KellyGram

Try Protein bars. They tend to be dense and very filling so it takes hours to be hungry again. I get two kinds from Costco: Pure Protein, which comes in a blue box. At 1.75 oz, they have 20g protein, 17g carb, and about 180 cals. Premier Protein, comes in a white box. At 2.5oz, they have 30g protein, 26g carb, and 270 cals. They taste good and are very filling. It is rare that I ever finish even the smaller bar. I often cut them up into bite sized pieces and put them in the fridge in a baggie.

However you are feeling about this journey is perfectly ok. There isn't anything wrong. Yes, give up on fitted pants. I have lived in drawstring clamdiggers and skirts for the past 4 years -- it cuts down on the need to shop for clothes. Whenever I've dropped a couple of sizes (I'm down 130# now) I post on Facebook and someone I know has clothes to give me in my new size. I've spent maybe $300 on clothes in the past 4 years, and thats mostly bras and underwear. Good luck. You're worth the time and effort

Recommendations: If you don't have the book The Emotional First Aid Kit, get it. It provides help in dealing with emotional eating. The band is a tool for weightloss, but it isn't a substitute for tackling the reasons why we got fat. I have to stay on top of my foodie-impulses (which the band helps with) and make sure that I'm exercising in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. I've also used hypnosis to help with eating-as-self-soothing and to help re-program me to enjoy exercise. I'm not a perfect eater, but I've developed some coping mechanisms and strategies to help me stay on track. I've learned how to handle cravings, for example. I know when to Re-direct and when to Relent. I know when to stop indulging (most of the time) and I know when to get rid of something tasty because I can't resist the temptation to keep indulging. Redirect: This strategy starts with a question: Am I really hungry, or am I bored/nervous/upset? If the answer is yes, I really am hungry, then I try to redirect focus from the death-by-chocolate cake I am craving to a Protein or granola bar or a piece of fresh fruit--ie, to something healthier that tastes good, too. If the answer is no, I'm not hungry, I'm bored/anxious/whatever, then I redirect to an activity that gets my mind and/or body off the comfort-food focus. Depending on the craving and the reason, I may meditate to calm myself, or take a 5-minute yoga break, or go for a walk, do some weeding/chores, take a bath, masturbate, or take a time-out to touch base with what is really going on inside me (ie administer some emotional first aid). Relent: Relent, for me, comes after multiple attempts to redirect. If I've eaten my healthy mandarin and I've done my chores and I've finished writing an email or whatever other tasks I've put to myself to in order to get my mind off the craving and I still want that cake (especially if I've craved it for a few days), I'll go buy a single-serving cupcake or something, both as acceptance of the craving, and as reward for the work I've done to earn it. If I absolutely have to have a slice of that $20 death-by-chocolate cake and they don't sell it by the slice, I'll buy it at the bakery, ask them to slice me a piece, and then give the rest away to the people working there, or as samples for their customers. (Yes, it raises eyebrows, but no one has refused me yet.) Then I relish my $20 piece of cake, eating it slowly, savoring every bite. I don't bring home more than one serving of a craved food anymore. It's too easy to say to myself, "Oh, I'll bring this whole cake home and share it with my family" and then end up eating more than one serving because I don't want it to go to waste or because it is just that good. I suppose I should have the self-discipline to be able to eat just one serving of something I crave and leave the rest alone for others or for another time, but I don't. And I am self-aware enough to accept that. I'm also self-loving enough to get over the whole self-sabotage / self-punishing thing for my supposed lack of will-power, no longer hating myself even as I am rewarding myself with a tasty treat. Today, I allow myself to eat that thing I really want, but just one small serving. And I give away or toss away the rest. I may feel a little foolish for eating what amounts to a $20 slice of cake -but- I figure that it's $18 worth of extra calories I'm not adding to my waistline, and given the work I have to do to take off just one pound, it's f-ing worth it. Be kind to yourself. Work with your band. Good luck.

