It's been two years and i have lost maybe 10lbs total. Why? People ask....I WILL TELL YOU HOW IT HAPPENED FOR ME....

The moral of the story is not to tell you NOT to get the band...but to tell you that this is no FIX and don't expect overnight weight loss....YOU HAVE TO PUT EFFORT into it.

This is important....people like me assumed the BAND would fix everything and the motivation would just fall into place...this is soooo untrue.....

I had always been big...all through school..always size 16+....senior year 2001 i was a good size 22....2003 i was a size 24 and by 2005 i was a size 32......I was always made fun of.....i gained almost 100 pounds in 3 years from being on the depo shot(birth control)so i got off of that...... and then getting pregnant. By 2005 I was at my worst.

I walked into the Dr's office thinking I was only 360 back in April of 2005. When I got on the scale it read 380...I almost died. I cried in his office because I was so ashamed. Ashamed over 20lbs!!!! I had researched the band and felt because I had a daughter it would be the safest surgery for me. I am only 24 and was 22 at the time. I thought this was going to be the FIX.....the thing to change my life. I thought that there was no way anyone or anything could stop me from losing weight after I had surgery.

I went through all the tests....and got all the required medical paperwork and convinced some family members to pitch in for my surgery. I set the date and started my pre-op diet!

From that point on I should have known I was going to be a mess. I was supposed to be on a liquid diet for 2 weeks because my liver needed to shrink for surgery. So i ate everything they told me to for the first 3 days and BAM....the feeling set in.....I WANTED AN ULTIMATE CHEESEBURGER FROM JACK N THE BOX AND I WANTED IT NOW! I couldn't get it off my mind....i was thinking about it allllllll day.....i went to bed thinking about it...and the next morning i went and got one. I figured...what could ONE double cheese burger with double cheese and mayo possibly do......well...it did nothing to the surgery process but it really broke the frame of mind. Before the 2 weeks was up i had eatin 2 not one but TWO ultimate cheeseburgers and a few chicken nuggets. Why? Why couldn't I just do the PRE SURGERY diet?

June 8th 2005------So surgery day came....and went.....all went well no complications.....i was on soft food in the beginning and I started to eat eggs for Breakfast....but my eggs HAD to have cheese and butter in them....HELLO!!! What was I thinking.....I remember getting my first fill and at this point I had almost lost 40lbs. 20pre-op and 20 post-op. It was amazing.......

About 3 months out(2 months after my 1st fill) I started to become familiar with my band and how much I could and could not eat. I realized that when i would eat too much, i drank a little bit, and it would make the food pass and then i would feel sooooo much better. I never exercised...keep in mind...(maybe got into the pool like 10 times the whole summer) and i was preparing for my wedding which was September 17th 2005. I was so stressed because my weightloss had pretty much STOPPED......I was craving foods like never before and started to eat and drink at the same time...BIG MISTAKE......i was eating at least double what I should have. So I went and had ANOTHER fill. This slowed me down...but still I was not losing ANY weight. I remember eating my first fried chicken after my fill and like trying to manipulate my band into letting me eat more by taking one bite and then drinking....it was the worst thing in the world i could have EVER done.

A year after my band was put in I was only 20lbs total lost (which means i gained 20 back) and I was so angry...I promised myself I was going to try and fix things and make it better....So much had happened that year....2006....we bought a house, my husbands dad died of cancer, my husband was leaving for weeks at a time for work...and i was home ALONE with my daughter. I had no energy to keep the house clean(and i still dont) but i would sit and mope.....and EAT.....I would make excuses to people who asked me WHY i hadn't lost any weight. I told them all that it was a slow process and that i had lost 40 pounds(lied to them).

This year, Jan 2007...I was just sitting at dinner with my husband and looked down and noticed i had a 12oz strip steak, baked potato loaded....and mashed potatos loaded on my plate. I ate all of it. my band was NOT going to stop me. I also ate bread before that.......and drank sweat tea....

in Feb07 I was online playing around and saw an ad for a weightloss show. Primetime...suppose to be JUST like the Biggest Loser....I thought...hmmmm I'll just fill out the app for shits and giggles.....well they responded and wanted me to send them a tape....so i did.

Then in march they had me get my band completely UNFILLED and then flew me out to LA and put me through med tests and interviews,THEY BOUGHT ME 2 PLANE SEATS because i was too big to fit in the plane chairs on my own....pretty sad huh,(cant say much more because they made me sign all kinds of disclosures) They told me it was a show that will be on ABC and told me i would be away from my family for 10 weeks. I thought....this is the chance i have been waiting for.

