Just to get this off my chest....it's 3 am and this is just a early morning rant....

It is not my place to say what is right or wrong, different things work for different people....but I am old school....the less calories in, the more you will loose...it's that simple.

Why would everyone preach exercising to burn calories? And then turn around and say now you have to eat more? And use the argument / excuse about metabolism levels, etc...does anyone here know how to measure that?

I read here everyday about people trying to reach their calorie goals....people saying to eat more to loose more. Personally, myself, I have always found that one humorous...if it were true there would not be any overweight people in the world.....

I also like all the posts where people ask "Can I eat this?" I don't know, can you? I am not even sure what people are asking most of the time.....

If these people are successful then I cannot argue with what works and has brought someone to the conclusion of a successful journey...

I quit counting calories about 6-8 weeks after surgery...with the blessing of my Surgeon and the Nut....I was getting so wrapped up into the whole process using downloaded apps, etc, I was getting dizzy......it was liberating when I got away from all that and started to understand that for me, this is a practice for a lifestyle, not another diet....

They also said only eat when I am genuinely hungry, and then eat good healthy foods, and listen to your band to know when to stop eating.........and exercise as much as possible to burn calories and fat....

Everyday, I read post after post about how many calories this and how many calories that...I have absolutely no idea how many calories I consume. I'm sure some days it is very high, and some days it is next to nothing, especially when you factor in calories burned from exercising.

That has been my recipe to success, and still follow it today as a lifestyle, not a diet plan....with the band in the background doing it's job 24 hours a day.

Other people have had success using different philosophies...and that's great...you cannot argue with success.

But it's the people who are struggling, not loosing the weight, cannot control their hunger, been banded a very short time, and yet have all the answers and tell other people how it is supposed to be done...incredible.

But like I said, if it worked for you then that IS the the right way.....

The best advice I was ever given was a long time ago by a Dr...he said I was fat because I ate too much...there it is..the secret of life...want to loose weight? Don't eat so much...Not loosing? You're eating too much...don't try to hide it with all the hypothetical verbage crap...

I was also once told, somewhere in one of the 100's of diets I've been on, that people will come up with just about anything to still find ways to eat...

I totally agree with your post B-52!!

I hope to be where you are some sweet day -B-52-, but for now I simply cannot.

I was not raised in a home that had Snacks, cokes or made us "clean our plates". I am also the only fat person in my family. As an adult I did not pig out, but I grazed and nibbled enough to get me a nice place in the morbid obese category... so it's my fault & I take responsibility.

I am blessed enough to have a friend that has had the band 6 yrs and has stayed at goal (110-115 lbs from heaviest 212) with occasionally walking, watching carbs & sugars but mainly watching her portions.

I exercise daily, keep a food diary, eat with baby spoons and most importantly measure my portions.

I have even tried to "eyeball" them and when I scooped it up to measure and see how close i was.. holy smokes... Wrong every time... so i will keep practicing.

Also before keeping a food diary I had no clue how some foods appear to be healthy but are really horrible choices... someday I hope it all just clicks into place.

I am glad this works for me, its hard, but I'm happy for my commitment and i am really sad when I hear others cannot lose but are consuming: fried chicken, Mac & cheese, bread and a couple of veggies at one meal. Nope that's not going to work for any bandster. I learn from others mistakes and occasionally tell them what woks for me but we as adults do not have to follow anyones advice like its gospel. This site has been a fantastic resource to help me fill in the blanks.

Also that pouch was not meant to hold 2.5-4 cups or more as one serving size... (would I like to keep eating when my 1/2 cup is gone?) SURE at times but I'm training myself to Stop! (It is hard at times but I do not want to start the ole' excuses... but I need more than that, it's not enough, I cannot eat such a small amount). I must retrain my body to the LB way of life.

So measure portions for accuracy, log food to keep me honest, learn true caloric counts of food and stay within my current doctor required 800 calories/day, exercise daily and eat with baby spoons... whomever said this was the easy way out is delusional!!!

I'm not pushing what works for me on anyone else but hoping it just simply helps them.. just like your post (and countless others) have helped me!

Why would everyone preach exercising to burn calories? And then turn around and say now you have to eat more? And use the argument / excuse about metabolism levels, etc...does anyone here know how to measure that?

I have had my resting metabolism measured by my Doc. I do know with a higher metabolism I need to eat a couple hundred more calories body to keep my body out of starvation mode but it something my body naturally does on its own. When I was just eating 1,000 calories I was always hungry and quit counting. When I went back to the doctor they told me they needed a calorie count on file so I went back to counting, and funny enough when I went back to count I average at 1,400-1,500 daily and still losing when there are those who eat only 700 - 800 calories and losing the same as I am. I follow my body hunger first and calories second.

But I am new to the world of banding. I'm sure thinking will change a lot for a while.

I constantly have to rein myself back in and get out of my 'this is the best way' mentality because I have learned that what works for me doesn't always work for someone else and vice versa. Where my thinking used to be very rigid I've learned that sometimes you just have to let people make their own decisions and while sometimes they don't work out' date=' sometimes they do and even when they don't sometimes that's a valuable lesson. Now one thing I will say is that many of us fall into the temptation of taking advice from multiple people that ends up being more damaging than if we followed one path instead of trying to run down 10 at once. If you are going by calorie restriction then go by calorie restriction. Don't worry about whether it's good calories or bad calories or if a cracker is healthy or if cheese is healthy. At the same time, if you are doing a low carb diet then you need to stick with Proteins and cut out carbs. Don't justify a carb like granola or whole wheat bread because it's 'healthy' if your diet doesn't call for it. When you start mashing stuff up together and don't follow a coherent plan I think that sets many people up for failure. I've also found that some plans work better for some people more than others. When I follow a low carb, high Protein diet I tend to stay satiated longer because I allow myself meats, eggs, and cheese which I enjoy. I've also found that if I eat say, 1600 calories of protein vs. 1600 calories of carbs, I will stay full longer and lose more weight with proteins than carbs which means for MY body this works. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean it will work for everyone. We all have different body chemistries, different likes and dislikes, and different reasons we do or don't lose weight. I even have a MIL that goes from fad diet to fad diet and keeps her weight off that way because she gets bored with one particular eating lifestyle. For her it works and so far, every diet has worked, but her success has been tied to her round robin approach which is a little hard to swallow for some. Anyway, that's my looooong list of thoughts on the matter.[/quote']

Excellent ^^^^

I agree with everyone. I consider myself lucky that I am able to lose without counting cals, and that I don't feel like eating when I'm not hungry, because it definitely made weight loss easier for me. But I accept that everyone needs to find their own way. There are many paths to the best outcome, so whatever works for someone is the right path for them.

I don't really count calories either, but I do think there are exceptions to your eat less lose more rule of thumb - I have polycstic ovarian syndrome - it makes losing weight extremely difficult, (hence why it is a co-morbidity) - I think you have to acknolwedge that there are circumstances (medical) that can make weight loss a challenge. I have found that if I do not exercise, I do not lose, no matter what I eat. I am not an overeater - I didn't gain weight from eating too much. I gained weight due to a metabolic problem causing a slugglish metabolism and choosing not to ''eat clean.'' I think everyone's body is different and the bottom line is you cannot group all obsese individuals into the same category.