I can't Believe it! Is this REALLTY Happening for Me?

[enjoythetime 1,457]

Wow! Truly amazing! Congratulations! And yes, please...tell us your routine.

Thank you so much silly_weasel! I'm in the process of writing something up, so hopefully I will have it posted by the end of today:-)

[enjoythetime 1,457]

This is what works for me and were all different so I'm by no means telling you to do this just sharing my journey.

I really don't think i do anything special and there's some areas such as exercise that I still need to get into a better routine of but here is what a typical day looks like for me:

80 oz of fluid- Water, tea, crystal light

60-80g of Protein

Approx. 1200 cal. per day

Each meal consists of 3-4oz of lean Protein, 1/2 c veggies, and 1 starch serving

I ALWAYS eat my meals in the following order, protein first, then veggies, and lastly the starch (if I have room)

I never drink anything while eating or for one hour after.

NO CARBINATION

NO ALCOHOL

I NEVER DRINK MY CALORIES

Below is where I may be different in some areas than others:

Limitation of Carbs- Not Elimination but Limitation:-)

I told myself when I had this surgery that bread was a no no (the doughy kind), so, the only bread I've had has been whole wheat toast for a sandwich.

I've had Pasta twice and while I did fine with it, I chose not to eat it because it really didn't fill me up and I decided I would rather spend my calories on food that keeps me fuller longer with better nutrition (with less calories and all the other stuff). Same with rice.

So basically I limit the type of carbs I allow in my diet. They either come from Veggies, or when I cook sometimes I will roll my chicken breast in bread crumbs or if I have a sweet tooth craving I buy the skinny cow chocolates or ice creams which of course are heavier on the carbs (15g or so), or I will have a 1/2 of a flour tortilla for a wrap or 2 corn taco shells, but typically I limit my actual Starch servings to once a day.

I've also never been a real big fruit person, so I rarely eat it. My surgeon told me about the sugar and carbs found in fruit and while they encouraged eating them in moderation they did warn me not to overdue it so if I have a fruit with a meal or as a snack I will not have a starch etc.

There are some things I knew I wanted to eliminate all together because there's no nutritional value and it's a trigger for me so I made a mental list of all of those foods and I'm not going to try it not because I think the band will have issues with it but that my head will have issues with it. For instance pizza, I haven't had a slice of pizza in over a year and I don't miss it a bit, If/when I do get an urge for it I know theres a healtier version; I have a recipie that uses cauliflouer crust when that urge arises I will op to make the healthier version.

Don't get me wrong I don't deprive myself, I made this a lifestyle change so I made it to include the things I CAN AND CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT. Like if I want a cookie, once in a while I will eat a cookie, I just take it off of my calorie intake for the day, you just can't make this an every day occurance so if you know this food is a trigger for you to binge then learn to live without it or make a healthier version. If I want chips I get the individual bags of Special K Sour Cream and Onion. 1 package has 110 cal and I get by with just 1/2 now:-) so for 55 cal, 1 g sugar and 11 carbs I feel like I've had a cheat:-)

There's a tradeoff for everything and for me it's all about balance. If I can find a healthy alternative for something I love and it's good then I'm all for it, if there's not then eat the real thing in moderation (as long as it's not harmful to your band), count it off your daily calories and move on:-)

Some examples of food are:

Breakfast

Dannon light greek yogurt with 3tlb hy vee trail mix- 212 cal 16g protein

2 eggs with 1 piece of farmland low sodium bacon crumbled with some onions and mushrooms sprinkled with 2% shredded cheese and salsa. Approx 250 cal 16g protein.

lunch 4oz deli turkey 100 cal 18g protein

2slices slim cut kraft cheese colby jack slices. 70 cal. 6 protein

1 tlb okios greek yogurt dip 13 cal, 1p

2 Romaine lettuce leafs 8 cal

Total approx 226 cal 25 g p

Detour low sugar protein caramel nut bar.

340 cal, 5 net carbs 2g sugar and 30 p

(Only eat maybe once a week in a pinch)

dinner

Parmasean crusted tilapia (can send you recipie if interested) with green giant just for1 cauiflouer with cheese sauce.

Approx 300 cal 35 p

Smothered chicken with cheese oniins & mushrooms with salad with homeafe ranch dressing.

