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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.

Ok, I have been dealing with my weight for the last past eight years. 2 years and 28lbs ago I attended the seminar for gastric bypass. At the time I felt that the procedure was a little to drastic for me and never pursued it any further. I am starting to have soooo many issues surrounding my weight like sleep apnea, acid reflux, and recent knee issues. The acknowledgement of being tired and short breath all the time has encouraged me get back to trying to loose the weight on my own. I am now looking for alternatives so this disease doesn’t get the best of me. I am currently 5'0 and 228lbs. After reading information on the lap band, I am thinking this is the route for me. I welcome any advice from anyone who is willing to share. I will keep you guys updated in my progress.:thumbup:

3 lbs in 30 days isn't a lot whether you are 20 lbs over weight or 200 thats why we were very surprised.

I've been hanging around, reading posts and journals for a while now. I really respect the folks that are recording their lives here. I don't know how long I will be able to keep this up. I'm not much of a writer and I'm sooo glad there is spell check. But Im going to try. Maybe someone will read something I write and get something from it. I know I've got a lot from the journals I'm currently following. So here goes: My name's Amanda. I'm 41, married to a wonderfully supportive guy and have 2 step sons (30 & 31)I'm very close too, and we live in the Northeast. I am the CFO of a small company, so I work at my desk, in my office, all day and it doesn't leave much opportunity to move around during the day. My weight has been up and down all my life. Mostly up. I'm at my heaviest and not liking myself much lately. My husband and I like to keep busy and we do many sports together (golf, biking, walking, shopping(involves lots of walking!!)) and I love everything to do with the water (kayaking, sailing, fishing, boating, swimming). In 2005 I was on a 3 person team that completed a triathlon. My goal is to do the triathlon again. (UPDATE ON AUG 2, 2008 I COMPLETED MY FIRST SOLO TRIATHLON!!) I've been looking into the LapBand for about 2 years, ever since my sister-in-law got it. She has since had it removed because it was eroding, but says she would have another put in if she could. About 2 months ago I went to my first information session and consultation with the surgeon. I have since jumped through all the hoops (psych,nutrition,upper GI,pulmonary and cardiac clearance, diet history, blood tests). So far so good. I stopped by the Dr.'s office to see how things were progressing last Friday. They have received all the information and will now submit to insurance. Then they will call with a surgery date. The desk lady said I should be hearing in a week. So I wait. I've been working on eating meals without drinking. It does make me feel full faster. I'm going to sign up at the gym after the first of the year. I've lined up with my company to take a week off after my surgery, hopefully in mid January. A word about the pre-tests. I breezed through the cardio, pulmonary, blood, nutrition and diet history. It was the psych that messed me up. I've had some hard times these past few years. Many deaths (a very dear friend from suicide and all grandparents, a daughter-in-law, my father-in-law and mother-in-law. I guess I'm a bit depressed. This Dr had me thinking I have some real problems and they might get in the way of her passing me for the surgery. I figured I flunked the psych part. Is that possible I asked my husband? Well I didn't hear anything further from her so I guess I didn't flunk. But gees I am an intelligent person that goes to work each day, am very successful, happily married and don't beat my dog. This lady had me doubting myself. I'm just fat, not suicidal! I'm glad I don't have to see her again. So I wait. I've decided not to tell most folks about the surgery until it happens or someone asks after. My business and all that. My close friends and family know. I'll need their support. Well I guess that's it for now. I hope to chronicle as often as possible or when the facts allow. Comments are welcome and appreciated. TTFN :cursing:

Hello! I'm am new to this,well relatively, so please be nice. I can't help but feel so depressed during this pre op liquid diet ... I have a 2year old son, no energy.... Sometimes it feels like I wish I could sleep the days away this week. My surgery is tomorrow however it's not til 12 in the afternoon. Everyone is eating "normal" around me and I am barely eating. I keep trying to have the things I'm allowed but I don't even want it . I try forcing myself but I'm just not thrilled. Sometimes I just feel like why do I have to go through this? Why am I the one that has this challenge? I am altering my natural body to lose weight. It just sucks. I know im grateful to be approved , and I sure know people have it worse than me but I can't help but feel sad. I'm having a really bad day. Has anyone else felt like this? Granted I have had days of feeling excited, nervous, and happy about getting VSG. It's like a new emotion every week . Thanks for listening Frankie

You're almost there! Try to focus on how much energy you'll have to take care of your beautiful baby boy after you've lost weight! Everything serves a purpose. You're doing great. Hang in there. C.

