heatherbat
I started my weight-loss journey at 303 lbs. I had NEVER been that big before, and I will NEVER be that big AGAIN. When I looked at the scale (my sister and I were at the mall, and using the scale in front of GNC) my jaw DROPPED. I nearly cried. I weighed on her scale at home, and I was so big, that it wouldn't even register my weight!:/
I had SEVERE sleep apnea, and used a biPap machine to sleep at night. My feet hurt so badly, I could hardly stand. (I guess they were bone spurs?) I was only 27. There was no reason for that. I was in the prime of my life!
I started trying to lose weight on my own, but was also looking into WLS. At first, I thought I wanted Gastric by-pass. But my sister's mother-in-law had had lap band, and she told me about it. I was convinced.
After seeing one complete jerk doctor for gastric bypass, I found another doctor (Dr. Watson, HOLLA!) who was kind, empathetic, and concerned about helping me save my life for lap band surgery. The entire process went so smoothly, and I had a surgery date for May 23, 2005.
The surgery was the easiest part. Haha;)
Losing weight is not easy, whether you have surgery or not. I am now down to 199 and I KNOW that I could not have made it here without WLS. It's been hard enough WITH the surgery! It's been 2 years, and I've lost and stalled, and plateaued for nearly a year, but I am past that (what was causing me to not lose weight) now, and the only way now is DOWN.
Things I have to remember for myself, and for anyone else who is stuck:
Do not drink when you eat. (That was a HARD habit to break!)
Do not drink sodas. (At least, regular calorie sodas. I do drink flat, no calorie sodas.)
Avoid sugar. (This one is hard for me, especially, but overall I do okay.)
If your band is at a good level, and you eat 3 meals a day, you should (theoretically) be fine and full and not feel the need to snack. For me, snacking is mostly head hunger. Head hunger is definitely your worst enemy.