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Hello everyone! It's been quite a while. I've been busy, plus very down, so haven't been around. I'll let you know what's been happening with me. Well, the end of December I was sick with flu and got a total unfill because I was having problems as well. I've gone every month for a fill and have gained back 25 pounds. :rolleyes2: The last fill was .25 and I couldn't sip water. They took .1 out, so I only had a .15cc fill. I still couldn't sip water. They took the .15 out and with that tiny tiny amount of unfill I still have NO restriction. I'm not sure how that is possible. So I'm back to doing it on my own. Again. And we all know how well that works. I'm very down and not sure what to do anymore. The band was my last hope for any kind of weightloss. The only way I was able to lose was with the band and with such restriction that I could barely eat in a day (maybe 600 calories). I'm sure a lot of you can relate to that. Now I can eat anything and of course I have no willpower - I mean if I had any kind I wouldn't have needed the band. It sounds very weak, but it is the truth. The band was my backup plan for moments of weakness. I'm not sure how to go through the day on a meal of 2-4 tablespoons with major hunger in between to lose maybe 1 pound a week. How do I do that without restriction? The doctor didn't really say anything when I left. I said to the nurse what do I do now? She just said to buck up. :thumbup: I feel like I have been bucking up for the past 15 years, trying to lose this weight. Obviously I am unable to buck up enough on my own, thus the expensive surgery. This is it. This is the last thing I have done to my body for weightloss and it has stopped working for me. I feel very sad and very hopeless.

The band is about volume, so we still have to do the work to choose WHAT we eat, and I agree with Jachut that the band is going to be more about helping with maintaining than with actual weight loss. (I'm counting calories, I know where you're coming from).

On week 13 now, going into week 14 next week. I've had a fairly OK loss of 51 lbs since 2 weeks prior to surgery. I had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas when I ate pretty much anything and everything, though very small portions. I've had wine and cocktails, chocolate, salad, beef, raw fruit, ...pretty much anything and everything. My exercise habits have been sporadic At around 11 weeks I was up to 600-700 calories and now I'm back to 400-500. I have no desire whatsoever to eat most of the time. For example today. It is almost 4pm and I haven't eaten today. Just 2 cups of coffee with sugar free creamer. Yesterday I had just at 400 calories. I don't know if it is because of indulgence during the holidays or something else. I have no cravings for anything. Now I did do something since surgery which may or may not have had an impact. My surgeon asked me what happens when you are hungry? I didn't know what to answer. He said, "nothing." Also, in my planning binder he gave me it says to learn to go to bed hungry. There is nothing wrong with feeling hungry. It is normal and natural, but people who are obese don't accept it. So I practiced when I felt hunger pangs ...ignoring them and going about other activities. If it wasn't time to have a snack or meal, I denied the urge to eat. My NUT also told me that we tend to ignore the signals of our bodies and eat for reasons other than hunger and we should relearn to eat when our bodies tell us that it is time for food. So my body is telling me it isn't time for food. I am not interested right now. I am cooking a big crock pot of beef stew with fresh vegetables, so will maybe eat something later this evening. I suppose this is just another phase of the roller coaster after vsg?

Hey thanks for replying Aroundhky. My gym goals are to really add as much strength and size as I possibly can. I realize that by eating 1200 calories a day I will never look like arnold but my whole life I have been a big guy so the idea of becoming rail thin really worries me personally. Currently I stand 6'6 and i weigh 400 even down from my surgery weight of 450 on 2/5. I am trying to research a routine I can follow as i dont want to jsut walk in to the gym and freestyle which exercises to do. Thanks in advance I have read most of your and other guys posts on here and would appreciate any insight you may have.

For me - its real simple....If I follow the Band rules, I am successful, when I don't, I"m not.... 1) eat Protein first 2) eat slow - eat for no longer than 20 min 3) listen to your body, when your full, stop eating 4) No drinking while eating 5) no liquid calories (I am not too faithful at this one) 6) Exercise 30 min a day 7) Eat good low fat/grilled protein and veggies 8) Stay away from sugar 9) Stay on top of your fills 10) And not get discouraged when the scales don't move, take measurements instead.

