SueBee01

I have been reading a lot over the past several weeks about newbies getting fills. The question should always be, do I really need another fill?
Many people are searching for the "green zone" and having that perfect "restriction."
I will tell you from my personal experience that I don't know if there is a "green zone," but I do feel that you should not feel restriction. What you should notice is that with the band you should be able to eat less and feel satisfied. You MUST be committed to eating a smaller portion (most say 2-3 ounces of Protein, 1/3 c of veggies and 1/3 c of good carb for your meals) and extensive exercise. After eating that 1 to 1 1/2 c of food you should be satisfied, NOT full. And this satisfaction should last around 4 hours give or take. Everyone is different! For the first 8-10 months, I was never hungry. I just ate because I was raised to eat at certain times and that was a very hard habit to break. But I did it and you can make the necessary changes too. It is mind over matter!
It doesn't mean drink your meals and expect to have a "full" feeling! If it can slide through your new pouch, it is not going to satisfy you. The nerve endings in your new pouch are what give you that satisfied feeling. If you are letting the slider food go through to your old stomach, you are eating no different then you did before you were banded. And you WILL be able to eat more than you should.
Log your food so you really know what you are eating and exercise as many days a week as you can. Do a little to start. Once you start losing weight you will feel better and be able to exercise more. That is the whole point of weight loss and is key to the success of losing with the band.
This is just my personal experience and hope it helps others. Be smart, be safe with your band so you can live a longer, healthier life with your band.
I was able to get to my goal weight of 165 after 14 months of hard work losing 165 pounds. It can be done and it doesn't have to take a million fills and getting too tight. I had one fill.
Good luck to all you newbies and welcome to the losers club.

I have been reading a lot over the past several weeks about newbies getting fills. The question should always be, do I really need another fill?
Many people are searching for the "green zone" and having that perfect "restriction."
I will tell you from my personal experience that I don't know if there is a "green zone," but I do feel that you should not feel restriction. What you should notice is that with the band you should be able to eat less and feel satisfied. You MUST be committed to eating a smaller portion (most say 2-3 ounces of Protein, 1/3 c of veggies and 1/3 c of good carb for your meals) and extensive exercise. After eating that 1 to 1 1/2 c of food you should be satisfied, NOT full. And this satisfaction should last around 4 hours give or take. Everyone is different! For the first 8-10 months, I was never hungry. I just ate because I was raised to eat at certain times and that was a very hard habit to break. But I did it and you can make the necessary changes too. It is mind over matter!
It doesn't mean drink your meals and expect to have a "full" feeling! If it can slide through your new pouch, it is not going to satisfy you. The nerve endings in your new pouch are what give you that satisfied feeling. If you are letting the slider food go through to your old stomach, you are eating no different then you did before you were banded. And you WILL be able to eat more than you should.
Log your food so you really know what you are eating and exercise as many days a week as you can. Do a little to start. Once you start losing weight you will feel better and be able to exercise more. That is the whole point of weight loss and is key to the success of losing with the band.
This is just my personal experience and hope it helps others. Be smart, be safe with your band so you can live a longer, healthier life with your band.
I was able to get to my goal weight of 165 after 14 months of hard work losing 165 pounds. It can be done and it doesn't have to take a million fills and getting too tight. I had one fill.
Good luck to all you newbies and welcome to the losers club.

I have been reading a lot over the past several weeks about newbies getting fills. The question should always be, do I really need another fill?
Many people are searching for the "green zone" and having that perfect "restriction."
I will tell you from my personal experience that I don't know if there is a "green zone," but I do feel that you should not feel restriction. What you should notice is that with the band you should be able to eat less and feel satisfied. You MUST be committed to eating a smaller portion (most say 2-3 ounces of Protein, 1/3 c of veggies and 1/3 c of good carb for your meals) and extensive exercise. After eating that 1 to 1 1/2 c of food you should be satisfied, NOT full. And this satisfaction should last around 4 hours give or take. Everyone is different! For the first 8-10 months, I was never hungry. I just ate because I was raised to eat at certain times and that was a very hard habit to break. But I did it and you can make the necessary changes too. It is mind over matter!
It doesn't mean drink your meals and expect to have a "full" feeling! If it can slide through your new pouch, it is not going to satisfy you. The nerve endings in your new pouch are what give you that satisfied feeling. If you are letting the slider food go through to your old stomach, you are eating no different then you did before you were banded. And you WILL be able to eat more than you should.
Log your food so you really know what you are eating and exercise as many days a week as you can. Do a little to start. Once you start losing weight you will feel better and be able to exercise more. That is the whole point of weight loss and is key to the success of losing with the band.
This is just my personal experience and hope it helps others. Be smart, be safe with your band so you can live a longer, healthier life with your band.
I was able to get to my goal weight of 165 after 14 months of hard work losing 165 pounds. It can be done and it doesn't have to take a million fills and getting too tight. I had one fill.
Good luck to all you newbies and welcome to the losers club.

