katskradle22

I went to my first consultation. I was a little nervous but felt pretty confident until my Dr began to undress me without first letting me know. He asks me to lay down on the table, then he lifts up my shirt, and then without saying anything to that, begins to undo my pants! WTF mate? Anyhow, other than feeling slightly violated (and I am only partially jesting...), we got along well and I liked him. But I began to wonder if this is right for me, right now. I think I've decided to hold off on the surgery. But I have to say, having my PCP suggest the lap band AND finding this site, has been a life saver for me, and a real eye-opener. I began to tweak my diet so that the lap band diet wouldn't be so drastic, and in doing that, began to lose weight on my own. I now work out about 5 times a week in half hour sessions, in addition to riding my bike with my husband/kids/dog(s) and hiking/swimming at my leisure. My entire family loves the strawberry kiwi NECTAR protein smoothies I make, and I am actually drinking water now. Not only that, but I am eating so much fruit, which I love, and we have started our own veggie garden. We no longer eat canned veggies, but I make all fresh veggies. The dinners are so tastey, and I don't restrict myself. Several times a week when the baby goes down for a nap, I sit on my deck with a book and read in the sun while eating fruit or a salad with one of my parrots. The sun has really helped my acne go away, and I've developed a nice, light tan. It de-stresses me and my hubs has noted my new (better) attitude. I'm now 241.5lbs. I'm losing 1-2lbs a week, most weeks. I hope I will keep losing like that. I'd love to be down to 220 by September/October. I was really happy when I took a week's vacation to Illinois and "pigged out" compared to what I normally eat, (and didn't work out at all), and didn't gain! I'm kinda waiting for a shoe to drop here....it seems too good. I also tried to buy a horse, thinking it'd help tone me up. Unfortunately, I got on the wrong horse and got bucked off of it...and won a one-way ticket to the ER. Five hours, 3 CT scans, and a full set of x-rays better, I left with a concussion, banged and bruised but apparently not broken, and with a hysterically scared family. So I won't be getting a horse anytime soon...but I will be starting lessons in the mean time. Lapband may still be the way for me to go. And I hope no one cares if I continue to use this to blog about my weight loss even without the lap band...because the lap band has been my sole reason for being able to lose this weight. :thumbup: Just a short few months ago I was tipping the scales at nearly 270. I can't believe I actually can use the "200" weight bar instead of the "250", when I hop on the scale. There have been a few bandsters who have had the band for over 9 years who cautioned me to really think this through and think it over...that if they had the chance to go back and make the same decision, they probably would not have done it. I really took that advice to heart and I think I'm making the right decision. The time for me to work out and eat right isn't after I get the band....but before. And *if* I can do this on my own....and not gain it all then some...and keep up with just being healthy...I'll be so grateful to everyone who has helped me, talked to me, given me criticism and/or suggestions, or just kudos on this journey. So many of us can't lose the weight without the band. And maybe I'll get to 240 and realize that I have hit my plateau and can't get below that, no matter how hard I try. But I'm going to try! It's all about getting healthy, with a band or without. Congrats to EVERYONE who is doing what is right for their health, no matter how they are doing it, as long as they are healthy and true to themselves. :w00t:

