I guess I'll try diet and exersize after the lap band

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health4jerm
health4jerm Posts: 1
in Introduce Yourself
Hello All,

In April of 2006 I had the lap band surgery. My heaviest weight was 417 pounds. The surgery worked well for me. My lowest weight was 197 pounds. However, I had complications with the band and had to have it replaced in October of 2009. Since the replacement I've really struggled to keep the weight off. All of the good eating habits I developed begin to slip away. The new band let me cheat with foods I knew I shouldn't eat. In November of 2012 I got married and on my wedding day I weighed 245 pounds. Life is great and my wife's cooking is incredible, but I saw a number on the scale I never thought I would see again: 308 pounds. On December 31, 2014 I vowed to take the weight off with diet and exercise. In the last month I have lost 30 pounds by eating the diet I used when I first had the weight loss surgery, which is great! But I am desperately trying to manage my hunger; at times it seems unbearable. Looking forward to 197 pounds again!

Jeremy

Replies

  • Suezyq47
    Suezyq47 Posts: 199 Member
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    Wow, 30 lbs in a month is fabulous! Just keep trying, unfortunately weight loss seems to be a lifelong battle. I have been trying to change my eating habits so I can lose weight and keep it off long term. Lifestyle changes are the hardest to make. You will do it, and if you have a bad day try not to beat yourself up over it :)
  • jodieterich7002
    jodieterich7002 Posts: 2 Member
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    Pray that you meet your goal. May just want to take one day at a time. Don't beat yourself up when you fall. Just get right back on it the same day. That is want l am trying to do. I need to workout (walking ) daily. I have not got victory over that yet.
  • ros2will3run
    ros2will3run Posts: 104 Member
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    Congrats on marriage! Good for you for wanting to keep in shape!! Guess like u said, it's diet and exercise..!
    After years of struggles with body image, others' opinions, now getting fit...! Enjoying it!!
  • LifeInTheBikeLane
    LifeInTheBikeLane Posts: 345 Member
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    A few years ago I knew a very nice couple who had the lap band surgery done together. They both were extremely overweight and ended up losing a lot of weight. At some point the husband had complications and had to get his removed and then the same happened to her. They both gained back the majority of the weight very quickly and she gained back all and then some. After a few months of them wallowing in their self pitty they told me they were going to try to do it the old fashion way and lose weight on their own. It took them a few years but as of today they are under 200lbs and feeling fit and healthy. They did it without any diet pills, surgery or "help". Just working out and eating appropriately. So it is possible!

