nelly123

Wednesday Jan 19, 2011

Breakfast~3 slices of extra lean turkey bacon and 2 scrambled eggs. 2 servings of half and half with my coffee

Snack~1/2 cup of cottage cheese w/5 ritz crackers

Lunch~4 oz garlic butter tilapia and 1/2 cup of corn

Snack~Chocolate Jello Mousse-Sugar Free

Dinner~Whole Wheat Pasta with lean ground turkey, mushroom Pasta Sauce, and black olives

Late night snack~ Sandwich thin w/1 tbsp of reduced fat peanut butter

Exercise~walked for 1 hour

Water~68 oz

Calories~1,328

Carbs~158

Protein~135 grams

Hey there, i just wanted to say i love how you put this post, it is a great way people can plan meals, know their Protein , calories, etc all at once without having to figure out themselves! Thank you!

This is a little long but I found the article a great read and understand a lot about losing fat and how cardio and weight training ties in to it all.

http://www.naturalph...x.php?itemid=26 It can be applied to the band also if you incorporate what he is saying to your diet, nutrition, and excersise

Thanks for the info!

OMG Yumm these all sound very good! So weird i've always loved cabbage, but yes don't like the gas . lol. so funny i saw this post, this morning i was looking up cabbage Soup recipes like the one from weight watchers so i could eat it with very low calories, but that gets very boring. And i never heard of it used in place of Pasta, yummm. I can't imagine anyone not liking it, even just boiled with a pinch of salt.

I just wanted to say there are a lot of nice responses here! Even though this wasn't my post, I found them helpful too!

Sometimes people's responses are.....less than productive but this is a good thread. Thanks everyone for the good info that was also encouraging

I totally agree! It is so nice to have people help. thank you for your response also!

I am almost 2months out and found at 2 to 3 weeks post I thought I was starving and one day it hit me, I was fighting head hunger. I would wait 10 minutes and than think and most of the time I wadnt as hungry as I thought. I HATE HEAD HUNGER. Not saying its whats going on with you, but it is very possible. I fight it alot. Good luck

oh i hate it too!! i hate it most when it wins! i get so annoyed!

You are not at restriction yet so yes you will eat more than bandster sized meals if you don't weigh/measure your meals. My fills went something like the following: 4, 2, 1, 1, 1.6, .4, .6 now at 10.6 in 11CC band. I did not feel any restriction until 10. and now at 10.6 I think I am at my sweet spot/restriction.

For now you need to measure your food and when it's gone you are done eating; even it you feel you could eat more. My doctor prefers that you grit it out and not have any Snacks between meals. The Nut said if there is a long time between lunch and dinner (because I go to the gym) to have a low fat cheese stick for a snack.

I am a slow loser (aver. 1 pound week). I follow a very conservative diet and exercise an hour a day. I think there are a lot of slow losers who feel intimidated by people that post "I've been losing 3 lb a week for the last month."; so they don't admit to being slow losers. It's too bad because it sets up unreasonable expectations for new bandsters. There are also people who took a long time like me (6 months) to hit restriction; where as others get there at like 5 cc's

wasn't this hard for you though?, after going through all these fills without any restrictions? I thought we were suppose to have restriction way b4 that. U r almost at your full capacity, didn't that worry you that u did this for nothing?

Nelly, I had surgery December 8th. Have 5.5cc in a 9cc band. I'm not at my sweet spot either. I'm STARVING (not mental, but sick feeling...stomach growling [not gurgling]) STARVING. I go tomorrow for a fill hoping for some restriction. I've lost 25lbs by pure willpower for sure. I haven't gotten stuck, slimed or vomited once since surgery. It's crazy!! I hope I'm not 'one of those' either. Keep us posted, I hope you get more restriction eventually too!

Good luck on ur fill is it your 2nd one? OMG i know mine was growling and hurting too especially right aftwards! I didn't know what the heck was going on, i wanted to eat a cow!. what is slimed? I only lost 28lbs b4 surgery on the Optifast and like 4 right afterward. i've been dieting but nothing is happening. , thanks so much!!! keep me posted on u 2 i hope ur not one of those also

I think it's quite premature to be jumping to "one of the one's the band doesn't work for." Please don't think that. You are just in bandster hell, that period of waiting for the proper fill level so the band can actually make a difference. I gurgled all the time, even before I was at my sweet spot. You will do great, just are in that crappy gray area where any weight you lose is really on you, not on the band yet. Yes, as Mel said - if you stop eating like the band IS working, you will lose weight. Well that a lot easier said than done, huh? That's part of what bandster hell is...thinking why the heck did I just have this surgery if I have to do all the work myself? Hang in there...your day will come! Just stay positive enough that you don't miss it Don't beat yourself up either! If you can get through this period without a gain, many consider that a success! I know there were times when I was so hungry that "not gaining" became my goal. This isn't a race - it's a lifestyle change. Take it one day at a time!

