Apples2

Thoughts and prayers being sent your way. Hang in there and wishing you the best results possible! Hugs

So happy for you. Keep up the great effort and wishing you the best as you work your way towards you goal

Congrats! Pay back for hard work. Keep your sights on your next goal of 75lbs lost. You will be at your goal weight b/4 you know it.

Happy Birthday and wishing you many more healthy/happy birthdays. Looks like you are well on your way to making that happen. Way to go!

Chris...knowledge is power. Read everything you can. Spend time on this site. Ask as many questions you can think of. Focus on the end result. And, #1, don't let anyone push you to doubt your decision for a healthier you. The best advice I can give you is to absolutely stick to your doc's rules...even when it's tough to do so. Feed your newly banded stomach like you would feed your newborn...very carefully. With thought and planning. It's not easy but all the effort is worth it. You will not have restriction at first and that, in itself, can be quite frustrating. Just take everything day by day and as I stated above, focus on the end result that you are looking for. I was a slug prior to my LB surgery which was 2 yrs ago last week. With each pound loss, I felt a renewed energy. I hit the ground running each morning and have endless energy throughout the day. I'm 54 yrs old and had countless health troubles. Today, I take no medications. My highest weight was 249#. Go into my public profile and look at b/4 and afters...do the same with other banders that are a year or two out. I used to do that and it gave me the kick to stick with my plan even when things were tough. There are sooooooooo many ppl on this site that are willing to talk you through anything you might not be sure about. Good luck with your decision and the decision to make your life a healthy one for your family.

Start smiling, honey. There's no time like the present. Just keep focused on what is to come.

Gotta add. The photo in the red top was taken after I had lost 25-30lbs. Top weight was 249lbs

I avoided the camera for so many years because I was ashamed of the way I looked. Also avoided camera during weightloss stage so really had to dig just to find some b/4's. I now wish I would have taken photos throughout this process but it is what it is. I am have been banded 2 yrs (as of June 17) and have been down to my "wedding weight" for quite some time now.

Congrats on your accomplishment and wishing you the best as you strive for your goal. Love these posts that are positive and inspire others. Way to go!

We live in MN...the West Central Prairie. Strickly grain crops...corn and soybeans...around 2,500 acres and operate a custom agricultural tiling business. Definately four seasons with winter being at least 6-7 months long. Spring weather is iffy with rain and snow. Fall is usually beautiful with colorful leaves. Summers are hot and humid. We spend a couple of months in FL during the winter months and about 5 months up North during the summer on the weekends. We live 5 miles from the closest town (pop.129) and 15 miles from next largest (pop.5,000). Closest WalMart is 70 miles away and any decent shopping is a couple of hours away. Not alot is offered as far as entertainment...again have to travel. We tend to make our own fun. Cookouts, farm shop parties, campfires. In fact, we tend to make up reasons just to put together a party. Such as: Pre-planting party, Post-planting party, Too Much Rain party, etc. Life is good.

On a thread I frequent, I posted a NSV ALERT!!! on Monday. We had 95.5 degrees and 79% humidity on Monday. I worked out in the sun for 3hrs or more in my gardens and did not even break a sweat. I used to have to work in 15 minute intervals and I would be soaking wet when I came into the house to cool off. So many good things come with losing weight.

Will be banded 2 yrs on 6/17. Have had 2 fills only and no problems what so ever. I feel my experience has been an ideal one.

My discovery of the day was a major NSV. I worked out in the yard most of the afternoon in 96 degree and very humid weather. I don't think I even broke a sweat and there was no slowing me down. 2 years ago it would have killed me. That's how my day went and thanks for asking!

So true...a positive attitude and determination are the key to success. Taking a look at what you can do to make the scale move in the right direction and making changes in eating habits, upping the exercise are proactive. Negative thinking produces negative results. Good going on taking the steps to get the lapband and moving onto a healthy life!

Welcome Rhonda! Sounds like you are fitting right into Lapband life. Don't worry about your little ones missing thier fast food trips. Once in awhile isn't so bad for them but healthy options on a daily basis will set them up for making good choices in the future. While eating out, there are so many healthy choices that you can make. Big changes in your household with your DH getting banded also. Good for you for both making the steps towards a healthy life. Your children will benefit from having two healthy parents and will have good role models to enable them to form their own healthy lifestyle. I have never regretted my decision to have LB surgery. Good luck to both of you!

