Melody2006

I have to calorie count. I log every single bite that passes my lips in an online food journal. I believe it's the single key to my success and why I have not had any plateaus and have lost the weight. I wish I could eat with out thinking, but that's what got me fat in the first place. That, and I couldn't stop after a small amount. I know feeling full won't stop me either. The minute I could get more of the "bad" foods down, I'd go back for more. So why even have it in the house? I'm not perfect, and I've had several "bad" days in the last 10 months being banded. But I've always left the house to have those and I never brought it home with me. I refuse to let myself live like that ever again. Don't need garbage in my house, and no one else in it NEEDS it either!

I've lost 109 pounds so far and I don't feel I need a tummy tuck. I have 13 pounds to go and the only thing I do notice is my upper arms are flabby. I should be doing weights on them and I think that would help. I was just complaining to my mom the other day and she said when you get it on in bed it all lays down flat and guys don't notice. I laughed and felt better. Unless you have the cash, or really have issues with your body AFTER you get to your goal weight, I say forget the surgery.

I have 13 pounds left to loose and I'm going through all of this. I'm afraid of being my goal weight on one hand. And now I feel like everyone is watching and looking at me now, before I was invisible. I have more self esteem as a person now. So many changes and learning lessons for me through this journey. I'd like to hear some updates to previous posters of this thread who were going though self struggles. This is an old thread. Do things get better later on?

This was a great read and I agree completely. We are products of our environment and the company we keep. I think this applys to our eating habits as well.

I've lost 108 pounds in the last 10 months and I have 15 pounds left to go to reach 135. I'm amazed how well I've done. I know it's all because I started food journaling on thedailyplate.com at the start and I've stuck to it. I never had a plateau, and never really became an exercise junky. This last month has been really emotionally hard and I've learned some tough lessons. Like you don't gain self esteem just because you loose weight. I had biggest lap band inspiration show me this in actions this month. Completely breaks my heart. *sigh* Its been tough this last month for me to stay on track. No one in my life gives a darn about dieting and now that I'm so close to goal they definitely are tired of watching me make healthy choices. Pitfalls to bad diet choices are everywhere. Every day is a struggle to do the right thing for myself. I admit this month has been really hard emotionally learning some really tough lessons, but I've never looked better on the outside. I'm in a ladies medium top and size 9 jeans. Now I just have to fix the inside by the time I loose the last 15 to goal.

I've lost 108 pounds in the last 10 months and I have 15 pounds left to go to reach 135. I'm amazed how well I've done. I know it's all because I started food journaling on thedailyplate.com at the start and I've stuck to it. I never had a plateau, and never really became an exercise junky. This last month has been really emotionally hard and I've learned some tough lessons. Like you don't gain self esteem just because you loose weight. I had biggest lap band inspiration show me this in actions this month. Completely breaks my heart. *sigh* Its been tough this last month for me to stay on track. No one in my life gives a darn about dieting and now that I'm so close to goal they definitely are tired of watching me make healthy choices. Pitfalls to bad diet choices are everywhere. Every day is a struggle to do the right thing for myself. I admit this month has been really hard emotionally learning some really tough lessons, but I've never looked better on the outside. I'm in a ladies medium top and size 9 jeans. Now I just have to fix the inside by the time I loose the last 15 to goal.

It's called low self esteem. And you know a dominant spouse knows how to manipulate their partner if they know they have low self esteem. I've recently learned the hard way with weight loss you don't just gain love for yourself and self esteem. Many (not all) that loose the weight just stay with mentally abusive spouses. Guess someone that was really overweight and took a blow to their self esteem will easily let themselves and their needs take a back seat to do whats easy and what others think is "right" despite how they feel inside. It took them this long to loose the weight, how long is it gonna take them to stand up for themselves and stick to it? :scared2: Just one more blow to the healthy lifestyle for the low self esteem spouse.

