jkevhack

Its been a long time since I have posted. One of the reasons is, my surgeon's office in Bloomington In started a local Lap Band support group on line.Its cool to chat with those in my local area as well as this forum.
Update-- Banded 11-8-12
Starting wght 225
Wght now 188
I have not been in the 180's for 15 years wooooooooooooo hooooooooooo!!! Still have a ways to go but have gone from a size 18 to a 14 and even some 14's are getting lose on me. I love the lap band!! I have made mistakes and eaten things I shouldn't and paid the price and its still a work in progress but I am in the "Green Zone" and very happy.
I love Missy's post and they are so encouraging for me to read and I am so proud of her and how far she has come. Every story is different but the goals are the same, lose weight, get healthy
Lab band for life and love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been a long time since I have posted. One of the reasons is, my surgeon's office in Bloomington In started a local Lap Band support group on line.Its cool to chat with those in my local area as well as this forum.
Update-- Banded 11-8-12
Starting wght 225
Wght now 188
I have not been in the 180's for 15 years wooooooooooooo hooooooooooo!!! Still have a ways to go but have gone from a size 18 to a 14 and even some 14's are getting lose on me. I love the lap band!! I have made mistakes and eaten things I shouldn't and paid the price and its still a work in progress but I am in the "Green Zone" and very happy.
I love Missy's post and they are so encouraging for me to read and I am so proud of her and how far she has come. Every story is different but the goals are the same, lose weight, get healthy
Lab band for life and love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been a long time since I have posted. One of the reasons is, my surgeon's office in Bloomington In started a local Lap Band support group on line.Its cool to chat with those in my local area as well as this forum.
Update-- Banded 11-8-12
Starting wght 225
Wght now 188
I have not been in the 180's for 15 years wooooooooooooo hooooooooooo!!! Still have a ways to go but have gone from a size 18 to a 14 and even some 14's are getting lose on me. I love the lap band!! I have made mistakes and eaten things I shouldn't and paid the price and its still a work in progress but I am in the "Green Zone" and very happy.
I love Missy's post and they are so encouraging for me to read and I am so proud of her and how far she has come. Every story is different but the goals are the same, lose weight, get healthy
Lab band for life and love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been a long time since I have posted. One of the reasons is, my surgeon's office in Bloomington In started a local Lap Band support group on line.Its cool to chat with those in my local area as well as this forum.
Update-- Banded 11-8-12
Starting wght 225
Wght now 188
I have not been in the 180's for 15 years wooooooooooooo hooooooooooo!!! Still have a ways to go but have gone from a size 18 to a 14 and even some 14's are getting lose on me. I love the lap band!! I have made mistakes and eaten things I shouldn't and paid the price and its still a work in progress but I am in the "Green Zone" and very happy.
I love Missy's post and they are so encouraging for me to read and I am so proud of her and how far she has come. Every story is different but the goals are the same, lose weight, get healthy
Lab band for life and love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been a long time since I have posted. One of the reasons is, my surgeon's office in Bloomington In started a local Lap Band support group on line.Its cool to chat with those in my local area as well as this forum.
Update-- Banded 11-8-12
Starting wght 225
Wght now 188
I have not been in the 180's for 15 years wooooooooooooo hooooooooooo!!! Still have a ways to go but have gone from a size 18 to a 14 and even some 14's are getting lose on me. I love the lap band!! I have made mistakes and eaten things I shouldn't and paid the price and its still a work in progress but I am in the "Green Zone" and very happy.
I love Missy's post and they are so encouraging for me to read and I am so proud of her and how far she has come. Every story is different but the goals are the same, lose weight, get healthy
Lab band for life and love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been a long time since I have posted. One of the reasons is, my surgeon's office in Bloomington In started a local Lap Band support group on line.Its cool to chat with those in my local area as well as this forum.
Update-- Banded 11-8-12
Starting wght 225
Wght now 188
I have not been in the 180's for 15 years wooooooooooooo hooooooooooo!!! Still have a ways to go but have gone from a size 18 to a 14 and even some 14's are getting lose on me. I love the lap band!! I have made mistakes and eaten things I shouldn't and paid the price and its still a work in progress but I am in the "Green Zone" and very happy.
I love Missy's post and they are so encouraging for me to read and I am so proud of her and how far she has come. Every story is different but the goals are the same, lose weight, get healthy
Lab band for life and love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been a long time since I have posted. One of the reasons is, my surgeon's office in Bloomington In started a local Lap Band support group on line.Its cool to chat with those in my local area as well as this forum.
Update-- Banded 11-8-12
Starting wght 225
Wght now 188
I have not been in the 180's for 15 years wooooooooooooo hooooooooooo!!! Still have a ways to go but have gone from a size 18 to a 14 and even some 14's are getting lose on me. I love the lap band!! I have made mistakes and eaten things I shouldn't and paid the price and its still a work in progress but I am in the "Green Zone" and very happy.
I love Missy's post and they are so encouraging for me to read and I am so proud of her and how far she has come. Every story is different but the goals are the same, lose weight, get healthy
Lab band for life and love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, Bandsters!It’s been a long winter for many of us, and spring is finally in the air! Take advantage of your new healthy lifestyle as you lose a little weight while celebrating the season. Burn a few calories by doing a little spring cleaning, and eat egg whites instead of chocolate eggs for Easter. If you can, hit the park or gym to shoot some hoops in honor of March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Before you get going, though, take a few minutes to get motivated with this month’s newsletter. Here’s what you’ll find.

