Rockin' Robin

OK, that little song Rockin' Robin by Bobby Day pops in my head when I think of our newest Superstar, Robin.

In honor of the extra "leap day" in February we are giving you a second posting this month. Woo Hoo! Robin's Band Theory blog can be found at: http://bandtheory.blogspot.com/

I first met Robin in Chicago as we have been roomies for the last two BOOBS. Although she "seems" to be a bit quiet at first, she is really a Rockin' Robin and one of the warmest people you could ever know. She had already lost a good amount of weight when she jumped into blogging but has been an inspiration to us all. Her first post told us a bit about herself. She's originally from Detroit!

But today she's out in Colorado, living the good life now that she's lost almost half her body weight. And she lives out in the country with her cats and dogs (and a hubby too!), raises chickens, tends her gardens, works as an EMT, square dances, loves cruises...

I get tired just thinking about all the stuff she can now do effortlessly because the band helped her lose weight for good. Without further ado, here's Robin!

1. All about You!
Please tell us a little bit about yourself (age, how long you have had the band, etc.). Also, please include information about your pre-op diet and whether you were self-pay or covered by insurance. Include details about your doctor if you like. Tell us why you decided to get the Lap-Band (as opposed to other weight loss surgery or weight loss methods). 

I'm 55 years old and had the band put in on July 22, 2009 (so about 2.5 years). I had my band surgery in Denver and my surgeon was Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum. Dr. K was a pioneer in laparoscopic surgery (he was the first doc west of the Mississippi to do a cholecystectomy laparoscopically). Denver is about 400 miles from my home and there are no closer surgeons and/or fill doctors. I chose Dr. K mostly because of his low costs. Since I am a self-pay patient, cost was a consideration. Dr. K charged just under $10K for the surgery and had low-cost fills ($25). When assessing the cost of the surgery, I assumed I'd add another $2K a year (maybe for the rest of my life) for travel to have adjustments. Now of course Dr. K has since retired, but he has turned his records over to Dr. John Weaver who is honoring Dr. K's rate for fills. I went for my first fill with Dr. Weaver in December and am satisfied with his care. 

I chose the lapband because it seemed so much less invasive than RNY or other bypass surgeries. I liked the adjustable nature of the device and I also liked the idea that no parts of my body were destroyed or permanently altered. In hindsight, I might have considered the sleeve, but again cost was a big consideration and no US based surgeon seemed to be doing the sleeve for a reasonable cost three years ago. 

When I decided to have the surgery done, we were in a very fortunate situation. My husband had come into some money from a family business and we were in the process of paying down and refinancing the mortgage. I had cooked up the scheme to have the surgery using some of the business windfall. I hadn't had a chance to really discuss it with him when he was called out of town on business. At the same time, our mortgage closing was pushed up to the day Will flew home from his trip. I still didn't have time to discuss the surgery with him. As we walked into the mortgage closing I told him that I changed the mortgage numbers (how much we were paying down) and to trust me. If he didn't "approve" of what I was going to do with the money, we could just apply it to the mortgage after the closing. Luckily he trusted me (so that we didn't have any awkward moments at the closing) and he went along with my surgery plans.

2. Your Weight Loss:

Please let us know your starting weight and/or size, and current weight and/or size. 

My highest weight, ever, was 307 in September of 2006. I lost nearly 100 pounds then using the coaching services and products of HNT. Unfortunately I fell off the bandwagon big-time and by the spring of 2009, I was back up to 278 pounds. My size at the time was 22 (pushing 24) in pants and 2 or 3 XL in shirts.

How long did it take you to get to your goal weight (or first 100 lbs. lost)? 

I was 278 pounds when I had my initial (telephone) consultation with Dr. K. I did his 2-week pre-op diet for three weeks and lost 8 pounds. I weighed 270 on surgery day. It took me 16 months to lose my first 100 pounds. I've lost 114 pounds since surgery and have 3.5 more to go. Today my weight fluctuates between 155 and 159 pounds.

As you got closer to your goal, was your weight loss slower?
Weight loss has definitely been slower since getting closer to goal. In the early days I could count on losing 10 pounds a month with no problems. Once I got down to approximately 170 pounds (Nov. 2010) I've lost 14 pounds... barely one pound a month.

Did you experience plateaus? What did you do to shake up weight loss stalls?
When I was in my active losing phase, I really didn't have any plateaus. I steadily lost weight.

How did you decide on a goal weight? 

My goal weight, 153.5 pounds is based on my all-time highest weight. Since my highest weight was 307, 50% of that seemed like a good goal.

Is your final goal weight considered “normal” on the BMI charts? At 5'6.5", 153.5 is a BMI of 24.4, just inside the normal weight range. My primary care physician is happy with my weight where it is (as am I for the most part) but she supports me losing the last couple of pounds for the psychological factor and the bragging rights.

3. All about Food! 

Do you follow any of the band rules religiously? For someone who is generally a rule-follower, I really don't follow many of the rules very well. I'll list the rules as I found them on a website and comment afterwards.

1. Eat only three small meals a day (I'm a snacker. I eat three meals and generally three snacks.)
2. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly (15-20 times a bite) (I do eat slowly but I don't chew that thoroughly. I've had some dental issues so chewing isn't that fun for me.)
3. Stop eating as soon as you feel full (I try)
4. Do not drink while you are eating (This I adhere to religiously... well, except for wine with dinner. I cannot eat and drink without dire consequences.)
5. Do not eat between meals (I snack.)
6. Eat only good quality food (I mostly eat good quality food but do indulge in junk on occasion.)
7. Avoid fibrous food (I don't eat fibrous food.)
8. Drink enough fluids during the day (Usually)
9. Drink only low-calorie fluids (I do drink fancy coffee drinks and alcoholic beverages.)
10. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day (Embarrassingly, I've only started exercise in the past two months.) 

Which band rules do you think are most important?
For me, not drinking while eating is important and stopping eating when full.

Did you track calories or log your food while you were losing weight? Do you do this now? 

I have tracked my food every day since June of 2009. Granted, tracking may have gone by the wayside when I was on a cruise or other vacations, but I have consistently tracked my intake for the past 30 months.

Did you measure your portions? Do you do this now?
I really never measured my portions. Perhaps a few times I'd weigh or measure, but I generally just eyeball it or use pre-portioned food (yogurt cup, low-cal ice cream bar, a square of chocolate, etc.).

Describe a typical day of eating for you, both during your weight loss phase and now.
Food on a typical work day looks like this:

7:30 small cup of coffee with half and half 

9:00 Greek yogurt (should've bought stock in Fage three years ago) and a bit more coffee 

12:00 either ¾ cup of some dinner leftovers, a Lean Cuisine type entree, or a can of soup 

1:00 some sort of 100 calorie snack pack 

3:00 snack (either protein shake made with leftover coffee, HNT protein, a bit of sugar-free/fat-free pudding mix, and coffee cubes or some cheese or leftover meat or gasp.... some chips) 

7:00 dinner (same types of foods I've eaten my whole life... either meat & potatoes, casseroles, soups, etc. but in <1 cup portions) and a glass of wine 

9:00 popcorn or a cookie or diet ice cream or real ice cream or whatever

Some lap band practices tell patients to eat only 3 small meals a day; some say 3 meals plus 1 or 2 snacks; some say 5 or 6 small meals. What did you do when you were losing weight, and what do you do now?
Both in the losing phase and now in the not-so-losing phase I would say I eat 5 to 6 small meals. I cannot eat a big meal and find that snacking (grazing) satisfies me. I keep it under control by tracking my food religiously.

Approximately how many calories per day did you eat during your weight loss, and how many now?
During my best weight loss phase, I averaged between 1200 and 1400 calories per day. And now, in what is basically an unintentional maintenance phase, I average about 1600 per day.

What are some of your favorite band-friendly foods?
Greek yogurt, cheese, protein shakes when I feel really snacky, pistachios (in the shell), egg salad, tuna salad, crab cakes.

Did you drink protein shakes during your weight loss phase? Do you now? 

Yes and yes. I love how mine fill me up and provide good quality protein.

Did you follow any special “diet” plan during your weight loss – for example, low carb, counting points on Weight Watchers, etc.? 

No special diet.

Are there any foods you cannot eat with the band (like meat, bread, etc.)? 

I can pretty much eat anything as long as I'm careful. I do have some issues with grilled meat (steaks, chops, etc.) which kind of bums out my husband since he's the grillmaster in the family and does like to cook for me on the weekend. I don't do a lot of vegetables either. Some in soup or stews or casseroles and certain ones cooked plain, but in general, no salad. I find I can't chew it up finely enough to move through my band easily.

What would a “splurge” day be like for you? A splurge day? 

Hmmm. Maybe too much candy or chips or ice cream. Since I don't deny myself any of these things, I really don't have splurge days.

4. All About Fills!
What size band do you have, and what amount of fill do you have? 

Wow, I know some folks know all their deets but I had to look this up. I have a 10cc LapBand. As for fill level, I have no clue. I did track the fills and unfills for a while, but lost track. My new surgeon thinks I have between 6.4 and 6.6 cc in my band.

How many fills did it take you to get to your “sweet spot”? 

I felt like I was at my sweet spot at my first fill, one month after surgery. During the initial quick weight loss phase, my sweet spot moved constantly. I had seven fill adjustments in the first year, including one partial de-fill.

Did you ever have to get a un-fill? 

I've had three partial de-fills. I was overly filled after my sixth fill. I could not eat nor drink anything. I had a slight de-fill and was in nirvana. That was in May 2010. I stayed at that fill level until April 2011. At that time I was again a bit overfilled but held out for a month until I had a scheduled trip to Denver. A slight unfill took care of the reflux that I was suffering from. I didn't have another fill until December 2011. That time I realized I had issues before I flew home and had the surgeon remove a bit of fluid before I left town. Right now I think I'm a bit too restricted but at this point, it's not worth over $500 to travel for an adjustment.

Can you drink water and other fluids easily at your fill level? 

I can drink fluids pretty easily at my present fill level. Sometimes if I try to bolt down water it feels like a rock hitting my stoma, but normal, casual drinking is fine.

