Fern

Hey guys! I've been on both sides of the thyroid- hyper with graves disease to complete hypo after RAI. My body has been through a lot in a few short years. I often wonder what it's role is in this weight loss mission i'm on. I definitely kept gaining weight as soon as I was hypothyroid and I'm on sinthrod forever now. I think my WL is mostly due to the quantity of exercise and effort I put into this. I barely scrape a pound off a week- barely. I Zumba 8x week, Bootcamp 2x week. Even if I have to work super hard at the loss part, in the back of my mind I tell myself- it won't come back on. Just keep moving forward. i think it complicates things, but I've got my eye on the prize. I've lost 50lbs and have about 40 to go. My surgery was in March 10, and post op I've lost over 30. Slow going. I also have 7ccs now.

You see all sorts of things happening on this forum. I lost 10 on the pre op diet, and another 10 post op diet. I have a strict surgeon and basically liquids for 3-4 wks post op. It has been 6 months and I've lost a total of 30lbs+ since surgery. Bandster hell is where things slow down, its waiting the months for the appropriate amount of fill- so basically any weight loss is from sticking it out and exercising like heck. I'm 6 months out with 7cc and just probably in the green zone. Everyone's program is different. Some get lots of cc's right away. I get one a month if that. I can loose 1 lb a week steadily and I am an exercise fiend. Dr says now that I'm closer to goal and fit, things will probably slow down. I still have 40+ to go.

I struggle with being too hard on myself too. It's a hard habit to break. Be kind to yourself. It's a long journey, but worthwhile. I still need to remind myself everyday. Plus, I've chosen to accept that for me, the band is not a miracle worker, but it was the catalyst to get me and keep me on a good path. (not a perfect non cheating path, either!) No matter what your goals are, you'll get there.

I have made SOOO many new friends by going to Zumba. I started out in March. There are all kinds of bodies in our class. I stayed in the back and slowly my confidence brought me to the front of the room. Now, I go all the time. One of the places I used to go has a teacher that weighs close to 300lbs and she lost 200 doing Zumba. I love it, sometimes twice a day. It took me a while to get the hang of it. It tool a long time to not feel like I was going to die! I just laughed at myself alot. Still do. Last week I was asked if I wanted to get certified and teach. Not anytime soon... Thankfully, there are no mirrors in our dance gym. It would take me a while to get over that. Keep going and keep smiling and keep laughing. It does get better and easier.

I highly recommend to all bandsters finding a place/person/trainer to do a fat test. The professional I found did the caliper pinch thing and also used a scale hooked to his computer. Between both resutls, it gave me valuable, helpful information to work toward my goal weight. Humiliating, yes...sort of, but I was so curious if my goal weight was realistic. It took me some time to muster the courage to get my ass there and make an appointment. I'm glad I did it! My clinic for WLS doesn't include this and never suggested this test, and i think it was super helpful. I happened to get some good news because I now know that I have exactly 25 pounds of muscle on me above average women for my height and age. (I thought I was pretty dense, but it was good to hear that number so I could change my thinking). My ideal weight is closer to 155 than 130. This test produces different results than a BMI. BMI does not factor in muscle mass ratio to fat mass. I have 40lbs of fat to loose. Most helpful test along the journey to date for $25 bucks.

Hi everyone! March 15th Bandster. I'm soo impressed by all your weightloss!!! WOW-WOW! I've had a fill every 6 weeks or so. I have about 6ccs, and am going to encourage an adjustment at my next appt October 7th. I've just felt my hunger increase. I exercise a lot and am certainly adding back muscle and toning, but having a tough time loosing on 1300-1400 calories a day. My diet still includes carbs...hummm.... seems like everyone is doing way better without them. I was told just to eat them sparingly which I do.. I burn about 900 calories during my workout daily. I loose about a pound a week. Sometimes none. To loose any more I have to do a lot of meal replacement shakes. I'm slow... sometimes mind state is tolerable, sometimes frustrating because i work out alot. I've lost 25lbs since surgery. Now that I did the math I'm sad! I'm 195. Victory to be in Onderland, and seeing an empty closet. Total WL close to -50. I think I have 40 to go.

Thanks for the info! chewable sounds awesome. I know its just a phase, but I want to feel like I'm doing something too.

Anyone have recommendations for a biotin supplement for hair loss that is tolerable? I bought some; a skin, hair nails supplement-and they are huge pills which I have to cut into 3's which means I have to take 6. They are sooo gross. Anyone who has taken huge prenatals knows what I mean. I can almost taste them all day and gag on them from the smell. I have super thick hair and the qty falling out is alarming. I know it will stop, but I also want to keep it healthy.

Watch the sodium in the soups you buy off the shelf. With that said, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this Cashew Ginger Carrot by Pacific Naturals and the Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato. They also have low sodium soups out now. They are soooo good. Usually found in the health food isle or organic section. Totally worth the extra money to get through the liquids, post op diet and fills... thats a lot of soup!