Bklynike

If it was easy, everyone would be thin and not going through this Lap-Band journey. Perhaps the next time you get a craving for somthing you know you should have, you can substitute it with a sugar free jello, pudding cup or ice pop. I usually drink a bottle of water with Crystal Lite in it or have a cup of decalf. It doesn't toally go away, it does get somewhat easier, but watching the scale go down each week makes it all better. Good luck.

You are another amazing woman who set a goal, took the step to help you achieve it and did it. I hope you reach your goal of 148 with ease. You made an incredible change in such a short amount of time. I am inspired. Thanks for sharing your story.

How absolutely wonderful. You have done a great job on yourself and we all thank you for helping us with your terrific recipes. You must promise to continue checking in with us once you reach your goal. And no, I would never remove my band either. Good luck to you.

Congrats to you Sandradee. You are an inspirational person and a fabulous bandster sister. You are always there with comments and hints. You are so appreciated. 4 months is a great milestone and being almost half way to goal is amazing. Keep up the good work. YOU GO GIRL!!!

Good for you. keep up the good work and remember, walk, walk, walk. It will make a huge difference.

I always write down my Sunday weight. I weigh myself each time I go to the gym, 3-4 times a week, but only log in my Sunday weight in my book. I think once a week is a good representation. Last Sunday I had a week's loss of 4.6 lbs. Today the scale showed me a loss of 8/10's of a lb. My first fill was this past Thurs, so I am very curious to see what I will weigh next Sunday. I know I am doing everything within my power to reach my goal, and I will make it. I work out like a maniac - call me crazy but I really do enjoy it. A good workout with lots of sweat makes me feel energized and motivated to do more. I eat all the right things. I can't believe that I, the queen of carbs, gave up pasta, potatoes and bread. But my doctor said that by doing so, I would eventually make my goal, so I am doing it. Do I prefer the 4 lbs loss to the tenths of a lb. you bet your bippy. But my husband reminded me that we learned by watching The Biggest Loser, you cannot and will not have a big loss every week. So, I say next week will be better. My fill is just a few days old, so I have to give myself a chance to catch up to it. I was 216.6 today. I can't wait until I am out of the 200s, but I am only taking 10 lbs at a time, so I am looking forward to getting below 210. The scale can be your friend, but it can also make you doubt that you are doing everything and anything you can to get to your goal. I cannot allow myself to get discouraged when the numbers are not what I am hoping them to be, or if I don't feel they are going down fast enough - But I will not let anything stand in my way. Have a great Sunday everyone.:smile:

Amazing that we can forget what we had for lunch yesterday or who we saw at a party, but having a heart attack will certainly imbed itself into your cortex forever. You were a very lucky man and smart enough to get banded. It will probably add years to you life. Now quit smoking - you did it before, you can do it again - and you will be well on your way to a healthier, longer life. I wish you the best in your upcoming surgery. Perhaps you will want someone to drive you and pick you up this time (lol).

Good for you, Keep up the good work. I LOVE the sugarfree ice pops too.

We all worry about change because we are creatures of habit. Change is scary. I wondered if I would be able to eat very small portions and not have pasta, bread, potatoes, rice and other carbs for about a year. You know what, I can do it and so can you. You are giving yourself the best gift you can, so sit back and enjoy the ride.

There comes a time when you just have to vent your frustration and luckily we all have a place to do it. We are here for you - we feel your pain.

What a great story. Now that you have been banded and the weight loss is going to make you healthier and help you live longer, you will have a lot more time to share with the twins. And by the way, I'm a twin too! (Fraternal not identical). Keep up the good work and enjoy your family time.

Seriously, the best thing for the gas is walking. When I was banded back in June, during every commercial break I got up and walked around my condo - back and forth, back and forth. My father-in-law was taken to the hospital 2 days after my surgery, so while visiting him at the hospital, I walked the halls while my husband stayed with his dad. I truly believe that was what helped me get rid of the gas so quickly. I didn't use GasX. Best of luck. Get out there and walk!

Congrats on being banded and I'm sorry you have a bad experience. I never heard of a puffy pancake. Best of luck, 16 lbs is a great loss in such a short time. Things will slow down a little, but don't get discouraged. You will achieve your goal.

I just received a message from a soon-to-be bandster and she mentioned she was scared of the surgery. I thought it was important to mention that even if you are scared of the surgery, it is scarier to go through life without it. I never mentioned, but I was not heavy all of my life. 22 years ago, just before marrying the man of my dreams, I had an accident at work. I was a Code Enforcement Officer and was removing an illegal sign that was nailed to a tree. The sign was very high up and I lifted my arms, pulling the sign side-to-side until the nails came out and the sign came down. The sign was extremely heavy and when it came down, it bent me in half. I rolled the sign over, end over end, and put it into my car. When I started to get out of the car, I could barely move. It turns out I hurniated 2 disks - one in my neck and one in my lower back. I also caused some nerve damage in my neck. The pain was and still is remarkable. I went to several doctors who said I should stop going to the gym and not lift anything heavier than a loaf of bread. That surgery would be my best option, which I opted not to have. Believe it or not, but I wore a size 3/4 to my wedding, that needed to be taken in. Sitting around, doing absolutely nothing caused me to start gaining weight. Then I quit smoking, which added about 45 lbs to my already growing mass. I became very depressed and ate myself into oblivion. I was not allowed to exercise, which did me a huge disservice. So even back then I knew exercise would help me, but I listened to the doctors and kept growing and growing to a size 26. And of course all of the co-morbidities jumped on board for the ride and it became difficult to walk. Well, I am on my way to a healthier, better life. I still have neck and back pain, but I push through them. I work out like an animal at the gym becuase I see how much better I am doing with this small weight loss and I can't wait until I lose all I need to lose. 35 lbs since my surgery, 14 prior to surgery and about 70 lbs to go. So trust me when I tell you I will get there. I am down to a size 18 pant and an XL top. People are really taking notice of my loss and telling me how good I look. I can't tell you how good that makes me feel. I am already looking forward to my October picture in my green shirt! Have a great night everyone.