Apprix 369 cal 30 p

I have a couple of Snacks throyghout the day, some options:

Okios yogurt dip with veggies or 1-2 oz of colby jack or pepperjack cheese with 5 townhouse reduced fat crakers 70 cal 180 cal - 280 cal 7- 14 g p ( if I eat this 2 oz I will do one if the lower cal Snacks later)

SF fudge ice cream bar 35 cal

60 cal sf pudding

Skinny cow choc. 3pcs 130 cal

Skinnk cow drumstick 160 cal

I always make sure that I have quick and easy things laying in the fridge for those days when I don't feel like cooking or am in a hurry so for me that means deli turkey meat, and kraft sliced cheese (love the slim slices 35c each) so I weigh out the meat throw it in a baggie and eat it on the go. I love it;)

As far as motivation goes these are the things thst keep me going:

I have a strong faith in God, my family, I have a great support system, I love being able to do things I haven't done in years, LOVE walking into a store and seeing something i love and not worrying about if it comes in my size.

Oh yeah and all those peple who thought i was crazy, doubted me or waited for me to fail, being able to prove them wrong:) Any time someone thinks I can't do something or discourages me you better watch out because I fight like hell to prove them wrong!!! So I guessI should thank them;)

I hope this helps and if anyone has any recommendations please share I'm always open to better options.

Thanks!

[catfish87 3,471]

Congrats and great job!

[2muchfun 8,927]

I don't think there's such a thing as the perfect dietary lifestyle since each of us are so unique with different tastes and needs. But, your example is as good as any I've ever seen and could be the basis for anyone starting out. They only need to modify to fit their own lifestyle and tastes. Thanks for posting this. I'll be bookmarking this thread for future reference.

tmf

[dylanmiles23 2,198]

For a few years now I've made the claim, many times, that the most people can expect to lose with the Lap-Band is 8 lbs a month. You, CarolinaGirl and Missy have made me a liar. I know there are others and I apologize for not mentioning everyone but these are the three that just popped in my head. I'm going to have to ask you to share with all of us how you did this in less than a year? Exercise? Typical daily caloric and food intake? How did you stay motivated? Take your time. We can wait. (insert jeopardy music here)

How is Missy? I miss her a lot.

[dylanmiles23 2,198]

This is what works for me and were all different so I'm by no means telling you to do this just sharing my journey. I really don't think i do anything special and there's some areas such as exercise that I still need to get into a better routine of but here is what a typical day looks like for me: 80 oz of fluid- Water, tea, crystal light 60-80g of Protein Approx. 1200 cal. per day Each meal consists of 3-4oz of lean protein, 1/2 c veggies, and 1 starch serving I ALWAYS eat my meals in the following order, protein first, then veggies, and lastly the starch (if I have room) I never drink anything while eating or for one hour after. NO CARBINATION NO ALCOHOL I NEVER DRINK MY CALORIES Below is where I may be different in some areas than others: Limitation of Carbs- Not Elimination but Limitation:-) I told myself when I had this surgery that bread was a no no (the doughy kind), so, the only bread I've had has been whole wheat toast for a sandwich. I've had Pasta twice and while I did fine with it, I chose not to eat it because it really didn't fill me up and I decided I would rather spend my calories on food that keeps me fuller longer with better nutrition (with less calories and all the other stuff). Same with rice. So basically I limit the type of carbs I allow in my diet. They either come from Veggies, or when I cook sometimes I will roll my chicken breast in bread crumbs or if I have a sweet tooth craving I buy the skinny cow chocolates or ice creams which of course are heavier on the carbs (15g or so), or I will have a 1/2 of a flour tortilla for a wrap or 2 corn taco shells, but typically I limit my actual Starch servings to once a day. I've also never been a real big fruit person, so I rarely eat it. My surgeon told me about the sugar and carbs found in fruit and while they encouraged eating them in moderation they did warn me not to overdue it so if I have a fruit with a meal or as a snack I will not have a starch etc. There are some things I knew I wanted to eliminate all together because there's no nutritional value and it's a trigger for me so I made a mental list of all of those foods and I'm not going to try it not because I think the band will have issues with it but that my head will have issues with it. For instance pizza, I haven't had a slice of pizza in over a year and I don't miss it a bit, If/when I do get an urge for it I know theres a healtier version; I have a recipie that uses cauliflouer crust when that urge arises I will op to make the healthier version. Don't get me wrong I don't deprive myself, I made this a lifestyle change so I made it to include the things I CAN AND CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT. Like if I want a cookie, once in a while I will eat a cookie, I just take it off of my calorie intake for the day, you just can't make this an every day occurance so if you know this food is a trigger for you to binge then learn to live without it or make a healthier version. If I want chips I get the individual bags of Special K Sour Cream and Onion. 1 package has 110 cal and I get by with just 1/2 now:-) so for 55 cal, 1 g sugar and 11 carbs I feel like I've had a cheat:-) There's a tradeoff for everything and for me it's all about balance. If I can find a healthy alternative for something I love and it's good then I'm all for it, if there's not then eat the real thing in moderation (as long as it's not harmful to your band), count it off your daily calories and move on:-) Some examples of food are: Breakfast Dannon light greek yogurt with 3tlb hy vee trail mix- 212 cal 16g protein 2 eggs with 1 piece of farmland low sodium bacon crumbled with some onions and mushrooms sprinkled with 2% shredded cheese and salsa. Approx 250 cal 16g protein. lunch 4oz deli turkey 100 cal 18g protein 2slices slim cut kraft cheese colby jack slices. 70 cal. 6 protein 1 tlb okios greek yogurt dip 13 cal, 1p 2 Romaine lettuce leafs 8 cal Total approx 226 cal 25 g p Detour low sugar protein caramel nut bar. 340 cal, 5 net carbs 2g sugar and 30 p (Only eat maybe once a week in a pinch) dinner Parmasean crusted tilapia (can send you recipie if interested) with green giant just for1 cauiflouer with cheese sauce. Approx 300 cal 35 p Smothered chicken with cheese oniins & mushrooms with salad with homeafe ranch dressing. Apprix 369 cal 30 p I have a couple of Snacks throyghout the day, some options: Okios yogurt dip with veggies or 1-2 oz of colby jack or pepperjack cheese with 5 townhouse reduced fat crakers 70 cal 180 cal - 280 cal 7- 14 g p ( if I eat this 2 oz I will do one if the lower cal snacks later) SF fudge ice cream bar 35 cal 60 cal sf pudding Skinny cow choc. 3pcs 130 cal Skinnk cow drumstick 160 cal I always make sure that I have quick and easy things laying in the fridge for those days when I don't feel like cooking or am in a hurry so for me that means deli turkey meat, and kraft sliced cheese (love the slim slices 35c each) so I weigh out the meat throw it in a baggie and eat it on the go. I love it;) As far as motivation goes these are the things thst keep me going: I have a strong faith in God, my family, I have a great support system, I love being able to do things I haven't done in years, LOVE walking into a store and seeing something i love and not worrying about if it comes in my size. Oh yeah and all those peple who thought i was crazy, doubted me or waited for me to fail, being able to prove them wrong:) Any time someone thinks I can't do something or discourages me you better watch out because I fight like hell to prove them wrong!!! So I guessI should thank them;) I hope this helps and if anyone has any recommendations please share I'm always open to better options. Thanks!

