Leepers

Just want to point out that this was posted in the lap band forum, you might get more responses over on the gastric bypass forum. Not that we don't all love each other, lol. It sounds like you're doing a great job and have your mind in the right place. Best wishes for your surgery and future success!

I started out on the treadmill, then my hubby joined us up to a gym. I have found that I love the elliptical! It really gets my heart rate up and I like to jam to Pandora's 80's cardio channel to get moving. Losing weight keeps me motivated. Plus the awesome powerful feeling of finishing a great workout.

I love Independent Lens and have it on series record. I'll be sure to watch it!

Since my sugery I have been very focused on losing weight. I exercise and I pretty much follow the rules as far as eating. I eat very low carb and have stayed away from sweets like Cookies, cake, donuts, etc. I eat no bread, no Pasta, and rice about once or twice a week and in small amounts. At my last visit to the doc, my blood sugar and A1C were good, so she said I could stop taking Metformin. Which was awesome. So, this past week I was really sick. I had a terrible head cold. I ended up eating more calories than I usually would, but I didn't go crazy. I bought what to me was a treat, some Kale and Pine Nut Orzo salad. It was so good. It was the closest thing to pasta I've had since December. I took some to work the other day and had it for lunch. After lunch, I was going around acting silly and making people laugh like I usually do, but this time I noticed I was almost bouncing off the walls. Clapping my hands, singing, dancing, acting a fool. And then I realized....the carbs. It made me remember how before I changed my diet, I would eat a big lunch full of carbs and sugar. I would be lethargic for about half an hour after lunch as my body digested that big meal. Then my blood sugar would spike and I would be crazy hyper for an hour or two. And then would come the 3 o'clock crash where I would eat sweets or more crappy carbs and a soda to recover. Wow. I am so glad to be off of that rollercoaster. It was something I never really thought about before and it was interesting to recognize how strongly food can affect your mood.

Egg Muffins: Spray 6 muffin tins Beat/whisk 6 eggs Pour evenly between 6 tins Divide 1/4 cup of precooked turkey sausage crumbles or diced ham into tins Divide 1/4 cup Fat free cheddar Divide 1/4 cup shredded parmesan Add anything that sounds good. We do mushrooms, olives. You can do diced tomatoes, spinach, etc. Cook on 350 until Muffins puff up and tops get light brown. Take out and let sit for a bit. I like to make a double batch and put them in the fridge. Take out in the morning and microwave for about 40 seconds. Put a few dabs of hot sauce and you have easy breakfast in the morning! They come to around 100 calories each. Maybe a little more depending on what you add.

Thank you so much for this post. It is so inspiring. I too, am highly motivated. I really feel like I'm changing my life for the better and for good. I love going to the gym. I feel great, I feel powerful. No one is complimenting me yet, but I no longer feel like that fat chick trudging along. I'm proud of my workouts. And I'm eating so healthy. I love it. I'm so proud of you and your accomplishments. Ramble on sister!

Thanks Nancy! I agree, some may be okay with that sixty percent. I want to go all the way, but if for some reason I stop at a size 16 or 18, I will still be happy. I just can't be 300 pounds anymore. And slip ups are hard. I was sick this last week and definitely allowed more carbs into my diet than usual. But, this week, I'm back on track, starting today.

This weight loss site/forum is a living and evolving place. You have your lurkers. You have your new people that ask a question and never come back. You have your new people that visit and post often and try to absorb all of the info and support offered. You have your people in between that are in the stages of losing. And then you have your veterans who maybe only need to lose 10-20 pounds or have reached their goal. When I got a lapband, I didn't really do a lot of research on the other surgeries. RNY was totally out for me as it seemed too radical. I didn't consider the sleeve because I didn't like the idea of cutting my stomach. I felt the band was reversible, it was a chance I was willing to take. Now, I DO NOT feel there is anything wrong with having the first two surgeries. They just weren't for me. Looking back, if I knew I would end up being as committed to this journey as I am, I may have considered the sleeve more seriously. If you read up on the lapband, it says that the majority of patients will lose 60% of their excess weight. Meaning, if you're 100 pounds overweight, you could expect to lose 60 pounds. Leaving you 40 pounds overweight. BUT...there are plenty of people who reach or closely reach their goal weights. What is the difference between those who don't lose hardly any weight, those who only lose about 50-60% of excess weight, and those who reach a healthy, suggested weight for their height and build? We all know why some people don't lose weight. Or lose weight and gain it back. They eat around the band. They make very poor food choices. They either were never really committed or lost their commitment somewhere along the way. Those who lose 50-60% of excess weight. What causes them to stop losing at that point and not continue on? I imagine there are many reasons. But I suspect that these may be the people who depended solely on the band to do all of the work for them. Those who did not commit to eating healthier as a habit and did not commit to exercise. They depended on the band to make them eat less, but still eat high calorie foods with low nutritional value. (Now, this is just speculation, but I'm probably close to the mark.) And the veterans? The people who have almost or have already reached their goal? Don't you see the common theme among them here on the forum? THEY USED THE BAND AS A TOOL TO HELP THEM MAKE A CHANGE IN THEIR DIET AND EXERCISE. These people are not the ones on here saying, "I feel like such a failure because I ate a double helping of chicken alfredo with breadsticks followed by a piece of chocolate cake." NO...these are the people on here saying, "I make healthy food choices every day. I watch my portions. I listen to my band. I exercise 4-5 days a week. I may have a piece of chocolate cake, every now and then. But it's more then than now. And I only eat a small piece, and then I'm back on track." Those are the people who inspire me. I have lived most of my 40 years on this earth eating mindlessly. Not caring about what I have been putting into my only vessel on this earth. I have lived an eating life based on convienience and overeating. I do not want to do this to myself any longer! This is MY body! I have to take care of this gift. I need to fill this body with the fuel it needs to exist and be healthy. I'm just trying to point out, to you and myself, that success depends on committing to a new way of living and eating. We cannot continue on the same path we had been on before. We have to take the new path. It is not the easiest path. We will get roughed up along the way. But I believe it leads to a place of beauty. A place where our bodies and our minds can live in harmony. This place is called, "Healthy." I hope we see each other there.

