♥LovetheNewMe♥

Shery, you should be so proud of your accomplishments. You are making head way in spite of set backs due to medical conditions. I am proud of your determination. I know plateau's are so frustrating but we all go through them. Sometimes our bodies need to adjust and catch up to the weight loss. I have plateaued several times over the past two years and spent countless hours trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. I do understand it is hard to stay motivated during these times, but staying focused and not allowing the old habits to creep back in are key to long term success. Maybe if you changed up your routines for exercise, have you looked at your food diaries, are you getting enough protein. If your protein intake drops below the 60-80 range the weigh loss will slow down. Also I have found the closer I get to goal the slower it comes off. 3 months ago I needed to still drop 25 lbs. I had weighed the same weight for 2 months and before that I had weighed the same since last summer(7 months) I did exercise and micromanaged every morsel I placed in my mouth to the point I was driving me crazy. I started weight lifting with supervision, and slowly have started to lose again, tone up, drop inches and getting that much closer to goal. I have 8 lbs left to lose to be at idea body weight. Post a picture of your self at your heaviest and than a picture of your self now side by side on your fridge. Maybe if you can visually see the difference on a daily basis it will be motivation for you. I am a very visual person, I hated having a picture taken but now days it does not bother me. I look at the picture and say WOW, is that really me. I know it sounds silly but it is a positive affirmation of all you have accomplished to date. Congratulations and keep up the good work.

I eat on a small salad plate. I measure my portions and have from day one. I use measuring cups and i have a scale. I always eat my protein first and I always leave a bite of food on my plate. I have always tried to get between 60-90 gms of protein a day. i found that I lose better when I eat more protein. I rarely eat bread, potatos, sweets or junk food in general. I mostly eat chicken, seafood and turkey and pork loin, rarely beef. I do not eat fast food and the most important thing I do, I exercise. Find something that works for you and make it part of your routine. If you start adding exercise early it will help your to tone up and cut inches along with the pounds. If I need a snack I have a protein bar or drink and these are counted in my daily calorie intake. I log all of my meals and activities and I lived on this site in the early days and I blogged my frustrations and read everything I could from the people who were succuessful. Good luck to you, a postive attitude and learning to use the band as a tool and not realying on it to guide you will help you be successful. My name says it all, I love the new me. I am post op from October 2010, I have lost 112 pounds and have went from a size 24 to a size 6. Check out my pics I really do not look anything like the old me except I have the same smile. Good luck to you and your success. Be creative and have fun exploring.

Hey Bandstes, It has been a while since I have posted on here, I seem to spend more time these days on MFP and actually working out at the gym. I just wanted to touch base with everyone and ask the question, Ae you Exercising on a regular bases? As we all know the long term success to weight loss is developing a routine and learning to live a healthy life style. I know we all struggle off and on with making healthy choices. I will share that the longer I go on this journey and the more I see the positive results the easier the healthy choices come. I find even when i cheat or my version of cheating, I count my calories and don't seem to make as many unhealthy choices. But back to my question: Are you exercising? My answer is yes. I do strength training 3 days a week with cardio. I have backed off my cardio the past month because I wanted to slow my weight loss and wanted to build muscle. I have recently purchased the new Jillian Michaels DVD set this weekend and plan to start this in the upcoming weeks and blog about it. I purchase Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. I have spent $$$$ of dollars these past 3 months on a trainer and I love working out with him but I need to develop a routine and eventually stop paying for a trainer. My goal going forward this next year to to really learn to live this healthy life style. I have a friend on MFP who has been on this journey without WLS for ove 2 years and has lost 135 lbs. I have found her so inspirational and motivating. A year ago she made a commitment to really love a healthy life. So I am making my commitment and going to change things up a little. I no longer want to look at exercise as a chore but instead as my inspiration to being healthy. Hope everyone is doing well and if all of you are not on MFP my log on there is LovetheNewMe. Join us we are a great group and really support one another.

Currently my work out consists of working out with a personal trainer 3 days a week, I do a mix up of upper and lower body strength weight lifting. I also go to the gym 2 additional days a week and do extra cardio on several different machines. I have a treadmill at home that I was using 6 days a week but backed off as I have become closer to goal. I wanted to build muscles and tone so I dropped back my cardio. I am trying to wean myself from my personal trainer so I have purchased Jillian Micheals new DVD's and will start these next week. I plan to blog about them weekly once I get started. I have a pesonal goal to be at goal by Nov 1, 2012. I have 8 lbs left to lose to be at my ideal body weight. This will also be my 2 year band-versay.

