LeighaMason

Hey Golden, I was banded 10/20/09, I am trying to lose 65 pounds. I started out losing 2 pounds a week (after my first fill) and then after about 5 months I slowed down and have been losing 1 pound a week but if I exercised more I am sure I could do better (working on that). I have 16 to go and I am trying to be done on July 4th. Good luck on your journey!

What they don't tell you in the brochure is its still a diet, but its a diet with an end. I am dieting. I am exercising. I am journaling my food, but there is an end in sight. After I reach my goal I wont have to diet for 16 years solid. I will be able to eat moderate amounts of food and maintain my weight. After I reach goal my plan is to weigh every.single.day. If my weight goes up more than 5 pounds I will go back to the diet that I am on now until I lose it. For the first time ever, I have hope that I can keep it off. In the past when I dieted I would lose weight, but I knew in my heart that once I stopped that diet I would not be able to force myself to start it again because I was in physical pain the whole time, I was hungry. Now I'm not. I hope this helps answer some of your questions.

I had surgery on Tuesday and I went back to work on Thursday. I only went half a day but it was not that bad. I had surgery in Dallas at 10 am and rode home (2 hours) at 1 pm. I took pain meds that evening to help me get to sleep and then again a 8 pm the next night, so I took 2 doses after I left the hospital, I felt like I had gone to the gym worked out too hard. By Monday I was not even sore.

The only thing that could make this any better is if the interview was for a job in Florida!:thumbup:

BobKat--Were glad your here! We have some wonderful people on this thread with a lot of knowledge about banding and health in general. Feel free to ask any questions. We will try and help.

OK I have some valuable advice, when you get up and are still half asleep and making a strawberry smoothie with fresh strawberries you should double check that you are using the UNFLAVORED protein powder instead of the CHICKEN SOUP protein powder. Chicken soup and strawberry smoothie, not good.

Your post made me realize that I have finally stopped doing that! When I started eating real food and something was really good I would be mad when I couldn't eat more, I would literally pout! But I just realized that I hadn't had those feelings in a few weeks now, so it gets better. Trust me.

Breakfast is usually 1 of 3 things. 1) 1 egg and 1 piece of bacon 2) EAS low carb Protein shake 3) Jachut's Green smoothie (1 cup Water, 1 cup fresh spinach, 1/2 banana, 1/2 apple, 1 scoop unjury unflavored Protein powder pureed in blender) Snack, If I am hungry I have either 1) 1 cheese stick string cheese 2) Laughing cow light cheese wedge with 6 crackers 3) Greek yogurt 4) EAS shake lunch 1) A piece of fish (4 Oz by weight) 2) Leftover meat from the night before, (2 Oz if beef) 3) If I am busy at work, Starkist Lunch to go or a can of sardines with 6 crackers. I add a veggie to one of the meats above either leftovers from the night before or canned that I can heat up easily at work. Afternoon Snack I choose 1 from the morning snack list above dinner (usually cooked on the grill) 1) Beef 2 Oz 2) chicken 4 Oz 3) Fish 4 Oz 4) Pork 2 Oz I measure my meat by weight and my veggies by measure cup. We cut up fresh veggies and put them on the grill too. I make sweet potato's in the microwave and eat 1/2 of it with butter. I usually have 1/2 cup veggies and 1/2 cup carb. I try and keep my breakfast, lunch and dinner at 250 calories and Snacks under 150 each, this gives a grand total of 1050 per day max. Plus anytime I am trying to see if a snack is appropriate, I use the rule of thumb of 1g protein per 10 calories. I try and ride my bike to work and back home 2 days a week (5 miles each way) And I try and walk on the treadmill at least a couple of other days. Some weeks I end up doing nothing, but then on those weeks I also lose nothing! I take a multi Vitamin when I think of it also a B12 and chew able Calcium. But I have been feeling weak and lazy lately so I am going to really get busy taking them every day! I promise, no really I mean it this time! :thumbup:

I am with you on hating the exercise. But after the 21 day plateau that I was just on I have accepted that if I want to lose more I have to do it. My stepson has a masters degree in coaching. He told me not to do cardio or dance or any of that to lose weight. It has something to do with slow twitch and fast twitch muscles. He said for me to walk on the treadmill or outside and keep my heart rate between 115-120 and not let it go over that for 1 hour solid. Or to ride my bike but once again do not let it get up over 120. So I ride my bike to work (5 miles) because at least I can feel like I am accomplishing something instead of just walking to nowhere on the treadmill. ( I am saving the planet, one car ride at a time :thumbup:) I hate to be bossed around so much that I have to trick myself into thinking its not exercise, otherwise I start to feel forced into it. Maybe if your husband will walk with you in the evenings it wont be like exercise but just a enjoyable outing?

