LapNYC

I had tomato soup and then some chicken breast with Peter Luger sauce.

This has definitely been my experience. If I chew well enough I can eat anything I want, including fluffy white bread and pasta. I don't, and I follow the band rules, and this takes only minimal willpower on my part because I'm not dying of starvation the way I used to be. I feel like a normal person. Of course I'd love those fries and a piece of cake, but my drive to consume those things isn't overwhelmingly powerful. I can walk on by now. It's the greatest!

Betsy - what do you think about flu shots for young kids? Same risk? After reading your post I'm a little freaked out!

If your workouts are reasonably intense and you're truly eating less than 1000 calories a day, I'd just sit tight. You could do the obvious like maybe up the protein a little, drink more water, lower your carbs, but I've found that sometimes i can't lose weight almost no matter what, and sometimes I lose with little effort. Keep doing what you're doing and I think you'll be fine!

The smallest bowl of chicken chili ever.

I don't usually get one but I got one this year specifically because of the band. I figured that 24 hours of throwing up is of much greater consequence now.

I had the same exact thing a few months ago and posted about it. My dentist thought that it might be a Vitamin K deficiency so I bought some Viactiv that includes it. In the real world, I think you find it in leafy greens. As Jachut said, you do need to diversify your diet a bit. I'm guilty sometimes of the Protein in lieu of fruit and vegetables thing, so on my end that could have played a part. It's very uncomfortable. I feel your pain! Oh - I also picked up the pace on the Water so that could have been part of the solution as well. When in doubt, drink more water!

I wouldn't worry about it either. For better or for worse, the weight loss will slow down. If you really feel like it's going too fast, hold off on your next fill. I think that eating higher calorie foods is a slippery slope! Congratulations on your success so far.

Happy maintaining to you. You must feel great!

For me it stopped being a diet once bandster hell was over. For me, that was after fill number 2. I do "diet" in that I pass on cookies and other desserts and try and do the right thing, but I don't really feel like my willpower is heavily at play too often. Mostly I'm not starving and it all kind of falls into place.

During the mushies stage I put Rao's tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese on top of some ricotta to make some fake lasagna. Lots of people suggested it so I know it's not too original, but it made me very happy.

Great success story!

Great work!

Thanks for all the good wishes! Right back at cha, of course. OK to answer some questions... I've had two fills. I don't count calories or journal but I've pretty much built this diet on grilled salmon with dill sauce and tomato Soup, because these are the two things that make me VERY happy, yet are kind to the scale. I also exercise like a madwoman, with three weight training sessions (no trainer, but I've had them in the past) and four or five really intense spinning classes a week. Plus I live in NYC so I probably walk more than many, just to get from place to place. I rarely cheat, and when I do it consists of drinking alcohol, eating a few french fries off my kids' plates, a skim latte or a whole wheat oatmeal raisin cookie. Nothing I've felt too bad about. Best of luck to everyone. Lots of people struggle with finding that good restriction level and I was lucky enough to hit it early in the game. I think that's why this has moved along more quickly than for some.

I told myself I'd only post once about me me me and that it was going to be when I hit the 100 pound mark. So...here it is! I haven't suffered too much along the way and am very happy with my progress. The only funny thing is that I'm not that aware of how different I look. People say it all the time, but I still feel like myself. I guess I get less tired going up a hill or something, but it's not as earth shattering a difference as I might have expected. Now I'm struggling with wardrobe and what I want my goal weight to be, and have visions of a tummy tuck and maybe a boob lift down the road. Anyway, a one time yay for me!

I've only had two fills and the first did absolutely nothing. The second has lasted me five months and counting, and I've also never thrown up. I make an appointment every month (they're hard to come by) and then cancel and make another. I could possibly use a teeny bit more restriction, but I'm afraid to mess with a good thing. When I can't get through a plateau and am craving pizza, THAT'S when I'll get a fill. Good luck to you. I'd stay where you are!

Big congratulations! You must feel amazing!

A typical day: Breakfast - Atkins bar and left over fruit off my kids' plates Snack - large iced skim latte lunch - tomato soup Snack - a Greek yogurt dinner - big piece of salmon with dill sauce (waaay more than a cup of food) Dessert - some fruit and a Weight Watchers dessert thing. I wish I could get rid of the Protein bar and the Weight Watchers dessert in the name of good health. I haven't really tried, but I intend to one of these days!

OK now I'm depressed...

That show is the greatest guilty pleasure. I suspect it will be even more fun to watch now that I'm not the size of all the participants. If I were on the show and were competing against someone with a band it might bother me a little. Even the tiniest bit of restriction is a help, right? For some people it's not? In other words, I'm also curious about how they position it.

I'm down 90+ pounds with two fills, but I definitely needed those two. Congratulations on your success! Everyone reacts so different to the band and there's such a wide range. I guess it stands to reason that while some have a nearly impossible time reaching restriction, others get there really easily. Consider yourself lucky! And again, congratulations!

Wow. That's officially SKINNY in my book. Enjoy it!

I'm a sucker for a challenge and am in for 8. I haven't had a fill in five months and feel that my number might be up soon, so I'm not exactly expecting the lbs to melt off me like in the good old days! Best of luck to all.

Same for me (BMI over 40 and proven, sustained attempts to lose weight), and then a two week liquid pre-op diet.

Thanks for starting this challenge. I've been walking around saying that I didn't lose any weight over the summer, yet somehow I exceeded my 15 pound goal by 3 pounds. I think that's how I got fat, actually. I'm so clueless about what I actually look like. Anyway, the accountability was really helpful and I appreciate all the support. Congratulations to all for such great successes. Any weight loss at all is a victory in my book.