dazzlingone

I was banded in 2013 and have lost 150 lbs. During this journey I've had a few gains. The highest at one point was near 15 pounds. I hate losing the weight over again so that keeps me motivated even if I'm not losing I work hard not to gain. I'm working on this last 20 pounds I want to lose. It's hard work
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I was banded in 2013 and have lost 150 lbs. During this journey I've had a few gains. The highest at one point was near 15 pounds. I hate losing the weight over again so that keeps me motivated even if I'm not losing I work hard not to gain. I'm working on this last 20 pounds I want to lose. It's hard work
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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!!!!!

Wow how much as changed in a year . Reluctantly I went to see The doctor about getting a lap band just to shut my PCP up. March 26,2013 I had my appointment determined not to be banded. Call it divine intervention but after my visit I wanted the band. And due to the fact for months prior I had seen doctors regarding my weight loss efforts and health issues I was banded July 1,2013. And how fitting close to my 1 year anniversary of deciding to be banded , the girl who could barely do a sit up won the transformation challenge at the gym. Me !!! I won a fitness challenge. I'm inspiring others at the gym. I have gym friends gym friends!! Not the one buffer friend because I'm afraid to be the fat chick at the gym but people I look forward to working out with on a daily basis and who wanna work out with me!!!! We encourage and motivate each other. Making Protein Bars and Protein Bites n replacing yogurt with ice cream wtf !!!! When I started this journey I was a size 22/24 pants and 2x/3x in shirts. Currently a 14/16 in pants n l/xl in shirts. People are calling me skinny -and worried about how much more weight I'm going to lose wtf is going on here lol.. Had about 150lbs to lose probably more if I look at bmi I randomly thought 150 was overwhelming . Well I'm down 90 .. 60 to go in less than a year and thinking Of getting to 125 if it's a heathy choice for my body. I am inspiring people at the gym me the girl who couldn't do a sit up. Now I'm doing explosive sit ups burpees , knee highs , sprints on bikes, spinning weight training mountain climbers and dead lifts etc. I get up 3 days a week at 4am to get my workout in before work. Working out 5-6 days a week n I love it. Drinking a spinach fruit smoothy with Protein Powder for Breakfast. No more bacon egg and cheese on a bagel followed by a muffin n millions of Snacks a day . I Make healthy food choices and really think about what I put in my mouth and yes occasionally it's ice cream or cake. But my band make sure I don't over do it n I love that it has my back or stomach if I was to make a poor choice. But I'm truly making choices not eating mindless. I am aware of everything I eat good or bad n rarely impulse eat anymore. I have wardrobe issues not because things are not too tight but are too big. When I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror out in a store or gym I double take cause u can't believe its me. Folding these small pants is bizarre they are my pants not anyone else's. I take pictures bimonthly for progress and can't believe where I started From to now. I'm doing a Spartan race and mud run in June. My workout clothes take up same amount of space on my laundry basket as my regular clothes. So much has changed. I'm happy really happy with me ! Thought I was happy before but not like I am now. I know this post is all over the place but the thoughts of how I changed are flooding my mind as I write this. Being banded was the best decision. For ME . Next goal onederland

So far I’ve lost 154 pounds and I love it. But when I look in the mirror I see different. I can take pictures and I see the difference from when I started until now and that makes me happy. But I’m wondering how long it will take me to be able to look in the mirror and see the results. I have 46 pounds until I reach my goal and I’m nervous that once I get there I will be in the same mental state that I am in now. How do I deal with this problem?

I'm three months out and needing a boost. This is a predictable time for that -- the lead-up to surgery is so exciting and intense, then the learning curve, the early weight loss, etc. -- all of that keeps us pretty ramped up for a while. But then things settle down and it's time for some more motivation! Plus it's been a very long winter.
I've been thinking about the next chunk of weight I can get off by the end of May. I have all the incentive I need, of course -- we all do -- but I guess I need a project that has a distinct time-frame. I've always been a deadline kind of person and while I don't have a certain weight I must reach by that time I do have fitness goals that I know I can reach if I work at it day after day. And Onederland would be very nice!
In 111 days we will be through the month of May and on to summer. Here's to June and a pretty dress for my son's graduation, crop pants and a new bathing suit. Riding my bike outdoors and fully engaging in my life. sleeping well and feeling the possibilities all around me. What about you -- what are your goals for the coming summer?

A lot of my friends are into juicing....and they have a "juice bar" at the health club I go to....
I am always looking at them at certain stores and online...contemplating whether to buy one or not...
My biggest obstacle...where's the Protein? Show me how to get my Protein and I will buy one....so instead I have a high end blender and make my own high protein smoothies using fresh fruits, berries, Peanut Butter, chocolate...you name it....
I should mention...,I do not count or worry about calories...I am no longer on a diet nor ever will be again....I believe in the Lap band......