Go figure. It's exhausting to keep up with all of this. Being my own human guinnie pig, I have taken it down to an austere 600 calories, just barely getting my Protein in, carbs under 30, no salt...you know...all of that, and today on the scale I have gained 2 pounds overnight! I about cried. I certainly did not eat 7,000 excess calories, so it had to Water and/or poo, but I am not constipated at all. It's hard being my own hall monitor, but I volunteered for this. So, if you gained 3 pounds, you know you did not consume 12,500 excess calories. keep you head up and stay on your program.

8/10/09 Day four. Somebody shoot me. this f’ing sucks. I’m having less than 500 calories a day with 95% of them being liquid. It should be 100% liquid but I can not tolerate the powdered protein they want me to be consuming every day. I’ve tried every imaginable form of it out there. It all tastes like crap. It’s all thick. Really I’m not being a baby about this. I’m the girl who can’t drink milk because it’s yucky. If I force myself to drink it, it’s just going to come back up. I can hardly eat jello because the texture makes me gag. So I’m started to supplement my liquid diet with a daily single serving of tuna. 60 calories, no carbs & 12 grams of protein. cheater I know. go back thru my blog I don’t think it’s any surprise that I’m a cheater. So any way let’s add to it. let’s pour salt in my wound (I hate the word wound). I had to start using my bypap machine Friday night. In order for insurance to cover it they have to see that I’m using it 4 hours a night. Really? instead of helping me sleep better this thing just ensures that I don’t sleep through the night. It’s uncomfortable. It’s noisy. It smells funny. I feel like a dumb a. so I’m not sleeping well and I’m tired because I’m consuming minimal protein. I’m having a WTF was I thinking moment today. Really? all of this for what? To be healthier and get into a size 10 jean. Maybe an 8. Really? please God promise me this will all be worth it down the road because today it isn’t. 8/12/09 Day six I could not get out of bed this morning. I slept like crap thanks to that stupid stupid bipap machine. Really? I have to add that to my already stupid restrictive life. Now I’m not even allowed to sleep? Anyway, so I call into work. Told them I felt awful which was the under statement of the year. I think the lack of protein finally hit me. I felt like I was moving my body through water. My limbs were heavy. I was sluggish. And my head was foggy. Gosh it’s great to be me. So I slept in a little then got as far as my desk. In my pj’s, unshowered I spent the next 3.5 hours working on photos. That wasn’t so taxing. I told the kids to pretend like I wasn’t home. Sha was there. I just shut my door. I felt good about what I got done. I played some tutorial videos as I worked and actually learned a thing or two. I had to rush through the shower to get out the door in time to get to the hospital by 1:45 for my pre admission testing. On the way I gave Dad a call to get an update on him. He talked all the way from Reinbeck to Cedar Falls and then some. At this point I was crabby. I was so tired. I was dizzy. A couple times I thought this must be what it feels like before you pass out. So I sit thru the pat’ing. She’s telling me to do this and don’t do that and I’m just sitting there staring at her. I know I’m not smiling, I don’t think I had the energy to smile. I told her at one point I needed to write some of what she was telling me down or would never remember it. I told her the liquid diet had wicked away my memory and my personality. Sad but true. Once I’d signed off that I was aware of all the bad things that could happen from the procedure they walked me down to the lab for yet more lab work. Why is it a little tiny needle in the crook of my arm hurts so much more than the thousands upon thousands of jabs that I take while sitting for Juno? Finally I’m allowed to go to my appointment with Dr. hodges which requires me to drive around to the other office. Yeah well first I have to remember where I parked my car. I go outside and I hit the lock button so that the horn can lead me to it. Except when I hear the horn I seriously can not tell what direction the sound came from. It’s like a freaking fun house! finally after walking around for a minute or so (it’s not a big parking lot) I find my car. Thank goodness!

Yup, this! I have a lap band and my weight loss rate is much slower than someone who had RNY. For one thing, I'm not 100% restricted yet - probably about halfway there as I can still eat ~2500 calories a day. But that's less than my standard 3500 calorie diet so I consider that to be a win either way. It's enough of a difference that I lose about a pound a week. I'd lose about a pound a week through diet and exercise alone. The only difference (right now) is that I'm not suffering like I did before I had my band placed. Weight loss used to be torture. Now it just kind of happens, which is great! I'm looking forward to increased restriction so I can lose weight even faster but for now 1 pound a week is better than 0 pounds a week, or worse, weight gain! Now if you have RNY, you get the benefits of reduced absorption in addition to restriction and that helps the weight come off faster. So yes, it depends on the type of surgery you have. Regardless of what type it is, you will lose weight and just remember that any loss is good. Don't get discouraged if it's not as fast as you hope While it would be absolutely lovely to get to my goal weight in a couple months it just ain't gonna happen. It took a long time for me to get this fat, and it'll take a long time before I'm normal again.