Just wanted to get a comparison view from others on what your workout routine is. I was banded 12/3/09 and have lost just shy of 100 lbs. so far. I hired a personal trainer that I meet twice per week starting in January 2010. I also workout on 2-3 other days per week. Here's a rundown of what I do for exercise. Thoughts? Trainer: 45 minute session combining cardio, circuit training, weight lifting (running stairs, sprints, power-lifting, metabolic training, toning) followed by 60 minutes of walking at 3.5 mph and a 6.0-7.5 gradient on the treadmill. This is twice per week. On own: -I do zumba 2-3 times per week for 60 minutes. -I do interval training on the treadmill of 7.4 mph for 90 seconds, followed by 3.5 mph for 90 seconds all at a 2.0 gradient for 30 minutes. I will sometimes walk for 10-20 minutes after this or do 15 minutes of abdominal workout or 15 minutes on the spinning bike, but not all on the same day. -Recently started doing elliptical instead of the full interval session as I am getting bored with intervals. Working my way up on the elliptical. Did 6 for the level with 90 seconds at maximum effort and 90 seconds of recovery effort for 12 minutes today (first time I tried it). My legs were shaking! I've worked my way up to dead-lifting 145 lbs with the trainer and can benchpress about 70 lbs repeatedly. I've been able to run a 5K on the treadmill, although I haven't tried it outside as the weather is horrible here. Am planning on completing my first outdoors 5K in April and doing a 5K with 12 obstacles next fall! nursemidwife86

Congrats on at least making the appointment for your fill. I lost a total of over 140 lbs. Havent been for a fill in 3 yrs. Ive gained 40 back. Im trying to get up the nerve to go back to the dr. But it's a big deal because I had my surgery with True Results and they are no longer in Atlanta. I'm trying to get motivated again start eating like im suppose to. I gained my weight from depression and sweets. They slide right down the band. I have also started walking. I just hope my band hasn't slipped. I feel hungry all the time. I hope your fill is a success and your weight starts melting off again. (: Lynn Philippians 4:13 <><

Welcome! I think you are doing awesome. You are losing and not gaining, that is the most important thing. Some lose fast, some slow - but as long as you are working downward, you should be equally as proud as anyone else.

Congrats on your progress, my surgery date was 07/28 and I have hit a serious stall, no weight loss in 3 weeks and I am starting to wonder what am I doing wrong. You look amazing, got any good tips on how you are so successful?

I read an article on this awhile ago. It said that it does take time for us to accept our new sizes. It said it was very important to actually do mental exercises of looking at yourself and really talking to yourself about how your body has changed! The article said this will help you to accept your bodily changes. If you don't, the article said, it is one of the major subconscious ways that we sabotage our successes! It said to continually think about how you are changing, remind yourself again and again what new size you are. It talks about all kinds of changes that we go through- marital, job promotion, loss of a loved one, but the hardest change to accept was seeing your body in a different size, whether you had a gain or a loss. I think it makes a lot of sense. It is hard to get used to. I'm not there yet but I hope to be!

hi everyone,my daughter found this site for me,so here i am...i was banded jan/22/07 have had three fills and am finally on the road of losing weight have had a few problems,,,learning to eat slowly and chew ,chew,chew...as i was a fast eater all my life.this is the most difficult part of all so far.i live in victoria bc canada,was banded in toronto @tlbc.i am interested in some sample menus as a guide as so far am unble to get 8oocal in per day using real food,any ideas???any help or words of wisdom are most welcome.good luck to those considering the surgery and congratutions to those who have...take care lita

Thank you for replying to my post --it was my first post here. I never thought I'd have the courage to ask for support here, nevermind posting my weight and goal for the whole world to see! It's a whole new beginning. How long ago did you have your surgery? Are you pleased with the results? As I think I may have indicated in my post, my initial worry is really limited to recovery time. I started the journey by attending the first support group meeting in December and have since changed jobs. (I just started my current job the first part of March.) I expected it to take longer to get to the actual surgery part, so I was really surprised when I found out yesterday that they can scheule me on Tuesday, June 1st. So..I have 40 hours of vacation/sick time on the books.which will get me through the weekend. I am already feeling guilty taking the time off when I've not even been there 6 months yet, so I'm concerned that even 5 days after surgery will be enough. I'm hoping that I'll feel well enough to go back 3 days after surgery-so on Friday. I understand that everyone is different, and I've been reading different stories here, but I'd love to hear how your recovery went. How long did it take for you to feel well enough to do your usual activities? Anything you can suggest for making the recovery go smoother? Thanks again, V

It's so individual based on your doctors pre-op recommendations. After that its all about your metabolism, exercise, how you eat….etc, etc, etc, etc. Basically, so many factors….. In my opinion….try not to compare yourself and don't look at anyone else as a gage for what you could possibly lose. it could only set yourself up to be disappointed if you don't lose what you "think you should" be losing! You and I have a very similar starting weight….but that is the only comparison you can make…. my success may be very different than yours….just be yourself… take one day at a time and do the best you can do for YOU! Wishing you lots of luck and success!

