Reached your personal goal???

[Josette 2]

Candice... you are my idol. I'm soooooooo proud of you!!!

[Mrs. NateNate 1]

I met my original goal of 145. My new goal is 125. I don't think I want to go below that. It is WONDERFUL. I haven't lost any real weight for about a month and a half. I keep fluctuating between 133 and 136. That's o.k. with me. I feel 10 years younger and love to shop. My only advice would be to keep your eye on the prize and keep working on them head demons. They never go away, but I have managed to slay them several times.

[ktbanded 0]

I had to register JUST so I could respond to this post - I'm a big lurker. I think most people that are doing well tend to be less focused on the boards, so we probably don't hear enough from them.

I heart my band. I was banded 14 months ago, have lost 96 lbs, and have had no complications. I've haven't been great about exercising, and my fill is a little looser than some others seem to keep it, so I probably haven't lost as much as I could have, but I'm DELIGHTED with my results.

Katy

6/30/05

278/182/166

[Arcael 0]

I hit 75 last week, it is a small goal, 100 will be huge.

[Fauxnaif 1]

Bandsters Closet Rule #1: IF it was 'too big' LAST month.....get rid of it NOW~do NOT try to wear it~~that is the equivalent of "Just eat this last little bit so I won't have to throw it away"...; Old Habits Must Be Changed ....just like Old Underwear!!!

This is the best advice!!!! Those clothes that are too big make us look much fatter!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought several fitted shirts and they got too big (not complaining, I'm just cheap) and now they look horrible!!!!

Get rid of clothes that don't make you feel good!

[Fauxnaif 1]

I'm almost to goal. I've had my band a little over four years. Almost two years ago, after losing about 100 pounds, I had a baby.

I was slow getting restarted (getting another fill) on my banding journey after that and I've hit many plateaus and have lost quickly sometimes and slowly other times. I have lots of emotional and mental issues that I have had to deal with in this journey (child abuse, sexual abuse, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, etc.).

Some people may be shocked at how long this has taken me. But it has allowed me to be more able (though not totally) to let my self-image catch up with my actual weight. I still struggle with it but I feel more comfortable than I would have if I had lost really fast. I think I would have wigged out if I had gotten a bypass or something so fast.

1. Follow the rules as best you can.
   
2. Remember, there is always tomorrow when you mess up.
   
3. Get a fill when you need it but don't be too agressive.
   
4. Pray lots (if that's your thing).
   
5. Get therapy if you have issues.
   
6. Get the support of your immediate family and don't tell too many other people.
   
7. Keep a journal and reflect on this whole thing.
   
8. Don't make the band your life. If you do, it will seem like it takes forever to lose weight.
   
9. Get involved in helping other people in some way. You will feel good.
   
10. Remember that you can do this.

[KLM3hrt 0]

Hey guys.. i just joined this forum yesturday! Never knew this was out there.. very excited!!!! I had my surgery on Dec 14, 2005 but because of a port flip, i didnt get filled til the very end of January 2006.. since then im down 90 lbs, as of yesturday.. i really never thought it would happen this quick, but sure enough did!

I know the lil charts say since im 5ft7 i should be 157lbs.. im an very muscular, so i dont see that happening.. im t hinking 180 should be my goal... just wondering, what are you all considering when you set yourself a goal weight?

[luckyme 0]

Banded 1/31/05

274/153/153 5'8" age 53

previous size 26, now 10, hips 56" down to 39 1/2"

I thought I wanted to get down to 140-145, but I have always carried most of my weight in my lower body. This morning while getting dressed I had to admit that my upper body is just getting too boney. I'd like thinner hips and thighs, but now it is time to be grateful for how far I've come, accept my size 10 hips and give up the size 6 fantasy. Plastics/lipo could probably take me down another size, but I don't have any hanging skin, and don't look bad in clothes, so I'm not planning a Tummy Tuck or other sculpting.

I was a fairly slow loser, but consistant and no band or port problems.

This is the first time in my life that I can say I don't want to lose any more weight. Does that make me "normal"? Being at goal is new concept for me and will be quite a transition. I don't anticipate having any problem maintaining this weight at my current fill level.

Since being banded, I finally feel that I am in control of food rather than it being in control of me. Some days I can't decide which feels better, being thin or being free of the constant desire to eat with the subseqent guilt/shame.

