viprvenm

Finally had my initial consult yesterday with my surgeon. I have a very high BMI of 74 and he wants 100lbs lost before surgery. Was kinda down till he told me how he was going to help me with the task. I think of it as a mock-up banding. He has given me a prescription strength appetite suppresant and told me to use Atkins Diet. I went after the meeting and joined my local gym and walked half a mile! I will go daily and work my way up to more strenuous walks and workouts. I want this surgery and am ready to do what it takes... it is better than the alternative!!! Gonna do weekly weigh-ins at the surgeons office and monthly visitis with him personally to check progress. I am excited to start seeing results! Jason

jms... Hey! Thanks so much & I will do just that. No lookin back... I've worked way too hard to get where I'm at!!! crzytchr... Thanks A Ton!!!

Just wanted to stop in & say Hi to all the good people I talked with for a while! As you already know I decided against having the surgery last August, but have kept my mind straight & remained focused on my goal... that being a completely new lifestyle. A Healthy Lifestyle. I have lost a total of 161lbs in 11 months & could not feel better with my progress!!! I started this journey at 489lbs & have gotten down to 328lbs as of Monday. I am looking so forward to being under 300 SOON!!! I hope everyone here is doing great on your journey!!! Let me hear from y'all... I will check back in:) Jason

Hey everyone! It has been a while since I posted here. My family and I took off on a road trip on Sept 27th and just returned on Wed night. We went down to Alabama to visit family and had a blast! Things are still going very well with me. I managed to lose 14lbs on our trip. As I said before I am not interested in going backwards. I am up to 110 lbs lost and have set my next goal at another 100 lbs. I am working to get to 289lbs. I have started taking walks outside and have done two walks that have been the longest of my life. The first one was 3.9 miles and I took one today and went 4.8 miles!!! I was tired and my feet were sore when I got back, but I feel great tonight! I have gone from a size 58 jean to a 50 now and am looking forward to getting into the 40's again!!! Let me hear how everyone is doing.. I hope everyone is well! Jason

Well this is the third week of another plateau I am sitting high on. I lost under a pound, but it took me down to 393 so another 4lbs and I will reach my 100lb goal!!! I cannot wait. Murphy's Law says I have to wait a month for it to happen I guess. HaHa!! No problem after having the results I posted above though... smaller clothes = bigger satisfaction!!! I love that! Well my family and I are leaving this coming weekend (Sunday most likely) for a road trip. I am going back home to visit some family in AL. We plan on visiting Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore and a few other incredible sights along the way. We are very excited to do this and to see family!!! I won't be doing my weekly weigh-ins, but will weigh when I get a chance. Everything else will stay the same... may be nights when I cannot use a gym, but that doesn't mean I can't stay active! This should be a lot of fun and a challenge as well:) Talk to yall soon! Jason

This is the first time I have seen your post and had to say congrats on your hard work! I started at 489lbs on April 27th and am currently at 394 myself!! My surgery was scheduled for August 20, but I decided not to have it done since I am having such great success without the Band right now. I will have it done if need be. I know exactly how you feel though being below 400... I am happy for you!!! Keep up the great work! Jason

Alright... I am happy as a lark right now. When I first started my weight loss I was wearing a size 58 blue jean. I got some new jeans today in size 52 and they fit perfectly!!! I was thrilled! Also back down to a 5X shirt. I am loving life!!! Jason

jms - sometimes I lose sight of the facts that you brought to my attention. I have gained muscle; I can feel the strength and have been able to increase the weights I do each week about 4 times now. It is an awesome feeling!! Thanks for the support. Rebecca - I have not tried to lose weight before. I understand that it is very difficult to lose without some type of aid and be able to keep it off for the long term. I have talked to my primary doctor and surgeon about these facts. They are rather discouraging to think about so I simply don't. I have been able to have great success for my first time weight loss and pray that I have the ability to truly change my life... forever. I need this change and could not want it more. I want it for myself, for my wife, for my kids, for my family, for my future, for all the right reasons. I am going to succeed and that is all their is to it. This is my thought process and the most serious positive thing I have ever set my mind to. I appreciate your support and even though I have not done the surgery it means a great deal to continue to have supporters. Thank you... I mean it... thank you. Jason

Hello Hello!! Well it has been a slow couple of weeks for me for some reason, but I reached an awesome goal of mine today! My BMI is just a tick below 60 and that exites me like crazy! I started at 74 and it is at 59.9 so I have accomplished something for sure! I lost 2 lbs this past week for a total of 95 and cannot wait to see that 100lb mark... perhaps next week huh? Talk to yall later! Jason

khenry, Hey thanks buddy! Sounds like you are determined to change your life as well and I wish you the best of luck with your initial consult. Keep us posted and let us hear how things turn out for you. Thanks again! Jason

jms, Thank you! I am keeping the LapBand as an option without a doubt. I decided I need to do this for myself. I know that with hard work and determination I can do this. I have family, friends & docs keeping an "eye" on me and should I start slipping the wrong way other options will be discussed without hesitation. I have no desire to go backwards! I feel amazing already and am still at 396lbs. I love & have become addicted to the energy & strength I have uncovered by exercising!! Thanks again for the support. Jason

Looks like I stayed right where I was last week... no loss no gain today which is hard to complain about... I just want that 100 already! HaHa!! Next Monday here I come! Talk to y'all soon. Jason

A good idea may be to get a non-digital scale or one of the old-fashioned ones that have weights.

