sweetbean70

Congratulations on your 100lbs loss! I, too, have just recently added that "jewel" to my crown. It took me nearly 23 months to do it and I still have 40 more pounds to go, but it has been an awesome journey!

From my fill in July to my fill in September, I only lost 1.6lbs. I truly thought it would be waaaay more because my ring (even with a guard) spins around freely and I went down nearly 2 sizes in clothing. Even my surgeon was surprised at the little amount of weight I had lost. He asked me about my eating habits and my exercise regimen and said that I was "right on track." He told me that he firmly believes that the body goes through phases where you lose inches instead of pounds. He went from a size 38 to a size 34 and only lost 10 pounds. His wife went from a size 14 to a size 10 and the scale didn't budge! They are both banded, so I know he is speaking from experience. He suggested that I take measurements every month, so I don't get discouraged when the scale doesn't move. After my fill, I decided to really track my Protein grams and found that I wasn't getting as much protein as I thought I was. If the body isn't getting enough protein, it will go into starvation mode and hold onto every calorie. I really amped up my protein intake and, low and behold, I lost 2.5lbs last week!

OMG!!! I completely forgot to mention that when I donated blood this past week, the nurse was able to use a normal-sized bp cuff on me without any trouble. No more POPEYE ARM BP CUFF for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :thumbup:

I'm just going to list my NSVs that I've had since school started the middle of last month! I bought some new school clothes at the end of July in a smaller size and they were a little too snug for my comfort. After a week of wearing the new clothes to school, I had several colleagues tell me that I needed to go shopping for some new clothes because the clothes I was wearing were JUST TOO BIG. :thumbup: I had to put my wedding rings in the jewelry box because I was afraid they were going to fall off at the end of last year. I decided that I wanted to wait until goal to have them resized, so I bought a pretty (fake) set to wear. At the beginning of the summer, I had a ring guard put on the fake set. That set now spins around at will, guard and all. I had several colleagues tell me that they were looking forward to the start of the new school year to "see how great I am looking." :scared2: I loooove these NSV posts. I was feeling a bit down because I only lost 1.6lbs from July 12-Sept 10. I have been watching what I eat and exercising, but the scale wasn't budging! I asked my doctor about it when I went for a fill on 9/10. He told me that although you probably wont read about it medical journals, he truly believes that there is a phase where you don't lose on the scale but lose inches. He went from a size 38 to a size 34 and only lost 10lbs. His wife went from a size 14 to a size 10 and didnt lose a single pound. FYI~ I lost 2.5lbs in one week since my fill! :thumbup:

I, too, have been having a real issue with constipation or when I do finally go it is so hard it hurts (sorry...gross). I was afraid that all of that straining could lead to "roids" (ick). So, I have been taking a stool softener every night before going to bed for the past 2 weeks. It has made a huge difference! If you are going to try this approach, be sure to take a stool softener, not a stimulant laxative. :thumbup:

I looooove oatmeal! I make plain oatmeal on the stove (not instant) using skim milk instead of water. Once it is done, I add no-calorie sweetener and pecans. I've also sprinkled in a 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder in with the oatmeal for another way to sweeten it up.

Hello! I am in desperate need of advice from any and all of you here on this forum that have had your upper arms (bat wings) surgically taken care of. So far, I have lost nearly 90 pounds and would like to lose another 50-60 pounds. My upper arms are disgusting with a huge bulge of fat hanging from the upper/inner part of each of them. The bulge is so big that i have a crease about 2" above each elbow that looks like a butt crack. My upper arms are still jiggling 5 minutes AFTER I stop waving to someone! I have to wear a size larger shirt just to fit my upper arms and my hands go numb quite often if I have my arms in certain positions. Did your insurance cover the cost of your surgery? If so, what steps did you have to take to get it approved? How close to goal were you or how long were you at your goal before you had your surgery? How did you go about finding a surgeon?

I completely understand the struggle with seeing oneself as "fat" even when s/he has lost a significant amount of weight. As I am approaching my 14 month BANDiversary and down nearly 90 pounds, I still have difficulty realizing that I actually DO fit into an XL shirt. When I see the XL shirt hanging on the rack, I think to myself that there is NO WAY that puny bit of material will cover my big, old body. But, low and behold, the XL shirt fits me just fine! Another struggle I have is accepting compliments from others about my weightloss. When someone tells me how great I look, I just smile and say thank you, but my brain is telling me that they are "just being kind." As for other's food choices, I completely agree with the posters in this thread. I, too, notice what other people have in their grocery carts at the store, order at restaurants, and eat for lunch. Two years ago, I would have been the one with a cart overloaded with junk food, ordering an appetizer+main course+dessert at a restaurant, and chowing down on a monsterous lunch. I thank God everyday for my band!

