I was reading a really interesting thread "Life after the Removal of the Lap Band". They were all discussing if they had learned a secret to maintain the weight after the removal of the lapband. They talked a lot about the moment when it "clicks".

Here was my response. I thought it would be great to see what people had learned about their eating habits, learning the secret, but with the band in place:

For me, and I am not banded yet, I have tried to take a little of every new way of eating and apply it to the way I eat daily. My body has gotten used to it and if I don't eat low carb, I actuallly feel sick! I can't deny myself when I want something or else I will binge and have way more. I try to eat when i am hungry and stop when I am full. The problem is, I can eat a lot! So, even if it is a salad, I can eat a huge salad!

I cut out soda, drink mostly Water, Crystal light. I try to not eat fast food more than 2-3 times a week. I also try to eat fruit when i have a sweet tooth. I try to get some type of exercise every day. And if I mess up, I just pick up eating healthier the next meal not the next day. I used to just throw in the towel and blow the diet and just eat badly.

I try to keep busy which keeps me distracted so I don't eat when i am bored. I am not heavy because i am an emotional eater, I juat can really pack it away. Last night I think my husband really understood when he stopped when he was full and I passed him up, kept on eating and was finally full.

This is what I do to maintain my weight between 180-190. If I didn't keep these rules, I'd be in the 200's again. I am so excited about the band and I can't wait to have another great tool!!!

Audree:scared:

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I think the ability to actually move with the weight I have lost is the biggest difference for me. If I were to lose the band tomorrow (heaven forbid), I would be able to counteract things much better than I did 79 pounds ago. As I can now exercise, and SEE the difference it does make. At almost 300 pounds, I was a sitter....

now I move a lot more!

I also have knowledge, of not only better eating habits, I know exactly how damn hard it is to lose without a band, and I would fight against having to do that again.

Good question, look forward to reading your responses!

Congrats on the date!!!

Kat

yes for me keeping busy, doing regular exercise...and watching my eating at times when i am 'emotional' work for me in maintaining my weight...

:xena_banana: becky

I think exercise is the key. And just being more active generally. Today I did a 4km run on my treadmill and an hour of weights but will probably also go out for an hour's walk tonight, just because.

I tend to put exercise into two categories - the stuff I must do - run and do weights, luckily I'm totally addicted to running and am constantly challenging myself with bigger and bigger races, and weighs, meh, necessary evil. An hour's walk I dont consider exercise any more, its just active leisure and I try to do as much of that sort of stuff as I can.

I've found throughout my life when I've been very active (and we're not talking an insane 3 hours per day or anything) I can maintain very easily. I am quite confident too that if I were to lose my band, if I just keep up my activity schedule I'll be right. I just had to break the cycle and my band did that - due to laying off the exercise over the time of life when I had young babies, I got too fat to do it comfortably and that was a neverending cycle.

:bump2: Is there anyone else who would like to to tell us any of their "secrets" or things they learned along the way. Audree

The best advice I was given, and it is no secret, was to see your Dr. regularly, without fail. Be honest with your Dr. and let them work with you and your band to adjust you to proper restriction. We all went to a lot of work to get these bands, and to not have them work at their prime, is not helping us!

Once I reached good restriction, which for me was with the 2nd fill, back in July. I have not had any hunger....zero! It is a whole new ballgame to decide what is healthy to eat, if you are not starving!!!

Even tho, I have not had any adjustment since July, I have seen my Dr. 3 times. I know when we feel the time is right, we can adjust it again...right now as they say.....If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!

See your Dr., let him help your band work for you!!!

Kat

Hi. I just got my band a week ago. I read that you should drink no more than 1/2 cup at a time. I have been drinking way more than that. I wonder if that is ok. I feel great!

I think that those who are successful long term have internalized the process. That the Band is not just another diet, but a whole lifestyle change.

I truly think that is the number one ideal for this to work (baring something seriously wrong, like I have).

Changing the way we look at not only food, but activity is the key. Learning to be kind to ourselves is also important.

I'm glad that someone posted this issue, because it is quite pertinent to me. I was banded 2.5 years ago in the UK. Because I lived at the time quite far away from any doctor who did fills/band care I had many many complications, including a near-removal slippage and numerous fills and unfills. Despite this, I still managed to lose close to 50 pounds.

