LosingAimee

I such I could get excited as my wife does. I still have days when I tell myself "so what you've lost 100 pounds. You're still 160 pounds overweight!" But then I realize that I just need to do it again (lose 100#). I've done it once - I can do it again, right?

On an average day:
7:30am
4 oz. glass of warm Water with lemon juice
Cup of coffee with equal and half & half
10:00am (takes 30 - 45 minutes to finish)
oatmeal or Cream of wheat with 1 scoop Protein powder - or -
CarbWise (Kroger brand) Yogurt with 1 scoop unflavored Protein - or -
1 pc. bacon and a little scrambled egg (eaten verrrrry slowly) - or -
chicken spread - or -
Cottage cheese concoction (fruit juice or spices) with 1 scoop unflavored Protein Powder
1:30pm (lunch has to be late now...I'm full so long)
1/2 container of Lean Cuisine or Atkins meal (avoid most of the carbs) - or -
1 chicken thigh, baked, fried or bbq (sometimes I eat the skin) - or -
Small salad with: chopped chicken, 1/4 Tomato, 2-3 slivers of bell pepper, small sliver of avocado, bacon pieces, 3 - 4 cucumber slices, shredded cheese, 3 - 4 green olives and creamy italian dressing - or -
Home made Soup, chili or seafood gumbo - or -
Beans, salsa and pico de gallo with a few tortilla chips - or -
Cut fruit and a protein shot
3:30'ish (sometimes I'm still full from lunch so I just have a coffee)
If I haven't had a protein shot yet or if I'm low on protein for the day I'll have a shot.
1/2 bag of SmartPop popcorn - or -
A handful of nuts with Water or juice to sip at the same time (too dry) - or -
A couple of pieces of beef Jerky with water or juice to sip at the same time.
7:00pm (still not hungry, but if I don't eat now...I'm going to snack really late)
Small piece of baked fish and broccoli or spinach - or -
Chicken Thigh and a veggie - or -
Home made Soup, chili or gumbo - or -
1/2 - 3/4 can of tuna - or -
The toppings from 2 slices of pizza (no crust) - or -
I find small snack items - peanuts, beef Jerky, chicken spread and nibble until I'm full.
I am strongly in favor of home made Soups - you can put everything we need in them, they freeze well and you make enough to last for several days. I eat pretty much whatever I want to, but I no longer crave too many things that aren't good for me. I'm sure it's psychological, but I'm happy about it nonetheless. Many foods are a challenge for me: ground beef, eggs (any style), Pasta and breads so I just naturally avoid them. I use to really miss hamburgers, french fries and a coca-cola, but I'm over it now - thank God!

That's amazing, congrats! Do you mind sharing what you normally eat daily?

Today marks 3 months with Miss Pearlie and I have to say that I'm so glad to have her in my life. Since she's been with me:
I've lost 46 pounds
I've lost 40.5 inches
My blood pressure is normal - 120/80
My blood sugar is 94 (no longer in diabetic range)
My severe obstructive sleep apnea is gone
I don't snore loudly
I feel good
I look younger
I have several NSV's, but these are the things that matter the most to me and many other bandsters. Needless to say, I am thrilled at my progress and it has truly exceeded my expectations.
Good luck everyone!

Yesterday was 9 months since i had my surgery and after looking at pictures i am so happy with how far i have came. Getting the lapband was the best choice i have ever made, can't wait until my year mark to see how much more weight i loss =)

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I wish I would've done this. I was so excited about my surgery, I told my family and closest friends....and my mother told some relatives... now I feel like everyone is constantly looking to see what I'm eating/losing. It's just added a lot more scrutiny and pressure.

I wish I would've done this. I was so excited about my surgery, I told my family and closest friends....and my mother told some relatives... now I feel like everyone is constantly looking to see what I'm eating/losing. It's just added a lot more scrutiny and pressure.

Notecap46
Goal weight for August 31st~ 164
Weight on August 1st~ 172
Weight on August 8th~170
Weight on August 15th~165.8
Date banded~ 8/2/12
Loss this week: 4.2
Total weight lost~ 90.4
10 pounds to goal.

So I am down 75lbs!!! I go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week. I walk on the treadmill and do different types of circuit training. I can tell that my skin is starting to sag some and I need to know what types of workouts I need to do to tighten my stomach, arms and legs up. I know that I am going to have sagging skin I just want to get everything as tight as I can.

*I would ask someone at the gym but there is no one there at the time that I go.

Well, for the last three weeks, I've been very upset because the scale hasn't been moving, but all of a sudden (this week) since Monday, I have lost 2 pounds. Finally, some results! Yippee! BTW I was banded on June 28th. Total loss now = 22 pounds.

