Just wondering if anyone else out there started over 400 lbs and how your currently doing. Sometimes I feel like not many people can relate to where im at because with 150 lbs down im just now sitting where they started

I was over 400 when I started and down just over 100 pounds. I still have a long ways to go, but I really believe I'll get there.

Hang in there, we can do this

I was just banded on 6/5/12 and when I started I weighed 408... in just 10 days I lost 18lbs but have yet to weigh myself since surgery. I'm looking forward to losing 100 to 150lbs + even with knowing that I'll be where some people start. Which when looking at it as a whole is insane but when looking at it from a personal perspective, it's fantastic.

Ive been banded for almost six years I started at 420 and have had my.share.of complications.. Three port.revisions and recently a total unfill due to swelling and imflamation in my pouch.. I know ida never lost this.much on my own and getting under.300 was a wonderful feeling but im sittin at 280 and id give anything to be at 200 even.. Trying to stay modivated but ive been so sick with dehydration and gas stuck in my rib cage.and.insane constipation just wanna feel.good.and kick this weight off!!

Why the 3 port revisions? Sorry to hear about your complications, I hope that this isn't something that is normal. Ahh, being where I am now and looking at 280 is awesome.Maybe you have forgotten how far you have come? Granted, there's nothing wrong to have goals. My ULTIMATE goal is to reach 200, all in due time

I started at 384. No quite in the 400's... but close. I was banded in 2008. Lost 100 pounds initially and then had some complications and regained 54. I am back on track now and losing again. Down a total of 70 again. I thought I was never going to see the 300's again. Ack. I am close to getting back into the 200's and can't wait!!

I started this journey wanting to be "healthy" but in my head I pictured my life with me skinny. I wasn't being realistic. Now I am more realistic. My goal is still to get under 200... But I am more thankful for every pound I am down. Even at 70 down... I am a lot healthier than I was when I started.

It was hard to feel excited sometimes though. When I was 100 down and people were getting started way less than I was. I just learned to stop comparing my journey and it made it easier.

My first consult I was at 335 and at surgery was 282. I am at 213 and would like to loose another 60. Before the band journey though I was around 380 and through diet and exercise got to the 335 figure. It can be hard on here when someone says "I can't wait till surgery I am sooooo fat". And then I look at their ticker and they are my weight now. I can't help but feel like all my hard work is trivialized ; I worked really hard to get to this weight. This is a life journey. Be really proud of the work you've done.

Port revisions due to the surgeon who had no idea what he was doing lets just say I dont.go there now.. I know ive come along way I used to not be able to bend over and tie my shoes! I just figured by now id be sittin at my goal.. But one things for sure im far healthier now then I was then

i was just under 400 when i started so I know exactly where you are coming from and how (sorry if this makes someone mad, but....) how annoying it is for people to weigh something like 210 and be having this surgery so they can lose what I consider to be a vanity 30 pounds. i would never have had this surgery for 30 pounds, ever. 210 is still pretty much a far off dream, and I would love to be that weight. maybe one day i'll get there, maybe i won't, but I am so much happier than i was a year ago and i weigh more than 250!

if i stay here, i'm fine with that. i think i look great, i know i feel great, and it has been fun buying new clothes in a new size range. for the first time in i don't even know how long i can wear an 18... in some clothes I can get into a 16 ....& an XL instead of an XXXL feels pretty great too.

I know that for us that are heavier, the road seems longer, but i feel like by having so much further to go, we are somehow a little stronger for it if we can continue to move forward over the long haul and not be discouraged because someone else has a shorter journey. We can do this too!

i know others will be upset that i have basically said that people who weigh just over 200 should not have this surgery, but your journey is your own, and if you are one of those people and ok with it, then so be it. Right now, my goal weight is to be around 225. I would be 100% happy to be there.

I can completely relate and you are not alone by a long shot. If I am not the heaviest member of this site I must be damn close....and believe me I am not bragging. Sorry to hear you are going through such a rough time. Hopefully you will find a good Doctor who can guide you and get you on your way.

