prettyprincessdeasia

That was exactly my experience "now what" - I am a very goal oriented and driven person so I can completely relate.
I love the movie "The Princess Bride" - when the swordman finally killed the six fingered man who murdered his father he was suddenly lost. He had spent his whole life obsessed with that pursuit of revenge... and once the evil doer was dead his life lacked purpose. Luckily, the position of being the pirate had recently opened up... but no such obvious opportunity fell in my lap!
Crap, i have been battling obesity since grade school. It has been the single most defining nemisis and arch enemy of my life. i have a successful career, great kids, a house, good friends... lots of things... The WLS journey was intense and I really really focused on it. As I got toward goal I started having that same feeling of being truly lost. I did not anticipate how deeply that impacted me. It was like I finally won a major battle but didn't have anywhere to hang up the sword and just live life. I often felt like people were looking at me, i felt at times like I dressed to frumpy, other times like I dressed too young... I felt as awkward as a pimply faced teenager sometimes.
Well, I have been working hard on that for more than a year. I am starting to feel much more grounded in life outside of fighting obesity. I don't mean to say I didn't have hobbies and interests before - I did - but I guess what i mean is finding sort of peace with my body, my looks, my clothes, my self confidence, my athletic abilities - all that. I like me, flaws and all.
Now, for any of you that want to break a true stall. Here is what worked for me... go low carb, eliminate Protein bars and other processed foods (even if they seem like healthy food) change up workout routine. I went to high intensity interval training. Those two things - low carb and HIIT got me from about the 180-190 range to my initial goal of 158. I had a small regain, and doing 5:2 got me from the low 160s to 150. Don't ask how I got from 150 to 140, that wasn't intentional and doesn't count.
I am good now and maintaining in the 140-143 range.

Just celebrated my one year anniversary. Have officially lost 71% of my excess weight! I celebrated by getting a pixie cut I never would have had the guts to attempt before!

Day 1 pic and today AND I just bought clothes at the gap and banana and they fit!!! And they weren't even the biggest size AND no one looked at me like I didn't belong AND no one asked me if I needed a gift receipt BIG DAY!!

Due to my disability about the only thing I can do is walk with my cane. I do notice however that there's more pep in my step than there was before. I'm hoping when I get to ONEderland that I'll hopefully be less dependent on my cane. Since my brain surgery back in 1981 I've had a problem with equilibrium. So, other than me walking with my cane or pushing a grocery cart I don't do much of anything. I do leg lifts in bed everyday so I guess I could consider that exercise.

Wow, what exactly is your problem?
I stated repeatedly that this is what is best for me. This is what works FOR ME. I also said I didn't believe either was right or wrong, just a matter of what works best for each individual person. I also said that everyone has to figure out what works best for them. Never did I say "don't ask your doctor" nor did I claim to be an expert. I was very clear that this my opinion and experience.
Posting that study was simply proving a point, that it doesn't matter what eating style you favor, there is going to be study either disproving or supporting it. Again, I was clear on this as well.
Post likes yours, IMHO, are needlessly defensive and attacking.

I prefer to call this "Eating healthy" and not a diet. The word diet brings back memories of being hungry all the time. Deprivation is not a way of life for me. I get hungry every 3-5 hours now. And I eat normal foods. I stay away from processed carbs, refined sugar and high fat foods. That keeps my caloric intake around 1400/day.

Slime is the mucous the body generates trying to help the stuck item go down. It is very thick and clingy. When it cannot go down, it comes up..you cannot swallow it, so you must spit it out. Once the stuck item is cleared, then the sliming will stop.

I have gotten stuck - several times - and hot liquid (tea), pineapple juice and pills don't help me. Too Stuck for anything to go through. I slime, PB and then god willing, throw it up. The pain hurts, can't breathe, cant swallow. It is awful and 99% of the time it my own fault. Too big, too fast, too much, didn't chew long enough. LISTEN to you body and STOP eating getting stuck is no picnic !
Melinda in Florida

After getting rid of all the clothes that are too big, doing laundry, and hanging up my new shirts, it sure feels GREAT for them to actually stay on the hanger! My "fat shirts" always would slip off! So, yay!
Second, I started CrossFit today! I did it for almost one month last October (when I was 60 lbs heavier) and it was an awful experience. Not the actual workout or CF itself, but ME... I was miserable! Today was far different and I felt SO good when I left there. I can't wait to go back on Wednesday morning! Let the weight loss continue and the toning begin!
What are some of your latest NSVs?

