stept04

I think it is withdraws as well. I told you I was going to bed at 8:30pm because I could NOT stand myself. Just do what they tell you and if you need me call. And if you need to call your Dr office, that is what we pay them for> Good luck and I am here for you if you need me!

I agree with the others, it sounds like your body is going through withdrawal shock. It will definitely pass as your body gets used to it but it will likely be rough a couple days.
One other possibility- do you ever have blood sugar issues? If you're drastically cutting carbs, your blood sugar could be bottoming out and making you feel the way you describe.

I have to be on a high Protein low carb diet before I go on liquids a week before my surgery. He said not to worry about calories I'm just suppose to eat healthy. I have a problem with portions so I put myself on 1800 calories a day. But I wasn't dropping any weight. So I dropped the calories to 1200 a day. I'm not hungry really just at night a little. I'm drinking my 8 glasses of Water a day, and exercising. I noticed though that I don't feel good I have a headache and kind of sick to my stomach not bad just feel like all this is effecting me possibly, is that normal? I have not watched what I eaten in years, not a water drinker and no exercise to think of for 25 yrs. Does going through these changes effect the way you feel I've been doing this for a week? Will it go away? Or should I add the calories back even though I'm not really hungry? Or should I just not worry about it until I get banded. The dietitian says not to worry about calories even after my banding. BTW I think I'm addicted to carbs could this be like withdraws or something?Thanks for any feedback.

Headaches can be from withdrawals of carbs (or even caffeine). I know for me it took 4/5 days to get over the carb withdrawals. My dietician said that "carbs are our crack, your body reacts when you don't get them" Lol. I thought it was funny at the time, but it's true I did deal weak/tired with the occasional headache. It gets better though! I promise!

it could be the change in what you eat. i felt terrible stopping sugar and caffein. The best thing you can do is to continue to drink Water and work on increasing. Any major changes in nutrition can give you withdrawl symptoms.

So today is my one year bandiversary! I thought I would Celebrate by writing a post on here. First off let me start by saying this has been the best year of my life! I had almost walked out of the surgery because I was scared and didn't want to go through with it, thank goodness I didn’t! As of today I am down 135 lbs and have went from a BMI of 58.2 down to a BMI of 38.4. I still have a long way to go, but wow what a journey! I thought I would share some highlights:

I was able to get a new job that I enjoy much more and make at least 25% more pay! Losing weight made me more confident and I am doing really well at my new job!


I am now wearing clothes that I haven’t worn since high school! Yes, I kept them hoping that someday they would fit again, and guess what some of them are starting to get big on me!


I love when I catch a glimpse in the mirror and wonder who that person is, because I don’t recognize myself! I also happened to be flipping through some pictures and of a wedding my wife and I recently attended and I saw a guy standing next to her and started getting jealous because she was standing so close to him, then I realized it was me..haha!


On the Disney cruise that my wife and I took to Celebrate the first 100lbs that I lost I was able to get on the waterslide and not feel ashamed or worried about getting stuck! I also was able to keep up easily on the excursions and do many things I never thought I would before, like mountain biking through the rainforest!


I only told my family and one close friend, and didn’t even tell them right away. I still don’t feel comfortable with people knowing that I had lapband surgery or how much weight I have lost. The reason I don’t tell people about the surgery is because I feel like people take away from all the hardwork that I have done. I have been working out twice a day now for over 8 months. I earned this weight loss, but all one has to do is look at a story like the new Jersey Govener and all the comments about it to see that people really seem to chastise you if you “take the easy way out” by having weight loss surgery. The only thing that I feel bad about in not disclosing the help that I have gotten from the lapband is that friends of mine who were also overweight may now think that I did this all on my own. I don’t share my weight loss because I am embarrassed by how much I weighed, that I let myself get so bad. I do plan that if someday I hit my goal of 200lbs lost, I will share that! I’m hoping that I’m able to do that by this time next year.

Thank you all for reading and being there when I’ve need support. If anyone would like help, or wants to talk about any issue, I feel like I have enough experience that I would be happy to share or help support someone else in their journey. I wanted to leave you with my favorite comment from a college buddy that I ran into recently, he hadn’t seen me in about 2 years. “Wow, you look great, did you Sh%t out another person?” Made my day!!

I actually eat ground beef a lot. I make things like mostaccioli, spaghetti, casseroles, tacos, etc. I just use lean cuts (90% lean) and make sure it's really moist. As long as it's not dry I don't have any problems with it.

