi im not to happy this month i only lost 4 pounds, it just makes me do better next month i agree i have cheated a little so its my fault, all and all im still happy about my weight loss so far so banded June 18 2012
Start weight 287
Surgery day weight 272
First month 260
Second month 255
Third month 246
Forth month 239
Fifth month 235
Total lost so far 52 pounds
Since surgery 37 pounds...
Coming off slow buts it coming off!!

I agree...yes I want to be healthy and all that jazz....but I really want to shop! Feel better about myself. Be a trophy wife. Be able to hike on my next trip to Hawaii. The goals are endless

Hi everyone!
I'm now 23 days post op, feeling really good about it all.
I've lost a total of 14 kilos since the 2 weeks before my operation and just wanted to share that I spent a good hour in my closet today trying on old clothes, or clothes which used to be tight on me, and now they all fit really well and I'm excited to plan outfits to wear out of the house
This is absolutely the best decision I've ever made and I'm not even a month into my journey!
Yay!

Okay so we all know that when asked why we want to lose weight our answer usually sounds something like this..."I want to be healthy" or something like that. Am I right? Well honestly my real reason is because I want to shop! I want to never have to walk into Lane Bryant or Ashley Stewart ever again!

I think those are all normal fears and we all have them. I haven't been banded yet, but there are tons of success stories on this forum. And from what I gather, the band works if you do the work and follow the rules. It's a tool, not a miracle cure.
Knowing this, I myself, have decided to proceed with the lap band. And my first step was attending a free seminar.
Best of luck to you with whatever you decide.

That's really great news! I started my journey in the obese range too. The tiresome struggle with my weight over the last 10 years is what brought me here. I was a skinny child teen and young adult. Life traumas caught up to me though.
To get the surgery though I actually had to get a diagnosis for sleep apnea before my insurance Would approve. I'm glad insurance companies are rethinking their position. I'm doing amazing and loving my new life. It's saving me from myself.
Being obese and morbidly obese is the same thing though. I'm no better because of my bmi. I relate to the 65+ bmi as I do with the 30 bmi. We are all just children of pain working toward a common goal.
I wish you the best of success on your journey.

other than natural sugars in foods... I have selected sugar free products since I started my journey. I do not find it necessary to not eat fruit or other foods because it has natural sugar in it... I just do not add it when I have a choice. Like I choose sugar free Syrup, jelly, popsicles etc.....

Awe cut nnicole some slack. She's one of the sweetest people on here!
I didn't know you could get wls with a BMI of 30 unless self pay. Good to know. How did your insurance authorize it? Did you need another condition linked to being overweight? What insurance do you have. I'd love to have some of my friends switch to ones that don't cause issues with authorization.

I'm 32 and have yet to be banded. Hoping to have my surgery in July.