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Well I cannot believe it has been 6 months since my surgery. So much has changed. First I just want to say I was hoping to reach a 100lbs lost by this date but I did not. I am oh so close and still I find myself happy with what I have accomplished. I want to share all that has changed for me in the past 6 months. - I am down 91lbs, and have lost a total of 60 inches from my arms, legs, bust waist, buttocks, thighs and calfs!! I have gone from a 30/32 top to a 18/20 or XL sometimes, bottoms were a very tight 28 to a an 18. Those are just my stats here are some NSV's that I am so proud of....... 1.) I am an ACTIVE participant in my life once again, this was the main reason I had this surgery!! 2.) I have more energy than ever, and just can't seem to sleep forever anymore 3.) I can run for short periods on the treadmill, still working on this one 4.) I fit in any and all booths that I have sat in anywhere I go now.....no more fear that I won't fit 5.) I have choices in clothing, choices, choices and more choices!!! 6.) I can wear my necklaces 7.) I can ride my bike 8.) My daughter can get her arms all the way around me for a hug 9.) I feel even more confident than I did before 10.) I can bend, cross my legs, get up off the floor, etc. 11.) When going thru a crowded store or venue and I am following my 16yr old daughter I know can pretty much fit thru spaces she can without trouble, where before I would always have to go around another way. lol 12.) I can buy shoes, all different kinds of shoes and wear them without my feet hurting. I love my converse but they have no support, but I can wear them now, Love it! 13.) I can fit in the airplane seats 14.) I logged between 18,000-22,000 steps daily on vacation to Disneyland in March..... CRAZY!!!! 15.) I have inspired my mom and she is doing great with her weight loss 16.) I have gone from a 30/32 top to a 18/20 or XL sometimes, bottoms were a very tight 28 to a an 18 17.) I can shave and lotion so much easier now 18.) Someone wanted to know if my daughter was my sister or my daughter, I will take that as I look younger now 19.) I love seeing muscles where before I couldn't 20.) I still don't love the gym, but it is part of my life now and I do feel better after I go 21.) I don't find out till tomorrow at my check up but I am pretty sure all my numbers will be better 22.) I can feel and SEE my clavicles, not sure why but I love this 23.) I do not hide or shy away from pictures 24.) I love that my skin has improved too 25.) I CANNOT wait to see what the next 6 months bring me!! I know that I am at a weight where people will begin their journey, but coming from my highest recorded weight of 324 and my starting weight of 314, I am amazed at the changes and what this body can do. It's hard to imagine what it will be able to do once I get to 175 or maybe even lower. I'm sorry this is so long, but I wanted to put down everything so I can print it out and add it to my book, so I can look back at it in another 6 months. I also know from my past experience that posts like this really helped me in the beginning and before my surgery. Me and my hubby are going to Celebrate today with a bike ride. It's a beautiful day here in Tucson and we are going to enjoy it! I have a pair of beautiful Clark wedges just sitting here waiting for me to hit my 100lb loss and then I can wear them!! My daughter is holding them hostage till I do. LOL Tomorrow I have my 6 month check in with my surgeon and I cannot wait to see how all my blood work came back. We will also be discussing getting my ventral hernia (it's on my lower right side of abdomen) removed. Herman has to go. He is protruding now and causing me some pain. Thanks to all who made it this far in reading this long a@@ post, Thanks to all of you who have helped me out along the way wether you realize it or not. This website has been so helpful I can't explain it. You never know when your words might inspire or help so everyone keep posting, keep asking questions, and keep keeping on!!! Here's to the next 6 months of this beautiful life of mine, it's not always easy, it's not always fun, but it's MINE and I am loving every minute of it. I have attached a pic my docs office took me before surgery, the one in the mirror was taken just the other day (I was showing my daughter I was wearing the new shirt I bought) and then a side by side of my face from the day of surgery to a pic from our March vacation. I am sorry if they are sideways, I don't know why they do that.

You are doing great with your weight loss. I live in Boston and my husband went to the Mad Russian to quit smoking. He needed to go 2-4 times but smoked 4-6 packs a day. That is not a number mistake. I never smoked. Good luck

Aha, you're the one! The one pleased with her rate of loss, that is. A kiss upon your noggin, Sane Heroine..