Help Us Out and Win a Book!
Bandster Poll: How Will You Celebrate March Madness?
Member Spotlight: Get to Know Maddysgram!
What Do You Do when You’re Not Losing Weight Fast?
We hope you enjoy the newsletter and have a healthy, happy spring. Be sure to login to Alex Brecher
Founder
LapBandTalk.com
Help Us Out and Get Yourself Published!
You know we’re always busy around LapBandTalk.com. We already published The BIG Book on the Lap-Band: Everything You Need To Know To Lose Weight and Live Well with the Adjustable Gastric Band. The book has practical advice for anyone thinking about the lap-band or any weight loss surgery. It’s packed with information from the earliest stages of your weight loss journey through your lifelong diet. It’s available in print and ebook from food lists, meal plans, recipes, exercise and tips for preventing and dealing with complications. It’ll be a motivational book, too.
The book can be better with your help! This month, we’re asking LapBandTalk.com members to send us your recipes to publish in the book. Please submit your recipe by sending a PM (private message) to chicken wings until I can’t eat anymore. Chicken is high in Protein, so what’s the problem?

E. What are you talking about? I’m so busy eating right and working out that I don’t know what March Madness is. It better not interfere with my weight loss!
We want to know how you’re going to celebrate March Madness! Answer the poll and explain your answer on the conversation on Breakfast each day, but she says she’s been doing pretty well. She’s also looking forward to her knee replacement surgery so she can walk without pain. She loves walking for miles at a time while discovering nature.
Maddysgram happily admits that she replaced her food addiction with an addiction to BariatricPal.com! She’s made tons of friends and loves hanging out with her women friends in The Banded Bs! She says she learned more about pre-op and nutrition from the forums than from the hospital, and she continues to be active on the forums to help others.
Maddysgram has some good advice for other banders. First, follow your doctor’s orders and stick to the lap-band diet. If it’s not working, get help from your surgeon and nutritionist. Another tip is to educate yourself on how the band works and take advantage of the forums for good advice. Finally, she says, remember that you can do it!
Thanks, Maddysgram, for being in the Member Spotlight! Congratulations on your success so far and we’re thankful to have you on the boards!
What Do You Do when You’re Not Losing Weight Fast?
For many weight loss surgery patients, weight loss starts off so fast that motivation is no problem. Before surgery, you’re eager to follow your diet perfectly so that you qualify for surgery. Shortly after surgery, you’re motivated to stick to your diet because you are losing weight quickly, you want your surgery wounds to heal properly and the band makes overeating more difficult. Seeing the pounds come off is positive feedback to encourage you to keep working hard.
But what happens a little later, when you’re not losing weight as fast? Where is the encouragement when you hit a plateau and have trouble losing weight; when you’re approaching your goal weight and are having trouble losing those last few pounds; or when you’re at goal and need to keep the pounds off? Since the numbers on the scale aren’t dropping as fast as they were before, you’ll need to find other ways to motivate yourself to stick to your new healthy lifestyle.
These are a few ideas for keeping yourself motivated without focusing on the scale.

