wadeg7

Well today was the day. Onederland is what they call it. I call it goal day. Today I reached my goal of 200 pounds. fifteen months ago I started on a journey that has profoundly changed my life. I am now fit. I am now happy with my career. And I am so happy in love with my wife. This one change, changed everything for me. For those of you reading this and need some encouragement, know that it can be done. I have left my prison behind me and now am living life again. Thank you all for your encouragement along the way.

I have to totally disagree with the people who say that Smart Shapes aftercare for out of town people is not good. I live in Newfoundland and I had my surgery over a year ago. The staff at Smart Shape are fantastic. My care was excellent when I was in Toronto. After I arrived home I had lots of support by way of online sessions. I have also had numerous phone calls and emails to the nurses and nutritionists. While it is true the local doctor only fills based on Smart Shapes recommendation it is only after Smart Shape consults with the patient. There is also no charge for the fills for 5 years. To be honest I have been supported by Smart Shape from a distance then I have been by local doctors for other medical conditions I have had in the past. The only thing I would have done differently would have stayed in Toronto for a couple of extra days to recover. I hope this clarifies Smart Shape to everyone as they are an excellent choice.

This was definitely the right choice for me. I have lost 159 pounds and I am only 1 pound from my goal. Remember the band is only a tool and you still have to work hard to achieve your goal, but you can do it. Good luck.

I started at 360 pounds. As of thus morning I am down to 202. Not onederland yet but very close. It feels great.

552 + 156 = 708

I had to do a 3 week liquid diet. Started at 360 pounds, finished 3 weeks later down 27 pounds to 333 pounds. I had my surgery 1 year ago today and now weigh 212 pounds.

You have done a fantastic job and you should be very proud of your accomplishments. It is so true, just stick to what the doctor and staff tell you and you will be successful. I know from my own experience that it is Avery I powering experience. Keep up the great work.

Hello everyone. One year ago today I started my 3 week liquid diet to prepare for my lap band surgery. It was both one of the most exciting and scariest days of my life. At that time I weighed 360 pounds, had severe sleep apnea and just felt lousy in general. I was unmotivated and my world revolved around my lazy boy chair and my office chair. I was in a major rut in my career, and if I was to be really truthful only had a few more years left to live. Twelve years previously I had lost almost 130 pounds and gained it back with in four years so I knew how difficult the change would be.

Today I weigh 213 pounds and I can't remember when I felt this good. I walk an hour everyday and have so much energy to burn. My sleep apnea is gone and I feel in total control of my life again. My marriage to my wife has never been stronger and now I am get ready to embark on a career change that I should have made five years ago. This surgery has freed me from my prison of obesity.

What have I learned this time that I didn't know when I lost the weight last time? The most important thing is that this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. This will never end to me. I just eat less than I did before. Sure sometimes I give into my cravings, but instead of eating a gallon of ice cream at one time, I eat two scoops. Everything is in moderation. I am what most people would call a fussy eater. Very much of a meat potato guy. I am a little more careful than I used to be but I can still eat all the same foods (but in much smaller portions) I did before with the exception of carbonated beverages. I really believe switching from a 2 litre Diet Pepsi to Water made a huge impact on my success. I have also learned to forgive myself when I slip up and have a bad eating day. Before if I messed I would use it as an excuse to sabotage my progress and go off the wagon. Now if I have a bad day I just start back fresh the next day. Even people who are natural thin have bad eating days but they don't let it become an everyday thing.

I have been very lucky as I have had very few side effects what so ever. The three week liquid diet was the hardest part, followed by the first three weeks after surgery. Since then no problems what so ever. I have only PB'd once and probable only had a dozen stuck episodes when I forget to slow down my eating. I have deliberately kept my band relatively loose 3cc in a 14cc band because I was afraid to have it too tight and experience a lot of the trouble I have seen some people go through. I just keep it tight enough so I can go 5 hours with out hunger pains and it has worked for me. I use it like a tool but not as the only means to succeed. It won't cure your head hunger or your cravings, but it will keep the hunger pains away.

I am now 13 pounds away from my goal weight so I have been slowly trying to adjust to more of a maintenance mod now. I really feel that I have a toll that can help me succeed going forward. I am going to attach a before and after picture that was taking about 6 weeks ago. I know some people like these pictures as motivation so I hope it helps. Thank you to all the people on this board who provided me advice, especially in the scary beginning stages. You all helped reassure me. Thank you.