Wow Thank you so much that helps so much to hear all this! I like the Bandster hell u were talking bout it really makes sense.

I'm starting to really enjoy working out too, (which btw, never thought I'd ever say those words!! lol) so hopefully after my next fill it'll all start finally working for me.

How many fills have u had? What size is ur band? Again thank you so much, it's great having support!!!

Nelly, if you have just 5cc's in your band, and if your band happens to be a 14cc capacity, it's unlikely you will feel restriction. And it's also unlikely you'd get stuck with that little in the band. I'm at 7.2cc's in a 14cc band after two fills, and I didn't experience being stuck or sliming till after my second fill. I don't get stuck often, but if I eat too fast or take too large a bite, I can just about cause it to happen.

You need to understand that banding is a process. It's not instantaneous, nor is it exact. What one person feels is generally not the same thing another will feel. You need to learn how you and your band work together, and adjust what you're doing to suit your particular situation. It'll come with time. Hang in there, work the plan, and be aware of what you're doing to/for yourself. The rest is just details.

Good luck!

Dave

Thanks Dave, I have an 11cc band. with only 5 cc's it feels like i should feel something but alot of people do say they don't. what is sliming? I thought about eating till i get full just 1 time to see what it actually feels like to feel restriction.

How much have u lost?

Thanks for the incouragment!

Ronelle

Hang in there ---- be diligent in getting your fills and you will find your sweet spot! In the meantime, how much Protein are you getting every day? I have found when I am not losing if I up my Protein a bit that seems to help. Also if you had surgery in Dec you are just now getting to where you can focus on losing weight - your first 6 weeks post op is time to heal, not lose. So don't fret that you haven't lost a lot yet - once you hit your sweet spot you will.

Kim

Thank you, i wish i could get more flls, of course they won't let me more than 1 time a month. I have been getting alot of protein can't give you exact, but i even put the powder in Soups and stuff, don't see or feel a difference with that. I'm really looking forward to that sweet spot! Thanks so much!

I have found that I do best when I eat 5-6 times a day vs. 3 meals only. Plus I have to get enough calories in. This is really hard for me to follow so I end up failing most days and haven't lost anything in almost a month. I just know if I can eat 200 calories 6 times a day for---EVER? I will lose........discipline. It's the hardest thing for me........

Thank you it really helps reading everyone's best replies, i will definitely keep coming back to them.

How many calories are you eating? Maybe not enough? I lose best at around 1300-1400 calories.

I get about 1200-1400 approx.

Thank you Melody, I sure hope i'm not one the band doesn't work for! I've never had a restriction though so i'm not at "sweet spot" i'm just so discouraged and anxious to get there. I don't even know what it feels like to get stuck. I will continue to follow the rules. Thank you for your advise.

Wow yea i was thinking i can't believe u r back to work already! Good for you. Yea B12 is great idea. Green tea is also good. R u taking all the Vitamins they require?

So I've been reading alot of these posts hoping to find insight on my situation, it has helped on some things but I wanted to share some of my issues to see what people might say. I had my first fill on Jan. 27th finally, ( I mean I couldn't wait, ) I felt like they made me wait forever. My surgery was Dec. 13th. So after she puts in 5cc's i swallow Water and because she hears gurgling she took out 1 cc, i was so worried that it would not help with my hunger and they said insurance wouldn't pay for another fill for another month, and it didn't help w the hunger at all. The next day wow i felt like my stomach was screaming at me all day! I have not yet experienced any restriction. I feel like I never get full. I do stop at the required portions. Haven't lost any weight is this normal, has anyone experienced anything like this?. I went for another fill and they wouldn't give me back the cc they took, just gave me 1 cc so i'm at 5 cc's still no restriction at all. i've been exercising doing everything they say, it feels like these last few months are taking forever just to get to the next fill. My next fill isn't till the end of the month, should i ask them to see if there may be a leak?

Thank you!

Hey there, I didn't see your post, I had posted about 5 diff things also never 1 reply but now i'm beginning to understand after reading what everyone is saying here. I may have been posting in the wrong place etc. I'm still learning.

I had pain there too at the beginning, I had surgery 12/13 I thought my insides were coming out! It does go away.Give it time. I hope you get better!