I went to my first consultation. I was a little nervous but felt pretty confident until my Dr began to undress me without first letting me know. :biggrin: He asks me to lay down on the table, then he lifts up my shirt, and then without saying anything to that, begins to undo my pants! WTF mate? Anyhow, other than feeling slightly violated (and I am only partially jesting...), we got along well and I liked him. But I began to wonder if this is right for me, right now. I think I've decided to hold off on the surgery. But I have to say, having my PCP suggest the lap band AND finding this site, has been a life saver for me, and a real eye-opener. I began to tweak my diet so that the lap band diet wouldn't be so drastic, and in doing that, began to lose weight on my own. I now work out about 5 times a week in half hour sessions, in addition to riding my bike with my husband/kids/dog(s) and hiking/swimming at my leisure. My entire family loves the strawberry kiwi NECTAR protein smoothies I make, and I am actually drinking water now. Not only that, but I am eating so much fruit, which I love, and we have started our own veggie garden. We no longer eat canned veggies, but I make all fresh veggies. The dinners are so tastey, and I don't restrict myself. Several times a week when the baby goes down for a nap, I sit on my deck with a book and read in the sun while eating fruit or a salad with one of my parrots. The sun has really helped my acne go away, and I've developed a nice, light tan. It de-stresses me and my hubs has noted my new (better) attitude. I'm now 241.5lbs. I'm losing 1-2lbs a week, most weeks. I hope I will keep losing like that. I'd love to be down to 220 by September/October. I was really happy when I took a week's vacation to Illinois and "pigged out" compared to what I normally eat, (and didn't work out at all), and didn't gain! I'm kinda waiting for a shoe to drop here....it seems too good. I also tried to buy a horse, thinking it'd help tone me up. Unfortunately, I got on the wrong horse and got bucked off of it...and won a one-way ticket to the ER. Five hours, 3 CT scans, and a full set of x-rays better, I left with a concussion, banged and bruised but apparently not broken, and with a hysterically scared family. So I won't be getting a horse anytime soon...but I will be starting lessons in the mean time. Lapband may still be the way for me to go. And I hope no one cares if I continue to use this to blog about my weight loss even without the lap band...because the lap band has been my sole reason for being able to lose this weight. :thumbup: Just a short few months ago I was tipping the scales at nearly 270. I can't believe I actually can use the "200" weight bar instead of the "250", when I hop on the scale. There have been a few bandsters who have had the band for over 9 years who cautioned me to really think this through and think it over...that if they had the chance to go back and make the same decision, they probably would not have done it. I really took that advice to heart and I think I'm making the right decision. The time for me to work out and eat right isn't after I get the band....but before. And *if* I can do this on my own....and not gain it all then some...and keep up with just being healthy...I'll be so grateful to everyone who has helped me, talked to me, given me criticism and/or suggestions, or just kudos on this journey. So many of us can't lose the weight without the band. And maybe I'll get to 240 and realize that I have hit my plateau and can't get below that, no matter how hard I try. But I'm going to try! It's all about getting healthy, with a band or without. Congrats to EVERYONE who is doing what is right for their health, no matter how they are doing it, as long as they are healthy and true to themselves. :w00t:

Best of wishes on your journey, Betz! I wish you luck with your insurance. It's so tough to deal with them :thumbdown: I have my first consultation on May 8th! I wish you luck with your surgery and hope for a fast recovery!

You're not the only one I myself have only my first consult and nutritionist scheduled and I am already having' doubts. I've lost about 21 lbs on working out and rearranging my diet. I, too, am wondering on if I can do this 'on my own', without the band. However, I agree with some of the others, too. Though I've never lost a considerable amount of weight (over 20lbs) before, it's so true that keeping it off is the hardest part, and no one can 'diet' forever. Can I keep working out every day, forever? Can I maintain the food schedule I'm on now, forever? Probably not. I'm excited to continue this journey. I wish you the best of luck with yours!

Hey Deb! I have been trying out quite a few. Slimfast isn't bad, but can get a little expensive. If you go to their website, you can get coupons that will lower their price to about 0.50 a can. I really like Syntrax nectar, particularly the strawberry kiwi flavor and then the roadside lemonade. You can mix them with skim milk, Water, or with frozen fruits for an awesome Protein smoothie. I mix the stra/kiw with 1/2 bananna and 4 frozen strawbs and 6oz of skim milk for the smoothie, and the lemonade in a 50/50 mixture of that and decaf iced tea for a summer beverage. However, just mixing it in water is quite tastey, too. The powder itself is only 90 cal per serving and 23g of protein per serving. The powder comes in a huge tub and dissolves quickly, and doesn't leave a powdery texture or funky after taste. It's by far my favorite. I get it off of Amazon, but you can get it at GNC. It's one of the less expensive products as well, with over 36 servings per container. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it!

My first consultation is May 8th. :w00t:I'm really nervous. My dietitian appointment is going to be set up shortly after-wards.:w00t: I'm starting to wonder if I am strong enough and able to do this on my own.:tt2: My fear is I've gotten down to 238 before, but then I always gain it back, plus 10 or 20. I don't want to dance that dance again.:tt2: The LapBand is really the only way I can be more secure that it won't happen that way. That I can lose more, and keep it off for good.:glare: I'm having way too much fun with the smilies today.