They made me think i was going....for weeks after the interview I was getting called and asked follow up questions and told i was in the top 4....then on March 31 i was called and told the network did not choose me. I was DEVISTATED.............like someone should have just shot me right there. I was so upset...i cried the whole way home(we were out to eat of course) and my husband looked at me and said...why dont you just do it on your own?

Ummmmm DUH right...? So about a week went by and I had done a real examination of what i have done wrong and how i have basically cheated myself out of my life! On Easter i saw my family and noticed how no one said i looked good anymore...that's because i didnt.....i looked worse...heavy as can be....and that night i sent an email to my family and decide that enough is enough.

Im exercising daily...NO EXCUSES...i posted before/after pictures on my walls in my house of other people who have had the band. I put sayings all over the house saying "whats ur excuse now" and i told my husband that enough is enough. So we decided to start our weightloss exercise on the 9th.....on the 10th I went and had my band RE-filled and since the 10th I have lost 10lbs......unbelievable huh!!!

:clap2: So hopefully all this will inspire SOMEONE before it happens to them. Let my "GAIN" be your "LOSS".

Good luck everyone!

Krystal

Welcome back to Band life and THANKS for sharing!!! people think it's easy after you get the band but it's a LOT of hard work. Hang in there and I'll always be here to lend support to you!

Thought I would post my Journal for the evening.

4/14/06 9:40pm

Today I realized that yesterday, although i walked a lot I was slightly bad in my eating. I had a few bunny ears...(candy from easter) if you know what i mean.

After posting my story on LBT I realized that it is so important to stay true to everyone and myself. I realized that if I don't take the extra step then i will not succeed.

Today I ate better. One of the LBT girls called me and had words of inspiration....THANK YOU!!!! Feels good to know someone is here and is listening to me.

Exercise:

I walked this morning while my husband was working out on his new bowflex and I turned on the first season of Married with Children......I noticed it is alot easier to have something that keeps your mind off of the actual walking....AMEN...

I walked 30 minutes and 1 FULL mile!!!! This morning.

I decided this evening since i had sat around for most the day after this morning that I would walk some more....so i turned Married with children back on and started to it.....ended up walking 21 Minutes and .64 miles.

A little over a mile and half today is a pretty big step. Im really proud of myself...and such little time it takes to do.....literally just takes a few minutes before you walk and the time you walk.

I used to make excuses for going to my den to get on the treadmill. "Oh not today, I'll do it tomorrow" Somehow tomorrow never came. Now ive FORCED myself to do it 2 times a day....amazing.

It's kind of weird how i get excited about posting my progress for all to see...maybe it's because I feel like I really need the attention....BUT DONT WE ALL DESERVE THAT LIL BIT OF ATTENTION? At my weight I am definately starved of attention. I do not get out much and when I do it's usually something quick.

I have been embarrassed of my weight for over 3 years now. Thank God I have a husband that has stood by me through all of this. It really says something that he married me at my heaviest weight.

Ok....im tired now... .....ready to get some sleep....my husband hid the scale on me because he knows the first thing i'll think about in the morning is if i had any weight change....

Im going to focus on the dress sizes I drop and not my weight...my goal dress size i would be totally content at would be a 16.

Good night everyone! Happy exercising!!!

hi kyrstal, thank you so much for your honest and candid post. i am pre-op right now and waiting for a date with the surgeon. everyday I wake up and worry about the pre-op diet and wonder if I will be able to stick to the liquid only part too. I currently weigh 380 pounds, 52 years old, and am out of options. My whole body hurts daily - back, knees, feet, etc. I have tried every diet known only to lose 30 or 40 pounds and then gain it all back. I am ashamed and everyone thinks I am weak and out of control. I have no self-confidence and such low self esteem that I can't even go out and get a parttime job.:mad: :embarassed: :cry

Your post has answered so many internal questions I have had about the banding which are not covered at our monthly support meetings. I hope you are successful in your new goals and I will be watching to see how you do. Thank you for being such an inspiration to us all.:clap2:

Take care, shelli

Hi there.

I think it's great that you are getting back on track.

Mind if I ask you some questions?

What is your current diet like?

Are you getting guidance from your doctor, or from a nutritionist?

How much food by volume are you eating at one time?

How many times per day do you eat?

How many calories per day are you eating?

How many grams of Protein are you getting in a day?

