Jachut

Donna, you dont have a band yet. You've done amazingly, but you havent done this for two or three years at a stretch and you have no idea yet what eating with real restriction feels like. And you WILL need real restriction one day becuase like everyone here, unless you are the one in a million statistic, you will regain weight eventually because that's just how it is. Getting the right restriction is really hard because people want the band to do it all - hey, we're only human. We dont want to be ABLE to eat the wrong foods, we dont want to feel hungry EVER and we'd all really just like to be able to abdicate the responsibility for our health and rely on the band to do it. But if you cant eat meat or healthy foods, you're too tight. You need Fluid out, but that will allow more food in, or maybe some foods that yu now cant eat and dont want to be able to. Many people find that they get too tight and start to live on slider foods and the weight loss stops or slows or gains even occur. I'm agreement that we shouldnt eat the junk in the first place, of course, but we're all human.

Well, I would agree with you. I dont think I quite have the metabolism of a snail, but something sure doesnt add up and I'm glad I have my band. I weigh 140lb at 5ft 10, quite slim, yeah, but a healthy weight, near the bottom of my range. I eat about 1800 calories a day to maintain that weight - so I'm not complaining,that's an OK deal. But I need a lapband to stay within that calorie range. I also run an hour some days or do a spin class and a body pump class the other days. I'm very active. All the charts say I shoudl be eating 2,500 to 2800 calories a day! At the very least, you'd think I coudl eat the 2000 to 2200 recommended for the average woman. But there's no way I can eat that much and not gain. I'm not sure where the weight gain would stop, whether I'd be heavier but still in the healthy range or whether I'd become overweight again, but I dont care to find out either. I certainly know I got obese on somethign like 2,500 a day - I wasnt a binge eater, didnt eat amounts that seemed huge compared to other peple by any stretch of the imagination. What I wonder though is which came first? Did I get fat because my metabolism was slower than it shoudl be or am do I now need to stick to a fairly limited, low calorie diet to maintain my weight precisely BECAUSE I have lost a lot of weight through long standing calorie deprivation? I suspect it is the latter. Once you've cut calories as low as we tend to do for a long time, you cant eat like a normal person ever again. Your body is just conditioned to run on much less. I certainly eat less and do more than my 120lb sister.

I drink water during and after, thats it. I truly find it senseless to eat before and after a workout unless it was mealtime anyway. The whole point is to create calorie deficit for weight loss! Ive never run out of energy - again the whole point is to force your body to burn stored fat so why provide more fuel? Unless your reasons for exercise are not wight loss of course. I have taken on energy during very long runs and made sure to eat well that day, but 45 minutes on a gym machine is not a level of work that requires sports supplements.

The thing is, you do change over time, or you should if you put in the work. Everyone is different, and it may not be the same for each of us. I didnt say it was doing nothing or that it was like i was never banded because it still controls portion size very well and it decreases hunger and appetite but you lose awareness of that. If it didnt do that im sure i would have gained. But i also had to be unfilled for nine months and managed to not gain because i ave a new perception of what appropriate portions are, im used to analysing urges to eat and weighing up whether i really need to or not and ive mostly overcome my addiction to sugary white carbs AND im capable of running 10k a day which helps an awful lot. But for me, it was a definite honeymoon of an easy first year after which it settled to a tool that required more effort. Id do it a hundred times over anyway, its doing something because im fairly sure i didnt turn into a person that could lose 120 lb for good overnight. And no decent doctor would ever tell a patient tjis was anything other than a tool. Unfortunately, whether you go bavk to a life of disease and obesity is down to YOU as much as it is the band. Many people are tight but live on chocolate and icecream and stay fat, but you havent chosen to do that so why be so negative about ypur own abilities?

I take the gel caps, I've taken ibuprofen tablets before and suffered horrible pain and burning in my pouch. But the gel caps are basically like taking a liquid. Sometimes you need an anti-inflammatory and paracetamol just doesnt cut it. But be aware, not only is ibuprofen bad for banded people because of the issue of it sitting in your pouch, its bad for ALL people because it can cause ulcers and GI bleeding in anybody, at all. When I needed to take it for some knee pain whilst I has having chemo, my oncologist was suprirsed that I'd been told not to take it (but he's no band expert) but he gave me a script for nexium and said if I took that at the same time, it shouldnt be an issue. Personally, I had medication and there was no way I'd take one medicine just so that I could take another (unless it was somenthing lifesaving). I'd rather put up with mild pain!