I just received a message from a soon-to-be bandster and she mentioned she was scared of the surgery. I thought it was important to mention that even if you are scared of the surgery, it is scarier to go through life without it. I never mentioned, but I was not heavy all of my life. 22 years ago, just before marrying the man of my dreams, I had an accident at work. I was a Code Enforcement Officer and was removing an illegal sign that was nailed to a tree. The sign was very high up and I lifted my arms, pulling the sign side-to-side until the nails came out and the sign came down. The sign was extremely heavy and when it came down, it bent me in half. I rolled the sign over, end over end, and put it into my car. When I started to get out of the car, I could barely move. It turns out I hurniated 2 disks - one in my neck and one in my lower back. I also caused some nerve damage in my neck. The pain was and still is remarkable. I went to several doctors who said I should stop going to the gym and not lift anything heavier than a loaf of bread. That surgery would be my best option, which I opted not to have. Believe it or not, but I wore a size 3/4 to my wedding, that needed to be taken in. Sitting around, doing absolutely nothing caused me to start gaining weight. Then I quit smoking, which added about 45 lbs to my already growing mass. I became very depressed and ate myself into oblivion. I was not allowed to exercise, which did me a huge disservice. So even back then I knew exercise would help me, but I listened to the doctors and kept growing and growing to a size 26. And of course all of the co-morbidities jumped on board for the ride and it became difficult to walk. Well, I am on my way to a healthier, better life. I still have neck and back pain, but I push through them. I work out like an animal at the gym becuase I see how much better I am doing with this small weight loss and I can't wait until I lose all I need to lose. 35 lbs since my surgery, 14 prior to surgery and about 70 lbs to go. So trust me when I tell you I will get there. I am down to a size 18 pant and an XL top. People are really taking notice of my loss and telling me how good I look. I can't tell you how good that makes me feel. I am already looking forward to my October picture in my green shirt! Have a great night everyone.

There is really nothing nire I can add to Sandra and Debra's responses. Exercise is the key. Perhaps you should keep a food log - perhaps you are eating more than you think you are and maybe not the best foods? You are doing really well. Don't give up, the weight will come off.

wow, you are doing great and must be feeling so much better. The pasta, bread and potatoe thing does hang around, but as the weight keeps coming off, you will convince yourself to forget about them. Best of luck to you.

It will get much easier. Since you are not able to eat a lot without getting full, try some Isopure water. There are 40grams of protein in a bottle. You can buy them at any GNC. Good luck and trust me, it is worth anything you have to go through now to feel and look so much better later.

Congrats to your continued success. I was not able to have solids on my pre-op diet. I was only able to have liquids for the week. I am not able to have bread for a minimum of 1 year. The surgery will be a piece of cake. Best of luck.

I am terribly sorry for the loss of your daughter and the iminent loss of your mom. I lost my mom last year. Hospice was a Godsend, so allow them to help in any way they can. They will take some of the pressure off. As for you, if you don't start taking care of yourself you will end up sick and in the hospital. If you don't have friends or family to speak with, you need to seek out a therapist. I know it isn't easy, but you need to find the strength within yourself to pull yourself up and get back on track. Good luck to you.

HIP HIP HORRAY!!!!!! What wonderful news. We are all going to be thinking about you on the 8th. Welcome to our little LB world. I have never been happier and I know you will be thrilled as well. Stock up on some Isopur, which will give you 40 grams of protein and it is like water, so you will be able to get it down and keep it down. Also, GasX strips will help the gas, although I didn't use them many people did. I just walked, a lot, around my condo. Rest the day you get home, but the next day walk around every commercial break. You will do great.

This will be the best thing you ever did for yourself. Please remember, Lap-Band is only a tool. You must work really hard to lose the weight. The LB will help you curbe your appetite, but you will have to get the exercise done by yourself. After the surgery, you will probably feel from gas in your shoulder and neck. the only things that really help is GasX and walking. Relax on day one then get up and move. Best of luck and welcome to our little club. The best thing I ever did.

Wow, you are remarkable. I have never given it any thought because I never thought I could do it, but perhaps one day...Keep up the good work.

Each of us has gone through something in our lives that has allowed us to gain so much weight that we are all lucky to still be here. A heartattack will certainly open one's eyes. But you were thinking about the surgery before the attack, so you knew you were on the way to death. You had done a great job of losing prior to your surgery and now losing 153 lbs is an amazing accomplishment. I wish you the best of luck and I know you are going to accomplish whatever goal you have set for yourself. Just a side note, my doctor says no rice, pasta, bread or booze for at least a year. I know they would not be good for me right now, so giving them up has not been difficult.

I hope you have a very quick recovery and you can get on with the business at hand - losing weight and feeling great. Good luck.