SpecialK

I posted this today on the Ohio thread and while I am not in the pctures wearing the Tshirt I can assure you all that I indeed wore the blue Size 3X shirt with bulges hanging out and now proudly can wear this much smaller black Tshirt. Still have a ways to go but this amazes me. Thank God who showed me this as an option because my primary care doctor did not -- very anti-weight loss surgery. Unfortunate for me. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/127063-tshirt-sizes-then-2008-and-now-2011/

Hi newbie. I've been hanging in here since 2008 and welcome anyone who can keep coming alongside me until I get my last 50 lbs off. I did post this today under the Ohio thread and would love to keep in touch. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/127063-tshirt-sizes-then-2008-and-now-2011/

Congrats Bugwitch -- I had my surgery in March and our little group that month was called the Shrinking Shamrocks! You're gonna love the progress. Also, for all, I am so proud to report that I did get my act together and started setting my alarm for 5:30 a.m. and I'm going into my job where I have a great gym for workouts and I'm hitting the treadmill and weight machines at least 3 days a week. Trying to get up to even more. Today I did 20+ minutes with Walk at 2.7 MPH and then JOG at 4.2 MPH for 2 minutes so a 50/50 mix of walking and jogging. Really gets the heart rate up and a sweat going. I am trying to get my endurance up to where I can do 30 minutes of the 50/50 combo and then try to get to a higher percent of jog compared to walk. Key is get moving and stay moving! I'm not going to let life pass me by!

The invitation is open to all! Whether you are pre-band, newly banded or an old band pro. Friends and family members are also welcome to join us for these meetings. The more the merrier! Everyone is welcome! Where: Polaris Mall Food Court When: Saturday May 8, 2010 Time: 2 p.m. Look for us near the entrance to the Great Indoors store in the back corner seating area next to Chik-Fil-A. If we're not there look for a large group of folks sitting at several tables pushed together in the areas on either side of the Great Indoors... that's usually us :-) Hope to see you there!

Thought I'd add to this to bump it up on the list. We are still getting together in Central Ohio at the Polaris Mall monthly for in person support. We are from different hospital programs, some self pay. Now most of us are past the 2-3 year stage but we welcome newly banded or those considering as well.

New exercise regimen -- I keep looking at those big folks on Biggest Loser running on the treadmill and breaking a really big sweat and go why can't I run like that? So I started alternating running 1 minute walk 2 minutes, then changed to run 2 minutes, walk 3 minutes. I'm hoping I can get to where I can run for 5 minutes at about 4-5 mph speed on the treadmill but its going to take some dedication. Key thing is I'm trying!!

Its been awhile since I posted on this Mt. Carmel bandsters link but I'm still out here working the band! Had a great visit this past weekend with other bandsters at our monthly Polaris mall gathering. I still appreciate them for helping motivate me.

Bugwitch - why did you choose Mexico for your surgery? Cost due to no help on insurance? Best wishes on your decision about lapband or sleeve. I am 3 years out now for my lapband and glad I made that choice. Interesting that my hospital program (Mt. Carmel)did the analysis about offering sleeve but most people are good candidates for either lapband or RNY and they aren't doing too many sleeves. Let us know which you chose and why. We try to stay open minded; We'll be meeting once again at Polaris Mall on 2nd Saturday in March 2-4 pm in the food court area near Chik-fil-A and Great Indoors. This next month will fly by! Best wishes.

Congrats Jimmy on getting approved for OSU so quickly. Several of us had to go through months of fighting with our insurance - for me three years ago this March. These next 2 weeks will fly by. They didn't have us do a pre-op diet but some programs do. See what they tell you. You should be in overnight and out the next day. Some of us had shoulder pain from where the gas is escaping post op but it went away pretty quick. We'll be meeting informally at the Polaris Mall in mall so if you feel like getting out, its the 2nd Saturday in March 2-4 pm in the food court area in the corner by Chik-fil-A and Great Indoors - there are some kids rides in that area. Best wishes!

Hi Harley Girl! Yes, its coming up on 3 years. I'm not at goal yet but I'm so thankful for where I am. I am doing WW now and trying to get weekly weigh-ins as a form of accountability since I don't see my doctor to have to face the scale. I think that was motivating me more than I gave it credit for - having to face the doctor. I didn't do so great last night watching the Super Bowl - they told us about these SpecialK chips that were 27 chips as 1 serving - well I didn't stop at one serving. At least I did pick a lower calorie item and added an MGD 64 calorie beer to Celebrate my Packers winning. On to the treadmill today for some exercise to keep going and start fresh. Never giving up, never going back is my new motto.

I had a hard time traveling for work eating out every meal, they were ordering muffins for breakfast, pizza for lunch, etc. and then I found it easy to drink beer/wine to have fun with the bunch of guys I was traveling with so I was getting back on the bandwagon when I got home. I did lose .4 lb. when I weighed in at WW yesterday so its progress. Gotta do better this next week. Trying not to use my birthday tomorrow as an excuse to fall off the wagon too. I was so so excited on my birthday 3 years ago because that was when I learned about my lapband surgery being approved. I did make some good choices at Olive Garden last night for an early birthday dinner. Come on Shamrocks,,,, let's finish this off !

Hi Bugwitch! I'm a Columbus bandster and a group of us informally meet up at the Polaris mall on the 2nd Saturday from 2-4pm. If you want to talk to some of us in person, send me Private Message here on this board and I'll give you an email address and/or phone #. I had mine done at Mt. Carmel 3 years ago.We have folks from Riverside and Ohio State that have come and also Dr. Curry in Cincinnati.

