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Trishcruise....awesome weight loss!!! I'm only down 21.5. I'm walking on the treadmill from 30-40 minutes everyday. Tomorrow will make 1 week of mushies. I really thought I'd be down 25 by now. I'm not hungry. I make myself eat every 4hrs...just finished cream of brocolli soup. What have you been eating?

My doc told me not to do heavy weights for 6 months. I can do light weights... I just don't know what movement will help tone my bat wings on my arms... And I'm doing the treadmill and the exercise bikes and stairs...

I continue to practice. Back to that in a minute. I got my approval to go to the Seminar. It's this Saturday and my surgeon is Dr. Oliak in Orange, CA. After that, they submit my paperwork to be approved for the surgery. That should take about two weeks. From that date it should be about one month till I'm banded. I continue to lose weight on a 1200 cal diet with very healthy choices. Some things that I'm having trouble with are: chewing...I try to chew everything 40 times but it's so darn hard!...I use a timer that sits in front of me and I MAKE my meal last 30 min. Of course, no liquids with meals and none for 1 hour after. That is hard too! I know I'm whining but isn't that what these forums are for? And I'm hungry. Exercise is difficult and slow. I tire sooo easily. I need knee replacement surgery so I am limited. Any ideas? I've been biking, rowing and working a few machines at the gym that are low impact on the knees. I've only been at it for around 7 days. I did pick up a protien shake at Costco. They also have these berry/yogart packets made by Yoplat. I highly recommend them. They're in the frozen foods dept. Well I'm off now. Thanks to all you great people out there I'm doing what I'm supposed to before I see the surgeon. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Oh...and I quit drinking alcohol and diet soda!

My start weight was 334. I don't eat much tho. I eat Greek yogurt. Premier protein shakes. Light baby bells. Beef jerky and some fresh fruit. I only drink water and G2 or diet cranberry juice. And I eat soup often.

I love my treadmill and utilize all the time. The features I like the most is the Ifit computerized trainer system. Fan, incline to 12%, 10 mph speed. Holds weight of 300 pounds. It monitors my pulse. And it has a cut off switch. It is a Norditrack. Happy walking.

Since surgery I've lost a noticeable amount of weight and if someone asks, I will tell them that I had bariatric surgery. Most people don't know what gastric sleeve surgery is and I don't go into depth with them on it unless it's someone who is asking more questions about it. Those people are also the ones who would generally benefit from the surgery too so I try to be as open and honest with them because it might end up saving their life someday. I don't know if I ever would have been able to have this surgery if it hadn't of been for 3-5 people close to me that had already had the same or similar procedure done. Their openness and honesty made it easier for me to make the decision and know that I was doing the right thing. I hope to pay it forward to others as a way of giving back. As for the haters, I haven't said anything about the surgery. I just sit back with my tiny meal, get full off of a few bites and let them try to figure out what's going on. Most of those types made fun of me before surgery so I don't care to mention it to them and they don't have the guts to ask me about it so I just let them wonder . . . and watch me get smaller each day.

There isn't anyone in my friends or family circle that do not know I am about to have barbaric surgery. Luckily they all also knew when my husband went through it last year and were very supportive. So I am blessed with that same support. All of us have struggled with weight issues, some for longer than others. I am having this procedure to extend my own life. For those who don't like it or think I am weak for going this route, well they can kiss it! LOL

The same thing happens to me, during my TOM I don't lose anything at all, my body just stalls. Then all of a sudden I'm down 5lbs in 2 days. I'd be okay if it was just once a month, but my friend has been doing sneak attacks on me...last month it was twice. GYN says that its the weight loss, but to keep on truckin' because I'm doing great. She assures me that my body will get back to normal. I can't wait for that!

Yes some of us have had amazing weight loss but it wasn't easy. It was a long difficult road. I literally and figuratively worked my ass off. You've lost 6 pounds in 11 days. During the same period, I lost about 15 but lets put that in perspective...I had a starting weight of 135 pounds more than you. I had so much more to lose. My 15 was about 4% of my total weight. Your 6 pounds is about 3% of your total weight. So really, you're doing very well. Just keep following the process, relax and enjoy the journey. It really is amazing!

Thanks and good luck with your surgery. You will do great. Yes, Florida is great for walking and we have hiking and biking trails nearby. My wife walks with me and that helps. She is normal BMI and has never had a weight problem, she has been my biggest supporter. When i lose some more weight we will take up bike riding. I hope i remember how. LOL.

Maybe she knows you are busy losing weight and just wants attention? Mine used to throw a tantrum every time I got on a long distance call to my mum.

