dab

...Within one week of being two years post op - I have hit the 300+ lost mark. It has slowed down quite a bit in the last couple months compared to what it has been - but I have now lost 301 pounds as of this morning. Just a testimate that anyone out there can do it if I can. Sometimes, when I felt like I might not make it - I would come and read the comments from all of you on both my threads and others......they are very uplifting and a big part of the success I have been able to have. So - congrats to all those who post here for being part of OUR 300+ weight loss! Happy Labor Day to All! Dab

RestlessMonkey - I have said it before - I am not the poster child by any means. It has come pretty easy for me - and I am both fortunate and thankful for that. For the first 12-14 months religously I attempted to eat per the guidelines as far as food types. I would eat a few bites of Protein followed by a couple bites of vegetables and then if I was still able to eat I would finish up with a starchy food. Very very few sweets - I substituted my sweet tooth eating by going to two Viactive Calcium and two Viactive Vitamin chews daily. I didn't and don't exercise that much - but try not to lead a sedintary lifestyle. I have slowly been going back to a "normal" diet lifestyle. I am drinking a few beers on the weekends and am eating more "regular" options. I don't each much quantity - but do mix up the protein, veg's, starches and other food groups now. I am sensible about what I do because if I attempt to eat too much or too fast I will start to feel my nose run and my saliva start to produce. That reminder keeps me in check because I don't like that to happen. As for quantity - here is an example of what I can do if I eat slowly. Breakfast - Bacon digests good - I can eat 3 pieces of bacon and part of an egg if I go slow. Maybe one or two small bites of crispy hash browns if I go real slow. Breakfast is usually just two Viactives with a cup of skim milk while waiting on the coffee to get done and then two big cups of coffee with French vanilla creamer. lunch - I try and have Soup if possible. Brocolli/Chedder is a favorite or French Onion is another. A couple places of chicken Enchilada and I can do that if the others aren't available. I sometimes order an appetizer of O rings and will eat one, maybe two of them and give the rest to people who are with me. If soup isn't available I will get a grilled cheese and eat maybe half of it. The toasted bread is easier for me to digest than soft bread. Supper - Fish digests good. I can eat fish grilled or fried...maybe two to three ounces. If it is grilled I will have a spear or two of asparagus with it or if it is fried I will eat a few potato chip style potatoes we fry with them. Mexican is another easy digest for me. I can eat some chips and salsa while ordering and then either have one taco, a side order of guacamole with more chips or Mexican shrimp soup. An occasional ice cream or other sweet thrown in now. I am still losing about 3 to 4 pounds per month. If I cna do that for the next four months I will be where I want to be. Time will tell - but I think the lifestyle changes I have made are reinforced if and when I try to do something stupid by the fact of the "if you are stupid, you are going to vomit" senario. I read something on this board a few weeks ago that I have thought about quite a few times since - I am not sure who it was that wrote it - but I think there is merit in it. "...remember, you can't gain or lose a bunch of weight in one day..." There are those occasional days when I eat a few bites like normal and things go down good. I am able to sneak in a second taco or an extra small piece or two of fish....something of that sort. I remember that if that is the case - I have to be extra good the next day to make up for that. Hope that helps explain it - but just remember it is a tool - if you think it is a cure-all - you are probably headed down the wrong road....it is a hell of a tool - but just one of the items you need. dab

OK - I will give this a go. I will readily admit that I am sure you have got some top notch advice up to this point - but, although I did read your entire post, my ADD kicked in and I couldn't make it through all the others. Here is my two cents - and it might have already been stated. Start at the beginning - for me that was finding the thing that WAS important. I said 500 times over 15 years that losing weight was important to me.....but that was pure and total booolllchit. Truth of the matter is I enjoyed the fat me enough that I didn't have anything that WAS important. Then - that changed. I saw my Dad die from cancer....I was over forty and the weight was catching up with me. I couldn't do the things with my kids that I wanted to.....then - two blood pressure meds came in addition to at the end starting on an oral diabetic medicine. What was important to me was being able to see my kids have kids and play with my grandkids down the road (hopefully still a while off though). That is the two cents....find what it is that is important. I bet it is in there somewhere.....and maybe this isn't the time you actually find it. Not trying to sound mean - but it won't happen until you are ready for it to. That is just the truth. I hope you can find that within yourself....because there is so much to life once you find it. Find the beginning - that is how you get to the end. And remember this - it took me 41 years to get in this shape.....I knew going into it that it was going to be a marathon and not a sprint. Just shy of two years later I can see the finish line off in the distance - but still have the final stage to run before I get there. Don't get down on yourself...find what is really important to you and focus on that. Best of luck. dab