Do you get stuck and/or slime and/or PB very often? 

I don't get stuck too often. In terms of truly stuck or PB, at my worst, maybe once a week (and that was generally operator error). Normally, like now, I might get the wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights look once a week or so but that is more of a cautionary reaction telling me to slow down or stop. I do have some signals that tell me that I'm overdoing it. I either get hiccups or I sneeze when I've either eaten too much or too fast.

5. Share Your Secrets!
Tell us your best tips for losing weight with the band. What do you think contributed most to your success? 

I really don't have any great tips for losing weight with the band or any secrets that contributed to my success. For me, I know I was ready to lose weight and keep it off. I spent a lot of money (hard earned by my husband's family) to have surgery and I feel a lot of pressure (commitment) to make it work. While I've felt jealousy of people who have the surgery paid for by insurance, I know that for me, having it come out of my bank account is extra incentive to make the tool work for me. For me, since I'm a snacker and always will be one, tracking my intake has been very important to losing my weight with the band. I could snack the whole day away but knowing that eating only xxxx calories will allow me to lose weight, tracking keeps me in the ballpark. (Of course now, nearly at goal, I don't quite have the incentive to keep at the lowest end of my calorie range.)

What advice do you have for Newbies? Is there anything you would have done differently if you could go back to the months right after your surgery? 

If I were to change one thing it would be to get serious about exercise from the start. I guess I had to be non-compliant on some level, and exercise was it. There, I admit it, I'm not an exerciser.

What is the best band-related advice you received? 

The band is only a tool. I had to do my part too.

How did you deal with “head hunger”? 

I still have it. I tend to just push it away or enjoy small portions of a snack. 

Did you find the mental aspect of losing weight difficult? (Including, for example, no longer relying on food for stress relief, getting used to seeing yourself as a “thin” person, or anything else)? How did you deal with this?
No mental issues here. What??? Instead of eating, I try to keep busy. I bought my laying chickens post-surgery, have planted a large garden, and enjoy a generally more active lifestyle. On occasion I have found myself eating out of boredom (like the time I ate most of a half-gallon of ice cream in an evening) but for whatever reason I am able to dust myself off and get on the straight and narrow quickly. In the past, when I was in a funk (or bored or mad or sad or whatever) I used to cook up a pound of pasta and eat most of it in one sitting (with plenty of butter). Once, since being banded, I've cooked a package of pasta for my emotions. I portioned out what I knew I could eat (one cup), put on plenty of butter, and chowed down. I then refrigerated the rest and made a dinner casserole out of it the next day. Sure I cursed a bit because I couldn't indulge myself, but on most levels, I was glad I couldn't. 

I spent a lot of time going through my clothes (old and new), sorting, organizing, and sizing clothes for my next bit of lost weight. Seeing the tangible changes in my clothing sizes really helped me to realize that I had (have) indeed lost weight AND volume.

6. The Dreaded “E” Word: Exercise!
How long after surgery did you start exercising? 

Uh... never. I'm bad.

What kind of exercise do you do, and how frequently? 

Since the first of this year I've been participating in "100 days of activity". I'm up to day 42. I do square dance once a week. 

Do you think exercise is important to your success? 

Not to my success since I rarely do it. I want to, but I don't.

7. Issues with loose skin/plastic surgery
Have you had any issues with loose skin?
I'm 55 years old. I've been blessed with pretty good skin (in general.... thank you Mom). My body is a bit "droopy" but I'll repeat, I'm 55 years old. ;) The only part that really bothers me is my arms. I have major bat-wings and that is about the only part of my body that I can't hide.

What are your thoughts about plastic surgery? 

I'm considering brachioplasty for my wings. I was going to do it this spring but instead, I have a dog that needed his ACL repaired. My surgery is still a possibility depending on finances. I either have to do it soon or wait until the fall.

8. Anything else to tell us? 

No great words of wisdom except to not give up on yourself. You need to work with the band, not against it.

Robin has promised to post more before/after photos on her blog but with her busy, busy life right now needs to find the time. She has a page coming soon but here is a preview of some of the pictures she sent to show you the changes she has experienced.

                      2008 

May 2009

May 2010

August 2010

October 2010

December 2010

March 2011

July 2011

Some family pics! 

(Missing Backie)

View from the house.

Thank you so much Robin, for sharing your story with us. Through others we learn and through others we inspire.

Our Sweetheart Amanda

What better non-chocolate treat for Valentine's Day then to present another Superstar. Sweetheart Amanda who can be found at Amanda's Waning (http://amandakiska.blogspot.com/).

Now - 165 lbs

Now some of you might wonder about the word waning. On her blog she has a picture of a waning moon which mimics her weight loss. It was just like the definition of waning: A time or phase of gradual decrease.

And yes, Amanda did that well. She was one of the first blogs that I followed and it was such a treat to watch her weight gradually melt off. Her posts are full of "real" advice and feeling.

So here is some sweetness for your Valentine's Day. Non-caloric of course!

1. All about You!
Please tell us a little bit about yourself (age, how long you have had the band, etc.). Also, please include information about your pre-op diet and whether you were self-pay or covered by insurance. Include details about your doctor if you like. Tell us why you decided to get the Lap-Band (as opposed to other weight loss surgery or weight loss methods).
I am 38 years old and was banded 2/10/10 in Tijuana, Mexico. I was self-pay as I have no health insurance. The surgery cost me about $6,000.

I did not have a pre-op diet. I was supposed to do clear liquids for seven days post-op and then full liquids for seven days followed by mushies for another seven. I didn’t follow the rules, though, and did liquids for a few days until I started getting really hungry. Then I went on mushies. By two weeks out, I was eating solids.

I chose Lap-band because of the price (it was about $4,500 more for RnY) and because I liked the idea of being able to get a fill if I stopped losing weight or needed to get back on track.

2. Your Weight Loss:

Please let us know your starting weight and/or size, and current weight and/or size. How long did it take you to get to your goal weight (or first 100 lbs. lost)? As you got closer to your goal, was your weight loss slower? Did you experience plateaus? What did you do to shake up weight loss stalls? How did you decide on a goal weight? Is your final goal weight considered “normal” on the BMI charts?

I weighed 280 lbs. to start and wore a 3X shirt and size 24 pants. I now weigh between 165 and 167 and wear a size 10 pants and a medium shirt. It took me 10 months to lose 100 lbs. My weight loss slowed after I hit the 100 lb. mark, but not before.

After I lost the first 100 lbs., I considered the slowing weight loss to be a plateau. I never completely stopped losing weight until I got down to 165 lbs., but it took nearly as long to lose those last 15 lbs. as it did to lose the first 100. Luckily I was happy with how I looked and have considered myself “at goal” since I hit that 100 lbs. lost mark so I've (mostly) been okay with the slow loss.

I selected my goal weight as 100 lbs. down (or 180 lb.) because it was a nice round number and it sounded like a hell of a lot of weight. I honestly didn't think I would ever get there. Pre-band I lost weight incredibly slowly and I was sort of resigned to that.

At my height (5’8”), 163.8 lbs. would be a “normal” BMI. So my current weight is not quite a normal BMI. I thought it would be nice to lose a little more, but my weight loss just slowed down and stopped on its own. I think I’d have to adjust my caloric intake and exercise to see additional weight loss and I guess I’m not willing to do that. I am much happier with a natural weight that I can maintain without herculean effort. Plus I am quite sure I have at least a couple of pounds of loose skin.

December 2009 - 280 lbs

December 2010 - 180 lbs

3. All about Food!
Do you follow any of the band rules religiously? (For example, no drinking with meals, etc.)
I do not drink with meals because it makes me nauseous. As for the other rules, I don’t necessarily follow them. Really I wasn’t given any specific rules by my surgeon, other than to eat at least 50 grams of protein a day. I am a vegetarian so that is something I have to work toward, but on average I get about 50 grams of protein. I do not eat all that slowly. I do not chew super-thoroughly. I do not take really small bites. I know the limitations of my band and I eat in a way that doesn’t cause me to get stuck a whole lot.

Which band rules do you think are most important?
If I drink right after eating, I feel nauseous and will likely PB. That is the only rule I follow.

Did you track calories or log your food while you were losing weight? Do you do this now?
I have tracked my calories and protein at times. Usually if I am not happy with my weight loss or am feeling out-of-control, I track. Otherwise I do not. So I mainly don’t track and did not while I was losing.

Did you measure your portions? Do you do this now? 
Never.

Describe a typical day of eating for you, both during your weight loss phase and now.
First thing: Coffee with cream and sugar
Breakfast (about 10:00 AM): Greek yogurt
Lunch: Varies – a frozen meal, cereal and milk, cheese and crackers are some favorites
Snack: Small mocha, maybe a protein bar if I had a small lunch
Dinner: I love pasta like spaghetti with marinara sauce or macaroni and cheese or lasagna. I also eat a fair amount of meat-replacement items like veggie sausage and veggie corn dogs and veggie chicken patties. I usually make some sort of veggie like broccoli (and cheese), a green salad, potatoes of some sort (baked, mashed, etc.). We have bean and cheese burritos or tacos or nachos at least once a week. A couple times per month we have rice and fried tofu, usually with veggies.

Some lap band practices tell patients to eat only 3 small meals a day; some say 3 meals plus 1 or 2 snacks; some say 5 or 6 small meals. What did you do when you were losing weight, and what do you do now?
When I was losing weight, I usually ate three meals with very few snacks. Now I eat every couple of hours. I have a coffee or other snack after lunch pretty much every day.

Approximately how many calories per day did you eat during your weight loss, and how many now? 
While losing I ate 1,200 – 1,400 calories per day. Now I average 1,500, but I usually have one or two days a week where I eat 1,800 or even 2,000 calories.

What are some of your favorite band-friendly foods? 
I believe that I should be able to eat all foods with my band. I would consider myself way too tight if any foods were giving me problems. So I guess all foods are band-friendly to me.

Did you drink protein shakes during your weight loss phase? Do you now? 
As a vegetarian, getting protein in has always been something I have to work at. I used protein shakes off and on. My favorite are Premier Nutrition chocolate shakes, available from Costco. They are pre-made.