Take this time while waiting for insurance approval to really wrap your head around how Lapband surgery will change your life. I, too, was required to have the six month supervised plan. At first I was upset because I felt I was ready to jump in and have the surgery. In retrospect, I am so happy that BCBS had that requirement. It gave me time to "practice" eating like a banded person and provided me with adequate time to prepare. I woke up from surgery NOT feeling like I had the rug yanked out from under me. I felt truly prepared for what was to come. Those first few months can be tough b/4 you get your fills and feel that you are at your "sweet spot". Take this time to read everything you can on LapBandTalk. The wait is worth it. Wishing you luck!

Congrats! You have inspired many over the last 3 yrs. You look amazing and it's good to hear that you have come through all of this and love yourself and the life you are living....Now...sending you a the best in closing the chapter of your life that involved the cheating #$^%%@&&$***. You deserve the happiness you have today!

That Leigha is a girl after my own heart. Been a believer in non-starvation since I started this process. Throwing a body into the starvations mode only hinders weight loss and causes those nasty plateaus. Good healthy food choices at 2-3 hour intervals makes for a healthy bod!

An important piece of advice I omitted from my last post...be very diligent to consume adequate amounts of Protein daily. I have always taken in between 75-100gr of protein along with a balanced/healthy diet since the beginning of the process. I truly feel this has attributed to the energy I have. Also, once you get a bit more weight off, you will start to feel that you have some energy. Take advantage of it and keep moving. I live 15 miles from the closest gym and work out of the home. I found ways just around the house to get my exercise on a daily basis...such as...running the stairs in our house, treadmill, weights, etc. Any exercise will fuel more energy and thus you will start feeling like doing more.

Froggie D...patience is the key. We are all so differnet and lose at different paces. Looks like you are doing great on the weight loss. I lost 54lbs prior to surgery during an 8 month wait for surgery. I reached my goal weight and my doc's goal for me 4 months after surgery. My metabolism kicked into high gear and I lost another 20lbs after reaching goal without trying. I now feel comfortable where I am at and can eat a good amount of calories per day which makes maintenance fairly easy for me. The key is not how fast a person can lose but just to have a steady loss. Most docs say 1-2lbs per week is about the norm. You are welcome to PM or email me with any questions you might have. I would be happy to share or help you in any way that I can. Good luck!:scared2:

Sandy...getting back on your thyroid meds can only be a plus for you. Sounds like you have turned a corner and not feeling so overwhelmed by getting back on track. Congrats on that. Also, really make an attempt to move 30 minutes a day...even if it is just a brisk walk. Break the exercise into 10 minute sessions if you are having a hard time fitting it in. Document your food to keep yourself accountable. If you are always on the go, keep a little notebook with you to keep track. Wishing you luck!

Great thread.... I have been at goal for over 18 months and I got way more out of this than I ever expected. Too many different changes in my life to list but so happy with the entire LP journey. I guess if I listed one that means the most is that I FEEL so good and healthy and that was what I was shooting for to begin with. I honestly feel and am as active as I was in college (at 54yrs old).

I eat when I am hungry and make healthy food choices....always. I try to make every day well-balanced and that seems to work for me. I never feel deprived. I now have absolutely no unhealthy cravings and only crave wholesome/healthy foods. Some days I have 6-8 healthy meals...other days 3-4. I believe the trick is to eat when you are hungry and not let yourself get so famished that you set yourself up for a binge.

Sandi...first of all, congrats on your success. I could write a similar post..minus the beach part. LOL I was banded June, 2008 and am thankful every day of my life. I can run circles around any 19 yr old and have unlimited energy. I consider myself to have had the ideal LB journey. This did not come without hard work and determination and consider myself fortunate to not have too many bumps in the road. We are farmers which requires us to be on the move on a daily basis. Prior to banding, it was such a chore to accomplish the little tasks. Now, there is nothing I cannot do that is required of me. Life is good!

There are soooooooooooo many ppl that have had successful results with the band that do not post as much as they used to on this forum. There are a lot of negative posts, but, we are going to hear more from ppl that are struggling than ppl where things are going good for them. Never hurts to hear some of the negatives so you can prepare yourself and learn from them. This procedure and the months after are not an easy road. But, so worth it all in the end. Wishing you luck in your decision!