I have found that sadly there are a lot of misconceptions around gastric bands. Let’s get back to basics to understand how a gastric band should work.


I have found that sadly there are a lot of misconceptions around gastric bands. Firstly, there is a misconception that the gastric band creates a small stomach that must be ‘filled’ to feel full. There is also a misconception that a tighter band will result in more weight loss and that the vomitting or regurgitation caused by a tight gastric band is ‘normal’. Another misconception is that you shouldn’t be able to eat certain foods with a gastric band.
Let’s get back to basics to understand how a gastric band should work. A gastric band is a silicone device placed around the upper part of the stomach. It was once believed that the gastric band created a new, smaller stomach above the band, where food would sit before passing into the lower, larger stomach. Recent studies at the Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) in Melbourne have shown this to be incorrect.
The gastric band actually creates a ‘funnel’ into the larger stomach and exerts pressure on the stomach. Adjusting the gastric band can vary this pressure. The band has an access point called a port, which is stitched to your abdominal muscle deep under the skin. You can usually tell where the port may be as it is likely to sit somewhere under your biggest scar. Your surgeon or weight loss GP uses the port to adjust your gastric band and vary the pressure it places on the stomach. They can inject or remove saline (a salty water) solution via the port to make your band tighter or looser.
When food is eaten our oesophagus, or food pipe, squeezes bites of food down towards the band. Once food reaches the band, contractions of the oesophagus, called peristalsis, will squeeze well-chewed food past the band. In a person with a well-adjusted band, it can take between two to six squeezes of the oesophagus to get a bite of food across the band. One study suggests this process takes at least a minute.
There are nerves in the stomach that detect when our stomach is stretching, and send a message to our brain that we have had enough to eat. One particular nerve involved in controlling our stomach is called the vagus nerve. With a gastric band sitting around the stomach this squeezes the vagus nerve all the time, and more so when you are eating.
The squeezing process triggers a signal to the brain that you are satisfied, or no longer hungry. This means you feel satisfied on a smaller amount of food than you would have prior to surgery. The constant pressure of the band on the stomach also helps you to feel satisfied for a longer period of time, reducing hunger throughout the day.
Feeling satisfied is different to feeling ‘full’. Feeling ‘full’ means you have eaten to excess. It may indicate food is sitting above the band, either due to eating too quickly, eating large pieces of food or not chewing food well enough. Try to stop eating when you feel satisfied or no longer hungry, rather than full.
Each bite of food must be small and well chewed. An empty, or uninflated band has an opening the size of a twenty-cent piece. A fully inflated band has an opening the size of a five-cent piece. Most people will have their band adjusted somewhere between the two sizes. If you cut food into the size of a five-cent piece size and chew it well, it is more likely to pass comfortably through the band.
Eating slowly also helps you to eat comfortably. In theory, you should aim to wait a minute between each mouthful of food, however it is not practical to time every mouthful. It is practical to put your cutlery down between mouthfuls and wait until you have swallowed before cutting the next piece of food ready to eat. People with a gastric band who eat quickly, describe a feeling of discomfort in their oesophagus, like a ‘traffic jam’. Eating slowly will help avoid this.
I hope this clarifies how a gastric band works and what you should experience. If your band is not acting like it should, please follow up with your support team.

LENGTH ALERT! (This has very detailed tips and tricks, so this is not a short post. Just a "heads up")
People asked me a lot how I went from Slow Loser to getting to goal. I did better my second year of banding and when the weight came off - it really came off.
This is something that worked for me, and I recommended to other Bandsters.
Granted, these are tips that's not in any LapBand brochure or doctor's manual, and YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY - but if you already think of yourself as a Slow Loser like I was, then maybe you will be open to trying something to shake things up a bit.
When I needed a weight-loss push, I didn't cut down on calories much (if I'd recently had a fill adjustment, that's different) but in general:

I *added* Protein to every thing I ate.


