Mrs. CMK

Beautiful! I completely understand.

So a few weeks ago I posted that I would be taking a business trip this week and was hoping that I had lost enough weight to no longer need the seat belt extender. I am happy to say that I DID NOT NEED IT! Not only that but there was 5-6 inches of belt left! I usually ask the flight attendant before finding my seat for the extender. I made the decision to not ask this time. I felt pretty sure that I might not need it but I was prepared to ask for it if I needed to. I sat down and easily put it on. I just sat there and cried. With tears rolling down my face, I called my husband to share my excitement with him. He just said over and over, "I am so proud of you.". I flew back this morning with such comfort. I used the tray in front of me for my beverage (couldn't do that before) and even crossed my legs for a while. I am floating on a cloud!

This gave me chills! Congratulations to you. It is so awesome.

Bless your heart. This happened to me too. I was sort of mortified but they were so non-chalant about it. Apparently happens all of the time. No big deal. Just let them know and they will take care of you. God bless your journey!

Oh my goodness. I just got my DL out and it is 29 lbs less than I weigh right now. Better than 5 1/2 months ago when it would have been 95 lbs less. Thanks for forcing me to look at it. Makes me feel pretty good.

So very happy for you! Keep up the great work!

Congratulations! So very happy for you. Go get'em girl!

Who knew that I would be so excited about size 18 pants? Today, I put on a pair of size 18 dress pants. Happy Dance!!!!! It might as well be a size 8 because it makes me feel like a million bucks! Goodbye forever size 24, 22, and 20! Yahoo!!!!!

I'm glad you said this. I have put everything in bags to get rid of. I am going to dig one outfit out and keep it in the back of the closet as a reminder of how far I have come. Thanks so much!

I, too, log my exercise into MFP but I never use the extra calories. Although MFP says I can eat up to 1540 calories per day (without the exercise), I stay around 1200. This is what works for me.

Thank you everyone! Your support means so much!

Wowsa! You look fabulous! By the way, I love those jeans in your after picture.

A really helpful tracking tool for me has been www.myfitnesspal.com I know there are others out there too that are helpful. Check it out and put in your food and exercise. It has been a life saver for me. I wish you all the best. Don't give up!

Breakfast: Quaker Healthy Weight Maple & Brown Sugar oatmeal Snack: banana Creme Pie Low Fat Yogurt Lunch: Tuna & Crackers Dinner: Scrambled egg whites & Jennie O Turkey Bacon (yummy) If I have the urge for a snack after dinner I will have maybe a small banana, apple, SF pudding, or SF Blue Bunny fudgesicle. Have a great day!

We waited less than a week. It didn't seem to kill his mood when I said 3 times...."careful, careful". lol

Well, I had to take a business trip back in August and I posted about being disappointed that I still needed the seatbelt extender. At that point, I was down 42 lbs but still needed the extender although it was very close. I am flying again on 10/28 and at this point am down another 18 lbs for a total of 60 lbs. Woot! Woot! . Maybe this is it! Maybe I won't need the extender this time. We shall see. I will let you know.

Oh my goodness! So many NSV's in one situation! I would probably be doing some sort of crazy happy dance on the plane and get thrown off for erratic behavior. lol

I will keep my fingers crossed for both of us!

I just want to shout from the roof tops how good I am feeling. I have 57 ugly pounds off since 5/16/12 and I feel great! I just finished up 6 weeks of traveling and training for my job. As a facilitator it is necessary for me to be on my feet to do my presentations. 6 months ago I could barely stand for 5 minutes without my feet and back hurting. I often sat in a tall chair behind the podium. I knew it was less than professional but I just couldn't stand. That burden is behind me now. I can stand and move so much more easily now. I know I have a long way to go but boy have I come a long way. So much more energy. I go to the doctor for my 3rd fill on 10/16. I feel very little restriction at this point and am hoping this next fill will do the trick. I know it may take several more fills to get to the green zone and I truly look forward to it. Right now though, I get great satisfaction from doing this basically on my own or I should say God and I are doing it together because without Him I can do nothing. Thanks for letting me share. Added note: I reached my exercise goal of 150 minutes per week for 12 weeks in a row and then upped the goal to 165 minutes per week and have reached it for the past 3 weeks. Woot! Woot!

I do a nice amount of flying, out of town, for business. For the past 5 years or so, I have had to ask for a seat belt extender and I hate it. My husband and I flew together for the first time last year and I had to confess to him that I was going to need to ask for one. Being the sweet man that he is, he didn't bat an eyelash. Anyway....I flew to Milwaukee last week and being down 42 lbs, I thought perhaps I wouldn't need it. Unfortunately, I did. But I am very close! I probably won't be flying again until the end of the year. This is my goal....to lose enough so that I can get that regular seat belt fastened with no extra help. I'll keep you updated.

I, too, have experienced this. Brings tears to my eyes thinking about it.

Congratulations! Way to go! Happy Dance for you!!!!!

I know this is a tough time. I lost only 2 lbs in the first 3 weeks after surgery. I was devastated. Then I began to read this forum and there is actually a name for it, Bandster Hell. This is very normal. Type the words "Bandster Hell" into the search engine on this site and read all of the posts of your fellow bandsters who went through the same thing. It did me a world of good because I thought I was losing my mind. You can do this but it will take time and willpower (unfortunately) during this phase of your banded life. *hugs*

I am so sorry you are going through a tough time. Most of us, who have told a friend or a family member about our decision to become banded knows what it is like to get a negative reaction. Mine was from my daughter and I cried for 2 days. Most of the people in your life probably are just concerned for your health and safety and not very educated on weight loss surgery and more than likely, they don't know the level of soul searching you have gone through to get to this decision. I know it is tough to sustain your motivation and enthusiasm but imagine how great you will feel after you have lost weight. Really imagine it. Do your best to shrug off the comments. Unfortunately, sometimes people react negatively because they are jealous and their comments really have more to do with their own unhappiness than you personally. Most importantly, join a support group. My face to face and online support groups have been a God send to me. I get more educated every day and I can counteract any negativity with facts. The positive-ness and success of others who share their story has made it easier to deal with any negativity around me. Everyone's weight loss journey is a personal one. No one knows what is best for you except for you. If others try to talk you out of it, just smile and tell them you appreciate their concern, but only time will tell if this is the right decision for you. And then work extra hard to prove them wrong. I hope this helps you. God Bless

I'm 5'2" and started at 304 lbs and was in a very tight size 22 (I should have been wearing 24). The 22's are now getting baggy and I think another 10 lbs I will try to get into some 20's.