Thank you. That was great. Makes me want to be better

[2muchfun 8,927]

CarolinaGirl still trades emails with her I believe? I haven't heard from her since November.

You know sometimes I go back and look at old threads to see how some people came to be where they are in their journey and I run across all these old posts from people who used to post here all the time. I guess some people have lives ourside of this forum huh? Anyway, I wonder about Floridays, sojourner, ms maui and others. Hope they're thin and happy!

[silly_weasel 39]

Thank you for sharing your diet "enjoythetime"....what about exercise?

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

I just returned from seeing my surgeon and found out that I've EXCEED MY GOAL!!! The tears just won't stop flowing! I'm setting here in disbelief that this is actually happening. One year ago I was setting in this very chair with tears flowing because I was so miserably overweight that I could barely bend over to tie my shoes and even though I knew my surgery was a GO I sat here with that hopeless feeling wondering if this plastic little ring was really going to help me. As I reflect on the past 11 months it all just seems so unreal and hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I'm where I am today. I go in every month to see my Dr. so of I course I knew I was 6lbs away from goal but to see those numbers and to hear someone say you made it, you passed it, is life changing!!!

For anyone who's thinking about this surgery, or is in a rut wondering why you had the surgery, it's ALL worth it!!! The 2 week pre-op (or whatever your doctor orders), the discomfort from surgery, the 6 weeks of bandster hell because you're sick of liquids and mushies, the starving all the time until your first fill, the balancing act of how much Fluid is enough, I'm in the green zone or the yellow or red, It's ALL worth it!

I NEVER truly thought when I had this surgery this would happen for me the way it has. I knew I was determined and that failure wasn't an option but I never thought the outcome would look like this!

My life has changed in so many ways. First and foremost, I'm healthy!!! I can walk up a flight of stairs without being winded, play sports with my kids, buy whatever I want in the stores and no longer have to wonder if it comes in my size, I don't have to worry about flying and praying the seat belt fits around me. I'm so much happier, the small things in life just seem to make it all worth while and before I missed so many of them because I was so unhappy and self concious. One of the greatest feelings is not feeling like an embarassement to my husband and kids (not that they ever made me think I was), but when your mom is 34 years old and is as wide as she is tall, it's hard to be proud of that I'm sure.

Don't get me wrong it's not all sunshine and roses, but it is what you make it and if you put 100% into it you're going to get a good return on your investment!