I think it is easy for all of us to get discouraged if we hit a plateau for a few days or a few weeks. We start thinking something isn't working. For me, in the past. I would start thinking bad thoughts about how I was going to fail again. The thing I forgot to do is to love the journey and to remind myself that our bodies have an amazing ability to heal. A plateau may look discouraging from the standpoint that we aren't seeing the scales move but if we take a second look, it may be our bodies way of protecting us. It may just be that our bodies slow the weight loss to allow the skin to have time to retract. When we loose a lot of weight fast, we know that we stand a chance of having sagging skin. I used to get so mad when I would plateau. Now, I just keep on keeping on and remind myself that my body, mind, or both is processing the changes that are going on inside of me, my skin is tightening up to conform to the weight loss and my mind is adapting to make sure the changes are what I want and that all is safe for me. Since I have had this change of mind and continue to send myself love and acceptance instead of getting mad for not seeing the scales move, I have noticed that my plateaus are fewer and they don't seem to last as long. Keep picturing your end result. Let your mind fully grasp where you are going to end up and then just be full of joy that you are not where you started out. If I start to have a discouraging moment now, I turn on my radio for the day and just dance around and allow myself to feel good, even if I don't understand everything that is going on with me. I am in smaller clothes. My face is smaller. Sometimes it truly is all about how you look at it. Good luck on your journey guys. We are all amazing. Take some time to love where you are today and where you are going.

God, thank you today that I am working to get another pound of weight off of my bones and that I am not fighting cancer or another terminal illness. Thank you that what I am losing is weight and not a limb. Thank you for walking with each one of us to give us hope and insperation as we go to places we have never been before in mind, body, and spirit...........and God, thank you for the new image you have given me of my body when I reach the top of this mountain, even if somedays all I can take is a baby step to get there.

Thank you so much for the prayer I love this! I've been pretty discouraged myself lately this helps,

i'm going to copy it and put on my fridge! Have a great day.

I know, i'm so discouraged, I've had 2 fills, no restriction, going to the gym 3-4 times a week, can't do any walking or any excerise on feet due to planters flaciitis , eating much more healthier, smaller portions, more hungry and have gained 2lbs , fill nurse will not listen. I get so sad.

This is exactly my problem, I went for my 1st fill 1/27/11, started with 5 cc's, not an ounce of restriction, I swallowed Water and just becasue she heard a little girgle in my throat she took out a cc, i was so worried, i didn't feel anything but from reading posts i was hoping it would come later. Wow, not a single bit, i was so discouraged. wondered y can i eat everything, just once i wanted to feel what a restriction felt like, finally went in for another fill 2/25/11, thought she would give me the 1 she took away plus the other one, of course not. I still have not had an ounce of restriction. i've gained 3 lbs. I want to call my surgeon but afraid they will laugh in my face he will not talk to u he is way too busy or something. But the nurse wouldn't even listen to me and of course insurance will not pay for more than 1 a month. I've been eating the correct portions, excersising more than ever, everything i'm suppose to I'm so upset.

Any advise.

Mattie what does your dr say? Will he give u another fill soon? How many cc's are in your band now? I feel your frustration!! When I've posted previously looking for some specific suggestions the LAST thing I needed to hear was "remember the band is just a tool" we KNOW it's a &"$@:& tool!!! You know how to lose the weight and you DO deserve for the band to be doing what it's intended for. Call your dr, tell him all this, talk to him re your fills.

I was a serious gum chewer prior to my band surgery when they told me i couldn't chew it any more i was very upset. I have always chewed the sugarless. Their reasoning is in case I swallow it too, and i haven't accidently swallowed since i was a kid either, but of course I have a fear of it now because they threatened me lol. They said my surgeon would kill me. I just had a dream the other night that I swallowed a piece haha.

Well I am having the same problem with my band.. I have a 10cc band, I just went in for my first fill and they filled it to 3.5cc.. Which he says is alot for the first fill but I guess they do it so you dont have to come back for a while. But I am having a hard time with restriction.. It may sound wierd but i have NONE.. I know that the lapband is a tool and its just soppose to help you but I should feel a little help right? That is why we go through the surgery for a little help right? I just dont understand why i dont have that FULL feeling.. I have to rely on my own will power.. If I knew that I dont think I would have gotten the lapband to begin with. I hope that it gets better .. Im just not convinced yet..

I know I have none either, I know we are suppose to have some restriction tht is what the surgery is all about! I'm sure it'll come from all that I've been reading, some say it can take up to 6 months to find tht sweet spot, i'm just to anxious to get there sooner, i'll get my second fill fri just hope it's more noticable then! when did u have your surgery?

So I've been reading alot of these posts hoping to find insight on my situation, it has helped on somethings but I wanted to share some of my issues to see what people might say. I had my first fill on Jan. 27th finally, ( I mean I couldn't wait, ) I felt like they made me wait forever. My surgery was Dec. 13th. So after she puts in 5cc's i swallow Water and because she hears gurgling she took out a cc, i was so worried that it would not help with my hunger and they said insurance wouldn't pay for another fill for another month, and it didn't. The next day wow i felt like my stomach was screaming at me all day! I have not yet experienced any restriction. I feel like I never get full. I go again on Fri. for another fill. Haven't lost any weight is this normal, has anyone experienced anything like this?. I have been trying to eat good and feeling satisfied but apparently that is too much.

Thank you!