Place your “before” and “after” pictures where you can see them frequently – on the fridge, on your desk or as your computer desktop picture. There’s no question that you don’t want to slip up and go back to your “before” self!
On the fridge, post a list of reasons why you don’t want to ruin the hard work that you’ve already put in. You might list activities that you can do now but couldn’t do before get where you are now, feeling proud of yourself and having lower blood sugar.
Pick out a dream outfit in your goal size and keep trying it on to see how well it fits.
If you notice that you’re slipping back into your former habits, write a note to your former self. Explain that you’re a different person now, and describe the ways in which you are different. You might explain that now, you don’t have to eat because you’re bored or stressed. Now, you measure portions of healthy foods and stop eating when you’re full. Now, you’re proud of yourself and your ability to control your diet.
Even if you’re not currently having trouble staying motivated, you might want to write a note to your future self. Remind yourself how hard you’re working and how you feel better each day that you stick to your diet and get active. Later, if your resolve ever wavers, you can read this note and remember that you don’t want to undo the effort that you’ve put in.
How do you keep yourself motivated when your weight loss hits a plateau? For those of you who are already approaching goal weight or are at maintenance, how do you convince yourself to stay on track once your weight loss slows or stops? Let us know over in the forums and see if you can pick up a few tips from other LapBandTalk.com members!
We hope this newsletter has been motivational for you. Thanks for reading it, and as always, please feel free to contact us! We’re looking for recipes, and we’re also happy to get member feedback!
Take care of yourself and each other.
Sincerely,
Alex

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Thanks! It seems that reprogramming is really important. Looking at the mountain seems daunting but looking at one step at a time is un eventful.
Thanks again for sharing!

I'm trying to take a different look at food. Instead of viewing eating as a pleasure and something I planned and looked forward to, I am treating it as fuel for my body. I really enjoy cooking and watching cooking shows but for now, I need to put that to the side and devote that time to other activities.

People ask me all the time how I had the fortitude to spend 2 years of my life on such a strict eating regimen... Because even though I have a band around my stomach helping me out I still had to count calories and make good choices to achieve the goals I set forth.
I have come to the realization that it's just time spent. There is no magic solution it's just doing everything right day after day after day. And if there was a blip in one of those minutes or hours then it was having the ability to move on and go back to what I knew was right.
I found that food is fleeting... Kind of like putting gas or a meal on a credit card.... When the bill comes in you have no idea where it went, how it tasted or if you even liked it......you have nothing to show for it. I found if I had something I thought I wanted but knew I shouldn't it was just instant gratification and not anything I could hold on too. It just seemed pointless after a while.
I have a hard time recalling the trying times. I know I didn't wake up from a dream 2 years later and was thin...but it's tough to recall all those 10 lbs losses and achievements because I am finally in a place that seems the most natural place in the world. I am comfortable with my body.
When you feel like it will never happen for you...just remember its just time spent.

