Dropping lbs., Joseph Orlando Jr.

26, Cutchogue

Occupation: Assistant branch manager for Bridgehampton National Bank, Southampton

SEE PHOTOSHow did these 150 LIers drop up to 320 lbs. each?

"From 2004 to 2012, I gained 90 pounds," says Orlando, who turned to Lap-Band surgery to lose more than 120 pounds in a year. "I was afraid to do it by myself. My wife had gained a significant amount of weight following a pregnancy and a knee injury, so we decided to do it together."

Orlando says the decision for them to have the surgery at the same time was unusual.

"It is a three-week recovery period. We figured that if the surgery was painful or difficult and only one of us did it, maybe the other would back out,'' Orlando says. His wife, Morgan

Orlando, has lost 60 pounds, he says.

"The hard part was learning the new way to eat and new

portion sizes. In the beginning, it was learning what it felt like to be full on a smaller portion."

They also learned to give up such high-calories food as bread and soda.

"Bread is filling and has no nutritional value," says Orlando. "I also don't eat steak. With the amount of chewing you have to do to make it digestible, it has no flavor."

Post-surgery, breakfast is a protein shake, a yogurt or one scrambled egg. Lunch often is a chicken breast with light mayo, egg salad or three slices of rolled up lunch meat and cheese. Dinner is grilled chicken with vegetables.