I have now completed almost 10 months with the Lapband and I am very excited about the results. When I started in May 2013 I weighed 360 pounds and I could feel myself slowly dying. My life consisted of my office chair and my recliner chair at home. Otherwise I did very little. Now I weigh 220 pounds and am 20 pounds away from my goal. I really can't believe it has gone so well. I have only 2.5cc in my band and I have only had two PB incidents since I started (both were my fault-eating way to fast). I can eat pretty much anything I want (in a lot less quantities) and really the only thing I have had to give up was carbonated beverages.

I am now approaching what I consider the most critical stage and that is weight maintenance which has always been the most difficult thing for me. I don't ever get really hungry anymore and the biggest challenge/temptation for me is late night Snacks. I can go all day long till 9pm and have no cravings, but when I sit down to watch TV after that the head hunger returns. I have tried to keep my calorie input a bit lower in the day so that I do not go over when I snack. I think I may have to change what type of foods I snack on to find something more filling. Any suggestions?

For those of you beginning on your journey I am proof it can be done. I simply followed my doctors rules as strictly as possible, I try to exercise a half hour to an hour a day. You need to be patient as it took most of us a lot longer to gain the weight than it does to lose it. The three most important things are to 1) Eat slowly and chew your food well, 2) Track every calorie (thank god for My Fitness Pal), and 3) Exercise everyday for at least a half hour. If you have a bad day, don't beat yourself up, just start back the next day. We all slip a little, just don't make it an excuse to quit or fail.

This message board has been extremely helpful to me. I have tried to focus on the positive messages that I have read, and try to use the negative ones as things to be careful about. Thank all of you for your help.

It is ironic that you feel that way because I feel a little bit that way as well. The only difference is that when I gained all the weight originally I didn't see it in the mirror as well. When I look in the mirror I see the same person, before and after my weight loss. It is only when I look at my before and after pictures do I go wow, thinking what a great job I have done. What really amazes me is when people who see me who haven't seen me in a while do not even recognize me. That's what happens when you lose 135 pounds in 10 months.

I have a tablespoon every night for my snack. I have no problems at all.

I was very sick with severe gas pains and nausea. Everyone is different but I really think you need a week atleast to recover from this surgery. Keep in mind besides the effect of the surgery you will also be very tired as a result of only consuming small amounts of liquids. I flew home 3 days after my surgery and I can honestly say it was the worst flight of my life. If you rush your recovery you may find you will end up being off work longer than you would just taken the proper amount of time off in the first place. I am sure this not what you wanted to hear but I found out the hard way. I am self employed who felt I couldn't afford to be off long, but I quickly found out the body does not always respond the way you want it to. Good luck.

We'll today is a major milestone for me. For the second time in my lifetime I have lost 127 pounds. The first time was when I turned 40, I lost a total of 127 pounds on the Body for Life Program. Today 9 months after my lapband surgery I have lost another 127 pounds. Last time I gained it all back plus another 20. Here is why I know this will never happen to me again.

The first time I lost all the weight, I thought that when I lost the weight I could stop and go back to the way I was before. Big mistake. I have now learned that changing the way you live is for life. Weight management is for life and we need to focus more on the change in lifestyle than just counting the pounds. Last time I learned how to work out very hard, drink lots of Protein Shakes and it worked for awhile until I fell back into my old habits. This time I finally learned to eat properly. Take small bites and to chew my food well and to eat slower. I finally learned to listen to my body when it was full instead of eating so fast I never even really had a chane to taste the food. This time I learned to incorporate exercise into my daily routine rather making it a chore. This time I learned to use food as a fuel for my body and not a solution for any stress I may be feeling.

If I could offer everyone who may be starting on their journey one piece of advice. Focus on the change and not the pounds. If you succeed with the change the pounds will take of themselves. I hope I haven't been too preachy, but I thought the advice could help some of you.

Dr. Cobourn at Smart Shape did my surgery in June 2013. He is an excellent surgeon with a wonderful staff. Most importantly their aftercare is very good which is going to be critical for your success. I live in St. John's, Newfoundland and the still do an excellent job of monitoring me from afar. Good luck with your choice.