Kcortez: You don't have to gain much weight. Try to keep it at 20 pounds or less. Contact your surgeon to find out if there is a network in place to support women who are pregnant post-WLS. My H.M.O. (Kaiser) has a specific group to help bariatric patients stay on track by monitoring bloodwork and giving guidance regarding eating and exercising. I found that the tools I developed to handle cravings and whatnot after surgery were invaluable to me during the pregnancy. Remember that being pregnant is as much an excuse for women to eat poorly as it is to eat properly. If you eat properly, adding just 200 or 300 calories a day to feed the baby, you'll be fine -- heck you might find that after you give birth you're lighter than you were before you got pregnant.

Not that I know of, though it probably has happened, most likely to someone who hadn't learned how to use the band, or had a bulemic eating disorder. I just had a baby 6 weeks ago. Admittedly, I was banded 3 years ago rather than 3 months ago, but I succeeded in keeping my weight-gain to 7# for the pregnancy (actually lost weight during the pregnancy--was down 17# from my pre-pregnancy weight 3 days after the baby was born) so I'll be happy to answer any questions or give any advice to help you through this phase of the journey. Feel free to message me.

I didn't lose hair due to banding. I was concerned about it because I have the male-pattern hair thinning that goes with PCOS. I expect that if you experience very rapid weight loss, like with gastric bypass, the shock to the body results in hair loss, but banders tend to drop weight in a slower, healthier way, so hair loss isn't as much of an issue.

It is important to realize that the band helps with portion control, but it really doesn't control what we eat. There isn't any malabsorption to make up for poor food choices, the way gastric bypass does. So, for those of us who are banded, dropping weight isn't just about what you eat or how much. You have to move your body. Walk. Swim. Use resistance bands. Garden. Dig holes and refill them. Do anything to burn calories and raise your metabolic rate. As for the band itself... I had one fill two months after surgery and then it was a year and a half before I could do the followups because I moved out of State to take care of terminally ill relatives. I lost very little in those 18 months, and while many would consider that a failure, I consider it a success because I didn't gain weight. After my third fill, things changed. I stopped feeling hungry all the time, and got more restriction. Once I dropped another 30# it was a lot easier to move my body and from there I've noticed a huge difference in my fitness level as well as my weight. The band is a tool for weightloss, but it isn't a substitute for tackling the reasons why we got fat. Me, I'm a sensualist/foodie who also has PCOS. I love good food and I used to eat too much of that good fool, and coupled with the endocrine dysfunction of PCOS, losing weight is very challenging. I have to stay on top of my foodie-impulses (which the band helps with) and make sure that I'm exercising in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. I've also used hypnosis to help with eating-as-self-soothing and to help re-program me to enjoy exercise. I firmly believe that in the long run, what we get out of weight loss surgery is the effort we put into ourselves.

I have PCOS and never expected to get pregnant without intervention, so I was surprised when I learned I was pregnant 3 years after I was banded. I had only lost 60# (with 120# to go) in those 3 years, but was in very good health all the same. I had 2.5cc in my band and left it there because I had no real issues with vomiting or heartburn during the pregnancy. My pregnancy went so smoothly that my OB and nurses commented quite often, because my age and weight usually equate to complications. However, I had no preeclampsia or gestational diabetes and with the help of a dietician, and regular physical activity, I kept my weight gain down to 7#, which is what my son weighed when he was born (7#1oz). Labor and delivery went very smoothly and I'm pleased to say I beat the odds and had a vaginal birth rather than a c-section. Post-pregnancy I felt/feel great. I recovered very quickly. My mother is a nurse and she was astonished by how quickly I was up and around doing housework and gardening (4 days after delivery). After a couple of weeks I started noticing I was getting heartburn and some acid reflux. I attributed it to the amount of Fluid I've been forcing down in order to keep up breast milk production -- food just seems to float, and if after an hour it hadn't gone down I'd just go cough it up. I don't want to risk erosion or slippage, and I've been dropping 4# a week which can endanger breast milk supply, so I've had 1cc removed from the band. Hopefully this adjustment will allow me to continue reducing weight but at a healthier pace. Those are my experiences with pregnanct and breastfeeding with the lap band.

