pink dahlia

Try finding 1-2 activities that you really like so you' ll stick with it, and try tracking your food in My fitness pal. com. I take a swim class 3x week and run 1-2 x weekly. I love anything outside, so being able to run ( slooooooooowly) is an absolute joy for me.

This isnt on your list, but I loved the Ensure drinks , found in grocery stores in the diabetic section. ( Cheapest at Walmart, about $6.50 for a 6 pack). Usually only have choc, strawberry, vanilla and french vanilla, I loved them.

I rarely have pizza as its not my thing , but an occasional slice with THIN crust goes down just fine. There is a place near me ( Spiro's) that makes an amazing pizza with chicken , garlic, spinach and a cheesy white sauce, but what I love the most is their crust !!! I think it has cornmeal in it so its not thick and heavy like other crusts, and I have never gotten stuck eating this kind of crust. Try making your own !

Well you are amazing on top of being fabulous !!!! You go girl !!!

Great post !! My gratitude list ...............The lapband , my insurance and my Surgeon for giving me my life back. My family and friends for being soooooo supportive. No more sleep apnea, digestive problems and a lower bmi. Feeling good from the inside out, every. single. day. Skinny jeans, cute, smaller sized clothes, more energy, painting my own toenails because I can , running shoes, feeling myself getting stronger all the time, happy to see people and nice compliments from them, grateful that im able to give back to others, and my " so glad my dream came true " the gift of being a runner. ( Slow, but getting better all the time) For that alone, I am truly grateful.

I have the same problem with traditional breakfast foods. Foods that I cant get down in the am are fine at night. ( oatmeal, toast, eggs, etc) For some reason I have no problems with Belvita breakfast biscuts in cinnamon brown sugar ( Costco, and most grocery stores in the cookie aisle) , Sunrise energy bars and Sommersaults (a sunflower seed snack , both at Costco) , nuts, wheat thins with PB, apple slices, pineapple and other fruits are fine.

I am continualy amazed at how many people think they have the right to run their mouths concerning someone else's choices. I literally have not had a single negitive comment in the 2.4 years since surgery. Not one ! Had I gotten a rude or negitive comment, my response would of been something like "Well, you may think you know what you're talking about, but until you've sat down with my Dr. and done your homework you dont, so please keep your opinions to yourself ! " Not rude, but def making it clear that I was standing my ground! Im very grateful that I always had positive comments , or none at all. When the weight starts coming off of you, just be prepared for nice compliments ! Good luck !

Remember that every stage is just that, a "stage". Its' s only temporary , NOT forever ! Each stage has a purpose to have the band be a success, and for you to lose the extra weight, which is why you chose to be banded in the 1st place, right ? As far as mourning the food you wont be able to eat, I can still eat 95 % of normal food, I just have to adjust the texture so it goes down easier . Softer, thin textures are fine, thick , chewy ones are not. You, ll find out what works for you in time. Yes, I miss broccoli, but I sure dont miss 65 lbs !

Congrats ! I can only hope I can get to my goal too someday !

During the after surgery liquid stage I only cheated once, one day I just had to have something slightly solid, so I cheated with tuna mixed with a little mayo, boy was that good ! After that it was sf pudding, soup, applesauce, protein shakes etc.

I feel like im reading my own life story on some of these posts. I was a very healthy 120-125 lbs as a teenager and through my mid 20' s. I was in the military, played a little soccer and baseball and walked alot. Got married at 29, weighed 143, and my metabolism really started slowing dooooooowwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn................. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Aaaaaaaaaaaand then my weight went up to 225. ( eeeeeeeeek!) Im soooooooo grateful that I had lap available to me 2 yrs ago, im now a healthy , happy 160 lb ME again, and life just keeps getting better and better !

You look great ! Congratulations and keep up the good work ! Care to share how you did it ? Any advice ?

Ive gone from a solid 9.5 med to a 9m and some 8. 5 med. Depends on the shoe as im kind of in between a 8.5 and a 9. Ive noticed several of you are from the greater Seattle area. ( Could our shrinking shoe size have anything to do with our lovely liquid sunshine ?? Maybe we're growing webbed feet ?) Ive heard Nordstroms and Zappos .com are good for larger sizes , I have ordered from Zappos before, beautiful boots and great customer service !!