I also didn't lose on the post op liquids. The shock of the surgery causes your body to go into survival mode, conserving every calorie it gets, and it's common not to lose. It's also common to gain a bit when you start eating again while your body gets used to having regular meals again, but I promise it will settle down and you will start losing. I know it's hard to be patient, but give yourself time to heal, you'll be dropping sizes in no time!

Oh my gosh I just got on here to post the exact same thing I am now 8 weeks out and have lost 22 pounds. But for the last 10 days I've been at 22 pounds. while my diet has not been absolutely perfect I'm averaging between 509 and 800 calories a day, how is it even physically possible that I am not losing weight my gosh if this is a plateau and I finally get over it I'm going to drop 10 pounds overnight hahaha. Sent from my moto z4 using BariatricPal mobile app

Breakfast- yoplait greek 100 calorie yogurt (10-13 g of prot, depending on flavor) Snack-light string cheese (8 g prot) Lunch- varies (usually Soup, tuna, chili, or eggs, 10-15 prot) Snack-pure Protein bar (20 g prot) Dinner- varies (15 g prot) My doc & nut want me to eat six times a day @ 1000 calories, I usually don't eat after dinner, but if I do I usually have some thing sweet, sf Jello, sf pudding, diet hot chocolate etc. On Sun, Tues, & Thurs on use my indoor bike while I catch up on last weeks shows On Mon & Wed I use resistance bands, 5 lbs weights, and my own weight to tone up the jiggle

Yes I've been thru times when small calorie intake has more than satisfied my appetite. And I prefer the sensation of 'not full' to 'too full'. We change and go through different phases each stop of the Band process IMHO. On occasion I went for several days without ANY form of hunger. I've come to realize there is advantage for *me* to eat regular meals though. What was especially pleasing was learning that AT TIMES even "one" bite really WAS 'enough' to satisfy for hours & hours.

Plateaus are bound to happen. Just getting through one myself. I have a hard time with this same subject. I eat anywhere from 850 to 1200 calories a day, plus exercise 4 days a week. I looked back at my calorie intake the weeks I lost big and I ate closer to 1100/1200 calories the whole week. I don't know if I really believe in starvation mode, but it may be true. Also, the week leading up to my period is really hard to lose weight. Once I start, the weight starts dropping. So don't forget about hormones. Just keep doing what you're doing. 33 pounds is awesome! That's the weight of the large bag of dog food I buy every month. Crazy! You're doing great.

I bought some 100 calorie Wholly guacamole packs today (I had a coupon making them 1.88 for 6 packs). At least then I don't cringe if I have to throw some away. Yes, I hate "wasting" food. Part of the reason why I'm needed a sleeve!

So this has been hashed through before- but with newer members, or as time has progressed for older ones, let's see what's new. Convenience eating is usually loaded with calories and stuff we need to avoid post op. What are some good finds for eating out on the go? My latest comes from of all places Dunkin Donuts!!! It's the wake up wrap- egg, a piece of cheese and a smallish slice of thin ham on a steamed flour tortilla that is about 4 or 5 inches round, folded like a taco. Total of 149 calories and one fills me up completely. Who's next?

Thanks for the advise, I do have written dietary instructions. I had no idea for instance that there is a cut off for calories. I have barely lost any weight. My surgery was July 26th and I have barely lost anything. . I seriously feel like a total failure.

You are grazing!!! I do that too! Restriction will definitely put a stop to it! The fact that you are finding enough things to keep your calorie intake low, and not causing yourself pain, is admirable!!! When the band tightens down, and you feel almost miserably full for hours at a time, you lose the urge to snack and dine all day long. Hang in there!!! Kat

Yes, it's sad but true... The FDA doesn't require manufacturers to say their products have calories in it if it's under five. As a result, they will tweak their servings so they can get away with saying the magical zero.

