I guess I'm a success story!

[lellow 1,713]

I have often started one of these threads, but would stop after writing a bit because while the LAP-BAND®®® has helped me lose weight and now maintain my weight for nearly two years, it seems crazy to feel like a success. I started with a low-ish BMI (37) and losing 90lbs+ didn't seem significant enough to class me as a success, I thought!

And I just felt that I was very fortunate that the band worked for me. Yes, I exercised - 40 mins 3 times a week when I was losing - but I didn't count calories, I didn't do low carb, I just got regular fills, ate when I was hungry and in time, my addiction to food diminished and I just lost weight. The band helped me with Portion Control, but more importantly, it stopped me thinking and wanting food all the time. Does that make me a success? You be the judge lol!

It's funny but opposed to other ways in which others lost weight, I think, for me, not counting calories and not worrying about not eating certain food groups actually meant that I stopped thinking about food, and that was why, in my opinion, the band worked for me. Food stopped being an obsession.

A lot of people ask me what I ate while I was losing. Well, everything really, just in much smaller portions. I ate the odd portion of chocolate sometimes, had an ice cream on occasion, but I ate everything in small portions, and as a result, didn't really ever feel deprived of anything.

The mindset that seemed to work for me consisted of general guidelines that my (Australian) Dr gave me and ones I made up for myself. These included:

• Only eating when I was hungry. I often felt 'peckish' and would think of food, get cravings and feel like something naughty. But before I went to get something to eat, I'd ask myself if I was really hungry. If my stomache wasn't growling, I wouldn't eat. I'd tell myself I'd eat when I was really, truly hungry, and the funny thing is, when I really was hungry, I usually felt like something savoury and not chocolate or sweets or anything. Over time, the 'peckishness' seemed to stop.
  

• always eating just enough food to 'tide me over' and telling myself that if I was still really hungry in 30 mins, I could have some more food. In all the time I've been banded, I've gone back for more food just once after the 30 mins. Now I just automatically eat small portions, even when I could easily eat more.
  

• Exercising even if I didn't feel like it. I don't think anyone feels like exercising. But afterwards, I'd jump off my spin bike and do a little dance, and remind myself of how good I felt. I had set days that I'd have to exercise, and the only time I didn't do it was when I had the flu for a week. Otherwise, sore or tired or grumpy, I owed the bike the 40 mins and I'd do it, even if it was past midnight, even if I couldn't think of anything worse than exercising. No excuses. I don't exercise much on a formal level anymore, but being active has become very much something I just am now.
  

• Allowing myself loads of rewards for getting to mini goals: I think we are truly hardest on ourselves and we don't think we deserve to Celebrate our successes if they're 'small'. I wrote down all the rewards I would get myself once I reached this weight or that weight, and I made sure I rewarded myself. Every single bit of motivation helps!
  

• Telling myself that I wouldn't have to live like this forever - fighting the cravings, exercising like a demon, only ever eating when I was hungry, not indulging myself. That helped me with the will power side of things, feeling like it was just a temporary thing I had to do. Yet funnily enough a lot of the things I was doing are now habits that have become a part of my life. I now only eat when I'm hungry (and sometimes when I'm not thinking about it, I forget to eat!), I no longer have to fight cravings (just don't have many cravings anymore), I remain active and am quite fit in general. I don't have to fight to maintain because the band lifestyle has become my 'new' lifestyle and that allows me to maintain easily.
  

• Making sure I had regular fills - this I think is crucial. The band works best when it physically prevents you from eating too much. I have never been ashamed to use my band to it's fullest potential. It stopped me over-indulging yes, but it also had the unexpected effect of making me understand how little food I actually needed to survive. And taught me to eat to live and not live to eat.
  

After getting to my goal weight, I had a lower body lift, and a week ago, I got breast augmentation. I still am a little stunned by the chick looking back at me in the mirror in the mornings, but I've never been happier with my life. I now surf, cycle, play soccer with my 4yo - I feel like I'm finally living the life I was meant to live.