The sooner you decide to stand up for yourself, the sooner you'll be at goal. Every time you don't it's one small step (of many, many more) backwards for you. If you don't stand up this time, you won't the next time it happens again. And it will happen again because you let it happen the first time. Also if you don't, your not making a lifestyle change for yourself and not letting others realize this is a lifestyle change for you that you will be sticking to and they need to respect that. You set the future for letting it repeat and it will be a constant battle and steps back for you. Being ambiguous is how we got fat in the first place. None of us want to go back to that. Whats so hard or wrong about saying, that/this no longer works for me. If you don't respect yourself, others won't respect you, and your just shooting yourself in the foot. You'd be surprised how quickly people get over it. This is a real powerful thread all of us need to read.

Food journal every bite that goes in your mouth. It's a pain, but it's hard facts you have to look at and then you know whats holding you back. Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate It's free and simple to use and it's been my biggest key to success. :crying:

I see over and over people who think if you get lapband you no longer have to calorie count/ diet. Those always seem to be the ones who fail and play the fill/unfill game. Its a big waste of time, money, and puts your lapband at risk (to slippage, etc) . Don't be fooled, you have to diet. That's why so many get taught how to pre-banding with what ever program you went threw to get banded. And thats why you hear over and over the band is just a TOOL. It's not the cure. You don't do your part (diet & exercize) it's not going to work. Just like my lawn mower isn't going to mow the grass if I don't get out there and do the work. The lapband is no cure for your food addiction. Either are fills. You have to put in the work if you want it to work. I know so many want to believe thats not true or make excuses. Just remember thats how you got heavy in the first place. I was also told most likely you only get one shot at weight loss surgery, so if you don't put in the work to make that work, you've shot your chance to make the drastic means work. Weight loss surgery is pretty drastic means to loose weight and if you want to be in denial and blow that, be ready to accept staying overweight. Harsh, but true.

I was sort of scared because I didn't have a lot of support. Even lost a few friends at the time because of it. But at that point I knew how being fat just wasn't working. This might be my last shot to change I thought. Change for real. Now it's 9 months later and I'm so glad I went through all that hard stuff (the liquid diet, the classes) with no support, and I'm scared to even think what I would be now if I didn't make that scary change. I just wish I would have done it sooner. All that wasted time makes me sad to even think of missing out on all that happiness. Life is short, don't waste it. :laugh:

I can't believe I'm 9 months out from lapband and I have 19 pounds to my goal weight. 140 is the bmi for my height to be a normal bmi, so I'm 14 pounds from being average weight for my height of 5'3. It's hard to believe I never hit a real plateau and never gave up. I had bad days, but always got right back on track. The last few days (last 3 days) I've had some personal issues and been in a real depression and my band is so tight I'm barely eating 500cals a day. I eat egg beaters and they lay on top of my band and I want to puke them up. I'm forcing myself to push fluids, focus on protein and fiber. I don't want to loose my health. I've come so far. And I'm so close to goal. I keep telling myself this depression and life issues is temporary and I will make it, that everyone has this feeling sometimes, and to focus on the long run and not let my good habits go. I still carry my pedometer in my pocket daily and have been forcing myself to walk out in the sunshine. 10,000 + steps a day. I start a new job in 2 weeks that really isn't 100% of what I wanted. But none the less it's a start in the right direction. I keep telling myself it's a start. And it was half of what I wanted.

I can't believe I'm 9 months out from lapband and I have 19 pounds to my goal weight. 140 is the bmi for my height to be a normal bmi, so I'm 14 pounds from being average weight for my height of 5'3. It's hard to believe I never hit a real plateau and never gave up. I had bad days, but always got right back on track. The last few days (last 3 days) I've had some personal issues and been in a real depression and my band is so tight I'm barely eating 500cals a day. I eat egg beaters and they lay on top of my band and I want to puke them up. I'm forcing myself to push fluids, focus on protein and fiber. I don't want to loose my health. I've come so far. And I'm so close to goal. I keep telling myself this depression and life issues is temporary and I will make it, that everyone has this feeling sometimes, and to focus on the long run and not let my good habits go. I still carry my pedometer in my pocket daily and have been forcing myself to walk out in the sunshine. 10,000 + steps a day. I start a new job in 2 weeks that really isn't 100% of what I wanted. But none the less it's a start in the right direction. I keep telling myself it's a start. And it was half of what I wanted.