I have had a chopped steak but only ate about 2 oz.. you have to make sure it has moistness.. I had some mushroom Soup on it.. I have also eaten sirloin steak but very small pieces and chew, chew , chew.. I do eat fish and chicken (dark meat) more than beef... I doubt I could eat a big mac even if I wanted it...

Yea, I have just started adding Water into my diet, 2 liters a day. I keep a bottle that hold 8 glasses of water in it by my side all day, but I find that it makes me feel full and bloated and almost nauseated. I guess it is just a matter of getting use to it. I can down decaffeinated tea with sweetener with no problem, but I'm trying to get use to drinking actual water because it seems like any little thing gets in the way of me losing, as in the sweeteners. Such a bummer.

I don't personally tolerate beef well post banding, but I've never been a big beef eater to begin with. I will on rare occasion eat a bit of chopped steak at a restaurant, but the dry texture is a problem for me.
If you mean a HAMBURGER hamburger with bun and the whole 9 yards, no way, nah uh, not happening. I don't do bread at all, and I can't see the point in all the fat and calories.

Dear Lap Band,
I just want to start off by Apologizing for Not Listening to You and Eat Something so Big that You could Not Tolerate and it Got Stuck Yesterday.
I have Learned to Listen to You and Chew My food properly Because If I Don't You Can Make My Life a Living Hell and Make Me Never Forget It!!
I Cried, I Yell, I Screamed, and Then I Vomit, No Matter What It Did, It Only Got Worse Until You Finally Forgave Me and Gave Me Peace By Letting What Ever I Ate To Upset You Go Down!!
I Honor Our Friendship so Today I am Giving you Rest! Yes Nothing But Liquids!!
Sorry Once Again Lap Band!! Your Only Trying To Help Me Not Hurt Me!!
Laughing as I Write This Note, Sure Hope it Made You Laugh Also!!
​Listen to Your Lap Bands!! It could Get Angry!!!Love All of You!!! Happy Friday!!!!

Hello donna.
First of all let me start by telling you this- You are a brave and wonderful woman. I have absolutely nothing but the utmost respect for you. Your opening up like this takes courage and guts that most people on the planet do not possess. DO NOT EVER DOUBT THAT YOU ARE A BRAVE AND AMAZING PERSON!!!!!
Life is exactly that. Life. It has its ups, and its downs. And right now you are in a down. God I want to just go give you a big hug right now. What you are going through is so hard. And you have more courage than most people I know.
And for sake of honesty I will share my story. I used to be a very happy person. But much like you I had things happen that totally put me in a not so great place. My wife came to me asking for me to help her parents by taking them in. Financially they were having issues. I fought it and fought it until I finally wore down and caved. So now I take in her parents, and it just starts going bad. They complain about everything. They fight me about everything. Its a disaster. I tried to explain to my wife the problems that would come with it but she didnt want to see it. Her sister soon starts having problems in her marriage. We come to find out that she has been stepping out on her husband. Not having affairs mind you, but going on line and setting up meeting spots with strangers. Husband found out and ofcourse it didnt end well. ( I want it known that I in no way judge her for any choices she made. She is her own person and has to answer to no one other than herself). So now they seperate. And where does she go to? Her family of course. So now I have her move in. Its an ugly seperation. But unfortunately it didnt last long. Two months into it she called me and said he didnt go to work or show up for his visit with his daughter. And I knew instantly. I told her to stay home, and i went to his house. I found his body that afternoon.
So now I have my sister in law and her beautiful daughter living with me as well. ( not to mention her dog and three cats that did not yet take to my dog and two cats or my mother in laws dog. Yep, Its a zoo) One week to the day my father in law passed. I felt horrible for my son. At the age of 10 he lost his favorite uncle and his POP POP. The grandfather. I will never forget the words coming out of his mouth. " Dad, why is everyone I know dying?" it was heart breaking. And having to discuss and explain suicide to a 10 year old is truly one of the hardest moments of my life. Now top this off with my mother. She has been sick for a few years with a mental illness. Which ended with her being committed after a few failed suicide attempts. My life really is a soap opera.
So I started failing on my diet as well. Stopped going to the doctor. Stopped watching what i was eating. And started to gain back weight. I was a miserable person. My marriage was taking hits left and right. And i realized I wasnt even living anymore. Just existing. I didnt want to go home. There were nights I'd just sit in my car, numb. I felt lost. And really just, well lost is a good way to describe it. I was not suicidal. I just wasnt really living.
I decided one day that I really needed to get my life together. I heard something that really struck me. CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS AND THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT CHANGE. I'm not sure why it struck me so hard, but it did. And I realized that it was only me holding myself back. That only I was responsible for myself. And that if I didnt fix my life nobody else would. And it is at that moment I started to live. I went back on my diet. I started to see and find joy in things. I felt better and started smiling more.
Things at home havent really changed much. Some nights its good, and some nights its bad. The way I see it if the better nights out number the worse, you're doing ok. I started to feel happy again.
I made a few new friends. And one in particular really impacted me. This person opened my eyes to just how happy life could be. How special life is, and how to live again. How to be accountable. How not to judge. How there are people out there that care about others and not just themselves. I will always be indebted to that person for helping me in a time of need.
Donna, you are not alone in this. I know you feel lost. But you must remember that you are not alone. There is a strong support staff here. Wonderful people that will always be there and support you. You MUST talk to your doctor about all of this. About everything. They are only there to help you. I also can not stress this enough. You need to see a doctor about your stress issues. Your personal problems. I have had to deal with five suicides in the last 2 years, as well as some failed attempts. Depression is a very real and very dangerous thing. I implore you to seek some professional help. Your eating issues are purely a mental coping mechanism. Please seek some help. It is a dangerous area to go into without the help of true trained professionals. I am not one. I am a police officer who has just seen this one too many times. I plead with you. Talk to your doctor.
Donna, thank you for having the courage to post your message. You will not be judged by us. EVER. And you are not alone. You can do this!!!!!!