I have been reading a lot over the past several weeks about newbies getting fills. The question should always be, do I really need another fill?
Many people are searching for the "green zone" and having that perfect "restriction."
I will tell you from my personal experience that I don't know if there is a "green zone," but I do feel that you should not feel restriction. What you should notice is that with the band you should be able to eat less and feel satisfied. You MUST be committed to eating a smaller portion (most say 2-3 ounces of Protein, 1/3 c of veggies and 1/3 c of good carb for your meals) and extensive exercise. After eating that 1 to 1 1/2 c of food you should be satisfied, NOT full. And this satisfaction should last around 4 hours give or take. Everyone is different! For the first 8-10 months, I was never hungry. I just ate because I was raised to eat at certain times and that was a very hard habit to break. But I did it and you can make the necessary changes too. It is mind over matter!
It doesn't mean drink your meals and expect to have a "full" feeling! If it can slide through your new pouch, it is not going to satisfy you. The nerve endings in your new pouch are what give you that satisfied feeling. If you are letting the slider food go through to your old stomach, you are eating no different then you did before you were banded. And you WILL be able to eat more than you should.
Log your food so you really know what you are eating and exercise as many days a week as you can. Do a little to start. Once you start losing weight you will feel better and be able to exercise more. That is the whole point of weight loss and is key to the success of losing with the band.
This is just my personal experience and hope it helps others. Be smart, be safe with your band so you can live a longer, healthier life with your band.
I was able to get to my goal weight of 165 after 14 months of hard work losing 165 pounds. It can be done and it doesn't have to take a million fills and getting too tight. I had one fill.
Good luck to all you newbies and welcome to the losers club.

I have been reading a lot over the past several weeks about newbies getting fills. The question should always be, do I really need another fill?
Many people are searching for the "green zone" and having that perfect "restriction."
I will tell you from my personal experience that I don't know if there is a "green zone," but I do feel that you should not feel restriction. What you should notice is that with the band you should be able to eat less and feel satisfied. You MUST be committed to eating a smaller portion (most say 2-3 ounces of Protein, 1/3 c of veggies and 1/3 c of good carb for your meals) and extensive exercise. After eating that 1 to 1 1/2 c of food you should be satisfied, NOT full. And this satisfaction should last around 4 hours give or take. Everyone is different! For the first 8-10 months, I was never hungry. I just ate because I was raised to eat at certain times and that was a very hard habit to break. But I did it and you can make the necessary changes too. It is mind over matter!
It doesn't mean drink your meals and expect to have a "full" feeling! If it can slide through your new pouch, it is not going to satisfy you. The nerve endings in your new pouch are what give you that satisfied feeling. If you are letting the slider food go through to your old stomach, you are eating no different then you did before you were banded. And you WILL be able to eat more than you should.
Log your food so you really know what you are eating and exercise as many days a week as you can. Do a little to start. Once you start losing weight you will feel better and be able to exercise more. That is the whole point of weight loss and is key to the success of losing with the band.
This is just my personal experience and hope it helps others. Be smart, be safe with your band so you can live a longer, healthier life with your band.
I was able to get to my goal weight of 165 after 14 months of hard work losing 165 pounds. It can be done and it doesn't have to take a million fills and getting too tight. I had one fill.
Good luck to all you newbies and welcome to the losers club.