I was banded June 12, 2013 and I gave lost almost 110 pounds so far. I am 50 years so yen.s it is possible.

Hang in there. The first 3 or 4 days are the hardest. After that your body will go in a state of ketosis which will make most of the physical hunger pains go away. You will crave food still but find something to do when they come. Every time I got hungry I went for a walk. I did a lot of walking. The best part of the liquid diet is that if you can complete it without cheating, you will appreciate food much more than in the past. It will make it easy for you to go to small portions after your surgery, because you will appreciate the taste and textures of food which you probable didn't before. It will make small bites and lots of chews a lot easier when you think back to what it was like with no food just liquid. Good luck, you can do it.

I believe those people who opt for the lapband and think all they have to do is have the surgery are destined to fail. The surgery alone is no guarantee of success. However if you are truly ready to make a change in your life, it is a great tool that will greatly help you along the way. It will help curb your appetite so you eat less, but it will not eliminate cravings you may have for bad foods just because you like the taste. The band will not stop you from eating a gallon of ice cream in one sitting, but it will ease your feeling of hunger for 4 to 5 hours. It has worked for me because it has forced me to eat smaller portions and to eat much slower. Good luck with your decision.

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I thank everyone on this board for all of their encouragement and success stories that have helped motivate me. I really appreciate it.

I too am not a veggie lover. Really with the exception of potato and corn I do not eat any veggies. I really can't explain why but I just cant eat them. Basically in order to lose the weight I am taken extra Vitamin supplements to make up for what I lose with veggies and I also try to eat foods really high in fibre to help make up for the loss of veggies. I know it is not the perfect solution, but it is what works for me. When I was really big I didn't eat veggies and as I have gotten smaller I still don't.

Hello Everyone. This week I had a unusual experience. I have been losing weight consistently since May when I began my journey, in fact I am down almost 100 pounds which I am very pleased with. Last week was only the second time since I have started my weight loss that I hit a plateau were I did not lose a pound. This is not unusual as most people who have lost weight will go through plateaus. What is unusual about mine is that this past weekend I flew back to my hometown for the weekend. I was going to check out a business opportunity and to see family. I am in the restaurant business and I was up looking at a new restaurant to purchase. This meant sampling many different menu items as part of my research. As I am sure you can appreciate it is a very difficult thing to do when you are watching your calories. I was also home visiting my mom and sister who are both excellent cooks and even better bakers. I come from a family where all of us are large people and if you saw the spread of food you would know why we are all so big. To make a long story short it was probable my least discipline time I have had since I was banded. Instead of my normal 1000 calories a day consumption I got up to 1500 calories a day, but still managed to exercise two of the three days I was there. So this morning when I got on the scale I was dreading to see how bad my result was going to be. Imaging my surprise when not only did my plateau end but I lost 5 pounds! Crazy but true.

I think all if us had doubts at some point before surgery so I would say what you are going through is very normal. I would suggest you focus on why you made this decision in the first place. Nothing worthwhile is easy so you will have challenges. Whoever none of these challenges will be as tough as being over weight and the issues they cause. Good luck.

I was banded on June 12th and I have lost 92 pounds which includes the pre op diet. I was a grazer and night time eater as well. So far I have had only one fill so far. The head hunger still comes and goes but I try to schedule a small snack 3 hours before I go to bed. That seems to help with the night eating. I have also tried to replace my addiction with food for walking. If I want a treat, I gave to pay for it with exercise first. It is working good for me.

I was banded on June 12th and I have lost 92 pounds which includes the pre op diet. I was a grazer and night time eater as well. So far I have had only one fill so far. The head hunger still comes and goes but I try to schedule a small snack 3 hours before I go to bed. That seems to help with the night eating. I have also tried to replace my addiction with food for walking. If I want a treat, I gave to pay for it with exercise first. It is working good for me.

I had gas pains for almost a month after surgery. It will come and go and you can have stretches without it being a problem. Three months after surgery I still have some gas first thing in the morning which goes away pretty quickly. Certain foods will make it worse. If I have carbonated beverages I suffer greatly from gas so I avoid them. I think one of the side effects of this surgery is to have more gas than normal. You will learn pretty quickly how to deal with it. Trust me it's worth it. I am down 85 pounds in four months so hang in there.