I've got one of those fancy juicers you see on the movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead"..... Breville is the brand. It works well....but I don't use it much. I did for a while...until the new wore off of it.
There are many different brands of 100% juice and Protein smoothies at the supermarkets/quick shops everywhere now a days. Naked, Bolthouse farms, Odwalla to name a few. What I have found for me, is that the time/costs required to make my own aren't worth it. I don't have my own garden, so that might be different if I did. Even going to a farmers market and buying in bulk, its hard to beat the price of the ready to drink ones....and there are some that are NON-gmo, no artificial ingredients, all natural. There's MANY, MANY different flavors and mixes of fruit and veggies. Some with added Protein.< /p>
Just juices...fruit and/or veggie, don't keep me satisfied like Protein Drinks do.
I still use it occasionally, but add some Liquid Protein to them. I would probably not buy another one....I'm just lazy I suppose.

Most people snack at night you have to find something to do. A fill will not necessarily help your weight loss. Most evening hunger is head hunger and you need to get through that. If you are only hungry at night then you don't need a fill you need to eat more filling Proteins at dinner.

It sounds like you should:
1. Increase your Protein intake (80 grams a day for 7 days is my magic spell to break plateaus).
2. Make sure you're taking your Vitamins and supplements.
3. Drink more Water.
4. Maybe get a fill.
5. Eat crunchy vegetables (whatever you can tolerate).
6. Read.
7. Practice deep breathing.
8. Meditate.
Any combination of these can help a lot.

"Let's be clear, my life has changed in ways that I could not have imagined and the fun part about all of it is that I didn't seek it."
I read posts here everyday and shake my head....and then keep my mouth shut...and wonder who some of these people are...(sorry)
If you want to be successful you have to be willing to accept change....the band demands it...yet I can see people here who complain about this and that, and all they are really doing is fighting it...refusing to let go...
Loosing weight is not that complicated...yet I read posts where every theory under the sun is talked to death as to how to loose weight...I ask myself "Where are people getting this trash?"
I thing people are convincing themselves of this nonsense while really avoiding the obvious truth right in front of their face.....
I also understand that we are/were fat because we had a LIFETIME of bad habits, and it is hard to give it up in a few months....even years....yet that is what I read...
Going through Weight Loss Surgery, for me, was an absolute last resort...I did not want to do this! And wish I never had to...! Let's be clear...I'm not proud of this....Yet I could not be more pleased and satisfied with the results....
I was at the end of my rope, and I was ready to do ANYTHING!!! Wire my jaw shut if that is what it takes...(providing I will never be hungry)
So when I experienced stuck episodes, had to give up certain foods for life, accept limited portions...etc,...I was ready...and learned, sometime the hard way, to change in order to fall in synch....
Yet I get the feeling that for some people, this is just another "Gimmick"...like any of those "Miracle" weight loss TV commercials....something cosmetic or designer....and do not wish to make any sacrifices....
I remember asking a Psychologist at one of the Hospitals what these Psych evals were all about......and among other things, she also said they want to be sure you are "Mature" and "Understand responsibility and know if you what you're getting into"
I also heard on this forum a few time in the past, that this WLS has become too common...to accepted and easy to get...and at the same time Weight Loss Surgery centers business is booming performing surgeries....
Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now....GOOD POST OP!

I wanted to contribute this after reading someone's post this morning. Before you get your band you should have an idea of what you hope to gain from this procedure. Sure, most of us had to go through a psych evaluation in order to be approved. But let's be honest here...who didn't know what answers you SHOULDN'T give on the questionnaire? It's easy to trick the test, you can't fool yourself though. Let's be clear, my life has changed in ways that I could not have imagined and the fun part about all of it is that I didn't seek it. I, like many people on this forum chose to have WLS to get healthy and not much more than that...those of us already in love with life would just like to live it better. I knew a few things going in: it wouldn't be easy, I had to change my relationship with food and that if I followed the guidelines, I could expect to lose weight and possibly correct my comorbidities. Those were my expectations, very little more. Everything else that came along as a result I simply view as lagniappe ( Lan-Yap: Creole for a little something extra). Did I expect to be as happy about this lifestyle as I am? Absolutely not! I am still learning a lot, I've improved so much about me over the last eight months it's unreal. But again, those were my good surprises and I'm happy I didn't try to imagine everything that would change because of the band, sometimes it's better to just enjoy the ride and the little discoveries that you make from time to time.
With all of it's "powers to change a life", the band goes around your stomach, not your head (credit: Carolinagirl). You can take that a few ways, but for now I'll focus on the less obvious: if you aren't happy, having WLS might not necessarilly be the solution and in some cases it could have an opposite effect. You must know that there are many physical changes you can certainly expect, but if you have psychological concerns it's best to have those investigated prior to having the surgery...don't just answer the questions with the answers that will help you pass the evaluation. Be honest with yourself and take inventory of what's going on inside; changing the outside doesn't fix it all, but it does help. If you are depressed, please talk to someone and perhaps begin a regimen to assist you with your issue. Having WLS will not solve any underlying problems you have or help you gain an advantage over someone who may have done you wrong. If you have that idea in mind, you're in this for the wrong reasons anyway and you might not be as successful as you think.

