gowalking

It's as much if not more about keeping it off rather than taking it off. I'm only two years post WLS and only maintaining for a few months so even I don't know what the future holds. But my hope is that this tool helps me to keep it off. I lost alot of weight about 20 years ago and said I'd never get fat again. Guess what? I not only gained it all back, I added another 40 lbs. more and destroyed my knees and hips in the process. I now have metal hips and 150 fewer pounds on my frame. I can move and walk around like a normal person. This alone is miraculous to me. I have a ten year old granddaughter who knew me fat and now knows me thin. I hope she forgets what fat grandma looked like. I have a grandson only days away from coming into the world. I hope he never knows anything other than grandma as she looks right this minute. If this band helps me to achieve that, I couldn't give a rat's ass what anyone else thinks. (By the way, I've had nothing but positive feedback so don't presume you won't have the same) Good luck!

Isn't it wonderful that we finally can participate in our own lives instead of sitting on the sidelines while precious time passes? Want to know what I did on Sunday? I walked on The Highline. It's an elevated walking trail that meanders along the far west side of Manhattan. It's a wonderful experience, this man-made oasis in the middle of this huge metropolis. It's been up for several years and only now can I make that trek. Was not that long ago, one block had me exhausted and nearly crying in pain. The Highline is about a mile long..and I walked it up and back. How's that for regaining my life?

Welcome to the forum @busyandblessed. It can take time and several fills till you have the correct restriction. I know it's hard, but be patient and stay compliant. I promise you will lose the weight without starving. I eat around 1,200 calories a day and have done so since I was banded just over two years ago. I also limit my carbs and make sure to get in all my Protein. You can see by my ticker that I've lost all my excess weight. I'm sure you will as well. Good luck.

By the way @@shugal, your starting BMI was about the same as mine. I'm betting you meet your weight goal but more important, make sure you track all those NSVs. They are way more satisfying than tracking numbers.

This is a moving and wonderful post. You are a beautiful and amazingly strong woman. It's very hard to change the patterns we live(d) by all our lives but you must understand how much you are loved and admired by your children...and even your mother. I know she has no awareness of how hurtful and cutting her remarks are. If she knew, she wouldn't say them. But what's more important is the legacy you are giving to your girls. Rather than continue the cycle, they are learning from you how to be strong, independent women. You are the epitome of a good mother. You are teaching your girls what they need to be happy and successful people. You deserve all the wonderful things in life. You are worthy of everything and anything you aspire to. I am constantly humbled by the amazing people I've met on this forum and you my friend are one of them.

Great pictures Debbie. Thanks! It looks like you made out like a bandit and I only wish I was able to go. Maybe next year we could try to make arrangements for some of us on this thread to go. I know I'd love to check it out.

I remember well when you were doing very well @@parisshel and I knew you were being compliant with the protocol. I looked to people like you who followed the rules an had no issues. I'm so sorry you are having problems and it's very concerning because you didn't bring this on with abuse of the band. That means any one of us who are doing well at the moment, can find ourselves having problems. Giving you a virtual hug right now.

So...am I supposed to calorie count? or do I just stick to the PFC way of eating? <<getting used to that is hard<< If it helps you to calorie count, do it. My fitnesspal is a great app. I used it for a very long time. I really helped me to stay compliant at around 1,150 calories a day. I don't need it anymore because I can eyeball my portions at this point but it was a great help to me in the early days. If you don't feel you need it, don't use it. You'll know what works best for you. Good luck.

Hi Friends. I went to dinner with my sister last night and made the decision to indulge a bit. We shared a bottle of wine at dinner and I had a mini cannoli washed down with an espresso and a shot of anisette as well. I knew I'd gain weight from this meal but because I knew it, I didn't worry about it..or feel guilty about it. I do this every once in a while. And as long as I'm compliant today...and I will be, the weight I gained from last night, will come off and life will go on. The wrong thing to do is feel guilty about indulging and then throwing the baby out with the bath Water. No need for one evening to knock us off course. Just get back on that horse and keep moving forward. I really enjoyed dinner last night...I didn't eat more than I should have...I just drank more than I normally would. And since this was restaurant food, it was likely heavier on the sodium and calories...especially since it was delish. But I like to eat out and I plan for it and after that, I just do the best I can to make as good decisions as I can. We had Italian and I didn't order Pasta...no point as I can't eat a whole portion of it...nor would I want to. We shared a salad, veal parm and lasagna. And when I say shared, I mean I took a band sized portion...not half the meal. As Alex said...think and act like a thin person. I'm working on it.

