Luckyaka

You are doing a great job and you look amazing! I'm loving your hair.< /p>

Banded 6/13/12....the after pic is from 12/28/12. Still got work to do but I figured I would share

So I’m now a little over a year out and wanted to share a few reflections on my journey so far. Please know that this was my journey….yours will be different. But I thought maybe you might find something that will help you along the journey, like I did from all those that shared their stories for me. Warning its very long!!! Sorry about that. I just have so much I want to share with you guys!!
A little background.
I started this journey March 19,2012 at 236. I was never heavy until after the birth of my 3rd child. I was very sick with that last pregnancy…… contracted a rare and deadly pneumonia that put me in the ICU for weeks. This damaged my lungs and it seemed like it was all downhill from there. I’m just now feeling “normal” again. That was almost 15 years ago. For me this journey was more than a physical makeover. It was a physical. Emotional, spiritual make over. There was not one area of my life I didn’t dig into. I will save that for another post. For now let’s just stick to what worked for me.
Pre-op
What helped the most was educating myself. I LIVED on this site the last few weeks before my surgery I prepared myself mentally for everything. I created a Stock My Pantry List that I see still gets around on this site. It helped me tremendously and gave me something to do (controll). This part of my journey was very much like I was nesting for a baby. Cleaning, cooking, and organizing everything in preparation of being out of commission for a couple of weeks. If you want a copy of the Stock My Pantry list….fill free to inbox me and I’ll be glad to send it to you. The best advice received during this stage: Follow doctor orders no exceptions!
Post-Op
No matter how much I prepared for the surgery….I still was unprepared. You see there were so many people that had such a quick recovery; I just knew that would be me! I have a very high tolerance for pain….Well I guess not!!! I did have several other things done at the time, but OH MY!!! Prepare for the worst and hope for the best! I had two hernias and adhesions removed along with the band..so maybe that was the difference…but I didn’t feel good for at least a week.
Best Advice: The 4-6 weeks is for healing….so focus on that not weight loss!!!!....And stay off the scale!!!
MY Journey
I have been asked several times what made the band work for me, while others struggle so much. I’m a rule follower and a little OCD so if I get something in my head I can’t let it go. So I really never doubted I could get the weight off….I knew I could (I had done it several times before), but my problem lied in keeping it off. The band alone will not do this for you!!! The one thing I have learned is that utilizing the band and making it work for me was very much a head game (demanding your body to co-operate!!). I never thought of myself as “Addicted” to food. I could see how that element would make the process even harder. I might even consider a different WLS. It took 8 fills for me to feel anything!! If I hadn't been so determined I could see how it would have become very discouraging. And I still think I need another fill, but I’m waiting till after my abdominalplasty /Breast Lift that is scheduled in less than 4 weeks. This process takes time. You must be vigilant and dedicated to the process.
For me, I have a condition called PCOS. I never realized that it was this condition that made it so hard for me to lose weight until my daughter was diagnosised with it at about the same time I had my surgery. I saw her struggling to lose her 50 pounds. Her doctor did well at educating both of us. I knew I had PCOS)( they told me that was the reason for my infertility 20 years earlier)….but I guess back then they didn’t know as much about it as they do now. I just thought it was an infertility issue….I was skinny (120 pounds) and Physically fit back then. After I had my family, I put it out of my head…it never dawn on me it was the source of my weight issues 20 years later. So with that new found info I was able to educate myself on the condition and put in place significant diet changes. Here is where some controversial ideas come in play. REMEEMBER this is MY journey!!! This worked for me. If you have similar issues, it may work for you….that’s why I’m posting it.
But it may not work for you. You see there is a large group people that believe we are all basically the same…you know a calorie is a calorie…..and that we all basically need the same amount of them and that our bodies need the type foods. I STRONGLY disagree. I think we are ALL different….none of us are the same. We all have unique set of genes that determine how our bodies will respond to different foods. That’s why two people can follow the exact same plan and have extremely different results. I agree that the majority of people fall right in the middle in calorie needs however there are a large portion of people that fall on the outside of those averages. Some of us could NEVER consume 1200 calories a day and still lose weight!! Most people could…not me. While there are others that could consume their 2500 calories a day and never gain an ounce (I doubt there are many of those on this site-haha). Others could follow the food pyramid and all would be fine…not me. My body hates carbs…(I LOVE them). Others follow a strict High protein/low carb diet and just become sick. It’s no wonder why we give up!! I decided to be successful, I had to figure out what was right for me.
So what was right for me? Well, I knew that in general before surgery I doubt I ate 1500 calories day normally. And I knew that I was gaining about a pound a month. So after post op, my nutritionist wanted me to eat 1200 calories a day with at least 70g of Protein no limits on carbs. At first (being the rule follower I am , I went along with the plan)The only exercise during this time was a 30 min walk about 3 days a week. I knew that this wouldn’t produce much loss, but I gave it a try. As I thought…I actually gained a pound by my 8week visit). I then (on my own) reduced my calories to 1000. My nutritionist didn’t agree with this but she told me to give it a try. Next visit I did have some loss but it still wasn’t where I wanted it (about 0.5 pound a week). I told her I was listening to my body and it needed something different.