At first, like B-52 has said, I didnt find the band a "tool" either. For probably the first year, I found it surgically induced weight loss that I helped along by doing the right things, but I would have lost weight, anyway. I couldnt have helped it. I had very little real hunger, I had an appetite,but a very small one, I wasnt interested in eating between meals. Over time, despite getting more fills, I'm not sure whether that really waned, or whether my perception of it changed, I became less aware that the band was doing something and found it more work to continue losing. But that has a lot to do with the fact that I was 80lb lighter and already well under a BMI of 30, so that to lose more, I really had to 'diet'. Early on, it was very simply eat less, move more and the weight will pour off. I've now been banded six years. Head hunger, inappropriate appetite returned for me, despite fill levels. I'm the same old person, put cake before me, I'll want to eat it. Ive been forced over the years to really work on some habits like that - and the band doesnt help it - but at the same time, the band gives you a safety net. You dont have to be perfect, like if I do eat that cake, I cant eat dinner due to the band. I'm too full. That's not necessarily healthy, but it controls calories which at the end of the day, is what losing weight is all about. You finish the weight loss phase (and I never unfilled, my weight loss just got slower and slower till it stopped, and I maintained on that fill level), you dont go back to regular eating like you would have done. You keep your band, so you keep the banded lifestyle and amazingly, the weight doesnt go back on. Christmas, birthdays etc are big days, you eat more, you drink a bit of alcohol but its not enough to cause a 5lb weight gain, its incredible. I spoke about perception and mine is that now, I'd call myself a normal person with normal appetites who just eats a bit less than normal. But in reality, the band is still doing more for me than that. I notice that people all eat Snacks between meals, their meals are what I consider huge, they dont worry about adding dessert when they eat out, they drink calories, I do none of that becuase the band doesnt let me and has taught me not to see it as normal. Its a tool - it really is - after the honeymoon of a year or so, it does take a lot more work and a lot of your old self creeps back in, but its a totally workable tool that is easy to use if you have the right mindset - and that mindset develops over time.

This is entirely normal - the thing is as you approach perfect restriction, your fills will last longer and longer, and wont seem to "stop working". But if you're like me, I've ALWAYS had that experience - great restriction for a few days and then it lessens - but what it lessens to does increase over time. Eventually you get to the point where you wont need fills for a year or more.

Sorry for the spelling, phon typing!

Well, i guess if youre going to take teo adults a day just check the fat soluble vitamns in them ( thats a , d, e and k), those are th ones you can od on and hve toxic effects. An d foe those taking childrens vitamins be aware that they often won cntain a full spectrum of minerals, things like selenium are really important in fighting cancer and are often absent in childrens formulas because they are toxic in excess. Also if you need iron, ake it separately, its pointless havin it in a multi since an calcium n the formula ill block its absorption, you should tak iron and your multi hours apart.

Oh, yes, that mindless popping something in your mouth can be VERY disastrous. Its easy to be mindful when you sit down to eat a meal, but much easier to not think about popping something in your mouth and just swallowing it. I got into major trouble with a Calcium pill yesterday, dont normally have trouble, but it just went down a bit wrong and all day I had a very sharp pain at my band with every swallow of even liquid. thankfully its gone today.

