gowalking

I eat 3 oz Protein at each meal...along with 1/2 cup of veggies and 1/4 cup of carbs. We're all living on small portions. If the band is working for you correctly, this is enough food to eat. And no...I don't get enough protein so I supplement with Protein powder..and I've been suffering from hair loss due to this along with insufficient calories. It is also why we are all on Multivitamins and other supplements in order to remain healthy. This does not mean we are weak and unable to function. Many of us are functioning better than ever due to our weight loss and have more energy as well because we are not carrying around so much extra weight. Please find out if there are any seminars in your area so you can speak with someone about your concerns. I understand how you feel. If you are not banded, it's hard to imagine feeling satisfied on a fraction of the amount of food you are likely consuming currently. All I can say again, is that with the band, it is very doable and not that difficult once you have the correct restriction.

Victories come in all different ways. I am doing well with weight loss but I cannot run for the life of me...the arthritis is way too severe for that. I can't wait until I can do even a tenth of what you accomplished so be proud of yourself, you earned it!

Hi nursejen. i eat out alot and all I can say is fish, fish, and more fish. it goes down easy and is usually a good healthy choice as long as it's not fried and if there is any sauce, it's on the side so you can add it yourself. Enjoy!!

great job so far. keep up the good work!

It's so great to try on clothes that you fit into when you don't expect it. Enjoy the dress and enjoy Vegas.

Hey dawalsh, your doctor sounds like an a**hole. He wasn't calling the lapband a failure, he was calling you a failure. I'd look for another doctor because he's a jerk.

That's the attitude that will make it work for you my dear. Read the success stories on this forum. They will inspire you as they have inspired me. I'm just like everyone else on this forum..struggling daily with temptation. The band works by satisfying your hunger just enough to take a moment to decide not to eat something you shouldn't or to make a healthier choice. That's all there is to it believe it or not. And just so you are aware, I've been banded since January 14th and including my preop diet, have lost 79 lbs. so far. My BMI has gone from just over 50 to 35. That means I've gone from morbidly obese to just plain overweight. No one stares at me anymore. No one makes comments anymore. I wouldn't go back to the way I was for all the tea in China...or all the food I used to be able to stuff into my face. Again, good luck to you and keep us posted.

Hi Smiley. Here's the best suggestion I can give you. The preop diet is not about losing weight, it's about shrinking the liver. If you are not following the diet, you might find yourself waking up from surgery without the band. If your liver is still too fatty, the surgeon might not band you. We all have the same issue as you do...will power and control. If we had it, we wouldn't be fat. I'm not trying to be mean here but you need to understand that if you are cheating already, you may not succeed. Think about why you are being banded, and how it will make your life better. Focus on that and follow the rules and I guarantee you that a year from now, you will be a different person. Good luck on your weight loss journey.

are you tracking calories? are you exercising? have you spoken to the nut? March is a long time on a plateau..are you close to goal? those last few lbs. are often the hardest to lose.

shame on your doctor for not providing specific instructions. there are different preop diets depending on what your doctor recommends. call the office and get detailed instructions for both the pre and post op diets.

looking gooood!!

you look great minime!

congrats and welcome to the other side!

Great post Westie. Truly inspiring. I can so relate to the hair loss. I am banded 7 months and down 78 lbs. I noticed scalp the other day and freaked out. Have started the biotin and iron and protein powder. Hope it reverses sooner than later.

Hang in there Mz. This and the post op time period are the most difficult. Think about the rewards coming your way when the temptation seems impossible to deal with. Look at the before and after pics on this site. I know it sounds silly but looking at other people's successes can motivate you.

Hi backpacking. Welcome to banded life. I'm not a veteran bandster but have been banded for 7 months so I can at least tell you what restriction feels like to me. I am not at all aware of the band or a feeling of restriction as food goes down. What restriction feels like to me is the feeling of satiety after eating my band sized portions. Even if I still feel a little hungry after I eat, the satiety kicks in shortly and I usually am good for several hours until the next meal. I am one of the few who is having success without any fills so I can't give you feedback that those with fills can but I at least wanted to let you know my definition of restriction. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

60% is an average. As CG says, the more you put into it, the more successful you can be. I've exceeded the 'average' weight loss and expect to reach my weight goal..or at least come close. I'll likely need some plastic surgery and until that happens, I'll carry some extra weight due to the loose skin.

Hi kbel. I posted before and during pictures on August 6th and titled it 'OK, here goes...'. If you search that title you will see my post. The during pic is me 78 lbs. down. I hope to lose another 35-40. You look great by the way. What a difference!

Good post Loretta. This is a life change and the cheating only sets one up for failure. Regarding your calorie count and weight loss, 600 calories is low and your body might be in starvation mode. Just remember that these first weeks,, the goal is to heal and let the weight loss come later. Don't focus on the scale, just focus on getting over the trauma of the surgery. Good luck to you and Kiley.

Congrats and good luck. Are you doing a preop diet? if yes, you should check with the doctor to confirm the surgery is on so you can be compliant with pre surgical requirements

My doctor never said anything about how much she wanted me to lose as she explained that the diet was to shrink the liver, not shrink me. Having said that however, I still lost 17 lbs. on the preop diet just based on how restricted it was.

sorry to hear it did not go well Nailpro. The NUT at my doctor's office was pretty wothless also...and skinny. How can a skinny person understand, sympathize, empathize?? I got more info on this site than from her. I can tell you that she said basically to eat 3 oz. protein, 1/2 cup veggies and 1/4 cup carbs. I basically do that, track everything in the myfitnesspal ap (staying at around 1,000 daily calories) and it's working for me. I hope the other NUT helps you more than this one.

Good luck Red bird. You sound like you are ready and committed to this journey and I expect you will be very successful and find those goals you've written down will surely come true.

LOL Terry! What I was getting at was that this kid was no slender running back...he was defense for sure...a big kid...and still I thought he might be OK sitting next to me.

Sorry for the length of this post but this is really important for me. I don't want to say this is a NSV because it's more like a seismic shift in my perception and the reality of my new body. I was on the train last night heading home from work. Across from me was a rather large woman. There was an empty seat next to her..or should I say an empty 2/3rds of a seat. No one was in it for obvious reasons and I remember well no one sitting next to me either when I was much heavier. Well, a young man who looked like he probably played football for his high school team sat next to her and was sitting on the edge of the seat as he could not fit comfortably into it. I thought about it for a moment (would he be able to sit next to me any more comfortably?) and decided to give it a shot so I moved my workbag which was on the seat next to me and made a small motion to him to change seats. I tried to be very subtle about it as I did not want to make the woman feel bad but I truly felt for the young man. Well, he saw me move my bag and switched seats. He slipped into the seat with no issues and while we were close, no one was squeezing into the seat like he was doing next to the other lady. For me, this was a huge change in my thinking. First off, I got that someone could sit next to me comfortably, and second, it was confirmed as the young man didn't hesitate to move so it was pretty clear that he also felt that he could sit next to me comfortably. Now understand, this is not a knock against the other woman, this is about me...and seeing more and more how while I am still overweight, I'm slipping into normalcy in terms of how I see myself, and how others see me as well. I'm really starting to see myself as not the morbidly obese person I was before starting this journey. What a sense of discovery and wonder this is for me. It's so worth it and every time I think how much I want to eat something that has too many or empty calories, I think about what feels better...these types of observations, or a full belly. I think you all know what feels better to me.