November Bandsters!

[AngelaT 2]

I am feeling a bit discouraged. It seems that I can not get past 25lbs! I have been filled twice now and am a bit confused. I definitely feel restriction and must chew well. However, I can't stay FULL. I never really say, gosh I am Stuffed! Is this right? Do I need more filling? Im afraid it will be really hard to eat anything then. Perhaps I need just a bit more. I am at 5cc's. It seems that on some of you the weight is just flying off!

MArni,

You are NOT sup[posed to feel full...just satisfied. Also you might NOt be eating enough...up your calories for a few days and then go back down a bit and eat lots of protein...your body is probaly thinking it is starving if you do not eat between 800 and 1200 cals a day sometimes 800 others 1200 or 1000 but vary. Also do eat evry 3 hours or so at least 4 meals a day...good food No junk. I have had NO fills and I eat that way and have lost around 38lbs doing this.

[Vikki 2]

Marni,

I am feeling the EXACT same way you are!!!! It is nice to know there are others out there. I am trying soooo hard to get down under 220. The past 5 weeks I have gone down to 223 then back up and down from 223 - 227. Right now at 227. :hungry: I feel very hungry and have had one fill but it was so tight at first it scared me because I could barely get liquids down. So I am afraid to get get another one for awhile. Even after all of that drama I still haven't lost much. I am going to take Angela's advice on going up in calories for a couple of days then back down and see if that kick starts it back into loosing again. I was also given the advice to only do low impact exercise instead of any weight lifting to tone. That will also kick the metabilism into gear too. I know how you feel because I was starting to feel like God has punished me with this weight problem for something I have done. Here I went threw an extreme thing to loose weight and my body is not cooperating with the weight loss and I feel I am practically starving. Why.......me.....is the way I feel. I am trying to be positive and patient but every morning when I get on the scale I want to scream instead of smile. I am right there with ya girl!!!! We can tackle this darn extra weight and beat it to a pulp!!! I don't know what I would do with out this support from the Nov bandsters. Thanks everyone!!!!!:clap2:

[swilborn 0]

Are you guys measuring? The scale is not always the our best friend. If we measure once a week we might see results that we don't see on the scale. I can tell you I have lost more inches than pounds.

[marni 0]

Thank you all. It's just soooo darn hard! I thought, honestly, that I would be full, eat little bits and lose 2-4 lbs a week. Remember, my sister is doing this shot and diet thing which is big in our area and has lost more than 50 lbs in the same time period as me! I just need to feel that it was worth the surgery and the money. I feel that I am doing this mostly on my own and question the surgery.... does that make sense? I mean I KNOW it works. I KNOW I have lost weight. I KNOW I eat so much less then I used to. I KNOW this is a more healthier way to do it.... but I just don't FEEL it!

[marni 0]

Are you guys measuring? The scale is not always the our best friend. If we measure once a week we might see results that we don't see on the scale. I can tell you I have lost more inches than pounds.

Okay, I have never been able to grasp this concept. Yes, I feel smaller and Yes my clothes are bigger. Then how the heck don't I weigh less? I am not a candidate for the I have more muscle now becuase I haven't been working out that much lately.....

[Vikki 2]

I do not measure but my cloths do feel looser. Is that more encouraging when you measure than just getting a read on the scale? I will have to try that. I will get a sewing measuring tape today. Since I am journaling my food I guess I should journal the inches too. Thanks for the advice.

[swilborn 0]

You guys are doing great. My band friend always tells me. Protein first, veg. then carb if you have room. Easier said than done I know. Think about all the fats your aren't eating now. Muscle ways more than fat. So you can lose two inches of fat and the scale never say a thing. If you start toning alot or moving alot more than before the scale may not show loss as fast. We didn't become big overnight, but one day we will wake up and be fine and fit. Good luck and many blessings.

[L8BloomR 1]

Marni,

I am feeling the EXACT same way you are!!!! It is nice to know there are others out there. I am trying soooo hard to get down under 220. The past 5 weeks I have gone down to 223 then back up and down from 223 - 227. Right now at 227. :hungry: I feel very hungry and have had one fill but it was so tight at first it scared me because I could barely get liquids down. So I am afraid to get get another one for awhile. Even after all of that drama I still haven't lost much. I am going to take Angela's advice on going up in calories for a couple of days then back down and see if that kick starts it back into loosing again. I was also given the advice to only do low impact exercise instead of any weight lifting to tone. That will also kick the metabilism into gear too. I know how you feel because I was starting to feel like God has punished me with this weight problem for something I have done. Here I went threw an extreme thing to loose weight and my body is not cooperating with the weight loss and I feel I am practically starving. Why.......me.....is the way I feel. I am trying to be positive and patient but every morning when I get on the scale I want to scream instead of smile. I am right there with ya girl!!!! We can tackle this darn extra weight and beat it to a pulp!!! I don't know what I would do with out this support from the Nov bandsters. Thanks everyone!!!!!:clap2:

You have just described exactly how I have been feeling...and what I have been thinking!!! It is so hard to watch the scale not move, or worse yet, move UPward! I will get my second fill in 2 1/2 weeks, but worry that my body will just not cooperate no matter what.... :cry I guess we just need to remember that we are still better off than we were before November, and hold onto that.....