I get so much pride and joy out of the smallest things that exercise gives me - for instance, I have unfortunately beein in and out of hospitals SO much this year, exercise sure didnt stop me getting cancer (but statisticaly, it WILL minimise the chances of recurrence) but I love getting my blood pressure and pulse taken - everyone always is amazed at ninety someting on fifty something and a pulse of 44, and comments that I'm either already dead or very fit. I like knowing that at least if my digestive system is genetically doomed, I can fight it with my good health and I am sure not going to risk my cardiovascular health knowingly through laziness and inertia. I never would have recovered as quickly as I did and coped with the treatment as well as I did without being so fit - and it was pretty hard, I've got to say, but could have been SO much worse. It was my coping mechanism all through those bleak months of treatment, it really helped to keep me sane. Not that that's all good - I mean I've managed to absolutely deplete my body's Iron stores, given that I'm menopausal and dont lose blood that way, its most likely that my insane 15kms runs whilst having chemo has used up everything my body had. I'm a bit obsessive like that and its important to learn when to take it a bit easy - yes, I'm taking it a little easier now. With regard to the weight gain from exercise, I feel like you do. I just like to see an ultra low weight on the scales and I am not interested in being muscular/curvy and a bit heavier BUT I got skeletal earlier in the year and I knew how important it was to put back muscle, not fat, so I pulled my finger out, ran less and did a lot of Body Pump and got the weight to go on over a period of six months. I've gained back about 10lb but I have not gone up even an inch around my waist, all my skinny jeans fit, and I look much better but still thin, so muscle weight is good weight, it is not something to worry about. Exercise is about a lot more than just weight loss, but the person who can lose 150lb and get down to a BMI of under 25 without some pretty hard and dedicated exercise is one in a million. More often, people lose but only a bit of their excess weight and they have a lot more trouble keeping it off.

Hey helen, have seen you on colonclub! I had a colonoscopy and ct scan last week, it took five days for the diarrhoea to stop, ergh

Lol, at five ten, i think 140 is perfect for me and i wear a size eight too! Isnt it funny how two people can be such different shapes yet wear the same size? I like counting ribs, but different body types need to carry different amounts of padding. You should aim for what weight you like best, and in the book my surgeon wrote, he makes the point that you don really get any health benefits for that last 20 pounds or so, its purely cosmtic - and obviously thats debateable too.

What kind of work do you do? I could easily, and I mean easily, been back at a desk job inside of a week. I'd have been tired, but that's it. Good luck, like you say, better late than never. Its a real wake up call to have health problems at a young age isnt it? Always a shock when we find out we're not immortal.

I cant do it, no matter how I try. Its just not enough to eat anything other than rabbit food. Luckily, I've never really had to drop that low. I'd rather exercise a lot and be able to eat.

You will be able to change some. But you dont have to be perfect! I've been banded six years and every day is still down to making good decisions - and some days I dont do that well at all. I would much much rather live on coffee and Cookies than eat anything nourishing, its a real problem for me. I'm coming to realise this may have a phsyiolgical basis that is correctable, but that's another story. The point is, I make a deal with myself to eat something healthy, much as I dont fancy it, FIRST and then I can have x, y or z, and with the band, once I've done that, I cant eat much of whatever it is I really wanted. Look, we all have our issues and they dont go away overnight. We all think about weight loss in terms of failure, or we wouldnt have gotten to the point of banding. But dont discredit what the effect of actually having sustained success will do for you. Your habits and perceptions gradually change over time, until you wont recognise yourself a year or two down the track. Its important to start the journey and realise that it will be a bit winding and have a few wrong turns, but if you dont take the plunge, you'll never get there, will you? And losing weight and being healthy does NOT depend on being perfect, exercising like a robot, never eating carbs again and never enjoying thanksgiving, christmas or whatever. Its just about consistently eating less and moving more over a sustained period of time and even a small change in the balance yields huge results over a year or more.