Donna that's a lot to go through, and making these big changes isn't that easy since we are human and use to eating a certain way for so long. Don't put yourself down. I know I'm new to this since I was just banded on May 1st so I don't know if my advise is the best, I do know that I will have cravings and want things to. I decide that I would learn how to make my own deserts with Splenda and healthier ingredients so I can still enjoy something. pineapple cooked with a little sugar free vanilla ice cream is good, my sister gave me that idea. I will also allow myself to enjoy something I like one or two days out of the month, just smaller portions and I will workout. I think you just need to make some adjustments and allow yourself a day or two a month to enjoy something you like just in a smaller portion or modified. I know when I can finally eat again I will be cooking different things that I would eat out and get, but instead I will make them healthier. I'm sure I will have a whole cookbook in a few months...lol... You can do it and keep your head up!!!

Hey, just getting a band doesn't mean that all your food demons suddenly disappear. i still love chocolate as much today as I ever did. Give me a choice between chocolate and real food and I'll take the chocolate anyday. The problem with the band is that it doesn't stop you from eating the type of foods that you eat in secret. They are sliders and they go down really easily.
There are a couple of things I think you need to do:-
Be honest with your Dr, hopefully he will refer you to someone that can help you.
Allow yourself your forbidden foods but in small quantities. foods that are forbidden are far more attractive and have so much more power over us than foods that are allowed.
try not to have foods in the house that you know you cannot stay away from- if you have to go out to buy them it makes it a lot harder
And don't be so tough on yourself, none of us are perfect.

Just wanted to say good luck to you both.

Ok this was the right place. My internet went down in the middle of me typing then I lost my way when I got back. I'm so done

Thanks for sharing. I just bought it off e-bay for 10.99, not bad. I have not been banded yet that happens May 28th so I am going to keep this book around and try it when I hit a plateau. Really grateful you posted about it.

As many of you know, I was stuck for more than a month. I was monitoring my calories, getting in all my Protein and exercising, yet the scale didn't budge. I know, plateaus are normal, but they still suck. Around the time the plateau hit I also started taking birth control pills. I even gained 2 pounds, which for me was the deal breaker. I had to find a way to break the plateau and start losing again.
So I started researching. Low carb, high carb, no carb, etc. I see so many variations on here! What's right? What's wrong? I already knew it was a matter of choice without a clear right or wrong answer, but I also knew individual body needs also played a very big part in it. During my research I kept coming across something called carb cycling, so I decided to look more into it.
Carb cycling is essentially trying to optimize your metabolism by alternating high and low carb days. Body builders often do this to build muscle and burn fat before a contest but it's also very helpful for weight loss. Then one day I turned on Doctor Oz...and wouldn't you know it... it was an episode on carb cycling. Chris Powell, of The Biggest Loser, was on his show talking about he has all the contestants on the show carb cycle and how he does it. For me, this was the point I decided to give carb cycling a try.
Chris Powell's method is specifically for weight loss so I decided to go with his (there's many out there). He has an excellent book called “Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution”.
His theory: No carb diets don't work. It's not sustainable long term and eventually it significantly slows the metabolism. Worse, people who cut out carbs usually end up gaining all their weight back and then some when they do suddenly reintroduce carbs. Carbs are the energy block of the body and a long term lack of carbs will cause the thyroid to slow down significantly.
7 day diet/carb cycling: High carb day followed by low carb day, alternating daily. Start on a high carb day and always eat within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning. Always limit or omit carbs after 6pm.
All this is within your own personal daily calorie allowance.
High carb day/energy day:
Preferably complex carbs. Protein, low fat. unlimited veggies.