I have been reading a lot over the past several weeks about newbies getting fills. The question should always be, do I really need another fill?
Many people are searching for the "green zone" and having that perfect "restriction."
I will tell you from my personal experience that I don't know if there is a "green zone," but I do feel that you should not feel restriction. What you should notice is that with the band you should be able to eat less and feel satisfied. You MUST be committed to eating a smaller portion (most say 2-3 ounces of Protein, 1/3 c of veggies and 1/3 c of good carb for your meals) and extensive exercise. After eating that 1 to 1 1/2 c of food you should be satisfied, NOT full. And this satisfaction should last around 4 hours give or take. Everyone is different! For the first 8-10 months, I was never hungry. I just ate because I was raised to eat at certain times and that was a very hard habit to break. But I did it and you can make the necessary changes too. It is mind over matter!
It doesn't mean drink your meals and expect to have a "full" feeling! If it can slide through your new pouch, it is not going to satisfy you. The nerve endings in your new pouch are what give you that satisfied feeling. If you are letting the slider food go through to your old stomach, you are eating no different then you did before you were banded. And you WILL be able to eat more than you should.
Log your food so you really know what you are eating and exercise as many days a week as you can. Do a little to start. Once you start losing weight you will feel better and be able to exercise more. That is the whole point of weight loss and is key to the success of losing with the band.
This is just my personal experience and hope it helps others. Be smart, be safe with your band so you can live a longer, healthier life with your band.
I was able to get to my goal weight of 165 after 14 months of hard work losing 165 pounds. It can be done and it doesn't have to take a million fills and getting too tight. I had one fill.
Good luck to all you newbies and welcome to the losers club.

I have been reading a lot over the past several weeks about newbies getting fills. The question should always be, do I really need another fill?
Many people are searching for the "green zone" and having that perfect "restriction."
I will tell you from my personal experience that I don't know if there is a "green zone," but I do feel that you should not feel restriction. What you should notice is that with the band you should be able to eat less and feel satisfied. You MUST be committed to eating a smaller portion (most say 2-3 ounces of Protein, 1/3 c of veggies and 1/3 c of good carb for your meals) and extensive exercise. After eating that 1 to 1 1/2 c of food you should be satisfied, NOT full. And this satisfaction should last around 4 hours give or take. Everyone is different! For the first 8-10 months, I was never hungry. I just ate because I was raised to eat at certain times and that was a very hard habit to break. But I did it and you can make the necessary changes too. It is mind over matter!
It doesn't mean drink your meals and expect to have a "full" feeling! If it can slide through your new pouch, it is not going to satisfy you. The nerve endings in your new pouch are what give you that satisfied feeling. If you are letting the slider food go through to your old stomach, you are eating no different then you did before you were banded. And you WILL be able to eat more than you should.
Log your food so you really know what you are eating and exercise as many days a week as you can. Do a little to start. Once you start losing weight you will feel better and be able to exercise more. That is the whole point of weight loss and is key to the success of losing with the band.
This is just my personal experience and hope it helps others. Be smart, be safe with your band so you can live a longer, healthier life with your band.
I was able to get to my goal weight of 165 after 14 months of hard work losing 165 pounds. It can be done and it doesn't have to take a million fills and getting too tight. I had one fill.
Good luck to all you newbies and welcome to the losers club.

Some don't need fills. It just depends on how you are able to manage eating a small amount of dense Protein and then staying away from the kitchen for 3-4 hours. I only had one fill and am never hungry. There is always head hunger, but your body will tell you when it is real hunger. That is the biggest challenge. Do not eat to a schedule (like we were raised to!), only eat when you are truly hungry. For me that is usually two meals a day and two Snacks. Work with your NUT.

Hi All, I'm home, yay. Very tired but wanted to check in and say you guys are doing well!
I'm going to weigh on Monday ... Gives me a couple of days to get back on track, mostly with upping my Water intake and getting a little cardio in.
Will ttyl.

