Joel

Hi all! I havent been on here in a while. I was banded almost 2 years ago. I was on here every day in the months before my surgery, and the months following. Just a quick re cap for all that dont feel like searching my old posts, My story began at the age of 29. I was right at 360 ish pounds give or a take a cheeseburger or two;) and going up. Miserable, High blood pressure. It was taking a toll on my marriage, However my wife was always supportive and loving. I can see now how much it affected our marriage though in the size 32 pants I wear today. It was also effecting the life I wanted to live with my two little girls. I could not be the daddy I needed to be for them. So with that being said, I took the leap, lost the 30 pounds needed for my surgery and went for it. I made a solid, silent commitment to myself before my surgery. I took what my doctors had said to heart. This was not a fix all cure all. I would need to change my thinking process. The band was there to help and that is it. So Oct 25th 2011 I had my surgery. The next week was hell as all you bandsters know. All kinds of crazy pains to get through. Then came all the steps up to moving back into regular foods, and very small amounts as you all know. As soon as I could I was back i the gym 6 days a week. I walked 2 miles a day, until i was fit enough to run. Weightlifting 2 hours a day. In the month of december following my surgery I dropped 33 pounds alone. I have never been so focused toward a goal in my life. My doctors were and still are today at what I did in the amount of time I did it. By June 7th 2011 I had hit my goal mark of weighing 180 pounds.And I did it in less than 9 months. The band is the real deal, IF YOU make up your mind to use it properly. Today I stand at a healthy 200-205 pounds pending a piece of chicken Breast:) I have been able to maintain my current weight for a good year without any issues whatsoever. The single best attribute of the band is not the fact that it creates a little pouch so you get full faster, but it TRAINS you on how to eat properly which is the best gift of all. My high blood pressure is gone, I can run with my daughters at the park, I am still in the gym 5 days a week and I absolutely love being healthy and fit. I am so addicted to fitness and weight training, my wife has threatened to commit me to an asylum. 180 pounds lost. Exactly 1/2 of me in under 9 months To all the nay sayers that come on here and bash the band, and I have seen plenty of them. It is what YOU and a band make of it. Nothing more. Nothing less. For all the people on here that are struggling with staying with it and miss the food. Press on;) The gift of health, the gift of wearing normal clothes, the gift of a longer life. Is is far more valuable than that value meal:) And to all the doctors out there that are slowly moving away from the band, saying "you can only lose 40% or so of the excess weight" Ha!!. Dont let that move you from your choice of the band. Because again. Its you, Not the band. I am here for any and all guidance, questions and or concerns any time. I have a few pictures before and afters as well on my gallery for you guys to see. God bless Joel

Thank you all for your posts, especially you Prettythick1

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Like I said feel free to message me anytime if you have any questions. I love to help:)

Agree with Jachut. Its called over training and it is very real.

So like the title says after 14 + solid months of no illnesses I got the dreaded stomachs flu. I dry heaved a lot, up until I eventually did vomit, but it took a lot out of me to get the crap to come up. I can eat like normal still and no problems getting liquids down, but I am having cramping in my stomache, and it is extremley hard to burp, I am assuming this may be due to swelling? Any insights would be appreciated. God bless.

Thank you!

Yeah I went to see my doc yesterday and I am 100% ok, just still have some serious cramping in my lower abdomen. But Ill survive. Thanks for the help.

TWO WORDS...CROCK POT!!!! I EAT 24 OZ OF CHICKEN BREAST A DAY, I HAVE NO ISSUES IF I CROCK POT THOSE BABIES!!!

Name, real or screen~ JOEL CRAWFORD Goal weight for December 29th~ HMMM, WELL, IM KINDA TRYING TO GAIN WEIGHT LOL! MORE MUSCLE!! Weight on December 1st~ Age~30 Dietary goal for December~2500 CALS A DAY, 200-230 GRAMS OF Protein A DAY, LOTS OF COMPLEX CARBS! Exercise goal for December~I GO TO THE GYM 6 DAYS A WEEK Personal goal for December~ DROP MY BODY FAT % TO 15-17% CURRENTLY AT 20% Date banded~OCT 25TH 2011 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ MAX LOSS IS 176 POUNDS. What is your favorite Winter/Christmas/Holiday Activity?~ FOOTBALL!!! WEIGHT LIFTING!! Like This Quote MultiQuote

Congrats to you!! Great job!!!

