jal0973

July 15th was the 1 year mark for me. I'm so close to goal. 140 was the normal BMI range for my height of 5'3. I thought if I got down to 135, that would give me 5 pounds to play around with. So I'm right about at goal.

Wow Melody, that is great!! 120 lbs lost in a year!! How did you do that? You must have stayed 100% committed. I wish I could say the same for myself. I am definitely happy with my 71 lbs lost so far but I know I could have done much better. I found my old habits sneaking back into my lifestyle. But I am trying to take control again.

I did the 5 day pouch test last week and lost 5 lbs!! I didn't have the best weekend though because I had a party to go to but at least I am not grazing all day like I was before I did the 5 DPT. I feel like I am in more control again.

Wanted to welcome you, so glad to have you. I don't go to a support group eather, Can't find one in my area. But am so very thankful for this forum. It is my support group and the people on here are more like friends to me then faceless words on my laptop. They hear you when you just want to vent, and they support you when you need a boost and sometimes fuss at you if you really need it. congrats on the loss so far and good luck on the weigh-in today. Let us know how it goes good or bad and we'll be here for you.

Kimaly:smile2:

Thanks Kimaly!

Well I weighed in today...drumroll please.....5 lbs lost in 5 days!! Woohooo!! I am so excited that all my efforts weren't for nothing. Actually the 5DPT wasn't horrible but I did miss having veggies. I am really craving a salad. The only bad thing I can say about the 5DPT is that I am sooooo constipated. Hoping to fix that soon. I learned a lot in the last 5 days. Actually I realized how much I want to eat out of boredom. But the 5DPT was great because I was so limited in what I could eat that I couldn't graze on bad Snacks, actually I really saw how the Protein maintains a full feeling throughout the day. If anyone is looking for a kick in the butt I really suggest trying this for 5 days.

:thumbup:

Hi July Butterflies!

I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jen. I was banded on 07/22/08 but I have not posted to this thread before. I joined this forum around the time I was banded but never posted or kept up reading posts. I just spent the last few days reading the entire thread...yes, the entire thread...so I feel like I know all of you already.

So far I have lost 68 lbs. My weight loss has been pretty stagnant for many months now and I know it is because I am not eating properly. It seems old habits have come creeping back in. I'm obsessed with food. I think about it all the time, thinking about what I am going to eat all day. It's crazy and I hate it. When I first got banded I was amazed at how little interest I had in food. I was not tempted by bad foods and I stuck to the plan. But eventually I started back into old habits.

I have never attended a support group before so now here I am. It has been inspiring to read all of your stories. I really appreciate that others feel the way I do and it makes me feel better that I'm not alone in this battle. I am hoping to take control again.

In order to do this I did the 5 day pouch test. For the most part I stuck to it and I am looking forward to weighing myself tomorrow to see if I lost any weight. I really hope I did so it will give me the motivation to get back on track.

Thank you everybody for sharing your stories, I am looking forward to being more active in this forum and interacting with you all.

Hi July Butterflies!!

I am somewhat new to this forum...I had joined when I was banded on July 22, 2008 but never really used the site or posted. Since my surgery I have lost 67 lbs.

I finally decided to try to post because I have been in a rut. I've seen myself slowly slip into hold habits such as frequent snacking and grazing. I'm not happy with my current eating habits so I've turned to this forum for support.

Although I am happy with the weight I have lost so far, I know I could have lost more in the past year. But I also realize that I can get my butt in gear now to do what I have to do to get back on track. I started the 5 day pouch test today on the suggestion of someone on this forum. I had a Protein Shake for Breakfast and lunch and made an awesome pumpkin sausage Soup for dinner. (I got the recipe from the 5 day pouch test website) The soup was absolutely delicious!! Now it could have had something to do with the fact that I was starving but I really thought it was fantastic.

So hopefully I will get myself back on track. I really take comfort in reading about others experiences and am hoping that we can all help and support each other.

Thank you!! I read your post early this morning and decided to give this a try. So far I've had 2 Protein shakes today. I am going to the store right after work so I can get ingredients to make the low carb pumpkin & sausage Soup for dinner. Right now I feel like I'm starving! It's probably more mental than anything. I have a bottle of Water in front of me that I've been drinking and it has helped a bit. I thought I could get through the first 2 days on just the Protein Shakes but I definitely need to make a Soup to get me through. I'll update as I go along. I think I can do this!

Have you considered the 5DPT to get off white carbs?

Sorry, I'm not familiar with 5DPT...can you tell me what that is?

This is my first actual post to this forum. I was banded July 22, 2008. To date I have lost 67 lbs. When I first got banded I was amazed at how easily I adapted to this new lifestyle. I was eating properly and generally had no interest in eating unhealthy foods. I lost weight pretty quickly. But I realize that I have slowly slipped back into my old habits of snacking and being consumed by food. I see the progress I've made so far and I don't want to stop losing weight but I need to get myself out of this rut.

I have had two fills so far, the most recent being a little over a month and a half ago. I feel quite a bit of restriction with the second fill and have actually had several episodes of food getting stuck and sometimes having to vomit because of blockages.

I am disappointed with myself for falling back into old habits and not adhering to the way I am supposed to be eating. I have found ways to "eat around" the band and it scares me that I can do this. I guess my main point is that the band is just a tool and you have to stay committed to your new lifestyle to really make it work.

I need to find a way to get myself back into the right frame of mind and start eating properly again.