Banded Bob

Do the 5 day pouch test and look in to south beach. It works and you have a variety of foods you can eat that taste great. Also eat sugar free sweets. Breyers fudge bars are awesome. Remember we had surgery to lose weight. That tells us that we know we have a problem and want to fix it. Find a local support group. Your doctor may offer one or be able to steer you to one. It is hard and alot of us have slipped back into our old ways. Just refocus and keep your eye on the prize. Make your desire to be thin stronger than your desire to eat.

Down 12 pounds in 11 days. I encourage everyone to look in to south beach. It's tough until you get used to it then it gets easier. And the food you can eat is what bandsters are supposed to be eating anyway. The spinach quiche are very good. I am feeling more encouraged and motivated each day. Removing the carbs and sugars has given me renewed energy and I have started being more active again. For anyone else in my situation, don't give up, do the pouch test and try south beach. Get greedy for the compliments. I am looking forward to people telling me how thin I'm looking and asking me how much I've lost again.

Thanks everyone. I did the pouch test and have been following the south beach diet since I was able to add food. My pouch is good I don't think I could handle a fill. I had a hard boiled egg and it was all my pouch could handle and I felt full for hours. I have dropped a few pounds already and am really feeling encouraged. I have a trip coming up in august and have set a goal to be under 250# by then. I'll keep this thread updated on my progress.

I cannot seem to get myself on track. I had lost nearly a hundred pounds with the band and was feeling and looking better than I had in years. I guess I thought I could cheat a little and that quickly spiraled out of control. I have gained 70 pounds back and have abandoned the band completely. I drink with meals to wash the food down and eat all the wrong foods. I get up every day intending to get back on track but always fail. I am really struggling and have to find a way to put things right. Any help/encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

You may have caused your band to slip. You might want to see your doctor and make sure.

How long since the fill? Usually you go on liquids only for a couple days then mushies then whole food. when you get a fill (and when you overeat) the stomach swells so there is extra restriction. You should take it slow and work back up to whole foods. Chew very well (30 chews per bite, small bites).

Most overweight people complain of being hot all the time but I am the opposite. I am cold most of the time especially my hands and feet. When I check my temperature it's usually 2 or 3 degrees under 98.6. If I exercise or do something physical I warm up but then get cold again when at rest. Anyone else experience this?

Food addictions are quite real. Calling it overeating addictions is the same thing. We crave food the way an alcoholic craves a drink. It gives us our comfort. Our getaway. It's our way of dealing with life's stresses. The difference is, we have to eat. We can't "quit" like an alcoholic or a smoker. Our addiction is necessary to our survival. So we must approach our addiction differently. We must learn to control it rather than avoid it. I doubt there's anyone here who hasn't backslid at some point. And there are those like me who completely lost control and are struggling to regain it. I read a post on here advising another who had lost control. It said "you don't want to go the rest of your life being a failure at this". It slapped me across the face like nothing I've heard. it's a struggle we all deal with and there are some fine people here who offer their advice and encouragement. But ultimately it is ourselves who must make the right choices. We CAN do this. We must! Our very lives are at stake! Allow yourself a treat now and then. eat something decadent. or give in to your craving, but in moderation. Don't beat yourself up too badly while waiting to get back to your sweet spot. However, remember all you've gone through to lose all that weight. Do you really want to sabotage yourself and put it all back? Dig down and find that inner strength. Find something to take your mind off food. Boredom is the enemy. Good luck.

Hi Kelley, Congratulations on your weight loss so far and putting yourself first. Motivation is something a lot of us struggle with. I have made a thousand excuses to not exercise. Tired, too busy the list goes on and on. head hunger is another demon. I find myself in the kitchen when I'm not hungry. I was at a support group seminar and the speaker talked on food addiction. I didn't believe him then but have come to realize he was spot on. Food is where I seek my solace. I think the key is to find something to take the place of food. A hobby or something to keep yourself occupied. Also get greedy for the compliments. I can remember how good it felt to hear how great I looked or how thin. And how disappointing it was when it became "are you still losing weight?" or when the compliments stopped altogether. You are on the road to becoming a new you. Don't let anything or anyone stand in your way or hold you back. Good luck in having a child. Your life will be forever changed as there is nothing like it. Love will have a new meaning afterward. Take care, Bob

Try to portion small meals concentrating on proteins. take small bites and chew well. you might want to keep a sick bag handy just in case since you are a bus driver.

Glad you finally can see some results and have a positive attitude. The thing to remember is the lap band is a tool. It is not a guarantee that you will lose weight. The reason the diet pill industry is so big is because everyone is looking for the magic bean that will enable them to lose weight with no effort on their part. I too have been searching for that magic. I dropped 100 lbs after getting banded and thought I finally had the beast under control. I was wrong. If we don't make proper food choices and lifestyle choices the band or any other weight loss aid will not help us. We all know how to cheat the band. And we all know that Ice Cream doesn't get stuck. I am now working to right the ship after regaining most of the lost weight. I want to get back to all the positive comments I was getting and away from the "what happened" comments. I want to be proud of how I look and not trying to find clothes that hide my gut. I want to be able to climb a set of stairs without getting winded. I want to be around to see my kids and grand kids grow up. In order to do that I must regain control of my life. I must say no when someone offers me cake. I must say no to going to a fast food restaurant. I must say yes to renewing my gym membership. I must say yes when asked to go for a walk. The band is a wonderful tool and I don't regret getting it. I just have to learn to use it properly again. Let's all make 2011 the year we finally slayed the demons!

I think complacency is the key. As you get near your goal you trick yourself into believing you can make poor food choices and still be okay. But that is not the case. when we make poor choices our bodies take the extra calories and store them as fat because our bodies still haven't adjusted to a lower calorie diet. We don't have the luxury of a metabolism that burns off anything we eat. Our bodies have trained themselves to store all the calories they can. so its a personal war with our bodies to keep the fat off. Add cravings to the mix and it really becomes a battle to stay on track. Hang in there and keep fighting. We can all win this fight!

Hi frici, I am just up the road from you in LaVergne. Where were you banded? Baptist has a support group for it's patients. I only went to one meeting, but learned a lot and enjoyed it.

maybe bled wasn't the best choice of words. the doc said over time some of the saline can leak out somehow. I'm sure I don't have a hole or anything because it's been a couple weeks and it's still the same.

Don't know why the nurse would tell you that. Drinking would allow you to eat more not less. You may have some swelling or less likely your band has slipped. try going on liquids for a couple days and then slowly introducing soft foods back in.