Having lapband later this month, and I don't know anyone whose had the surgery. My surgeon is great, but is reluctant to give me any real indication of how quickly patients typically lose weight. He's given me a caloric "formula" for weight loss which makes sense, but I'd like to know from other people who have been banded: how much did you lose in the first month? How long before the weight loss slowed down, and how much, on average, are you losing per month now? For what it's worth, I'm female, late twenties. BMI of 41.

Hey everyone I have had my band for around 5 years noq my starting weight was 128 Kgs and got down to 78 kgs !! Im 30 years old female and from australia, My husband and I started trying for a baby we fell preganant so I went adn got 2.5mls taken out of my band I had 3.5mls in the start with in 6 weeks I put on 12 KGS !!!!! we lost our baby due to a misscarriage this was a hard time for me as it was my secoud in about 2 years, We are ok though I have awesome support from my husband which is great! My issue is that after 5 years and sitting on around 78-82 kgs I really thought in my mind I had it under control my eating.... as soon as I knew I could eat I did!! I was out of control I went to see my doctor today he put 2mls in so I now have 3 mls I need to get myself back into it and lose the 12kgs I pt on !! It actually freaks me out to think that this band is so important to me as I need it more than I thought I did ! Why do I always think of food? has anyone else felt this way ? A x

Hey mousecrazy, I have not been banneded yet. I just started my 6 months of Dr supervised weight loss program (ins requirment) so I am looking to get banded in January. Dr Powell will be doing my surgery when I get to that point. I cant wait.

How much was your starting weight.. etc? Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

Does anyone use CAWL (Computer Aided Weight Loss) software? In other words, does your computer help you lose weight in some way? I use Excel to create a spreadsheet about my weightloss. It can be seen at my blog. I'd like to be more creative though. Any ideas?

Wow the big one was the one who didn’t get approved. I can’t imagine how she feels, she really wanted this so bad maybe the most out of all three of them. The brother is so arrogant, you’d think he was only 50lbs over weight the way he really believes he doesn’t have a problem [emoji58] Yo-Yo Girl from New York City

I've had my lap-band for almost 7 years, and it's been a good tool for me. I've lost 100 pounds and kept it off. Recently I've been having a lot of trouble with pneumonia - I was hospitalized for a week and it's still lingering, and I'm a healthy 30 year old female. My doctor told me today that my band has slipped significantly and that it could be causing aspiration pneumonia. I'm in a challenging spot....do I move forward and have the band removed all together? I'm emotionally/physically/mentally 180 degrees from where I was 7 years ago when I had the band put in. I think I can maintain the healthy lifestyle I've kept for these years. But then I wonder.. do I get the slip repaired, knowing that it may happen again in the future? The fear of gaining my weight back is my biggest worry, it's like being held prisoner psychologically. Has anyone else out there been in a similar situation? Would love to hear your experiences, hard to find people to talk to about this.

The statistics for long term weight maintenance with the band are quite good. That is what attracted me to the band.

I've maintained 182 for about a year with no problem. It's not my preferred weight, but the weight my BODY prefers! The band is a wonderful tool to help you lose and maintain weight loss, but there certainly are ways to eat around it if you so desire! Milk shakes go down super easy!

im about 290 now so its a been about 45 lbs down since surgery on the 6/5/13 gotta say i am loving zumba class more Xp that was me about 2 years back this was me about a year ago right after knee surgery and physical therapy back in august i guess if u wanna say 140 or 150 pounds later this is me now Still goofy and luvable i hope lol have no idea what im gonna look like at the end of the year i told my doctor 271 was goal weight but now were thinking i could grind sleeve til im 200 by the end of the year than ill get sexy at that my goal for now um wish me luck Xp

It's like you all are in my head saying exactly what I am thinking. I am going to go for it. See if I can also use this as a tool to help me live a healthier life. My mother and grandmother suffered from being over weight and had heart attacks. I am so afraid of that for myself. I need to take this step. I am just so afraid. But I will trudge on and see where this new journey takes me.