@@flmommyof2 first let me say congratulations on making healthy lifestyle choices for yourself. Second let me ask you why you feel that you are venting? I am not seeing much negative here, you are walking and eating right, and it's good news not to have co-morbities like diabetes and HBP. If you have sleep apnea the good news is that with weight loss you might be able to clear that up and not need a CPAP for very long, and getting one now will help you to get some much needed rest in the mean time. Keep walking and working on the program you have going, take it easy and try not to overdo it you won't want to hurt yourself and no matter what the outcome you have already started taking better care of yourself so Hooray for you! Keep going!!

Hi. I had my surgery on 6/13 as well and can only drink about 8oz of water. A few bites of food here and there. I have lost about 25lbs, but I think a stall is coming soon because I'm not able to eat a lot. I would love to hear how your doing with food and weight loss. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi Alex, Sounds like my month!!! I write this as I sit here sniffling with a hellatious head cold and feeling sorry for myself! LOL Earlier this month I was complaining about the hair loss, (which seems to have stopped since I got my hair cut), lost deals, a house that hasnt sold and numerous other things that have been going wrong in my life. Now the hair seems to be on the mend, a few deals came through and although it still aint great, its definitely an improvement from before. Everything is going to be fine and the New Year brings hope. And all of those folks suffering does bring alot into perspective. Hugs, Babs in TX 334/188/170 -146 6/23/03

I had a really good visit today with my doc. Insurance has been approved, I recieved my pre-op testing orders and a price list for Optifast (2 week liquid diet required). I just have to lose five more pounds before I can be scheduled to see the surgeon. I cannot wait! Anyone else here from Deaconess Weight Loss Solutions in Evansville, IN?

Every doc is different. Some require a certain amount of weight loss BEFORE - both so that the area he'll be working will be a bit smaller and less fatty to get around in OR to see how determined you are to lose weight. Many will tell you that your liver is harder to handle and more easily nicked in the surgery if it is what is called 'fatty liver'. So, they ask you to lose some weight before to lessen the chances of this happening. It might be worth making some changes on your own just to insure the most optimal conditions once your under the knife. It is your life and your health after all. Good luck to you and congrats on a date!

Good for you for taking control of your health at an early age! All the evidence suggests that it's incredibly unlikely for people to successfully lose weight on their own - no more than 5% of those who lose weight with diets are able to maintain that loss longterm. The stats for bariatric surgery is about 50% success which is dramatically higher. As you say - you're an adult and you can make your own decisions. I wish this surgery was an option for me when I was your age. Wishing you the best in your journey, and hoping you can find people to support you.

Hi Ryan!!! I am so excited for you and your date with the surgeon!!! You deserve it and I know you'll do great! You are amazing losing 21 lbs before surgery and can't wait to see what you can do after the surgery. You and frank will be gliding way past us poor girls on the weight loss. LOL. Keep you chin up and we'll all be thinking about you this week. Promise to let us know how it goes as soon as you can. Teresa

You've done so well with your weight loss! You should really feel good about that. Don't worry, Ryan. You'll still be you when you're thinner. You'll just be a healthier, happier, more confident you. Nancy

I've taken 200 mg Topamax for years for migraines and I was banded in December. I've not had any trouble. Unfortunately it has not ever helped me with weight loss! Bummern

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.

Hello there! I'm not sleeved yet but 35g of carbs as an awful lot per drink, I have fallen in love with walmarts body fortress whey isolate its only got 0.5 net carbs per scoop it comes in vanilla and mixes well in any liquid, I use blue diamond almond milk unsweetened (40cals per cup). Dr. want you to limit carbs to shrink your liver. I to am going to Mexico and their pre and post-op diets aren't that good. I have gotten a lot of info by reading a book called Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook for Dummies, there is also a lot of info and a cheat sheet/recipes on line if you google that title. The book has wonderful recipes for every stage of our journey. I found the book at overstock for under 12.00, good luck to you

Hello there! I do not have my surgery date, but im afraid that I wont be approve neither, All that I have left is one dietician appt, meet my sugeon,send for approval then get date whew!!! not a lot at all ;lol but the problem is the dietician gave me a one pound weight loss goal and I know that ive gained at least 5 lbs!!!! over the holidays im very nervous about this, just wondering is this gonna turn out bad????? HERES TO WISHING BOTH OF US GOOD LUCK AND A POSITIVE OUTCOME!!!!!!!!!