Depression is a serious matter, it would help to know more about your situation - for instance: Why are you depressed? Why did you have weight loss surgery to begin with? Do you have someone to confide in? Whatever the cause, the bottom line is that you should speak to someone about how you are feeling. By all accounts, losing a substantial amount of weight in a relatively short amount of time requires lots of adjusting and going through various emotional/psychological stages is a part of that process. There is no set amount of time that a person takes to go through these phases, everyone is different so no one can tell you that the way you feel is right or wrong. I will leave you with this: I hope that you didn't walk into this lifestyle with unrealistic expectations and I would advise any newbie reading my post to work towards your goal with the intent to create a better quality of life. If that's what you achieve from this journey then you are successful. Yes, you can expect more but the world isn't going to pause when you walk out of your front door in the morning; you will still be you...just healthier and hopefully happier.

Speaking for myself...an no one else...the band controls my hunger.....it also limits the amount of food I can consume....
For me...that is what the Green Zone is....
If a person has had their band adjusted to a certain degree, it MUST do something...it cannot do nothing....why else would we get the surgery???
I don't see the logic to go through all this surgery, and $$, and not expect the band to do anything....
I will also say...as for myself...as long as the band remains as it is...I will not gain weight ever again...it is physically impossible, without doing some major harm....
Other pay may make their declaration...that is mine...and I cannot be happier with it...I'm not saying everyone NEEDS to be where I am...I'm simply saying to every testimony out there...mine is yet another one...

what works for me (if i am miserable and woe is me and all the diet drama going round and round in my head) is look at a before picture of me at my highest (no neck, my a*ss with its own zip code, size 30 pants) AND that usually does the trick.....the motivation is there otherwise you wouldnt have had surgery.....find it if you want to lose weight and get healthy..you can do it.....but you must do what it takes to get it done.
i was either going to get bigger and bigger (and get cut out my house)
or do something about it.....what say you?

I told people at work NOTHING!
I simply took a week's vacation time....had my surgery early on a Monday morning, was back at work the following Monday...

As you get closer to that "sweet Spot" as you call it...it is more important for me to learn how to "listen" to my band, that is learn the foods that are tolerable, obey all the signals unless pay the consequences....develop those new habits in order to co-exist with the band to where it is functioning at it's peak, and less of me doing the work...just learn to comply, which can be very hard at times, but rewarding in the end.
Fighting the band, I never won....

Well I am unable to exercise because of my fibro and I have lost 120lbs with no exercise. Your body will lose if you decrease your calorie intake with out exercise. It may be slower and take you longer but you can lose weight without any exercise.

Four 1/2 months and thirty lbs down is awesome!!!! I was a slow loser also. There is no competition with this. Please don't compare yourself to others. Everybody's body is different. It took me two 1/2 yrs to get to my goal whereas with others it only took them a few months. The main thing is that you're losing. Keep up the good work.

I follow the basic band rules, because aside from losing weight, I do not want to cause any damage to the surgery. It was a big and expensive step to take, and I want to protect it.
When I say the "basic" rules, I mean small bites chewed well, sticking to small portions, listening closely for the signal to stop, not drinking 1/2 hour before or after a meal, no carbonation, NSAIDs (for the most part). I was told no straws or gum, but I have zero issues with either one. As for the portions, my band dictates that....which pretty much stays in the 1/2-1cup measurement. I don't actually measure, but I can eyeball it when I put whatever in the bowl or on the plate. No matter what is on the plate, I stop when signaled.
The other rules....well, I guess they're more behavioral changes they try to instill. Things like keeping a food journal and tracking calories. In the beginning, I tracked calories daily. Once I got to the green zone, I stopped. The band tells me all I need to know, and as long as I'm still losing, it's working. I feel completely FREE since I stopped tracking, and no longer worry about eating to the point of weight gain.

I weigh every AM to keep me on track.. however if I gained 9 lbs in one day as Cheryl said I'd flip out.. I have never seen that kind of increase even on my worst days of binging pre-band of course... if I am up a few ounces or even a lb I don't freak out I just stay the course...

I weigh first thing every morning - after I potty, of course.

Every morning at 5:30am!