*I changed the calories to 900/protein at 70 gram/ and set a limit of PROSSED carbs to 30 a day (the nutritionist about flipped)
*I Changed my 30 minute walk 3 days a week to a 15 min walk every day ( I wanted to establish a exercise routine but didn’t want to spike my appetite and want more calories) BINGO!!! This was the winning combo. The weight fell off at about 2-3 pounds a week. This lasted for about 5 months of steady weight loss. At my 7 month check in I was down about 50 pounds. My nutritionist was convinced!! She now supported my plan. But I also noticed that as I lost I the amount I was losing was going down too.Why? I was doing the same thing.
Why would it change? It didn't really matter why...do it did mean I had to switch it up again. On reflection I kind of figured out that it was the same with other methods.Just like weight watchers point program…when you are heavy you get extra points…but as you lose they take away points. They have to take the points away to keep you losing weight.The same is true here. As I lost, my body required fewer and fewer calories just to move…my body was becoming more efficient. At the end of the 5 months (7 months after surgery) I was back to the 1 pound a week. (I was now 180 pounds and 7 months out)At this point, there wasn’t much I could cut out in the diet area…so I knew it was time to get sweaty!!! But I knew that exercise was out of the question on 900 calories a day!! I wanted to lose another pound a week so that was 3500 calories and I could go to the gym 5 days a week (it’s just math….that means I had to burn 700 calories each day at the gym. increased my calories to 1100 and started hitting the gym) ) Yes… I was hitting the gym hard!! About an hour on the Eiptical and 15-20 min on weight machines!!!! Yes I know that is an extremely low net calorie intake….but this is what I needed to do to get the weight off. I wasn't going to die from lack of food! There was still plenty of reserve!!!! No it wasn’t easy!!! Yes I struggled!!! Yes I cried, But I did it!! I ate a huge amount of healthy foods like spinach, celery, cucumbers, cabbage,broccoli, green geens ( I call these "free" foods VOLUME CONTROL things I simply eat because I need to take up space… I also ate tons .chicken, berries, nuts, tuna not to mention the countless low calorie Protein shakes….I never went hungry….if I was hungry I ate. I might have been what I wanted to eat, but I gave my body the nourishment it needed. It wasn’t a exciting diet in fact I ate almost the same thing every day. I just kept telling myself “I could do ANYTHING for 20 more pounds…once I get it off I could return to a more enjoyable diet”. And it worked!! Off came the weight again!! At 2 pounds a week!!!BY January 2013 (10 months out) I was at my personal goal of 160 pounds!!!(76 pounds lost!!!!) When I asked my doctor If I needed to lose more he said absolutely not!! That the 15 pounds that I have left was all skin and he put me in the success file! Now he has taken my diet plan and is sharing it with his other PCOS patients. That made me feel good.
Now, I’m a little sad. I always thought I would be able to return to that “normal” range for calories…that I would be able to eat at least 1200 calories and maintain…but that’s not the case for me. I maintain now. But my numbers aren’t pretty. I have figured out that my “Base Metabolic Rate” is more like 900 calories (and that is with a pretty good amount of muscle mass) if I don’t exercise and I hate exercise. But I like to eat…so now a days I simply add whatever calories I burn at the gym to my daily calorie intake. I try to go to the gym 2-3 times a week and burn about 500 calories each visit so to keep it simple, If I go to the gym 1 time a week then I can have 1000 calories a day for that week; 2 times a week=1050 calories a day weekly; 3 times a week =1100 calories a day weekly if I don’t hit the gym I get the whooping 900 calories. These are my numbers. Like them or not I had to accept them. And they are pretty accurate. I’m now at month 13. (3months into this final phase) and I’m simply maintaining at 158-160 pounds.
Lessons lerned
*You are unique!!!You must figure out what your body needs and respond to it . And most likely its not going to be what YOU want it to be. But you need to accept it and deal with it. I wish my body liked carbs…..I miss them a lot!!! It doesn’t mean I NEVER have them. I just need to be mindful there is a price to pay for having them…so I keep them to a minium. Nowadays I allow myself some healthy/nutral carbs but nothing like the average person eats.
For me My diet is 900 calories a day (+exercise), 70 grams of Protein/ 60grams of healthy/natural carbs
* gave up almost all processed foods
* I try to exercise 2-3 times a week
* If a plan isn’t working, mix it up until you make it work
After re-reading this it may sound like this was just easy for me. I want everyone to know this was the absolute hardest thing I have ever done. I could have not did this without my family willing to give me the support to put myself before all of them for a while. Instead of me coming last in everything….I was first!! They worked around what I needed. That’s what families do for each other. I have always been there for them….this time they were always there for me. To a husband that was firm with me and would accept excuses from me (but yet hugged and encouraged me the whole way)….to a daughter that was my cheerleader….to another daughter that was my inspiration and motivator to a son that simply kept telling me how pretty I was. I will NEVER be that other person again!!! It was I life makeover!! It even made us a stronger family...We as a family lost over 150 pounds!!!!
Good luck everyone!! Inbox me if I can help you in anyway.

