CapitolChick

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/62314-july-butterflies-master-thread/page-292#entry4209262

My post is on the last page of the thread page #292 @ bottom

Best wishes everyone!!

In case this is helpful to anyone I have come back to post this.

I lost weight, but hit a point for some reason that I got really weak and sick of my lapband. At one point I felt as though I was starving and yet couldn't eat anything bc I got stuck all the time. I didn't have a slip..or anything other than I really I just did not have a lifestyle where the band fit in. I wanted a balanced meal. I wanted to not have to deal with this thing day in and day out. I was so tired and no matter how much Vitamins or Protein I took in...I lost muscle, and struggle with nutrition deficiency. Eventually I hit a wall. I couldn't take it anymore..just got sick of the lifestyle. I tend to stress easily and any stress caused constriction that made everything get stuck. This is what my physician thought. I tend to agree. I was already on meds for that too!! ffs..it was too much.

After a long fought battle to lose what I did I couldn't take it anymore and had my band completely unfilled. I gained all my weight back and realized I had to do it on my own one day at a time.

My choices were death..get my crap together or be barfing all the time and miserable or even go in for a different surgery..I just couldn't handle it. I'd been through so much fought so hard to try to save myself from dying in the middle of the night due to obesity related causes..I hit rock bottom. I had spend my whole life fighting this it felt..

So.

What I learned:

The band showed me (if just for a minute!!!) that I wanted to live. what it kinda tasted like to be normal in my size!!... to have a new life!!! I wanted what I felt the lucky ones had!! even to be 20 pounds overweight would have been fine. I wanted to not have to see another plus sized store or large online catalog for the rest of my friggen life. The world is not setup for the obese. That there is a whole exciting world out there but it only goes up to XL (if you're lucky).

So I started to walk forward. On my own. with diet and exercise. 8 yrs later I look back see how much I have gone through - multiple family members deaths, divorce, losing a home, job changes, therapy, various surgeries, and growth.

I have now lost over 100Lbs and although my life is far from ideal, is so radically different it scares me at times..I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am working on losing 27 pounds and doing more run/walk events. It is fun to work on this. It is fun to learn and research and met others who are into fitness. To learn about food addiction, depression or other soul killing things in our lives.. I get to do so much more now. People who meet me have no idea who I used to be or how large I was.

I am so much different now. I like myself and know my journey will never end and that thought gives me a big hug feeling. I finally get it.

So no I don't regret getting the band. It gave me what I needed.. even though it was indirect. My hope is to someday get it out and get a Tummy Tuck but I don't obsess over that and it isn't really the end of the world if it doesn't happen.

I hope this helps someone else bc it is not a black and white journey for everyone.

Peace.

48 hours of liquids after a bad episode. That is the law. just kidding, but at my doctors office they mean business when we have bad ones like that. Honestly once I gave into ruling, things have worked out so much better for me. Sorry for your icky time :wink2:

Everyone is doing AWESOME!! About 10 weeks to go! I am maintaining and that is OK by me. Haven't seen this weight for 12 years!! LOL

[peace]

Breakfast: 1 egg scrambled, sometimes a piece of bacon and a cup of hot tea

snack: small V8 (5.5 oz)

Lunch: most of the time a Lean Cuisine or something like that.

Snack: a yogurt or sugar free fruit cup

Dinner: isn't always then best, but my serving is around 1 cup. (last night was 1/2 hamburger patty with pickles and 1 slice of whole wheat bread toasted [my 'bun'], night before was about a cup of hambuger helper)

Late night snack if I need it: 1 cup of 1% milk

I drink about 40 oz of Water day, I'm trying to get more in.

Something that struck me reading your post (aside from the level of sodium), is your menu has a lot of slider foods in it which will not make you feel full and you may nibble more calories here and there.

For example: v8, yogurt, fruit cup. milk for a late night snack

Just something to evaluate.

also, it takes 3500 calories to make up 1 pound (apx)

so if you nail down a more solid food menu and are feeling full you could reduce your calories by 500 a day wich would be 1 pound a week wtloss.

There has got to be other calories your eating somewhere..or maybe you aren't eating enough?? which could put your bod in starvation mode.

did you tell us your fill level? are you happy with that?

Wow! say hi for me!

