Victorious Valentines - Feb. 08 - MASTER THREAD!

[kathy05 0]

Well hello to all of you that started 2 + yrs ago .. I suppose I just got discouraged and stuckwith my 40 lb loss cause it didnt move from there... I want to share with any of you that are struggling ,,, I have recently found "The Dukan Diet "High protien low carb ... it is a great plan anfd Iv been following it for month ,,, down about 20 lbs as of today,,, I do believe this along with the band may just be the trick,,, Hope to hear from some of you and hope you check out the diet ,,,,,, Iv slipped in here just to read only a few times recently but hope you are all well ..... Best ... Kathy:thumbup:

[Angie4b1g 1]

I had a victory yesterday and you here are the only ones who can fully appreciate it.

I'm still about 15lbs from goal, but I run a LOT. Even though I know I have a lot of muscle mass, I still feel fat and so on. (And I really do still need to lose the 15lbs, I'm not excusing that by blaming it on muscle or anything lol)

Anyway, yesterday as I went into the gym, they were doing Body Composition Screenings. I was a bit scared of what they'd tell me, but I went ahead and did the test.

My Body Fat % was 31.6%. Recommended for my age is 23-34. Say whaaaa? I'm in the recommended range?

Who woulda ever thunk it?

It's been 3 years this month, which is way slower than I would have guessed it would take, but I'm starting to feel pretty good about where I am. I run 4-5 times a week, around 30 miles total. I'm training for my 2nd marathon, and I'm planning on doing Tough Mudder this year (www.toughmudder.com). I play soccer once a week, 2 games, and although I'm not good at it by any stretch, I'm one of the most fit people on the team.

Now if I'd put the ice cream down and lose these last 15...

How's it going for the rest of my Feb 08 buddies? Any updates?

[Cocoabean 430]

Angie, that's awesome! I'll be 3 years on Tues, the 15th. I feel great! Am ashamed to admit I don't exercise, but I have TONS of excuses!

My endocrinologist is thrilled with my loss. He did an A1C a couple of weeks ago and I am in the non-diabetic range. He was happy, as am I! My blood pressure is low-normal, my cholesterol is normal, and I wear a size 10.

Wahoo!!!!!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Hello Victorious Valentines!!! Wow it's been 3 years now... amazing. I never made my 3 year Bandiversary but I just thought I'd check in to see how everyone's doing.

Angie, that is so fantastic!! You're very fit and running a marathon?? I can't even imagine that at this time. I'm just getting started with the running and I am going to do the Susan G Komen, Race for the Cure on May 7th. It will be my first timed event ever. I'm pretty excited and it's keeping me juiced to getting on that treadmill. I'm not going to beat myself up on worrying too much about "times" right now because I don't have anything to beat. I will continue with this and do a 5k every few months to keep me doing my thing.

I was revised to the VSG on Sept. 15th, 2010. I ended up gaining all my weight back after being banded. Nearly 60 Lbs even and true enough I had some complications with my band. I just don't want to go into detail, that is not the spirit of this support board. I just wanted to say that I'm doing really well and I'm the lowest weight I've been since being in High School. I'm even fitting some of my HS outfits I've saved over the years!!! I'm beside myself and very happy!!! I'm very close to Onederland and it's been alluding me... so I think I need to work a little harder to get there. I am also about 50 Lbs to goal.

Good luck to all!! I sometimes cruise by here to see how the Valentines gals are doing. It's quieted down a lot, but would be nice to see if anyone more can chime in and say how they're doing.

All the best to all of you!!! Congrats to you Angie and Cocoa for you did AWESOME with your bands!!!!

[Ezma 2]

Hey all,

Thought I'd post to say hello to everyone. I have been doing a horrible job on my weight since my husband died and can't seem to get back in the swing. I've gained back all but 30 pounds and it's really frustrating. I know I can do it because I did so well before. It's just so easy to get things like chips, Cookies and ice cream to go straight down. I've been doing everything wrong but each day I do wake up determined to get back on track. Day starts off well but ends badly. I'm hopeful that just posting here will trigger my brain to get back on it. Would love to hear from the rest of you too.

[Shinyhappymommy 2]

Hi, Friends.

It's nice to get updates from everyone, and know that I'm not alone in my struggles.

