Help me understand??

[gracierose 0]

I realize it takes hard work to achieve your goal of weight loss and a healthier life. Here's what I don't understand.:party:

If you are banded, how can you gain and or not lose weight when your new sized stomach (I hate the word pouch) can only hold so much? Eating one cup of food 3 X daily is a 1/3 of what I eat now.

Thanks much

[danielle b 32]

Well here is what I don't understand.....I am told to eat 4 oz a meal; 2 oz Protein, 2 oz carbs....3-4 meals per day. I have been doing just that....I am only consuming about 600 calories a day. Yesterday I sent my nurse an email and asked her why I am not losing weight....she says, "This might sound strange....but you need to eat more, you need around 1200 calories a day." So to me....the lapband is a catch 22....you can only eat so much per meal, but in order to get in all the calories, you need to eat more...plus watch your fat and carb intake....So confusing!!!!:party:

[elcee 3,343]

You can easily gain weight:-

If you choose high calorie "sliders" e.g icecream, chocolate,milkshakes etc. The band cannot restrict these.

If you snack a lot. It is quite easy to eat in between meals even with a band.How the band helps is it makes you less hungry so hopefully you won't feel the need to snack but lots of people eat for reasons other than hunger. e.g boredom,stress,sadness etc etc

If you are an emotional eater then you may need to get additional help(counselling) to find new ways of dealing with issues other than by eating.

[gracierose 0]

So true. I fall into the emotional eater category hands down. I am hoping once I get started and cut the crap out of my diet, the desire for sugar and fat will decrease also.

Thanks for the reply. Exactly what I needed to hear.

[GonnaBeFit 0]

I think the issue of being in starvation mode (what your nurse referred to really) is because with your band and the stomach being smaller, it makes you feel full faster and with less food so it sends a signal to your brain saying you are full and fully fed. I'm assuming its just tricking your body in a way?

[elcee 3,343]

The theory behind starvation mode is that if you don't eat enough calories your body gets "scared" and hangs on to what it has. This means that you don't lose weight or don't lose as much as you expect. Increasing the amount you eat actually then helps you to lose.

However I don't think that this has been scientifically proven although it seems to happen to a lot of people.

[GonnaBeFit 0]

Starvation mode is scientifically proven, even if it goes by a different name. But the idea is the same that your body needs a certain amount of nutrients to survive. I say nutrients instead of calories because if you have the correct amount of nutrients calories might not be as important. But when your brain registers that your not eating enough (your stomach sending the signal up to your brain telling it your still hungry) then maybe your brain would not register that you are going into starvation mode when your stomach sends the signal earlier than if you didnt have the band.

[danielle b 32]

Idk...whether it is proven or not....I increased my calories to about 8-900 in the past 2 days instead of 5-600/day. And I got onto scale today and I have gained 3#. I should have just stayed at the 5-600/day and been at a plateau instead of a gain. But this is what I am not understanding about the band!!

I am not hungry in between meals, I eat my Protein first and then my fruit/vegs, I do not snack in between meals, I try to walk about 20-30 minutes everyday....why am I not losing weight?? My first fill was 4.5cc.....do you think I need another fill?? But if I get another fill will I be in starvation mode if I am still eating 600 calories a day?? Confusing for me!!! It is no wonder I hated dieting.....

[elcee 3,343]

Danielle you have only been banded 2 months and you have already lost 36lb. Your body is probably trying to catch up and regroup ! It is normal to plateau sometimes.Just continue doing what has been working for you and I am sure that soon the weight will start dropping again.

Also try eating different things and doing different exercise. Sometimes doing the same thing every day causes problems - mixing it up a bit often helps.

[danielle b 32]

Danielle you have only been banded 2 months and you have already lost 36lb. Your body is probably trying to catch up and regroup ! It is normal to plateau sometimes.Just continue doing what has been working for you and I am sure that soon the weight will start dropping again.

Also try eating different things and doing different exercise. Sometimes doing the same thing every day causes problems - mixing it up a bit often helps.

Thank you Elcee.....I also sent another email to my surgeon's nurse, she will be calling me today or tomorrow to talk about it a little more in detail. As of now, I think I will stick with 5-600 calories/day.....What I have a hard time understanding is that when we reach restriction and can only eat 1/2 cup of food per meal....how many calories would that be....not 1200!! It is to my understanding that we want to reach restriction....and then the weight will start coming off!! Still confused...lol:wink2:

[elcee 3,343]

I still don't know where the notional 1/2 cup of food per meal comes from. It is not something they use here in Australia. Our Dr's focus more on making healthy choices and eating less, perhaps using a side plate instead of a dinner plate, than they do on measuring exact quantities.

There are not many people that will be satisfied with 1/2 cup 3 times per day unless they are too tight and being too tight leads to all sorts of problems. A lot of bandsters actually eat 5 times a day rather than 3 as they find that they cannot go 7 hours or more between meals. So long as you are choosing healthy Snacks this is also fine.

As you get further along in the process you will find what works for you.