Did you follow any special “diet” plan during your weight loss – for example, low carb, counting points on Weight Watchers, etc.? 
Nope.

Are there any foods you cannot eat with the band (like meat, bread, etc.)? 
Nope.

4. All About Fills!
What size band do you have, and what amount of fill do you have? 
My band can hold about 4 cc’s. I have had as much as 2.7 cc’s before, but now I have .7 cc’s (I think). When I had a tighter fill, I had horrible issues with acid reflux. I wouldn’t mind being a bit tighter, but I don’t want to risk another acid reflux attack.

How many fills did it take you to get to your “sweet spot”? 
Two.

Approximately how many weeks or months after surgery until you reached the “sweet spot”? 
10 weeks?

Did you ever have to get a un-fill?
Yes, twice.

Since you had your surgery in Mexico, did you have a problem finding a doc or someone to do your fills?
I did not have any trouble finding someone to do fills. My surgeon actually knew of someone in my city. My fill doctor had done some training at the hospital that did my surgery. There is also a Fill Center USA not too far away so I had two options.

Can you drink water and other fluids easily at your fill level? 
Oh, yeah. I chug water big time.

Do you get stuck and/or slime and/or PB very often?
It goes in spurts. I’ll have weeks without issue and then get stuck/slime/PB several times over a couple of days.

5. Share Your Secrets!
Tell us your best tips for losing weight with the band. What do you think contributed most to your success?
I think that one of the most important things we can do is to stop dieting and learn to eat all foods in moderation. I view dieting and binging as two extreme ends of the spectrum of my food issues. Restricting my food choices and compulsively counting calories is as much a problem as binging for me. Either behavior is a problem. Learning to be okay with myself and my food choices has been really freeing. I still struggle sometimes, but overall I am pretty content with my relationship with food.

How did you deal with “head hunger”?
I have snacks that I can eat whenever I want them. My favorite is a 100 calorie pack of popcorn. It lets me munch for a while and is very filling. Lately I’ve been eating small meals every couple of hours so that whenever I want to eat, it is pretty much time to eat again. I almost never get hungry so I can’t really use hunger as a gauge for eating.

I’ve also had to learn, however, that everyone has to watch what they eat. No one can just eat whatever they want all the time. I’m sure this is pretty obvious, but for some reason I thought that as long as I wasn’t overweight, I would be able to pig out again. It doesn’t really work like that.

Did you find the mental aspect of losing weight difficult? (Including, for example, no longer relying on food for stress relief, getting used to seeing yourself as a “thin” person, or anything else)? How did you deal with this?
I didn’t realize that I used to use food to deal with anxiety and when I stopped doing that, it was really difficult. I went through several months where I felt almost constantly paralyzed by anxiety. Little things like answering the phone or opening an email would cause me anxiety. Sometimes I would avoid them or make someone else do it for me. It was hard.

I’m still coping with this, but it gets easier as time goes on. I force myself to do the things I am avoiding without using food.

6. The Dreaded “E” Word: Exercise!
How long after surgery did you start exercising? What kind of exercise do you do, and how frequently? Do you think exercise is important to your success? 
A couple days. I’ve always been a regular exerciser. I walk with my dog every morning for about 30 minutes, year round. I also bike to work twice a week and ride my bike at other times too. I sometimes take another walk in the evening. I also lift free-weights while I watch TV.

Exercise is very important for many reasons. It helps with stress-relief. It aids weight loss. It can help with many different medical conditions like fibromyalgia, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. I am a firm believer that you do not have to work out in a gym environment. That isn't for everyone. I think we should find things we enjoy and do them. If we don’t like them, we should do something else. The point is to incorporate regular activity into our lives!

7. Issues with loose skin/plastic surgery.
Have you had any issues with loose skin? What are your thoughts about plastic surgery?
I have some loose skin, especially in my stomach, fanny and upper thighs. It bothers me most in my thighs because I would look better in a swim suit if I didn’t have it. I don’t have any plastic surgery plans at the moment.

8. Anything else to tell us?
Blogging has been really important to me and I appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you for supporting me and encouraging me.

 

Now. WOW!

Thanks Amanda for being there for us and showing us that it can be done. For more inspiration, go read Amanda's blog as she is a true Superstar!

Jacquie. In Her Own Words.

It is so much fun to announce another Superstar this month, the one, the only Jacquie. Her blog can be found at: http://jax0120.blogspot.com/ and is called:

I was struggling to find just the right words to introduce Jacquie as there was so much I wanted to say. But this is her story and I wanted to keep it brief, so off I went to the BOOBS page where she was profiled last summer. And here I found the true introduction to this Superstar. 

If you look up the definition of grace and compassion and gentleness, you’d find Jacquie’s picture next to those words. She is the epitome of sweet. And a pillar of strength. A proud mother, daughter and wife. Many of us "old" BOOBs have watched Jacquie go through some rough times and as a result she’s secured a place in all of our hearts.

Yup, that sums up Jacquie in 4 little lines. She has shown that sometimes there are detours and roadblocks on the path to a destination. Sometimes those detours take us to unexpected places, some good, some bad, some heartbreaking. If you read her blog you too will discover some of those detours that have been placed in her way. But through it all, her strength and compassion reaches out through space and gives us a little nudge that we too can get to where we are going. And best of all, she lives in Florida, the land of sun and warmth and oranges. But her true roots are in Lawwng Iyylaand, NY where she says they have the best Hawwt Dawwgs.

I will not reveal much more of her story, other than to say there are a couple of twists. This star has a story best told in her own words.

1. All about You! 


Please tell us a little bit about yourself (age, how long you have had the band, etc.).

First of all, I am just blown away by being asked to participate in the “Band Superstar” blog as a featured Band Superstar! Thank you all for thinking of me as one! 

I am 48 years old and I had my band surgery in March 2010 in Mexico. My band and I had a love/hate relationship for 15 months and I finally had to have it removed in June of this year. I was devastated when my doctor advised me to have it removed and after a lot of research and soul searching, I agreed that I would not be able to live the rest of my life as I was currently living with the band and I decided to have my band removed and at the same time, revision surgery to Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, otherwise known as VSG or just plan old Sleeve surgery.

While I was banded for those 15 months, I lost a total of 52 lbs. That part I loved. The hating part was because no matter what we did, I could never reach a fill level that could sustain the weight loss. Too tight/too loose/too tight, etc. I will get into that more later on.

It wasn’t until a cruise that we took in January 2010 that I even considered self-pay and in Mexico no less! I had been talking to another passenger, who happened to live in my town, and she told me about a nurse that she worked with that had gone to Mexico. Hmmmm. When I got home, I hit the internet and haven’t looked back since. It was on the Internet that I came across Catherine's blog and the fact that a well educated young women who happened to live in my home state of New York went to Mexico, I decided that I too would go.

After a lot of research, I settled on the doctor I would use and after even more research here in the states, I found a doctor who would take care of my after-care. Believe me, this was the hardest part. No doctor likes to pick up after another surgeon and to have the first surgeon from another Country? Anyway, I drove 120 miles each way to my doctor here in Florida and that too has been a great experience.

Also, please include information about your pre-op diet and whether you were self-pay or covered by insurance. Include details about your doctor if you like.  Because my BMI was relatively low, I did not have to do a pre-op diet. I was self-pay with both of my surgeries.

Tell us why you decided to get the Lap-Band (as opposed to other weight loss surgery or weight loss methods).
I had been overweight for much of my adult life but never to the extent that I was in 2010. I had looked into WLS many times. I knew that I absolutely didn’t want to have Gastric Bypass as it was just to severe for me but I was quite intrigued by the Band. It didn’t matter either way though because I was always told the same thing by my insurance company: my BMI wasn’t high enough. At the time of my band surgery, my BMI was 34. Each time I looked into it I would come away feeling even more depressed. I had been to Weight Watchers too many times to recall, Jenny Craig twice, Atkins a lot and many other ‘diets’! I would lose 20 - 25 and start to gain again.

2. Your Weight Loss:

Please let us know your starting weight and/or size, and current weight and/or size
Prior to my Band surgery, my highest weight ever was 234 lbs. On the date of my surgery I weighed 214. On June 20, 2011, the date of my “Sleeve Surgery”, I weighed 164 lbs. As of today, I am at 141 lbs.

How long did it take you to get to your goal weight (or first 100 lbs. lost)?
I have lost a total of 93 lbs. in about 2 years including the weight I lost prior to getting the band.

As you got closer to your goal, was your weight loss slower? Did you experience plateaus? What did you do to shake up weight loss stalls?
For my whole life, losing weight was a very slow process. While I prayed that it would speed up with the WLS, it did not. I would get so frustrated but than I would look at my weight chart and that would spur me on. I am a daily weigher, and it truly is the one thing that I have done from day one that has brought me to this point! I need to see the proof each day that my eating is in control and going down over the big picture. In the past, I would go months without getting on the scale. Hence, 234 lbs.!

As I got closer to my goal, my weight loss really slowed down. This is to be expected so I didn’t stress over it.

While weighing myself daily is necessary for me, not everyone needs to be so anal about it but, in my opinion, its absolutely necessary to weigh yourself at least once a week and maybe even more important to take your measurements! There were many weeks, while I was on one of my many plateau’s that I would not lose an ounce but I was still losing inches! I would not have known this if I hadn’t taken the time to take those measurements at the beginning so please take your measurements when you start!

My Measurements:

	Then	Now
Bicep	14 in.	11 in.
Forearm	9.5 in.	8 in.
Waist	38 in.	29 in.
Chest	34.5 in.	30 in.
Bust	40.5 in.	34 in.
Neck	14 in.	11 in.
Thigh	30 in.	22 in.

Getting back to my plateau’s....anytime I was going through one, I would get to the point where I’d wake up one day and just go back to the basics: Water, water, water, protein, protein, protein. The weight loss would miraculously start to come off again.

How did you decide on a goal weight?
My doctor honestly didn’t set a goal for me but I chose 150 lbs as my goal just because it put me into the ‘normal range’ of the BMI chart and I hit that sometime in July or August.

