Hi all,

Not only did I start with 200+ pounds to lose, but I started with 300+ pounds to lose. Yikes! :cool: Even when I meet that goal my BMI will still place me just shy of being Morbidly Obese, but still Obese. Maybe when I reach my goal I'll re-evalute from there.

Although I've had good success so far I still get down on myself when I don't follow the Bandster rules so well. I've hit a couple plateaus, but thankfully am moving downwards again. I haven't started exercising regularly yet -- hopefully soon.

Anyone else in the same boat as me? I'd love to hear of your success and achievements as well...

Cascavel

Cynthia - two pounds is not a big deal. I keep gaining and losing the same two pounds. It's probably just water weight. If you feel your clothes are getting looser that's all that matters. You also have to remember that if you're lifting weights and building muscle - muscle weighs more than fat, so that will reflect on the scale too.

I go in for my second fill tomorrow....yayy me. I cannot wait to have some restriction. Last time I went in I had a pocket of fluid above my port site that the doc had to remove. He's having me have an ultrasound tomorrow to make sure it didn't fill up again. I think it has. :rolleyes2: Wish me luck.

-Traci

Hello,

I am so glad to see this thread I was beginning to feel alone in the amount of weight I have to loose. My Dr. did not have a scale that could weigh me.(It only went 350 lbs) So I bought a scale and weighed myself when I got home from Mexico I was a little shocked to see that I was at 428. My high before that was 407 and I had just did the liquid diet and was sure I lost some. I was banded 1-12-08 and am down 19 lbs and it is such an inspiration to read your stories!

Thanks,

Jen

i started at 440 in december. that's my all time high...as far as i know. lol

i did the pre-op liquid diet for 19 days and dropped 26 pounds. i'm 3 weeks post-op and have dropped an additional 16 pounds. i've also down 24.5 inches.

to get within 'normal' bmi, i need to get to approximately 145 lbs. during my first pre-op consult, the nurse suggested i could probably get to around 225, maybe 200. that's still considered 'obese'.

at this point, i'm not sure how far i can go. i'm riding pretty high on my current success and want to shoot for the whole goal.

in these three weeks post-op, my eating has been good and pretty easy. i had restriction from the surgery swelling. now that the swelling is gone, i'm still eating the way i should.

i almost think that i don't need the fill that's scheduled for 2/12. i'll get it because i really want this tool to work for me. at the same time, i think 'gee, maybe i could just keep going'. oh wait...that's what got me here in the first place! lol

let's all keep on keeping on. we'll get there...

toni

toni,

You are doing great! We must be at about the same point. Keep up the good work.:biggrin2:

Hey everyone.

My name is Kylie Im from QLD australia

I had 277 pounds to lose to get to my goal. I have lost 19 pre op so now I only have 258 pounds. It sounds like such a massive amount to lose but now I have my band I know at least I will go down slowly but surely and not yo yo all the time. I have lost probably 200 pounds in my life time of dieting and then put more than that back on

Im looking for support especially when the days seem long and the weeks are even longer unless you have been here you cant totally understand the feelings of shame, the thoughts of breaking chairs, not fitting in chairs or cars, not being able to fit through turnstiles at shopping centres and the million other things at this weight you need to be so concious off. I am looking forward to the day when unconciously I can walk into a place and not think geeee can I fit here.....It will make fitting into this world so much easier

Welcome, Kylie! Yes it may be a long road, but it's the right road and one you'll never have to travel again. We can do it!!!

Hey everyone.

My name is Kylie Im from QLD australia

I had 277 pounds to lose to get to my goal. I have lost 19 pre op so now I only have 258 pounds. It sounds like such a massive amount to lose but now I have my band I know at least I will go down slowly but surely and not yo yo all the time. I have lost probably 200 pounds in my life time of dieting and then put more than that back on

Im looking for support especially when the days seem long and the weeks are even longer unless you have been here you cant totally understand the feelings of shame, the thoughts of breaking chairs, not fitting in chairs or cars, not being able to fit through turnstiles at shopping centres and the million other things at this weight you need to be so concious off. I am looking forward to the day when unconciously I can walk into a place and not think geeee can I fit here.....It will make fitting into this world so much easier

You guys are great motivation!! I can only HOPE that I have nearly the success you folks are having.

