I have 200lbs to lose..

[Wheetsin 714]

Just read some of the responses to this thread and - wow - we all have such a common spine in our stories. Giving up. At one point I had told myself that I really needed to start working on "being happy" with myself, because I was going to live and die obese.

Don't focus on "200 lbs to lose" because that will seem like a mountain you can't climb. 200 lbs is only 20 pounds, ten times.

[GayleTX 1]

Sweetie, I weighed 350 pounds, was 61 (BMI 62) years old, had all the classic co-morbidities, 4 heart surgeries, 11 prescriptions, and was essentially housebound because of inability to walk more than a few feet and because of joint/back pain. I had given up on life and knew I had little future.

I had LapBand surgery March 27 of last year. By August I had lost 50 lbs and was walking a mile a day on the treadmill. Now, almost a year later, I have lost 120 lbs (BMI 43), am no longer on any diabetic/highbloodpressure meds, and am living a normal life...much better than a lot of old broads my age..lol!! (I look younger than a lot of them, too). I need to lose another 80 lbs to reach goal but at this point I just count every pound as a bonus.

I do have a large apron (I had it before losing weight....sat behind a desk too many years) and when I get to goal it will hopefully be removed (if I can rob a bank successfully). Even if I dont get rid of it, my concern is not my looks, my concern is my health - when you have lost it and get it back, it is all that much more precious.

Please understand that the LapBand is not going to make you lose weight....it is simply a tool to help you get control. Many people need counseling to deal successfully with their food issues and/or the changes that take place in their life after weight loss. The main key to success is being compliant with the eating/nutrition rules....knowing the rules, understanding them, living by them - forever!! Continue to research and read and make the decision for surgery only if you think you can make the lifestyle change.

Best wishes to you, sweetie........

[wlgbean 0]

imagine....4 days out of surgery, i have just had 2 0z of a very liquidy cream of wheat (with skim milk and splenda) and i feel stuffed, FULL...and 2 weeks ago i would have never believed it....i can do this!!!! i do believe it it is true though, the band is such a TOOL but i know that it is my choices that are going to make me a success!!!!!

[Wheetsin 714]

Oh also, you may want to check out this thread http://www.lapbandtalk.com/thread-super-sized-t16168.html?p=404751.

I started it long ago for people with starting BMIs over 50, and it has attracted a fairly large following.

[musicalmomma 1]

I agree, I only set the Ticker because that is where I want to be, if i get down to 200lbs I will be happy( I was there for a long time and happy with e at a size 14) 175 I will be more than happy but my surgeon said 140 is where I should be but probably wont get. So I figured to set my goal at 175 I was reaching for something great and reachable, and when I get there, who knows I might reset it.

Just a personal thing to feel like I am accomplishing something and have something to work towards, but not set in stone!

I am SO there with you Jennifur!!!! My doc said the highest I should be is 157!! I have it in my mind that I will be perfectly happy and satisfied with 175! Like you, when I get there...if I wanna lose more, I can.

[Wheetsin 714]

Just curious, how tall are you guys?

[GayleTX 1]

I'm just 5'2"......not much room to store all this fat at that height!!

[Carlene 12]

I wish I could figure out how to post before and after pics, you would be amazed. I am 2 years post op, and have lost 210 pounds, with no real skin issues.

You can do it! If I, king of slackers can, so can you.

I am totaly at my 3 times adjusted goal, and life is so good!

If you know how to e-mail pics, send me yours and I will post them for you.

carlene_m@sbcglobal.net

[musicalmomma 1]

I'm 5'7 (well 5'6 & 3/4)

[wlgbean 0]

i am 5'2...so of course to be 390...my gut hangs practically to my knees...does that SOMEWHAT correct itself as the weight loss gets higher???

[Teresita 0]

WOW Tasha111 you started something. Look at all these testimonies. We may walk around this site and complain and gripe but on top of it all we are heading in the right direction.

Wheetsin you know I'm 6'1" I've been told I carry my weight well *saying this with head in the air with a snooty voice* LOL

[Wheetsin 714]

Yes Teresita... :hail:

:heh: :heh:

I'm between 5'10 and 5'11. My goal is 180 (personal goal, no idea what my surgeon's goal is) which should put me around a size 12 or 14. I used to carry my weight well until I reached almost 400 lbs. There's just no way to carry 400 lbs gracefully. As I lose I'm becoming more and more disproportionate. E.g. most of my tops are 18s or 20s, and most of my pants are 22s or 24s.

I used to say I had the profile of a rubber duck. Now I have to say I'm built like a diamond all hips and thighs (and pannus )

/

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[ReneBean 3]

The amount of weight you lose is only limited by the effort you put into losing it. It's not like each band comes pre-packaged with a set amount of pounds the recipient will be able to shed.

Hey Folks -

I am LIVING PROOF of this statment...

Surgery Weight - 331 on 2/06/06

1 yr follow up - 295 on 2/06/07

Current weight - 290 on 3/02/07

Now - track this people. I lost 36 pounds in the first YEAR - not because the band doesn't work - because I didn't work. I ate whatever I wanted, didn't exercise enough - basically just flaked off for the first year.

Now - I have been eating low carb and exercising more diligently for the last 24 days (minus a week of travel when I was BAD) - and I have lost another 5 pounds. 5/36 = 14%. In ONE MONTH - I have lost 14 % of my total annual loss for 2006. At that rate (and that isn't even me being REALLY diligent) I am on task for 60 pounds in 2007.

So, it's the same old story. Garbage In - Garbage Out. Effort is required. It's not a magic bullet - but it's pretty close. I really did eat whatever I wanted in 2006 - I just wanted less.

So, every day that I exercise, every day that I successfully avoid temptaion - I am seeing results.

Good luck!!

Oh - and I am 5' 4.5". I beleive that the insurance charts put 150 at the top end of my range - but my doc says I will be skin and bone at that weight, according to my body fat & lean mass ratios. I am so much more comfortable - even at 290 - that I am pumped every day. I look pretty good for a fat babe. :]

[Teresita 0]

Post Of Jackal1209

[musicalmomma 1]

Oh - and I am 5' 4.5". I beleive that the insurance charts put 150 at the top end of my range - but my doc says I will be skin and bone at that weight, according to my body fat & lean mass ratios. I am so much more comfortable - even at 290 - that I am pumped every day. I look pretty good for a fat babe. :]

This is SOOO interesting to me!! Top weight for my height, according to all the charts is 157. But the body composition my doc took (body fat & lean mass ratios) said I would be at 30% fat or less at 180! Hence my goal of 175! What a relief that is!