Luckyme

[ragergirl 0]

I just had my 6 month bandiversary oct4/06 and have gotten down to 127 which makes my BMI 24 I would like to get the last 7 pounds off but we'll see, I already passed my personal

[ragergirl 0]

I just had my 6 month bandiversary oct4/06 and have gotten down to 127 which makes my BMI 24 I would like to get the last 7 pounds off but we'll see, I already passed my personal goal of 130 so I just should just be thankful where I am

[Devana 0]

Way to go, Brenda. Better than waiting 4 years for RNY, hey?

[BethinSeattle 0]

I reached my goal of 170 at the end of July of 2006 after 17.5 months. Since then I'm down another 12 and likely a bit more. I'm still very swollen from plastic surgery 6 weeks ago.

Beth

[Road Queen 0]

Initially, I set a goal of 122, thinking I would be size 8-10. I am now 145 and 8-10 jacket 6-8 bottoms (go figure that one out???) I may try to get to 132 in the next year or so but I don't really worry about it anymore. I am just the right size for an almost 50 yr old. Celeste

[Maggie63 0]

i am 11 lbs from personal goal...i will probably change to a new goal when i get there. getting this band has been the best thing i have ever done for myself...i could not be happier.

i have reached a bit of a plateau..the only exercise i get is walking 3 miles 3 times a week...i have decided to join a gym to get some weight training in....the folks who say this is just a tool are right on....i still had to work very hard to continue my weight loss...joining the gym is just the next step in my journey.

[siestaqh 0]

Like some of the others, I am an older bandster (59). I was banded in April, 2006 and have lost about 60#. I originally set my goal at the last weight I remember being "good" for me so many years ago-110#. I admitted to 180# when I started (I had stopped weighing several weeks before surgery, and things that I could squeeze into at 180+ no longer fit when I finally made the decision to do the surgery...).

I have lost weight in fits and starts, with plateaus in between that made me wonder what was going on. I got one fill in June that was very tight to begin with and then got TIGHTER. A flu bug pushed me over the edge the first week of October and I ended up getting a complete unfill. What amazes me is that I am NOT ravenously hungry, continued my bandster eating and exercise, and have continued to lose. Before the unfill, there were many foods that I couldn't eat, but now I can (salad!). I am not eating much, if any, more than I did when I was filled and have continued to lose. This tells me that the behavior changes that the band imposes (sometimes quite forcefully) are the real working force. Don't get me wrong, I am going in about 10 days for another (smaller) refill, but I don't feel that I need to be cranked down to the point of having a long list of "can't eat" items for this to work. Ironically, I would PB on tuna and cottage cheese, but was always able to eat Pasta and bread if I tried. Go figure... As someone on another board says, "Just because I CAN eat it doesn't mean I SHOULD..." In a way, this time has been really exciting because it has convinced me that I will be able to maintain a healthy weight indefinitely--something I "knew" cognitively, but wasn't so sure on the feeling level.

As far as my weight goal goes, I am not so sure now where to "quit" losing. I have gone from a size 2X to a 4 (I am 5' tall if I lie), but am still just under 20# heavier than the goal I set. My friends (and even other bandsters) tell me not to lose much more or I will start looking scrawny--not a look I am aspiring to. I recently talked to a trainer and she also suggested I stop losing soon. I told her that I recall that as I was gaining, I already felt and looked heavier than I do now at this weight. She explained that, being heavy for so long (and pretty active during that time), I had actually developed denser bone and more muscle over time in order to pack the extra weight (You mean there is an UPSIDE to being heavy for years???) I have been pretty diligent about making sure I have a balanced diet (especially protein) and done modest exercise since being banded, so I have lost FAT but not muscle as my weight has dropped. She said that many people who get heavy then lose find that they are actually heavier at a given size (as demonstrated by those "someday" clothes that we all have in our closets) than they were before getting heavy. She said that the standard charts assume a minimal level of bone and muscle development and if we reach the lower limits of the "healthy" weight on them, we have to lose muscle to do it--something we do NOT want to do.

I think I would like to some more to try to get rid of a bit more tummy, but if I end up stopping here, I am thrilled. As someone else mentioned, I have been told that I look 10 years younger and I feel at least that. At my age, I was starting to get several age/obesity-related health conditions that were promising to severely limit the quality, if not the length, of my life. Those have virtually disappeared and I feel better than I have in years.

My goal was to get to a healthy weight and then be able to maintain it without having to obsess about "dieting" and feeling "deprived" constantly. I know that I will always need to be a "mindful" eater--make good choices MOST of the time--but I want to make food receed into the background of my consciousness and focus on other things in life. In that regard, I have achieved my goal and am fully confident that I will be able to maintain it with the support of the band.

Penny

banded 4/5/06 Dr. Ortiz, TJ, Mexico

180+/128/110??