TracyW2

Its hard not to read the horror stories and they are going to be there no matter what you do. Stick with the positives and you can do this! I love my band and know I never would have accomplished this with out it. Yes it is just a tool and I used my tool to its fullest ability. I have changed my life style and my band helped me do that. I enjoy eating healthy, granted those cravings still come knocking. Dont be afraid to give in to cravings. You are human! And I love to exercise. Right now I am extremely passionate about weight lifting and toning everything up.

My total hospital stay was around 5/6 hours. That was from being there for prep and walking out the door.

I just had a Tummy Tuck done and I was in the hospital for 9 hours. Again, that was being there for prep too.

My before and after is in my profile.

Thank you! I will answer what questions I can. I know what worked for me. My biggest thing is exercise! I do it religiously and love it.

The safety class I took was extremely educational for me. Taught me a lot. For right now I have just been riding my husbands bike. He had just a small Honda Rebel. However, this week he is buying his first Harley and trading in the Rebel. So of course I will be riding the Harley also.

Good luck to you and hopefully you get that Sept date!

Yep. I actually just got my license in May. But enjoying the thrill of being on the bike!

Y_{ep breastfed till he was 18 months. I have never been one to count calories. I had to have a lot of Fluid removed while I was pregnant. I went very slow with my fills over the course of a year to insure I was getting plenty of calories. Make sure you are also getting in enough Water. I could always tell if I hadnt eaten enough, my supply would drop.}

_{My first fill was when he was 2 weeks old. I soley breastfed him till he was 6 months and then started some solids. At that point I was able to get another fill. You need up to 500 extra calories a day to breastfeed. And dont worry if you feel like you are hungry all the time. It really does take a lot for your body to heal, take care of daily life and provide the nutrition to a child.}

_{I wanted to add that this was my third child and first lap band baby. It was different trying to make sure I stayed up on enough calories. There were several times I could tell I hadnt eaten enough and my supply had dropped.}

Wow the emotional roller coaster is an understatement!!!

The end of week one was complete hell on me emotionally! Im doing better now, but still have my moments. Its hard trying to heal, but yet feeling good and wanting to do things and cant.

My tummy is looking good except one side is quite a bit more swollen than the other. They pulled out a little Fluid last week and it is back to being puffy again. I plan on calling them in the morning.

Push up bras are my new best friends! I nursed 3 kids for all at least a year, plus the weight loss. My boob flap jacks are a far cry from the full DDD I use to carry around.

I just had a Tummy Tuck 12 days ago and am having to take a time out from my work out to heal. I thought it would be driving me crazy, but I'm not bad so far. I do miss my intense workouts, but healing is more important right now. The dr said I could go back next week and get on the bike for some mild activity.

I plan on restarting my 12 week training program as soon as I can really start hitting it again!

Weight lifting is my passion and I have studied about what to do and what not to do.

You are pretty close to goal...BIG KUDDOS! If I were you I would start adding a lifting routine and then do some cardio afterwards. You are burning calories long after lifting. Go to bodybuilding.com and click on get a program or something like that. I started out by using Jamie Easons 12 weeks program. Loved it.

Change it up and you will see those pounds dropping again.

Weight training actually can burn more if you are lifting heavy and doing it right.

I concentrated on cardio for quite a while then slowly worked in using the weight machines. Now I do so many free weights that I rarely do cardio, but I am also at goal and dont need the excess calorie burn.

But when doing both, do weights first then your cardio. You burn carbs first and you need those carbs for energy to lift heavy. So once you are to cardio, you are more than likely now at the fat burning stage.

And woman CAN NOT bulk up with out testerone and/or steriods. I have been body building since January and I'm toned and have leaned out, but I have not bulked!

And muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. A pound of fat is the same as a pound of muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat and takes up 3 times the amount of space the same pound of muscle does.

Put the scale away! It isnt accurate and can flutuate daily. There can be so many reasons as to why you are up.

I know its hard to not base everything off that number, but it will just drive you crazy!

When Im under stress and having any type of issues, the gym is what helps me get through it. For that 1 1/12 hours, I put all I have in at the gym and I feel so much better about things.

Maybe try doing that to help you manage what you have going on?

WOW, Everyone take a moment to check out this young lady's weight loss success! I just got a new inspiration and hero! Congratulations on losing 170 pounds! With that kind of success, you tell 'em what ever you want them to hear, because you are doing awesome!

Dennis

Awww, thank you! Can I add I got pregnant 4 months after being banded? He is now 20 months old and even though I had to take a year off, it didnt deter me to get back on that wagon!

You are doing a fantastic job as well! It is so worth all the hard work and determination!

I stil havent told many people. I just tell them I am working out like crazy and watching what I eat. I think WLS has such a bad rap that people think you just have surgery and boom your skinny and dont have to work for it. I have worked my ass off at the gym and make sure I am eating what I should. So I dont want my hard work over shadowed by the band. Thats just how I feel.

I just had a Tummy Tuck and have told 3 people plus online people here. I just dont feel as if what I do is anyone's business but my own.

Love it!

The gym always seems to want to bring out the best in me!

Breads and pastas are extremely hard. Also lettuce. But then again I have days where I cant seem to get any food in and then others where I dont have trouble with anything. Darn finicy band!

If you want a super thick shake, try Casein Protein Shakes. Any brand you want, I get mine from GNC. They are actually to drink before bed. It is a slow releasing Protein and keeps your body fueled through the night.

Celery and Peanut Butter are a favorite snack of mine! I have also discovered I enjoy cooked asparagus. So if you can tollerate it, go for it!

Vitamin C and tons of it! I use that Emergen-C a lot. Take 4,000-5,000grams a day.

The lapband will not restrict you from any of your fears. You will simply eat less and lose weight. Unless you sleep on a slab of cement your port shouldn't bother you.

You can be one of the gals, only you will have to be aware of the foods you eat and eat less, chew more and do it slowly. I'm not sure what "bad" food is? You should be able to eat all the bad food you want, just be aware that too much bad food equals failure. That's why we are or were obese most of our lives.

Golf? It takes very little energy to play golf so that's not a problem. Running is OK too. Most high carb foods are slider foods and pass through the band easily. You should be able to live a very active, fun life with the lapband.

The band is not a ball and chain. It's a tool in your body that you can choose to assist in your weight loss or choose not to.

tmf

Completely agree!

I agree with you need more calories. I know it seems backwards, but you need calories inorder to lose weight.

Ally - I was terrified of how painful it would be also. And actually it wasnt as bad as I had myself psyched up for. You are on so many pain meds right at the beginning that you sleep through the worst pain of it. I had my surgery on friday the 10th and I really dont recall much until the following Thursday. I am 10 days out now and my tummy is still tight and I know when I have over done it, but it isnt painful.

Hip abduction and adduction

Congrats to you!! I had 8.5 in my band pre pregnancy and had 4 taken out because I couldnt keep anything down at 15 weeks. I exclusively breastfed and had a slight fill when baby was 2 weeks and then got more once he was 6 months and starting on solids. I went slow with my fills and when he was finally about a year I was back up to the 8.5. I breastfed him for 18 months and early on I always wanted to make sure I was getting enough calories to produce a suffient amount of milk.