Parvathi

Wow!! Well done JQ - that has to be the greatest feeling! I can't wait to be where you're standing today. You're an inspiration

What the heck, I'm in for 20lbs. Was 94kgs/207lbs (STILL!!!) this morning, so that would put me at 85kgs/187lbs in 10 weeks. Here's a pic I took yesterday (ignore the squinting of the eyes lol) :-

I'm always up for a challenge, Nana! Count me in

Yes you will On occassion, I forget to eat. That never happened preband. I used to order pizza because I wanted to eat every cheese covered pepperoni morsel of it. Now, when we order it, it's because of the sheer laziness on my part and I may make it through a whole slice. It's a wonderful feeling, not being controlled by food.

I feel that I'm among the slow losers, but I think almost everyone does. I mean, is it every really enough? That said, I'd do it again in a heartbeat, given the chance. I'm loving life now, something I hadn't done in a very long time preband.

Ray, you're a nut! LOL I didn't have any PB's until I reached a certain restriction (about 3 fills into this game), but that one was enough to put me off my all-time favorite food for good - gnocchi al gorgonzola. mmm heh It will come in time and when it does, we'll all be here to talk you through it Until then, enjoy the freedom of little to no restriction

So I had my 6 month post op appointment today - 3 days early but oh well lol. My surgeon seemed to be really pleased with my progress so far, stating that I'd lost over 50% now of my excess body weight. He said that his goal for me would be to get to 87kgs, as that will put me out of the health risk category. He said if I wanted to go down further than that though, he's happy to help me get there He did caution me on setting my personal goal too low, as he said that with my build and height, I'll probably be quite thin at 70kgs. Said that he has often seen people set a low goal and then struggle pretty hard for the last 10kgs, making them unhappy and frustrated. Honestly, if I can shop in regular stores, in the regular sized section, I'll be happy lol, as I haven't done that in years. Over 50 lbs lost now and I still can't see it when I look in the mirror, but I guess that's just my head playing funny buggers on me. Hoping to start seeing a psychologist soon, who specializes in eating disorders, to work on those issues. Anyway, won't go on about me lol, just wanted to share, as I'm feeling quite good today

Hi CancunGirl, There was a thread about this last week that you might like to read. It can be found here.

My transition to solids was a 6 week phase. 2 weeks on full liquids, then started to slowly introduce mushies in. Like the first week of mushies, I could have mashed potatoes and stuff of that consistency. The second week, I could mush up canned spaghetti or have tuna mornay (which was absolutely devine!!). The 3rd week I could introduce lasagna and other caserole type dishes, as well as ground beef. The fourth week I could introduce solid meats, such as chicken, steak, etc. It seemed like hell at the time lol, but in hindsight, it showed me what I could and couldn't do and really wasn't that bad.

Hey Sammee, I don't have one yet, but I've been looking around for a good one (if I'm going to have to wear it everyday, I want it platinum and purdy hehe). Going to ask my doctor what he would recommend being put on it, on Friday when I see him.

o0o .. are you ladies meeting in Charlotte? If so, if you have anything planned around the holidays (Christmas), I'd love to meet you all while I'm visiting the south Oh, and if you still need help resizing/posting the pics, just give me a yell (or shoot me an email - jess@jessluv.com). Takes like 3 minutes once ya get used to it

What's holding him back? Is it the money, the surgery, the risks? My hubby wasn't too keen on the idea when I first approached him with it. I'm quite persistent though lol. He finally agreed to let me go to an information evening to find out more. He made my mom go with me, as she's a nurse and he trusts her judgement. She had her reservations before the information evening, but when we got in the car to go home, she was all for it. After that, he came around. I was lucky though, in the fact that my insurance covered most of it. All we had to pay out of pocket was $3000.00. Discuss it with him. Have him list what concerns he has, then come up with a list to counter his. Good luck, with whatever you decide

Donali summed up my answer perfectly. I don't diet - eat what I like, but at the same time, keep it semi healthy. If I want something, I have it. I do try to get to the gym 4-5 times per week, my schedule permitting.

My doctor required a 3 week Optifast diet. While I didn't enjoy it, I realize that they have people do that to make the surgery go smoother, with no complications from a fatty liver. That said, the nurse told me to make sure I got in a 'last meal' the night before surgery. I had gnocchi, which is good, cause its one of the only foods I've been unable to stomach since surgery hehe.

Just saw this post - good luck Alex! Will be sending happy thoughts your way. Let us know how you go on the 8th.

Congratulations!! That's such a great feeling - enjoy it My next mini goal is under 200 as well. LOL... as Jacks footer says, I'm almost down to what I promised myself I'd never get up to.

Hi Robin - Welcome to LBT! Congratulations on getting started on your new life while you're still young enough to enjoy it lol. Had I known about the band when I was 16, I would have jumped at the chance. Your family must be absolutely great to let you go ahead and do this. There's nothing like having the support of the people you love. Makes it that much easier. Yell out if you have any questions or want to talk. You'll do fine

Hi Angie, I'm originally from South Carolina (Upstate) and try to go back there once a year, but I'm living in Australia now Have to agree -the band is the best thing I've ever done for me.

Nope, haven't tried that one, but I've tried most other supplements, pills, diets, programs, etc .. and the band has been the only thing that's really worked for me.

There's a site that I went to before being banded, when I had a couple of months on my hands to do nothing but think about being banded lol. Its called http://www.myvirtualmodel.com. Its become a bit more commercialized since then unfortunately, but it lets you create a model that looks similar to you, by designing the face, height, weight, etc. I created 3 of them and captured snapshots of them with 'me' at different weights. Between the time I did this and actually got banded, I put on another 3kgs, but oh well, its gone now hehe. I've posted the pics here to show an example. Its not perfect, but its given me something to strive for. As of this morning, I'm unofficially at the middle weight, 93kgs (but not changing my ticker til I go to the doctor again, if I can help it hehe). That said, the pics are a lil off cause I've definitely bigger than that now lol, and there's no way I could get in a string bikini heh.

Yep those non scale victories are the sweetest, I reckon Well done! My condolences for your loss.

My doc had said 6 weeks, but he was out of the office during my 6th week, so it was either week 5 or 7 .. I opted for 5 (cause I'm impatient lol).

I avoided cameras for a long time, so when I went looking for a before picture, there wasn't much of a selection. Can't believe I didn't purposely take one lol. Ah well. Here's the few that I found. Hope this works :/ The first one is me at my heaviest, 262lbs/119kgs. Notice my hand in the bag of chips lol. The second one is me at 105kgs, I believe...

I felt exactly the same before surgery. My husband had agreed to let me have the surgery, my family was behind me, we'd paid the fees and then I was like .. "What if I'm like the only person that this doesn't work for?!?" Then I started stressing about how disappointed in me my family would be and stuff. And worrying because for me, this was seen as a last resort .. so if your last resort doesn't work, then what?? Even now, after losing 50+ pounds I wonder if I'll ever actually make it to goal or if I'm going to regain all the weight, as I've always done in the past. Alot of us are so used to be let down, so used to beating ourselves up, etc, that we simply don't believe we can achieve something. Its a horrible feeling. But NJChick, you are going to succeed in this! It's going to take some work, but you're on the right path. Keep your chin up and just yell out if you need to vent. That's what we're here for

Sending happy thoughts her way, for a speedy recovery. Its cool that you have someone close to you to do this journey with