ONLY 20lb in a month? Sheesh, that is phenomenal weight loss, how much did you expect to lose? 1. (Women only question) What do you do for cravings and appetite when it's that time of the month? Does your weight fluctuate during this time as well? Since chemo, I no longer have the joy of a monthly cycle (I'm just psycho all the time now, lol) when I did, I just went with it. Seriously, it was one or two days out of a month for me, the cravings were BAD and I just indulged. I'd rather work harder on other days than sit there white knuckling it through cravings that just wont quit. 2. Because there are carbs in almost everything we eat, how do you determine what is a good amount of carbs per day? My fitnesspal says 249g is a go number. I dont count carbs, never did. Hasnt stopped me losing weight. 3. What kind of exercise do you all do and how much and for how long? I run a couple of times a week for about an hour (10kms or so) and other days I got to the gym and do a spin class and a body pump class. I take a day or maybe two days off every week. 4. Any ideas on things I can do as a truck-driver that works nights? I will be going back to work in a couple weeks and snacking is how I use to make it on the road. I need ideas or even some healthy snack choices to get me through my nights at work driving down that lonely highway. Willpower. That's all I can think of. 5. Are sunflower seeds bad? They're great for you! Full of Iron in particular. 6. So far I have been eating 1200 calories of less per day, along with 80g of Protein and trying to keep my carbs under 100g. Is this ok??? I'm really unsure… Just still so confused and need some words of wisdom on certain things. Sounds great to me. Bandsters please share any advise or tips to help me through my journey. I appreciate all comments and I accept all the supportand encouragement I can get. Thanks a lot lbt… Consistency. Dont get all frantic about plateaus or that the next person exercises nore than you. Just keep at it. Measure your results over a month, not a week. Keep pushing yourself with your exercise, dont just do easy slow cardio.

I'll go out on a limb and give a different opinion - I'd take the money. But that's heavily dependent on life circumstances.At my stage, DH is 45, I'm 44, we have teenage children, still paying school fees, need a bigger house and have yet to start really investing heavily for our retirement, apart from superannuation. Its looking like we'll have to live on baked Beans for the next 20 years to get as wealthy as we thought we'd be. I've also given up a lot to raise kids and am really ready for a bit of selfish, personally motivated career glory :-) i dont want the time at home, I feel bored, listless and non productive. I like being busy. I have too many worries to occupy my mind if I'm not busy. It depends entirely as to what stage of life you're at. which end of the spectrum you fall at.

I agree with Corrigan, keep at it, just do the right thing, dont worry if its 1000 or 1200, its all just a deficit, keep exercising (but dont kill yourself doing it) and eventually, the scale will move. Plateaus are a part of weight loss, they are going to happen regardless of what crackpot method people have as surefire ways to break one, it will happen when it happens. The basic truth is if you eat less than you burn, over time, you WILL lose weight. You cant control the rate or sequence of it, and you need to accept that. Just have faith that in a year, you will be much thinner than you are now.

Ditto to what Elcee said - having the sleeve now wouldnt worry me, I've lost half my colon and am doing fine without it, so meh, what's a bit of my stomach I'm not particularly using? You dont get malabsorption with the sleeve, that's bypass. You just have a smaller stomach. Also, it can be attractive to think of having restriction straight away with the sleeve, not finding it so elusive, and not having trouble with random foods. But make no mistake, all bariatric surgeries work best at first, and then you do learn to eat around them, the adjustability of the band is fantastic in that regard. If your sleeve loses its effectiveness, there's no tightening it up! Then again, I had to unfill my band totally for a surgery, have just got retriction back 12 months later and am now looking at an investigative gastroscopy (have bad Iron depletion, and am post menopausal which means a high likelihood of a GI bleed at some point in my guts and my colonoscopy this week was normal) so that means ANOTHER unfill. Groan. I've also endured my colorectal surgeon banging on all year about how skinny I am (I'm really not, I dont think). I'd love to have a sleeve that nobody could make me unfill! I'd love not to have to go back for fills. My band is almost full (only 0.2cc to go) and I dont have anythign like the restriction I had before I unfilled it. A sleeve, once it is done, is DONE. But the band is totally adjustable, totally reversible and it probably makes sense to try it first before you go changing your body irrevocably. In all likelihood, it'll work and be enough for you.