I've noticed many people's interpretation of what the Green Zone is for them differs quite a bit on this forum....but whatever they do to make themselves 100% successful and happy is their business, and is very good.... My Dr. has this chart hanging on in all his exam rooms, and has referred to it every visit and used it to determine whether or not I needed a fill or not....he made it very clear that the next phase after surgery was to get me into that Green Zone...and that is where I have been for over 2-1/2 years now....last fill was 27 months ago... So, speaking only for myself.......... 1) NO Hunger..period! But it is more than that, with never being hungry I have no interest in foods, eating, and cravings.....have to remind myself to eat...and often times forget and not notice it... 2) Portion Sizes...the band will let me eat just so much, and then that's it...I do not measure portions, just stop when the band says to stop....it is also impossible for me to overeat...and that includes slider foods....so as long as I eat the best foods, I do not worry about calories either.... For this, I have problems understanding how people fall off the wagon and need to get back on track....as long as the band does not change....hope I never do come to understand it... 3) Steady weight loss...that's a given...hit a plateau here and there, but all in all it was very consistent...right up to the point where there is nothing left to loose (fat)....I am finished! Completed.... 4) Patient Satisfaction....DUH....if you have the above, how can you not bee satisfied? Where is the hard work??? Easiest thing that I could have ever done to loose weight....I cannot be more thrilled, and make no excuses for my success...if people don't like it, that's their problem.... Actually, it is a truth that regardless of how much you have lost, hunger, etc, and no matter if you find this easy or hard......as long as you are happy with where you are at, the results, and what the band does for YOU, then that is all that really matters....right? Like I said, I have noticed many people here have different approaches and philosophies as to how they work with the band...and what works for them.... and as long as they are Happy...Patient Satisfaction....then that is all that matters.....That's what it is all about..... \ \ But there are also many people here that are not happy, always struggling, and very frustrated...even after 5 years!!!

hi, i know the feeling...i lost 30 pounds the month after my daughter was born, and then gained it back and then some the four months after that! I also moved to another state, and between the stress of neew baby and moving my entire life, I chose food to cope, threw all my wisdom of proper band management ou the window, an cheated myself back into compulsive eating. That was a month ago. I just got so sick of feeling out of control again, eating all the time. I got myself this gazelle machine, and once i was exercising again, I didn't want to screw up my hard work during the day by stuffing at night. And I really was dumb, eating little bits, drinking water to get them down, not being able to eat something, puking and moving on, trying again. Really out of control behavior. Now that I am "sober" I see that I was never eating out of hunger. I have my total weak moments at night (it was my "stuffing" time) but I just think of myself as an ex-junkie, and that kind of behavior as a drug, I'd do anything, go through any amount of mental distress, not to "use" again. I'm worth it an my family is too! An example, like a moron I was working on my grocery list at my most weak time last night, and I started getting really hungry, so I put it down and went to read, and then had this total panic attack that my daughter was not breathing in her crib, so I checked on her, and she was fine! Then I went into living room and told my husband I was having a panic attack and talked to him about it. I felt better within a half an hour, and suddenly had this great insight into my twisted brain. (Not so long ago, that panic attack would have been followed by a huge binge) my sneaky brain hunger couldn't entice me into compulsive eating, so it tried to scare me into it! (I know it's not my entire brain, but the sick part). Perhaps this isn't your situation, but I am finding great success in knowing why i eat. My hunger is so small and I do great when i use band correctly, but it is a battle. I got back up, so I'm oing pretty damn good. As far as weight loss, i'll get there, i know it.

Oregondaisy, I noticed in purple you write Maintenance is a work in progress. I know without the tool being able to maintain weight loss is hard. Is it just as hard with your tool? So many things to think about. Just trying to understand. I will be sleeved March 31.

It's a little past 4:00 a.m. my time. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to get up and take my official Wednesday weight, which was 234.4. I actually peeked at 233 this week, but I ruined getting solidly to that number or past that number by eating too many carbs. After I pigged out on all the carbs at the end of January, I had a party challenge on Saturday, February 2nd. We had some neighbors from the old neighborhood bring their family over for dinner. We decided to prepare fajitas for the main portion of the meal, but I also made snacks to tide us over for the meal and to ensure that there were leftovers for at least Sunday's dinner. I wasn't disgusted with myself after the party. I had a small meal of brisket and beans earlier in the day. So, that held me pretty well. At the party, I tasted all the snacks I made and after I fixed everyone a quesadilla who wanted one, I made myself a very small plate of fajitas and beans. If I had to admit to going overboard on anything, it was probably the corn chips with guacamole and one to many oatmeal cookies. Other than that I did fine. Although I didn't enjoy a six-pound loss like I did the first week, I kept up with my exercises and ate decently for the other days of the week and still had the projected two-pound loss. I must lose 10 more pounds before I will reach my first major goal of 224, which was the lowest weight I remember reaching before I regained it all. I think I will make some homemade chili. I ate chili from Red Robin the first week and did pretty well. So, with homemade chili, I'm hoping to do even better.

