FLORIDAYS

I am confused by the question. Are you asking if there is another way to reduce belly fat other than diet and exercise? Other than a tummy tuck if there is I am not aware of it... From your profile I assume you are male.... in which case that is more common to have all the weight in the tummy. But its is still fat and depending how overweight you are it most likely needs to come off for your health. I would have a chat with your Dr and discuss what options will work for you. Best of luck!

thats a great feeling! Keep up the good work!

There are several reasons people succeed... For me I think the biggest one is that I followed my drs orders. He told me what to eat, when to eat and how to eat . I listened and never tried to take the shortcuts. It not only worked but I haven't had any trouble with my band.

Interesting,..... I never thought about an emergency situation. I will have to think about this.

I stick with 1000 calories... Mostly because if I did t lose this weight At a decent pace i would have become frustrated...well that and I find if I eat 1300-1500 I will just maintain... So I have averaged my loss at about 10 lbs per month.

Ok... But please excuse my laymans knowledge of medical terms,.... What's an NG tube?

And that's a good answer... I was just curious as to why I would need one

Talk to your doctor there may be some creative solutions for self pays I was a bmi of 55 and Aetna wouldn't cover it... My dr and the hospital had an arrangement for self pays ..1/2 down and the other 1/2 was interest free for 2 yrs. the at 2 months post op they called to tell me what a great customer I was...and offered me $.50 on the dollar to payoff my account. It cost me less than if I went to Mexico like I though about. Good luck to You!

Peanut butter was always one of my go to foods as a fat girl... So as delicious as it sounds I will stay away. I have tried a thin spread of pb on toast and I always get heartburn as I did when I was heavy and i hate that so I just deleted it from my grocery list But it sure sounds yummy !

I have the card... But I wonder what purpose would it serve to have the bracelet? I mean obviously it would alert medical personnel that you are banded but why? I really am curious... I mean I always put it on a medical form and have alerted any drs I have seen for whatever reason...including the dentist.. But I would love to know why you think it would be important info for someone to know in an emergency situation.

2 lbs each week is fine... Don't be ashamed of any type of steady loss. If you are satisfied at 1200 calories a day and you are losing ...that's wonderful!

I can totally relate. Thanks for sharing!

Calorie counting worked for me... so while I didnt add in any shakes if you want to just make sure they dont put you over your alloted calorie intake or the day. I lost my weight eating 1000 calories a day so there wasnt much room for shakes. As for sugar... I use sugar free whatever I can and figure the rest of it will work out. Sticking to a low calorie mael plan doesnt leave much room for sugar either. Good luck!

the liquid diet was to get your liver and body ready for surgery. And to teach you that you can live with out eating food. You cannot sustain on it or compare losses to eating food. For me to lose this weight I had to decide how many calories I can eat to lose ... 1000 is my number. I measure and track everything I put in my mouth... I use a kitchen scale and measuring cups and the application on my phone which tracks calories. I could show you what I ate exactly for the past 22 months....LOL I was very strict with myself. Not so much anymore as I am 10 lbs from goal but now is where the band really shines.... For example...last night my husband and I were grabbing a bite before attending a function. He wanted BBQ. SO I could have gotten any number of things but I opted for the BBQ chicken which consisted of a leg and thigh. The sides were "greens" I hate, baked Beans etc... so I just asked for a baked potato / butter on side. The meal came and I got the chicken and potatoe and a HUGE roll. First think I did was as for a to go box. I removed the roll. Then I cut my potato in half and removed one half from my plate. Then I took the skin off the checken leg and thigh and started to eat the meat. I would say It was 3 oz of meat. I ate most of it w/ BBQ sauce. I also ate most of the potato 1/2... about 1/4 c or so. Thats it. I was so full.... and didnt think about food until this morning. Granted I would have preferred 1/4 potato and some veggies but they only had leafy greens and that doesnt sit well with me...and I dont care for them anyway. But Thats how well this band can work. I hope that helps.

I have found that it doesnt matter when I stop drinking before I eat. Its more important that I dont drink after or during. I ueually wait 30 minutes. Any sooner than that usually gets me in trouble. FOr me it feels like the liquid just pushed the food back up if I drink too soon after eating

Nothing you dont know but I feel the question is... why are you eating all that food? I needed this to work for me. I am guessing you did too or you wouldnt have been banded. The band only does 70% of the work. You need to do the rest. ribs and fried chicken arent in my diet plan. The would blow my 1000 calories a day out of the Water. I am a firm believer that you do need to control your calories to lose the weight. With or without the band. The band makes it easier not to over eat but if you are making bad choices day after day you wont lose weight. Once you have lost the weight you can relax and eat that stuff in moderation to maintain. Thats where the band makes it easier in my eyes.

No pain no gain. I know its a tired saying but it true. Recovering from surgery hurts. The meds and following Dr's orders helps..but it was about 2 weeks before I felt normal again. Now that I am way on the other side.... I have no regrets or misgivings. Do I wish I wouldnt have had to resort to surgery? Yes. Am I glad it was an option for me... absolutely!

I agree with the other posters. If I want something I have it. But thats now... For the forst 200 lbs I just found a substitue...as I was on a track which I refused to be derailed off of so sugar free pudding was the go to. One of those premade Jello SF puddings are only like 60 calories. Another was the Granola thins... they are 80 calories I think and the chocolate it a very thin layer but it satisfied me. Now... If I want candy I will have 2 or 3 peanut M&Ms. Thats it.... then I either toss the rest of the bag or hand it to hubby who doesnt struggle with his weight.

Congrats! You will notice that from hear on out you will be needing clothes more often. It was weird... for the first 100 I lost I was able to make do with most of my stuff with pins and creative solutions... Since everythng had elastic waists I could take inthe elastic basically. Those clothes were 3 on top and 4x on bottom. But then when I got into XLs I noticed I started needing clothes sooner thank later but I was losing at the same pace. They say 20 lbs = a dress size... but that never held true when I was fat. But now... OMG is does! In June I was wearing medium tops and 14 bottoms thinking I was skinny as a rail. Ha! 2 months and 20 lbs later some of those mediums are too big and I am wearing sized 10 in pants. Go figure. Best of luck on your continued journey

Well when I started this mt hips measured 77". Currently they are 38" and I am now in 10s. I am amazed actually ... I thought I would be happy in a 14!! Now I have my sights set on 8.... So yes it is very doable!

Some people must have a lot of time on their hands... Going through all the trouble of signing up to make one post.... But I guess it takes all kinds

I too was told not to use a straw for the first few months... I missed it so much and actually drank less not using one so I asked my dr when I was about 6 mths post op and he said as long as a take little sips I could try it since I was certainly healed. Been using one ever since... But please follow your dr instruction.

Me too... Every weekday morning for breakfast and the day after fills... With fat free/skim milk

Originally my Dr told me it was so the food wouldnt wash down too fast. But I find if I forget and drink too soon before or after I eat I usually cannot keep down whatever I am eating. he Dr explained it as the liquid pushes the food back up....

I have lost 208 lbs. The only formal exercise I did was walk 2 miles each day. And I built up to that. While exercise is extremely beneficial...and recommended it isnt necessary to lose the weight.