I got my lap band April 23rd, 2010. So far I've had 1 fill, 4cc's, and I've lost 22lbs.

So far I've basically been eating most of the same foods that I ate before the lap band, except for breads and meats that aren't ground (such as steak or pork chops) because those things get stuck and hurt me!

I think that I'm losing weight simply because I'm eating far less than I did before, and what I'm wondering is if anyone has had long term success this way....or am I just kidding myself?

I'm waiting for the idea of a nutritional, structured diet to kick in with me, but so far it hasn't. Before I got the lap band, I thought eating a healthy diet would be easy because I wouldn't be hungry...but I am still hungry. It doesn't take much to fill me up, but the craving for the "old" food is still there in a much bigger way than I thought it would be.

Will this pass? Am I still just getting used to this? That's the excuse I give myself...but I need to hear from others, because I don't know what is normal.

As I read on this forum, it seems like everyone is SOOO into the nutrition part of it all, and they always eat the right things and do exactly what their doctors tell them..and I wonder if they were like that from day 1 or if it took a while for the lifestyle change to really kick in.

I would appreciate any input on this, I want to really know what everyone's experience was in the first 3-6 months..

Thanks,

Debora

Every one here is talking about only taking 4-5 bites of something but no one is talking about how big of bites you are talking whether its a normal teaspoon size or smaller like a baby spoon size?

Ugh, this topic is something that my dietician and Dr disagree on all the time! He says no matter what only 1/2 cup (Absolutely no more!!). However, my dietician tells us eat as much as you want as long as you are making healthy choices and eating less than you did before band.

I was banded on April 9th, 2011. I read your post above and im very interested in asking you what would you suggest for me to consume in daily calories, how many protein grams per day and the minimundaily amount of workout. I had my surgery in Mexico and i dont have a nutritionist and i want advise and guidance from some one that has been very successful in the weight loss. Please help with some guidance.

im in the same 'boat'' only my problem is that i have arthritis in my hips. after my surgery my feet, ankles and knees responded beautifully. So did my pelvis. now, after two weeks post op, my pelvis/hips are starting to grab me again. as a result im finding it harder to do the walking that i know i should be doing. im still on fluids with some solids introduced, but still soup. What can you suggest for me? initially a great weight loss.. about 13 lbs. most of that was unhealthy fluid. Im wondering if there are any really good books out there to buy that arent too complex to understand?? im going to have to learn how to ''tweek' my metabolism without the heavy workouts. by the way, im nowhere near any gyms. apart from swimming and walking i have nothing. two artificial knee joints does make things a bit harder. So.. do you know of any good books ??... any info appreciated very much.

Now i am on dieting and i eat vegetable salad.

Every one here is talking about only taking 4-5 bites of something but no one is talking about how big of bites you are talking whether its a normal teaspoon size or smaller like a baby spoon size?

the size should be the size of the fingernail on your little finger. This appears to be the rule for all solids.. and then chew, chew chew.

I did ease into a strict diet by making slow changes, and I still have a soda per day, which keeps me from feeling deprived.

Full octane soda or diet??? Full octane = Bah!!!!!!

Ugh, this topic is something that my dietician and Dr disagree on all the time! He says no matter what only 1/2 cup (Absolutely no more!!). However, my dietician tells us eat as much as you want as long as you are making healthy choices and eating less than you did before band.

Both are just way too simple of answers IMO... It's not just volume nor quality... ITS BOTH - and a whole pile of other factors... But the bottom line: Intake Vs. Export...

I got my lap band April 23rd, 2010. So far I've had 1 fill, 4cc's, and I've lost 22lbs.

So far I've basically been eating most of the same foods that I ate before the lap band, except for breads and meats that aren't ground (such as steak or pork chops) because those things get stuck and hurt me!

I think that I'm losing weight simply because I'm eating far less than I did before, and what I'm wondering is if anyone has had long term success this way....or am I just kidding myself?

I'm waiting for the idea of a nutritional, structured diet to kick in with me, but so far it hasn't. Before I got the lap band, I thought eating a healthy diet would be easy because I wouldn't be hungry...but I am still hungry. It doesn't take much to fill me up, but the craving for the "old" food is still there in a much bigger way than I thought it would be.

Will this pass? Am I still just getting used to this? That's the excuse I give myself...but I need to hear from others, because I don't know what is normal.

As I read on this forum, it seems like everyone is SOOO into the nutrition part of it all, and they always eat the right things and do exactly what their doctors tell them..and I wonder if they were like that from day 1 or if it took a while for the lifestyle change to really kick in.

I would appreciate any input on this, I want to really know what everyone's experience was in the first 3-6 months..