Is your final goal weight considered “normal” on the BMI charts?
According to the BMI chart I am now at a BMI of 22.9. While there is a lot of debate about BMI, I am beyond ecstatic to find myself at this #!

3. All about Food!

Do you follow any of the band rules religiously? (For example, no drinking with meals, etc.)
Luckily for me, the rules for eating are the same for Band patients and VSG patients so I had no trouble learning the rules and more importantly, following them! For me, the one rule that I follow religiously is the drinking rule. I will drink my water right up to the time I start to eat but once I am eating, I do not drink for at least 15 minutes after I am done. I have had no problems with this rule ever.

I am guilty of not always eating my protein first though! Sometimes I just cant wait to take a bite of whatever carb is on the plate! 

Which band rules do you think are most important?
I think all the rules are important and should be followed MOST of the time. Following the rules should be THE RULE not the EXCEPTION!

Did you track calories or log your food while you were losing weight? Do you do this now?
During my weight-loss phase, I religiously tracked my calories on myfitnesspal.com. I tracked it on my phone. I had a limit of 1200 calories per day, 60 grams protein and 40 grams of carbs. When I followed this formula, I lost weight!

Since I have hit my goal and have even lost 9 lbs under my goal, I do not track as religiously but I will track it on a “not so great eating day” after the fact....cringe, and move on. This helps me keep focus.

Did you measure your portions? Do you do this now?
When I had my band and I had restriction, there was no need to measure. I only ate what I needed to feel satisfied. When I didn’t have restriction, I was dieting and so yes, I was measuring my food. All.The.Time.

Since I’ve had my Sleeve surgery, I woke up from surgery with restriction and I have not measured anything. I can tell you though that my eyes continue to be much, much bigger than my stomach. Very rarely do I finish what is on my plate! That is a good thing.

Describe a typical day of eating for you, both during your weight loss phase and now.
While I was banded, I ate based on my restriction level. When I was too tight, many days all I could eat was yogurt, shakes, ice cream, etc. When I had good restriction, I could eat anything, including bread, pasta, rice, etc. in moderation.

Today some lap band practices tell patients to eat only 3 small meals a day; some say 3 meals plus 1 or 2 snacks; some say 5 or 6 small meals. What did you do when you were losing weight, and what do you do now?
For the most part, I would eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack if I felt like it. It all depended on where I was with my restriction. Most important to me was sticking to my daily calories, protein and carb goals.

With my Sleeve, I have to remember to eat! I try to make sure I have breakfast which can be greek yogurt or an egg or i’ll have a shake. For lunch, I will very often just grab something like a piece of turkey and cheese rolled up or roast beef or tuna. Sometimes I will have 1/2 of a sandwich made with thin light pepperidge farm bread. Dinner is anything I am making. I try to keep my diet protein heavy and go light on the carbs but some days that isn’t what happens at all. The difference now is that my carb heavy days are the exception, not the norm!

There are times when I wait to long to eat and that is very bad. I just want to eat anything and everything. I get light-headed and I can feel my blood sugar drop. Of course, I can still only eat a little of whatever so I have to be really careful about making sure its something protein dense. Cheese is always a good go-to for me in situations like this.

Approximately how many calories per day did you eat during your weight loss, and how many now?
1200 calories per day was my magic number with the Band and than for the first few months with the Sleeve I could barely get in 800 a day. If I had to guess, I would say I am averaging about 1200 calories per day now. Some days less, some days a little more.

What are some of your favorite band-friendly foods?
There is absolutely nothing I cannot eat! No matter what passes my lips, I just can’t eat a lot of it. Unfortunately though, things like cookies, cakes and other sweets seem to go down a lot easier than when i eat my protein first!

Did you drink protein shakes during your weight loss phase? Do you now?
With my Band, if it wasn't for protein shakes, I would never have made my daily goal of 60 grams a day! I relied on them especially in the morning when I had good restriction and when my restriction was too tight, I drank more than one a day. Today I might have 2 or 3 a week if I find that I am not eating much and I have to boost the protein intake.

Did you follow any special “diet” plan during your weight loss – for example, low carb, counting points on Weight Watchers, etc.?
I do a mostly high protein, low carb diet now and than but while I was actively losing weight I would religiously track my food. Now I track in my head for the most part unless I feel like I am getting out of control and then I just start tracking again.

Are there any foods you cannot eat with the band (like meat, bread, etc.)?
There were plenty of foods I could not eat with my Band at different times during the 15 months I had it. Soft bread was never easy but I could eat crunchy bread. When I was too tight, only liquids and mushies would do. Leftovers were hard at times also. Today I can eat anything and everything, only a lot less of it.

What would a “splurge” day be like for you?
I never have a “splurge day”!!!! However, my rule is that I try to only eat processed carbs at one meal or snack a day. If I start the day with a slice of French Toast or if I have 1/2 sandwich at lunch I will keep it to protein and veggies for dinner. Of course I have days where my rule goes out the window but my feeling is if I keep to this 80-90% of the time, I will not have a problem maintaining my weight.

4. All About Fills!

What size band do you have, and what amount of fill do you have?

When I had my Band I had a 4 cc capacity. Very common in Mexico.

How many fills did it take you to get to your “sweet spot”?
I never got to a sweet spot for more than a few days at most. I probably had about 12 fills/unfills during the 15 months I had the Band.

Approximately how many weeks or months after surgery until you reached the “sweet spot”?
I never did.

Did you ever have to get a un-fill?
Yes. I had a few small unfills and than the complete unfill in January of this year. I went 4 months with no fill at all.

Can you drink water and other fluids easily at your fill level?
The problem I had with the band was, whenever I would receive a fill which produced restriction, my body would swell up and therefore, the band would become too tight. When this happened, even drinking water was a problem. Back to the doctor I’d go for an unfill. I would have to wait a few weeks before I could go back to the doctor for a little of the fill back that he took out. This went on all the time. I was frustrated and my Doctor was frustrated for me. He told me this is not the way the band is meant to work and I should not have to live like this.

Do you get stuck and/or slime and/or PB very often?
When I had my band, this was a common occurrence. My daughter was concerned I was becoming Bulimic! Since I have had my Sleeve I have never gotten stuck, slimed or PB’d. When I first started to eat solids after the Sleeve Surgery, I did vomit once when I ate too much. Since then, it has never happened.

5. Share Your Secrets!

Tell us your best tips for losing weight with the band. What do you think contributed most to your success?
Aside from having a tool in the Band or the Sleeve, there were two things I did different during this go-round with losing weight. 

1) Finding the support and friendships that I have found with my blog. I cannot stress enough how being in this community has helped me get where I am. 

2) Exercise. I’ll get to that in the next section!

What advice do you have for Newbies? Is there anything you would have done differently if you could go back to the months right after your surgery?
Honestly, no. I think I did all I could do from day one. Failing at this was not an option for me as it cost a lot of money being self-pay for not just one but two surgeries. I had my bad days but I didn’t let that derail me from my journey.

What is the best band-related advice you received?
I take each day ONE MEAL AT A TIME. If I over-indulge at a meal, I don’t do what I used to do and that was just to say F it! I might as well start all over tomorrow! Nope, I make the next meal a good one. There is a saying I learned at Weight Watchers years ago: “if you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got!” Makes a lot of sense. Change it up for the better!

How did you deal with “head hunger”?
There have been many days I just gave in to it! It happens. I try to not eat if I am truly not hungry but sometimes, something takes over and I just give in. I try not to beat myself up. I just move forward and make the next thing I put into my mouth meaningful!

Did you find the mental aspect of losing weight difficult? (Including, for example, no longer relying on food for stress relief, getting used to seeing yourself as a “thin” person, or anything else)? How did you deal with this?
In a word.....YES! It is still hard to not eat during periods of stress. I think that will be a lifelong struggle. Same as seeing myself as a “thin” person. I will never get used to having others say I am thin and I still see the “fat” Jac when I look in the mirror. I have been overweight and for a time obese for a very long time so I know I will be dealing with these issues for a long time to come.

6. The Dreaded “E” Word: Exercise!

How long after surgery did you start exercising?
I joined a gym in June of 2009 and really started to get into the habit of exercising well in advance of my surgery. When I went back to the gym after my Band surgery last year, in addition to my 3 or 4 cardio classes, I signed up with a personal trainer and I would train with her for 1/2 hr. three days a week. I worked with my trainer for 6 months and found that I really wasn’t getting much out of my workouts. I think what I thought initially was a good fit turned out to be not so much. I’m thinking about starting personal training again this year with a different trainer.

What kind of exercise do you do, and how frequently?
In addition to the personal training, I would do 3 or 4 hour long cardio classes per week.

Do you think exercise is important to your success?
Without a doubt! I will never be one of those people who skip into the gym with a smile on my face but man do I smile on the way out! I feel so much better after I exercise and feel like I can take on whatever is thrown my way for the day. I haven’t done any weight training since ending my personal training sessions in June but I take weight/cardio classes to supplement the cardio classes I take. Weight training is something I feel like I need to do more than I am currently doing so I intend to work on this in 2012.

At this time, I am exercising 3 to 4 times per week for 60 minutes each time. Like I said, I intend to add more weights this year to really tone everything up.

7. Issues with loose skin/plastic surgery

Have you had any issues with loose skin?
My upper arms are a little flabby but not to the extent that I would get anything surgically done to them. My stomach is actually ok for a woman who has had two children and had a 90+ lb weight loss. My breasts and my legs are my problem areas.

What are your thoughts about plastic surgery?
I have scheduled surgery for January 30, 2012 to have a Thigh Lift which will include lipo of the inner knee area as well as outer and inner thighs. In addition, I have never been happy with my breasts and now with the weight loss, they are a mess! I will be having a lift and may be having very small implants. I haven’t made up my mind about that but my surgeon has explained that because I am so thin on top, I will regret it if I don’t because without the implants, my breast may be smaller after the lift. Its a different language talking to them though because they are talking about cc’s and implant size and I’m just saying I just want to wear my size 32 C bra’s after. For the first time in my life, I really want to have perky breasts that don’t need to be tucked into my pants! That’s all I’m asking!

