Ok, I have a confession:blush:

I just LOVE being thin! Most of my adult life I have been overweight or obese, so this is really new to me. Last time I was even close to normal size was when I got out of Navy Boot Camp back when I was still 18 (too young to know better). Now I am almost at goal and I’m really enjoying the new me.

Since about 5 months out, I have been pretty open with everyone that I had surgery, even with strangers. The problem is that almost half the people I tell have had some experience with friends or family that lost a bunch in the first year of WLS, but then gained it all back. Usually they are not specific about which WLS it was, but they imply that my loss will be short lived:scared2:

I am only 7 months out, lost fairly easily, had no complications, am feeling great, and I’m sticking to the lifestyle. But I REFUSE to go back!!! I won’t let myself be a statistic and be one of “those” people that lost it but then slacked off and gained it all back. For now I am focusing on my weight goal (only a few pounds to go there) and my Body Fat goal of 15%.

I need to commit to myself right now that I will always be vigilant and never let myself fall into old habits. I know that if I have a complication, I could gain the weight back. But barring complications, it should be on me right? I should be able to do this. Scratch that, I will do this dammit:cursing:

I so agree with you. I did not go through this only to gain again, I have done that too many times in the past.

I got a little frustrated yesterday when I went for my 4th fill. I was told that my weight is acceptable! No its not I have a BMI of 26 which is still overweight(apparently 27 is OK these days). I was told that to be considered a success with a lapband you will lose between 50 - 60% of your excess weight. According to my fill Dr's calculations i have lost 90%.

I disagree. I will not settle for mediocrity. My goal is to be around the middle of the accepted weight range for my height. I am 153cm and am aiming for 52kg (115lb) - I do not think this is unreasonable.I am going to get there and this time I am going to stay there.

I think the worst part about being told that my weight is fine when I know damn well that it isn't is that the fill Dr that was telling me this is skinny! Why is it OK for her to be skinny(which is not my aim) but not for me to be slim!

GRRR

To hell with BMI, and to hell with people telling you that you’ve gone far enough. When I got close to goal, I started to realize that BMI wasn’t accurate enough for me. I’m 6’ tall so a 24.9 BMI would put me at 184lbs. I’m pretty close to that now and still have some flab around the belly. I decided to try to be more accurate, so I got a Hydrostatic Dunk test to check my actual body fat. The first time I went (about 2 months ago) I was at 22% which is Average, 3 weeks ago I improved to 21% and I go in tomorrow for another test. Even though 21% is average (and a good stopping point for some), I am not satisfied with that. I think I can lose the additional 10-15lbs of fat (while building muscle) to get to 15%, which is considered Ideal in terms of Body Fat.

Hmmmm, its very annoying when people cant handle your success and have to console themselves with feeling certain you will fail. Why cant people just be happy for others? But we've all felt the same way at times. I feel it everytime one of our friends or families buys a new house or car. We seem to be surrounded by very wealthy friends and relatives, we do OK, certainly above average but we dont have the financial freedom that say, my sister does, who bought herself a BMW on a whim last week.

But as to the habits etc, after 4 years, I definitely eat more "normally" than I did at first. But you know, I really believe its the commitment to exercise that makes all the difference there. Keep up the hard core exercise and you will stay thin.

While some comments like this are based on jealousy, these ones in particular were not. The ones I had in mind were by people that they really knew to have slipped backwards in some way. As I said, I don’t know the particulars of the WLS or the reasons they slipped, just that after some success they ended up that way. The fact that we can and sometimes do fail inspired me to start this post. I want to make myself vigilant so that I never end up in that category.

Jachut, you are an inspiration. Several years out and still thriving… I can only hope the rest of us “age” as gracefully as you when we are 4 years old and beyond.

I love everbody's positive attitudes and drives. I believe that all of you will reach your goal and stay there for the rest of your lives because nobody wants to go back to to the unhappiness.

My surgeon said that I will only loose like 50% and be at 200 lbs. he said that is fine because that will reduce the risk of heart failure..etc etc. I refuse to go through this and still be so overweight!. He said that its impossible to loose 100% of your extra body fat...but I have seen plenty of people on this site alone who have done that. I know I can do it..there is no reason not to.

Good luck with your goals..i know you can do it!!!