Me! Just had my little one 3 weeks ago. Banded 9/2008. Just had 1cc removed yesterday because I've been losing 4# a week (which can endanger mlik production). I'm drinking 64oz of Fluid a day minimum, which made most food float, and up it came. I'm hoping that with the adjustment I'll have better luck with eating and maintaining both my milk supply and my weight. I'm also walking a minimum of a mile every day with the baby either in a pram or in a baby bjorn. Wearing him is definitely more of a workout.

I'm 3.5 years post-op with 90# down, 90# to go. I just had a baby 3 weeks ago. I kept my band fill at 2.5cc but just had 1cc removed because I've been losing weight too fast (4# a week) mainly because I'm struggling to find room for food and drink the fluids I need to keep up my milk supply. I'm also worried that losing weight too quickly will reduce the milk supply as well. Anyway... I've got PCOS, which makes losing weight very challenging, even when I'm eating right and exercising. I also had an emotional eating / boredom eating problem that I've developed the tools to address, and a foodie's craving problem that I've also developed tools to address. I'll share them below: I'm not a perfect eater, but I've developed some coping mechanisms and strategies to help me stay on track. I've learned how to handle cravings, for example. I know when to re-direct and when to relent. I know when to stop indulging (most of the time) and I know when to get rid of something tasty because I can't resist the temptation to keep indulging. Redirect: This strategy starts with a question: Am I really hungry, or am I bored/nervous/upset? If the answer is yes, I really am hungry, then I try to redirect focus from the death-by-chocolate cake I am craving to a Protein or granola bar or a piece of fresh fruit--ie, to something healthier that tastes good, too. If the answer is no, I'm not hungry, I'm bored/anxious/whatever, then I redirect to an activity that gets my mind and/or body off the comfort-food focus. Depending on the craving and the reason, I may meditate to calm myself, or take a 5-minute yoga break, or go for a walk, do some weeding/chores, take a bath, masturbate, or take a time-out to touch base with what is really going on inside me (ie administer some emotional first aid). Relent: Relent, for me, comes after multiple attempts to redirect. If I've eaten my healthy mandarin and I've done my chores and I've finished writing an email or whatever other tasks I've put to myself to in order to get my mind off the craving and I still want that cake (especially if I've craved it for a few days), I'll go buy a single-serving cupcake or something, both as acceptance of the craving, and as reward for the work I've done to earn it. If I absolutely have to have a slice of that $20 death-by-chocolate cake and they don't sell it by the slice, I'll buy it at the bakery, ask them to slice me a piece, and then give the rest away to the people working there, or as samples for their customers. (Yes, it raises eyebrows, but no one has refused me yet.) Then I relish my $20 piece of cake, eating it slowly, savoring every bite. I don't bring home more than one serving of a craved food anymore. It's too easy to say to myself, "Oh, I'll bring this whole cake home and share it with my family" and then end up eating more than one serving because I don't want it to go to waste or because it is just that good. I suppose I should have the self-discipline to be able to eat just one serving of something I crave and leave the rest alone for others or for another time, but I don't. And I am self-aware enough to accept that. I'm also self-loving enough to get over the whole self-sabotage / self-punishing thing for my supposed lack of will-power, no longer hating myself even as I am rewarding myself with a tasty treat. Today, I allow myself to eat that thing I really want, but just one small serving. And I give away or toss away the rest. I may feel a little foolish for eating what amounts to a $20 slice of cake -but- I figure that it's $18 worth of extra calories I'm not adding to my waistline, and given the work I have to do to take off just one pound, it's f-ing worth it. So--this is how I've learned to deal with food cravings over the years, and how I managed not to gain weight during my pregnancy. I practice self-awareness and self-acceptance, a bit of self-discipline, and a lot of self-love. I'm as flawed, outrageous, and complex as the next person, and what works for me may not work for others. Still, it's worth sharing if even just one person benefits from it.