I stepped on the scale yesterday and am happy to report that I have now lost more than 250 pounds. I am not really sure why I am happy to report that to you all....as nobody knows each other around here really - but it is just something I wanted to say. Now I have said it - another 60ish pounds I am will be there.... T minus about 5 months and hopefully I am at goal. I have this to offer folks who might just be starting the journey....for what it is worth....do a before photo. I was so embarrassed about how I looked I didn't have any pictures of myself at all. I am going to look and see what I can find laying around and actually post something. Carry on - and remember if I can do it - anyone can......believe in yourself and reach for small accomplishments instead of the end result when you know you are on a journey and not a day-trip! dab

:thumbdown: :thumbup: Way to go Kel. Good luck with your new goal as well - whatever you decide that to be. Be proud!

This morning was the biggest goal so far to date. First it was to lose 100 pounds - then to lose 200 pounds - then it was to be under 300 pounds. This morning - I hit the big goal I had set for myself.....I have lost 1/2 of my body weight. Starting at 577 back in September of 2007 - I am now at 288.5 (288.8 holding the camera phone on the scale). :bored: :thumbup: Now...on to the next goal, which I am going to put at 277 by September 1st. That will be the big 300 pounds lost mark....the next big goal for myself. I do want to say thank you for all of the feedback on this thread. It is part of what drives me and I hope it gives a few the encouragement to keep pushing on. It is a marathon, not a sprint and is rewarding and fun along the way!!! Everyone enjoy the summer!

You go Don!!! Congrats on the beginning success on your journey. dab

Don14 - you are taking the same approach I did.....one day at a time...one small victory at a time. Best of luck with your journey and don't get down on yourself when you hit those small walls that I am sure you will face along the way. dab

Well, another milestone was reached the other day. For the first time since sometime back in 1990 I am in the "200 club" - just barely - but I am there. Another eleven pounds and I will have lost half of my body weight. Just proof that anyone can do this if I have. Get up everyday and tell yourself you can! dab

Great accomplishment. Good to hear it has worked so well for you. I am amazed everyday at what chance this has given me to have a new life. Keep up the good work.....glad to hear you have the commitment to exercise as much as you do. dab

I would be lieing to you if I said I even knew what the hell Mega-T was. (confused smiley thingy) I take the Viactive Calcium and Vitamin chews....two of each per day...they are flavored caramel, chocolate, rasberry and a couple others so I get my "candy" feeling as well. That is all I supplement. Hope that helps....from your number one "peep"

Thank you to each and every one of you for your positive comments. Each day I think about how much easier life is on me than before and just hope I am able to focus my energy in the right direction. Keep up the good work yourselves and have a great week. dab

OK - It is time for me to post on this thread. I usually hang out in the 200+ pounds to lose thread down in another section - but I enjoy seeing peoples success stories. I hit a milestone the other day....just shy of 17 months post surgery. I was at 577 pounds when I went in for my pre-surgery seminar........and am happy to report I am now down more than 251 pounds as of last week. When I stepped on the scale, it said 326 pounds. Still have a few to go - not sure how much though. The top left photo I had been on the Atkins diet.....you know, the one where you gorge on meat and cheese to lose 100 pounds in 4 months feeling really good only to gain 125 pounds back in the next 10 months when you decide you can't take it anymore. The photo on the top right was back in 2005, but was at about the 577 mark there as well. Thanks for support from people from this site....I don't post a lot - but being able to come here and read does more than one can imagine when a person needs a pick-me-up. Hopefully this might be able to inspire someone to take it one step at a time throught their journey as well. Best of luck. dab

