Hey Everyone,

I hope everything is going well for all of you. How is everyone doing six months into the adventure???

Things have been going pretty well for me. I am averaging about 10 pounds a month, but I know that won't continue during the next six months. Banded life is getting easier now that I don't have to think about it so much. It has finally, thankfully become second nature.

I have lost a little exercise motivation. Is anyone else having that problem? I was working out like crazy until graduate school got too busy on top of working too much. I feel like some nights I am so beat it is hard to enough to muster energy for the shower, let alone aerobics.

So is banding what you thought it would be going in to surgery? Now that most of us have passed the six month mark, we are becoming the next crop of veterans. How is reality different than your initial expectations???

I hope to hear from all of you fabulous January knockouts :0).

I beg your indulgence because this post is pretty long, but I got all reflective when I started writing.

I have lost 60lbs exactly since surgery, so that's been 10lbs a month on average. I am very happy about that. That is what I had hoped for, so I can't complain!

I can't believe that I'm so close to my goal, when a year ago I felt so far away from it. If I lose only 1lb a week until my 1 year bandversary, I will be at my original goal of 160lbs! That's a very exciting thought.

I would have expected that by now I would have felt decent restriction. I am still trying to find it! While I credit some of the weight loss to my band, I feel that much of it has been on my part because I do Atkins low carb. Since I can still eat pretty decent size quantities, I've had to rely on my carb restriction and exercise to get the weight off. But maybe I don't give enough credit to the band, but then again, I rarely feel its presence.

I don't really think about the band that much, and I just live my day to day life like everyone else. I am at my lowest weight ever, I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, and I feel amazing!

It's interesting, because major weight loss is a very personal journey. A personal journey that is a very public one as well. There's no way to hide it. My friends and family have watched me shed over 100lbs in the last year and I have had tremendous support from them, for which I am grateful. Sometimes, however, they think they understand what I'm going through because they can see the change, but they don't really understand.

For almost my entire life, people looked at me and saw an extremely overweight person. I never noticed the stares (which I'm sure I got), but I didn't care. I still feel like a extremely overweight person, even though I'm not. I think people still look at me the same way, but they don't. I look around a room now and I can see that I'm not the biggest one there anymore. I know I look different, but I still feel like the same person... because I am and I'm not. I am still my bubbly self, my personality hasn't changed but my body has.

By no means am I skinny, because I still have weight to lose. So I guess that puts me in the category of the everyday overweight person? It is weird to think that I'm just another one of those "normal" looking people (so I've been told). And you know what? It's not so exciting. Not that losing weight, and having NSVs like being able to fit into smaller clothes and not worrying about the seatbelt on the plane fitting aren't exciting, because they are extremely exciting and they are what keep me going! What I mean, though, is that a regular sized person doesn't have a better life.

And I knew this was true even before I lost my weight. I saw (and still see) many of my friends who aren't happy, and they're skinny, so it's obviously not possible that being thin automatically makes you happy. I had to learn that happiness and self worth was independent from the way I looked and how much I weighed. I think accepting myself and my body when I was overweight has made this journey that much easier. My happiness is not dependent on the number on the scale (but believe me, seeing a lower number when I step on the scalemakes me extremely happy!)

To put it in an extremely cliche way (and I do beg your forgiveness, but really, it's true!), I think that the journey itself and the things I've learned about myself on this journey are more important then the actual goal itself. I never saw myself as the extremely self-motivated person, but I have come to realize that I wouldn't be where I am today if I wasn't. In conjunction with that, I've learned to be patient and to persevere. When I started this journey, Being under 200lbs seemed ages away and being from the generation of immediate gratification didn't help much. But there wasn't a chance that I was going to magically drop 100lbs overnight (even though tv ads guarantee it!), so I had no choice BUT to be patient.

Sometimes I feel like I'll never get there, but then I have to remind myself about the strides I have made. I get immense satisfaction from seeing how far I've come in such short period of time. From walking at 3mph on the treadmill to walking at 4mph. From being totally out of breath, feeling like I'm going to die after 30 seconds of jogging on 3.5mph to running on 5mph for 5 min. knowing that if i really wanted to, I could go for longer. It's those small things that make up the journey that mean the most.

Yeah, so those are my thoughts as of late. Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts and feelings with you. I appreciate the opportunity to do so and I look forward to reading about your experiences and thoughts about your journey. Thank you to those who read my whole post, and if you didn't, I don't blame you!