I think they say the 50% thing as a CYA. They don’t want to get your hopes up and for you to be frustrated if you don’t reach that stretch goal. The historical data may show that to be the case, but the procedure and the community has changed a lot since the early days of WLS. Now there are so many more people doing this and such a better support system in place, I would have to guess the success rates are climbing. It would be interesting to see what it is looking just a few years back. In any event, I think you have a much better chance of taking off a higher percentage of excess weight and keeping it off if you actively work on it. Again, that is the reason I started this thread. I feel like the band is a tremendous tool, but I have to keep working on it to have success. For me, that means being conscious of the calories I consume (all of them), trying to balance my meals with appropriate vitamins and proteins, sticking to an exercise regimen, and generally just not slacking off.

I can tell you from experience though, that 50% is certainly not the limit and I don’t think anyone should set that as a goal. I started at 285lbs, which is exactly 100lbs over a normal BMI for a 6’ tall male. As of today, about 7.5 months out, I am down over 95lbs – which means I have dropped 95% of my excess weight. I must admit that the loss has slowed a bit in the last month, but I attribute that to the muscle mass that I am building from working out and lifting weights (I am trying to get to 15% Body Fat).

Some of my favorite tickers on here read something like this “The biggest risk with setting your goals too low is that you will achieve them.” Set your goals high, and then give yourself a stretch goal even a little past that. Then, as you start to achieve success (or slowdown), reevaluate your goals. Not reaching a goal may not constitute failure, it may just mean that the reality of the situation has changed. I have started to blow past many of my early goals and am now past any historical reference for me. With that in mind, my new goals are into uncharted territory. For some of them, I don’t even know if my body can get there – but I will set them anyway and strive to achieve them.

I couldn't agree more but I have to tell you I am now in a state of panic. Like you I was always overweight so its only in the last year that I have found out what normal is. It's strange when people tell me I need a sandwich. I went from 296 to 170 at 5'10.

I think I did every right - portion control, balanced meals and work out. BUT here is the problem- a recent bout with the flu has led to me a 3rd port infection and possible band infection (we wont know until next week, but I am having some issue eating I never had). Its only been 15 months, are the lifestyle changes "rooted" enough for me to be band free? I don't want to be fat again. I don't care what it takes at the gym but point is I can completely agree with you.

Thanks to all for the inspirational "pump up"! I had a bad day today and was feeling down. This has motivated me to accept my mistake and move on!

I couldn't agree more but I have to tell you I am now in a state of panic. Like you I was always overweight so its only in the last year that I have found out what normal is. It's strange when people tell me I need a sandwich. I went from 296 to 170 at 5'10.

I think I did every right - portion control, balanced meals and work out. BUT here is the problem- a recent bout with the flu has led to me a 3rd port infection and possible band infection (we wont know until next week, but I am having some issue eating I never had). Its only been 15 months, are the lifestyle changes "rooted" enough for me to be band free? I don't want to be fat again. I don't care what it takes at the gym but point is I can completely agree with you.

Don’t panic, you have some options.

First off, let me say that you were tremendously successful with losing the weight – not everyone is, so be very proud of that and take comfort in it. My thoughts are that are even if you have a setback, you can get back on track again because you know you have success in you.

Now to the issue, I don’t know much about band complications so I am no expert, but I have heard plenty of people on here that have successfully dealt with an infection. Hopefully you have a good doctor and he is diligently working on it, if not, don’t be afraid to switch doctors. Your health and your continued success are too important to idle with a mediocre doctor. If it goes horribly bad and you do lose the band, I wouldn’t count on willpower and the new lifestyle to keep you thin. I know it wouldn’t be enough for me. I need the assistance the band provides to me. But even if that happens, don’t give up. There are a lot of people on here that have had the band removed for complications and then were able to put it back after healing – you did it once, you can do it again. Also, you should seriously start considering revising to the sleeve or some other WLS in the event the band is completely unavailable to you. I’m not one of those that feels emotional about the band or the sleeve, the only thing I am emotional about is my fierce determination to stay thin. If that means another band or getting a sleeve, sign me up – I will never be fat again.

I didn't want to be a statistic either. 50-60% was not good enough for me. I kept at it until I lost 100% of my excess weight . . . even after the birth of my daughter 3 months ago I am maintaining a normal BMI.