Anything else to tell us?
The Lapband is a great tool for many, many people. However, there are many people who have complications that lead to the removal of their bands. My hope is that no one will have to have it removed because, quite honestly, having one weight loss surgery should be enough! However, please know that there are other options available.

When I got my band, I had never even heard of VSG or Sleeve or whatever. My choice was Gastric Bypass or the Lapband. I knew that I didn’t want the Bypass because of the re-routing of the intestines so to speak. For me, that was too radical. However, If the Sleeve was more widely known to me at the time, I would have gone that route from the start.

For sure it is more invasive than the Band but for someone who spent the 15 months prior to the surgery trying desperately to acquire restriction, waking up from surgery with restriction that would be with me every day is mind boggling! I will never have to experience getting stuck or sliming or PB’ing. These activities were such a part of my life and I knew that I could not maintain the weight I had lost up to that point if something wasn’t done.

While the surgery is just one of the things that I have done to lose the weight, it is a decision that I did not make lightly. To have to make it twice was crazy but I’m thankful that I had other options. We are a group of people who have one core thing in common: a desire to lose weight and be healthy. We have so many ways to accomplish this and there is no ‘right way’....it is whatever works for you!

Here are some Before & Durings:

All time highest weight: 234

Dec 08

Dec. 08

Night before leaving for Mexico: 213

Nov. 2011

Christmas 2011: 142

Chicago 2011: 146

Editor's Comment:
Nice story. Don't you agree. We have a slew of new stars ready to announce over the coming months and each and every one of them has words of wisdom to help us through our own journeys. I've contacted many of them and hope they will continue to keep this blog alive.

Because without them, the world would be a pretty dark place.

Presenting Lap Band Gal!

We have such a Christmas treat for everyone. Our next "Star" is Lap Band Gal! Some of you may know her real name but she will always be Lap Band Gal in our hearts. Her posts are always a treat to read. They make us think. And every Friday, we watch for her weigh in post to see last week and this week weight. And such lovely numbers they are.

I had no idea when I planned to publish this post on December 17th that it would coincide with Lap Band Gal's first goaliversary. Yes, she reached her goal one year ago today and is still rocking the band.

So here she is. No more waiting. We are so proud to present Lap Band Gal!

1. All about You!
I’m 32 year-old California girl who’s been living in Oregon these past 4+ years. I was banded on October 20, 2009 here in Southern Oregon by a local bariatric surgery practice.

I was obese for most of my life. I knew no other type of life. I gradually began gaining weight as a young teenager -- around the age of 12 or 13. I was not physically active and I started to make too many unhealthy food choices, which was easy as they are readily offered in school cafeterias and vending machines. I was not involved in any sports and therefore the weight began to pile on. I was at least 260 pounds by high school graduation. Here is my high school graduation photo:

The breaking point for me was my continuing poor health and being diagnosed with high blood pressure, as well as borderline high cholesterol at the age of 26. My doctor put me on high blood pressure medications. My back hurt when I would wake up in the morning. My knees and ankles were swollen and painful at the end of the day from carrying around all of that extra weight. I was tired all the time. Ultimately, I was just sick and tired of being "sick and tired." I knew that I had to do something about my health and lose weight. 

My medical/health insurance through my employer did not (and still does not) cover any weight loss surgeries. Therefore, I paid $16,000+ for my lap band and follow up care. Those of you math wizards would have already figured out that’s about $140 per pound lost. 

Since I am a very personal-finance focused kind of girl, I am so glad that I did have to pay all that money out of pocket. It has kept me focused to make this weight loss option work in the long run. The band was a catalyst for changing my healthy lifestyle of making exercise and eating right a priority. 

Would I pay the $16000+ over again? Abso-freaking-lutely! It was worth every single penny. 

My pre-op diet was: 

• Four weeks of low-calorie, low-fat diet. I was told to stay below 1200 calories. That’s it. 
• Two weeks of full liquid diet: protein shakes, yogurts, soups, lots of water. 

I chose to get the band because it is removable and adjustable. That’s the best part of having a band: its ADJUSTIBILITY. 

2. Your Weight Loss:

Please let us know your starting weight and/or size, and current weight and/or size:
My official starting weight was 256 lbs. I was probably in the low 260s unofficially when I didn’t weigh myself. I wore a 24W in pants and 3X in shirts. 

I am now holding steady in my maintenance range of 135 lbs-145 lbs. I am a petite size 6 (I’m short) and wear small/medium shirts. 

How long did it take you to get to your goal weight (or first 100 lbs. lost)? 

I lost approximately 115+ lbs in 14 months. 

As you got closer to your goal, was your weight loss slower?
My weight loss did slow down a little as I lost the last 10-15 lbs. I never really hit a plateau.

How did you decide on a goal weight?
My surgeon did not choose my goal weight. I did. I looked at the BMI chart and saw that to be at the top of the “normal” range I would need to be less than 145 lbs. I do know that the BMI chart is really a poor way to measure one’s health and not very realistic, but I wanted to be “normal.” Don’t we all?

Once I met my goal of 145 lbs, I realized that I want to be in a maintenance range so that I wouldn’t get hung up on every little gain and loss on the scale. Therefore, I maintain between 135-145 lbs now.

Is your final goal weight considered “normal” on the BMI charts?
Yes. I’m about 23ish on the BMI scale.

3. All about Food!

Do you follow any of the band rules religiously? (For example, no drinking with meals, etc.) 

I follow the following band rules religiously

• Eat small portions of protein first before any other food choice. 
• Drink 64oz+ of water each day 
• No drinking with meals. 
• EXERCISE! Let’s all say it together now…”EXERCISE!” 

Which band rules do you think are most important?

• Eat small portions of protein first before any other food choice.
• Exercise.

Did you track calories or log your food while you were losing weight? Do you do this now?
Absolutely. While I was losing I wrote down every single thing that I ate or drank. I only tracked calories and protein. Now that I am in maintenance, I very rarely will keep track on paper. I do however keep track in my head as the day goes on.

Did you measure your portions? Do you do this now?
I measured my food using a food scale very religiously while I was losing. Now? Maybe a few times a week.

Describe a typical day of eating for you, both during your weight loss phase and now.
I don’t really have a typical day, but here are some of my favorite "go-to” foods:

• Greek yogurt
• Taco Bell beans/cheese/chicken
• Subway kids turkey/egg white sandwiches (I eat the bread)
• Chicken salad
• Cottage Cheese
• Pretty much what other people that I'm with are eating, just smaller portions 

Some lap band practices tell patients to eat only 3 small meals a day; some say 3 meals plus 1 or 2 snacks; some say 5 or 6 small meals. What did you do when you were losing weight, and what do you do now?
When I was losing, I had three small meals and one or two snacks each day. I pretty much still do this in maintenance.

Approximately how many calories per day did you eat during your weight loss, and how many now?
Losing: 1200 calories
Maintenance: 1400-1800 calories
Splurge day: 2000+ calories

Did you drink protein shakes during your weight loss phase? Do you now?
I drank shakes in the pre-op and post-op diet (two weeks before and two weeks after surgery). But in my losing phase, I very rarely had a protein shake.

Now in maintenance, I will have two or three shakes a week. I drink shakes now when I’m too lazy to cook myself something or I may have already over eaten earlier in the day and don’t have many calories left in my daily calorie allowance.

My favorite brand of protein shake is Unjury. I tried a lot of different brands of protein shakes when I was pre-op. I like its taste the best. It is medical quality protein. I sometimes question the quality of the protein that is in the cheaper shakes available at Costco and Wal-Mart. Check out Unjury.com

Did you follow any special “diet” plan during your weight loss – for example, low carb, counting points on Weight Watchers, etc.? I ended up eating low carb sort of on accident. I never counted carbs, but I noticed that I didn’t lose as quickly when I included carbs in my daily intake. Also, with the rule of eating protein first, eating low carb just sort of happened.

Are there any foods you cannot eat with the band (like meat, bread, etc.)?
I have told my surgeon on multiple occasions “I didn’t get this band to only eat certain types of food.” Therefore, I can and do eat all foods, except ground beef/burgers. I can’t chew the meat to the “consistency of apple sauce” like us bandsters are supposed to.

What would a “splurge” day be like for you? 
This would be my occasional “Fat Girl Fridays” that happen perhaps two or three times a month:

• Breakfast: Toast with peanut butter and jelly 
• Lunch: Taco Bell (Nachos/Chicken Gordita/cheese quesadilla) 
• Snacks: Chocolate truffles, cookies, cake 
• Dinner: Pizza, Pasta….yikes! 

4. All About Fills!

What size band do you have, and what amount of fill do you have?
I have a 10 cc Allergan Lap Band with a fill level of 7.6 ccs. This is the most restriction that I have ever experienced with my band. I like it.

How many fills did it take you to get to your “sweet spot”?
The sweet spot for me is a changing and moving target every single day. It depends on my stress levels, the weather, and whether the glitter-rainbowed unicorns are aligned with the moons and stars in the sky. Seriously. I think that it’s a bit of art form when it comes to fills and being at the right restriction.

I keep my band on the looser side. That's what I like about the band; we can each use the tool as we want to. I also have read up on some various online medical journal sources that sometimes a too tight band leads to erosion and slips. Food for thought, I guess. I also like to be able to eat anything I want to (bread, etc). I don't like to be limited. For me, the band is ONLY about being satisfied/full for a longer period of time.

Approximately how many weeks or months after surgery until you reached the “sweet spot”?
I have had so many fills and unfills that I stopped keeping track. I should have kept a color-coded spreadsheet on the many, many fills and unfills that I’ve had.

Did you ever have to get an un-fill?
Probably four or five maybe?

Can you drink water and other fluids easily at your fill level?
Yes, liquids are no problem at all.

Do you get stuck and/or slime and/or PB very often?
I have only PB’d twice and both times it was on a huge Omega-3 gel cap vitamin. Lately, this same huge vitamin that I take every night has been a struggle to get down. I may stop taking it, we’ll see.

5. Share Your Secrets!

Tell us your best tips for losing weight with the band. What do you think contributed most to your success?
One of the most important things that contributed to my success was learning that I can always eat more than the recommended 1 cup of food at a time.

