julie.ann

I have really been having a hard time. June 27th was my lowest weight. I might have hit it one other time. I weigh about 3 lbs more than that. I maintained my weight for a few weeks, actually about a month before my vacation. I gain 3 lbs on vacation and lost it since I got back.

I know this is all great. I guess it is. That is what I would tell most people. My probelm is that I have lost that edge that I gained with this decision. I am still working out 3-6 days a week. Good work outs and I am really happy with how I am doing at the gym. My problem is what I am eating. I do pretty well and then I do something to really screw it up. Ice cream, cookies, popcorn. ugh! I used to not have any problem passing it up. Now I can't see to say no. I wonder if I just need to purge my system of the carbs or be less happy with my weight.

I lost my restriction on my vacation. I ate a pretzel and homeade pizza dough. Now you all know that I shouldn't be able to eat that. So I realize that my restriction is gone. I do still have appetite supression which is SO important. I have been able to eat too much. I haven't been pushing my limits, but I don't get full very fast. Before vacation I have had to really watch what I eat and take very small bites so I was afraid that I was too tight, but now I am starting to doubt that was the fact. I think I just need to be more careful about what I eat and the bites I take.

I think I am going to call my doctor tomorrow for an appt. My doctor is 7 hours away. It sucks to go that far and I haven't been there since April. I guess that is what I need to do.

Any advice? All comments welcome!

Thank you. I can't tell you how much all of your comments mean to me! Each one is so special to me. Thank you!!!!!

Thanks. I just lost 2.5 lbs today. I knew I was retaining with all the crappy food I was eating. I'm sure every time mom and dad call they will ask about my weight. They did anyway. Keep working out. I bet even it the scales don't show it, your clothes will start getting loose!

Well some of you "old timers" might remember me from nine months ago when I was a brand new bandster. I decided to keep my decision to have lap band surgery a secret...FROM EVERYONE! I have lost 108 lbs.

Along my journey so far I have told a few people. It took months for me to tell my best friend. At 5 month post-op I told another friend and then a few co-workers. I have not told my family. Not only did I not tell them that I had surgery, but I did not tell them that I lost weight. I thought that I would surprise them....and I certainly did! I live in Kansas and my family lives in Florida. I just got back last night

(Fade to black....cue flashback.....)

All by myself I got off the plane and primped in the bathroom. My baby brother picked me up. He is 25 years old. Ten years younger than I am. I couldn't believe how nervous I was!!!!

He was on his way and I stood outside the airport waiting for him. There was this couple that looked very kind and I asked if they would mind taking a picture of my brother because I have lost alot of weight and he won't recognize me. He doesn't even suspect it. So he called and said he was pulling up. I asked if he saw the lady in the black and white shirt with the red purse. He did and I told him to pull up in front of her and I would come out. He got out and started to come into the airport to help me with my bags. He turned to that lady with the red purse looked her straight in the face and gave a polite smile and nodded and kept on walking. That lady just smiled stared and turned to watch him walk away. He saw her turn towards him out of the corner of his eye and knew he was being watched and so he turned back. The lady with the red purse started laughing and his jaw dropped and slowly his mouth turned into a big O. That lady was me, his sister that he hadn't seen in a year!!!

I just laughed and he said "I haven't seen you look like that since you were in high school!" That would have put him in 2nd grade!

So my baby sister was surprised and said very calmly, "Oh my goodness!" and gave me a hug. I was sitting on her bed holding her new, 3 week old daughter when my parents came in. I hadn't thought about how to do this. So they walked into the bedroom and dad smiled at me like I was some friend of my sisters that he didn't know and my mom walked in and I started to laugh and that gave it away. Mom kept saying "Oh my gosh! Wow! You look great!" She said it about 5 times. Dad recognized me too when I started to laugh and he gave me a big smile.

We were sitting in my sister's bedroom and dad just kept staring at me. I pretended like I didn't notice, but he was staring and it was great. My other two sisters just said "Wow! You look great." Again they were very calm.

It was AWESOME and then I could post new pics of myself on facebook because I had even been avoiding that to keep from spoiling the surprise. I just can't tell you how exciting it was!

I gained 3.5 pounds on my vacation. Guess what? It was a vacation. Nothing to beat myself up about. I couldn't wait to get back to the gym now and I am ready to start losing again!

I have really opened up when I was on vacation. I even at a pretzel! My sisters couldn't apprieciate that like all of you can. A week ago I never could have gotten a pretzel down. I still have GREAT hunger control with the band and so I am going to hold out and see how I do with this and get a fill if I don't do well the next few weeks, but I am not really worried. I know I have my band and my band loves me.

I am HOPING that my family, especially my dad will want to get banded. My older and one younger sister could loose 75-125 lbs (Dad too), but I don't know if it is something they will consider. I would be so happy for them if they did!.

I can't attach my new picture I had taken because it is too big, but I will try to upload it to my album.

That it AWESOME! Great job girl!