Now it's time to move onto the next phase, life long maintenance which scares the hell out of me to be quite honest!!!! I know however that this time I've made a lifestyle change, unlike with past diets, where when once you've reached your goal you think you're "done" so you start raiding the pantry because "you've earned it", this time I know it's all about balance and doing things I know I can LIVE WITH AND WITHOUT for the REST OF MY LIFE.

This group is an amazing source or support and information!!! Thank you!

great story and GREAT f**king pictures you sexy THANG

thanks for sharing.....love your attitude.....

what i loved the most was your quote (you need to use for your siggy)

*I know it's all about balance and doing things I know I can LIVE WITH AND WITHOUT for the REST OF MY LIFE*

[gowalking 10,790]

I'm glad I saw this post now and not earlier. I'ts no coincidence that you and I approach weight loss similarly....and we have both been more successful than we ever expected.

First off, many congrats on your success. I can't say it better than everyone else already did...you look simply spectacular and just as important, your post was spectacular as well. Sounds like something I would write. Living happier, healthier lives. Eating small but well balanced meals and not depriving...but using common sense.

I too am focusiing on the maintenance phase and wanting to stay this size for the rest of my life. My goal now is for people to forget what I used to look like, and think that I was always this size. The compliments are nice but I can't wait till no one even thinks about my weight loss anymore.

I also miss some of those who posted when I first came onto this site. But I've made some very good friends with folks newer to this site than I am so I guess it all evens out.

People like enjoythetime and myself and other successful bandsters are good for this site. I know we help those who are looking for inspiration. I recall well, reading Missy and CG's posts because they were direct, no-nonsense, and encouraging.

Keep up the good fight, and again congrats to you on all your successes.

[2muchfun 8,927]

GoWalking, you're only a few lbs from your goal? That sort of snuck up on me? Well, your success and enjoy's success has motivated me to ramp up this bandwagon once again. I've been quite complacent for about 1.5 years now and time to shed those last few lbs.

[gowalking 10,790]

GoWalking, you're only a few lbs from your goal? That sort of snuck up on me? Well, your success and enjoy's success has motivated me to ramp up this bandwagon once again. I've been quite complacent for about 1.5 years now and time to shed those last few lbs.

No sir...check my ticker. I met goal last month and am a few lbs. past at this point. Time to ramp up my friend and shed those last annoying lbs. Can you do any outside exercise yet or is it still too cold in Colorado? If it's too cold still, there's always the gym.

I'm heading to the Y tonight for my Water exercise class. There are mostly women taking the class but there are a few smart guys who take the class as well. They are surrounded by women so what could be bad. Except I live in Greenwich Village so it's pretty likely that the men ar not interested in us women anyway...LOL.

[2muchfun 8,927]

No sir...check my ticker. I met goal last month and am a few lbs. past at this point. Time to ramp up my friend and shed those last annoying lbs. Can you do any outside exercise yet or is it still too cold in Colorado? If it's too cold still, there's always the gym.

I'm heading to the Y tonight for my Water exercise class. There are mostly women taking the class but there are a few smart guys who take the class as well. They are surrounded by women so what could be bad. Except I live in Greenwich Village so it's pretty likely that the men ar not interested in us women anyway...LOL.

See, I'm still far enough away from my goal I don't even know which color on my ticker is my goal number and which one is my real weight number(crap, it's the bigger number )!!

[enjoythetime 1,457]

As I mentioned this an area that I need to get better in check. I have two kiddos so sometimes my excersice is playing soccer with them or I work in the yard for instance this weekend I worked ALL day on Sat. and I'm talkng labor girl:-) I will go for walks for about 30 min. I've also done the 30 day shred video a few times, but for me it was borning so moving on from that one:-) Really I don't have a routine though and that's what I need to get into. I never set down, with 2 kids I'm always doing something so whether this counts or not I'm counting it:-) With summer approaching I will be doing ALOT of swimming because my a$$ can now fit in a swimsuit:-)

I've told you what I've been doing so now let me tell you what I'm going to do so that I have to be accountable:-)

I am planning on doing T25 from Beachbody, the creaters of Insanity and PX90...Yes insane! It's a high intense 25 min. workout for 10 weeks that focuses on different areas of the body. After the 10 weeks I will re-play based on the areas I feel I need the most help with. They have modifiers for each session so they say its for all fitness type but we shall see. I may drop over in the first 10 min., but I'll try again the next day until I get there:-)

Thank you for sharing your diet "enjoythetime"....what about exercise?

[enjoythetime 1,457]

Thank you Catfish! I have read many of your posts and you are very inspirational, so thank you for your solid advice!

Congrats and great job!