What's your secret to success?????????????

So im 7 days away from my new Birthday!!!! What I need to know is...

What is the best thing you learned on your journey?

What makes you successful?

What can I do to make sure my journey is a sucessful one?

What are your best tips???

What's your best advice for new bandee's???

What should i NOT do??

I would be interested to see responses to this as well. My new "Birthday" is the 12th, also!

What's your secret to success?????????????

So im 7 days away from my new Birthday!!!! What I need to know is...

What is the best thing you learned on your journey? To enjoy each and every pound I've lost!! I try to not get too focused on a "goal".

What makes you successful? I don't eat what I can't! Sounds funny, but you will find that certain foods just don't work and you will slim/vomit! Just let that food go. Oh and I had had a bad habit of eating a snack before bedtime.....can't any more or I have acid reflux.

What can I do to make sure my journey is a sucessful one? Follow your surgeons rules!!! You will find later down the road what you really can do or can't do, but by starting out your journey strictly following the surgeons rules - you'll learn the right way to live with the band!!!

What are your best tips??? - I always have a Protein shake and greek yogurt for breakfast....between the two I get half my day's Protein in.

What's your best advice for new bandee's??? Be prepared to not be tight after your swelling and soreness wears off - I even managed to gain weight!!

What should i NOT do?? Get discouraged! You will have your ups and downs when it comes to food!! Too tight and you can only eat liquids, too loose and you can eat everything. It takes time to find YOUR right balance.

What is the best thing you learned on your journey? That I've gotten to the point that a couple of pounds gained don't scare me like it used to. I KNOW I can get them off now. That exercise can be fun if you do it with someone. And that I feel like I deserve the success I have achieved!

What makes you successful? Eating healthier and exercising. If you're not hungry, don't eat. And take the time to change your mindset during the first 6 months to this being a life-long process of changing the way you do things. One of the best quotes I ever heard was the definition of insanity...doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

What can I do to make sure my journey is a sucessful one? Get adequate Fluid intake, getting 60-80 grams of Protein a day really does help keep you satiated longer and seems to help with the weight loss. DO something every day...walk, bike, hike, swim, workout...just something to get active.

What are your best tips??? It's the easiest for me to just drink a protein shake in the morning since I'm not hungry. Then eat about every 4 hours starting with lunch. Keep the junk food or your "trigger" foods out of the house so they aren't tempting to you. Find a workout buddy to keep you motivated. Plan meals or Snacks. Keep healthy snacks at work in case of the munchies. And give yourself time to enjoy the changes you are experiencing. Celebrate small milestones (just not with food). Keep a picture diary. Try to develop a new mindset when it comes to food...which is easier when you're not hungry as much

What's your best advice for new bandee's??? Don't expect it to happen overnight. It is a work in progress. Also, it's easy to get frustrated when you hit a plateau or the weight is coming off slower and slower. Try and be realistic about your goals. Get support any way you can, either thru this site, going to support group meetings, friends, family, (easier if it is someone who is banded who understands the journey a little better). And DON"T give up so easily! Realize that many of the emotions you feel right after getting banded are perfectly normal. And remember that since you are eating smaller amounts of food to make them healthier choices.

What should i NOT do?? Worry about the smaller portions of food you're able to eat. Don't keep food in the house that isn't good for you. Don't obsess over every little "cheating" incident...we're not perfect! Don't think you're along in this battle...there are plenty of us on here. And realize that when you get to goal, it isn't over...it's just adapting to the changes and trying to maintain your success for many years to come! Perhaps the biggest and most important - don't get OVERfilled or let yourself get too tight. Don't equate restriction with the amount of weight you are able to lose. I see many people on here that IMO are too tight, but again it's their choice. If you want this band to keep working for the rest of your life and not have complications, you need to get to a restriction that will help you with portion control, but allow you to eat solid protein. Otherwise, it's easy to make the wrong food choices.

Good luck to all!!!

What is the best thing you learned on your journey?

That I can exercise complete control over what I put into my body---and that it feels great.

What makes you successful?

Eating a low-carb diet and exercising routinely

What can I do to make sure my journey is a sucessful one?

Believe in yourself. Set yourself up for success. Have high expectations, but realize that you are human, and are "allowed" to make mistakes. You will learn from them

What are your best tips???

Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. I think it's the most crucial part of the lifestyle change.

What's your best advice for new bandee's???

Don't be discouraged when, at the beginning, you do not feel "different." It's typical to experience a period of time when the band isn't yet doing its "trick." You may be hungry--but it will be the last time you'll be hungry in the name of weight loss. DON"T LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU THIS IS NOT A TIME FOR LOSING WEIGHT--you can lose weight during bandster hell; follow your doctor's rules--and you will lose.

If you do feel discouraged, know that it gets so, so much better as you approach and achieve restriction.

What should i NOT do??

Don't be afraid to take pain meds if you need them. We all emphasize what a breeze the surgery is--and compared to many things, it is an easy procedure. But it hurts, and if you need pain relief, use it--it will help you get moving, and that is so important.

Walk as much as you can after surgery--it will help you feel better much faster.

But also be sure to get enough rest.

Don't break the rules--at least not at first. Learn how to maximize your loss by using your band the way your doctor intends. You will have a lifetime to tweak things to fit your lifestyle; commit to spending the first year or so adopting new habits.