Here's my 2 cents worth -- I try to stop drinking about 10-15 minutes before I eat - with my band fill level 10cc in a 14 cc band - that seems to be enough that I can then start eating and not have a problem. At restaurants -- I don't order a drink other than ice Water unless I think I really will have time to drink it before or after I've eaten -- which is generally not true. I've wasted coffee and iced tea many times before I realized I should just not order them so automatically like I used to do. Saves money not ordering a drink! On why some fill amounts seem to do more than others or lose their effectiveness -- this is one I think is so personal and individual based on how much 'belly fat' you have around your stomach and whether you are losing weight around your stomach and liver (abdominal fat) or are losing all over or from somewhere else seems to be changing more than your belly. If you are noticing a fill doesn't seem to be giving you the right restriction level, make an appointment to see your surgeon - they will always be the best source - better than internet friends or general people who aren't bandsters - follow your surgeon's advice first and foremost. Hope this helps.

Hi Rosey and other Golden bandsters! I hit the big 55 next week and I'm out three years now almost from my lapband surgery. I lost 140 lbs and then had a really stressful year in 2010 and gained about 10 lbs back so I'm back on track now. Committed to staying online and getting other support from bandsters that really helped me in my first couple years and then I got away from asking for support. I joined WW and really like the PointsPlus program as its very close to aligning for what I need to do now - fruits, vegetables, lean proteins first and not using my points on carbs, fats, and sweets except as exceptions. I also think I need weekly weigh ins now for accountability to someone else since I don't go see my surgeon's office any more except if I think I need a check up which I am physically fine. No band fill needed, I have enough restriction if I choose to eat the right things. I'd be glad to try to answer private messages or post here to questions from a longer out bandster but I need encouragement to finish off my last 50 lbs! Want to get done and get to maintaining with +5/-5 lbs around the same. I can tell you +10 lbs was making my clothes tighter and it was a real wake up call.

The brutal honest, and painful to me truth is, I was under a lot of stress and found myself slipping back to some of those slider foods - I found I couldn't even keep small quantities of things around as I wouldn't leave them alone. I could eat them, I knew I shouldn't. Back on track now and want to nail my last 50 lbs and then maybe have my long awaited tummy tuck to really be proud of this body for myself. You have to decide for yourself its worth it to skip the comfort foods and find an alternative to get to your goal.

Best wishes to the newbie! You will be thrilled as I am. At three years out, I'm starting to learn the ups and downs of staying down for my -140 lbs and I still have a way to go but I'm so much healthier and happier with myself--regardless of what others think.

Encouragement from a 3 year old lapbander-- hang in there newbie! This phase will pass and when you look back on your progress you'll think of it like a mother giving birth - painful at the time but so joyous the results!

I'm also tracking what hours of the day I eat my WW PointsPLus to see if I am eating a little bit throughout the day including breakfast to fire up my metabolism and keep it burning calories all day.

I feel so much better knowing that I am not the only one who slipped up over the holidays but I am really committed again now. I signed up for a WW at Work program that starts Thursday Jan 13 and I felt that would give me a weekly weigh in goal for the next 10 weeks and some verbal support from the lunchtime speaker and others who are trying to lose. I don't plan to tell them I have my lapband, only that I need to lose 50 more lbs and want help! Keep on trying everyone.

Well I am almost three years out on my lapband journey and had lost a total of 140 of the 200 total pounds I want to lose and I just hit a wall in 2010 with some very eventful, stressful things in life and I reverted to some old bad behavior of thinking okay, I can eat now and get through this stress, and then lose the weight if I can something later. Just get through the stress. Whoa! Was that really me thinking that -- I want to lose this last 60 lbs. I want to see the scale go below 199 for the first time in years and years. I want to finally lose the rest of my weight so that I can go ahead with my tummy tuck or whatever surgery I need to be able to accept what my body looks like when I am done. So, for all that history...on to a new year! I took both pictures with front, back, side views today and its not so pretty! What was I thinking being so proud of my 140 lb loss and thinking I was just too cute in those smaller sizes and jeans! I want to get to even smaller sizes and smaller jeans! Anybody else want to be accountable in 2011 and take photos today and then a year from now take photos again and see if we really meant our commitments? The only person I am really committing to is ME! Forget this thing that I let get back in my head that if I were to lose weight I'd finally find my dream man. I did find someone in 2010 and then just as I was getting brave enough to show my feelings, I lost my job where we were working together and he started dating someone else we worked with. Darn! Okay, without posting ugly pictures here, I'm wearing Size L to XL Tshirts now and Size 18 in dress pants and Size 20 in jeans as of today. Can't wait to see where this new year of commitment takes me.

You are inspiring to me! I got stuck after losing 140 lbs and I got so 'satisfied' in my head with how I was looking and kept wanting and wanting to get below the 200 lb mark and I keep bouncing up and down and then slipped back over the holidays with gaining from some sloppy eating habits. I decided to recommit to my old 2008 self when losing weight was foremost in my mind every hour of every day as I got ready to have my lapband surgery in March and for those exciting months after when I was losing weight so fast. I joined a WW class at work that starts January 13 and it goes for a 10 week session and I'm going to fight like heck to get my 199 or less lbs mark. Keep me in prayers for this all important life milestone.

Its been a few days since your Christmas post -- how are you doing? Hope things settled down.

I'm still hanging in here at -140 lbs from my March 2008 lapband surgery and I need to lose a good 50 lbs more to have my tummy tuck to get rid of my ugly belly skin. I need to really buckle down as I lost motivation in 2010 due to personal stress but I'm feeling better and more committed than ever again.

Welcome to the newly banded. I'm about 3 years out and stuck at a loss of 140 lbs and I need to lose about another 50 lbs and I kind of got sloppy with my eating habits in 2010 so I'm going to commit to getting back on this board regularly in the new year to get inspiration from all my other lapband friends out there. Wishing you all the success I had. I definitely would do it again for all the health and emotional gains it has been for me.