Thanks,

Debora

Debora... i can assure you, im not doing all the right things with my diet yet... im post op four weeks. i havent had a fill yet and my appetite is getting to be a worry for me. the colder weather is setting in here and my appetite always spikes now . i know that there is emotional hunger as well as physical hunger. im not sure just how much of what im experiencing right now but whatever it is, its giving me problems. i cant wait for my first fill. i wonder what i will be like after that? without the fill i do experience some restriction, no doubt about that. ive come close to being stuck a few times but managed to get out of it. I havent lost any weight for a week now. i havent gained either but i may start to if i cant stop eating more than im supposed to. i am supposed to have 100 cals per day.

Debora... i can assure you, im not doing all the right things with my diet yet... im post op four weeks. i havent had a fill yet and my appetite is getting to be a worry for me. the colder weather is setting in here and my appetite always spikes now . i know that there is emotional hunger as well as physical hunger. im not sure just how much of what im experiencing right now but whatever it is, its giving me problems. i cant wait for my first fill. i wonder what i will be like after that? without the fill i do experience some restriction, no doubt about that. ive come close to being stuck a few times but managed to get out of it. I havent lost any weight for a week now. i havent gained either but i may start to if i cant stop eating more than im supposed to. i am supposed to have 100 cals per day.

1000 calories a day...correction. judych

This thread has convinced me to make an extra effort to exercise every day. I want to be one of the successful bandsters who lose all of their excess weight. Because of my situation, I can only walk. But I can walk for an hour, even with intense pain in my legs. That's a good start, right?

@says_simon... Any exercise is better than none. Start out doing what you can and increase intensity - not necessarily duration - if/when it becomes easier... The most important thing is that you are continually increasing the challenge. If your lower body limits you, try to do as much upper body work as you can to fill the gap.

Brad

This thread has convinced me to make an extra effort to exercise every day. I want to be one of the successful bandsters who lose all of their excess weight. Because of my situation, I can only walk. But I can walk for an hour, even with intense pain in my legs. That's a good start, right?

says simon... you are so right. im the same with pain in my lower body, my legs arent good either. Like you i want to be able to get rid of every bit of excess weight that my dr and i discussed before surgery. i still need to lose about 75 lbs. im still hoping to go swimming but havent been able to organize that yet. whatever i do i need to keep expanding my exercise routine as well. at the moment im not doing that.

Sorry... I am way behind on LBT... Life sure gets busy...

Interesting information if you research fat loss and leptin levels. That "cheat" meal or day (depending on where you are in the journey) will replenish leptin and help keep your body burning fat. Continuous low calorie approaches crash leptin levels. Once again... how many people do we encounter here who eat 800 - 1200 calories a day but the fat loss stalls... It's not a secret why, but breaking out of that cycle is very hard pschologically because what it takes seems self defeating (eating carb rich food).

Anyway... For me anything above 3000 calories is a high calorie day. For awhile now I've been eating 3 days low calorie (for me about 1500-2000) followed by a recovery day (3000+) BUT... I workout religiously... If you try this without sufficient exercise - you'll induce disaster. But quite honestly if you try to do this journey without sufficient exercise, you'll never get even remotely close to your maximum potential.

Good Luck! Brad

What do you consider is Sufficient Excersize how do you know you are working out enough?

I prefer 4-6 days of cardio ... about 40 minutes a session, while continually challenging yourself. As things get easier - up the intensity - but no need to increase the duration. If you're exercising hard enough then 40 minutes is plenty and your muscles need time for recovery. Add in 1-2 full body strength training sessions a week and you should be good... I highly recommend a heart rate monitor to be certain your exercise is of sufficient intensity and allows you to more accurately track calories burned.

Brad

I follow the meaning of this post, but seem to be the exception so far. I eat 800-1000 cal/day, with 80-100 Protein. In the last month I have lost nothing. I walk on the treadmill 40min 4/week at a 2.5-3mile average. And yet I still an not losing weight.

I had the same problem in the past when I worked out in a personal training group. We rotated cardio and weight training and read our food every day so there was no room to cheat. I lost 35lbs at first and then it stopped. I continued with this plan for another 4 months and finally gave up.

I am beginning to fear the lap band hasnt done anything except give me a vacation from work. As you can see I am very frustrated.

You wouldn't lose any weight from your workout routine. I'm not sure why the media and doctors make people think that standard workouts a few days a week will amount to any weight loss. Workouts like you are doing would burn less than 2000 calories per week, which isn't even a lb. So, you might see 1/2 lbs a week from them, if you are lucky. One mistake I see people making is using standard charts to figure out calorie burn. You really need to use an age/weight/heart rate calculator. If I plug in my values with what I know my heart rate is walking at that speed, and your timing and frequency, I burn about 1300 calories per week with your workout. So, while it might contribute a small amount, you won't see perceptible losses with standard exercise. Now if you do very vigorous workouts 4 or more hours a day, then you may see big losses from exercise.