FLORIDAYS

Long sleeves and socks!!!

I love Reruns of Brady Bunch, Mary Tyler Moore and the Cosby Show. I wouldn't know one of the new shows if I fell over them...lol. Except Sister Wives which I am obsessed with... I have no idea why....

My current goal is not to gain any weight back and to maybe even drop 5 more lbs. during my losing part of this journey I took it 10 lbs at a time... Anything loftier then that would have been overwhelming because I had so much to lose.

Thanks I am 5'9" and was always told I was big boned.... Granted I am too tall to ever be petite but you may find like I did that my bones aren't as big as we once thought. LOL. However since I am in a size 6 now... Losing anymore then 5/10 more lbs wont look well on me I fear.. I took this journey 10 lbs at a time and one day I woke up and I was down 224 lbs... Best of luck to you!!

I ate 1/4 c of startch at every meal during my losing stage so there was nothing to get down on myself about. That. Combiined with 3 oz of protien and 1/2 veggies was a satisfying meal for 22 months. And now maintaining I have the same basic portions which include a starch. It's a healthy balanced meal and nothing you should feel guilty about.

In my case when You are 377 lbs 20 lbs lost is nothing noticeable .... When you are 155 lbs ...people will notice 5 lbs loss.. I think I lost 100 lbs before people really started noticing. Yet just recently someone who saw me last year in April when I was 205 saw me over the weekend and couldn't get over how small I had become since then. And that was only 58 lbs loss..... But the difference from a size 14 to a 6

I too am cold all the time since losing weight.... Good thing I am small now so can layer my clothes and not feel like the michelen puffy man.

I don't know what the 3 in 1 appointment is but welcome to the forum.

I don't see where anyone was rude but I am with other posters.... If you confess your sins on a public forum you'd better expect all sorts of responses.... This isn't church where they Tell you to confess and you will be absolved. This is real live people with passionate views, opinions and hard earned racing stripes.... And we HATE to hear when newly banded people fall off the wagon so soon... It could be very serious to the health of your band, not to mention your loss of motivation and not keeping on the straight an narrow worries us. You will find Most people are very caring and helpful on this board.

Getting on the scale is what kept my motivation at the high level through my losing stage... Keep up the good work!!

Ithink the poster means... You have amazing will power. Some people don't realize you need to express yourself differently in writing...

I was married to diet coke.... It was harder to give that up than anything else. But every time I want one I remind myself that it could cause a medical problem with my band and ignore the cravings.... It's very hard but if I can do it anyone can!!

The previous posters said it all.... I hit the green zone with my 4th fill I think..... And it's been a wonderful journey

I always think I want to eat more than I actually can physically eat...seriously i dream of having a whole burger or a heaping plate of pasta or pick something.. But the truth is i cannt eat it. That's why I love my band...it won't let me. However it may not start out that way as it takes time to get to the green zone so you have to be strict with yourself until that time comes or you won't lose any weight.

I dont know of any body shaper that will permenantly change your shape. After you get to a normal weight you may look into cosmetic surgery but I am betting you find your shape to be just fine. I thought I would always have a butt..fat or thin...... But after losing 224 lbs it is flatter than I could have imagined. Just be patient and speak to a trainer about how to lose belly fat which may speed things along. Good luck

Welcome to the other side. Follow your drs orders and be patient. You may not feel back to normal for a few weeks and that's ok.

While I appreciate your concerns to think you won't eat again is not logical. If you don't eat you will die. What you cannot do is continue to eat the way you have been eating. You can still go out, enjoy friends and family meals and you can still eat. But you must make the correct choices or you will not lose weight. Having a band is like any other diet...but better since You will have a tool to keep your hunger at bay. Best of luck on your journey!!

I have been traveling a lot over the past few weeks for business and this past weekend I was on the same 4 hr flight as was my bariatric surgeon and his wife of all the coincidences!! Turns out he was attending a conference with other bariatric physicians... And introduced me to his new partner whom I hadn't met. We Chatted and I asked him What one learns at a bariatric conference. He said its mostly talks and lectures learning about new procedures, current adaptations in old procedures and this year's focus was on aftercare. I told him I was so excited to hear about that because while I have no complaints with his aftercare from what I hear on this forum,....many drs have a difficiency In that area. He said that aftercare is a topic that is discussed a lot and he said the majority of doctors he knows are very clear to their patients about the keys to being successful with the band. He said it doesnt pay for them not to explain it....people who are successful will be walking billboards And lets face it.. It's a business because it's an elective surgery...whether or not insurance covers it or not. Seeing a dr once a month during the losing stage is paramount in his opinion. He said it allows the dr to get to know the patient, discuss what is working and more importantly what isn't. He said he cannot control the choices his patients make but seeing them once a month shows dedication to the cause and a level of accountability. He said 80% of his patients who don't Miss appointment are successful. Where as those who do have a much lower success rate. That makes complete sense to me. I asked him why people aren't successful and he said unless there is a medical reason like a slip or some other problem it's because they aren't disciplined about following a measured way of eating, they aren't counting calories or they are eating the wrong things. He said he really believes the reason I was able to lose my weight is because I took it seriously and followed his rules. He also said most people expect miracles and think its a magic cure to get banded. They do not hear the dr when he tells them it will take lots of effort. It was refreshing to speak to this man in a setting outside his office... But it further confirmed that the band is JUST a tool.... And like anything else it needs to be treated that way.

What a wonderful NSV!!! Congrats

I count calories...those foods have calories...so I eat a small amount and track it. Just remember when I say small... I mean small. For example 1/4 c of Mac and cheese suits is all I allow myself

I had a 4 inch flap of skin for lack of a better term.... And my tummy tuck took off 10 oz.... I was amazed but the dr said there was no fat behind it and skin just doesn't weigh that much. I was disappointed but thrilled with the results so not too worried about how much that skin weighed. I am almost 3 months post op from my tt and breast lift.

It was about at the 150 lost mark... I still had 70 lbs to go and went about 6 weeks sticking to my plan without losing. At 4 wks without a loss I went to the dr because I was so frustrated and he gave me a slight fill but it didn't help much. I think I lost a lb in 2 weeks. Then on the seventh week... I dropped 5 lbs and I was back on track. Stalls are tough but if you stick it out... They will pass and the losing will return.

The unknown is scary. I get that! But I can promise you you will not feel your band at all as its around the stomach not the throat or wind pipe. You will feel the port... possibly right away or maybe after you lose some belly fat. It feels like a bump or knot under your skin and does not hurt. Try to relax...

While this time is for healing... its important to count calories and measure portions as well. I fear many people forget to do that and think they are eating small amounts which may be true but they forget to count the calories. Also drink lots of Water... that made a huge difference for me. I found that even eating 1000 calories a day...if I didnt drink at least 64 oz of water i wouldnt lose weight. Also after liquids I was done with Protein shakes. The are alot of calories and do not fill you up so you may want to consider and speak to your dr about getting your protein from real food instead.

You cannot judge yourself against others...this is a really personal thing and everyone is different. I first hit the green zone when I was at 5.5 ccs in a 10cc band but I had a decent amount of restriction from The beginning. For me it changed as I lost the weight and the band loosened. The first year I had 6 fills. The 2nd year I had 2 fills. The last being last October.