Ok, I cant even compete with Red tulip's well thought out response, expecially at 7am but here is my update! LOL, things are going well. I have good months and bad ones but I find the good ones are really, really good. I have learned to take the bad months in stride. I am more in tune with my body and subtle changes in it, including hormones. Honestly, a person coculd drive herself crazy with too much observation. I recognize myself in the mirror again and it surprises me that I am there. I have been staring at a stranger in the mirror for many years now, I feel like I am getting myself back. Meeting new people does not send me skidding into an anxiety attack and my confidence is returning. I just wish I could find a bra that fits, I hate the assumption that a woman with a band size of 40 needs a D cup, kwim?

RedTulips, that was a great post. Thank you very much for sharing that.

For any of you who may follow my blog (perhaps none of you do and that's okay!) I have had a rough go of the past few months. I have read a lot of people who say it just "clicks" they change their lifestyle, their eating behavious and the weight just rolls right off of them. I am sad to say that my brain has not yet "clicked". While I am exercising (doing the couch to 5k) by running (jogging) every other morning and will say I am probably the fittest I have been in a long while weight wise, I am almost at a standstill.

The past 10 weeks (yikes) I have spent losing and gaining the same 5'ish lbs for a total of approx 40lbs lost of which the majority was in the first two months after surgery. I have some restriction but not a huge amount (hopefully my next fill on the 15th will bring me to where I need to be). I can eat anything and only PB'd once when I ate too fast.

I realize that I am the one to be held accountable for the lack of weight loss and that I cannot blame anyone except for myself and my actions. I have not modified my eating habits a lot at all, the only difference now is that I don't eat as much but regardless, I still a lot of the time (not all the time) eat foods that I shouldn't. I do not like to cook and that makes it all that much harder to prepare/eat sensibly.

So despite the fact that I have been running every other day for 30 minutes (approx 2.5 k'ms) for the past 5 weeks the weight loss is VERY slow and I know it's due to my eating habits. I KNOW I need to change them and I WANT to yet despite that I am having a really hard time doing so.

For me the first two months were great... the past 4 months not so much.

Thanks for making this thread. I've said it a hundred times, but I'll say it again, this whole thing is the most interesting journey. Just reflecting over the last 6 months brings tears to my eyes, in a happy and sad way. On one hand I cannot believe I am 50 lbs down and how easy it was (compared to rest of my life of trying to lose), but I also can't believe how hard it is. (only a bandster can understand that contradiction)

It's interesting how someone else said that they are starting to see themselves again in the mirror, I am too and it's strange. It's also getting strange when people actually look at me in public when I walk in a room, it's feels weird and is hard getting used to it. I also feel naked when I wear clothes that fit now, I feel like showing any skin (an arm) is putting myself out there.

Although I know I could not have done it without the band, it has been very difficult. I watch the scale every single morning, and if I am not eating healthy, the scale either goes up or it does not move for a while. The level of accountability with the band is amamzing. I have good days and bad days, I sometimes actually get depressed and mad when I cannot eat the things I want. It doesn't happen often but it does happen. I just try to focus on the positive part of the band and how awesome I feel. I trully do not think I've ever beent his healthy (even though my hair is falling out!!!)

As for exercise, I still struggle. I was really into running and injured my leg, so it's been hard getting back into it. I do not know what I would do without fitday, although I think I may be addicted, or this website. Only other bandsters can understand what we are going through. The emotions every day are a rollercoaster. Being able to see others are going through the same things makes you half way feel sane!

I know I'm carrying on but the anxiousness to see where we will all be six months from now is almost too much to bare. I take it day by day and never fall into my old problem (giving up entirely when things do not go perfectly). Congratulations to you all and thanks for being such inspirations.

This past 6 months have been a "ride".. a true one... I have my bad days, weeks or whatever.. but then when the good comes!! it's great.. I'll go for my 2nd fill on friday, I need a little more restriction. I started working out, some days I truly HATE it, some days it feels pretty good.. I've got a ways to go, but the journey is started and its been worth every pain,ache,worry,sigh,feeling,bite, and look..

I get the biggest thrill out of the baggy panties!!! WAHOOOO !!

I had my 6 month two days ago. I have been stuck playing with the same 5 lbs 215 -220 for a month now. I had a fill of .5cc on the 14th. The dr asked me what I ate for dinner the night before and I told him, 2 hot dogs with bun and small handful of chips. HE FREAKED!! he said I should only be able to eat 1/2 a dog. I told him, in the old days it would have been 6 dogs with bun, so I was very pleased. Anyway, still trying to get past the platue of this 5 lbs. I am only 4 lbs from the 50lb lost mark!!!

Well this past week has put it, morbidly, into perspective.

A friend from college passed away, a man I dated as a freshman. He was 43. Hadn't seen him in over 5 years, so his death was a shock but I wasn't devastated, if you get what I mean.