Low carb day/burn day:
A little carb in the morning to boost metabolism
Cut carbs the rest of the day.
Protien, healthy fats, unlimited veggies

3 of each/low carb and high carb. 7th day is cheat day
Cheat day:
Boost calories to boost metabolism
Boost to no more than 1000 extra calories a day
Cheat at Breakfast and lunch, not dinner. 6-12pm “behave”
Cheat at a table. Not in a car, or at a sofa, etc. No “hypno binging”
No leftovers allowed.

Mind you, this is the short version of all this. If this interests you, I'd strongly suggest buying his book for a better understanding. It's very enlightening.
...So this is what I've done for the last week. I am very happy to say, carb cycling broke my plateau, despite still being on the birth control pill too. I lost 5.4 pounds this week!
I have decided I am going to continue to carb cycle. I am not a fan of the low carb days, but I am getting more used to them. Plus, I find my "carb cravings" have all but disappeared since starting this- something I didn't think possible.
For me, it's working. I just thought I'd share the results of my little self experiment

One thing I tell my self every day is this did NOT happen over night so the wight will NOT come off over night. I have to work at it everyday. Use my NEW tool eat right, work out, and take BETTER care of ME!

Hey Stept04,
Think about it like this... The band(as is all WLS) is simply a tool. For example, I need reading classes or I can't really read - its too blurry. If you hand me a stack of books and my reading glasses the books don't get read by me simply putting the glasses on - I still have to "do the work". The good news is that I can read as MANY books as I want to ... The Lapband is the same way. You will be able to "read" the books with the help of the tool of the Lapband. MEANING... You know have your vision corrected to 20/20 like everyone else BUT you still have to follow a balanced food plan make smart healthy decisions EXERCISE and determine a way for food to no longer m
be how you Celebrate and/or commiserate, life's successes and challenges.
ACTUALLY because the Lapband is the only "dynamic" WLS out there you have an even better chance of long term success as you can adjust it etc...
I have LOST 280 lbs , All Diseases reversed - I was given two years to live and was on oxygen READ my story on my profile to learn more.
Hope in Your Future is Power in Your Present!
Lee
ACE Certified Personal Trainer & Health Coach

based a lot on the person, their weight, their physical (their want power) etc.. my dr told me to do my best and not worry about losing (numbers)..and he is right..as long as you are losing, who cares how much.

It's completely up to you and how much you commit to it.

I was told by my doctor 50%-60% of your needed weight loss. It wasn't as much as gastric bypass and can be slower. I am down 60 pounds and had my surgery the end of November (almost 6 months). I took my first 50 off within 3 months but have been stuck for the past 6 weeks and have found things slowing down. You CAN take off more than 50 pounds I think you are just going to have to work for it with diet and exercise like every other person. The lap band is a weight loss tool but it is up to you how you want to use it. I have seen many people on this site who have taken of 100+ pounds so it is doable. Good luck!!

It seems from reading the forum and from what my Dr. says, 50 pounds is about the expected weight loss with the band. I need to loose 125 to not be obese. I have read a lot of post in here though where people have lost a lot more than that. I'm trying to understand how this works. Does it just depend on the person, or does it depend on how you work with the band? Do you reach a certain amount and just stop period, or do you drop so much and then have to really work to get the rest off? I' m not trying to say you don't have to do the work from the beginning, I'm just saying does a certain amount come off easier and then if you need to lose more it will take a great deal more effort. I'm all in either way, I was just concerned if there is a % you lose,like 50 pounds and that is it for some people. Thanks for any replies. I'm getting banded the 28th of May.

I did. I wanted the band but I believe it was the surgery itself that scared me. I had tried everything to lose the weight but the most would be 10-15 lbs. I would go to the gym 4-5 days a week. I would tone up but still not lose weight. I second guessed myself up until they came to get me for the surgery. My husband told me if you don't go through with it now you will regret it tomorrow and everyday after. I knew he was right. It is the best thing I have done for myself. I know I am not losing as fast as some but am happy with what I have lost so far on my journey. Whatever you decide I hope it goes well for you.