Just because I CAN eat more than 1 cup, doesn't mean that I should.

That's why I depend on EXTERNAL tools to help me: small serving plates/bowls and my trusty food scale. These tools keep my portions in check and I know that when I am done eating my portion/serving, then I am done. No more food.

AND EXERCISE! Are you noticing a trend here? 

What is the best band-related advice you received?
The band is not the quick fix or "easy button". I still have to do the work to reap the rewards. I could eat thousands and thousands of calories each day...my band doesn't stop me from eating those calories, I DO.

6. The Dreaded “E” Word: Exercise!

How long after surgery did you start exercising?
I started exercising about 3 months after surgery.

What kind of exercise do you do, and how frequently?
4+ times a week. 60-90 minutes (approximately) each time. Cardio and muscle-building exercises. Muscle building is so important. The more muscle mass I have, the more calories I burn. Therefore, I get to eat more. Bonus!

Do you think exercise is important to your success?
In the beginning, I seriously thought that I could just make good food choices and wouldn’t need to exercise. WOW, was I ever WRONG. Exercise is SO IMPORTANT to my success with my weight loss and maintenance.

7. Issues with loose skin/plastic surgery.

Have you had any issues with loose skin?
Of course I have loose/extra skin. But I am OK with my loose skin. Sure, I wish that I didn’t have it, but it reminds me of where I have been…perhaps my “battle scars”? I went into this weight loss journey for my health.

Spanx are my best friend. My main loose skin areas are the lower tummy area and inner thighs….and don’t forget the lovely upper arm dangles. All of my extra skin issues are cosmetic and do not cause any issues such as rashes or irritations.

What are your thoughts about plastic surgery?
Plastics are not for me personally. I think one surgery in my lifetime is enough. Recovery from plastics is a whole different ball game than Lap Band surgery recovery.

I haven’t completely closed the door on the idea of plastics, maybe one day. But plastics are not something that I am currently thinking about.

8. Anything else to tell us?
The most important lessons that I have learned through my weight loss:

1) My food choices are never, ever going to fix my deeper problems.

2) Food is not going to make me blissfully happy.

3) Food is not my friend.

4) Food is not going to make me feel less stressed about the business that is life.

5) Food is not going to give me the courage to change things in my life.

6) Food is not meant to be an escape from reality.

One last thing: It takes A LOT of work to be successful with a Lap Band, but the results are totally WORTH IT! 

Lap Band Gal

See? Can you see why we need these Stars to show us the way. Lap Band Gal proves that the band does work and that it can be done. We love you Lap Band Gal!

Stephanie with Dreams of Skinny . . .

Drum roll. It's our first STAR in over a year, but there are plenty more. I hope these Band Superstars will help you get the inspiration that we all need to succeed as Bandsters. The list is growing and I hope you enjoy their stories as much as I do.

And now without further ado I present Stephanie from Dreams of Skinny High Heels. Although as the title may imply, she is rethinking the high heels after wearing those same sparkly heels at BOOBS 2.0. I was able to observe her evaluation of those same heels and will attest that Steph has a potty mouth. Nuf said. Heels are for looks only. Bring on the orthotics!

I love it! And I love her. Stephanie tells it like it is. She may come across to some as a hard ass but we all know if we really peel back the layers she is a soft and squishy marshmallow pillow that would do anything for anyone. Her organizing (ok OCD) skills are up there with the best which is what makes a perfect BOOBs planner. Chicago was first rate because of the behind the scenes organizing that Steph was part of.

I will share one little story. I first met Stephanie at BOOBs 1.0 but had been following her antics for months. We were banded within weeks of each other and she was losing weight like there was no tomorrow. I was the only backup singer when we were called to sing the Karaoke song 'I Will Survive'. You know what, that describes Stephanie to a tee. Fast forward to BOOBs 2.0 and I say to her, "you are probably down about 30 pounds since last year". And she writes back. "No, I've lost over 70 pounds since then!" And now why I said that. I thought Stephanie looked smoking hot at 220 pounds. You see, the rest of the world does not see what she thinks we see.

How can you not be inspired by someone who can tell it like it is. Works hard to make everyone happy. Loves George Clooney (my bro looks just like Clooney, which must be why she likes me so much!). Has a heart of pure gold and is a fabulous wife and mommy to a cutey pie little girl.

OK, I will now quiet down and let you read this amazing journey by Stephanie...

1. All about You!

Hi everyone…For a little bit of background history, in case you aren’t a follower of my blog, I’m Stephanie and love food. Freakin’ love it.

Yep, I’m putting it out there. Food is like sex to me…fabulous, orgasm inducing and oh so amazing when it’s over. You just want to bask in the afterglow of a good meal, just like you would a romp in the sack with George Clooney or Drew Barrymore, dependent on what floats your boat.

I’m 39, I’ve been married almost 10 years to my hubby Jason, I have a beautiful daughter, Sarah, and we live in Central Florida. I was banded on February 23, 2010 a little over one month after my first meeting with Dr. Patrick Domkowski of Sebastian River Medical Center who is a fabulous surgeon, doctor and all around great guy. If you’re in Central Florida and are looking for a fabulous fill doctor or Lap Band or Gastric Sleeve surgeon, email me and I’ll hook you up. He is just awesome, pure and simple!

In the summer of 2009 I had gotten pregnant with our second child and I was around 250 lbs and thrilled. However, after 10 weeks, the pregnancy had to be ended due to it being ectopic (in my fallopian tube practically right on my ovary) and the post pregnancy depression caused my weight to balloon up. Jason and I decided that we would have no more kids and I happened to be at work one day when one of my coworkers, a morbidly obese woman herself, had asked me if I had ever heard anything about another local Bariatric Surgeon as she was thinking about attending his meeting. I Googled him and saw he charged a $3700 program fee and looked at other doctors in the area and came across Dr. Domkowski who HAPPENED to be having a seminar THAT night. I took this as a sign. It was December 17, 2009. After attending the seminar where they discussed the lap Band and the Lap Sleeve, I realized the Lap Band was well suited for me and low and behold, I find out the next day that my insurance would cover the whole cost.

This was my sign from God. It may not have been right for me to have another child, but it was time for me to become healthy and be a role model for the daughter I did have.

2. Your Weight Loss:

Please let us know your starting weight and/or size, and current weight and/or size:
My starting weight was 272 lbs and I wore a 22/24 pants and a 2X shirt. Now I currently wear a sz. 8/10 pants and a sz L (sometimes a medium) shirt. Due to some recent post-quitting smoking weight gain, I am currently at 157.

How long did it take you to get to your goal weight (or first 100 lbs. lost)?
Over my first 7 months, I lost around 40 lbs. I hit the 100 lbs lost mark exactly one week before my 1 year anniversary. I didn’t keep a weekly weigh in log but I looked at my blog and saw I weighed in at 169 on 2/16/2011, which was the week before my one year anniversary. 170 was my initial goal with my surgeon, but I really wanted to get down to a healthy BMI which was 154 and I reached that weight on 5/6/2011.

As you got closer to your goal, was your weight loss slower?
Once I lost 100 lbs, I stayed at pretty much an even keel of average losses at around 2 lbs a week on the weeks I actually lost something, because in the 11 weeks between me losing 100 lbs and then hitting goal, I had a few weeks where I had no loss at all. I have NO idea why or how this happened, but it did.

Did you experience plateaus? What did you do to shake up weight loss stalls?
Ha-Ha!!! Did I have plateaus? You have got to be freakin’ kidding me. I was the Mayor of Plateauville for the first 8 months of being banded and even after my weight loss sort of kicked in, I would still have periods (PERIOD being the key word) where I would head back to Plateauville for a short visit every few weeks.

Plateaus suck and can be SO discouraging.

To shake up the weight loss when I stalled out, I followed my personal trainers instructions and I increased my protein intake up to 80 to 100 grams a day, including protein shakes, and I kept working out. I just kept on. I didn’t give up and say this is never going to work. I just said to myself that at SOME FREAKING POINT ALL THIS WORK WILL HAVE TO START PAYING OFF and sure enough, FOUR months after working with a personal trainer for 4 times a week and going to the gym 2 other days, something FINALLY clicked and I started dropping weight. Working with the trainer helped me build muscle and my body just said, “Well it’s about damn time…let’s get this show on the road.” From there on out it was slow steady, consistent losses.

How did you decide on a goal weight?
My doctor initially wanted me to lose 100 lbs and that was a good starting point for me…attainable in the long run…but I wanted to actually be "normal" according to those dastardly outdated BMI charts.

In addition to becoming healthy, I had a dream. A dream of a time where I could wear high heel shoes without being in such pain that I wanted to chop off my feet after five minutes. I guess after years of watching "Sex In The City" and seeing all of them wear fabulous shoes, I wanted to have my own Carrie Bradshaw moment.

I can tell you this, after having lived my dream, I am convinced that high heeled shoes were invented by Satan himself. Yes, they look great, they make your legs look fabulous and shapely and give you a nice sashay when you walk. However, even after losing 120+ pounds, they still hurt my feet like a son of a bitch.

That being said, you bet your sweet ass I still wear them.

Is your final goal weight considered “normal” on the BMI charts?
Yes, for a woman 5’6, 154 is the upper end of “Healthy”. I hit my goal weight on May 6, 2011 and have been down to 147 (right before Chicago, due to stress and a zero appetite) and right now I am at 157, due to having gained weight back when I quit smoking 3 weeks ago. There will be more about that fun experience in a bit.

3. All about Food!

Do you follow any of the band rules religiously? (For example, no drinking with meals, etc.)
I am so-so and I have never been a perfect model bandster and in my mind I like to tell myself that if someone says they were they are full of shit, but I’m sure there are some super anal, very structured people (and that’s not a bad thing) who can thrive off the rules and the structure. I’m just not really into rules. Call me a rebel…I know what works for ME. I take sips, but don’t drink-drink. I rarely drink sodas and I chew, chew, chew like it’s nobody’s business.