Hi everyone- WID and down another 1.5 lbs, so slow and steady and in the right direction! But I was looking back on my weight loss history- and I was down to 202 last October. SO I don't think I can lose 24 lbs in 2 months, but who cares. My goal is to be below 200 lbs by the end of the year. I think that's totally doable- about 24 lbs in 16 or so weeks. And it will make me extra careful during the holidays, which was the start of my downfall last year.
sue- I will look for that, I think that might go down way better than hamburger!
Still tracking, still doing well, getting my haircut today, it's all good!
Nicki

Nicki, I usually buy ground turkey or turkey burgers but I just found Purdue ground chicken and chicken patties. I tried them this time because they have no hormones and are cage free chickens! They were awesome! I can only eat half of one, but that leaves my husband to have 1 1/2 and he loves that!

Lady bandits, awesome! I haven't wore a bikini since I was 14 and at that time I was a size 14-16! Good on you.
Nicki, great job with the ice cream! So proud of you.
I had a busy day. Hit the gym this morning for 1/2 hour on the bike and elliptical, worked from home, PT in the afternoon for an hour, had dinner with the husband! Made chicken burgers on my George Forman and they were great! I liked them better then turkey burgers. Went to the golf course and practiced putting and chipping. My first time since hip replacement, then home with the dog to watch some TV.
Try it all again tomorrow! Going longer each day on the bike and elliptical! Tennis courts soon!

So far I can eat everthing (only one fill).

I keep my band on the loose side. I can eat anything, but I do not eat any white bread (just because I chose to eat healthy bread) and little Pasta just because they both expand so much. They waste space in my stomach that could be better served/satisfied with other things! I always quote my nut, "love what you eat!" I still love to eat and make the food I eat worth it nutritionally, is enjoyable and what I want! I figure if I am going to eat so little it is going to be worth it!

I am frequently hungry-- at times, ravenous. It diesn't take long to fill me up, but I worry that I am eating too much. No one explained anythjng to me. Help. How much do i need per day?

i went to my dr today for a pre op physicle for and knee replacement and weighed in at 200 pounds and the dr said that he thinks i should not loose anymore weight also did pre op blood work all my level are now good and no more high blood pressure so my dr took me off all the meds i was taking for blood preasure,trygliserides and cholesteral so its a good day but i still think i want to loose 10 more pounds

Hi everyone- tomorrow is WID! Hope for a pound down or so. Did zumba yesterday and feel good, it's such a good fun sweaty workout! Got my hair cut today- well, got bangs cut today and will do the whole cut tomorrow. There's a salon next door to my work that I took a chance on. She did my bangs, and they look good, and we scheduled a cut for tomorrow to kind of blend in the sides. I'm excited, as she does free bang trims
Still logging, still on track, still trucking ahead!
Everyone, have a great day!
Nicki

Hi everyone- LadyB- a bikini!! You go, girl! And I hear you on the buffets- I've gone to a couple, mostly chinese ones, the kids love chinese food, and you are so right, it's a total waste of $$. I too am astounded at how much I ate before. Now it's so much less!!! Logging is definitely a learned skill, LOL, but it's easy once you're in the habit. I LOVE pilates, I have dvd's, never been to a class. But you'll tone and like you say, lose inches, and really ultimately you'll lose weight. Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint, and you're on the home stretch with only 15 lbs to go! Weight loss is bound to slow down, so don't freak out, you're doing everything right!
Sue- chicken burgers sound yummy! Do you just buy ground chicken? I need to try that. And I'm glad you're back to golf, etc, and soon will be killing it on the courts!
Was another on track day yesterday, with another bite of ice cream- soon it will be gone and I won't have to deal with it at all, LOL.
DD is still an issue, shes' supposed to move out by this Sunday and it doesnt' look like she's even started packing her total pigsty of a room. DH is harassing me, and I told him to just back the heck off, we gave her a deadline and I'll put her stuff out on the street if she doesnt' get it done. He's totally adding to the stress, as usual. I cant' wait for this week to be over and her to be out- she's left everything til the last minute and counted on friends she KNOWS she can't count on, so now it's all frantic. Shes' had 6 weeks to do this, so I'm past caring. She had a choice, but now she's upset I'm insisting she stick with her choice. Oh well, time to grow up and stop being so disrespectful. She hasn't made ANY efforts at all these past 6 weeks, so out she goes, her choice.
Lady B, never apologize for being chatty, just take a look at my posts!! LOL. And the best part of this is I"m not doing any emotional eating. yay me!
Nicki

That is great, congrats!

thanks everyone for the encouragement. Just downloaded MyFitnessPal and start using that today. Feel much more positive after your comments. Thanks for the help!!