It does feel like a long road as I'm almost at 200lbs overweight. Currently, I'm trying to set small goals for myself while I wait for approval from insurance.

You guys are so amazing, congrats to all of you on your amazing losses.

Cascavel- I'm just in awe of your awesome weight loss. Congratulations. How does it feel to be so much lighter? I can't wait til I'm right there with you! You make me so excited!

I actually could stand to lose 250lb not sure if the average lapbander loses that much or not. Glad i am not alone.

The average lapbander doesn't lose that much BUT the average lap-bander doesn't have that much to lose.

You guys are kind of making me sad, I keep seeing "I'm not sure if it's attainable..." Keep in mind, the band is not like a pre-paid gift card. It doesn't give you 150 lbs to lose and that's it, you'll never lose another lb. But you'd think it has some sort of pre-set loss limit attached to it the way people talk about it. YOU are the only thing that will keep you from reaching your goal with the HELP of the band. YOU have to go into this with your mind made up that you're going to beat the statistics, because you're the biggest roadblock you'll find anywhere.

I have about 40 lbs left to lose, down from about 210 to lose. I'm not trying to lose right now because I'm pregnant. But when I'm no longer pregnant, I will lose the rest of my weight. It may take a while, but it will happen. I didn't come this far to settle for still being obese. I mean - that doesn't even make sense.

So just remember that there are average weightlosses with the band, and just like every average out there, there are people who set it higher, and people who set it lower. Decide which you want to be, set your targets, go and don't look back. There's no reason you have to settle for anything less than healthy.

Well said Wheet!

I'm living proof that even people that start out needing to lose a massive amount of weight can and will do it! My goal was 300 pounds by my 3rd bandiversary but I'm just a bit shy of that goal. When I first started considering the Lap Band, I had some people tell me I was too fat for it work...well, I can be a bit stubborn so my attitude was...stand back and just watch me! Hang in there and yes, it most certainly can be done!

I'm living proof that even people that start out needing to lose a massive amount of weight can and will do it! My goal was 300 pounds by my 3rd bandiversary but I'm just a bit shy of that goal. When I first started considering the Lap Band, I had some people tell me I was too fat for it work...well, I can be a bit stubborn so my attitude was...stand back and just watch me! Hang in there and yes, it most certainly can be done!

Wow Becky that is so awesome! As an inspiration to so many of us, could you share a little bit about your success? Aside from using the band as a tool, it is still hard work losing that much weight, I'd love to hear your story.

I have almost 300 to lose...I was joking with my fiance saying I should set my goal for 144 just to make it an even 300

Tralyn...like I said I was determined that my lap band was going to be the tool to help me lose the weight and keep it off for good. I make as good of food choices as I can but honestly my band tends to make my choices for me. There are so many things I don't attempt to eat any longer because they stick every time and that's not a fun feeling. It's really strange though because before I ate junk food like crazy, 460 pounds was evidence that's pretty much what I lived on, but now for me, those are the foods that give me the most problems in regards to sticking. I'm a sweetaholic to the max so I'd be stupid to think I would never eat sweets again. Now with the help of my band, 1 or 2 bites of something sweet and it does the trick for me. I exercise 2 to 3 days a week and most evenings, I simply put on some rockin' music and dance my butt off, literally and figuratively, in my bedroom. I just hope no one ever sees me through my window because they'd think I was nuts but it works for me. I had polio as a baby so my left leg is very weak so most conventional ways of exercising are hard for me so I just go with whatever I can do. Other than being blessed with a fairly fast metabolism and working with my band and it's moods, I've done nothing special. One thing though, I haven't had anything carbonated since the night before my lap band surgery. I think that helps play a part in how well I've done. OK, as you all can see I can go on and on about my lap band story, but I'll step down from my soapbox and spare y'all any more reading...for now at least.

Angelyco.....OK, I said I'd spare y'all any more reading but I just had to tell you, I did the same thing you did with my minigoals....first it was to get out of the 400s, then the 300s, then the 200s and when I hit onederland, I screamed like a banshee! Now my goal is a simple one....I have no set weight at all, I just want to look in the mirror and not see the old 469 pound Becky but the Becky that won't ever have to hear again, "You have such a pretty face, if only you weren't so fat." So, hang in there and you'll be at out of those 300s before you even know it!