I took the time this morning to merge the three together - better for comparison. As for not needing to lose anymore...well, the only place I really need to lose anymore is in the stomach area as far as concentration of weight. From the rib line up I am pretty happy and from the mid thighs down I am very happy now. There will be a point where I will have to decide about skin reduction because my "apron" is getting pretty large and the inside of my upper thighs and my underarms from my pit to almost my elbow are all droopy. I don't have a clue if I will do that or how long to even look at waiting to see how much it tightens up with some exercise. To be honest, the 60 more pounds might not be a reality. I am 6' 9" tall - so I carry it well - and probably will be real happy with anything under 300 at this point. Twenty some more pounds and that is a reality. I would like to see 288 pounds though. At that point, I will have lost 50% of my body weight. I could literally say I am now half the man I used to be. Thanks for the kind words......with the right attitude and the right tool (lapband for me) anyone can be a success story! dab

And a picture from this evening. The pants in the picture, which I am ashamed to admit, are a 68 waist......I am in a 48 waist now.

Here is one from 2006

Alright - not sure if this will work or not...you might have to be a member to view from this site - but here is a photo from 2005

I will be happy to post what my meal intake is - but I am not going to lie and tell you I do things the way I should most of the time. For Breakfast - I have two Calcium chews and two Vitamin chews from Viactive and 1/2 cup of skim milk. I am full after that and have a cup of coffee or two about half hour later after things settle down. Very occasionally I will supplement it with a Protein such as two pieces of bacon - a cheese stick or a scrambled egg. For lunch - well - sometimes I am not hungry and on the go and don't eat lunch. When I do I try to make it something sensible. I will get a cheese/brocolli Soup or French onion soup if at a restaurant if I am trying to stay healthy. If not, I might do clam chowder or an appetizer of mushrooms or cawliflower. I never finish whatever I order - usually eat a few pieces of the appetizer is all or about 3/4 the cup of soup and a couple crackers. For supper, I like fish. I can eat a normal portion fish fillet without much problem and add with it a couple vegetable bites...maybe a potato bite or two as well. I also like Mexican. chips and salsa if we go out digests pretty well and I can get a bowl of chili or one ground beef taco.....sometimes 1 1/2 if I take it real slow and don't have any chips and/or salsa. I can take maybe one to two bites of a steak or chicken breast is all and that equivalent is in about 8 of my sized bites. Throw in the other items that go with that like above and in total - a meal is never....well....VERY SELDOM....equal to 1 cup of food per meal. I am not hungry hardly ever and function well at this intake according to my lab results. The doctor thinks I should push a little more each day as far as calories and occasionally better choices....but if I look at today compared to 17 months ago......I am pretty happy with how healthy I am and my choices......I still need to work on a few things. My downfall as of late is the late evening stuff. I am occasionally drinking a couple of beers or popping a bag of popcorn or the occasional sweet. I know I shouldn't but I am still losing 7-9 pounds per month with little to no exercise so I am accepting that. When I started this - I had to have my surgery delayed because my pre-lims showed my blood sugar was sky-high and my blood pressure too high - did I mention I am not one...well, wasn't one, to go to the doctor? I have been in the medical profession for 28 years but didn't take care of myself. Within 3 months I was off the diabetic medicine and my blood sugar down in the 70's from the 180's to 220's. I was off one blood pressure medicine within 6 months and am now medicine free.....with the exception of the occasional heart burn med from the late night snack or coffee.

...and done it in a one year period?? I am just curious. I have three months to go and have lost right at 175 pounds....I hope to have hit the 210 mark at my one year surgery anniversary. Now, I realize I had much more to lose than many did...but I am just wondering how many have hit the 200 mark in a years time. TIA - Everyone keep up the good work! dab

That is just plain damn awesome. Congrats very much on your success. I know you had to work hard for it! dab