My Wife tells me I don't give myself any credit for what I have done so far. I tried to explain to her that there is fine line in accountability. While yea I had a great start I need to keep on myself to make sure I keep going. In 2003 I weighed 394 pounds and went on Atkins and in 19 months I dropped 170 pounds. I was 220!! Well look at me now....it all went to my head and I started feeling comfortable with myself and I let it all slip away. For the life of me I don't know how it happened. I don't know how I gained it all back like that. Did ignore signs, did I not care? I just don't know. Fast forward to 2011 I am up 93 pounds from my original weight. I don't know if any amount of weight loss will be good enough for me now until I break 219.

Trust me you're not alone. Everyone has a story....

It was hard to feel excited sometimes though. When I was 100 down and people were getting started way less than I was. I just learned to stop comparing my journey and it made it easier.

Thanks for this because it carries a lot of weight (no pun intended). I cannot base my journey off of someone else just like they cannot base theirs on mine. While yes they are starting out lower than me they may or may not lose as quickly as I because I have a lot more excess weight to drop.

Well, I feel it's important to "chime in" and express the other side of the issue. I regard this forum as a supportive environment where a diverse population can come for shared experiences, helpful ideas to improve health, self care, and emotional support. The key word is diverse...no one deserves to be put down, even those who have less weight to loose.

What I failed to read in the previous posts of this thread was any mention that there are many individuals who have to loose less than 100 pounds who are motivated to have their band surgery due to medical reasons, and not vanity. As for me, my weight loss goals are for just over 100 pounds, and my decision to have the band surgery was motivated entirely by medical issues.

I had already crossed over the A1C level to be given a diagnosis of Type II diabetes, but managed to lower it below the diabetic threshold through diet and exercise. I was so close to being diabetic that my primary care physician was concerned that during my 6 month medically supervised required diet for insurance purposes, I would become officially diabetic, and have to be diagnosed as such, which carries many repercussions from a medical and insurance standpoint. So, my surgery was motivated by a race against the ticking "diabetes clock", which I believe was a valid reason to opt for the surgery. My physicians and the insurance company did also.

I believe that I can have empathy for the forum members who have a further distance to travel on their weight loss journey...I also have had many complications to contend with, including and not limited to multiple hospitalizations for band related issues and a limited ability to exercise due to still trying to recover from multiple fractures sustained in a near fatal car accident.

No one can possibility have all the details of another person's perspective and motivations. As the saying goes, you must walk in my shoes to understand where I am coming from. There is too much we don't know about others to render any thing which approaches accurate judgement of others and their motivations to have the surgery.

I hope this forum can continue to be a place of mutual respect, support and understanding for ALL who are on their individual weight loss journeys.

Your mileage may vary...best wishes for continuing success to all of us as our journey continues...

I in no way intended to offend anyone by asking if anyone started over 400 pounds and I by far never said anything disrespectful to anyone with less weight to lose.. I in general just asked if anyone started where I did as long ago as I did.and was still struggling to hit goal weight.

So im sorry if one persons opinion rubbed you wrong but I did not make this thread with the intention of offending anyone just lookin to talk to someone who might feel like they are behind and in a slump

Everyone has their own circumstances for wanting/needing the surgery. Real important thing is we support and encourage one another. That's the whole purpose of this site and the real reason why most of us come here.

To the OP....... I certainly can't relate to where you are because you have lost twice the weight I have! That is just unreal. I hope I can say the same some day. Great job!

No offense taken here by anything anyone said. I started with a BMI in "only" the obese range. Had the surgery for several reasons. Are some of those vanity related? Yep. Are some health related? Yep. We all have our own intensely personal reasons. Would I be annoyed/frustrated/couldn't always relate to people with much less to lose if i started at a much higher BMI? Quite possibly. I think I'm just a "free to be you and me" type of gal and thick-skinned to boot, so none of this offends me. I like the candid discussion and different view points and frankly just shake my head at some of the holier-than-thou comments.