I'm only a month out but I bathe my body in biooil at least twice a day. Also as soon as I'm released I'm going to do lots of weights and start yoga in a month or so. My friend had vsg 3 yrs ago and she said lifting and working on her Abs made a HUGE difference! She is in her mid 50s and did have a small tummy tuck but was told it would have been a lot more if she hasn't worked hard on her abs. I would love to know about the wraps because my stomach and chest is going to be my biggest issue. I'm only 27 but my boobs r already beyond saggy

My husband and I attended a couple of local support groups. After hearing so many of the others say how they wished they would have "taking their surgery seriously as a tool" and describe how little weight they lost 20-30 pounds in 1 year and some have even gone on to have a second WLS to try to lose weight and still not losing. I think in the back of my mind it kind of scared me. We talked about the importance of not only following the eating plan, but exercising. Literally, 2 days later I joined a local gym. It has been 2 months. When I first went it was all I could do to do 30 continuous minutes of any type of exercise. I only went 2 or 3 days a week. Now, I go 6 days a week and I work out continuously for 1.5-2 hours each day. I am tracking my food intake via myfitnesspal app on my phone. I have been averaging about 5-7 pounds loss each week. The thing is if I have a "bad day" at the gym I feel bad. Really what constitutes a "bad day" at the gym to me is not reaching the goal I set for myself that day. If I planned to go for an hour on the treadmill and only did 45 minutes or whatever it just puts me in a bad mood and makes me feel like I have let myself down. The more I go the more I push myself, and I am afraid I am going from one bad habit to creating a new one. I was addicted to food. I love the way it smelled, tasted, everything, but now I feel I am becoming addicted to going to the gym and working out. I rearrange everything to make sure I go for usually 2 hours, and lately I have been trying to increase my workout time by justifying it that I am trying to build up endurance. I went from walking on the treadmill 30 minutes each day to 50 minutes a day. I went from going 15 minutes on the bike. or elliptical to going 30 minutes and now wanting to increase that to 45 minutes a day. I recently tried a new machine called Lateral (this one is very difficult for me) I started out at 3 minutes and have worked up to 6 minutes each day I want to work up to 15-20 minutes each day. Then 3 days a week I also strength train focusing on my back, abs, arms and legs. I use to be really thin and active when I was younger. After having my children and losing my Thyroid to Cancer I gained so much weight my highest being 286. I feel great after I leave the gym. I just want to make sure I do all that I can to lose the weight before my 1 year anniversary because I have heard so many people say after the first year it gets harder. I am just scared I am not going to succeed if I don't push myself to do all that I can. I plan out all of our meals for the entire week every weekend, so I know exactly what I am making for dinner every night. My whole family eats High Protein, Low carb. We eat lots of fresh low carb vegetables ( A lot of zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower). We have done major overhaul in our kitchen. We have nothing that can cause temptation. My daughter has lost 30 pounds, My husband has lost 25 pounds. Someday's, I think I am exercising and burning to many calories. Does anyone else ever feel this way? Could I be exercising to much? I think I also enjoy going to the gym because it is my only time away from home and time for me

Surgery 9/17 weight 204, size 16 Weight today 167 , size 10

My husband is scared, too. He supports me, but he's been avoidant because of fear. I wanted him to go to support group with me, but I think he just couldn't deal yet. He did mention my RNY to a coworker and the coworker told him that his wife also had weight loss surgery by my doctor and that the doctor was great and came highly recommended. When he told me this, I could tell it was something that gave him some relief. I think the support groups would do our spouses all some good.

I've been looking for bariatric cookbooks that are cheap but good. I found this one today ... "Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery" Have any of you tried it before?