How much Fluid are you drinking in a day?

How are you going to handle stress without eating food to cope?

And finally, what are you doing for exercise?

Good luck to you, Krystal.

Just a tiny little idea, and you may have already thought of it, and made a different decision: you could divide your goal into smaller parts, so on your ticker, you could have 25 lb goals, or 50 lb goals...or put two tickers...looking at 160 lbs goal could possibly become a bit overwhelming. (NOT THAT YOU CAN'T DO IT!!!!!)

You are well on your way to making a success!

Cindy

Wow, you are so brave for coming on here and being so brutally honest about yourself. These things are hard to admit even to ourselves, never mind anyone else.

How great is it that we have this board to turn to when we need support? I hope that your renewed commitment to being healthy remains strong, and that you'll start seeing progress, and stay motivated.

((((((((HUGE HUGS))))))))

Thank You so much for your honesty. I so needed to read this tonight. I had began to discouraged only to realize that I am the problem. God sent you to me to help me through this. O think some of us are afraid to succeed because we have had so much failure in this. I think we condition ourselves to not try like we should. But I thank God for you on this night. I will also restart my journal and post my progress. Like WaSA said we are going to help each other. Women's Workout World here I come. :mad: ;)

Hi there.

I think it's great that you are getting back on track.

Mind if I ask you some questions?

What is your current diet like?

Are you getting guidance from your doctor, or from a nutritionist?

How much food by volume are you eating at one time?

How many times per day do you eat?

How many calories per day are you eating?

How many grams of Protein are you getting in a day?

How much Fluid are you drinking in a day?

How are you going to handle stress without eating food to cope?

And finally, what are you doing for exercise?

Wendell...

You are so cool. You really are!

And Krystal... you better answer his questions, he isn't playing games! :mad:

Mind if I ask you some questions?

What is your current diet like?

Are you getting guidance from your doctor, or from a nutritionist?

How much food by volume are you eating at one time?

How many times per day do you eat?

How many calories per day are you eating?

How many grams of Protein are you getting in a day?

How much Fluid are you drinking in a day?

How are you going to handle stress without eating food to cope?

And finally, what are you doing for exercise?

Hello Wendell-

Here you go!

Mind if I ask you some questions? If I minded...then I should never come to this board....you can ask me ANYTHING.....ANYTIME......it's the purpose of this board is to share experiences and to help.....

What is your current diet like? My Diet is not great but it is definately cut back. I have been eating something light like either yogart, 1 packet of oatmeal, or some sort of fruit for Breakfast. After talking to Michelle more we both agreed that maybe the Protein shakes is not such a bad idea.....My doctor told me it would be wasted calories......who knows......if it is my only breakfast then whats the waste right?

Are you getting guidance from your doctor, or from a nutritionist? Just my Dr. I probably need a nutritionist and maybe even a psychologist but I dont have much money. I quit my job because it was so stressful.....but I am on my husbands insurance and it has high deductables.....

Another thing you should know about me....I was basically raised on fast food and junk. I grew up with my dad who was a single father and instead of cooking dinner he took me out to eat at all kinds of fancy and junk rest.

People tell me to eat fresh veggies.....ummm YUCK......I try to eat what I can....i need to develope a taste for these foods but really it takes everything in me to eat some of that stuff.....like a little kid really...i have my 3yr olds pickyness....pretty much anything she will eat, I will eat...its BAaaadd.

How much food by volume are you eating at one time? Right now I am trying to eat just a small portion. Usually a handful or if you want to put it in chcken nuggets view (5 of them). Thats one serving. Sometimes I eat less at one sitting. Im not at perfect restriction and need to have another fill, my Dr will not fill me until May 8th.

How many times per day do you eat? I have tried to eat like a handful or something 5-6 times aday...but each day has varied. I have not eaten anything today yet so i will probably start with 25g Protein shake thats about 105 cals.

How many calories per day are you eating? I've been watching that and im close to 800-1200(1200 is a stretch) Im averaging aout 210-250 calories per meal except for like 2 of the meals are yogart or something smaller which is less cals. Like I said earlier my meal selection is very thin...so when in doubt i eat some chicken nuggets which one serving (5 nuggets) is 280 Calories like 16 grams of fat and 14g of protein and 17 carbs. Seems like a lot but i figure it makes me really full and if i only do it once aday then it is like my biggest meal really....