I'm glad to hear your insurance finally paid. Your doing great!

Its a huge change in your life, not in a bad way but please do not get the band if you are not ready to change your eating habits. Eating can be a hobby that you are not ready to give up. If that is the case, your just not ready or maybe the lap band is not right for you. I'm glad you said you are looking at other alternatives. I always say "I wish I had done it years ago", but it was available years ago and I never did it, so obviously I wasn't ready. Take your time, do your research, make sure you are committed to what you choose to do and choose what is best for you personally.

Here is the article I was talking about. The Remarkable Effects Of Fat Loss On The Immune System I hate to tell you this but when I first started reading these threads and people would say "I'm exercising and eating right and not losing" I would always think "yeah right" but I have changed my mind on that mostly because of all the articles I have read on the medicalnewstoday.com website. I think some of us have a biological or chemical process that makes their body fight weigh loss and makes it harder for them to lose, not impossible just harder. Has you Dr checked for a medical reason for your slow loss? Thyroid, etc.? (Other than the PCOS, I know that is enough)

UGH! Clearly it's user error! Not necessarily, Alex posted an article about slow weight loss last week, I will try and find it for you. Now on the food front, according to my calculator if you eat the Peanut Butter, the cheese stick and drink the milk your still under 800 calories. You need to be 800-1000 calories after you deduct for your exercise. So if you ate everything you mentioned and walked on a treadmill for an hour your net calories are around 600. I recommend Greek yogurt and cottage cheese to up your calories. Because its easy. I wasn't eating enough a couple of months ago and I wasn't losing so I upped my calories and started losing again. But now I am at the point that I have to up my exercise because I am at a standstill.:thumbup:

I'm sorry you are going through this. But I would like to point out the 5 pounds cant be real. To gain 5 real pounds in a week you have to eat 17,500 calories above your daily needs. Thats at least 4000 calories a day, so its probably mostly Water. Do you want to post a typical menu of what you eat and maybe we can tweak it for better results? (It sounds like your Dr. is kind of vague on his recommendations.)

OK I have some valuable advice, when you get up and are still half-ass asleep and making a strawberry smoothie with fresh strawberries you should double check that you are using the UNFLAVORED protein powder instead of the CHICKEN SOUP protein powder. Chicken soup and strawberry smoothie, not good.

"malignant libels." :thumbup::lol::laugh:

Dr's will do low BMI patients (I was 34) if they think it will help you. Be truthful about your eating habits and weight history and if the band is right for you the Dr will do it for you.

Congratulations Lee Anne! Welcome BobKat! Tell us a little about yourself. Stacie--I'm glad you can eat! Eating is good. HB--85 pounds! woo hoo! Jacki, Karen, and Denise, --I hope the hungry monster has been leaving y'all alone. I am pretty much the same, just eating 5 small meals to deal with it. Maybe its just the spring? Christie--Are you too tight now? Or has it relaxed some? Dottie--Yea for skinny! Isn't it amazing how you body changes? Before I had the band when I dieted I lost weight but my body didn't get thin like it is now. Weird. Anne--Don't let our griping about fills and being hungry scare you, when I say I am hungry now it means that I am not going 4-5 hours between meals, this is a completely different thing than before the band where I was hungry all.the.time. I ate a full plate of food and I was still hungry. So what I really mean is my band needs tweaked not that its not working. :thumbup: I rode my bike to work on Wednesday and Thursday and lost a pound today. So what that means is this plateau that I am on is going to stay unless I exercise more. I have to accept the fact that I can not cut calories anymore and create weight loss. :laugh: Now I am really going to have to work at it. I bought a body bugg because I really want to know how many calories I burn in an average day when I don't workout and when I do. Knowing something mathematically helps me see what I have to do. You cant argue with math. Well you can but it doesn't do any good. Have a great day everyone.

I did use the 24 hour fitness but I decided that I didn't need the display since the website has an iphone app.

What is wrong with taking the "easy way out"? Why would you want to take the "hard way out"? When have you ever heard someone say "Good for her, she took the hard way out!"? What the heck does that mean anyway? Your on your way "out" of obesity that is all that matters, you are taking advantage of all the resources available to you. I personally think that is the "smart way out"!

I decided to order it, if you decide to buy it use the 24hour fitness website instead of the apex. Apex was charging shipping and not allowing me to use the coupon code so it was $20 higher at apex. :smile: Thanks Elation!

Plus they are on sale through tomorrow for $179 with free shipping.

I don't have any helpful ideas but I wanted to say I'm sorry you are going through this. I guess your doctor is thinking lactose intolerance?