For the ride home from the hospital, 1-2 bottles of water and a chapstick/lip balm for my all day long cottonmouth. You dr will give you a list, but those items were'nt on the list, lucky I had them in the car. Pain wise , it was a breeze, and I have a very low tolerance for pain. It just felt like a really bad pulled muscle, and I needed help getting off the couch for the first week. If you can clean the house and do laundry before surgery, do so. Also cook ahead for others, as they will be taking care of you and will appreciate an already prepped/ cooked meal. Google "Freezer Meals" or "Hobo Meals" for some easy ideas. I went back to work after 7 days with no problems. Good luck !

Good for you for getting started on a path to good health !! It can only get better! I followed my Drs rule 95 % of the time and had very good results. (Now im working on those pesky last 20 lbs, hopefully as the weather improves I can get outside more ) Although you will need to cut back on alot of the junk food for good results , I can still eat 95% of regular food, I just have to sub 1 texture for another to get it down. For instance I cant do chicken breast or pork chops , ( too tough) but chicken thighs and pork loin are fine. You'll find out what works for you, and best of all as the weight is falling off of you, you'll find that the healthy body that is emerging will befar more important than ANY food. GOOD LUCK !!!!

Wow ! Congratulations on your success ! You look amazing !!! I have 20 lbs to go to reach my goal of 140, so im glad to see great stories like yours. I too have issues at night with snacking. I eat well during the day, but really crave sweet and/or crunchy snacks in the late afternoon and evening. You asked for suggestions on snacks, maybe try pb on celery, a frozen sf pudding, a carmel flavored rice cake ( delish ! ) , banana slices drizzled with chocolate, then frozen, etc. Hope this helps! Good luck !

I have BCBS, they approved me 1st letter. My bmi was 40, I had sleep apnea, and high bp. Not anymore !

Try putting a fat free or sugar free pudding cup in the freezer for a couple hours. Cold, creamy and sweet ! Taste just like ice cream but less sugar. The less sugar you eat the less your body will crave it. Try finding healthier s substitutes for your ice cream habit, and hopefully you'll see the weight come off. Good luck !

I think alot of parents put the kids and house 1st, and themselves last because the kids and house are generally more important and time consuming than our own needs. Parents often come in last place when it comes to time and money spent on themselves, or they feel guilty for saying no to the kids and then saying yes to themselves. But for your healthy future and being a healthy parent I think you might want to see your self as being a good example of a parent who takes care of themself, so that they can take care of the family too. Good luck !

2muchfun, I couldnt of said it better ! About a year and a half ago a high school friend of my daughters came through my line at work with his dad, (early 40's) who was in an electric wheel chair. The kid introduced us, the dad and I chatted while I rang him up. Guess what he bought ?? Yep, soda pop and several candy bars ! Eeeeeeeeeeeek ! Im NOT perfect, I have a little sweet or chocolate everyday, but did this guy just NOT get it that he was in a wheelchair because of his eating habits !????? I wanted to tell him about lapband so bad, but definetly not the time or place ! (Although that has not ever stopped my daughter from telling anybody and everybody that i had a lap band done when they ask her how I lost my weight ! )

Congrats ! Way to go ! Whats your secret ? Im having trouble with the last 20 lbs. Any advice ? I have an appt tommorrow for a fill an a 6 month check in with my surgeon , but would love to hear ANYONES advice . CONGRATS AGAIN ! YOU ARE AWESOME !!!!!

It happened just this morning at a breakfast with co workers. I could only eat a tiny bit as I dont do well with tradional breakfast foods, ( hash browns, bacon, egg and toast), and I split the plate with a co worker and still could nt eat hardly anything . One lady asked if it was from the band and I said yes, but I also had to remind myself that there would always be food in my world and that it was ok to NOT clean my plate ! I pushed the plate away, and was happy I did !

This forum, a Magic Bullet, and when I wore that out , a Nutri Bullet. Also, my local YMCA for swimming 3x a week, and my local dog park with the nice walking trails. Last but not least , my hubby for being so supportive and helpful !

Sorry, its Bornshoes.com

Good for you !! Another brand that I found to be very comfy was a brand called Born, they have them at Penneys and Macys, and probably some other nice stores too. I bought a super comfortable pair of cute brown low boots that are still very good for being on cement floors all day. Try their website too, Born. com. Have fun shoe shopping !