Which band rules do you think are most important?
Protein first is the most important thing in my eyes. It keeps you full and for the most part it is healthy, as long as you are eating lean protein. Bacon, fried chicken and pork chops and fatty meats like rib eye steaks are just as bad for you as chewing on a stick of butter, even if they are protein. That being said, fat, to an extent, IS important in your diet. Don’t deprive yourself of things you enjoy, just remember portion control and moderation is the key.

Did you track calories or log your food while you were losing weight? Do you do this now?
For the first 10 or 11 months I tracked religiously in my journal and online. So many times we don’t realize how much crap we eat and how little protein we are taking in. Using something like MyFitnessPal.com helps you plan meals in advance and allows you to make changes when you see you are too high in fat or carbs and too low in protein for the day. I HIGHLY recommend that website.

Did you measure your portions? Do you do this now?
I used to always measure my portions, but now, not so much, because I am so used to what I can and can’t eat. Maybe it’s me being a little lazy, but I know my body at this point, so I am really good at eye balling. That being said, I am still pawning off food on my hubby because I still grab too much on occasion. I find this happens when I am really hungry, like I’ve skipped a meal for some reason due to my schedule and I just forget I am banded for a bit and grab more than I could possibly eat. It happens to us all and if any Lap Bander tells you they NEVER take too much, they’re full of shit.

Describe a typical day of eating for you, both during your weight loss phase and now.
When I was in my weight loss phase, going “hardcore”, it really wasn’t that different from how I eat now, but since I was in the “OMG I have got to lose this weight” frame of mind, I was very hard on myself if I fucked up and fell off the wagon. I tried to be a model bandster but I realized that there is no MODEL, there is no spokesperson, there is no one set rulebook, so I just started to do what was good for me. Eating healthy, working out regularly, not eating fast food and forgiving myself for when I made bad judgment calls allowed me to find the path I needed to be on to lose the weight.

I am the queen of protein and that is always the main focus of my meals. I’m fortunate in that I don’t have issues in eating meat, as I like my meat rare and we always marinade our chicken and pork, so it is always tender. We usually have a grilled meat (or baked fish) and some sort of veggie (spinach or other green veggie) and maybe some starch like couscous, a bit of rice or mashed potatoes. I still focus on Protein, Veggies, then a small bit of carbs. The carbs I have every day and don't feel the slightest bit of guilt with is real sugar in my coffee every morning. Artificial sweeteners do not agree with me, so I always use real sugar and I enjoy every sweet bit of it!

I will say this and I can say this with all honesty...I rarely eat fast food anymore and I honestly believe that has made a big impact on me. If I am in a situation where it is the only option (like on a road trip), I choose something like a Chili from Wendy's or chicken salad from Chick Fil A. Also, I SERIOUSLY cut back on my sweet tea consumption on the advice of my doctor. I still drink it on occasion, because let's face it, I'm a Georgia Girl at heart and sweet tea is like water to us, but I don't drink 32 oz. of it everyday like I used to.

Well, I will be the first person to say that recently my eating was less than stellar and it’s not because I hit goal and felt like I can just sit on my butt eating bon-bons and drinking beer. I am going through the process of quitting a pack a day smoking habit that I have had for 22 years, and for the first 2 weeks of "detox" I was unfortunately been grazing like a cow out at pasture. I’ve been better over the last week but those first two weeks of quitting were tough. A word of advice, NEVER quit smoking the week of Halloween when there is a crap ton of left over candy…not just any candy, but Reeses Freakin’ Peanut Butter Cups that just dissolve in your pouch. Perfect slider food and unfortunately, my addiction for the last 2 weeks.

Now if you set aside the total crap I’d been eating to get myself through the detox, I am normally pretty good with my eating, but if you go back and read this recent post of mine, you will see first hand how easy is it to slip back into old eating habits:

http://dreamsofskinnyhighheels.blogspot.com/2011/11/getting-ready-for-holidays-still-not.html

Some lap band practices tell patients to eat only 3 small meals a day; some say 3 meals plus 1 or 2 snacks; some say 5 or 6 small meals. What did you do when you were losing weight, and what do you do now?

You see where it says “some lap band practices say only 3 small meals a day; some say 3 meals plus 1 or 2 snacks; some say 5 or 6 small meals”? That only reinforces the fact in my mind that there is no set rule. I started off on the 3 small meals a day pattern suggested by my hospital and that sucked for me, but I kept on with it. When I started with my trainer, she suggested the 5 or 6 small meals and sure as shit, the bells went off. I had found what worked for me. I wasn’t hungry (even when I was not at full restriction) and I didn’t feel like I was on a diet. Little amounts at different times of the day helped me learn portion control and what size amounts would fill my pouch and keep me full. Protein was the key. I did this starting in late June of 2010 and I still eat like this each and every day.

Approximately how many calories per day did you eat during your weight loss, and how many now? 

This question is really hard to answer with “one specific” answer because on average I ate about 1400 calories when I was in the 225 to 200 range, 1200 to 1300 calories when I was in the above 175 lb range. When I was working out with my trainer I added about another 300 to 400 calories on days I worked out and those calories came from protein shakes or other sources of protein.

Since hitting my goal weight, I am averaging 1200 calories a day, but for me, just having hit my goal weight of 154 does not mean that I am finished losing. Before I quit smoking I was at 150 and I would like to get back into the 145 range, so I will always be conscious of my eating habits and accept the limitations on my eating that the band provides. For me, maintenance is not regaining all the weight I lost and staying under my official goal weight of 154, so I am 3 pounds above where I need to be.

My caloric intake of the 1200 a day range is not an exact science and allows for the wiggle room I know I need. The important things is that I don't feel hungry, which I attribute to my diet being higher in protein. Some people may feel this is too low, some may think it's just right, but I know it is what works for me and has gotten me to this weight and kept me at this point (except for those days of nicotine withdrawal induced Reeses Peanut Butter Cup binges...Seriously, who put that bag in my desk? Surely it was not me....It must have been the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Elves).

What are some of your favorite band-friendly foods?
Since I can’t eat regular pasta or bread anymore, I have found that couscous (a mini-pasta, almost grain like) is a wonderful substitute. I am a big fan of chicken salad with diced onions, dried cranberries and pecans, which give me extra fiber as well as protein and I never have issues with my bad with that. String cheese is a fun way to get protein. Also, slices of cold cuts that you spread lowfat herbed cheese and roll them up with a green onion inside for crunch, and bada-boom, bada-bing, you have a handy filling snack, high in protein….although a little high in salt, but that only encourages you to DRINK WATER!!!

Did you drink protein shakes during your weight loss phase?
Yes, I was a morning Protein shake drinker (in addition to my coffee), as I was always semi tight in the morning and was never a major breakfast person. It would get me going until I loosened up around 10:00 am. I would regularly have a protein shake after working out, along with unsweetened coconut water, as the potassium and protein help you to recover from a workout much faster with less muscle soreness.

Do I drink them now?
If I feel my protein levels are a little low, I may have a shake and for me I use the Body Fortress Whey Protein from WalMart in the chocolate flavor with 2% milk and a splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream non-alcoholic creamer which helps to totally eliminate any aftertaste. Just a splash though!!

Did you follow any special “diet” plan during your weight loss – for example, low carb, counting points on Weight Watchers, etc.?
At one point on my journey, I decided to do Weight Watchers in conjunction with the band, considering much of what I was doing anyway was based on eating habits I learned in weight watchers. I think that they have a really good program and it is a solid one for people to work with if they are struggling because their points system really helps you stay accountable and it is a good, no-faddish program. As for low carb, the surgery pretty much helped cure me of my carb addiction because I am not able to handle pasta, breads, cakes, potatoes, sticky rice and pizza crusts like I used to be able to do with gluttonous ease.

I guess for me (and this is just ME personally and not a critique of anyone or any particular practice), I try not to do anything that is a diet. I was looking once at the Dukan Diet that was all the rage before Prince William and Kate’s wedding and I realized that I got this Lap Band to avoid this weight loss roller coaster of crash dieting and freaky eating habits to try and lose weight. If those things TRULY worked for me in the long run, I would never have needed the Lap Band. That is why I am not a fan of the Pouch Test, Cleansing Diets or other things us lap banders have all tried (myself included) at one point or another because it only reinforces the bad habits we had prior to the band. They don’t teach us anything….if they did, we wouldn’t be doing them every few weeks or months to help us get “refocused”. I am not criticizing anyone who chooses this route, as this is just my opinion and let’s face it, if I was the end all-be all on health and nutrition, would I have been 272 pounds in the first place? These are just MY thoughts and this is my place to share them with you. Take what I say with a grain of salt. If say if something works for you, have at it. I'm just sharing with you my thoughts and what has worked for me. It's different for every one of us.

Are there any foods you cannot eat with the band (like meat, bread, etc.)?
No problems with meat (Thank you, Jesus!) but REHEATED meat is a no go unless it is in some sort of sauce or was part of a crock pot meal that was cooked to hell and back. I can’t do breads at all. You might as well tilt my head back, pour cement down my throat and watch me gag. I miss bread. Sweet Georgia Brown I miss toasted bagels. I think one time in my blog I mentioned being so desperate for a bagel, you may see me offering back alley blow jobs behind some New York Delicatessen in exchange for some fresh baked goods. Potatoes, unless mashed, are also a danger food. That's probably for the best because it keeps me far away from McDonalds French Fries, one of my former addictions.

What would a “splurge” day be like for you?
Well, I am not a friend of deprivation in the first place as I believe that “Deprivation leads to Desperation” and to swear off certain foods entirely just leads to massive overindulgence. A splurge for me, though, would be dinner at Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion. A small appetizer of Ahi Tuna Poke salad, split a sushi roll with my hubby and share a dessert….and a couple of cocktails.

4. All About Fills! I have a 10 cc band and I have 5.5 cc’s in there and I am at my sweet spot. I’ve been here for a while now and it’s a pretty groovy place!

How many fills did it take you to get to your “sweet spot”? Approximately how many weeks or months after surgery until you reached the “sweet spot”?
When I had my Lap Band put in, my surgeon went ahead and gave me 2 cc’s of fluid in my band and from there it took me about 4 fills to find my sweet spot (which included an unfill), which happened over 6 months after my surgery. It may sound weird, but it wasn’t until a fill that I got in late August of 2010 that I had restriction, but I didn’t start losing weight until mid October. I attribute that to my weight training with my personal trainer finally kicking in, but it was weird that it took 2 months for me to notice my weight losses to increase after that last fill.