Just an update that while it was a small turnout, it was still a lovely afternoon and the conversation was quite enjoyable. We are working on holding the summer meeting on Long Island this time because we know that some folks can't/won't travel into Manhattan. We will keep you posted on the next meeting once we have firmed up the date. Have a great Sunday everyone and enjoy the day!

Talk to your doctor about all the concerns you wrote us about. I won't offer any advice other than to say that changing the head is harder than changing the body. I've lost all my excess weight and am now on year two of therapy to fix the inside of me now that I've fixed the outside. Good for you that you understand some of your behaviors so that you can work on changing them. I think we're all guilty of wanting instant results but know that with the band, it can take a while. You really need to focus on long term success rather than immediate results. If you follow the program, you will get there...it just may take some time. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide.

It's do-able. I was a 24 pant and a 4X top at my heaviest, and now I wear a size 6P pant, size PS or PM top..and in better dresses, mostly 10P. I've no idea what size dress I would have worn at my heaviest...I stopped wearing dresses at size 20.

I do this too. I'm super aware how much others are eating because I am so aware of how much I eat.

I think people make presumptions all the time. As far as being treated differently after weight loss, my experience has only been positive thank goodness. I'm sure it's mostly because I'm so much more mobile and healthy now. My friends and family are so happy for me on that front. The looking more attractive part is the icing on the cake.

Absolutely!

Congrats Lisa. Hope you can make it tomorrow.

Yay!!

What the hell?? Now I'm down to a size 7. The weather is finally starting to ease up here in the Northeast so last weekend I started changing over back into warmer weather shoes and OMG....the 7 1/2's are falling off my feet. I don't get it. I know my feet got narrower and I already went down from an 8 1/2 to 7 1/2 over the course of two years but I didn't expect to go down another half size. Some of these shoes are really nice and I don't want to get rid of them. I tried cushions and other things to be able to wear them, and some of the shoes still fit, but many do not. How in the world did my feet go from an 8 1/2 to a 7? The only good thing is that I've spent so much money at DSW that I got a pair of shoes for free. I hate to think what I've spent on shoes these last two years. Oh, and for those folks who doen't see the scale move and get discouraged...take it from me...no weight change does not mean no change in clothing sizes. I've been fairly stable at the 113 lbs for a while now...and have lost a total of ten pounds in the last six months...not much, right? Well, I've noticed some of my clothes are getting loose on me again. I have several medium tops with short sleeves that I suspect I will need to replace for this coming season. I know I need some new jeans....my size 6 black jeans are falling off me and I just bought them about three or four months ago. So remember that the scale is just a number and you can't live and die with it. Use your clothing as a better indicator of how you are doing in the weight loss department. Have a great Friday and a great weekend everyone!

Yes! Bandista is right. I got scholarship money from NYU because I was widowed and head of household. They paid about 20% of my tuition and for a school like that, it wasn't chump change. They didn't even ask for financial info...just documentation that I was widowed and head of household. Make sure you check into it.

The new head of my department only knows how I look now...not what I used to look like. So when he complimented me recently, it meant alot as it wasn't in reference to looking good as compared to before....but just for looking good...or should I say professional. FYI, the comment was not inappropriate in any way..lol.

Congratulations. The hardest step is the first one. As a 'mature' student, you will likely do very well because you will be focused. I went back to school and so did my son and there's something to be said about doing so at an older age when you can appreciate what an education can really do for you. Be proud of yourself. What you're doing is awesome.

...and I'm happy for you!

From what I've read on this forum, alot of bariatric docs don't like to take on patients that other docs have operated on. Not sure why, but this seems to be pretty prevalent. Do you know if there are any other doctors you can go to? You shouldn't have to deal with a doctor you can't be comfortable with. Not to say that a doctor can't be straightforward with a patient, but there are ways to go about it and berating someone is not how you get results. Good luck and let us know what happens.

I've been on my own for a long time and am happy with my life so if the person I'm seeing/with isn't improving the quality of my life with their presence , I'll move on. That's exactly how I feel @hadouni. Not sure how long you've been dating but I'm at it nearly a year and I've certainly had to kiss plenty of frogs. I've met some nice men but either there's no chemistry, or timing isn't right, or not a good fit. But everytime I think why am I bothering, I meet someone who I enjoy talking to or going out with and even if that relationship goes nowhere, it makes me realize that there is probably someone out there I would enjoy spending time with. I have a date on Sunday with someone I like talking to so we'll see...

...and I love how my behind no longer juts out like something foreign stuck onto my lower back. I stare at it when I put on a dress for work and how nicely my back and bottom fit together now.