Hello! In my Quest to add more Protein to my daily diet, I decided to try adding a daily Protein shake. Right after my surgery, I tried several different Protein shakes and found them to be disgusting. I have, however, just recently discovered a protein shake that I find quite tasty. BODY FORTRESS SUPER ADVANCED whey PROTEIN chocolate, 32oz canister $15 @ WalMart 52g of protein/2 scoops 7g of carbohydrates/2 scoops 270 calories/2 scoops I usually mix up a shake in the morning w/ 6-8 ounces of skim milk and drink it throughout the day. :cursing:

LOL! I think someone had me in mind when they started this thread. :scared2: I, too, have become somewhat lazy when it comes to getting enough protein in my daily diet. My surgeon told me that if I do not consume a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day, my body will go in to starvation mode and hold on to every calorie. I know that I've been eating way too much fresh fruit and vegetables. Although that food is good for you in may ways, they are not a good source of protein. So, I have started drinking a protein shake (20g) for either breakfast or with my nighttime meds, eating a protein bar (20g) throughout the day, and making sure the majority of my lunch, dinner, and snack consists of protein (eggs, cheese, tofu, chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, nuts, etc.) I am curious to see what the scale will read next Friday after 2 weeks of my new-and-improved-protein diet

When I first told my hubby that I was going to be banded, he was reluctant. His fear was that I would follow the same path as me ex-SIL (key word being EX). She went from 232lbs to 91lbs via gastric bypass about 8-9 years ago. After losing all the weight, she decided that she didn't love my brother anymore, was tired of being a mother, and walked out on her family to be with another man. She currently looks like a "crack ho." Due to not following the required dietary requirements associated w/ the GP, she has had to have all of her teeth pulled and wears dentures, her hair is so thin she looks almost bald, she looks like she has aged about 20 years, and worst of all, she is now having seizures. I told my hubby that I love him. I did NOT "settle" for him because I felt too fat to "get" anyone else. I told him that my main reason for being banded was for my health. I had just been diagnosed with insulin resistance (a precursor to Type 2 diabetes) and with my bad kidneys, I didn't want to end up like my mother (kidney transplant in 2004) or my grandmother (died of kidney failure in 2004). He certainly understood my concerns about the health issues and decided to research the LAP-BAND® procedure. After truly understanding what the procedure is about and feeling secure about my feelings for him, he became my biggest supporter. :scared2:

surgery date: 6/8/09 weight loss: 87 pounds (as of 7/16/09) exercise: walking 2 miles, 4x per week (under 30 minutes) + resistance bands past diet: ate fairly healthy, just way toooooo much current diet: 2 small meals per day, 60+ grams of Protein (protein bar/20g, protein shake/20g, + low fat meat, cheese, eggs/20g) I absolutely love my band! I have gone from a tight 28W to a comfy 18W. I must admit that I have become addicted to all of the compliments I've been getting. I can't wait to return to school (I'm a teacher.) to see what my colleagues and the students have to say. :tt2:

I just got back from a mini vacation at my childhood best friend's house. She lives just outside Cincinnati and you can see King's Island's Eiffel Tower from the end of her street. I haven't seen her and her family since they came home (Columbus) for Christmas. At that time, I'd lost about 55-60 pounds. Now, I've lost 80-85 pounds. At Christmas, her 9 y/o son kept bragging about how he can and will ride any and all roller coasters at King's Island. He threw me a challenge and I accepted. I have to admit that I was extremely nervous about getting back on a roller coaster because the last time I tried to ride a roller coaster (2004), I couldn't fit in the seat and had to leave the loading area in front of EVERYONE. Needless to say, that was VERY embarrassing! Well, I am extremely proud to report that I FIT ON EVERY RIDE WITH ROOM TO SPARE! :puke: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: We rode the Diamondback, Invertigo, Italian Job, and Adventure Express coasters and a few other rides. We went to the park after 5pm and the lines were really short. I had a blast!