After my last unfill in April, I gave my body a good rest up until a month ago, when I got filled again. So far, I have had no problems, even though my doc filled me quite a lot, and I thought I would immediately be too tight and experience those same problems again (mostly severe pbing - not on purpose!) Not so, as I learned a few important lessons in the half year I was totally unfilled:

1. THE GOLDEN RULE: know your body. I ignored so many signals that my particular body was giving me: being very tight in the mornings, which meant that I shouldn't shove some Breakfast down my throat just because I thought I needed to eat breakfast (years of mind training). Now I have a few cups of very hot coffee, wait an hour or two until my band is a little looser and have a small breakfast/lunch. I have the same problem with dinner: I'm very tight in the evenings. In the past I would try to eat Protein and cause agony as I either ate too fast, too big of chunks of meat, etc. etc. I now know that evenings are going to be difficult for me so I cut off eating no later than 6:00 p.m., and if I'm hungry later in the evening I have some Soup or sugar free jello/pudding. Please note, this works for me, other people know their bands work in different ways, but the most important thing is: know thy body, know thy band...

2. RECORDING EVERYTHING I EAT: This is a big pain, but if I don't do this (I use fitday.com) I am very liberal and imaginative with amounts/quantities of what I eat. I'm afraid that I am becoming too anal retentive by doing this, but I'd rather swap my obsession with eating, with an obsession of recording calories, carbs, etc. It is also quite eye-opening to see how much you actually eat, when you are convinced that you are eating itty bitty harmless portions or foods. Since I was pre-diabetic at some point, I really really watch my carbs, and try to stick to around 800 calories a day. Some days are easier, some more difficult but I try to be consistent.

3. ESTABLISH A LOCAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A FILL DOCTOR/SURGEON: I live in Europe and where I once lived in Poland there were no doctors at all who did this procedure, and every time I needed help I had to board a plane to London to get filled/unfilled. Obviously, this was not an ideal situation financially and when you're really ill from too tight of a fill, every moment you're not unfilled is agony. I have now moved to Vienna, Austria and have made contact with an American trained band surgeon who is 15 minutes from my house, and only does fills under x-ray. It is a huge relief to know that if I am too tight, or need some kind of an adjustment he is just a brief trip away. This is an extreme example (I know) but it is something to consider to those bandsters who go to Mexico and need to be treated by someone else in the U.S. Really think about your decision. In my case it was my only option at the time, I'm really glad I did it, but it hasn't been easy.

4. EXERCISE: Ugh, I hate it, really I do. So I'm trying to walk approx. 30 minutes a day as I can see a purpose to walking somewhere than sitting in a gym. I also bought an inflatable exercise ball that I use with various DVDs that I have bought via Amazon. This is the area where I need to see the biggest improvement. But I have noticed when I walk a lot the scale does move down if it's been a bit sluggish...

My only regret is that I don't have a local (English-speaking) band community I can use for support. My husband and friends have been terrific, but I have to say that I learned all these very difficult lessons on my own.

But the point is: I've learned and I'm losing again (10 pounds in 2.5 weeks). I'm so glad I kept my band. At times I thought it was my enemy... but the real enemy.. was ME!

Hope this helps someone!!! (Sorry so long)

Thanks so much! That was awesome! I think I will definitely record what I eat consistantly. I started a journal yesterday for Day 1 of pre op. I also wrote how I felt, physically, emotionally, etc. Maybe that will help me see trends as I read over past journal entries and track what happens to me before I PB (I pray to God I don't! I have a phobia of throwing up).

Thank you! Audree

I thought this thread was worth resurrecting!!

Audree

Jack hit apon the biggest secret I have learned and that it to eat until I am no longer hungry instead of eating until I am full. Another secret I learned is to pit my fork/spoon down between bites and not pick it up again until I am completely finished with the last bite. Because it takes 30 minutes to feel full, eating slower helps you feel full with less food. Those are the 2 biggest things I have learned from this process.

No food can fix a problem such as being lonely, anxious, etc. There's not enough food in the world to fill up that kind of emptiness.

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