gowalking

You know Lisa...this would be a good topic to discuss on Saturday. Instead of focusing on numbers or clothing sizes, we should talk about what we've been able to accomplish..or what we want to accomplish.

Excellent. Looking forward to seeing you again Alex...and LI Lady as well.

Don't assume you'll gain anything Di. If you do, no big deal but I found it easier to walk away from the food than I thought. And because I was moving so well and so pain free, it was pretty easy to keep to my healthy eating plan. Yes, it's alot of food, but if you stick to Protein and fresh veggies, you'll be fine. There is always fish or other lean Proteins available and there is a great variety of veggies as well. You'll do fine!

So proud of you!!

Hi Candace. My high weight was 267. Because I'm only a little over five feet tall, this meant I had a BMI of more than 50. Morbidly obese is what I was. I got the lapband in January of 2013 and pre-op I lost 17 lbs. The day of surgery, I was 250 lbs. and today I'm 128. I'm in the normal BMI range but these are just numbers. The important thing is that I lost the weight I needed to and got the hip replacements I had to have. I went from constant, debilitating pain to almost no pain and being able to move around like a normal person again. I've gone from simply existing to living again. I've said it many times on this forum....I have truly been reborn. I have a life again and it's all good. Don't let a high starting weight deter you. Don't let the past failures deter you. If you do as your doctor tells you, you will succeed. As my signature says, 'Compliant bandsters are successful bandsters'. Many of those who responded to you are just as successful as I have been so here's to your future success. Wishing you all the best.

..how grateful I am for my band. I was on a cruise last week and was able to do whatever I wanted. I walked all over this huge ship and had no pain, no issues at all. I went onto a small boat to go snorkeling and had no problem getting on it from the dock, or getting in and out of the Water on the ladder either. I was even able to run the length of that long long pier in St. Thomas as we were late back to the ship. I kept up and even went faster than my sister. I've gotten a new lease on life and it's all due to the band. I had absolutely no issues with the food because I was so aware of how much better I was feeling this time compared to the last cruise I was on. It's easy to walk away from the buffet when you can move without pain and when you can fit in any chair, booth, lounge chair, barstool, plane seat, etc, etc. Below is a picture of a very happy woman sitting at the bar at Maaho Beach and not sweating like a pig or embarrassed about her size. Life is good. ...oh and I lost another pound even with the increase in alcoholic consumption over the past week.

Aww...thanks Joe. FYI, we're having a support group meeting on Saturday here in the city. Let me know if you can make it and I'll send details.

Well.....I didn't go horseback riding. Turns out there is alot of jewelry shopping on St. Maarten and not just in St. Thomas so I shopped instead. I did however, do the diving and snorkeling in Nassau and that was alot of fun.

So, I went for a follow up at my orthopedic surgeon this morning. The nurse calls me in and is pleasant but not that friendly which surprises me as she is usually very warm and fuzzy. Then she pulls up my chart, looks at my picture, and realizes who I am. Only then does she become herself again. She didn't even know who I was till she saw my chart. Then the surgeon walked in and he's a very direct person so all he did was look at me and say that I got skinny. No fuss, no muss. I guess I do look skinny compared to what I used to look like. This is happening alot lately...an awful lot. So much so that I wonder just how freaking fat was I? Obviously very fat since no one seems to recognize me. It happens all the time at work. It happened again when I got on the elevator yesterday. A woman I've known for more than three years got in a couple of floors down from me and I said hello and she said hello and we started to chat when I realized she had no idea who I was. It happened the day before when I was at a training with a colleague and again...I saw her on the elevator and she told me until I started talking, she didn't know who I was. It's great that folks are telling me how wonderful I look but there is something very off putting when no one knows who you are. I don't recognize the person looking back at me in the mirror and obviously no one else does either. I realize it's not just the weight loss. I'm off the cane, I'm out of glasses, I have a new hair style, and I'm wearing makeup. I guess I am a new person. But it's really gotten me wondering just who I am. Have I changed on the inside as the outside has changed? If so, is it a good change or not? I don't have the answer...it's why I'm in therapy. I need to get to know this new me. I don't know...maybe I just need this part of it to be done with and have the person I am now be the one everyone gets used to and no longer compares against the old version of me. OK...sorry for the long and rambling post but I can't be the only one who is going through this. Anyone else out there going through the same experiences?