Starting out, I had so many questions, concerns, fears, anxiety...you name it, felt it. Worried I would be one of those unfortunate few who didn't let the band do what it was designed to do because I wasn't sure that I was disceplined enough. Let's face it, I've tried EVERYTHING in the past to lose the weight, only to gain it back so my track record wasn't so great heading into this. Sitting on pins and needles to get appointments and my surgery date, only to experience minor set backs and feel discouraged that it might never happen - I was impatient, the whole process was just over 2 months, but it felt like an eternity.
Here I am today, six weeks out of surgery and I already feel brand new - even though I haven't reached my goal weight yet...which by the way I have increased because I'm losing inches as fast as the pounds. I'm sleeping better, I'm off of my diabetes medications, I look much younger, my waistline is shaping up VERY nicely and I'm starting to turn some heads again. To say I'm happy with my decision is an understatement! Yes, there are challenges and I have new concerns: am I getting enough nutrition, can I eat this without it causing a problem, sometimes I just don't want to eat and it is often a challenge to get enough Water and Protein, but so far I am not experiencing any adverse effects.
I am going to post pics soon, I am just not the most photogenic person in the world and I always hate the way they turn out - because even with the weight loss, I still look 10lbs. heavier on photos - argh! So good luck to all of you new bandsters! You had other options, but you chose the band and I am confident that made the right decision. I have friends with the sleeve and the REY and things were much rougher on them than they are on me and I'm losing my weight just as fast as they lost theirs - without the complications and near-death experiences.
Cheers everyone...I am already 1/2 way to goal, far ahead of schedule. I look forward to reading your success stories, believe me when I say I am so inspired by many of you and appreciate all of the input I get from experienced bandsters. I attribute most of my success to what I have learned from others. If you're just starting out, this is the place you need to be. Listen to the "Guru's" and the "Evangelists" they truly are your friends and are happy to help you work through your tough times and they are your biggest cheerleaders when things are going well.
Gwen

Mandi, what kind of nutritional plan are you following?
I had mine done on 05/30/13, and I've lost a total of 18 lbs so far. I exercise a minimum of 3-4 times a week, and I wish I were losing the weight a little bit faster. I lost about 13 lbs the first month, and about 5 the following. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! I want to share to give encouragement for who is struggling like i did!
I'm not "there" yet, but now that i reached my almost 60%loss i can go slow and i wont mind!
Dear 200lb, i lived with you for a long while of my life, but today i have to "end our relationship"...
Be happy!
(50lb loss since surgery, 57 since pre op)

I started my journey 13 months ago and with a lot of hard work, difficult decisions, and some very supportive people I am proud to say that I have finally lost 200 pounds.

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I just wanted to check in with my fellow May band buddies. It has been 2 months today for me. How are you guys doing? Any issues? Are things going how you expected? How in LOVE are you with your band?
I am doing great. Some days it seems slower than others. I lost 10 lbs this last month. It wasn't as much as the first month so I got a little aggravated. Then I realized 10 lbs is great! 10 lbs a month would be amazing if it continued that way. By December that would be 50 more lbs!!! I know the more you lose the slower it starts coming off. I am all up for the challenge because I know it is not going to just bounce back on like all the other diets.
Health wise I have stopped both my diabetic meds. I sugar is staying in the normal range. I still check it occasionally just to make sure. Also with the diet and exercise I have been able to stop my blood pressure meds. My immune system has improved tremendously. I have not been sick since January. This is a big deal for me. I swear my doctor and I were becoming best friends I was there so often.
I hope you guys are having as much success as I am. The energy and feeling good just make me more of a positive person. I am happy and excited to be in the world of the living again.
Best wishes to you all,
Mandi

I hope to maybe one day relate to this. For now, it's also a struggle for me to eat small portions, I'm praying additional fills will get me to this point.

In just 7 months (almost to the day, my 7 month anniversary of my surgery will be 7/28). I have lost 90 pounds. I can't believe I'm just 10 pounds away from triple digits.
In honor of that, I've updated my signature ticker (which hadn't been updated since I was at 261), I also edited my profile pictures and added some more current pictures of me.
I'm attaching a picture to show what you can accomplish in 7 months.

Don't get discouraged. On the bright side, you haven't GAINED any weight which you probably would have without your band. Now, you probably just need to switch things up. What are you eating? Are you sticking to a specific diet or just trying to 'not eat bad stuff'? It's easy to get conflicting dieting advice. Some people will say do low carb while others will say low fat and then other people will say just eat the same food but less. It can be problematic if you're trying to follow all the advice at once. First of all, you need to have good restriction...NOT TOO MUCH restriction but GOOD restriction. I judge this as being restricted enough that I cannot eat a cheeseburger with the bun. Once you are at that restriction find a diet that works for you. Personally I do well with Atkins, south beach, or mediterranean because it's easier to cut out bread rice and Pasta with the band. Also, follow the band rules like not eating with your meals. If you are just surviving on Cereal and ice cream you are not going to lose weight. Knowing what you are currently eating would definitely help. Anyway, those are just a few tips and I definitely encourage you to keep on trucking! Who knows, getting another surgery may be the way to go but you've already got the lap band so you might as well try to get the most out of it while you can! Good luck!

Have you had any fills during the year?

I have a problem knowing when I feel satisfied. I tend to still over eat and look for the stuffed feeling instead of the satisfied feeling!

I have never felt full or stuffed since being banded....as fa as feeling satisfied, for me, it is more of a lack of interest in eating, or food in general for hat matter....
I may have a meal, mainly because I know I need to, not because I'm hungry....a few bites and I just do not want to continue....
Some people only experience this while eating, between meals...I am one to experience this 24 hrs a day....I might also add that my tastes have totally changed also...food does not taste the way it used to....sme things don't have any taste at all.....
The band really has changed everything.....

You may still be a bit out of the green zone. It took four fills before the feeling of being satiated started to turn into "Gee, I really don't wanna take anudder bite."

I have finally reached my goal. Yes, it was a long hard journey but it is so worth it.

I had my surgery 5/30/13, the first couple weeks while I was healing I had no problems eating the suggested food quantity amounts. My doctor told me last week that at this point, I should be eating no more than 6-8oz per meal. Unfortunately, I know I eat more than that. I don't eat as much as I used to prior to my surgery, but not as little as I should. I'm already on my second fill 6.5cc on a 14cc band. I was hoping this last fill would make Portion Control a bit easier on me. Is this something I should realistically hope will get better down the road with more fills?
Aimee