I think you can ask about it from others - but everyone is different on how they react and you can't judge you on others....if that makes sense. Me personally - I was scared too...more scared about failing than anything else if I am being honest with you. The surgery was literally a breeze.....about an hour....recovery for 4 hours and home mid afternoon....it was on a Thursday. I was at family gatherings on Sunday with minimal discomfort. I was tired from the anesthetic more than anything else. Following the dealio has not been hard for me at all....most people say they can drink when they eat and cheat the system - if I try to drink, I throw up. I can't eat more than about half a cup of food at a time or I throw up. It doesn't take too many times of dong it wrong to figure out the right way. Heartburn....well it comes in spurts....I had it in months three and four pretty bad and then again at seven or eight months - now in the last week or so I have had some again. But, I also ate hot wings two days in the last two weeks....which leads to my summarization of the entire thing. This is a life-changing experience you shouldn't do if you are not ready for your life to change....but, if you are ready to change your life (for the better in my opinion), then you should strongly look at it. Loose skin....yes...my kids laugh at me....my wife calls me a sharpey....or whatever them dogs are.....but one thing they don't call me anymore is fat....I can take the others. Not that I am still not fat....but not nearly as fat as before. The most important thing to me is the primary reason to begin with - my health. I am off the diabetic medicine - I am off two blood pressure meds and I am on the floor again playing with the kids and nieces and nephews....that is what it is about - being around for the family. Best of luck with your decision - I hope you choose the right one! dab

China - Can't speak for everyone - just myself....but liquid wasn't a problem once I learned I couldn't "gulp" like I had done in the past.....more sipping, especially at first. I also learned that I can drink hot liquid much easier....and now drink quite a bit of coffee. Just my personal experience. As for calories....for the first six or eight months - I probably only had 500 to 700 calories per day. I am doing more than that now - but some days still are down in that area....not trying to starve myself...just not hungry. BUT....the last few days have been disasterous....still haven't ate big quantities as I can't do that (thank the man upstairs), but have been eating chocolate and pastries and junk food :mad2: It is over for another week....I will let myself cheat New Years eve and New Years day - then back to the good me again and even throw in a little exercise maybe. :tongue2: I hope to be below that 300 pound mark by May 1 - 2009....that is a goal I just set for myself in fron of you all...that gives me just over five months to lose 40ish pounds....and then I will be on the downhill slide. Best of continued luck to all of you all.....hope each and everyone of you had a great Christmas! dab

I relate totally to this. I was in the emergency service field for 20 years and heard the same thing - "Gosh, we ran a guy that had to weigh 300 pounds - the guy was a whale!" Then someone asks now, "How much have you lost?" When you say more than 200 pounds....and you still have 70 or so to go....they start doing the math. I guess it really doesn't bother me that much....I hated and was embarrassed at what my starting weight was....but I am confident I am still going to lose the rest of what I need to and keep it off long-term.....so, (and I think this is so important for me to remember) I know for the rest of my life I am going to be a fat person inside of a just larger than normal person body....that will be the approach I will have to keep for my mind to know that I have to be good....getting to a goal just means one step in the journey to not regaining it all back like I have done in the past. Everytime I hear that "that guy must be 300 pounds" comment...I remember that I was almost "two of that guy" and it brings it into perspective. Best of luck with the band and keep on keepin on. dab

What success I have had I credit to using the surgery as a tool. I am not going to blow smoke and try and say it has been hard....because for me it hasn't. I have been banded going on 15 months now and have lost in the neighborhood of 225 pounds. For the first 9 to 10 months I didn't exercise....I didn't alter much - other than food consumption and tried to pay attention to what I ate and how I ate it......start with a few bites of Protein followed by a bite or two of veg's and then a starch and desert bite or two if I had room. The people at the weight loss center say I am the exception to the rule....I cannot drink when I eat or it makes me throw up - so I can't "cheat" food through the band. If I eat too fast, which I still do sometimes, I start to slime and know I am going to throw it up....it is a way of life. I am probably on the tight side with my band, but it is working and I don't want to unfill any with it going good. I am now trying to exercise some and still watch what I eat - although I not as good at that as I was a few months ago....I drink a couple of beers every now and then again and eat more sweets than I should now probably. One thing I miss is my monthly appointments. I didn't weigh at all between my monthly visits because my weight wasn't the important thing to me....getting off my diabetic medicine within three months of surgery and both of my blood pressure meds within 9 months was the success I wanted to see.....that and being able to sit on the floor and get back off of it without calling a crane for help is what I was looking for.....and sustaining that - that is my success.... ....but, with my year of free monthly visits now over - I am not going in like I did. I have an appointment in another three weeks and will be interested in what they have to say - I just kind of looked forward to the monthly visit and re-assurance that things were OK. Best of luck to you - keep it one day at a time and remember if you fall off today - get back on tomorrow. Happy Holidays!!! dab