I am sorry you have not lost but as you said you have spent a lot of time sabotaging your self. I wonder how much after care you have done. Have you consistently followed up with a nutritionist and a physiologist. As stated above food addiction is a disease and most of us who have had WLS have issues around food, what we eat, when, how much and we also use food as a coping mechanisms. Honestly is you really want help, you need to begin by holding your self accountable. Fast food, even for your children should never be an option you even consider, we all know what are trigger foods are, and when we convince ourselves we can eat them it is just stinkin' thinkin'. We are addicts, addicts that have been given a tool to help us lose weight but that being said. The losing of the weight is 90% us and only 10% of the tool. So... You need to first forgive your self for failing and just get over it and move forward. The longer you worry about the past you will never move forward. You have your fill, so meet again with the nutritionist and again with the psychologist. Figure out your triggers for not following the rules. Log your food, all of it!! And start being accountable to your self. No one ever told us this was going to be easy, it is a process and it takes some of us longer than others to work through the process. Good luck to you and start using the band for what it was intended and for goodness sake stay away from Arby's and every other fast food restaurant, they are not your friend. Think healthy, good food does taste good and after a while your body will start craving healthy. Best to you.

It happens to a large majority of us, not enough protein, large amounts of weight loss. Try adding Biotin to your diet as a supplement for a while until you can increase your protein intake or add some protein shakes between meals. I have found the Biotin works and getting greater than 90 gms of protein per day. I use protein powder or bars for supplements 2 times a days. These are planned into my daily intake of food.

Great article, I would not be as far as I have gotten if I had cheated. You hit the nail on the head, just because you have WLS does not mean you can cheat and eat what ever you want, you get out of this what you put into it.

Good luck with your new goals!

Don"t be surprised if when you get ready to eat your first solids it feels a little different. It sometimes takes me a few days before I can work my self back up to the suggested amounts of protein. I can usually only do liquids for 48 hours and than progress back to solids. Everyone is different. Good luck on your goals, exericse early on is very helpful with the weight loss.

Toddy is correct, every doc is different, I was eating solid foods within a week of surgery. Small amounts but solids. the first few weeks are difficult but try to remain focused on your goals and take it one day at time. I am pretty sure your mand is ok, just follow the instuctions outlined by your doc and if needed increase the frequancy you take in liguids. The first 6 weeks is not about losing weight but learning to adjust to the band and giving your body to heal. You have a journey and a life style change ahead of you and the weight will come off. Look at your progress already, think of how great your going to do once you really start trying. Good luck to you in your new life.

Sounds like you have some acid reflux. I took prilosec for the first year after surgery due to reflux. I had this before surgery and it seemed to continue until I lost a large portion of my weight. I think taling to your MD is the best choice, he may have some suggestions.

Everyone loses at different rates. As stated by "honk, you have to have realistic expectations, we didn't gain the weight overnight and the lap band is only a tool and we still have to do a lot of behavior changing to reach our goals. I had surgery October 2010 and I am 10 lbs from my goal, I have lost over 100 lbs. I have followed the rules set by my physician 90 percent of the time, I rarely eat junk food, I stick to 3 small meals a day and have two protein drinks. I eat between 80-100 gms of protein a day and I do cardio 4-5 days a week and weight training 3 days a week. I have had plateaus that lasted for 3-4 months at a time. It can be frustrating but if you follow the rules with your eating and start exercising the pounds and inches will start to come off. Patience is hard but learning healthy eating habits is a new process for many of us and even though we have a band we get out of it what we are willing to put into it. Good luck to you and don't give up.

It doesn't happen as fast as we think it should but it does happen. I have had my fitbit for about 6 months now and it took me several months of really assessing my intake and output before I finally understood the delicate balance between eating and exercise. I wish it was as simply as eat less and exercise but our bodies love to through us curve balls. I finally started losing again after I one increased my protein and two added a protein drink snack midmorning and late afternoon. My nutrionist told me I was slowing down my metabalism the way I was eating. I do feel better now and have more energy. I do love my fitbit it keeps me motivated and helps me to set goals for my self. Good luck to you.

The answer is yes, many of us have gone through depression and feeling like, why bother but it does get better. If I had to redo that part of my journey I think I would go back and do a few sessions with the psychologist, I worked through my issues but looking back I think it may have helped me with my emotional issues I had with food. I did go through a grieving process the first 3 months. hang in their and knows that it does get better and you can realize your dream.

I have had two really bad experiences with drinking since banded. Both times it was with Dirty Martini's. I finally learned my lesson after New Years Eve this year and now only have an occassional 4oz glass of wine. I used to be able to drink multiple drinks and knew when I needed to stop, now days I can go from zero to wasted and never realize how I got there. I am 107 lbs lighter now but it still is not a good experience from my point of view.

Jennifer, I have to smile and roll my eyes, I just was thinking the same thing. I have also reached and surpassed my goal. I wanted to be a size 10 and now I am a size 6, I started as a size 24. Now I want to be tone, I hate my legs and I was worried about my arms but they are looking really good. I am sure this will level off after a while, I think my eyes and brain are having a problem adjusting to the new me, I think I have trouble seeing my self as small as I really am. I think I have the body size corrected, I am thinking I need to fix my thought processes now. So you got company girl, still taking this new life one day at a time. By the way you look amazing.