Did you ever have to get a un-fill?
Oh yes, the dreaded unfill. Back in the summer of 2010, about July I believe, I went and got a fill and then I flew to Tennessee for the weekend. This was the first time I realized I had issues with my band tightening up while flying. To make it worse, since I had gotten the fill the day before I left and I was on fluids, I didn’t know how tight I really was until I got to Tennessee and could barely get my coffee down in the morning. I spent the entire weekend sucking on Popsicles, clear liquids and in general, being miserable. I was able to get in and see my doctor when I returned and get 1/2 of my fill removed.

Just so you know, I am one of those ladies with a freakishly sensitive band. An amount as little as .10 cc’s can make a huge difference!

Can you drink water and other fluids easily at your fill level?
No problems whatsoever with drinking fluids.

Do you get stuck and/or slime and/or PB very often?
Yes, I do on occasion, but I totally accept responsibility for when it happens because it is because of one of a few reasons: a) Eating too big of a bite and not chewing it nearly as well as I should, b) talking while eating and this is hard when being out with friends and I don’t mean this as talking with your mouth full, but rather when you are talking away, you aren’t as focused on what or how much you eat and you tend to go into “robot” mode and don’t realize you’re in the danger zone until it’s too late….which for me is signaled by the runny nose or hiccups. When that happens, I have about 2 minutes to find a bathroom, because potentially, one of those last bites is going to be coming back up to say “hello!” and c) if I drink soda while eating. We all know we shouldn’t drink while we eat and for the most part, I am no longer a big drinker at meal times, but I have been known to slip up and have a soda and let me tell you…carbonation and a Lap Band are an evil pair. Seriously. Not a good combination.

5. Share Your Secrets!

Tell us your best tips for losing weight with the band. What do you think contributed most to your success?

Exercise, exercise, exercise.

For me, I joined the gym at 272 lbs and started just walking on the treadmill. Then I moved onto the elliptical and I swear I thought I’d die after 5 minutes. Little by little, I kept going, only taking time off after my surgery until I got the all clear from my surgeon. In June of 2010 (4 months after surgery) I started working out with a personal trainer 3 to 4 nights a week. Without Heather and the weight training she pushed me to do and her belief in me, I would have not even have been as remotely successful had I tried to do this on my own without a trainer. She pushed me, kept me accountable and would not let me quit, no matter how many bitchy looks, snarky comments or cheesy names I called her. She really helped me to firm up, tone up and that really helped with my skin issues and being able to bounce back relatively well, saggy skin wise.

What advice do you have for Newbies? Is there anything you would have done differently if you could go back to the months right after your surgery?

DON’T COMPARE YOU TO OTHERS AROUND YOU. Seriously. Two of my dearest Lap band sisters, Joey and Carmen, were banded the day before me and the same day as me (respectively) and I couldn’t help compare myself to them….the thing was, it wasn’t just them. There were a LOT of other people banded around the same time as me and I saw them losing 14lbs in their pre-op surgery (I lost FOUR!) and then they were losing weight with ease in the months after their surgery. All while I was Snaily McLoseSlow and was losing maybe 1 lb a week, two if I was massively lucky, but that was a rarity. I was ready to use my scale for target practice. Why were they losing so much weight when I wasn’t? I was doing all the same stuff, working out, blah, blah, blah.

What I FAILED MISERABLY at was realizing that we are all individuals. We all lose weight differently. We all have different metabolisms and there is NO SET RULE. If you compare yourselves to others constantly, you will drive yourself insane and get so upset with something that is total bullshit.

There were so many times where I was ready to quit. Thoughts like “Hell, I could have lost this much (and more) with Weight Watchers alone” but then I realized, “Sure, but you would have gained it all back and then some…when you fell off the wagon. Again!”

What is the best band-related advice you received?
I didn’t get this advice from any lap bander, but actually from Kevin Costner’s character in “The Untouchables”:

“Never stop, never stop fighting till the fight is done.” 

The thing is, with weight loss and our addictions, the fight is never over. It is always a part of us and it is up to us on how we choose to deal with it. I don’t have the answers…no one does. It is all an individual journey. Whether you admit it or not, if you had weight loss surgery, dollars to donuts you have a food addiction of some sort. Addictions, whether drugs, alcohol, sex, food or gambling is a lifelong issue we will deal with. In the mean time, day to day, you keep up with the fight and keep on, keepin’ on.

Here endeth the lesson.

How did you deal with “head hunger”?
Until a few weeks ago, I smoked. So I am having to learn to deal with head hunger in a new way. The first two weeks of me not smoking I just said “fuck it” and ate. Ate like Augustus Gloop from Willy Wonka. Yes, I gained 7 lbs over those 2 weeks thanks to the delicious “You’ve got Chocolate in my Peanut Butter….You’ve got Peanut Butter in my Chocolate” goodness known as Reese’s. I know that I have to get past that and get back on track and lose those pounds again. I can do it. With the help of my band and my support system in you all, I can do this.

Did you find the mental aspect of losing weight difficult? (Including, for example, no longer relying on food for stress relief, getting used to seeing yourself as a “thin” person, or anything else)? How did you deal with this?

It’s very hard for me to see myself as a thin person. Actually I know I’m not “thin” in the traditional state, as I am now just at the high end of “Normal”, but when I look at myself in the mirror, I still see the same overweight girl I have always been. I don’t have issues with self confidence anymore in my appearance, because I know though the number on the scale and the size tags in my clothing that I can wear fashionable clothes that look nice on me, but I still always see myself as overweight. I will always compare myself to others, in the respect of “Why can’t I be 20 lbs thinner like her” or “Why can’t I look like THAT in a bathing suit”, but that is because I spent a lifetime criticizing myself AND being criticized for how I looked, so it is hard to change old habits. It’s something I need to work on. No matter how much we lose, I honestly don’t think any of us will ever be cured of this.

6. The Dreaded “E” Word: Exercise!

How long after surgery did you start exercising?
I started working out about a month after my surgery, once I got the all clear with my surgeon. It was basically walking and the elliptical and then I started with a personal trainer 4 months after my surgery when I realized I couldn’t do the exercise on my own. I needed someone to kick my ass, someone who wouldn’t take my crap excuses and who would push me to my limits. Enter Heather, the little wood sprite who took me on as a challenge and damn it all to hell if she wasn’t proud as punch to see me evolve. I started at 235 lbs with her and at my last session with her I was 153. Personal trainers suck, but are amazing wonderful people. Heather helped me change my life.

What kind of exercise do you do, and how frequently?
Just so you know, I am not going to the gym anymore because they changed owners, raised the rates and my trainer is no longer there, but I do continue to work out with my exercise weights and Pilate's ball at home. With that, bike riding, roller skating on the weekends with my daughter and walking around campus during my lunch breaks and taking the stairs (I work on the 5th floor), I am getting some exercise, but I will get back on a regular gym schedule once I find a new place to go to, that is also affordable. Once the new year comes around, they will be having a ton of discounts to get people to join.

Yes, I am fully aware that I have made excuses for not going to the gym full time, but until September, I was unable to do any weight training from the waist up, by orders from my plastic surgeon. He did not want me doing anything that would potential strain my neck muscles and prevent proper healing of my surgery. Admittedly, I was happy to have an excuse not to go every day. I still exercised at home, but I was not Miss Gung Ho Exercise Guru.

Just think, if Jason will actually quit smoking too, maybe I'll have enough money to afford going back to my personal trainer, I just need to email her and find out what gym she is associated with now!!! I do miss those ass kicking workouts :)

Do you think exercise is important to your success?
Read what I wrote above. If you think you can do this without exercising, you’re crazy. If you are not willing to exercise, you truly are looking for the easy way out. You are in for a big wake up call if you think the pounds will just melt off without exercise.

7. Issues with loose skin/plastic surgery:

Have you had any issues with loose skin?
You mean aside from the turkey waddle of a neck I developed after hitting the 100 lbs lost mark? Or do you mean the melted candle wax look of my inner thighs? Or could you possibly be referring to my boobs that look like I’m a member of a tribe of undiscovered Indonesian natives that you see in the pages of National Geographic with titties that hang to their waist?

What are your thoughts about plastic surgery?
I am all for it if you want it. That being said be prepared for a lot of pain, a recovery that is spent on painkillers and a feeling of bloatiness due to the fluids they pump you full of and know that your life will not magically change because you had plastic surgery. I had a neck lift and although the results were good, they did not meet my expectations (and even my doctor said he was too conservative) so I am going in for a “do-over” (free of cost, thank you Jesus!) Just like with weight loss, if you don’t deal with the reasons you let yourself get fat in the first place, NO amount of plastic surgery will make a difference. Plus, you can gain the weight back. Plastic surgery, be it a lift or a tuck is NOT permanent, especially if you are not willing to keep yourself in shape.

In the end, if it makes you happy, that is the important thing and I feel 1000 times better for having had it done. It has helped my self esteem skyrocket. Now if I can just figure out how to get a boob job paid for by my insurance company. Any suggestions?

8. Anything else to tell us?

For my friends who are struggling, you aren't a failure. There is no perfect journey and to compare yourselves to others does you no good. Trust me, I do it, too. I put people up on a pedestal and idolize them and that's not fair to me. I am myself, an individual and to compare myself to others, then and now, only does myself a disservice.

To those of you just beginning this journey, there is no easy way with the Lap Band. Even when you do the right things and totally change your eating habits, you still struggle. There is no guarantee for success and yes, it really fucking sucks at times when you feel like you are a failure when you do all the right things and you don't get the results you hoped for.

Don't give up...please. Believe in yourself and don't give up.

More before & after pics at:

http://dreamsofskinnyhighheels.blogspot.com/p/beforeafter-photos.html

Oh and Sandy, I love you for the amazing woman you are...your brother looking like George is just a coincidence. I promise!! :)

Much love to you all,

Stephanie