Yup totally normal. I was banded Oct 25th 2011, went through all the holidays on liquid. Sat out in the living room all by myself through thanksgiving diner drinking my protein feeling sorry for myself lol. But I stuck to it and it paid off. Today my mind is 100% trained to eat correctly thanks to my band. Hang in there. It does get easier;)

Im in Olympia. Whats your issues with getting the protein?

I am just past 1 year post op. Down 170 pounds, and I am truly amazed by how I am treated by others now in a positive way. Anyone else experience this?

HEY MIKE WHERE YA LOCATED? IM IN THE NORTHWEST REGION MYSELF, WASHINGTON ACTUALLY. HIT ME UP ANYTIME MY FRIEND.

Well I had surgery on the 25th of October 2011. I was 360+ pounds going into this wonderful journey, Today I am a solid 197 ish. Would I do it all again? YOU DAMN RIGHT I WOULD!! But.... It truly is what YOU as a person make it to be. The hard work, determination and tenacity MUST be there to reach your goals. God bless you all. Feel free to check out my before and after photos. But be kind;)

I am 30 going on 31 in december

Thank you Huntersgirl Just keep your focus and you will have great success! @marketing dude. To be 100% honest, I was not always over weight. I was very athletic in middle and highschool, played football all my years. Once I started the work life, I started eating unhealthy due to it being easier to get fast food, and I became heavily addicted to it, almost like a drug. My wife is an amazing cook, and she always has dinner for me and my kiddos on the table each night, for the most part she always tried to get me to eat healthy as she is a very healthy woman. I myself just could not change my thought process, I tried and tried, and food always beat me in the end. I looked forward to eating, it excited me. But as time went on, I ballooned to 360+ pounds, developed severe sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. I tried the gym about 20 times, but never had the patience it truly took to see any major changes, got burnt out each time a failed over and over, only to go back to indulging myself with food. So here I was 28 years old, obese, unhealthy and unhappy. I had 2 beautiful baby girls and a woman I loved dearly basically watching me slowly kill myself. So I decided I needed to do something different and I looked at surgery. The lapband was my choice obviously, but I was denied by my insurance. So I left it alone and forgot about it for the next 9 months. Then out the blue, My grandmother came to me and said I had a bank account with 20k sitting in if for me for my surgery. I was stunned. I could not believe it. I am so blessed for the opportunity my grandmother gave me and I made a promise to myself to not waste what she gave me. So I said i will get to my goal in under a year. From 360 pounds to 180, exactly half my starting weight. I did it in under 8 months, one month I actually lost 33 pounds alone and it was the month of december 2011 even with all the holiday foods! My doctors and surgeons are still stunned to this day on my progress and I have been asked to come speak for them. My goal consumed me, I focused on it day and night. My wife was extremely supportive. I woke up every day at 315 am, went and walked at first then began to run 1 mile a day, rain, snow, sleet, hail, brimstone, it did not matter. Then I hit the gym directly after that lifting weights. At lunch time at work, I changed my lunch into exersize, instead of eating i walked 2 miles 5 days a week. My caloric goal was 1200. 600 was Protein Shakes alone, My meals were 2 ounces each, i would eat 3 times a day. I am not going to lie, it was hard. Very hard. There were days when i was very sluggish due to lack of calories, I got light headed at times, but pushed through. So in a sense, not wasting my grandmothers gift, was my main push, along with living a better life for not only me, but also my girls. Today I am a healthy 197 pounds, 19-20% body fat, would like to be 15-17% but I am happy and healthy. I am taking in about 2300 calories a day now, all lean meats, veggies fruits, and PEANUT BUTTER! I love Peanut Butter. My new goal is to put on some more solid muscle, I would like to be around 210-215 with 17% body fat, but you have to eat so much to really have big gains in muscle, and we all know what the band does lol, so there is my new consuming goal;) Goals are the entire key, and having the patience to see them come to fruition.