enjoythetime

Amazing Job!!!!! Congrats!!!

I have to have my treats and with calories as low as these I can have 1 everyday:-) chocolate Fudge Brownies- A weight watcher recipie- 100 calories for a 4X4 piece Fudge brownie mix- I use the sugar fee Pillsbury I believe 1 can of black Beans (yes black beans) Take the can of black beans and drain in a colander Rinse them really really well with cold Water rinse out the can add the beans back to the can and fill with cold water Place them in a blender or food processor and puree Pour into the brownie mix and mix until incorporated THATS ALL, DON'T ADD ANY OF THE OTHER INGREDIENTS Bake as directed. I know if sounds weird but they are SOO good and the beans add Fiber and protein:-) My kids love these! Skinny Cow makes chocolate candies that are to die for. They in the candy section of my store and there are 3 per package and they come in creamy PB or Caramel. 130 Calories for all 3 pieces Blue Bell has the best chocolate covered icecream bars. They are only 90 calories, low sugar (with no added sugar) and the carbs are low.

Awesome tip Sharpie, I didn't think about the soup, I'll have to try it out next time. Thanks!

I agree with the above statement, it sounds to me like your band is too tight, which if that is the case will make you gain weight or hault your weightloss.

I eat 3-4oz of lean protien, 1/2 cup of veggies and 1 serving of starch if I still have room which typically I don't. If I do it's typically like a 1/2 slice of toasted wheat bread or 1/4 c brown rice etc. If I'm hungry in between meals which some times I am I eat a healthy snack like a greek yogurt or 1-2 oz of cheese or something around 100 calories. Hope this helps! You're doing a great job! Congrats on your success!

Love how you think!!!

CCJill- I get it I really do! I completely understand wanting to race to the finishline, BUT if I may?? I think everyone who posted is honestly just trying to help. You asked for facts so here you go. No, I have not tried these programs post band, I'm not saying they're good or bad because I honestly don't know but what I do know is a fact is that you can't eat out of a box for the rest of your life which leads to what are you going to do when you hit you're goal weight? Are you going to continue with the program forever? If so that's great, just something to think about, because I don't know of anyone who stayed on JC or any other pre-packaged diet forever. When you get to the finishline and you're not sure how you got there how are you going to stay there? I think what others are saying is you have to train your mind not just your stomach or your mouth. The mind is the most important assest or enemy we have so we have to get that in tip top shape first. I hope this helps and that you do whatever is best for YOU to succeed. Just think further down the line than 6 months, that's all I'm saying. I wish you the best in whatever you decide!!!

This must have been the weekend for clearing out closets. I did the same thing. However for me I was THRILLED to be getting rid of all of those things that reminded me of the the days when I couldn't tie my shoes or walk 20 steps without being out of breath. I was ripping those clothes right off the hanger and out they went with a SMILE:-) I know what you mean though about not wanting to spend money on clothes when you're still in the transition phase, I felt that way too and then I stopped and thought about it in a different way. I'm not spending money eating out all the time, our grocery bill has gone and with every accomplishment there should be a reward so what I started doing is every week I go and buy a shirt or a pair of pants or an accessory of whatever it is I want. I've done that throughout my journey and yes there were alot of things I had just bought that I had to get rid of because they didn't fit but that's ok I will get something else to replace those and honestly it felt great.

I was in a rush the other day and forgot my lunch, then when lunch arrived I was crazy swamped at work so I went to the closest place I could find and that was a convience store, so I ended up with a Detour Protein Bar. I carefully looked over the nutritional label and compared to my other options I felt this was best, packing 30g of protein, 34g of carbs, but only 5 net(not sure what to look at here) and only 5g of sugar. Just wondering if this was a good choice and wanted to see what your favorite Protien Bar is (and where do you get them:-). I would like to keep some handy in the event I need another some day but want to make sure I'm getting something that's good for me. Thanks all for your help!!

Congrats on the start of your new healthy life! Glad to hear things are off to a great start!!!

I have the 14cc.

Congrats! That's so awesome!

Leepers I felt the same way, this was actually one of the reasons I waited so long to get the surgery, but boy was I wrong. We work very hard to make the right choices and discipline ourselves and we are the reason for our success but it took me getting the band to understand that. Dont let anyone take the hardwork you've done away because YOU earned this!!! Great job!

The amount of fill varies from person to person because were all different. It also varies because some docs put Fluid in the band during surgery.

Yes I'm doing everything by my dr.s instructions and I feel great!! I make healthy choices and consume about 1200 cal per day and have only had 2 fills and that was early in my journey. I eat lean Protein veggies and limit grain based carbs and very little fruit. I'm eating 3-4 oz if protein plus 1/2 cup veggies and I've not been sick, got slightly stuck once when i attempted to eat a fry, which i didnt need anyway;) so my restriction is perfect, I'm right where I need to be. Great job on your success you've done very well!!

It's crazy right! Good for you healthy girl who likes to climb stairs!!

