NYdad

I agree, 260 isnt that big. I say go for it and do as much as you comfortably can. Your family loves you and accepts you either way. plus by feb who knows how much weight you will have lost. GO DO IT!

"One of Western New York’s most treasured events, the YMCA Turkey Trot brings together more than 12,500 runners of all ages and levels every Thanksgiving morning for a holiday celebration like no other" This is the one I'm doing! My friends neglected to mention its actually 8k but hey. I will give it my all and with their help, who knows, maybe I can do it..(.hmmm?) We will see.

Getting better and better and stronger and stronger, before I started this journey I couldnt walk up a flight of stairs without being winded, yesterday I ran 3 miles! I cant wait to actually run a 5k with my friends! People, stay positive and work hard! People read so much negative, I just wanted to share my positive. I love my Lapband

nah, dont stress, its normal to eat alot that soon after surgery. I didnt feel restriction for a while and multiple fills. Its different for everyone. Dont sweat it. It sucks but its normal.

i was taking a 0ne a day that was not a chewable until it got stuck. now i use Flintstones complete chewable.

I eat greek yogurt mixed with granola and fruit-(sometimes) to thicken it up.

well I guess this is good. I went for a check up and slight adjustment today and found i haven't really lost much but somewhere I lost 7 pounds of fat. Not sure how that works but my measurements say I did... I have been lifting weights and running a lot more than usual. I was getting very annoyed that with all this extra work the scale wasn't moving. I guess I should have figured something was happening because people at work starting making positive comments again.(that stopped for a while). I actually had to get a new photo ID for work because I look so different now. For all of you who are nervous and unsure about doing this all I can say is I believe this has saved my life. I am a new person. Do it! stay positive and FOLLOW the rules as best as you can. We all slip up and have weak days but its ok. I am off all of my medication and I no longer use that horrible sleep apnea machine. So many people only post the negatives... I am here to say this is the most positive thing I've ever done for my self...

Ok so I am in the green zone. I have lost a great amount of weight and I am totally satisfied about that. Here is the problem. I have hit a wall and have been at at for 4 months or so. I work out hard and I eat right. I need to lose about 20 more pounds. I run about 1.5 miles a day and light weight lifting. sit ups, push ups and jumping jacks are all in the mix....now, why have I stopped? I mean day to day the scale is the same. I have turned up the exercising to try and jump start the loss, but nothing. any ideas?

its a very slow and painful process. You have to be dedicated and it will work. I would recommend anyone wishing to get control to take this step. I have had great success. It hasnt been easy, With the band you still have to be disciplined and willing to be patient....very patient.... I would do it all over again. Oh and remember when reading postings on this site that a lot of people only think about posting when its something negative and are having issues. If you check out all my postings I have made you will get somewhat of idea about my last year. Good luck!

ok, so i see its not just me. Maybe I will see about a few sessions-(depending on my insurance). Has anybody ever caught their reflection and thought wow, I look really good and in the same day caught your reflection wearing the same clothes and now think you look terrible? I have. Thanks for all the input. I keep checking back on this so I read them all.

thanks everyone. I appreciate all the replies. Glad to have the support.

Ok do i need to see a shrink. I have lost 82 pounds and I feel great. People tell me I look great. I can fit in xl shirts and 36 inch waiste pants. Why is it when I look in the mirror I see the same fat guy I was before? I know I look different but for some reason when I see myself I appear the same... What gives? Do I need counseling? Also I am worried about the transfer of addiction I here about. I have not found my new addiction. I do find myself longing for something. I dont know what it is but I have a feeling like something is missing. Am I alone on this? Please my fellow bandsters if anyone is going to understand it will be you all. please give me your thoughts...

coming up on my 1 year anniversary. pleased to say I feel this has been a success overall. i started this at 306 pounds and currently weigh 224. I am off my blood pressure meds and dont use that horrible sleep apnea machine anymore. I feel great! I am so thankful for this band but like anything sometimes we fight. I have had minor bumps and had to be unfilled due to being too tight. I am 1 fill away from being where I believe i need to be. I can shop in stores now and actually find clothes that fit. Oh strange thing I have noticed. I still see my self as being obese. Does that ever stop? I hope everyone has the success they are looking for but remember to be patient and follow the rules. It does and will work.