I was a little sister to his fraternity, and I knew that all the "brothers" were going to go to the wake.

I had to go to the store to buy a new suit because everything I had in the closet was too big. I got a size 20. These guys only knew me large. I was never this thin in college, so I wanted to make sure I looked good when I went to the wake.

I walked in with a friend of mine. We stood together, he was a "brother" that I kept in contact with, so he knew about the surgery, etc. Well, all the guys from college came in, knew Peter, but didn't recognize me. Once Peter said my name, everyone was in shock and stunned how good I looked:w00t: I hadn't seen some of these guys in almost 20 years!

We all went out after to a diner, and I ordered two eggs and sausage, finished most of it with no incident, and no one knew I had the band. I was so happy that they noticed how I looked, and commented on it, I didn't want the band to become the topic.

But how morbid am I? I get complimented frequently now, but the compliments and looks I got at the wake meant more to me than anything I had ever gotten. These guys were my past. I was there to pay respects to my friends family, but it was more about seeing these people. Today, I have been having such mixed feelings over this.

Chrisann-Just think of it this way, you haven't seen these guys since college so it was to be expected that they would say how great you looked even at a time like this. Don't beat yourself up about it, I would have felt just as good as you.

As for my 6 month reflection I am SO truly happy I did this, granted I have just hit my 50 pounds down mark but now I have a new goal to start!!!! I truly need to exercise MORE than I do now and need to find the MOTIVATION!!!

Congrats to everyone and our victories so far!!!!!

I'm not always the best at putting my thoughts into words, but I thought I would chime in here.

This past 6 months has been a whirlwind for me. I'm so happy that I did this for myself. I would not be where I am today physically or emotionally without this wonderful tool.

At my 6 month anniversary I was down 65 pounds. I definately have good and bad days/weeks with weightloss. I get discouraged when the scale doesn't show a loss every week and have to remind myself that this is going to be a lifelong journey. It doesn't end when all the weight is off. I will have to work hard forever to maintain all of this hard work. I guess for some unknown reason that I actually thought this would be easier. Yes I did my research and I knew that I was going to have to work at it, but I didn't realize that every pound lost would be a struggle.

My children were the number one reason that I had this surgery. I wanted to make sure that I did everything that I could to keep myself around for many many years to come. Prior to surgery I didn't want to even get on the floor to play with them cause it hurt me and then it was so hard to get back up. Now we run around the house and we wrestle and we play outside and it is just amazing how much more fun we can have.

I am now able to hold my head up high when I walk into a public place. I don't feel like everyone is looking at me thinking "look at that poor fat girl". No one says to me "you have such a pretty face" anymore.

I exercise at least 4 days a week, 3 of those being the couch to 5K program and I love it! I never ever imagined that I could jog. 65 pounds ago I wouldn't even have tried. Now I am up to running 8 minutes at a time.

So, this has been life changing for me. I would do it again. I would do it 10 times over if I had to. I feel better then I can ever remember feeling. I guess hard work really does pay off :biggrin:

Hi Everyone,

I haven't posted in a long time. I've been gone most of the summer. I am frustrated. I had my last full in May and I will not get another one. This band is tight. If I am not careful and chew really well, food gets stuck and I have to go throw up. But while I feel my eating is controlled, I have still remained the same weight. I have lost 35 lbs with the band and I am stuck. I can't say I exercise like I should, but I am not a couch potato. I just came back from a 10 day trip to see my friend. We kyaked 2x 2 hours each time. And walked 3 days about a mile. And still, even after throwing up several days while eating too fast and talking, I am the same weight. I don't gain, but I dont loose either. I have basically been the same for the past 3 months.

I don't eat bad, can't even eat bread anymore, am not a snacker, don't eat after dinner, I am feeling like I need to eat less than 1000 calories a day to get the scale to move. I am happy that I lost 35# don't get me wrong. And I have gotten all new clothes and my old ones are way to big. I am wearing size 12-14 when before it was 16-18 and I can wear Medium tops instead of XL, but I am weighing only 35 lbs down from surgery.

I can eat more than 1/2 cup, so I don't know if I should get a full. But I really feal if I do, I will throw up even more and the Dr. said it's not good to throw up so I don't know what to do. When I first had the surgery I could only eat 1/2 cup from the swelling and I felt full. Now I can probably eat about 1-1/2 cups, but if I'm not careful, it get stuck and I slime and you all know the rest of the story.