You will do just fine! This is coming from somone who feels the EXACT same way you do about needles!!!! BUT i went in for my first fill and was all worked up and nervous and it was like a little bee sting literally the Dr. was giving me a hand up and I was like what's wrong and he said nothing you're all done. You feel a small sting some pressure and then hear a click and you're done. It really is very simple. You will do great just remember to breath:-)!!

I remember telling someone I was thinking of having the surgery and them telling me not to tell anybody just in case I failed. I stood there dumbfounded on how to respond to that so I just didn't but right there in that instant I told myself I WAS GOING TO SUCCEED NO MATTER WHAT and every time I have a craving or feel discouraged those words ring in my head and that determination (and stuborness in my case) came through and got me through. So actually even though this isn't ok to say to someone it's probably been the best thing for me. You will do great! Keep your head up and surround yourself with positive people! Best wishes!

OMgosh Prettythick when I saw this post, I got excited, because I was literally just talking to one of my friends about how many clothes, shoes and accessories I've purchased in the last couple of months! I LOVE IT!!!!! In my opinion we're rewarding ourselves differently so in place of food we're buying clothes. I don't feel as guilty about it because we have like virtual swap and shop pages in my area on FB so I resell alot of things and then take that money and buy new, I'm aslo very frugal about it so that makes me feel better as well. There's nothing better than looking in the mirror and liking the way you look and being able to have options!!! I love getting ready in the morning now:-)

So, as I'm nearing my goal weight with 12lbs to go, I have a question for all of those who are in Maintenance. What does this look like? Do you continue to do the exact same thing you've been doing and then your wieght loss eventually tapers off? Do you increase your calories until you find a balance that stabalizes your weight, do you get Fluid taken out of your band and stay at the same caloric intake? Just wondering how this all works itself out. I would imagine if you're consuming 1200 calories per day and know from your history that this typically results in about a 2lb. weight loss each week that you would need to adjust your caloric intake until you can stay where you want to be right? I'm very exicted about being so close to my goal weight but also very nervous. Maintaining as we all know is the hardest part. I learned what my body needed to lose the weight but I have no vision of what maintenance part looks like. Any help/advice is greatly appreicated!!! Thanks!

I don't want to get into a pissing match, but what TMF is saying is spot on! When you posted this what kind of response did you expect to get? You have to realize this is a shared support forum for all WLS, so when you go bashing one over the other, that's what's uncalled for and you have to expect people are going to speak up. We're all here to support one another regardless of what surgery we chose, we ALL came from the same place, OBESITY. What works for you is great, but that doesn't mean it's the right decision for EVERYONE. You're giving newbies or those thinking about surgery a bias opionion and yes that's all it is an opinion and you know what they say about those! I'm not going to defend my surgery and/or bash other surgeries, There's no need for that, if people want to research for answers let them, let them go through this site and research the results of band vs. sleeve vs. by-pass the results are all here for everyone to see and they can make their own assumptions/decisions.

I had the lapband procedure done in May 2013 and love the decision I made. I wouldn't change a thing. I had the procedure done on a Thursday and was back to work on the following Wednesday. I don't have a physcial position though so that could be different for you. The lapband is proven to be the safest WLS there is, sure there are chances of complications just like with any WLS surgery but the great thing about the band is that it's reversable. The band has proven to be successful for several banders on this site and the weight loss results rank right up there with the sleeve and the by-pass. I wish you all the best in finding the right WLS for you and much success!!

Other than the occasional 1/2 of a flour tortilla for a wrap or a taco shell, or maybe one silce of toasted wheat bread for a sandwich, I don't eat many grain-based carbs. I just told myself when I got this surgery that bread and other grain-based carbs weren' going to be a part of my daily life. I've had Pasta once early after my surgery but it just didn't tatse as good as I remember which is a good thing for me so I just haven't had any since:-) So yes, I have the same feeling my taste and desire for foods have completely changed for the better.

I'm so sorry to hear about your complications, that's terrible! If you don't mind me asking can you provide more details regarding exactly whats wrong with your esophagus, stomach and heart that was caused by the band that are irreversable? What were some of the signs you were having that caused you concern? How long did you have the band before noticing some/all of the signs? Were you still going to your lapband dr. for regular check-ups and if so did these things go un-noitced? I'm assuming you've had your band removed? Did you follow all of your doctors instructions? What type of band did you have? Did the band slip? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to get as much information as possible. The thing is, when you post something like this it is scarey, and so to have only limited information isn't going to help anyone, it's only going to scare us which I don't think is your intention. I truly wish you all the best in regaining you health!!! Thanks!

What an awesome story of determination!!! I'm thankful you shared your story! I think this shows how extremely strong you are! it takes ALOT to say you went off course but it takes alot more to dust yourself off and get right back at it!!! Now look at you, you're doing great and well on your way to accomplishing your goals, long, short whatever they are!!! Congrats to you, I have no doubt you you'll be sucessful, you already are in more ways than one!!!!