qtney1

You look AMAZING! Great work! I love reading your blogs. They are super information and a big support to us out there. THANK YOU :-)

Great job!

Yup, forget the negative and just proceed with the positive. It will be a slow loss some days, but ALWAYS worth it!

What everyone needs varies depending on weight. I use sparkpeople.com to chart my daily intake. I put in a goal I want to be a t, a date in which to achieve it, and it breaks down how much protein I should have, how many carbs, and maximum calorie range to get where I need to go. I just plug in the food and it tallies it all up. It helps because I can see if I can have a scoop of sugar free ice cream at night or if I should just skip it :-) I eat probably what you do in carbs everyday plus some and am still losing weight. Just keep your calories in the 1000-1200 range, keep up with protein, and you will be good.

I have lost 35 pounds since I started in mid September with the liquid diet. I feel like it has gone painfully slow. One thing I find, that seems to be helping, is adding in more protein every which way I can. I have two friends who have had this done. One lost her weight crazy quick. She lost 100 pounds in 7 months. The other just reached his 1 year, 100 pound mark. He said it took several months before the fills got him to where he needed to be. He then started losing, but not really until then. Good luck and hopefully it speeds up for all of us! When I get discouraged, I think how wonderful it is not to be 325 anymore :-)

Keep your chin up. I didn't start to feel real restriction until the 3rd fill....and, it wasn't the restriction I needed. I was banded 9/30/10 and am still toying with where I need to be at. I have lost 35 pounds total, but probably 20 of that came after I was banded. And, the majority of THAT amount happened after the 3rd fill. No worries...it will come. Just try your hardest to eat things that aren't slider foods, eat your protein first, and work the band

Eeeeeek, next Wednesday can't come soon enough. I need a fill SOOOO bad. I am joining a gym this week, but there are no aerobics classes, etc....Just the basic with circuits, weights, etc. What is your favorite thing to do at the gym. I wanna get the most out of my workout :-)

I went back and forth for a couple of years and now I am so glad I did it. I was banded 9/30/2010. I am down 35 pounds. It's been a slow weight decline, but I already feel so much better. I took Thursday and Friday off of work, had no recovery problems, and back to work on Monday. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. Or, go to a couple surgeon seminars to find out more in depth answers. It was the right choice for me. Good luck in your journey!

Fantastic! That is so great!

I have been losing slowly.....so slowly. I have read up another person's success by adding in MORE protein. I should have figured this out by now. I reviewed my sparkpeople.com records. I have found that I am staying in the 1500 range some days, which is not good. But, that I can make wiser choices by adding in more protein. If I have a salad with fat free dressing, throw in some sunflower seeds, etc. It makes sense. I have no idea why I have gotten away from protein. I aim for 60 each day, but some days I don't even get that. Others, try for at least 75. I'm curious, how much protein do you have everyday? Do you do better by counting calories, counting protein, or both?

Same thing happened to me! They didn't realize it until the 2nd fill when i was overfilled. Miserable!

I can't keep any snacks that I like in the house or I will eat them. I keep some for my husband and kids but I make sure they are healthy and not something I could typically crave (like chocolate). seriously, that is the only way around it because my willpower is still not where it should be :-). The water dilemma is something I fight, too. I drink water before meals and after I eat, I'm instantly thirsty and time myself for an hour before I drink. It's so hard. But, the one time I tried sipping after I had something to eat, the water made water I ate get stuck so that was that!

I was just like you! My last meal was everything I thought I couldn't have before. I binged and gained 10 pounds in just a few weeks from eating everything I thought I couldn't have again. Since surgery 9/30/10, I have been able to eat anything I want, just in normal portions. Also, I had abnormal bleeding to. Just in losing 35 pounds has already helped sooooo much with that! I wish you the best of luck in everything and don't be scared at all. The first few days of your diet will be the worst then you will be okay with it. I started at just over 325 and and have lost almost 35 pounds. I'm a slow loser, but it feels good knowing it will never come back!

I was banded on 9/30/10 and also can eat larger portions than what I like. I am reducing them with each fill, but also becoming hungry 2 hours after I last ate. I think it is just playing with the right fill you need. Try not to compare yourself to others, as it will be hugely discouraging. You will get there! A friend of mine had to have 4-5 months of playing with fills. Now, 11 months later, he is down 101 pounds.