Karen

[Oberhasli 1]

Make sure you're not looking for the "I just ate at a buffet and can't hold another bite" feeling when trying to decide if you feel full. I did that at first and had LOTS of pain. Remember, you still have all of your stomach, just part of it is sectioned off. You have to learn what is full in the new pouch and stop when that is full. Your mind may tell you that you want more but learn what is a comfortable feeling in the pouch and stop.

DON'T drink with your meals because you end up flushing the food out of the pouch into the lower section of the stomach. The whole idea of the band is that the food goes through slowly so you feel full, albeit it a new "full", longer. If you flush it through too quickly, you defeat the purpose.

As others have said, keep up the Protein content. And the exercise will kick start the metabolism. Don't over-react. We all are different. It's not a race. We can ALL get to the finish line and we can all win. Just keep doing what you know is right.

Go back to the basics. Keep a food log. Calories tend to sneak in when we get complacent. We think we know but when you put pencil to paper, it may show a different story. Log your exercise. 10,000 steps a day is the minimum goal if you use a pedometer. (Personally, couldn't find one that worked but others swear by them.) Eat less of the right kind of foods, exercise more and you WILL lose weight. You may not drop 2-4 pounds a week but 1 pound a week consistently over time will make a big difference.

Tomorrow is 18 weeks since 11/1, the earliest on here anyone was banded. If you're at least 18 pounds less than you were then, you're doing GREAT! That's 1 pound a week. If you're at 25 pounds, you're closer to 1.5 pounds per week even if you were banded on the first day of the month. Think back over the years and ask when the last time you lost over a pound a week for 4 months was! Remember, the band is not a cure for fat. It's a tool to help YOU lose the weight. YOU still have to do the work.

Tom

[Betsyjane 2]

Mackinac Island is fun! I haven't been there is years, but it's so pretty.

Tom is great at putting things in perspective. We're still new kids on this journey and as much as we want the weight to melt off, I frankly still feel like I'm in a huge learning curve. It's hard to change my head, my stomach, and my behavior about something as significant as food in my life. When I count calories, I am surprised what has sneaked in. When I exercise, I am surprised how good it feels and then how hard it is to go back to it. When I eat perfectly, that is comprised of so many components. And some days the band is more subtle than I would like, while other days it is a harsh taskmaster. Seems like one of the BIG things I need to learn about me and food is that there are successes to build on, and there never have been before for me. sometimes small successes, or just aha! learning experiences, but they are there and I am improving, albeit slowly.

I can also tell you that getting the right amount of fill is so helpful.

[Oberhasli 1]

I can also tell you that getting the right amount of fill is so helpful.

I'm battling that right now. 3 ccs was too much (4 cc band) and even liquid struggled to get through. I've got 2.5 cc now and as long as I behave myself and chew, chew, chew, I'm fine. Like many, I've eaten on the run and on the go. To me eating was a sprint, not a marathon. I rarely have a day where I don't have something stuck. Somedays are better than others. Some days, it seems like every meal, I have an issue.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, but I've always had the ability to vomit on command. Even as a baby, I'd have "projecticle vomiting" out of the bassonette. When something is stuck, I simply "dislodge" it and move on. It's easier than putting up with the pain. Now if I could just convince myself to slow down. I'm getting better and it's happening less frequently, but still more often than it should. I can tell as soon as I swallow that it's going to be an issue. Sometimes, I can feel it going through, ableit painful, others, I need to remove it.

On the positive side, last week was a good week scale wise. I only made it to the gym once but I did LOTS of work on the barn so did get plenty of exercise. The scale was down 5 pounds since last week. I'm now down 47 pounds in 17 weeks. I'm 18 pounds from my original goal but I think I need to reset that. I'm in the top size slack I wanted to be but I still see WAY too much of me. I figured with my body structure, which is large framed, I couldn't get much lower than a 38 waist slack. Rethinking that now that I'm there.

And another NSV. I had to buy new underwear and I bought L. Not only not multiple X's, no X at all! Maybe I'll switch from boxer briefs to thongs!

Tom

[niecyrenee 2]

And another NSV. I had to buy new underwear and I bought L. Not only not multiple X's, no X at all! Maybe I'll switch from boxer briefs to thongs!

YIPPEE!! That is wonderful Tom! I say put those thongs on and strut around, you've earned it!!! :heh:

[swilborn 0]

Good Morning !!!!! Thank you Lord my feet hit the ground today!!!! Stretch! And may our scales be kind today!!! It's going to be a great day.

47lbs. down

[niecyrenee 2]

I wanted to pass something along to those who are at a plateau or who just simply wants to kick their weightloss up for a few days. It's the 7 day meat/egg fast. Tann, who I am in Spring Bootcamp with, told us about it and has had wonderful results from it. Basically you eat nothing but eggs and lean meats for 7 days (or 3 or 5). You can have mayo and mustard and a little ketchup as long as you keep your daily carbs below 10 g.

I don't know if anyone is interested in this but thought I would pass it along. People have had some nice weightloss numbers doing this.

[Betsyjane 2]

For me, I'm trying to eat healthy and give up all the fad diets I've ever tried and failed at. I know it sounds silly, but I do better by taking a long deep breath before I eat. For me it's about slowing my insides down in order to accept food. almost a prayer, or an honoring of me and food. However spiritual or unspiritual you want to get, I'm beginning to understand that what I need is a slower heart rate and slower respirations when I'm in the presence of food.

I also find that I need to struggle through getting enough of the right foods at each meal, and not just eating a little and then making up the difference with cheap calories or shakes.