I'm banded almost 19 months and have had no fills. As you can see by my ticker, I reached goal, and even lost more weight. It's not willpower alone...it's the band working even though it's empty.

we're having a NYC support group meeting on Saturday afternoon. let me know if you can join us. forget about the gain on the cruise...it's a vacation...and besides...you know without the band, the gain would have been much larger. glad you're back...I had a great time on my cruise as well.

Honey....I know just how you feel, I felt the same way before I had lap band surgery. First of all, you should be able to eat alot of the foods you think you'll never eat again. But....you may find as I did, that you don't want them so much anymore once you find that losing the excess weight feels so much better than how good any food tastes. I just got back from a cruise, and believe it or not, I lost a pound. I had virtually no problem eating healthy choices and not overeating. I feel soooo much better with the weight loss and better mobility that I don't care about what I can't or shouldn't eat anymore. If you need to have food funerals right now, go ahead and do it. But I bet that once you start to look and feel better, you won't be missing that food the way you think you will. Good luck and keep us posted.

Deepest sympathies to all who have suffered the loss of loved ones.

you are beautiful.

FYI friends, I just came home from my cruise and had no problems with the food. I'm just so damn happy with my weight loss and improved mobility that it was easy to eat healthy and not overdo. In fact, I lost a pound so just know it can be done!!

My cruise sails tomorrow. Last cruise was two years ago and I couldn't get off the ship. This time around I'm going snuba diving and horseback riding on the beach. What a difference!

I had to give myself shots after my hip replacement surgery. You get used to it. The needles are small and you usually don't even feel it. It's just a little weird to hold the needle to your skin knowing you're gonna stab yourself. Once you do it and depress the plunger, it's done and that's it...no big deal. I had to do that for about ten days I think.

Some folks don't do any carbs. Others like myself do carbs in very small amounts. Alot of it depends on what your band can tolerate and what works best for you related to your weight loss. The doctor is correct about one thing....you really do have to watch how much carbs you are eating. They can be calorie laden and don't fill you up the way solid Protein does.

I see most of you are from NY and I also see you've been banded at NYU and I see a Dr. Geiss patient as well. We're going to have a support group meeting on August 2nd in midtown. If any of you are interested, feel free to PM me or LisaCaron...my co-leader for the local support group here in the city.

Why oh why do you feel like a failure? You've lost 50 lbs. And you have to remember that without WLS, you likely would have gained quite a bit of weight so add that to your total. Also...get off the scale. It's just a number and you can lose even if the scale doesn't show it. Look for the NSVs instead of the weight loss. Are you wearing smaller sized clothing? Do you have more energy? Can you fit somewhere you couldn't before? These changes are as if not more important that the numbers. Don't concern yourself with what you thought you would lose...only concern yourself with what you have lost. 50 lbs. is nothing to sneeze at. Try to pick up something that weighs 50 lbs. I bet you can't. Remember...this is a lifelong journey so don't get bogged down in the time it takes to 'get there'. Good luck my friend!

Well doesn't this broad seem to have an agenda, huh?

Boy do I get this NSV. To not have to worry about fitting into the gowns, or a robe at the spa... I was always so mortified to be reminded of just how fat I was...

Well guess what... I'm probably going to Japan in October. It's a business trip but so what? I'm getting to the Far East on the company dime. If this had happened before surgery and the weight loss, I'd have been so worried about what I could wear, and what kind of impression I'd be making to my Japanese colleagues, that I'd be miserable. Now, I'm just excited. Thank goodness for this band and my new hips.

yup. that's what it is. so psyched just knowing I won't have to be concerned about fitting into the equipment. I love being normal sized!!

..and I'm trying snuba diving on my cruise. my DIL doesn't llke the Water and my son wants someone to go with him and now I can. two years ago, I couldn't get off the ship because I was in so much pain and now I'm going snuba diving. I know just how great you feel readysetgo. No exaggeration when we say things like how we've gotten our lives back since we lost all this extra weight.