This helped me to lose steadily (although it sped up my weight loss, more importantly it kept it steady). And it worked! Some Bandsters in my same banding date were better at counting calories - I wasn't. Some were better at counting carbs, I wasn't, but I excelled at ADDING protein. And I did well and later, other fellow Bandsters were asking me for help and tips. :crying:
How did I do it? I did not reduce calories or the amount I consumed (without a fill it wasn't much need to try that) and yet, I still lost. (I added a little bit of Beans, or a sprinkle of cheese (my favorite), or eggs - whatever I could. I didn't reduce what I ate, but I "upped my protein" - and it worked.
With the band, if you eat more protein, you generally will find yourself eating less overall - it doesn't feel that way but you do.
Every single time I added more protein to my regular Band-friendly meals, I lost more weight, even though I wasn't eating less calories sometimes. Sounds crazy - but in my particular case, if I didn't keep my protein levels up, my body held on to calories a lot more. Who needs their bodies "hoarding" calories? :thumbup:
If adding a bit of food meant I would lose more, it was worth a try. It worked.
And I paid attention to the TYPE of protein I ate. (Even before banding, I didn't eat beef or pork at all. And the band was developed in other countries where the pork and beef consumption is a lot lower than it is here in the 'States. I'm not a vegetarian, I just eat seafood and poultry only. My doc said this helped my weight loss a lot because the protein I ate was leaner, not fattier protein like pork/ham/bacon or beef/hamburger/fatty red meat. So I didn't have to regulate my portions as much as some Bandsters did. My can of tuna did more for me than a hamburger ever would have.)
Also, I'm a single/childless Bandster who lives alone, so I eat out for almost every meal. If I could make it to goal - while eating out - ANYBODY can.
How did I do it? Here were some tips.

At Breakfast, with my morning egg(s), I added a bit of cheese on top. Or I would have cottage cheese added. For protein and hunger reasons, cottage cheese did better than yogurt for me - unless I just had a fill or was very very filled or adjusted. The most filled I am, the less I eat in the mornings. So especially if you are not at your sweet spot, try Proteins that "stick" with you more to keep hunger away. Yogurt alone was not good enough of a Breakfast for me, with the band it just went through, and wasn't really filling. Now if I charged up my yogurt with lots of nuts, seeds, and wheat germ - then BAM! I'm not much of a cold Cereal eater (I prefer hot cereals) but if I had one I made sure it was a protein-packed one (I LOVE Grape Nuts cereal best. Go Lean is awesome, and several of the Oatmeals & Cream of Wheat cereals have good protein content. I also added a few nuts to those, too. If I had a yogurt smoothie drink as a snack, I had them had a half scoop of Protein powder (a full scoop can make it too thick sometimes) or some soy or nuts.
Lunchtime was easy to get more protein in. I'd eat a scoop of tuna salad or chicken salad for lunch - and have them add some shredded cheese, some seeds and/or some nuts. I also love Soup. Usually a cup is a nice start to my lunch if I'm having a scoop of salad or tuna. If it's my whole lunch I get a bowl of Soup and eat what I can from it. My band will tell me when to stop. Almost any kind of any soup is great with a sprinkle of cheese or nuts added. Beans, too!
With my dinner I always like a cup of soup to begin. Gets me going, jump starts & 'primes' my band and it's a great protein opportunity. Then if I could, I concentrated on seafood. ANY type of fish worked great with my band - From catfish to salmon to snapper to Tilapia. Or even shrimp or my all time favorite, calamari. I enjoy oysters in season and clams all year. The weeks that I ate more seafood, I lost more weight - across the board. Usually grilled is a good choice to be honest I even ate it fried (sorry, weight loss experts) and I still did well. And with my seafood, if I could I added beans to almost everything. With my steamed veggies, I added nuts and a sprinkle of cheese sometimes. I know it's not very It really does work!