That is okay. You can get back to eating right starting right now. No reason to wait until tomorrow. This isn't how every diet goes because after the waiting time is up you get to have a fill and work to find the sweet spot.

The nurse was completely out of line. No doubt about that. Weight gain like that can be fluid. It takes 3500 calories to pack on a pound. I doubt that it true weight gain. Hang in there. Keep your chin up. Keep making smart choices and eating bandster portions. When you reach the sweet spot you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

Well, week two of maintenance and I gained 0.9 lbs. It is less than a pound and I'm not getting down on myself. I will really be ready to start losing next week when I get back from vacation. I think the week away from the gym will help me get ready to dive back in too. I'll let you know how my trip went! I leave in two days.

Every doctor is different. I was on liquids for only about a week then I moved to soft and started with eggs. If you have lost all that weight make sure you are well hydrated. I think calling the nutristionist is a great idea!

"Why couldn't I do this?" failure??? I had that too until someone pointed out that I am a successful wife, mother and career woman. Just because obesity was too hard for me and I needed help does not make me a failure. When I need help with my job I find the tools I need. When I need help as a mother use the tools I need. Why wouldn't I find the tool I need if I want to fight obesity. My band has mad my fight against obesity a success!

You do need to mourn your old life. I also bet that getting the band has been the focus of your life for a while....now what? You have it. Kind of anticlimactic uh?

Now look toward the future. Look at goals. Get out. If the feeling doesn't go away get to your doctor and ask if it could be depression that they can help you with. Some people find that they have been depressed, but they have been self medicating themselves with food. That isn't an option so now you may need to deal with that.

Good luck. hang in there!

Here there again. Thanks for the great message. Okay so the first thing you have to know is WHY you have to loose weight. Every doctor is different. Mostly you need to shrink your liver so that they can lift it out of the way and get to your stomach to do the job right. That is the reason that most people have a preop diet. My pre-op was no bread, potatoes, rice or pasta. If I got hungry I was to drink a protein shake. That got the carbs out of my system (which took the cravings with it) not to mention I lost 14 lbs the 2- 2 1/2 week before my surgery.

It is okay to be scared. I would really worry about you if you weren't because I would be afraid that you thought that just having the band was going to fix your probelm. It won't. You can get this band and gain weight, but YOU know that you are ready to work hard. That is what brought you to this decision. Be very open with your surgeon. Mine didn't expect any weight loss before he scheduled surgery...but I had to lose some during pre-op for the liver "issue". He said he had one patient that he started on and couldn't get around the liver and had to close up without the band. He went out and talked to her mom about her diet. Asked if she had given up what she was supposed to. She said that her daughter was eating french fries every day. Well, I guess that if she couldn't follow the rules for 10 days then she wasn't ready for the band. I was so scared that I went out with friends a few days before my surgery and without thinking at a mozerella stick. I was so stressed out that the breading on the outside had screwed up my chances! I guess I was scared straight.

I'll be honest I had "Last Supper Syndrome" up until the day I started my pre-op. I gain 10 lbs from August when I decided to get the surgery "no matter what" and October when I started my pre-op because I was so afraid I could never eat some of the foods ever again. That is normal. Completely counter productive and some people are better at not doing that than others, but not me.

Use you calorie counter and get the bad carbs out of your system. Start with the gym a few days a week to get comfortable there. Honestly a high protein/low carb diet will take the pounds off. And talk to your surgeon. Mine was very understanding! Hang in there. You haven't "ruined" anything.

Success! I haven't weighed in for 6 days and I weigh EXACTLY THE SAME as I did then. Maintenance!!!!!

One week down...the rest of my life to go!

Well I have been having ups and downs. I am almost 9 months out. I have stopped weighing myself all the time and decided to try to maintain my weight loss. It has been hard and I haven't been doing a very good job. I have decided to try to shock myself back in a low carb high protein mode this week. Just because I need to get the cravings out of my system. I am still hitting the gym. Because of a couple of things that came up unexpectedly and out of town meetings I actually had only 2 days working out this week. That is the least I have worked out since about November. I guess I'll have to watch that.

I did go shopping and was able to fit my big fat butt into a size 10 skirt!!!! :smile: I couldn't believe it! I don't ever remember wearing a size 10! I also bought my first little black dress. It is a size 14 (the girls are always bigger) I have just recently gotten out of plus size shirts) It is Calvin Klein and it looks AWESOME! Now I just need a place to wear it!

So I am still having some NSV, but I have to admit that I am feeling very fat again. Part of it is what I am eating. If I was eating right all the time I wouldn't feel like look so fat. I'll have to work on that. I know that I have gotten used to seeing myself like this so that is part of why I am starting to not see a skinny me in the mirror anymore. That will change when I start loosing again.

I am still looking forward to visiting my family and surprising them with my 100+ weight loss. I leave a week from Thursday. I have been tanning and worrying about what to wear and what they will say.