When I found out I was pregant I was 43 years old and 15 weeks along. I had 2.5cc in my band and was pursuing a course of slow weightloss (2 to 3 pounds a month). I had just gotten below the 300# mark and freaked out when I learned it was likely I would gain back much of what I'd worked so hard to lose. I immediately contacted a team that specializes in helping women who are pregnant post-WLS to manage their weight while ensuring good nutrition for their babies. With their guidance, moderate exercise, and with the tools I'd already learned regarding handing cravings and whatnot (see this post http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/147416-one-year-post-op-no-results-please-help/page__st__20__p__1787949#entry1787949) I managed to keep my weight gain down. The day I went in to labor I was 7# up from my pre-pregnancy weight, with an added benefit that keeping my weight down meant a smaller (7#1oz) baby for vaginal birth. I experienced some nausea and had little room for food the last month of pregnancy and practically lived on frozen yogurt bars and Protein drinks, but did not have my band unfilled because I knew it wasn't my band that was causing the problem, it was my being so pregnant (my mother lived on popsicles on the last month of her 3 pregnancies, she said). I'm 3 weeks post partum and just had 1cc removed from my band yesterday -- I'm struggling to keep down food along with all the Fluid I'm drinking (at least 64oz a day) because I'm breastfeeding and losing 4# a week is too fast. I've dropped 27# from my pre-pregnancy weight, and I've done that by making sure to get up and around as soon as possible. Moving my body and keeping my metabolism up is integral to reducing my weight. I've been walking a mile (minimum) every day since the baby was 10 days old, first with the pram and now I'm wearing him in a baby bjorn for the walks and a few hours a day. I'm 3.5 years post-op and down 90# with 90# to go. It is slow going, mainly because I've got PCOS and I'm a foodie (I like really good food rather than junk-food) who had portion-control issues. I've learned to address emotional eating and cravings, portion control (I use salad/dessert plates for meals now) and to move my body however I can (be it dancing in my living room, parking father away from my destination, or going for a swim). So far, having a baby hasn't hijacked my weight loss -- it's increased my focus. I have doubled-down now that there is a little person dependent on me being healthy and here for the new couple of decades. I suppose what Im trying to say is -- it can be done. The band is a tool, but in order to use it effectively over the long term, you have to develop tools to deal with cravings and portion sizes and food choices, and once you've got those tools down, the lap band is more of a back-up tool, rather than the primary method of weight reduction and maintenace.

Hi! I just had a baby and just had Fluid taken from my band (I'm down to 1.5 cc now). I just posted on another topic about how I managed to handle my cravings, especially during pregnancy, and keep up with slow weight loss even when I hadn't had any fills to my band. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/147416-one-year-post-op-no-results-please-help/page__st__20__p__1787949#entry1787949 Feel free to contact me if you have questions or need to talk.

Darned multiple posting -- silly impatient me.

Multiple post in error, oops!

