Reached your personal goal???

[jackal1209 1]

Gee I wish I could figure out how to post pics. You guys would be shocked! 15 months post op, at personal goal. 201 pounds lost!

Life is so good!

From a 54 BMI to a 24!

[Chrissy "O" 0]

Thanks to all of you for all your positive words. As a new member, it was quite discouraging reading all the negative stuff, so I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread. Congrats to all of you for such an excellent job in your battle to lose your excess weight.

[Iulizbug 0]

The band has saved my life in so many ways. It has been 8 mos and I am now 5 lbs under my goal. The beginning of the journey can be trying and rough but it is all worth it in the end. I am addicted to exericise now instead of food and have more energy than I know what to do with. Plus, being a size 8 doesn't hurt either! No complications and going strong....:success1:

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/155/160

5'7''

[patty 0]

Hi Everybody,

I am 5 lbs from my original goal of 150, but I think I may want to get down to 140-145....Who knows, I am in a size 10 jeans now, size 8's sound good to me...I about 1 year and 9 months out....

[tubis13 0]

I am glad I had the lap band surgery. It has changed and is changing my life. I was banded on 6/23/05 @ 273lbs and as of today I am 155-158lbs.

Nothing bad to say about the band. It works great if you work with it. It is a tool for you to use and must work with it.

I love my band.

Banded 6/23/05

Dr. Wizman-Margate Fl.

[ARVEL 0]

I was banded May 18th, 2006 by Dr. Ortiz. I reached my goal of 80 pounds on Nov. 15th

[sweethot143 2]

ok i love this thread!!! I get a little scared reading all the bad stuff, but this thread give me hope that I can do it too!!! Great job everyone!

[bitteroldhag 0]

I am about ten pounds from goal, although my BMI is 25 and that's pretty darn good for someone my age (late 50's).

I think I've only lost 35 pounds since May 2006. It's probably because I have a lot of stress with mother and the 7 animals and school, but also I cheat. The idea of the lapband was not to have to diet ever again, so I'm happy with my current weight loss though I hope to lose more. I have finally figured out how to avoid PBs. I think PBs were my biggest problem this fall because I couldn't eat much of anything, so my body thought it was starving. But since I've determined that if I cut food to about the size of my index fingernail and chew at least 30 times, it goes down, I think I may lose a little more. I haven't exercised much. I decided to get an MP 3 player and dance. That lasted a week before I got some disease and was sick for 3 weeks. So I'm going to try that again. I absolutely hate exercise in any form, but I do like to dance. I wonder how much cortisol from stress affects weight loss.

[bitteroldhag 0]

I am almost at goal. I would like to be at 160 and a size 8-10 and I am at 173 and in a size 10-12. It has happened much faster than I thought it would and I think the band is a Godsend. I'm averaging 2 lbs a week, some more, some less but the weight loss has been consistent. I am looking forward to getting to goal in the next couple of months and then just focusing on maintenance for a change. I will get to eat a little bit more!!

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/173/160

5'7''

I can't believe it. I wore a size 11 when I weighed 125 pounds. If I could wear a size 12 again, I'd be thrilled beyond measure.

[ragergirl 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??

WOW were alot alike:) Almost the same weight to start and both went to Mexico, congrats to you u have done great!!

I am currently 120 pounds today and have reached my goal, I was banded on april 4th I am also the same height as you too!! I would like to be about 115 pounds I have a tummy still and might not be able to get rid of it but I am soo happy to be where I am now, CONGRATS TO EVERYONE:)

[MelAnne 0]

I am FIVE pounds from goal.

See other post - wondering if anyone else is re-considering their 'goal' weight?

[cherg 2]

I was banded in May2005, When I started I weighed 215 and I just wanted to get to 185 well now I am at 161 and I really want to get to 140 and maintain that weight. My surgeon wanted me at 160 so I guess I am real close either way. I am 5'5 and wear a size 11/12 would love to be 7/8 or 9/10, whatever 140 brings me to.

I have a battle with eating with my band. If I eat to much to fast I get sick I still haven't mastered the food thing yet and sometimes when the food is real good its frustrating cause I can't get it down when sometimes I really want to, at least for that moment I really want to.

I am very happy with my success with the band so far and once I get my band a little loser I think I will be happier. I have a 4cc band and a, 3cc filled.

Good luck everyone and congrats to all ..........................:-)

[Maggie63 0]

i reached my goal last week...and have decided to keep going. i feel GREAT...but am STILL considered obese...my bmi is still in the 30s...i have lost almost 100 lbs...hope to hit that landmark in the next few weeks. i went from a size 24 to a 14....look out 12...here i come : )

the lapband has saved my life...no doubt about it. i do give myself some credit...and all of you should give yourselves credit too. many people get the band and still eat poorly or don't exercise and are not successful...it makes it easier but it does not cure all. everyone should congratulate themselves on their great success!!!

good luck all!

[ethansgrandma 0]

i was banded in 03/06 and i am 1lb away from goal. i started at 238 and am now 141. i also got into a size 8 jeans this weekend. i have never ever worn a size 8!

[siestaqh 0]

Update: I am now at 115# and having trouble finding clothes in sizes to fit me--size 0/girl's 14. That is the problem with being a midget.

The interesting thing is that I lost my band to a slip in early December. I had been gradually getting tighter and then WHAM. Unfortunately, it was so bad that the band had to come out. The docs were great and the recovery was uneventful.

Of course, my worst fear was that I would regain. Interestingly, I have not only maintained my weight, but actually lost a few more pounds. I am really down as far as I should go--not skinny, but not wearing any extra (other than a bit of loose skin--less than I feared). A fitness trainer told me that my original goal was not good, as the ONLY benefit of spending so many years packing around extra pounds was that I developed denser bone and more muscle in order to carry it. Therefore, if I dropped to the weight that I was before I got so heavy, I would have to lose muscle to do it. She was right.

I am not sure why, but I still seem to have some restriction. I have kept up with my band-style eating behaviors and have no difficulty staying within 1000 cal/day (all I need). I still believe that getting the band was the best thing I ever did and encourage others to do so rather than live the way I did when I was fat. If my eating gets out of control again, I would get rebanded in a heartbeat, but so far I am encouraged that I haven't needed it.

Good luck to all--we can do it.

Penny