I have been at my goal weight for almost 2 years but have put on about 6lbs over the last couple of months due to having to have a partial unfill. I am still not back at my optimum restriction level so am having to fight the desire to snack when I shouldn't.

I need to knuckle down and do something proactive to get the weight off. The problem is that I have had a really easy ride so having to think about what I eat, log calories etc does not come naturally.I got the band so that i could give up dieting and that is what happened so to now have to consciously think about dieting is really hard.

I was playing around on a couple of sites this morning to try to calculate how many calories required etc. I entered my info on 1 site and the results it came back with were that to lose 6lb I should not go under 1200cal per day and that it would take me until Jan 4 2013!!!!

Well maybe I should give up now(joking).

I am wondering if anyone else has used 1 of these sites and also come up with a ridiculous calculation.

I am going on away with my husband for 4 days next week for a much needed break before he starts a new job so won't be watching my intake too hard then.

I think the best plan is probably to try to stick to around 1000 cal per day, get off my ar*e and do some "exercise"(which I hate) and try to log honestly what I am eating. I go back to see my Dr mid June and am hoping he will bring me up to a reasonable level of restriction again then. We are treading a fine line between me actually being able to feel like I have a band and my reflux recurring.

I live in a small country town where the nearest gym is 40min away so I can't join a gym - the motivation and the cost to get there a couple of times a week whould be prohibitive. Yes I could theoretically walk or run as that is free but it is seriously freezing here at this time of year. I think my only option is to dig my exercise bike out and use that.

Just for fun, you should enter your info into the Lose It! Website. It's supposed to work along with the app for your smart phone (which I love btw), but if you tell it your info, your goal weight, and how fast you want to lose it'll calculate a calorie number for you and tell you when you'll reach goal weight.

http://www.loseit.com/

Elcee, have you always suffered from reflux or it began 2 years after your band? Was reflux the only reason for your unfill?

I hear you on the near freezing outside bit (I am in West Gippsland, just 90 minutes out of Melbourne.) I was getting ready to ride to work yesterday morning and thought about what I was putting on - bicycle shorts, pair of leg warmers (two separate items, like socks for legs without the foot part!), bra, undershirt, cycling jersey, cycling jacket, shoes, socks and full finger cycling gloves, felt hat with ear covers, then my helmet!

BUT - apart from ice block feet, I was comfortably warm, i.e. not too cold, by the time I arrived at work about 85 minutes later. Now I am looking for some thermal socks and nothing will stop me from getting out and riding all year round. My local bike shop is wonderfully supportive and says that riding through winter is simply a matter of having the right gear.

I use my cycling gloves, jacket and hat for early morning walks, along with a pair of Zaggora hot pants under track pants. The Zaggora hot pants are promoted as zapping cellulite(!) but for me they just add a layer of warmth.

Good luck with getting back to goal! You are an inspiration to us all. And enjoy your break with your husband.

If you can walk, treadmills are fairly inexpensive and can be found used most anywhere? Or, even an elliptical. They're a little more expensive but easier on the knees and hips.

I like this site for calculating calorie intake and metabolic rates. http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm And, I agree, exercising sucks. Unless it's golf, tennis, walking the dog, racquetball, hiking, skiing etc. The wife and I are really into bicycling these last few years. My knees are real bad so the biking really works. One mild 30 minute bike ride equals about 250 calories burned and if you can push it, you can burn 300+ in 30 minutes.

Even if you're lightly active, you should be able to go on a 1200-1400 calorie diet and burn 700 calories a day. That's 4 lbs per month. By July 4th you could be skinny again.

tmf

The reflux started in about Dec just out of the blue. I hadn't just had a fill, wasn't tight, could eat just about anything. It wasn't every night but i did wake up a number of times coughing/choking.

The unfill was because my band was so loose I decided I could try to eat steak.Bad move. I threw up all evening and then went i went to bed could not lie down as the reflux was so bad. I took myself off to emergency where I got 4ml taken out under fluoro ( 2ml left in) and had a CT scan to make sure the band was still in place. I am now back up to 5ml and not feeling any restriction.

Thanks for the suggestions on exercise, I know that I am just making excuses. The frustrating thing is that I got this far doing very little and now I have to get off my behind and do something.

The main reason I started this thread was not for the exercise etc it was because of the totally ridiculous amount of time that some of the websites tell me it will take to lose a mere 6lb.According to their estimates it is going to take me longer than it took me to lose my initial 48lb! I know that I now have a lower BMI so I need less calories but the calculations are ridiculous. I was wondering if anyone else had had a similar ridiculous calculation?

Some of those calculations are ridiculous. You know what it will take to lose as you have done it before. I doubt it will take you 9 months to do it!! Can u get a zumba dvd or something like that to do inside until it gets warmer there?

You can do this, you did it before and maintained for two years!!! Its time we gave you some encouragement back!! Youve been such a big help to us!!

I don't think it will take 9 months either. It will probably be a little harder than it was initially especially without reasonable restriction.

Thanks for all the encouragement.