I had my beautiful baby boy 9 months ago and I am still almost 50 pounds heavier than I was when I got pregnant. I haven't given up and am actually making progress bit by bit. I am not currently relying on my band for my help. I think the habits I have that were keeping me from losing weight weren't something that the band could address. Maybe eating around the band would be a good description of what I was doing. At any rate, by the grace of God, my step-sister invited me to do a game with her that is a health competition. It's called the Game on! Diet, (though I hate using the word diet.). This has been it for me. I started my first round on December 1st.

Something about the combination of accountability and team play and rules is just what I have needed to get myself back on track. I'm currently playing my 4th month of the game and I plan on continuing until my excess weight is gone and probably beyond that. I've gotten back into the swing of things with my exercise and I have hope that I'm not going to stay fat forever.

I just finished posting about this on my blog so I'm copying and pasting that here. I don't know if the Game on! Diet is something that would work for any of you, but if you're interested in joining a round to see, you're most welcome. I'll be happy to explain the rules and how it all works. Just send me a private message or email to melissamickelson@gmail.com.

Here's my blog post:

I know I've said in the past that if I'm not posting I am probably struggling. Well, for once, that's not the case! I'm happy to say that I am continuing to make progress and get healthier.

My weight has continued moving downward, albeit slowly. I'm almost at 25 pounds lost since beginning the Game on! in December. I have every intention of continuing with it until I am at my goal weight.

I've realized I need to make some tweaks to it to speed things up. Currently the way I'm using the free day is causing me to lose too much ground to really be losing much weight. So I am working on some modifications.

I'm also getting back into the swing of running. I have been blessed with an amazing, good friend who invited me to be her workout partner and we've progressed from walking, to running a little, to running a good amount. We're working on doing a 5K in April. Just bought some new running shoes, so I'm committed. Those puppies are not cheap!

I have to be honest because this is a blog about my Lapband. I don't feel that my band is doing anything for me at this point in my journey. I'm at a medium restriction, and most of the time it doesn't affect how much I eat, only the length of time it takes me to eat.

Even though I have a Lapband, I don't believe that the ultimate state of losing weight involves extreme Portion Control. I have always believed that eating healthy foods in a reasonable portion size is the way we were meant to eat and is the optimum way to lose weight. Thankfully, I have gotten to a place that my band isn't controlling what I eat. I am. I actually feel so comfortable with where I am at right now, if I could, I would have my Fluid removed.

I don't for a second think I would have been better off not getting a Lapband. The whole process of the surgery and lifestyle changes has been life altering for me. It wasn't until I began this process that I was able to finally see myself as someone who could sustain a healthy life and not be a fatty the rest of my life.

But the problem was pretty obvious once the effects of the band were gone with the removal of my fluid at the beginning of my pregnancy more than a year ago. Without that help, I gained weight and I gained it fast. Since having the baby, seeing that getting my band filled back up wasn't making much difference for me has really made me take a hard look at my habits and my attitude toward food.< /span>

I feel so blessed to be in a better place again. I'm making consistently good food choices and my body is responding.

[mhazelrigg 1]

Ok VV's! I left for a while, but I realized that I NEED support! I see a few familiar faces and names! Long story short, I got my band February 8, 2008. Love it!! I did awesome. Lost all my weight and then about the last 20 pounds I thought I needed a fill. I didn't. It really only made me throw up....a lot! Then I started using the puking as my weight loss method. After my dentist and my family doctor told me that I needed to get an unfill, and everyone I knew thought I was sick and so thin, I went to the doc and had them take a little out! Then I ate. And ate. And ate. And gained almost 40 pounds. I am still tight. In fact, without a fill, I have found that I am tighter in the last few months than ever before. I need to re "think" my choices. I am back to throwing up a couple times a day, and the thought of doing this anymore is scary to me, almost as scary as getting more Fluid taken out and maybe gaining more weight! So here I am. Back where I should have stayed. Needing help and support from my VV's, once again.

[Shinyhappymommy 2]

Michelle,

Sorry to hear of your struggles. I'm finding your type of situation not all that uncommon. Something happens that doesn't allow us to continue using the band as it should normally be and we gain a bunch of weight back. I'm realizing that work needs to be done within us so that the band isn't the reason we are making good choices. It certainly helped me realize that I can be healthy and thin, but the band isn't enough by itself to keep me there.

Please know you're not alone. I think many of us are struggling in some way. If you're not already seeking help for the bulimia, please do so! If it's not already full-blown bulimia, it will be if it continues. I dare say that would be worse for your health than being obese.

Hang in there!

Melissa