1. 4 days 2. 7 days 3. 2 weeks 4. Quickly 5. 287 lbs 6. 20?? 7. 50 lbs 8. Not there yet, but hoping for a nice, big number!

I teared up a little, reading your story. It's one I can very much relate to. Congrats on your success as you continue.

Don't you feel so good about yourself? You deserve to! Great job!

Edited

I'm getting close to that point but I'm still in the I'm-so-excited-you-better-not-ask-me-a-question-because-I'll-talk-your-ear-off stage. I'm pretty sure everyone at work is tired of hearing about my super healthy diet and my awesome exercise regimen. Can't help myself, though. I'm lovin life! But, yes. I feel like I'm under a lot of scrutiny because two other nurses in my department had the band and they're still fat. But they aren't me, and I'm not them!

A beautiful story. Thanks for sharing.

When does the pain happen? Right after you eat or is it random? Do you keep a food diary? I read somewhere else on here about becoming very sensitive to gluten products after eating so low carb for a long time. Also, I've been getting some bad stomach aches in the morning. I'm going to explore if maybe this is caused by drinking cold water on my tight morning band or if it's one of the recent supplements I've added. I hope you can find your answers. Best wishes.

I love me some wine and partake about every other weekend. I read an article today on WebMD that said alcohol calories are the worst calories for belly fat. It said that your liver is so busy trying to burn off the alcohol that it doesn't have time to use your fat stores. Uggh. Still, a girl's gotta have some fun every now and then. I did go out last weekend and imbibe just a little too much and found myself in a situation where I was worried I was going to throw up. For lapbanders it's a hige no-no. I'm going to be much more careful in the future. I did enjoy the laxative side effect the next day, though.

Good for you! It's your time to become a healthier human. Just a little note about the friends saying lap band is the easy way out. This is why I wish I hadn't told anyone but my husband and maybe very close family. I put hard work everyday into making good healthy choices and exercising. I feel like when people know I have the band, it downplays all of my hard work. You may want to be very selective with who you tell. Best wishes to you!

After my first fill I would get one very hard, loud hiccup about five times a day. I felt it was usually when I was hungry. They have recently subsided. The band definitely seems to change the pressure in your digestive tract. You may be swallowing a lot of air when you're eating.

I kinda latched on to how much carbs were being eaten. I think natural carbs from beans and veggies are Ok, but the bread or "biscuits" should be avoided. By biscuits, you mean crackers to the American readers? Definitely they need to stay way from the liquids and eat slower.

Starfish, notice that the two above did not mention a lot of bread style carbs. I think this is huge to success. I'm only three months out, so I'm not really a veteran, but I'm losing really well. I eat hard boiled eggs or paleo egg muffins for breakfast. For lunch, I usually have tuna salad made with lite mayo and either an apple or melba crackers. Sometimes I have a salad with lots of veggies and add nuts or seeds. Top with fat free vinaigrette. Dinner is fish or pork tenderloin or chicken with a veggie. Eaten off of a small plate. I do have Chinese food about once a week, but I don't get anything fried and eat only about 1/4-1/2 cup of rice. And... exercise, exercise, exercise! 4 days a week.

I had it for a while too. Soon it will all be a distant memory.

Everyone on here is here to support you! But if you're wanting people who are at the same stage, I suggest starting a thread with Any April 2014 Banders? or something similar in the title. Those usually do well and kinda bring out the lurkers.

50 pounds down in the bathroom at a bar selfie. lol.

From what I've been reading lately, it is no longer thought that eggs raise your cholesterol that much and that they are really healthy. I eat an average of three eggs per day in various forms. I think you're doing great to find protein from other sources. There are many veggies with good amounts of protein. I've been eating really healthy and keep track of what I eat in my fitness pal. I've cut out most carbs like bread and pasta. I will eat healthy carbs like beans. I find that most days, without really trying, I reach my protein goals. Sounds like you're really doing a good job. It's all about finding good things to eat. Best wishes.

Good for you! Walking and exercise are so important to success. Just don't push yourself too hard. You've got plenty of time to build up. Have fun with mushies. It was my least favorite stage. I could not stomach the idea of eating food from a blender. I did have mashed potatoes a couple of times and Mac N Cheese, but I decided they were old habit foods and tried to stay away from them. Once I made some refried beans mixed with low fat ricotta cheese topped with mozzarella. Heated and then a little dollop of fat free sour cream. It was so delicious! (When that's all you can have, lol). Best wishes!