I found out my big toe had a bone in it last week! Weird I know...but i was phaaat everywhere.

It is so great to have everyone here!! Good luck in the wt loss challenge!!

i know what you mean, It wasn't until I lost 75 pounds that I could kinda see the difference. I agree with jachut - it is like we expect our bodies to be different not just smaller! LOL Also depending on how tall you are and where you hold your weight it can be hard to feel like a success. But you are!! Just try to keep telling yourself positive things and get clothes that flatter your new figure. I had a hell of a time looking at clothes differently and buying items that were more form fitting. But I forced myself and it is helping my confidence and allowing me to reconcile the new me vs. how I perceive myself.

Are you feeling better? Did you call your doc?

What's grand is the fact that my belt and waistband aren't digging into my overhang nearly as much as they used to.

I can wear shirts untucked without having to peel the the pants (quite painfully) from my waste when sitting at my desk. That alone is worth the surgery.

I had to go wee really bad one day and ran to bathroom and yanked my pants down without even unbuttoning or anything - thinking they were my old stretch pants!! LOL I realized I probably needed new dockers. Amusing and grand!:wub:

The other day there was this big agency award assembly and the MC called our division up on stage in front of 300 people to give us an award...

After the assembly one gal who used to work with us ran over to me and said:

"Oh my gosh!!! I swear I did not even freaking recognize you!! I saw: Krissy, then kember then i was trying to figure out who that other girl was!!! and it was you jenn!!!" you are skinny!!"

it was a really really cool moment this gal knew me at my heaviest.

my old co-worker was so excited for me :wub:

With those medical conditions, I would surmise that you may have to eat a TOTALLY differant way than most people. How much education either thru a nutritionist or via the web have you done to get to know your medical ailments and what type of food you should (or shouldn't) be consuming?

As much as you don't want to have the medical conditions you have....well...That is your body so you might as well accept it and do the basics that MOST everyone has to do.

1) Exercise - get moving

2) Take your Vitamins

3) Reduce stress and get good sleep

4) Stay hydrated

5) Track your calories and fat etc.

Good luck! Big hugs!

Yep, Josie is a maltipoo too! She's 3 1/2 years old and she's definitely my kid.

my puter died so this is the only photo i have of my miss stinker pot. She was a babe here. They are the best 'lil 'panion dogs!

Hey!!! your doggy josie looks like my maddie!! My puppy (1 year old) is a maltipoo what's yours?

Happy donut day all my challenge friends!! It has been a blast watching everyone truck along and thru all our ups and downs knowing there are others out like myself makes these challenges sooo awesome!!!

This was my first challenge that I exceeded my loss target even with my fill wackyness. So I am stoked to start the next challenge with you ladies and gents.

She hates being obese and is projecting her angier of herself onto you. And! she secretly will contemplate getting a surgical procedure in the future - swamie says

Rude people suck.

big hugs

welcome nancy! The more the merrier!!

Hi Janesays! You are doing really good still - the unfill stuff is a little hard to take-- I know i went thru it too. But it was the best thing and you will be back on track soon enough. I found the unfill thing weird b/c somehow even though my wt crept up until I got refilled, then once i was back on track the wt just flew off! So there is a light at the end of the tunnel i promise.

Wow!!! that is sooo awesome!!! It is posts like these that make me so inspired to keep on truck'n

I was 288 with same health problems. My primary said same thing. Even tried to write a name down on one of his business cards of 'some other doc' I should call for the gb. It was all I could do to not loose it. I was informing him out of courtesy.

Fastforward:

HE EATS CROW EVERYTIME I GO SEE HIM!!!! now he a huge supporter!:crying:

Girl do the lapband GB will always be there.

I think google is spazzing out right now with the memorial day traffic - there should be no sign in required.

I will see what I can do.

and add everyone who is not on the spreadsheet.

Jason can you get a mod to combine our threads? that would be cool if they could.

UPDATE:

chocolate SNAPS, KANINAG, et. Al you are ALL ADDED to the spreadsheet

Hopefully Goog will stop freaking out!!

I didn't see your posting - my thread for the spreadsheet is in another post.

As our Donut Day challenge winds down, I think we should keep the momentum going!

Ohh!! great minds think alike! I was sitting here thinking what would be a good mile marker for us all.

I will set up another Spreadsheet