From 316 lbs to 194 lbs in 10 months !!!

[raeraepa 0]

I did it !!!!

I have lost 122 lbs in 10 months with my band!

I am 36 yrs old and I have been heavy my entire life in 8th grade I weighed over 200 lbs. I had lost the same 80 lbs twice which only brought me down to 245 and then I would gain it back in a matter of months when I gave up and put on even more.

I was always active but always heavy.

I had my band put in and actually my port got infected and had to come out so it was a bad two months letting the open wound heal, packing this hole the size of a plum twice a day and waiting for it to close. Then I had my port put back in. It was one of the scariest things I had ever gone through but it was all worth it.

I have gone from a size 32 pants 5x shirts

to a lose size 18 and 1 x shirts

I think one of the biggest things and changes is that I can not believe how much less room I take up. Every time I sit in a seat that was to tight, sit on the couch and look how much room is left on the cushion or just moving around a store it is amazing to me that I can fit down the aisle with bumping things. It makes me smile.

I still have a 40 lbs to get to goal and I know I will do it. The band has changed my life. My doctor said because of the weight I had to lose I should do the bypass but it was up to me. I did not want to have that done and knew I could lose the weight with the band and I have.

October will be one year since I had my new port in and started my weight lose journey. Every time I walk past a mirror or a store window I can not believe its me.

The band even with the complication has been the easiest thing to do. It has controlled my hunger. I keep up with my fills and it turns off the part of my brain that wants to eat all the time. I would eat one meal and before I was done be planning my next meal. I used to think about food ALL the time and the band has made the difference for me.

Everyone out there keep up the great work and dont give up the band is a wonderful tool if you use it to its best potential. Listen to your band and it will work for you.

Rae

________________

Start weight 316

Banded 10/08

Current weight 184

GOAL 155

Edited October 12, 2009 by raeraepa

[Desperate1 1]

Thanks, Rae - very inspirational since I am getting banded on 9.14. Congratulations and keep up the great work

[isaviolinist 11]

You look amazing! So many congratulations to you for all the success you have had!! Can't wait until I am that close to my goal!

[123crod 170]

Congratulations! I can't wait till I reach my goal. I am just starting out. Keep up the good work!

[Dixieland 0]

You've done Great! I'm so glad for you, (and jealous). I have not had my surgery yet, but I feel the same way that you do. I know without a doubt, that I can loose the weight. Just knowing that every pound you take off, will stay off. Not like all the diets that are so depressing, because you know that it will never end. Even if you do loose, you will put it back on because you are never able to stay with the diet long enough to loose the amount of weight that you need to. With the lap band you can attain your goal. From there you just have to maintain, which most people can do. I am so anxious to get mine done. Good luck with your future!

[nazzy 1]

wow rae,thats great@@@ if u dont mind me asking what do u usually eat in a day?great great story:redface:

[Padanelle 2]

Congratulations, Rae. Great job!

Wishing you continued success.

Joan

[Soul Eating 0]

My deepest and sincerest congratulations to you! Your story is really inspirational for a newbie like myself :drool:

[babertm 0]

Wow! You are an inspiration to so many of us! Congratulations! I was banded on 3/30/09 and I am down 44 lbs. Every day though seems like a struggle. Would you mind sharing what a typical day looks like for you; i.e., what you eat? do you exercise? What type? I know I would appreciate it very much. Regards, :thumbup:Tracye

[MSan914 3]

Congrats!!

Would you be willing to share how much/when your flls were? What you normally eat in a day? and how much/what kind of exercise? I am almost 4 months post-surgery and only have lost 27 lbs..........ugh :-(

[chocolate_snaps 3]

Wow! Congrats!

[raeraepa 0]

Hello thank you to all for your kind words, you WILL all get there just stick with it.

I have one egg or a Protein drink in the morning depending on what I can get down. For lunch I have a piece of meat either some cold cuts or meat left over from the night before with a piece of cheese or cracker. dinner is meat and veggie. I get all my Water in. My Snacks are maybe three crackers with cheese spread or cheese sticks, sometimes a small salad if I am craving the fats in the dressing. I do have a candy bar maybe once a week and do snack. I dont exclude anything but now for the first time in my life can have just one serving or just a few chips. I will drink an ensure if I cant eat enough. I am getting 70-80 g of Protein in each day and take my Vitamins. The band has turned off my cravings so that is a big help. I eat about 800-1000 calories a day all small meals every few hours.

I do exercise however the last two weeks I have been in a slump. But I do 45 min in the morning of cardio and another 30 minutes at least sometimes through the day. I do weight lifting twice a week and I also get in Yoga and Pilates. Even at 316 lbs I was able to work out. Walk away the miles is a great work out to get started with. I walk, well now jog the dog a few days a week and and will even just walk up and down the stairs a few times if I dont have time to do my work out. My new venture is going to be the P90X I am ready to start that August 31st when my teen goes back to school.

I did hit one plateau and was stuck at 219 for a month but got a fill and changed my routein and was able to break it and got 25 more pounds off the following month which brings me to today.

Plateaus stink and I know on any other diet that is when I would have fallen off the wagon and started to gain back, but just listen to yur band is all you can do.

We will all have bad days but the great thing with the band is that it wont be that bad. Before the band if I had a bad day I would eat a bag of chips 2-3 ham and cheese sandwiches icecream and whatever I could find. With the band a bad day is maybe and extra few hundred calories not an extra few thousand and so it is easy to get right back on track.

It is great just listen to yur band and you heart and will power will follow.

Good luck to all

:thumbup:

[raeraepa 0]

my fills we as follows:

Banded 10/16/08 weight 316 lbs

I have a 14cc band

First fill 12/16/08 ~ 7cc's no real restriction weight 300 lbs

Second fill 2/04/09 ~ 2.04 cc felt it weight 285 lbs

Third fill 7/20/09 ~ 1 cc weight 216 lbs.

This is my fill I am working with now and today

8/14/09 weight 194 lbs

I have 11 cc in my 14 cc band

I hope this helps

Rae :thumbup:

[nazzy 1]

gosh some people sure lose faster than other .i was banded oct 08 and ive only lost 60,but i didnt get real big fills when they d give them to me.then i see people lose so much more so fast,wish it was me.i exersize everyday 2 mile walks in the heat here at nite.just wish i could kinda hurry up more of it coming off.i didnt have to be on a pre op diet so maybe thats why its less than others.i still hope by oct20th this yr to be at lkeast 80 pds down.just a thought i had.im at 9 cc in a 14 cc and i fet full really fast,thats why i wonder what peps are eating to lose so much,i know i dont need another fill for sometime anyway wtg

[new_journey4me 1]

WOW you look GREAT!!! Congrats to you!! What an inspiration!!!