    I wish you the best of luck and hope you stick to your goals. It will be a bumpy road but you can do anything you want to if you want to do it bad enough!!
  • turtle0022
    turtle0022 Posts: 68 Member
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    Hi Jeremy... we've all been in the same boat, although our journey to get there may have been different. Stay committed and focused. For me, while I have an end weight goal, I find I need to break it down into smaller, manageable pieces - for me that's 10 lb. increments. Bigger numbers overwhelm me and I've been up and down too many times to know what works for me. To control hunger, I'm doing smaller, more frequent meals with specific, healthy snacks in between. I'm also committing to being active - not exercise because I find exercise to be something I do not enjoy, but activity works better for me - and, for me that's swimming and aquatic activities. Perhaps when you get a hunger pang, get up drink some water and walk around the house or do something as a distraction for a few minutes as it passes. You know what works for you. You CAN do this! You GOT this!!
    - Debbie
  • lapbandette
    lapbandette Posts: 1 Member
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    Good luck! I had the lap band in March and I found that after the holidays and winter break I have stalled. It's not because the band isn't working- its because I am fooling myself! So, after going back and forth with the last 10 pounds, I got another adjustment- refocused and now I am back on track. Go back to the basics, diet, exercise and you got this!
  • Migreatlaker
    Migreatlaker Posts: 7 Member
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    To be able to recognize the need to diet and be able to be that successful with a good cooking wife is outstanding. Good luck - did the lap band give you some additional confidence that once you get it off you'll have a better chance at keeping it off?
  • fastingfurious35
    fastingfurious35 Posts: 37 Member
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    Jeremy.. I had my band July 2013. My highest weight was almost 300 lbs. I got down to about 218- than complications with the band started. while I had the band I started gaining bc I had trouble eating any kind of food and was fighting inflammations and all kind of other stuff I don't know how I managed to gain all the way to 237 again while I was on a 800-1000 cal .diet ( because no food was going down and I was throwing up every day multiple times ) .
    Last week ( 20 months after ) I have removed the band. I'm still recovering from the surgery. And I'm going through a lot mentally . I'm sure you are familiar with this situation. Not being able to eat anything- even healthy food- back to being able to eat everything.
    It's been only one week - and I'm very scared of what I can do to my body ( again ). I'm scared of letting myself go and forgetting the eating habits I have learned so far.
    I mean - I lived on protein shakes and soups for the past 20 months .. now I can eat salads and veggies again ! Yes I'm happy about that.
    So every time I reach for something - I'm reminding myself " you remember how much you craved the healthy food but couldn't eat it because of the band ? - now you can - enjoy the celery and the salads.. enjoy the healthy " wraps " ( I could only dream about this kind of food with the band no matter how healthy I couldn't get it down because it would get stuck )
    I had no issues eating chocolate and cookies-while I had the band. For some reason that stuff never got stuck ! So even with the band I had to make a choice not to put that in my mouth.

    Even with the band I had to work out 4-5 x a week - it wasn't the band - it was me sweating the weight off.

    Even with the band - I had to choose between the starbucks frappucino or the protein shake - because either one could go down without a problem.

    What I'm trying to tell you- and myself is - the band maybe was a small tool - maybe it was a "mental " help more than a real help before it started affecting our health.. - but the work - and the results was " us " . Not the band.

    We can do this. You just proved it - 30 lbs in one month - dude.. if I lost that much in 4-5 months I would be jumping in the air.. so you are doing an amazing job and you know how to do it.

    Old fashioned way. Healthy food. Don't skip meals. Drink lots of water. Get enough sleep. Get your protein in- manage the carbs. And stay active.

    Please do it.. - because I need to see people like you succeed - so that I can have more hope and believe. Do it - not only for yourself- do it for so many of us who had to go through the same journey ( statistics showing about 50-60% of bands had to come out so .. believe me there are many of us stuck with you in the same boat ) ..

    I believe you can do it.

  • fastingfurious35
    fastingfurious35 Posts: 37 Member
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    Ps. in my case I'm the " good cook " and I have a family to cook for. Even with the band I continued to cook for them everything they wanted. I continued baking all the cakes, and home made breads and rolls - I mean I can cook, bake and whatever else you need me to do - I cook from scratch - and my family doesn't want it any other way.. they never order food or eat out because they get everything in the house they want- from bread to any type of fresh pizza -( from scratch ) any pie, any cake - I can do it . .. but just because I have made it - doesn't mean I have to eat it. ANd if I will allow myself to have " a piece " I don't have to eat the whole thing. So - that's another thing right there saying that - we can control what we put in our mouth- it wasn't the band that stopped me from eating the cakes ( because they never had a problem going down ! damn that band - it was programed only for healthy foods to get stuck :)) the bad stuff such as chocolate, cake and cookies- no problem - ever ! ) ..
    -
    I will continue cooking and baking - but I will do it better- not only for myself - but also to keep my family healthy. ( they are healthy - I want them to stay that way )

    So - maybe a tip to you - to tell your wife- who probably won't have a problem with it if you put it the right way - she can continue to cook - but maybe just help you out a little and " swap " some things out - and make it healthier.

    I'm a good cook.. but I want to learn how to be a " healthy cook " :) for my family and myself. So that I don't have to battle with my willpower all the time - and the feeling of " deprivation " - if I learn how to cook better- than that will be a life style for the entire family .

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