Rebecca, I sincerely thank you for your support and kind thoughts. I am proud of you for your loss thus far and I know that with the determination you seem to have you will succeed! A few posts ago I explained that I was not only approved for the LapBand, but had a surgery date for August 20th. A few days before the surgery I decided against having it done seeing how much success I have had on my own. I chose to continue losing weight on my own keeping the Band as an option should it become necessary down the road. I am still all about getting the surgery and think that it would help anyone long term, but I have to see if I can do this on my own first as this is the first time I have tried any type of diet/exercise regiment. It has truly changed my life in so many positive ways already. I cannot see myself going backwards any time soon!! Again thank you for your thougts and I wish you the best as well!!! Jason

Thank you Sarah... shooting for 7 more for Tuesday's weigh-in!! I will have an extra day this week due to the holiday!

abbypoo - Wow you are quick! Thank you so much for the support and kind words!!! You are so right... it is awesome to look back these last 4 months to see what I have accomplished. Just days before April came to an end I could not see myself getting any type of exercise at all. I had no interest in helping myself. I am so thankful that my mindset was changed... which I owe to God. I love my new lifestyle and the new me. I am anxious to keep getting smaller! As for the looks from people I have not seen in a while... not yet, but next month my family and I are taking a trip to AL (home) from WA. I will see all of my family who I have not seen since Sept 2006. It should be an awesome reunion in so many ways and I cannot wait for it!!! As for the energy... OMG yes. I am doing so many things (simple everyday things) that I never wanted to do in the past. I find myself not "sitting down to rest," but instead finding something to do that has needed to be done for a while! I love the new found strength and energy! Thanks again for the "uplift" that you always provide! I need to read your blog to see what you have been up to!!! Jason

Hey all. Sarah, I have not actually spoken with Dr. Fox about my decision. I asked if he had time and he did not the day I was there. I did talk with his son (fitness expert) and he encouraged me to go ahead and get the surgery, but my mind is set right now not to go through with it. I will keep it as an option should it become necessary. This weeks weigh-in was Awesome!!! I lost 10lbs AND went below 400 finally. I am now 396 and feeling great!!! Jason

Listen, thank you all for your continued support. It means something different to me now... in a great way! It has been awesome getting to know all of you and even though I am not doing the Band at this time I am still just as excited about changing my lifestyle! This week I gained 5lbs and I am not quite sure why. The only thing I can figure is that going from liquid to solids again perhaps threw my body for a loop??? Who knows. I am still doing my same diet as I have been since April. I have not changed anything. This is only the 2nd week that I have had a gain in 17 weeks so I should not be upset, but none of us like going backwards. I am soooooo ready to break the 400 barrier!!! I am shooting for that next week! Wish me luck! I hope all of you are doing well with your weight loss! Talk to you soon. Jason

Thank you for the continued support everyone!!! It means the world to me. About the blog thing... for some reason every since I heard about blogs the term has annoyed me... HaHa!! I know that sounds silly, but I have never looked into how to use one and have only read one person's blog in the past. I enjoy using this thread because it starts at the beginning of my journey. Is there anything wrong with keeping this thread going as opposed to having to use a blog thing? I would much rather keep updating this thread for a while. Thanks! Jason

Thought - Ask your doctor/surgeon about the prescription drug, Phentermine. It worked wonders for me. In roughly 3 months I lost 78lbs. I committed to the Atkins Diet/exericise along with that and I just melted away! Best of luck to you on your journey. Jason

Just an update for me guys/gals. I have explained why in my post in the pre-operation section - thread - So... got some work to do. Jason

abbypoo - Let me sincerely say thank you. I was concerned what kind of reaction I would get on this site from making this decision. At this time I have the committent and motivation. Am I concerned that I will be able to sustain this mindset... certainly, but that is why I am asking Dr. Fox and his son for their continued help along my journey. I went to request the refund today and talked a bit with Cameron about the fitness aspect. He was supportive, but gave me his opinion on both sides of the spectrum. I told him I would keep the Band in my options. On another note today was my 16th week weigh-in and I am down another 6lbs for a total of 88lbs!!! It feels great and I am still doing the liquid diet until Thursday just as if I was going to have surgery... figured it cannot hurt for one week ya know? Jason

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f84/so-got-some-work-do-93033/index8.html Hi everyone! Please read post #109 in the above thread. I wanted to be sure everyone in our August group got the latest update so as not to cause any confusion this week. Thanks! Jason

I am going to be very straightforward here. I have decided not to follow through with the LapBand surgery. Along my weight loss journey thus far many very important people in my life have been encouraging me with the fact that I have done so well without the surgery. This has not been an overnight decision by any means. Each time someone would confront me about this I would automatically give them reasons or "fears" may be a better term why my continued success may not be as good as what I have accomplished so far. Well last night a very good friend of mine (pastor) asked me some very personal questions and made me evaluate my life as a whole. He explained things in a way that opened my mind to yet another new way of life... one without weight loss surgery. I am going to move forward with exactly what I have been doing with every ounce of determination. I am going to go to Dr. Fox's office Monday and ask him and his son (physical fitness expert that works in the office) if they will continue to help me along my weight loss journey simply without the Band. I know in my heart I can do this. I commited myself to a lifestyle change for all of the right reasons in my life. I am very serious about changing my life, not only for myself, but for my family. My wife, Dana, and my two beautiful children, Lauren and Tyler, mean more to me than anything else... especially foods that will shorten my time here on Earth with them. With that said I will keep the Band as an option should anything in my life change or should I reach a point where I and/or my doctor think that I will not continue to do well. I am going to give this weight loss everything I have. I promised God and myself this last night. I have not been more serious about anything in my past other than marrying my wife. My life is just as important to me as spending the rest of Dana's life with her. I am extremely excited and motivated about my decision. This is a position I could not have reached just a few short weeks ago. So many events/conversations in my recent past suddenly made so much sense to me after my talk with my friend. Please continue to keep me in your prayers. I will take every ounce of help I can get. Thank you! Jason