Hi! I was banded and shortly afterwards had some family emergencies (terminal illnesses) that required me to move to another State and basically got in the way of me doing any of the follow up fills for two years. I dropped just 20# in that period, which most people would consider a failure of the surgery, but I did not, if only because my weight, which had been on a trajectory of a 10# gain each year, did not go up above the weight I was at the time of the surgery. I, too, have PCOS, so I understand that challenge of losing weight when your hormones are making your body think its on steroids. I'm not a 'bad eater' per se, but portion control has been always been challenging for me. Once I got a couple of fills and got some restriction, I started losing more weight, but it still took 18 months to drop an additional 40#. At the 40# post-op mark I found that moving my body got easier and I started walking more and eventually joined a health club, which accelerated my weightloss. 2 months after joining the club, I got pregnant, and once I realized I was pregnant I panicked over the possibility of gaining back the weight I'd worked to lose--I'd just gotten under the 300# mark and absolutely didn't want to cross it again. I contacted a dietician to work out how to manage my weight so that the baby's nutritional needs were being met while keeping my pregnancy weight gain to a minimum. I upped my exercise and watched my portions and managed to keep my weight gain to 7#. Because I stayed active during my pregnancy--which was difficult, I felt like I was walking through a pool full of Water most of the time--I actually lost weight. A few days after delivery I weighed at 16# less than I had when the pregnancy started. I'm 3 weeks postpartum and I'm down a total of 27 pounds from 10 months ago. I am breastfeeding, and my exercise is limited to a mile walk a day plus normal household activity. I just had 1cc removed from my band (I had 2.5 cc filled) because I dropped 8# in 2 weeks and am worried about keeping up milk production with such rapid weightloss. I'm not a perfect eater, but I've developed some coping mechanisms and strategies to help me stay on track. I've learned how to handle cravings, for example. I know when to re-direct and when to relent. I know when to stop indulging (most of the time) and I know when to get rid of something tasty because I can't resist the temptation to keep indulging. Redirect: This strategy starts with a question: Am I really hungry, or am I bored/nervous/upset? If the answer is yes, I really am hungry, then I try to redirect focus from the death-by-chocolate cake I am craving to a Protein or granola bar or a piece of fresh fruit--ie, to something healthier that tastes good, too. If the answer is no, I'm not hungry, I'm bored/anxious/whatever, then I redirect to an activity that gets my mind and/or body off the comfort-food focus. Depending on the craving and the reason, I may meditate to calm myself, or take a 5-minute yoga break, or go for a walk, do some weeding/chores, take a bath, masturbate, or take a time-out to touch base with what is really going on inside me (ie administer some emotional first aid). Relent: Relent, for me, comes after multiple attempts to redirect. If I've eaten my healthy mandarin and I've done my chores and I've finished writing an email or whatever other tasks I've put to myself to in order to get my mind off the craving and I still want that cake (especially if I've craved it for a few days), I'll go buy a single-serving cupcake or something, both as acceptance of the craving, and as reward for the work I've done to earn it. If I absolutely have to have a slice of that $20 death-by-chocolate cake and they don't sell it by the slice, I'll buy it at the bakery, ask them to slice me a piece, and then give the rest away to the people working there, or as samples for their customers. (Yes, it raises eyebrows, but no one has refused me yet.) Then I relish my $20 piece of cake, eating it slowly, savoring every bite. I don't bring home more than one serving of a craved food anymore. It's too easy to say to myself, "Oh, I'll bring this whole cake home and share it with my family" and then end up eating more than one serving because I don't want it to go to waste or because it is just that good. I suppose I should have the self-discipline to be able to eat just one serving of something I crave and leave the rest alone for others or for another time, but I don't. And I am self-aware enough to accept that. I'm also self-loving enough to get over the whole self-sabotage / self-punishing thing for my supposed lack of will-power, no longer hating myself even as I am rewarding myself with a tasty treat. Today, I allow myself to eat that thing I really want, but just one small serving. And I give away or toss away the rest. I may feel a little foolish for eating what amounts to a $20 slice of cake -but- I figure that it's $18 worth of extra calories I'm not adding to my waistline, and given the work I have to do to take off just one pound, it's f-ing worth it. So--this is how I've learned to deal with food cravings over the years, and how I managed not to gain weight during my pregnancy. I practice self-awareness and self-acceptance, a bit of self-discipline, and a lot of self-love. I'm as flawed, outrageous, and complex as the next person, and what works for me may not work for others. Still, it's worth sharing if even just one person benefits from it.