JBT222

One of the unforeseen things about losing a lot of weight is changing the role you play in certain relationships. You will no longer be the "fat" friend or the "fattest" one in the room. I know in my family it was hard for some people because I had always been the one they would say at least they weren't as big as me. Well now that isn't true and it absolutely changed how they treat me. You may find that old relationships need to change as there is literally less of you to go around and fill that need. This is your friends problem that she needs to address, but you can't let this get you down. You have a huge accomplishment of getting off meds. That is AWESOME. Way to go!

Oh I am so trying that this weekend! YUM Sounds like you could really rif on this to add just about any vegetable you wanted to incorporate like snow peas or whatever. Throw in some ground up peanuts to make it a little more Thai leaning.

It took a while for me to really feel full too. If you had all the fluid removed due to swelling you will probably have to go slow on the fills as they will cause swelling too. I would suggest talking to your Dr. about small fills at first so you don't get an aggressive fill plus swelling that causes you to need an unfill.

Shana Tovah!!! Usually I give the actual number. If people are local they probably saw the commercial and it is on the screen. But I know others who simply respond with "a lot". Because while they are really asking about the number on the scale, we have all lost so much more than just weight. We have lost depression, self hate, confinement from activities, and the list goes on. For those who are just starting and don't have a huge weight loss yet, you have already hit a huge milestone just admitting you have an issue and starting to address it. Remember that when people ask that, I don't think most of them mean to be rude. I think most of them mean it as a compliment, that they can really tell you are really on the way to being a healthier you. Hug their neck and say thanks for noticing.

instead of beating yourself up about it you should be proud you only ate 1 and not 6 or 7.

My wife had my sister take a pic of the little tiny medicine cups they brought my first post surgery "meal" in. I was so not happy then, but in retrospect it was an important part of the journey.

Awesome job. The first pic in the hospital gown and cap is cracking me up.

I've been banded for about 5 years now and it truly changed my life. It gave me more confidence and made life a lot more fun to live. While Lab Band isn't the right tool for everyone, it is an AWESOME tool. However, the word TOOL is the key. Remember this isn't a magic pill and you will wake up skinny. This is a tool to help you control your food intake. It can't make you not eat the junk.

Not sure of the calorie content but I usually go for gin and tonic or just a dirty martini. Not a lot of mixer in either and you can sip on them for a while to make them last. I know for me, post banded, there isn't as much to soak up the alcohol so you become a bit more of a lightweight than in the past.

Right after I was banded I decided to learn a new hobby to help confront head hunger so I taught my self how to crochet. I know sounds odd, but it was something that kept both my hands busy so there was not hand to mouth need that I think is a lot of head hunger. One of my biggest problems pre-band was the after dinner snack while watching TV. That is when head hunger hit the hardest for me. I still have attacks of it when I let myself break rules. But I find if I can make it about 3-4 days, then the head hunger goes away. Be strong. you can beat it!

I used to never take anything, then finally started taking the Target brand multi-Vitamin for men. I was having a lot of problems with tiredness after starting my fills again, so the lap band office took blood and found i was really low on B-12 and very low on D. She told me to buy them at costco. b-12 = 1000-1500 ccs D3 = 5000 IU and Krill oil - Mega red is the name brand. All of these i just swallow every morning. It has helped a lot with the lack of energy.

Thanks for the encouragement. It's good to be back in an environment where others know how hard won some of the success you have made were. @ Joanne, for me, I had to get to the point where I was literally ashamed of myself to buy that next size pants. From there I knew I had to do something. My wife and I talked about trying these things we heard like Slim for Life and things. I thought, she can do that but for the same amount, I have a tool inside me that is way more effective. I need to give that more focus. Here we go!

I am long time banded but really just started getting back on the bandwagon recently. I lost about 30 pounds with getting new fills this year so I decided to start an exercise program. I was overly ambitious and thought I would try P90X. It's ok, you can laugh. Let's just say me doing a pull up. HA! Found out they have a more basic version called Power 90. I just started it this week. Has anyone else given it a try. It's been a while since i have been to the gym and after 2 days I can tell a difference.

Hi all, I just joined and wanted to introduce myself. I was banded back in 2007. At that time I was over 400 pounds. Not sure the exact number so I generally just use that as my starting point. I was able to lose about 140 pounds, speak at the seminars for my Dr. and even did a commercial for him. I went from wearing pants that were a tight 56 to a normal 38, I could even get into 36 if i really tried. I got complacent and my weight started creeping back up. I quit visiting my Dr. I quit going to support group, I quit the chat boards. Long story short, I creeped back up to around 315. Needless to say, I wasn't squeezing in the occasional 36 anymore. I was having to buy sizes I thought I had eternally banished to Goodwill. Back in March of 2013 I got back on the proverbial "BAND"wagon. Sucked it up, and went back to see my Dr. I knew I needed a fill and coaching. Now I am back down to about 280. I have about 20 pounds to go to get back to my lightest. This time the plan is to make it below 200 so I can say I am truly only half the man I used to be.