jfran

Take a nice long bath with candles,music and a cup of your favorite hot tea. Relax and enjoy because baths are out for the next week or so. Try to relax because I am sure everything will go great and before you know it people will be calling you skinny.

You go girl!

i have lost a couple of inches in my calves but they are still large and muscular. Oh well at least they are shapely.

Thanks everyone for your kind words. I hope the weight loss keeps up. I can't wait to get to my goal.

Some of you know that I have been struggling for the past 6 weeks with one of those dreaded plateaus. I went to the doc for a fill and now I am 11lbs lighter. I guess I have to credit some of the weight loss to the fact that I have had the flu but hey at least it is weight loss and I am over the hump. Thanks to everyone that gave me words of encouragement.

I have lost a newborn calf and a rack of baby ribs! That is hillarious!

Congrats! I weighed this morning and I am officially "Overweight" no longer obese or morbidly obese. Thank God!!!

So I was feeling under the weather tonight and was planning on skipping my workout but for some reason I decided to go. I got on the arc trainer and started going. The man next to me started commenting on how hard the trainer was and we got into a conversation. It is totally normal for me to go for an hour sometimes 2 hours on the arc trainer but for this man he was having trouble doing 20-30 min. I kept talking to him about weight loss and my success ( I didn't mention banding---just healthy eating and exercising which is 95% of it for me). He exercised for an hour on that machine. He thanked me and told me that he burnt more than double the calories he had set as his goal. He also told me that he purposely started a conversation with me to meet me because he had heard a couple of women talking about me and my success. He wanted to talk with me and get pointers for him and his daughter. Later he called his daughter and told her all about me and now she and I are going to start working out together. It made me feel great to know that I was inspiring people. It is a little weird to think that people are talking about me, but if it inspires people to get healthy then thats great. So this is my NSV!

Sue: Thanks so much and wow you have had amazing weight loss too! Keep up the great work!

Weird, if you are having discomfort try walking or rocking.

I got denied the first time. I appealed and included a gut wrenching personal letter that I wrote about my experience with my weight and how it affected every facet of my life. I finally got approved. You may want to try writing them a letter. Good luck!

The minor pain after surgery is a small price to pay for the help that the band gives me. It is my motivator and it helps me manage my portions. I can eat almost anything but it is in small amounts. I don't feel deprived at all like I did in the past on diets. I am making healthy choices and exercising. This is the key and the band is a life long reminder that we all have to make healthy choices the majority of the time. Good luck with your decision. This was the best thing I have ever done for myself and I truly believe that God provided the lap band as an answer to my prayers.

Try eating 5-6 small meals at around 1500 calories (well balanced). And exercise like crazy 6-7 times a week. This is how I have lost my weight thus far because I really don't have much restriction.

At Ryan's you can buy the food by the pound to go and then eat on it all week. This way you get your money worth.

I used my highest weight because that was the weight I was at when I began the surgery process.

Up until now ( I have lost to the point where I have to cut calories to lose) I have been able to eat 1500-1600 calories of healthy food and lose weight. I exercise 6 days a week and don't have a great amount of restriction. I think you have to be in the right mindset and really want to lose weight. I am purely self motivated and I know I will lose all my excess weight and meet my goals. Good luck!

I drink right up until I eat and then don't drink during a meal or for an hour after. In between these times I drink up and try to get in at least 2-3 glasses of water between meals. My mom still drinks a little during her meals but she has a stricture in her espohagus and has to in order to get the food down when she gets "stuck." It is best not to drink during meals because you won't stay full for as long.

Go online and figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight. Continue to eat healthy the majority of time, but its okay if you splurge on occasion. Make sure you keep up the exercise but it doesn't necessarily have to be as intense. Congrats! I hope to be joining you soon. I have about 30-35lbs to go and I will be at goal. I can't wait!

Man that sucks about Apple Bees it was one of the only restaurants I felt comfortable going to because they have the calorie counts on the weight watchers menu items.

I am 5'4"ish and my starting weight was 262. I am currently 180 and wearing 12/14 size. I hope to get to 145-150 and be in a size 8/10. I have never been "thin" so I don't know what I will look like at these sizes but I can't wait to find out.

I am stuck too and have been for 5 + weeks now. I am still exercising but trying to very my routine. I went to the doc and got a fill. I had lost 0 lbs since the last time but I have converted fat to muscle (4lbs!) so at least the exercise is paying off in some way. I am hoping this fill will be what I need to start losing again. Good luck and let us know how you do!

My local support group is mostly women, but last week there were 2 or 3 men there all preop for Lapband. I was a little surprised especially because they were older gentlemen. I hate that any of us are perceived as less for having surgery, but who cares we are doing something about our health and that is what matters. 'Weigh' to go Robert!

I eat 5-6 small meals a day. I just keep it to 1500 calories or less. I find that I lose weight better this way because it fuels my metabolism. My doc prescribed 3 meals no snacks but he is slowly coming around to the idea a more meals through the day. If you do 3 meals you aren't gettinig ENOUGH calories and the body is going into starvation mode especially if you are exercising. Try it.

Are you exercising and counting calories? Unfortunately, most of us still have to diet. For me the band is more of a tool for maintenance than for weight loss. I feel like I am doing 95% of that on my own. Don't give up, go get a fill and get to the gym.

I am in your same position. I have been holding steady at 181 for 5 weeks now with NO weight loss. It has frustrated me to no end because I am working out like crazy 6 days a week. I am going to the doctor tomorrow to talk about my options and whether he thinks I should get a fill. I am like you in that I am afraid to be overfilled. Oh well, maybe our bodies just need a rest, but as far as I am concerned my body has rested enough. It is time to start dropping again. Good luck!