I understand your feelings. my doc does 1cc at a fill. I have a 14cc band and it took forever for it to get to restriction. I made it to restriction but went to far and had 1/2 taken out due to problems. Take your time and pay attention to the small changes you will notice once you get close. Dont over do it by getting it too tight. I was so mad when he took my Fluid out. I can tell you this. even though my fills were small I still lost weight. follow the rules and it will come off. focus on what you can control and eventually the band will be tight enough. According to my doc, he says that smaller fills give you a better chance for success and reduces the chances of a slip. he could be blowing smoke but hey what else can ya do. I called around looking for a new doc and it wasnt much different. Good luck. banded Sept 28 2010 starting weight 306 current weight 224

you need to be patient. it took 6 months of tweaking to get my band right. I felt the same way as you early on. stick with it and make all you adjustments. you will get there.

hey brother, I was banded sept 28 2010. I started at 306, currently 225. I also have a 14cc band. I have had as much as 11 cc in my band. I had issues of it being too tight at 11 cc so I had to have it emptied and start over.(early stages of a prolapse). I am currently at 8.5 cc and I feel very little restriction. when you get to a good point make sure you stop with the fills. I didnt and it was a huge setback. I think your at a good pace. take your time. I was in such a hurry and it cost me time and progress. good luck...oh and by the way, you will know when you have restriction. Good restriction is very obvious.If you are wondering.....you dont have it... I figure you may not feel much until you get to 9-10 cc. everybody is different so you never know.

thanks everyone. I managed to bump the speed up today. I actually found it more comfortable to run a mph faster....weird. I am doing a mile non stop, walking a half mile then running the last 1/2 mile. cant wait till I can run the entire 2 miles. If you would have told me a year ago I'd be able to do this I would have laughed in your face.... I feel amazing!

11 months out. I started 306 pounds currently 224 pounds. I just ran over a mile on the treadmill yesterday!

remember, seems like alot more people come here with complaints and worries then the do when they are having success. I love my band. started 306 currently 224 pounds. Its works as long as you work with it.

Ok, I am 11 months out. I feel great, I have had a few bumps in the road. last month I over filled and had to have the fluid removed and start over. I guess the good thing that came out of that was it kicked me into high gear on the exercise. I amazed myself yesterday and ran over a mile on the treadmill without stopping, that was huge for me. a year ago I could hardly walk a brisk mile. This has been an interesting year, it was pretty tough actually. I feel great and I am very proud of what I have accomplished but it wasn't a freebie. The band and I are getting reacquainted, I am at 8.5cc and this time around I know not to expect as much out of it. It works great but now that I over tightened it, I know what its limitations are. I wish I could have figured that out sooner. Hows everyone else doing? How long have you had it? Any long time bandsters out their that give me a report? starting weight 306 current weight 224 14cc band with 8.5 cc in it.

wow, getting a bit heated, I've been banded for almost a year now. I have lost 75 pounds and I am close to my goal weight. I have personally had ups and downs with the band. This place is a great place to get answers from people who have done it. Nayttap, when i was reading your comment I too was thinking your comment was a bit out of line. Support one another, not hurt. now to give my opinion on the Protein first: I have a 14cc band, I have followed most of the doctors demands but like everyone I have strayed now and then. It took me 6 months to get to restriction and before that It made absolutely no difference if I ate protein, fruits, vegetables or anything else first. I had zero restriction. I understand the question completely. Once I began to feel genuine restriction I found eating protein first did help me eat less and control hunger between meals. As far as Breakfast goes, I eat yogurt and I thicken it up with granola. my lunch and dinners are very similar. One more bit of advise, weigh your food, you should be eating 10-14ounces. I didnt weigh my food and everytime I went to the office I told them I was eating too much(so i thought) and I wanted a fill, well I got over filled. I went from a good spot to a very bad spot with just .5cc more in my band. I had to be emptied and start over. that sucked. good luck and keep it positive! Starting weight 306 current weight 224

well I went back today, they did the xray scope and found everything is good. thank god! The doc brought me up to 8.5 cc in my 14cc band. I was at 11 cc when I had a problem. she said 8.5 is good this fill and next month-if needed, she will add 1.5-2.0cc.

well went back today, xray shows all is good. returning to normal fills. doc said 2cc is most he will do at once.

Its early, so far they took all the Fluid out and i have to go back on thurs day for a scope. I new something was wrong because I was throwing up all the time. Even liquids made me sick. Since having all the fluid taken out I feel fine and can drink normally again. I am on a soft food diet for now and have not been sick at all. I'm not sure how this will all turn out.

I bought a digital scale that weighs in ounces. 10-14 ounces of food is more than you think. I was surprised to find how big 7 ounces of steak is. Think of this... if you go to applebees and order their steak from the 2 for $20 deal. the steak they give you is 7 ounces. Its large enough for me. an average size chicken breast is about 10 ounces. I cant stress enough to eat your protein first. then eat your side. I bought the biggest loser scale for $18 and it has multiple options. you can weigh your plate-zero it out then reweigh the plate of food and it gives you the weight of food minus the plate. The band is not perfect, I had it too tight and had to start all over. unfortunatly for me I didnt know how restriction was good for me until it was too tight. I was banded sept 2010. I have lost 80 pounds. I'd say my key is sticking to my doctor appointments and staying with the diet plan as best I could. For the last year i have gone to regular appointments every 6 weeks. I have fallen off the diet wagon many times over this last year. The appointments help reignite my discipline. Hope this helps....