You know looking back telling people is one of the best things I did. Especially coworkers. They cheered me on and never made one single comment when I was eating my lunch or dinner at work off of baby spoons and forks. Never a single comment. I felt like since they knew I couldn't cheat. That kept me straight.

Today stepping on the scale I was 164. So I have 29 pounds left to go. These last pounds are the toughest. Seems like my eating is more around the 1,200 calories a day mark vs. the 800 calories a day it used to be. I'm still using thedailyplate.com. I'm still hoping to reach my goal of 135 by June of this year.

Today stepping on the scale I was 164. So I have 29 pounds left to go. These last pounds are the toughest. Seems like my eating is more around the 1,200 calories a day mark vs. the 800 calories a day it used to be. I'm still using thedailyplate.com. I'm still hoping to reach my goal of 135 by June of this year.

I'm sorry for your hurt, but better to know now than the pain go on even longer. She did you a favor by leaving now instead of later. On to better things, and better people. *HUG*

Congrats on not only loosing 40+ pounds, but loosing a looser who didn't have the guts to tell you the truth. Now you have a whole new you, and the courage because you know you can make it on your own.

Well, for the longest time that was one of the only places besides Avenue that I could buy clothes I could fit into. Besides Kmart who had a great plus sized selection. I'm so glad I'm not plus sized anymore and shop on the regular side of the store (notice how they have it all separated in stores so you felt all horrible going to the plus side?) Guess I couldn't have picked a better time to finally loose the weight.

I'm bad at keeping up with my blog here. I'm 171 now and I have 36lbs left to loose to reach my goal of 135. Which I am determined to reach by this summer. I'm still food journaling on thedailyplate.com, and I'm Reesa23 if you want to add me there. That's really been whats made all the difference for me to make it this far. 89 pounds lost total. Not every day has been perfect. But I'm so glad that less than a year later I've lost 89 pounds with only 2 ccs in my 10 cc band. The last 36 pounds to loose has to be the hardest!

I'm bad at keeping up with my blog here. I'm 171 now and I have 36lbs left to loose to reach my goal of 135. Which I am determined to reach by this summer. I'm still food journaling on thedailyplate.com, and I'm Reesa23 if you want to add me there. That's really been whats made all the difference for me to make it this far. 89 pounds lost total. Not every day has been perfect. But I'm so glad that less than a year later I've lost 89 pounds with only 2 ccs in my 10 cc band. The last 36 pounds to loose has to be the hardest!

I had a week long food tour as a "last supper". I said goodbye to all my old crutch favorites. To my frosting stuffed double sided cookie at Mrs. Fields, To baskin robbins peanutbutter chocolate waffle cone, to Red Lobster cheese biscuits and a yummy meal, to the Cheese Cake Factory, a dairy queen blizzard, oh so many things. I limited nothing. At that stage of my life I needed those things. Can you believe I barely think about them now? The band made me make perminant changes in my life. Wait till you get stuck or sick on one of your old favorites and come to hate it. It's like when you get the flu after eating a food and you never want to eat it again. Changes everything.

Food journaling. You need to know what your putting into your body at all times. If your guessing, it's not going to work. I use thedailyplate.com, and it's free!

Before I had lapband I had just had my 1st brain surgery and and my 1st time being put under. When I first came to I saw my uncle and my dad (both from the south) and I kept saying "I swear I didn't vote for Bush! I swear I didn't!"

I swear I owe my weight loss to the daily plate. Wish I found it before lapband too.