I now can say definitively that iron is a factor in hair loss. I came across this early on in the peace, when I had hair fall/breakage just that annoying hair all over the bathroom, I'd been like this for a while, and it drove DH nuts. Eventually, the ends of my hair thinned out awfully, had to cut it off. It never really improved, but the shorter cut got rid of the stringiness and my hair seemed healthy enough. Fast forward a few years and I was diagnosed with rectal cancer - and was very anaemic at the time too, no sooner had I had the very first part of treatment - chemoradiation - which killed the tumour itself than suddenly I felt on top of the world and my hair looked FANTASTIC. All through the surgery and chemo, I had fabulous hair, the fall stopped. Anyway, I noticed a month or two back it had started again, its one of those things that you dont notice for awhile. Had my one year follow up bloods and scan and what do you know, my oncologist says that although my circulating haemoglobin is low but normal, I have NO iron stores left in my body. And to be honest, I feel OK, but not that real sense of wellbeing I felt a while ago. I think when you have hairloss, there is no point posting here hoping for an answer. Protein is not the be all and end all of anything, let alone hairloss. Your B12 levels for example can affect how you absorb iron, taking other supplements can be a factor, there's such synergy between nutrients that you can easily get it wrong - and of course, you really shouldnt load up on somethinbg like B12 or iron without it being necessary. The thing you need to do is go along and get a full blood test to identify any problems. Then you can address it succinctly and efficiently and not waste your time buying expensive urine with supplements you dont need.

I have 3.8cc now in my 4cc band and I can eat bread without much problem, pizza is a little harder, but weirdly, I cant stand the thought of eating pizza now. It nauseates me, cant tolerate the smell of it, have to leave the house when the kids want it. I've had my band unfilled for 7 months and then taken 5 months to find restriction. Whilst I was unfilled, I liked pizza again, we went out one night as a family for gourmet wood fired pizza and I enjoyed it thoroughly, I would never have enjoyed crap like pizza hut much anyway, but good pizzas, yum. Then the minute I got any Fluid in my band again, instant turn off. So strange. Our pizza is a bit different here, well, compared to what we see on TV anyway. You guys seem to ahve truly enormous pieces, that are quite floppy with very cheesey topping! So when I say I can eat a piece of pizza, its not really the same thing at all, its about 1/4 the size, much crisper base, way less cheese, but more meat and vegies. Still junk food, loaded with salt, and very fattening though. But what you can eat and cant eat is totally individual and you should never measure whether or not you need a fill based on being able to eat a certain food.

I unfilled my band completely in October last year for cancer surgery and chemotherapy and I had very little trouble with weight gain. I really have patted myself on the back for a job well done, loudly and publicly, lol, but in truth, on reflection I think I had some assistance, what with being so sick. I remained unfilled for seven months and gradually over the last five have refilled my band up to decent restriction (althoug h I've not found the sort of restriction I had before, I've got what I can live with, thanfully as my band is 0.2cc from full). I found it very easy at first, I still couldnt eat a lot, and stuck to very small meals and healthy foods. It took months for my appetite to expand, I began to notice that dinner would leave me wanting, becuase I always restricted through willpower what I ate between meals fill or no fill. That sort of head hunger stuff was just the same. I kept running and going to the gym right through treatment. But I did gradually begin to eat more. Now with fill going back in, I dont feel any "different" like I was expecting to, but my meals are much smaller again. I might feel the same, thinking I had toast for breakfast, but then I realise that once again, the idea of two pieces of toast like normal people eat is like a major pig out, absolutely excessive and I realise yes, that restriction is there. Restriction really isnt a tangible thing that you can feel, it just subtly changes how much you eat, and you have to listen hard for it, and ignore the head hunger - that isnt real hunger. But its interesting to see what its like when restriction has gone isnt it? I think it has made me a better bandster, I kind of needed a kick in the pants after six years.

I had a BMI of 36 when I had surgery and am 5ft 10, so I would have thought weight loss would show quite quickly. But it didnt. I clearly remember the first WOW comment - I had lost 17kg - a bit over 40lb. I was halfway to my initial goal! It took that long to actually show and to actually go down a dress size. Now, I go down a dress size and look gaunt if I drop 3lb.

sometimes I get a prickly, peppery (for want of a better word) feeling on the roof of my mouth when eating something difficult. Its a warning to stop before I get stuck. And very occasionally, I get an aching pain which radiates up the esophagus and roof of the mouth, once or twice I've had it where its been alarmingly bad, like should I go to the ER bad, and nothing resolves it, until it goes away of its own accord. I've been banded six years and there's nothing wrong with my band, its just one of those things. My doc thinks its probably muscular spasms. But roof of mouth - definitely a place where I feel anything happening to my stomach.