I know there are some of us, including myself, that get frustrated with the scale and really need other tangible benchmarks. I was at a place where I just felt like, "only 45 pounds so far':..."I have so much more to lose." It seemed daunting to me. I couldn't see how far I had come. For those of you who want to know what 45 pounds looks like. Here it is. And it is impressive!!

Been on LBT a long time. I considered myself a listener on here, and not a talker for the first three years. I've started posting recently, but never started a topic.
But today I just had to do this.
I started at my Band journey in 2009. I have never had any band issues, as some may know, I did have an installation issue that was corrected. ( And yes, like others I think I have the best doctor/staff in the world. )
So I was 324 miserable, unhealthy, tired all the time pounds when I started. I am so happy to say that today.... on 3/22.. I WEIGH 222 lbs on my scale. I haven't seen those numbers in over 20 years!! Over ONE HUNDRED POUNDS LOST!
I will reach my goal of around 185 sometime late this year or early next, I don't care! NOW, after 3 1/2 years, this has become my life. I eat almost anything I want, I do exercise ( consisting 90% of the time of bike riding ) more than ever, and I feel better than I EVER remember feeling in my entire life.
So, if I could say a word of advice to the newer folks who will struggle from time to time, its this: NEVER, EVER GIVE UP! If something isn't working, change it. Be honest and firm with your doctor. For me, a properly adjusted band, is the most important thing. I couldn't diet on my own....been there, done that. THIS THING WORKS!
Thanks to all who have posted advice/encouragement/suggestions/etc. Just because we don't all agree on everything surrounding the band, we really are all after the same goal....to be healthy!

pondered if i should post this or not, but i realized that although its good, it is also sad.
this time last year (picture short female, wide as is tall, butt with own zip code, 336+ pounds, bmi 62) and trying to walk through the hospitals/rehab clinics, up and down stairs at inlaws house to clean or from room to room ..
9 months ago, this would NOT have happened. there was no way in heck i could have walked all through the hospitals (long hallways) to the parking lots that are a mile long it seems.....etc.. there was no way i could do it. i couldnt stand more than 5 min without me having to sit down. i just couldnt do it.
granted my hubs family situation is not good right now but me being able to (help) him by not only being with him mentally but BEING able to actually be with him physically is my success if you will.
i thank my band/plication for helping me being able to do this. because i know that if i did not have surgery, i would not have been able to. and that is a fact...thought i would share.

Well I am 7 months from surgery and down 69.5 pounds with no preop diet. This band has been the biggest blessing. It has definitely made this process easier although it is still hard work. I think the difference is the hard work is actually paying off when it didn't with other methods.
I still struggle with seeing myself as small from time to time and I am still 35 pounds from goal but I feel so much better. I wonder if at times I have a harder time believing I was actually that big before surgery or that I am actually this size now lol

My brothers and I don't get together very often but we were all there for our Mum's 70th birthday. My older brother has always been a very big man but all I have heard for a couple of years is how much weight he has lost. My younger brother has always been tall and whippet thin.
well, this time (and forever more) I was the skinnier sibling! Yay for my band.