So, it has been a year...and what a year! I set a goal to be at my goal weight on my 1 year mark...not realistic, but that is what goals are for...to motivate you. I lost 90 pounds...30 more to go. I feel....great...I can run up stairs, play with my dog/daughter (yes, in that order) and make love for hours...what else is there in life??
And I have come to some truths about lap band...it works if you let it. I was so confused when I started as to why there was such a broad swath of experiences...from very successful to folks who had it removed. It is all clear to me now...the difference between success and failure is all in the adjustments.
Folks who want their cake and and eat it too (literally) will opt to keep their band fairly open, allowing them to eat what they want. Those who want to loose will keep getting fills until they can no longer eat bread and are satiated with about 3 oz of food. Crazy people like me will have it tightened to the point of being on a perpetual liquid/mush diet until goal, and then a setting that permits you to maintain thereafter. The difference between these types of peole is those who are motivation to win vs those who are not yet wiling to give up food as a crutch. I have been both of these people...and I have opted to win.
And it it not easy. I have sad days when I miss eating (many). I have jealous days when I watch others eat pizza and egg rolls (what else is there?) and I have days when I try to eat more than I should, or something that I should not have and..yes...it all comes back up...and then I have those days when I get on the scale and I have lost another 10 pounds, bought my 3rd belt, experienced my forth drop in pants size, gave all my clothing to charity (I kept the underwear), looked in the mirror ( I have not done that in 20 years) and no longer recognized myself...
I often have to remind myself that I got here through glutney and I am now paying the price...and the trade off is more than fair...forty + years of pizza and chinese food vs 1-2 years of protien shakes...and a longer, happier and healthy life forward. You have to keep it all in perspective and always keep your mind on the goal, not what you are giving up..what you are gaining by losing.
And a couple of other nuggests...I know foam, slime, burning...all too well...and I have come to another truth (took a year)...you HAVE to take anti-acid meds every day (cause of foam/burning) and allergy meds as well (cause of slime). Without them you will suffer terribly and you will losen your band to stop these symptoms when you could keep the band tight and control them with meds. Try if for a few weeks and then stop...you will see a difference and be convinced to stay on them (minimally) until you reach goal. Walmart has very inexpensive and effective generic anti-acid pills...the dollar store as well, but they dont work as well. For allergies I use Singulair...it has the least side effects for me. We wont discuss constipation...I got impacted once...it was a horrible experience...I proactivly take softeners now when needed...never let it get away from you or you could be in the ER with a latex hand up your rear (for those of you, like me, who DONT enjoy that)....the rest of you...well...get help...
I hope this helps someone become (more) successful, feel less alone, suffer less...learn from my mistakes......Seth

GOT MY FIRST FILL TODAY AND IT WENT GREAT. JUST FELT A TINY SKIN PRICK FROM THE LIDOCAIN AND DID NOT FEEL THE FILL NEEDLE. I AM ON liquids THE REST OF THE NIGHT AND WAS TOLD MAY NOT FEEL OR NOTICE THE 2 CC FILL UNTIL THE 2 OR 3RD FILL. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU "

The only one I know of (not personally) is a woman that went to Mexico and something went horribly wrong.
That being said, Just this week a 16yo boy in town died while having a tonsillectomy. I tell you this b/c there is a risk in any surgery you have. My Dr told me I had a bigger risk of dying from obesity related causes than having LB. surgery.

I'm not feeling guilty that I over indulged at all. It was one day, one holiday. While overall I have to change what I eat, the whole purpose in having the lap band was so that I could still consume the foods that I love, just in moderation. I'm early on, yes, but I've been dieting for nearly 20 years and I'm well aware of what it takes to lose weight. I am proud of myself for what I did eat yesterday...considering it was a fraction of what I would have eaten pre-band. That to me is success. Perhaps it sounds like much when I say I over ate, I had seconds and I had pecan pie...my first plate was very small, I was being cautious because I wasn't sure what it would take to fill me up, and as I went into the second plate...I'm talking maybe 1/4 cup more of food. And for the pecan pie, we're talking 1/16 of a pie, so at 250 calories, probably less considering I didn't eat the crust, I feel I did pretty good! I definitely ate more than perhaps I should have, being 3 weeks out, but like I said, it's a fraction of what I used to eat and I knew right away it was too much and learned from it. My body has always worked well with less eating and then taking a day to amp up the intake to give my metabolism a bit of a shake up, I really feel this was the case. Maybe I should try that carb cycling everyone keeps talking about? Of course, I do not intend to eat Pecan pie and Thanksgiving everyday...I am pretty sure I know better than that! LOL

Meh, I've been bashed countless times because people seem to think their extreme dislike of the truth somehow makes it less true. I just chalk it up to their ignorance. *shrugs*