I will look forward to coming home and getting back on the weight loss wagon. I am starting to think that weight loss will be much MUCH easier than maintenance....I guess I'll have to work on that.

Much love to all!

Julie Ann

Preop/Surg/Now/Goal

285 / 271/ 177 / 142.5

Surgery - October 29, 2008

Dr. Kirshenbaum in Aurora, CO - Self Pay $9950

This is VERY theraputic! Welcome on this wonderful journey! It has its ups and downs, but it is worth the trip.

BG...I've seen your pictures before and I totally didn't recognize you. Way to go. You are looking great!!!!!!

Well this is the question I have been wrestling with lately. Am I done? My goal weight is about 35 lbs from here but I have lost about 108 lbs. I started a size 24-26 and I am now a size 12. (I'm sure a size 10 if I could get a tummy tuck.)

I have started to plateau. It has been tough the last month and especially the last few weeks. I haven't been as strict as I used to be. Part of me feels like I should be happy with my weight. I am happy. I feel more confident. Of course I would feel even better if I lost at least another 15 lbs. I know that.

Is is so bad that I feel happy....dare I say the word....satisfied with my weight? I am 177. I am 5'4" with a BMI of 30. I want to weigh in the 160's for the first time in 20 years, but then why am I doing more of a maintenance diet than weight loss diet? That is the only thing that I can think of. I am happy enough with where I am.

I am having a hard time admitting it. Maybe it is because I am SUCH as goal oriented person and I haven't reached my goal. Maybe I need a break until after my vacation at the end of the month and just work on maintaining. Maybe I need to quit making excuses, quit cheating every other day and get back to the grind. I don't know.

After 8 months...9 if you count my pre-op diet maybe I am just burned out on folowing the rules. It is hard to keep motivated when the scales aren't moving. It is hard to get the scales to move when you cheat.

I wish I could find my will power I had in the begining. Maybe I need to put old pictures of me up, but I know I don't look like that now. Maybe I need more pictures of my now so I can see how much I still need to lose.

Any sage advice for a not so newby?

With surgery? I guess the shoulder pain that most people have or the diet restrictions right after. What is the biggest challenge after surgery? Everyone is different. Exercise for some, avoiding soft calories for others. It was really hard not to drink with meals. Follow most of the guidelines most of the time and you will do fine!

bubbalouieuk:

That was my biggest fear too! What does my band do for me? I have a perfect entry in my blog about that very thing. You can find it here. It will tell you why changing your diet (nutritional intake) is easier with the band. Take a look through my blog. I have been EXACTLY where you are. 8 months later I am >105 pounds lighter. I went from a BMI of 49.8 to my current BMI of 30.3. I went from a size 24 (or right around there) to a size 12. Honey I KNOW what you are feeling now. I wrote about it here. Oh...Here is an oldy, but a goody too.

Take some time and read through it. It can tell you more than I could in this little space. We are here for you! The support I have found on this board is AMAZING. Even now I am getting goose bumps as I think about it.

Feel the love, learn, and move forward on YOUR journey..where ever that takes you.

That isn't much calories. Up it. ( I do about 800-900 but most will tell you 100-1200) High protein.

Actually, you are still pretty new. Make sure you follow your doc diet orders and then work on high protein.

It's all in my blog. Take your time and read through it. almost a year's journey in there and 8 months worth of lessons learned, diet tips and guidelines. I hope you enjoy!

Bypass was never something I wanted to do. It was very drastic, not reversable and you have things like dumping syndrome to worry about. It is also not adjustable. I've seen bypass patients gain weight after losing and there is no adjusting.

The band is just a tool. You do have to follow the rules to lose the weight. It is the best decision I've ever made for my health! I don't know about the balloon.

The band gave me the help I needed. I knew that if I followed the guidelines it would work. I knew that I wouldn't spend all this money just to fail. I was ready. Once you see the results it helps you keep going!

Weight everything out. Keep the food very soft and eat every 4-5 hours or so even if you aren't hungry.

Lala -

Hey! I had to attemp murder on my thyroid and then finally had to have it surgically removed. Here is an interesting twist to my 107# weight loss. I was taking 200mcg every other day and 188 the other days. Now I they have just moved me down to 100mcg of synthroid daily and I will recheck in a month. It is a nice side effect for me.

Good luck with all!

It is hard. Especially after meals. Don't be too proud to ask your doctor for something to help you quit. There are some good things out there.

Day 3 or 4 was the worst with feeling weak. Get a good protein shake. This will do two things. It will give you calories you need to stay strong and the high protein will help with hunger. Liquids are not going to "fill" you up. You will be able to drink all day long. Liquids go right through the band. Hang in there. Stay hydrated and drink calories so you can heel. There will be time to watch your liquid calories after you are eating.

I can eat a cup or more at a sitting, but usually don't. I don't need an adjustment because I have to be careful and take small bites or I get stuck.

You have done great! Keep up the great work!