Agree with posts, and actually we all have a food addiction. Addiction is something hard for any person to face no matter what the drug of chose and all of our drug happened to be food. You are correct in saying that bariatric surgery will not fix the addiction thinking of any of us, only we have the power to change our behavior and we need help to do that. You do need to seek professional help with your addiction, the band will work but you have to make it work, it is just a tool and it will allow you to eat what ever you chose to put in your body. The only person who can help you develop positive coping skills is a professional and shame on your doctor for not suggesting this unless he already has. I am sorry there is no magic answer or pill we can take for our addiction because if there was I am sure all of us would be taking it. Good luck to you, I know it took courage to ask for help, this is a positive step in the right direction.

Drink more of your liquids more often, during this phase it is not about losing weight but about giving your body time to heal. You may not want to hear this but some people even gain weight during this early phase because what they want us to eat is higher in calories. Just forgive, forget and move foreward. This is a new process, cut yourself some slack you will get the hang of it.

I agree with MIS73 post. You have to find out what works for you, i was stuck for 6 months and I almost drove myself crazy looking at what I was eating and trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. Honestly I am not sure I was doing anything wrong, I think my body was just stalling at different times and adjusting to the weight loss. I did continue to lose inches even when I was not losing lbs though. I started dropping weight again at the end of Jan of this year after I had a fill. I currently eat 90-120 gms of protein a day, try to stay under 70 carbs and about 30% fat. So my diet basically is 40% protein, 20% carbs and 40% fat. It seems to work for me. I rarely eat, rice, pasta or bread and I don't snack between meals, my snacks are planned and consistent of protein bar or drink. I know it is frustrating but don't get caught up in the fact your weight has stalled, use this time to develop your healthy choices and changes in eating, because remember this is for a life time and we all need the practice.

This is a typical days menu for me: Breakfast: Oatmeal with 6 tbs of egg whites, 1/8 cup blueberries and 4 walnuts, one splenda and sprinkle of cinnaman. Mid morning Snack: 25gm Protein shake Lunch: 3 ozs lean protein plus a cup of salad, vegtables only no cheese or nuts, with oil and vinegar Afternoon Snack: 25 gm Protein Shake Dinner: 3-4 oz protein, salad or some other type of fresh or frozen vegtable to equal about a cup. I average between 1000-1100 calories per day, I rarely make it to 1200 unless I eat a Protein Bar that is higher in calories and protein or unless I add a starch, which I rarely do. If I am hunger in the evenings and I am under my goal for the day, I may eat some pop corn 1-2 cups or 1/4 cup of nuts. I have been pretty dedicated to changing how I eat and trying to train myself not to eat between meals unless it is a planned Protein Drink or bar. I do occassionaly have a small desert but I stick to eating this everyday 7 days a week, if i am going to stray from my plan I only do it on Sunday's, that seems to be my day of the week that I am always way under in calories and way under in protein. To date I lost 107lbs in 19 months and I am 13 pounds from goal, this works for me. Honestly you need to find out what works for you and you can not feel deprived or feel like this is a diet. It has to be a routine that you can adopt and feel like this is how I want to eat everyday because it makes me feel good. Now if I eat junk, I feel like crap. I love my oatmeal and eggwhites for Breakfast and look forward to them everyday. I used to have a quad latte from starbucks and pop tarts. Hope this helps.

Have any of you ever dreamed of what success with lapband will look like? Have your goals changed along your journey or have they stayed the same? Well first I will say. losing the weight to get to goal 2 years ago seemed like such a distant goal and I had no idea how I was going to get there or if I was going to get there. Well here I sit 19 months post-op and I am 13 pounds from my ideal body weight. My personal goal was 148 and I have passed that goal as of last Wednesday. Honestly I find it both exciting and scary that I am here. I feel like I have worked hard to use the tool my physician gave me BUT, whats next maintaining and toning and that really scares me. Now that I am almost at my ideal weight I realize, there is no end to this journey but a continuation of maintaining the life style and honestly that still scares me. Have my goals changed, no I think my goals are very close to my orginal goals, I wanted to be healthy and feel good. I am both of those things but I still have this drive to tone more and lose that last 13 lbs. But on the flip side if I stayed at my current weight I would be happy. So please share your dreams and if you are happy where you are and if not what we can do to help you be successful. Have a great week everyone, Diane

lol, it is hard to keep up with everyone on here.

Gabby welcome to the forums, I am sure if you look around you will find the information you are looking for or someone who has experienced some of the very same things you are experiencing.

I am also on myfitnesspal.com, several of us from this group are. Join us my user name is the same as on this site. LovetheNewMe.

I do not drink while actually eating but I do drink right before a meal and about 15 tp 20 minutes post meal. If I drink with a meal it is no different than before I was banded the fluid feels me up. If you read the literature the food does not stay in the pouch but for a few minutes. There will continue to be new articles as the band is in use longer, what I am more interested in is the long term effects of lap band. How are people responding 10-12 years down the road, are the still successful, do they still get fills or did they modify there behavior to the point of not needing the band. Those are the type of articles that I am more interested in not drinking while I eat.