You didn't fail Pelo. Try keeping track of your food intake for a few days in a journal or at fitday.com. Be honest with yourself. If you sneak a donut, record it. After a couple of weeks, you'll be able to check it over and figure out what changes need to be made. And don't beat yourself up, we all mess up every now and then.
I know there is a phenomenon where your body can go into starvation mode and try to hold on to weight. However, I think if we eat enough calories on a regular basis, that does not happen. Instead, my thought is that the slow-down in weight loss as I approach my goal is simply that I do not need as many calories to maintain my weight because I am smaller. So, for me, I am really trying to add SOME exercise -- not so much that I build a bunch of muscle right away, because that will also slow the scale down. I simply want to burn more calories than I am taking in. As I get close to goal and at goal, my focus will turn more to the exercise, weight training, and trying to get my body into good physical shape. I am lucky that I do not have a lot of excess skin -- firming up should take care of most of it and I'm sure I'll always have the reminder in the middle of my body that I have 4 kids. I don't expect to have a flat stomach!
I am going for a fill because I can eat foods that are not helpful to my eating plan -- pastas, some bread, other starches, etc. And, I can eat too much in a sitting. I haven't had a fill in a couple of months, so I think that I will get one, go for the gusto, and see if I can shave off 10-15 pounds with some exercise.
Pelo -- your PB experience is NOT a failure. It is a side effect of the band. I have had bad PB experiences when I did not really mess up too badly, and I have had no problem when I really should have. It's one of the mysteries of the band and the journey. After I have a bad one like you did, I give my tummy a break for a couple of days and stick to liquids and soft, easy foods and I am fine. But, don't beat yourself up -- it happens to (nearly) all of us!
Finally, I do not weigh every day -- I do like to keep close tabs, so I will weigh if I am concerned. Otherwise, I check weight a couple of times a week -- if I am down, the same, or within a pound of my "low", I'm fine with it. So far, that's been my experience and it has worked for me. Also, I don't weigh at all during "that time of the month". I wait until just after I finish and then I usually see a downward movement.
My 2 cents.
Jessica
Jessica, you are so close to your goal - what a difference 8 months make!
We were just out in LA this past week and went to Universal Studios. Because I thought we were going on just a tram tour I wore 2 1/2 inch heels instead of flats. We ended up walking around the theme park for 6 hours and I did just fine! In our family pictures, I no longer look like a sore thumb sticking out but much more in proportion to everybody else, which is so cool. I took such a small suitcase because my clothes are so much smaller, AND I fit so comfortably in the airplane seat and on the theme park rides.
I am a little frustrated though because the scales will not budge and I think I might be a little too tight. While I can easily drink liquids, solids of any type are just not good right now. I can barely eat a few bites of anything solid. I am so tired of mushy foods. I think I will go in for a refill. It may also be that I am consuming too few calories and that is why I am not losing weight. Any ideas? Any unfills that helped the scales start moving again?