Funny you mention that. My Surgeon has a unique sense of humor...something that I really like. When I was on the table and they were getting ready to put me under he came over and asked me if I was ready. He then held up the band and said "I want to introduce you to your newest and best-est friend. You treat this friend right and work with him the rest is gravy" After that they knocked me out. LOL

Thank you! I had my surgery on 5/23/12 but with the liquid diet, I consider my start date as 5/16/12. As of this morning I have lost 87 lbs. So it has been 9 months.

Bibliophile,
This morning a very successful bandster posted a very nice topic: "Somtimes I just have to say...."
Since I can't say it any better, I copied and pasted some of his post here:
Now I know I'm going to get flamed for this by the "Know it all's" But personally, I do not understand how that can happen...(Short of a medical problem)....
Either your band is adjusted to where you are in the Green Zone, or it's not!! To me, that is the only thing that is important...
Two characteristics of the Green Zone is HUNGER CONTROL, and PORTION CONTROL.....yet I read posts about how people say they were doing fine, then started to eat anything and everything in sight...out of control...Does Not sound like being in the Green to me....

I just wanted to share my 10 month progress.. I have ways to go but happy with where am i now. Its not easy especially the last few months staying about the same but I'm back on track now...

According to my surgeon, the success of the band is depended upon you seeing your surgeon and getting the the right fill in order to lose and maintain weight. I'm glad you are going to go see your surgeon and you can continue to see them a few times a year. Congrats on your Weightloss and keeping it off for 5 years.

According to my surgeon, the success of the band is depended upon you seeing your surgeon and getting the the right fill in order to lose and maintain weight. I'm glad you are going to go see your surgeon and you can continue to see them a few times a year. Congrats on your Weightloss and keeping it off for 5 years.

According to my surgeon, the success of the band is depended upon you seeing your surgeon and getting the the right fill in order to lose and maintain weight. I'm glad you are going to go see your surgeon and you can continue to see them a few times a year. Congrats on your Weightloss and keeping it off for 5 years.

WHAT'S HARD is weighing over 450 lbs living connected to an oxygen machine barely able to walk 10 feet without "resting" being given a 3-5 years to live when barely 30 ... Every day waking up and living the life of an addict unable to stop binge eating going to bed hating yourself and trying to convince the world you don't care.
NO THE BAND IS EZ THE BAND IS FREEDOM THE BAND IS A USEFUL TOOL
Lee
269 lbs lost diabetes - lung disease - high Blood pressure and high cholesterol REVERSED - now living the free life : )

I have went from 179.6 to 178.2 for a 1.4 pound weight loss.

My scale showed a 1.4 lb gain this morning. However, I have tracked my food and exercise, was consistently under my calorie goal, and worked out 4 days including cardio and the first level of Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. So I am assuming this is not a "real" gain but probably Water retention from working muscles that haven't been worked in a while! I have to admit I was disappointed not to see a loss this morning but I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing because I know eventually it will show on the scale.

Pre-op diet 248, and day of surgery which was August 8, 2012 I weighted 226 and as of today December 28, 2012 I weight 179.9 for a total lost of 68.1 pounds.

Anyone can add me if you want; user name is LovetheNewMe. Log diary daily and open for viewing.

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I went shopping today as I am needing some smaller clothes!! I tried on a size 12 pants and they were too BIG!!. I like having this problem. I could not find a size 10 I liked so I did not get any today. I quess I will wear my too big and baggy pant to work tomorrow.
NSV for me!!

Happy New Year!!!!!

My surgery was 8/1. I lost 30lbs before surgery and almost 34lbs since. I haven't needed any fills yet but I did have to have another surgery to remove my gallbladder on 10/5. All and all, I am extremely happy with my results so far!

I made a jumping jacks challenge for January - I loved doing them last March (on Tumblr), but I had to start off at a much smaller number than it had wanted since I'm heavier than most people wanting to get "fit", (it started off at 50 and went to 200 jumping jacks by the 31st)
I wanted to make one for people like me who may want to do it also.
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