This journey is what you make of it. As long as you are willing to put in the effort, any reasonable goal is achievable. Don't forget that averages are just that . . . the middle of the road. It includes people that follow the rules and work out diligently and people that never exercise and drink milkshakes every day. It is YOU who decide where you want to be . . . so make the best of a good situation.

So true Heather.

I know there are some slow losers out there, I have sympathy for those of you in that category – I really do. But for some others that don’t seem to lose, or don’t keep it off, or whatever it is you are failing at - don’t give up and don’t give in.

I have been real successful so far and the band has helped a ton, but I had to work too. On those days I fell down, I had to kick my own a$$ the next couple of days to get back on track. If I stalled for some reason, I looked hard at what I was eating and doing to find out how to kick start myself.

This weekend was a good example. We had a party on Friday with homemade lasagna. OMG, I love lasagna. Wouldn’t you know it? It went right past the band, then I had Snacks and desert as well. Probably 4 times my normal caloric intake for the day. I dreaded getting on the scale Saturday morning (I assumed I would be up 5 lbs), I was up 2.4 lbs. Not great, but not tragic. I watched what I ate on Saturday and hit the Gym super hard. Sunday, half of the gain was gone and today the rest was almost gone too. In the past I might have let something like that be the catalyst for breaking a diet. Not anymore. Now I know I can have a “controlled” slip, but I MUST get right back on the routing right after.

A slip doesn’t have to become a fall.

Edited September 14, 200916 yr by KartMan

So true Heather.

A slip doesn’t have to become a fall.

I love that- it reminds me of those old medic-alert ads with the old lady on the floor. In out case its a guy with chocolate cake on his face BUT on a treadmill. I fallen and I did get up - I love it.

Now I know I can have a “controlled” slip, but I MUST get right back on the routing right after.

A slip doesn’t have to become a fall.

I agree with this 110%.

I have had too many slips to count over the years, but the only way to get to goal was to jump right back on the horse and keep on going. The band really helped me with this aspect of the journey.

I love everbody's positive attitudes and drives. I believe that all of you will reach your goal and stay there for the rest of your lives because nobody wants to go back to to the unhappiness.

My surgeon said that I will only loose like 50% and be at 200 lbs. he said that is fine because that will reduce the risk of heart failure..etc etc. I refuse to go through this and still be so overweight!. He said that its impossible to loose 100% of your extra body fat...but I have seen plenty of people on this site alone who have done that. I know I can do it..there is no reason not to.

Good luck with your goals..i know you can do it!!!

You should never listen to the crap they feed you about the % you can lose... I hate when they do that. I think most people can and do lose most or ALL of their weight.

I will be 100% honest.. Until the last month I didn't even attempt to work out I only changed my eating. Now I am running... However, in the time I was banded and didn't try to work out I lost 77% of my excess weight. I am 20lbs from my goal right now and 27lbs from a medically healthy weight. I am having to work for the last bit of the weight and I am sooooo ok with that. I am loving being able to run and it makes me want to do MORE! I will never be fat again.

Don’t panic, you have some options.

Now to the issue, I don’t know much about band complications so I am no expert, but I have heard plenty of people on here that have successfully dealt with an infection. Hopefully you have a good doctor and he is diligently working on it, if not, don’t be afraid to switch doctors. Your health and your continued success are too important to idle with a mediocre doctor. If it goes horribly bad and you do lose the band, I wouldn’t count on willpower and the new lifestyle to keep you thin. I know it wouldn’t be enough for me. I need the assistance the band provides to me. But even if that happens, don’t give up. There are a lot of people on here that have had the band removed for complications and then were able to put it back after healing – you did it once, you can do it again. Also, you should seriously start considering revising to the sleeve or some other WLS in the event the band is completely unavailable to you. I’m not one of those that feels emotional about the band or the sleeve, the only thing I am emotional about is my fierce determination to stay thin. If that means another band or getting a sleeve, sign me up – I will never be fat again.

Thanks Kartman- yeah this is my 3rd port infection (second with this port) so I know the options which is good that there options. We are fighting the infection. Right now the hardest part honestly is that I haven't been able to work out for 6 days and won't be able to for another 7. And its killing me - which is very funny in some ways (proof that the new me has taken root).

I would consider the other surgeries if needed -- not sure they would be the right choice since portion more then anything seems to have been my issue.

Going to take it one day at a time, see how well I have re-trained myself and make the needed choice if need be. FAT IS NOT A OPTION.