I didn't have a guideline for fat grams so I can't help you there. I hated the fat free stuff because I found it had more carbs and sugars to make it taste good. I had to eat 4 meals a days consisting of 15grams of protein. I know I could not have gotten all my protein in with just 3 meals. I struggled with 4 meals a day. I wish I better advice, but I'm stumped. It's tough to hit the calorie goal with 3 meals a day. It's especially tough when you have to get in protein. Can you tolerate any of the protein supplements?

Hey there, I was banded on the 24th of Nov and had my first fill last Sunday. Well, I have only lost about 10-14lbs depending on the day..lol. So I was wondering what a day of food is for you? South beach? Lo-calorie or lo carb or what and I am a blonde so can anyone out there PLEASE give me some sample menus of your day/week. I have copied some I have seen but y'all in particular and others who have been banded since this past July I am curious and need some success tips and motivation! catie

How much protein are you taking in? are you staying hydrated? Are you exercising? Many questions to be answered. sometimes the body will require a certain amount of protein and a certain amount of calories before it will start to loose the weight. I have to hit the mid 70 percentile in grams of protein before my body will loose weight.

Date of surgery? 5/14/12 How much weight lost? 29 lbs since pre-op diet with 16.4 being since surgery. I've also lost 14.25 inches throughout my body since surgery. How many calories intake per day? My MFP goal is 850. I'm usually within 100 calories either way of it. I don't eat more than it unless I exercise & then sometimes I eat a little into my exercise calories. I'm still on full liquids/pureeds right now. How much Protein per day? My surgeon wants 70-100 g per day. Currently, I have been getting 50-80 usually depending on what food choices I make. I'm trying to make better choices recently for more protein & less carbs because I've been getting 100-150 g of carbs & I'm only supposed to be under 60 g of carbs. I'm not stressing over it too much as long as I'm getting the protein, but I've heard from others that weight loss slows some if there are too many carbs. It's hard not to have the carbs if I have grits or cream of wheat or creamy Soups though since I'm still on full liquids/pureeds. I'm getting better at lowering the carbs as I move to more solid foods. I'm also planning on changing my Protein Drink to one I found that is only 2 g carbs per serving instead of my current one that has 11 g of carbs per serving. Plus, the new one has 34 g of protein instead of 28 g. What supplements do you take? Celebrate Multivitam Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate chews B12 Iron Biotin Prilosec Are you exercising? Yes. I have been getting in the pool for 30-75 minutes at least 3 times a week (sometimes more) since I was about 2-1/2 weeks out because my surgeon said it was okay as soon as my incisions healed. I'm planning on starting to go to the gym again next week in addition to the pool. I will probably do at least 30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week & add in some weights. I still have some sessions with a personal trainer that I had paid for back in January that I'll start using again too & those are an hour of weights.

I had the same problem after surgery. My trainer thought it was blood sugar related also and suggested Gatorade when it hit me. I don’t think it did, just taking a few minutes to recover did. I am 8 mos post-op now and have no problems with it anymore. I think it was some kind of body adjustment to surgery or calorie reduction. Good luck with it!

I know i made a mistake by telling my mom and a couple of friends of what i was thinking about doing. My mom promtly told me (out of love i know) "Why don't you try counting your calories?" You know i have been there done that over the years and redone that again! I love her but my first thought was "hummmm ...wonder why i never thought of that?:guess " I have been doing alot of reading and studing on the internet and i know i want to do this if the insurance and doctor will back me. But i also know that like Ceradad said about his wife my husband is going to be the one to give me problems. I know he wants me to lose and worries about my health but he will say this is too risky. I have other health problems that my weight doesn't help, i have fibromyalgia/ Rheumatoid arthritis, and i am borderline diabetic. I think for my health this is the answer and i'm willing to make the changes .I think my doctor will back me up 100% cause this man has seen me do Curves, weight watchers all the diet pills hes precribed with bad results. I figure i will call the insurnace after i see what my doctor says weds. Thanks all of u i feel some better about. But why did i think the band had to be removed? ???:cry

Read the link in my sig. Skip down about half way. Basically your BMR has lowered as you've gotten healthier. It's leveling out with your calorie intake, so you either need to lower your intake or, preferably, increase your activity. Meaning up the intensity of your workouts.