Hello,

My name is Bryan P Townley and I am morbidly obese!

I was an athlete in school, football, basketball and track. When I got married in 1989 i weighed 140lbs with a 26" waist. I could eat anything I wanted and never gain an ounce. After I got married and was not as actived, and a smoker, I went up to 175lbs, which for my hieght was the perfect weight. Then I quit a 10year smoking habit! I jumped 100lbs in a little over a year and 17 years after that I hit my highest weight of 346lbs. I tried it all to lose weight and in 2007 did all the steps to have the gastric bypass done to be shot down by my insurance.

Now three years later it was approved no questions asked and my surgery is now 13 glorious days away! I quit smoking for my daughter and my other kids too, but my daughter is alergic to cigarette smoke and this young lady of mine is getting married in october on board the Disney cruise ship and with lots of hard work, her dad gets to walk her down the isle the man he was when he quit smoking for her!!!I started my preop diet yesterday and its hard! But I have the willpower and desire to see it through because of what lays ahead for me!

I am hoping with this tool and LOTS of hard work at the gym, I can lose 100lbs by october. If you are reading this, please send me any tips you have with your sucesses and if anyone else has had sucess in getting the loose skin in the stomach area to tighten up without having the surgery, please let me know how you did it. My insurance will cover the cost if I loose over 100lbs but I would prfer not to do that.

hi, it's nice to hear your story and the only advice i can give you is that in order to lose those 100lbs, you need to be really constant and dedicated. I am sure that if you feel motivated by your daughter's wedding, you will definitely lose the weight....just be patient and constant. I really hope you get to your goal and I wish you the best.....please keep us posted.:ohmy:

Hi Bryan, I had lap band surgery last June 25, and have lost 80 lbs (started at 324). Don't get too hung up on the 100 lb thing. Slow and steady wins the race.

You sound just like me.Fit in youth,started smoking, finally quit after 27 years and gained 135 pounds.The only difference I waited til I was 59 to have the surgery.I had mine on Jan.21 2008 @334 pounds and a BMI of 49 Now,28 months later I am 200 pounds and a BMI of 30.It will work for you if you work with it.Hopefully your weigh will come off faster than mine did.Best of luck to you.

Welcome and good luck. A couple of ideas/ thoughts:

1. Don't be too hung up on the 100lbs by October. It sounds far away but really its only 20 weeks That a lot of weight to lose with the band in that short of time period. 1-2 lbs per week seems to be the avg on here.

2. Having a goal of "X lbs by X date" is really the wrong thinking. This is a lifestyle change not a diet. Start changing your thinking to more along the lines of "I am going to make the best/healthiest choice X meals out of X" or something like that. As much as you want to look great at the wedding you want to change 20 years of habits, and change them for good. And that isnt going to happen overnight.

3. Small plastic ware ( glad, tupperware etc). Very helpful for measuring you're food early on.

4. Measure you're food. We are used to eating for 300+lbs and need to train our eyes on what a portion should look like. You dont have to do this for ever but I think early on its a key.

5. Water. Its more important that you think.

6. Move. Find something you like doing - and make time for it.

Again good luck

silvers, great info. do you have any more insight?

Way to go on starting your new journey bro ! You can do it ! I was 389 at one point and 215 now so it can be done. EXERCISE is the key to it if you want to shed the pounds faster. Use the band as a tool to help you along the way. Be diligent with your doctor for fills and dont let him tell you no if you feel you need them. If you have any questions just shoot me a pm and will gladly help if I can.

Chris

Bryan,

Thanks for sharing your story. I identified a lot with what you had to say. I was an athlete, enjoyed exercising, and smoked too. And though I gained weight through my 20s, it was when I quit smoking at 30 (5 years ago) that my weight really took off. I was hovering between 250-280 and shot up to 330 or so after I quit smoking. On top of that, I quit drinking a couple years ago, and for whatever reason developed a sweet tooth, which was never my thing.

So here I am taking the plunge at 36, 355 lbs (hard to even type that), and really hoping just for health and the ability to MOVE again. I don't mind gym exercises, but my hope is to use the gym as a tool to get back to playing games, to being an athlete. It's a hell of a lot more fun to play tennis or basketball than it is to run on a treadmill, you know?

Funny how we develop habits and then quit them but that craving turns into something else. It's the old whack-a-mole thing. I really want activity to be that thing for me, playing sports, being outdoors, living the life I've stayed away from because of my size.

I know it's not going to happen overnight, so I also appreciate the comments about not putting a number on it. This is a lifestyle change, and it is a major one. The way I see it, and I hope you do too, is that we've demonstrated the ability to make major life changes before. We quit smoking, for starters! That wasn't easy. But we did it, and so many people on this board have made major life changes too.

So thanks for sharing - reading your story and the great comments from the other guys really helped me today.

-Al

I am 43 years old and had my band put in for my birthday on September 29, 2009. To date I have lost 94 lbs. I was 438, 6' 1" at my consultation, 425 lbs pre preoperative diet, and 408 lbs on surgery day. I now weigh 340, less than I have for 16 years. I married in 1988 at 240lbs, wearing a 36" waist pant.

Don't rush the weight, I have lost 4 to 11 pounds per month. Good weeks and bad weeks, yet it was the best present I have given my self in my entire life and is the best decision that I have ever made.

I have become much more active and fell amazingly better. I have gotten off diabetes medicine, lowered my blood pressure, my knees and ankles don't bother me daily and my sleep apnea has improved drastically

Good Luck

good luck everyone !