So, what should I do? I have my Drs. appoitment on Monday, and I am sure he will be surprised that I am basically the same weight. I am afraid to have a fill because I am leaving to live in Spain for 4 moths with my daughter while she attends school there for a semester. I don't want it so thight that I have problems over there and have no one to go to. I know I will be walking more over there. I really want to weight 145-150 by the one year mark. That means I need to loose another 35# in the next 6 months. Any advise would be appreciated. I have about 6cc in my 10cc band. Maybe 7cc. And there is not a week since my fill in May that i have not gotten stuck and had to go throw up. And then my side left side hurts and I know that's not good for the stitches. Should I fill, not fill,? Eat less, exercise more? I need your opinions. Sorry for the long post. Diane:confused:

Do you go to the doctor regularly? I have to go just about every month. There could be medical reasons you are having problems. I would make an appt ASAP and get checked out. If for nothing else, than to make sure everything is ok for your move to Spain.

Hi Everyone,

I haven't posted in a long time. I've been gone most of the summer. I am frustrated. I had my last full in May and I will not get another one. This band is tight. If I am not careful and chew really well, food gets stuck and I have to go throw up. But while I feel my eating is controlled, I have still remained the same weight. I have lost 35 lbs with the band and I am stuck. I can't say I exercise like I should, but I am not a couch potato. I just came back from a 10 day trip to see my friend. We kyaked 2x 2 hours each time. And walked 3 days about a mile. And still, even after throwing up several days while eating too fast and talking, I am the same weight. I don't gain, but I dont loose either. I have basically been the same for the past 3 months.

I don't eat bad, can't even eat bread anymore, am not a snacker, don't eat after dinner, I am feeling like I need to eat less than 1000 calories a day to get the scale to move. I am happy that I lost 35# don't get me wrong. And I have gotten all new clothes and my old ones are way to big. I am wearing size 12-14 when before it was 16-18 and I can wear Medium tops instead of XL, but I am weighing only 35 lbs down from surgery.

I can eat more than 1/2 cup, so I don't know if I should get a full. But I really feal if I do, I will throw up even more and the Dr. said it's not good to throw up so I don't know what to do. When I first had the surgery I could only eat 1/2 cup from the swelling and I felt full. Now I can probably eat about 1-1/2 cups, but if I'm not careful, it get stuck and I slime and you all know the rest of the story.

So, what should I do? I have my Drs. appoitment on Monday, and I am sure he will be surprised that I am basically the same weight. I am afraid to have a fill because I am leaving to live in Spain for 4 moths with my daughter while she attends school there for a semester. I don't want it so thight that I have problems over there and have no one to go to. I know I will be walking more over there. I really want to weight 145-150 by the one year mark. That means I need to loose another 35# in the next 6 months. Any advise would be appreciated. I have about 6cc in my 10cc band. Maybe 7cc. And there is not a week since my fill in May that i have not gotten stuck and had to go throw up. And then my side left side hurts and I know that's not good for the stitches. Should I fill, not fill,? Eat less, exercise more? I need your opinions. Sorry for the long post. Diane:confused:

Hi Diane, I do feel your frustration. The first thing I think of when I see your situation is how much you've lost in comparison to your weight. If you take my situation, I was much heavier than you (260) and have lost 50 lbs. So your 35 lbs is nothing to be ashamed of. It is interesting how the scale has not moved in three months. Although never that long for me, I do lose a bunch at one time and then go weeks without losing a pound. Just do not give up, and try to add some exercise in. It does not look like you need a fill, maybe you actually need to eat more. I've found sometimes if I do not eat enough I stop losing. Be strong and keep going, you can do this.

Hi Everyone,

I haven't posted in a long time. I've been gone most of the summer. I am frustrated. I had my last full in May and I will not get another one. This band is tight. If I am not careful and chew really well, food gets stuck and I have to go throw up. But while I feel my eating is controlled, I have still remained the same weight. I have lost 35 lbs with the band and I am stuck. I can't say I exercise like I should, but I am not a couch potato. I just came back from a 10 day trip to see my friend. We kyaked 2x 2 hours each time. And walked 3 days about a mile. And still, even after throwing up several days while eating too fast and talking, I am the same weight. I don't gain, but I dont loose either. I have basically been the same for the past 3 months.

I don't eat bad, can't even eat bread anymore, am not a snacker, don't eat after dinner, I am feeling like I need to eat less than 1000 calories a day to get the scale to move. I am happy that I lost 35# don't get me wrong. And I have gotten all new clothes and my old ones are way to big. I am wearing size 12-14 when before it was 16-18 and I can wear Medium tops instead of XL, but I am weighing only 35 lbs down from surgery.

I can eat more than 1/2 cup, so I don't know if I should get a full. But I really feal if I do, I will throw up even more and the Dr. said it's not good to throw up so I don't know what to do. When I first had the surgery I could only eat 1/2 cup from the swelling and I felt full. Now I can probably eat about 1-1/2 cups, but if I'm not careful, it get stuck and I slime and you all know the rest of the story.