See when I restrict my calories or even when I try to cut down on fat - I usually just end up cutting down on protein. And no matter how "well" or how much less I eat, if I cut my protein my body won't 'burn' up the fat. It holds on to it. I know that protein is the fuel that helps the LapBand machine work and not trying to diet or 'cut down' was a blessing to me.
I've had other Bandsters try this, and yes they are skeptical at first but when they start seeing inches lost (muscle really does weigh more than fat, so your clothes tell you before the scale ever will) then they get on the bandwagon. So don't just 'cut down' - ADD some food on your plate. That's right. ADD MORE nuts, boiled/diced egg, beans, cheese, seeds and other yummy forms of protein. Your body and your LapBand will thank you for it. Also adding protein allowed me to eat fewer carbs and save them for what was really a nice treat - a nice martini or occasional glass of wine, with dinner. Yes, I'm a drinking Bandster. All the successful European Bandsters I knew drank a glass or two now and then and they were my role models. I can't drink a lot AT ALL - a little goes a long way, but it was nice to get to goal weight without ever missing a Friday Happy Hour. I got the band to enhance my life, not take away some of the things that make it enjoyable. I eat out at restaurants, I go have drinks with friends - and I feel and look great. BRAVO!
Good Luck to you. (And since so many people asked me the same question in private posts - that's why I am posting it on the Slow Losers board too...)
Keep up the good fight. I did it - and you can too.

Lets be truthful, I know I have over eaten.... I'm not proud at all and know it's totally wrong!!!! I know that some of us have a harder time than others... I feel bad saying this, but I feel that I have very little will. I have a co worker that has lost about the amount I have. But I was band 6 months before her and i get mad at myself. I think for me my mind is full of it! I over think, and compare myself and I know I shouldn't! Everyone is different. It may take someone a couple of months, but for me I think it will take a couple of years.... sad but I won't give up. Only time will tell.

I'm having a hard time stopping myself from eating too much and keep getting full. Recognizing the soft stop is hard. I think I need one more fill. I'm hoping this last one stops my mental hunger. I'm terrified of stretching my pouch. How easy is it to stretch your pouch? I wish I knew more about the lapband before I chose it. They just kind of flew me into surgery and now I'm learning as I go. I still love my band though!

This journey has been such a god send but a struggle at the same time!! I was banded 10/11/12 and have lost 85 lbs to date!! I am Hoping to hit the 100 mark by my birthday 06/23, but won't get discouraged if I don't!! My struggle Is I know I look and feel better but when I look at my self in the mirror or go out I still see my big fat self!! I have recently started a new relationship and all I can think about is does he look at all my fat? How can I get past this?? Does it ever go away! Just needed to vent... Thanks!!

I haven't had a large loss post surgery....only about 4 lbs in two months.
I'm wondering if anyone else has started off losing slow but was still successful in the long run. I have about 150 lbs to go to reach my goal, after losing 54 lbs during the presurgery withing period.
I'm two weeks into my first fill, and i don't weigh again until my next fill on June 14. I'm losing inches just not pounds.
Appreciate your advice!

IF this is your FIRST FILL? it's NORMAL... you don't usually have any restriction, with the exception of the band being around your stomach.
It's best not to Rush a FILL, eat something low fat, cal, Protein...even if it means going over your caloric intake for the day. Problem I always had with fills was that once I had one I felt restriction, then eventually as weeks passed I would be able to consume more INITIALLY..but eventually that too will subside, that is what people refer to as THE SWEET SPOT.You get a fill and your able to eat your protein/meal and your satisfied for 4-5 hrs, until your next meal.
Try to differentiate between HEAD HUNGER and REAL HUNGER.
Do something else if you can when this feeling hits, walk, read, whatever it takes.

I know there are some of us, including myself, that get frustrated with the scale and really need other tangible benchmarks. I was at a place where I just felt like, "only 45 pounds so far':..."I have so much more to lose." It seemed daunting to me. I couldn't see how far I had come. For those of you who want to know what 45 pounds looks like. Here it is. And it is impressive!!

I just wanted to say I am from Texas area An this sight has been a true blessing to me. I am to be banded on April 2 in Houston. A big thanks to everyone who post comments an seem to help all of us newbies. I am ready for my new life to begin an hope you all will be with me on my journey as well !!! Thanks again so much