And as glib as it might sound, it just wasn't that hard to lose the weight in hindsight. At the time I was losing, it seemed so difficult and seemed to last forever, but in the scheme of my whole life, it was really only less than a year for me to get to my goal weight. The band was an absoloute godsend to me, and I appreciate every single day of my life since it was put in.

Now can I also add the disclaimer that I am in no way advocating that my way of losing weight is the way anyone else should. I believe that band rules are there for a reason, and am all for doing whatever works for you. For me, it was more about mindset than particular details about diet or exercise, and the main lesson I learnt from all this is that you can re-train your brain to do the things you need to do to lose weight and keep it off. But I also know that without the band, I couldn't have done it, not on my own.

In the end, the proof is in the pudding though. I have been big all my life and I now have a BMI of 21 and have maintained for 18 months. I don't care why it worked, I'm just grateful it did!

Edited November 3, 2010 by lellow

[kll724 3,055]

Wow! you sure are, congrats at being a success story. I, also, am a success story. I made it to goal in less than a year. I think maintenance is the most difficult part of the whole thing, though. You look great and seem to have no trouble maintaining your loss. I see by your after picture that you are enjoying your new body. Good luck in the future and bless you for sharing!!!

[Trazola 2]

I'd say you are very much so a success story, and you look wonderful!! I enjoyed reading your post, and I'm really glad you didn't stop this time.

You make a lot of good points and I can only pray that I can get to the place where you are now. I can't imagine my life not revolving around food. I just got my 2nd fill and I finally have restriction, but I keep eating too fast and getting stuck. It's only been a week, but I've gotten stuck almost every day since the fill. I am going to bookmark your post, or better yet print it out, so I can read it for motivation.....thanks again!

Tracy

[Mimilou2004 13]

I am glad you laid out your thoughts feelings and story like you did. You are such an inspiration!!!!

Mimi

[TKW 501]

All I can say is "Thanks!" I needed that!

[btrieger 21]

Congrats; you look awesome and great post!!

How could you think that 90+ pounds wasn't a success?

[W8TYGIRL 1]

Congratulations!! And thanks so much for taking the time to post on your success. You wouldn't believe how often I come to this board for continued inspiration. I've done well so far with the band but I can't wait until I can come here and talk about how I achieved it. You have definitely given me some insight on what I need to focus on and how determined I need to be in order to be as successful as you have been in reaching and maintaining your weight loss goals.

[lellow 1,713]

I'm glad that my story 'spoke' to some of you. Three girls at my workplace have been banded in the last 6 months and I repeated what I considered to be my change of mindset so many times to them that I thought perhaps I should write it all down! I wondered even if I wrote it if it would make sense. I'm glad it did!

[lorena st 33]

Thanks for the post! 90 pounds is a huge success (just go try and lift 90 pounds of anything and realize that you hauled that around on a daily basis). I really liked the guidelines you listed and will use some of them, myself. Congrats again and g'day.

[Lynnies00 1]

Thank you, thank you. It is so good to hear such support and you ARE a success story. Thanks!

[icestorm12132008 39]

90 pounds, is no small feat, go and give yourself a congrats, you deserve it. You look amazing. I've lost almost 40 since i started the pre op diet, and i'm glad that i'm loosing weight and my girl parts are comming back into my body, hopefuly i won't go flat as a board though. you look amazing and your post was a good read.

[Violet953 46]

You are truely amazing and such a great spirited person. I loved reading your success story! I am going to aim to be just as successful as you are! Thanks for taking the time to tell us

[#MagicWithinme 173]

90lbs is amazing! but I understand you not feeling like it was a success because for so long,you have felt that you weren't a success, well sister you need to change your song, because you are one now!

[readytogoforit 172]

Congrats ! you look so good. we need your story, we need to hear that life after is great.

I love your tattoos. planning one for myself as a reward!!

[Violet953 46]

Hey readytogoforit, once I reach my goal I am going to get myself a symbolic tattoo for the occasion. I have always wanted to wait to get one so that it means something cuz I never knew what I wanted....this will be perfect.