My first consultation is May 8th. :w00t:I'm really nervous.:wub: My dietitian appointment is going to be set up shortly after-wards. I'm starting to wonder if I am strong enough and able to do this on my own. My fear is I've gotten down to 238 before, but then I always gain it back, plus 10 or 20. I don't want to dance that dance again.:crying: The LapBand is really the only way I can be more secure that it won't happen that way. That I can lose more, and keep it off for good. I'm having way too much fun with the smilies today. :wink:

Well, it's been over 2 weeks and I still haven't heard from the Dr's yet as to when my first consultation might be. I'm starting to get really anxious. With my PCOS, I began to get really concerned if the LB would even help me. I've read so many PCOS bandster's blogs and posts about how they might have lost 20lbs in a year since the LB. PCOS makes it so damned difficult for so many of us to lose the weight; But we can't get rid of the PCOS (or lighten the symptoms) without the weight loss. It's a catch 22. Especially since I've been working out since mid January and I gained 5lbs...:tongue2: However, since prepping for the LB liquid diet, I've lessened my diet to 1-2 protien shakes a day, and 1-2 meals (I shoot for one but sometimes the midnight cravings get me since we don't go to bed until about 1am and I'm back up at 7am), and added a bunch of strength training to my work out, I've lost that initial 6lbs, plus another 6! So I am now 254. Small victory! ::Crowd goes wild:::smile2: I took some bandsters advice and obtained some Syntrax NECTAR protein powder off of Amazon.com. I bought the strawberry kiwi and the roadside lemonade kinds. I'm very impressed! It doesn't have a funky protein drink after taste, the powder isn't chalky in the drink (it fully dissolves, and quickly), and there is only 90 calories, yet 23g of protein per scoop. So every morning I've been making a strawberry/bananna/protein scoop/skim milk smoothie that the entire family loves. I add the roadside lemonade with 50%water 50% decaf iced tea, and it's a great Arnold Palmer drink, perfect for sipping on the deck in the beautiful spring weather. The cost is great, too. Life Changing, I tell ya. Another tip I have, is I like the Slim Fast shakes. So I signed up on the SlimFast website, and they send me coupons every 1-2 weeks for $3 off any size pack of slim fast bars or shakes. My local Walmart always has bonus cases of buy 6 get 2 free for $5.50. With the coupons, I get 8 shakes for $2.50. Who said protein shakes have to be expensive? Also, I hate water...despise water...it's gross. I try to drink a bottle a day but I usually can't....but I am making a point to make sure that 90% of what I drink, other than the protein shakes, doesn't have calories in it. So I drink a lot of PowerAide Zero. Has lots of vitamins, is flavored, but no calories. And they're less than 50cents a bottle. I've cut out over 800 calories a day just by doing that! So...I'm pretty ready, I think....C'mon Drs! What you waiting for?!

Well, it's been over 2 weeks and I still haven't heard from the Dr's yet as to when my first consultation might be. I'm starting to get really anxious. With my PCOS, I began to get really concerned if the LB would even help me. I've read so many PCOS bandster's blogs and posts about how they might have lost 20lbs in a year since the LB. PCOS makes it so damned difficult for so many of us to lose the weight; But we can't get rid of the PCOS (or lighten the symptoms) without the weight loss. It's a catch 22. Especially since I've been working out since mid January and I gained 5lbs... However, since prepping for the LB liquid diet, I've lessened my diet to 1-2 protien shakes a day, and 1-2 meals (I shoot for one but sometimes the midnight cravings get me since we don't go to bed until about 1am and I'm back up at 7am), and added a bunch of strength training to my work out, I've lost that initial 6lbs, plus another 6! So I am now 254. Small victory! ::Crowd goes wild:::scared2: I took some bandsters advice and obtained some Syntrax NECTAR protein powder off of Amazon.com. I bought the strawberry kiwi and the roadside lemonade kinds. I'm very impressed! It doesn't have a funky protein drink after taste, the powder isn't chalky in the drink (it fully dissolves, and quickly), and there is only 90 calories, yet 23g of protein per scoop. So every morning I've been making a strawberry/bananna/protein scoop/skim milk smoothie that the entire family loves. I add the roadside lemonade with 50%water 50% decaf iced tea, and it's a great Arnold Palmer drink, perfect for sipping on the deck in the beautiful spring weather. The cost is great, too. Life Changing, I tell ya. Another tip I have, is I like the Slim Fast shakes. So I signed up on the SlimFast website, and they send me coupons every 1-2 weeks for $3 off any size pack of slim fast bars or shakes. My local Walmart always has bonus cases of buy 6 get 2 free for $5.50. With the coupons, I get 8 shakes for $2.50. Who said protein shakes have to be expensive? Also, I hate water...despise water...it's gross. I try to drink a bottle a day but I usually can't....but I am making a point to make sure that 90% of what I drink, other than the protein shakes, doesn't have calories in it. So I drink a lot of PowerAide Zero. Has lots of vitamins, is flavored, but no calories. And they're less than 50cents a bottle. I've cut out over 800 calories a day just by doing that! So...I'm pretty ready, I think....C'mon Drs! What you waiting for?!