This process seems to be soooo slow. I had to cancel my doctor's appointment yesterday because of all the snow we got here. I can't go in until a week from Thursday and know I need a little something in my band. I can eat more and I"m not thinking I like it very much. Everything seems to go down with ease. And, on top of that, it takes more to make me feel full. Also, I don't like feeling hungry after a couple of hours. Grrrrrrr! I have lost a whole pound in 8 days. I am down about 33 pounds total. About 15 of that after I got banded. I feel good about the weight I have lost so far, but also look at crazy envy at those banded around the time I was who have lost 50 or 60 pounds. Eeeek! It's time to kick up the exercise in high gear while I wait, I guess. Does anyone have any good items to soothe your sweet tooth? I can't do any jello or sugar free bars for a long time. If you have any suggestions of something to curb it, while tasting sinful (yet lower in calories), please let me know. I usually do pretty well, but today I have a crazy ice cream craving and can't seem to overcome it :-( What's funny, I'm not really even an ice cream person! Thank you if you are still reading me spew negativity. I am just having one of those days :-(

That's a good idea... I have slacked a little on my shake routine. I will HAVE to start adding those in more.

Good luck on your journey until the next fill. I need another fill, too, and I can't wait until I can go in.

Yes, tomorrow is a new day to climb back on the positive train. I think after one more fill, I will be good. I, too, have Just Dance and LOVE it. I need to get back to doing that nightly. Thank you for the supportive words!

I'm getting the hair loss, too....Grrrrr! I swear, I feel like I am sweeping hair off my counter every single day when I'm blow drying my hair. And, not one hair, a good amount of them....lol. I just keep drinking my protein and chewing my vitamins. I have heard it passes........

Any can usually stomach any kind of protein shake, but it has to be blended in the blender or in my blender bottle i bought. However, Costco brand and Unjury are my favorites, so far. The first few days of the pre op diet are the worst, but you will stop dropping weight and it will be soooo motivating!

I expected big things from 2011...just not me! I was banded on September 30th, 2010. It has been a long, but quick process, if that makes sense. I have gone from 325-327 (by my at home scale) to 293.6 , as of this morning. It seemed so daunting when I first started the insurance process, seminars, etc, in April of last year. But, it truly went by quickly. Before I knew it, I was banded. If anyone is reading this and is overwhelmed by insurance hoops, don't be discouraged. Just take it one step at a time because the payoff is HUGE! My last fill, # 3, they put in a little more in my band. That was 3 weeks ago and I've lost about 6 pounds since then. Slowly, but surely! Fill 1 was okay...no real restriction, though, fill 2 was an overfill---followed by some being taken out, then fill 3, I feel, is my sweet spot. I feel like I eat too much (i'm so paranoid about overeating), but my husband says I hardly eat anything. In comparing what I ate before, he's probably right. I still keep track of everything on sparkpeople and really am trying to watch everything. It certainly something that isn't easy and is something that we all have to continually work at. Each day, I still argue with my body about what to put in it. I think it will get easier and easier, but it has hard not to stop at McDonalds in the morning for a breakfast sandwich (not that I can really eat it without getting stuck anyway!), but my mouth would still try. I have just started really trying to get serious about working out. I don't really have time for an actual gym between my kids and my husband's crazy work hours. I have picked up Zumba and also love working out to my Wii! My doctor's office has a program they refer to as 'Bootcamp'. It is 3 nights a week for 6 weeks. Of all of the places in my city, it happens to be held just a few miles from my house, which is great. You work out with a personal trainer those 3 nights, meet with a counselor for a few minutes on 2 of those nights and meet with a nutritionist the other night after your workout. And, as long as you don't miss more than 3 sessions, it is all free. So, I will be beginning that on their next session start next month. I really can't wait! I am starting to have loose clothing, which is great, and my knees are already feeling better when I go upstairs. I love that. When I met my husband, I was hovering around 270. Still fat, but nothing as to what I turned into over 5 years! I guess my happiness was directly correlated with my weight gain, which, ironically, caused unhappiness. But, one the road to being a better me feels good! I recognize I will never, realistically, be 135 pounds ever, but I'm okay with that as long as I can get down to a healthy weight of maybe 170. I really can't wait to to do things with my kids this summer! I can already tell I'm getting more energy and can't wait to see how that goes up, too. Anyway, those are the thought that are in my head today. I hope everyone is doing well after the holidays!

I had fluid already in my band when it was put in, unknown to myself or my doctor. So, you might have some in there.

Thank you all so much! I love everyone on LBT...you guys give so much support!