I recently purchased a bunch of Taste of Home cookbooks for $3 each from our local dollar store. They have some beautiful recipes in them. I have marked quite a few to try. The cooks books were likely sold so cheaply because they are from 2011 and 2012 but I didn't care about that. If you google the recipes, you can will find them on the internet & then you can see how others rated the recipe & their suggested improvements. I'm always looking for new recipes. I find that variety of food is key to sucess in any weight loss program. I also believe that we only get to eat a small quantity of food so it should be full, flavorful, delicious food. If something is mediocre, I don't want it. I only get 1000 - 1200 calories a day - I want them to be yummy calories.

I agree about putting it in print and the accountability that goes along with that -- it's why I'm on here so often as it really helps me to reiterate the reasons I chose the surgery and what my longer-term goals are. In the short term I just want what I want, lol -- this site helps me keep the long view in perspective. It sounds like you were listening to your body very well and knew just what you were doing but then the surgeon inadvertently gave you permission to stop being mindful. It's such a fine line, isn't it -- for those of us who were very restrictive, all those years of dieting. One thing I've really learned is that it's not the same for any one -- we are all so different. The key is to find what works for you and stick to that. I gave myself permission to nibble on cheese and olives all day yesterday and drink wine. So today my scale is up, up, up. But I do go up and down anyway -- and often up before a real loss. Congratulations on the great loss you have had since your surgery! Try not to worry too much about the ten pounds as a lot can be accounted for with salt and accompanying retention, stress, etc. And today is a beautiful new day, you're reconnecting with your surgeon and from here it's one foot in front of the other, as it is for each of us. Best wishes to you for spring and the renewal that brings!

Today was my first official Wednesday home weigh-in since revisiting my surgeon's office. My weekly goal is to lose two pounds each week. I identified my starting weight as 242; this week, I'm down six pounds and the scale is rewarding me with a weight of 236.4. Ordinarily, I would be ecstatic about a six-pound loss. However, I plan on keeping my excitement in check until I'm at or below my last known weight in January 2007 (224lbs) before I started slowly putting the weight back on. The thing is, I've been in the game long enough to know that you always have to ask yourself, "Six pounds of what -- water, fat or muscle?" I can't answer that question, but I can I do my part to work with my band and not against my band. So, I ensured that I drank at least the recommended amount of water and switched to Propel when I got tired of water, exercised at the gym, which included using the elliptical for 45 minutes to 1 hour and performing my standard series of weight training exercises, stuck very closely to the prescribed eating order of protein, vegetables and fruit, skipped meals when I wasn't hungry and last, but not least -- journaled to ensure a written record of my journey.

Ups and downs are totally normal. 30 lbs in 2 moths is fantastic. Please don't hold yourself up to unrealistic expectations about weight loss.

Congrats on the total (and weekly) weight loss. I know I have to start adding exercise in! Our summer break starts this coming week so there is no excuse for not walking in the am or going to join the Y. Hopefully that will pick up the weight loss. I'm getting lots of compliments with my weight loss so far (nobody knows, except my husband, that I had WLS). Hopefully you are to. I am doing the Chobani with granola at lunch. I'm still doing protein shakes for breakfast because they are fast/easy and I can drink it while I am getting dressed. I usually supplement with a Atkins bar around 10 a.m.ish

Hi, I am 4 weeks out and I really don't feel hungry but when I eat I don't feel full. I left the hospital on a pureed diet. I am now eating 3 meals a day which consist of 2 tbsp of finely diced or pureed chicken, fish, crab or scallop, Greek yogurt, cheese 2 tbsp of either pureed/mashed fruit or vegetable. 1 tsp of promise margarine or canola oil per meal to ensure I am getting enough Alpha Lineolic acid. I am also drinking 2 Protein Shakes per day. I have not had any problem with any food I have tried. I guess I should feel lucky but this also scares me a little. (I haven't tried beef yet as my doctor says no beef for 6 months). The only time I felt full was when I was in a hurry and drank my whole Protein Shake 8oz in about 10 minutes with out thinking. I felt somewhat uncomfortable but not in pain. I usually drink my Protein shake in 20 to 30 minutes with no problem. It seems there are a lot of members who are having issues with keeping foods down, fullness, etc. I am scared that my pouch is too big and I will have problems later. Is there anyone out there who had no issues at all and has done well long term with weight loss. I just need some assurance.