Hey, Banders!Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is officially underway! Filled with holiday shopping, festivities at work and spending time with friends and family, this time of year is can be the most rewarding. It can be hectic, too, so paying extra attention to your diet and health is even more important than usual. Use this newsletter as a reminder and some motivation to be extra cautious with your choices so that you can keep seeing the results you want from your weight loss journey. Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter. Member Spotlight: Meet Mis73! Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! Bander Challenge: Activate Your Party Action Plan! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends We know the hustle and bustle of this season make your life busy, but we hope you spend part of your holiday season with us at Alex Brecher Founder LapBandTalk.com Member Spotlight: Meet Mis73! Mis73, aka Missy, is this newsletter’s highlighted member! She’s a 39-year-old Michigander who has fought through obstacles to achieve her current weight loss of 168 pounds. Her high weight was 421 pounds, and her goal weight is 160, at a BMI of 27.5. She has multiple sclerosis and knew that her obesity was making the symptoms worse. So, she decided to get the lap-band and focus on the obesity because that’s something she could control. Missy says that the “biggest difference is, I am happy. I am happier than I have been in literally decades.” She’s gone from needing a handicapped parking pass and a motorized cart for grocery shopping to being able to take her son to the zoo and walk around for hours! Other great moments have been dropping below 300 pounds, fitting into blue jeans for the first time in 20 years, fitting in the seat at her daughter’s band concert and seeing her father’s look of pride and joy after seeing her for the first time – 100 pounds lighter. Missy’s biggest challenge right after surgery was to avoid exacerbating her multiple sclerosis, since symptoms can appear after trauma, such as surgery. Luckily, she was able to avoid a full-blown relapse. Missy used LapBandTalk in the early days for reassurance that her experience was normal. She’s grown to depend on the friends she’s made here and she continues to “offer education and support to others.” She has plenty of advice to offer. She suggests meeting with a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric patients and to keep your food to a cup per meal. Also, learn everything you can about the band: what it is, what it does and how you can succeed with it. Missy, we are so glad that you are finding happiness. We know that it will just get better for you as you keep losing weight, and it’s a pleasure to be able to share in your weight loss journey. Thanks for being in the Member Spotlight! Please post in the Protein snack or two for yourself and eat it when it’s time for your regular meal or snack. You can also take a healthy dish for the host to serve at the party. Sip Water. Carrying a glass of water around gives you something to do without adding any calories to your day. Another benefit of drinking water is that you know you shouldn’t eat solid foods when you’re drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of calories that you just don’t need. Worse yet is that it lowers your inhibition. That means that you’re less likely to resist unhealthy holiday foods. Bander Challenge: Activate Your Holiday Action Plan! This newsletter’s challenge is related to our advice on holiday parties. The challenge is to choose a specific strategy designed to get you through the holidays without interfering with your weight loss goals. You can take one of the suggestions listed above, or choose your own. Some other ideas are to keep healthy Snacks at work so you’re not tempted by unhealthy snacks and to record each treat that you eat in your food record instead of pretending that it doesn’t count. Tell us in the Bander Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other LapBandTalk.com members? We also want to know anytime you go back and complete an old Newsletter Challenge, which you can find in the archived Newsletter Forum. It’s never too late to try a Newsletter Challenge! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends As we close out 2012, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank each member. We truly appreciate your support. We value each member, whether you post many times a day and use all of LapBandTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to LapBandTalk.com’s success, so a heartfelt thank-you to each of you! 2012 has seen rapid increases in the number of members, the beginning of regular newsletters and the launch of mobile apps to access all of the forum’s features. Big plans are in the works for the coming year, and it promises to be an exciting ride. We’re glad to have you on board! Of course, we’re always open to member suggestions, so please feel free to contact any board administrator. That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We hope it was inspirational and helpful. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season, and take care of yourself and each other, Alex. ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

May I ask what your current weight and BMI are? Do you have any comorbidities or other health problems that may be an issue? I am not sure if you have been writing down what you eat and keeping track of portion size and calories...I do know this--and I've ready studies as well about this--it is more common than not to actually be consuming far more calories than you think you are...in other words, I might estimate that I am eating at most 3,000 calories a day, but if I actually write down what I eat and accurately take into account portion size (for instance, most portions I consider "normal" actually are considered for two people), I might actually be consuming more like 4,000 calories a day.

I started by walking on the treadmill for an hour 3 days a week and I was losing 2 pounds a week then my loss slowed down, so then I started riding my bike to work (5 miles 1 way) 2 times a week back to the 2 pounds a week loss then once again my weight loss slowed down, then I had a 21 day plateau so I started the Couch to 5K and lost 2 pounds this week. So it looks like running is going to be it for me for now, if I don't exercise I do not lose weight.

I started walking/jogging on the treadmill and do that three to four times a week. I also do the P90X arms and shoulders video a few times a week. I also like yoga. Just a few days ago I've started having pain in my port area...so I'm toning it down to just walking on the treadmill for now. I'm a little upset as I'd just started week two of the couch to 5k program. So, I'm a bit peeved that is being interrupted by my port pain. I don't want to have to start all over with my running. But, I guess as long as I am still moving and walking...I'll keep dropping weight.

Do you think of your weightloss in terms of the number of pounds you've lost, or the percentage of your excess weight that you've lost? As of yesterday, I've lost 20 pounds, which is also 20% of my excess weight. For some reason, though, I prefer to think of my loss in terms of percentage. I think it is because I can get a realistic idea of how far I've come and how far I have to go.

I am having surgery March 11 and at the moment have decided on the sleeve. However, I am 5'3 and 320 lbs with a goal weight of 160 lbs. Part of me wants to go with RNY because I'm worried about not being able to hit goal without the malnutrition aspect. Anyone have any advice or words of wisdom. This is such a huge decision and I want to make sure I am making the right one. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

dma welcome back so good to see you we've missed your smiling face OMG u were sick for a month, then DH and tonsils, today son and ER!!!! you've been through alot is right!!! glad you've stayed the same weight despite steroids back to MFP, getting ready for excercise, yoga you are on the right track kiddo!!!! glad you are enjoying MFP keep up the good work kathy

I'm on my second day liquid diet. Day 1 was rough, but I got through it. Surgery day is March 6. Has anyone did the complete two weeks of liquid, and if so, how much weight did you lose.

That's great. Please send your weight loss vibes my way - LOL. I agree with the others regarding nutrition. Just keep on top of your Protein and Vitamins. Also, if you're taking in more fluids (i.e. water) and exercising more, that may be playing a significant role in your sudden rapid weight loss. Keep up the good work! Niki