So, what should I do? I have my Drs. appoitment on Monday, and I am sure he will be surprised that I am basically the same weight. I am afraid to have a fill because I am leaving to live in Spain for 4 moths with my daughter while she attends school there for a semester. I don't want it so thight that I have problems over there and have no one to go to. I know I will be walking more over there. I really want to weight 145-150 by the one year mark. That means I need to loose another 35# in the next 6 months. Any advise would be appreciated. I have about 6cc in my 10cc band. Maybe 7cc. And there is not a week since my fill in May that i have not gotten stuck and had to go throw up. And then my side left side hurts and I know that's not good for the stitches. Should I fill, not fill,? Eat less, exercise more? I need your opinions. Sorry for the long post. Diane:confused:

I have gotten stuck a few times too but was able to break out of it. Sometimes when you are stuck, you just have to change things up a little. sometimes exercise really does help to kick it into gear. Are you eating a lot of lean Proteins and vegetables? What is your carb intake like? Are you getting enough Protein? Are you tracking what you are eating to get a better idea of your daily intake?

Heather, thanks for starting this thread. I'm almost 7 months out now, but welcome the opportunity for some reflection.

This has been a hard journey, harder than I expected. But it is also the best thing I have ever done for myself. I am losing at a rate I am happy with, about 8 lbs a month. And the diet and exercise are going well--I eat about 1200 cal/day and do strength training 3x per week (Although exercise has dropped off a bit in the last month). This combination is really working for me. I can't wait till I get past the "obese" label. Almost there.

Some days are harder than others. The hardest part for me is that nobody, except my husband, knows. Not sure why this is hard for me. I guess I feel like a liar. When asked about how I am losing weight, I am honest in that I tell people I am eating less and exercising more. But I still feel ashamed that I do not tell them the whole truth. Sort of ironic, since the whole reason I am not fully disclosing the procedure is because I feel ashamed that I let my weight get so out of control that I had to turn to surgery.

On a slightly different note....has anyone else found that their level of restriction constantly fluctuates? One day I am really tight and can only eat soft foods or liquids. Then a few days later, I feel very little restriction. The next week I will go back to full restriction. All without getting a fill. Is this normal? I have a fill appointment in two weeks and plan to ask the doctor, but also wanted to see what others are experiencing.

SB-- I don't think it is anyone's business except yours. You aren't under any obligation to disclose your medical history to others. I am also playing it fairly close to the vest because of my past failures. I've been up and down so many times and humilitated by gaining all I had lost and more, I just do not want "everyone" to know I had WLS until I really feel confident that "this is it" and I will be able to keep it off. Plus, I still have a looong way to go! I have received a number of compliments on my loss, and that's wonderful, but I just say thanks and tell people I'm working hard on it. I will, however, make an exception for an overweight person so that perhaps they can be helped by hearing about the band. I learned about it from a friend and am very grateful that he was willing to share.

I love my band and would definitely agree that it is a journey. I want to do everything I can to protect it (and my stomach) and avoid problems down the road. I don't ever want to lose it. It's weird though-- one week I'll lose a half a pound, the next I might gain a pound and then the next I might lose six-- all while keeping approximately the same routine. It's very easy for me to get discouraged in those weeks I'm stalled out, but it seems like those are the times I notice my clothes getting more loose and people making comments about my weight loss. Anyone else experience that? I do exercise about 5 times a week and like to tell myself (don't know if it's true or not) that my body is swapping muscle for fat during those slow times and maybe that's why the loss is slow, Just can't give up... And those weeks where the scale has a significant drop? WOW! What a great motivator!!

My band works great when I follow the rules. I have noticed a tendency to slip into old habits in terms of making bad food choices so I have recently gone back to tracking what I eat on the daily plate (www.thedailyplate.com). It's a bit of work but helps me really see what I'm eating and actually helps hold me accountable to making better choices.

My goal is still so far off I can't think even about it so I'm trying to focus on more short-term goals. I'm almost to the point of moving one of those big old 50 pound weights on my scale and that means a lot to me. I still weigh more than most NFL players and getting under 300 is a big deal for me. I NEVER want to go back. I guess we just need to stay after it, be honest with ourselves and keep looking for ways we can improve our approach. The "rules" are there for a reason and, at least in my case, make a huge difference in whether or not I make progress.

Hang in there Knockouts-- we can succeed long-term!

Twoterville three pounds ahead-- Yahoo!!

Edited August 2, 200817 yr by CallMeJim