How many grams of protein are you getting in a day? Well when i went to my Dr last week he told me the protein shake i was drinking was "empty calories" and said i should get my protein from food. After talking to Michelle last night I think my Dr may be wrong(is that possible? LOL) I was originally taking a 210 cal 50g protein shake a morning.....Michelle says you cant digest that much protein so I think I will be cutting that in half. 105 cal 25g shake. (Cholc Isopure)

How much fluid are you drinking in a day? I have been really working on that. I am currently drinking about 3 bottled waters a day and usually one diet pepsi (to get my soda fix) a day.....i been skipping the soda tho...only had it once in past week. I drink a full bottled Water while i walk as well.

How are you going to handle stress without eating food to cope? Not quite sure. I am amajor stress eater and so far the 5-6 meals a day has covered any level of stress.....when a lot of drama went down and I quit my job I called over my best friend and we watched a movie to get my mind off of it. Any ideas on this one?

And finally, what are you doing for exercise? I used to not exercise at all...but now i am walking on my treadmill at the very least 1 time a day for about 20-30 minutes. The last 3 days I have walked 2 times a day. (Check my journal out for those specifics.) I'm hoping this walking will really do something for me because I HATE WALKING and im doing it because i need to for my health.....this is the first time i have been "religeouis" about my exercise.

You probably were not expecting all the long answers but i try to be truthful and paint a full picture for you to kind of gauge where im at.

Good luck figuring me out. I would love to hear more of your story!

Thank You!:help:

If I had not read story after story (both good and bad) on this forum I would have thought getting banded and losing weight would be a piece of cake. I even attended 12 weeks of pre-op group sessions before I was banded and they were not totally blunt and honest about what to expect after banding. I found out the "real deal" from this website and from ready stories like yours. Thank you for sharing! :gluck:

krystal - those were awesome answers to those questions Wendell asked you!

Krystal, Something that I have found very helpful in losing wieght is to always eat a bit of protien with a carb, never just eat the carb alone. You can eat the protien alone but not the carb. So maybe with your yogurt or oatmeal in the am sprinkle some unflavored protien powder into them or eat just half of that with one egg white.

Thank you for sharing your story. It was very brave of you to post that on here and even braver for hopping back on the bandwagon.

Krystal, i'm to be banded on 4/24/07.

You have lived through one of my biggest fears of this whole thing.

I know in the long run that it's totally up to my efforts, but all of my efforts have failed in the past. but at least in communicating with others about this and knowing that you are not alone, you will be helped and you will be the helper. Now this is a win/win situation and meant to be.

Now go forward and conquer!:clap2:

Ok im heading to my den......im shooting for 30 minutes of walking! Hopefully there are some good episodes of Married w/Children in my DVD player!!! I was trying to think of something else I could do today that would be free and I could take my daughter. I dont want to sit around the house ALLLL day but sometimes thats the cheapest thing to do. It's about 50 degrees outside right now so it's a little chilly to be outside with my 3 yr old.

Wish me luck.,............IM OFF TO SEE THE TREADMILL......THE WONDERFUL TREADMILL --IN MY DEN!!!

DEAR GOD LET ME PUSH FOR 30 MINUTES! I KNOW I BEEN ASKIN ALOT LATELY.....I NEED THE WILL POWER TO DO 30 MINUTES....THATS ABOUT 1 MILE FOR ME.......PLEASE GOD......MAKE MY LEGS INVISIBLE AND MAKE MY BODY LIGHT AS AIR AS IF IM FLOATING OVER THAT STUPID TREADMILL....

AMEN

Whew! That was rough!! I just did 30 minutes on the treadmill.......jeeze...the last 10 minutes are the worst. Takes everything in me to keep going. I tried not even looking at the timer but when i did glance at it i was like...OMG i have like 7 more minutes....it lingered........whew

I made it though.....before in the past i would have said there was no way.....or i would have stopped at 15 minutes.......i want to at the very least be able to hit my 30 minute or 1 mile mark which ever comes first. walking 2mph is actually pretty steady and breaks me into a sweat....but in the beginning i try to do 2.4mph and then slowly reduce it down. My goal when i am down 75 or more lbs is 3-4mph. My hubby can run 4mph and has no problem. I would probably croke if i even tried that.

Hopefully im conditioning my heart and at the very least making myself healthier!

Lets see iF i can walk tonight.......I might just take a break tonight.....but who knows....im gonna jump in the shower and see what energy that treadmill just brought me.

Who else has worked out today? Are you all in this with me?!?!.....post your exercise routine for today!!!!!

Remember there is no excuses allowed!!!!