Nicki and SueBee, you both are having awesome weeks, yay for the both of you!
SueBee, I can understand your thrill at being able to work out again. Right now I'm out of town (but still checking in!) and missing my Pilates class something awful.
Went to a buffet here at the hotel for lunch... What a waste of money that is! I haven't really been to a buffet since banded. I had thought I have been eating larger quantities somewhat lately, but my lunch today proved otherwise. I was so shocked at how little I need to eat. Never really thought about it too much, but I have eaten at this buffet pre-band, and I've got to tell you I'm horrified at how much I used to be able to put away!! Today I had about 2 ounces of salmon, some wonderful mushroom Soup, a piece of broccoli, half an English sausage, a taste of some augratin potatoes, a tiny serving of ceviche, and a little piece of bread. I also had some creme brûlée for dessert. So I got to try all the things I wanted and I was done! Probably not the best choices, but not an ever day thing either.
Tonight I have to go dinner with some work folks. Not very hungry at all, we'll see how this goes. It's a steak and seafood place, so I'm thinking crab and veggies.
I'm horrible at logging, to answer you Nicki, and I'm certainly not going to do that until this trip is over! That's why I'm thinking hcg (yes with shots) might be the ticket for me. Lol. But then again, I may just start logging and continuing the Pilates which I love. I don't lose pounds with it but I have dropped sizes definitely.
Well, off to get ready for a dinner I'm not hungry for... Did I really say that? Lol. Will enjoy the company and move the food around my plate. At least I'm getting a lot of walking in.
Oh and btw, I bought a bikini!!!!! Ok, so I'll probably only wear it in our home pool, but it doesn't look awful, and if I can lose that 15 I've been talking about, I might actually wear it in public next year!
Sorry this is so long, I just got kind of talkative all of a sudden. Must be missing home and you guys are like family! :-)

Hi there!
Sue!! Size 10! I was that size as a senior in HS, LOL- and that was after starving myself over the summer, almost literally. Good for you!
Kymie- sorry for such a short answer the other day. I'm all for cleanses and such, but they're a short term fix- like Sue said, logging will really open your eyes.
LadyB- is the hcg diet the one with shots? Are you logging? That might help you too. Whatever works for those last stubborn lbs, for sure!
As for me, I had a run in with ice cream last night and came out victorious! Both kids wanted it for dessert, we had it in the freezer, so I took it out and I had 1 bite of it and that was it! I accounted for the calories, and moved on. Yay! Doing well, saw 226 lbs on the scale earlier, so hopefully that will stick this week, or better.
Everyone have a great day!
Nicki

Well, I weighed in yesterday and the scale finally revealed that I was at my original weight goal! I have lost 138 lbs. total since July 30, 2012. I have not reached the green zone, but I feel that I am extremely close. I had been on a plateau for about three months, hanging around +- five pounds, but I now have started to lose again. So Pleased! I had a fill about 2 weeks ago and I feel some restriction and strangely I get full signals from my lower stomach now. I have never eaten only 1 to 1-/2 cups of food at a meal, but I have tracked my calories and Protein on My Fitness Pro. After this last fill, I am not able to eat as much, which is vey good. I think this will help me lose the last pounds I want to get rid of, but maybe even more. I have found this forum to be extremely helpful as I read it regularly, not just to learn new stuff, but to reinforce sticking to the rules. I will post a before and current picture in the next couple of days. If you are a newbie, just keep with the plan and follow your doctor's instructions to the letter and let your band become the tool you need for success. I know it is hard at the beginning, but believe me it gets easier and easier once you have your first couple of fills. Good luck to all!

Sometimes it has nothing to do with how well you are eating, it happens to some of us and not others from the surgery and weight loss. My surgeon put me on several Vitamins for three months and it stopped falling out. It has completely grown back. He also said that your hair grows on a seven month cycle. Ask you NUT to see if they have the Vitamin program, if not PM me and I can spell it our for you. It is touch, a different pill every two hours during the day for three months. Or try the Biotin and see if it works for you.