Help! I am failing! I have now gained almost all my weight back, and can not afford nor do I have the insurance for fills. Is there anyone who can help me?

I lost almost 30#'s and then hit a wall and it didn't seem to matter what I did, I could not loose anymore. My husband then took a different job back in our home state and we moved. That has been a year and a half. We moved into our daughters for a good 9 months and have since moved out on our own. I understand the stress of all this did not help, nor did her cooking!

I need to get a "restart".

Again I say HELP!!!

Thank you in advance.

Barb

spededbarb@att.net (best way to communicate, my computer is not convinent)

Barb,

I am assuming you never go to green. Unfortunately the band cannot work at it's best if it's not filled adequately to suppress appetite, limit volume intake etc. This is how the band is designed to be effective. Otherwise, it's like having a bike with flat tires as they say.

If you are at green, and this is a matter of getting back to the rules of eating with a band than that's much easier to address. Can you tell us more about what zone you feel you are in, your eating habits etc. I find many times we recognize in ourselves where we are not compliant, so identifying that part for us will help us better support you

I am at a good point on my band. Restriction wise. I just manage to get around it. I KNOW my eating has been a factor. I am looking for the help and encouragement to go back to step one if need be and continue that faze. Guidelines are a plus for me. Eat this and only this and in this amount, etc. Then I know the band will get me back. As far as the hitting the wall part, I don't know and neither does the Dr. know why I hit it and how to fix it. Even did a food/drink journal and all was in line there. Maybe this time I can get past it.

Thanks! And congrats on your success! I too will get there!

Barb,

Fantastic, at least we don't have to toy with the fill part.

First, I'd like to say that I too had an interruption in my journey, make that two, and found my way back to the bandwagon. First, I got pregnant and than I suffered a car accident that put me into rehab for 8 months. I was fortunate that I only gained 20 w/ the pregnancy and lost it immediately after having the baby. And I gained zero lbs during my rehab stint despite my horrible food choices (my volume was still in check). But January of THIS year I was 195 lbs, my neural symptoms were under better control from the accident, and I was in the right mindset to get back on the my diet.

And here's what I did:

1- I rejoined LBTalk after having gone MIA for over 3 years. It was like a recommitment. The more I talked about my goals, my daily decisions, my progress etc the more momentum and motivation I got to carry on the good work. I also met up w/ some old friends and made some new ones who have all been such great support and a huge distraction to the daily grind of losing weight.

2- I looked at my old weights/measurements/pictures. I've never looked at them before hand and I was astonished where I was (despite the setbacks) and where I started. It helped wipe away some of that negative talk going on in my head and encouraged me to keep going. It also kept me accountable by forcing myself to take new measurements, pics etc for future reference

3- I picked up my old surgical materials which outlined my transition diets, foods to eat, rules etc. Sometimes you think you know these things by hard, and you might, but sometimes reading them on paper gives you a chance to get real and identify which rules you really are not enforcing, which foods are no longer a staple in your diet etc. This is a great starting point to identify some habits that need to be reintroduced and reinforced

4- Food. So I am married and I have 3 children. So there's no way I can just go and throw out all the food in the pantry. But what I did do, was write a grocery list of all the staple foods I would be eating. I doubled up buying the things the entire family ate or bought small portions of things only I would eat. I bought a huge variety but the rule way- I only eat from this list. I don't care how you mix them or if you eat them individually- but the rule is- only these foods. The first thing that it accomplished- it drastically reduces your choices. Second, no matter what you eat- it's all healthy for you and it'll be Protein based which will help satiate you. Third, You are reestablishing your base foods. These are your real staples. This is what you should be asking- do I eat these foods mostly or other foods to help identify when you are not eating in moderation later on when you introduce new foods.

5- Bust out the tools- So I got pretty good at eyeballing measurements. But if you haven't gotten to this point, now is the time to use measuring spoons and cups and scales again. No more than 1 cup at any time. Or if you are counting calories, use those spoons to ensure you are not adding too many calories of toppings/additives etc

6-Exercise. Ok so the formula for wl goes wl= calories in - calories burned. You have to keep those variables stable for continual and sustained wl. So if you can't exercise (like me because of my back) you have eat less. if you work out alot than you need to eat more. Some people fixate on numbers that they resist things like adding food because they incorrectly believe it'll make them gain. In reality, if they don't, the body goes into starvation mode and will plateau.

7- So an extension to my last comment is to journal. Get back to writing your foods, portions, calories, protein grams, Water intake and weights so you can catalog your progress. And if you need to make a change, you can experiment and see what is and is not effective.

8- Remember, protein is your #1 priority (60-90 gr minimum). Take supplements like Calcium citrate, Multivitamin and others include B12, Vit D and Biotin. Drink minimum of 64 oz of water daily.

So let's put your memory to the test..what foods should be in your pantry?

Hi Barb -- glad you're here...on the right track back to accountability, wanting to be healthy.....I am new at this so don't have much to offer except I've been reading a lot of posts. Some people use the five day pouch test to regroup or a few days on liquids, etc. A reboot.

I am at a good point on my band. Restriction wise. I just manage to get around it. I KNOW my eating has been a factor. I am looking for the help and encouragement to go back to step one if need be and continue that faze. Guidelines are a plus for me. Eat this and only this and in this amount, etc. Then I know the band will get me back. As far as the hitting the wall part, I don't know and neither does the Dr. know why I hit it and how to fix it. Even did a food/drink journal and all was in line there. Maybe this time I can get past it.

Thanks! And congrats on your success! I too will get there!

When is the last time you saw your dr? Or do you have a new one. If not find one....quick. I went every month while I was losing. I think that alone helped more than I can tell you.

During the losing stage this is what I ate... For every meal for 22 months. With or without restriction. Check with your nutritionist or dr for what might work for you.

3 oz of Protein

1/2 c veggies or salad

1/4 c starch

Each meal was about 300 calories. I also had 2 Snacks.... Fruit in the morning and a sweet at night. Both were 100 calories each. My total calorie count was 1000-1200 each and every day.

You can do it. Just jump back on the wagon and don't stop until you make it!!

Hi Barb -- glad you're here...on the right track back to accountability, wanting to be healthy.....I am new at this so don't have much to offer except I've been reading a lot of posts. Some people use the five day pouch test to regroup or a few days on liquids, etc. A reboot.

Exactly what I was going to mention……the five day pouch test. People swear by it, and some (B-52 in particular) do it on a regular basis to recharge.

Exactly what I was going to mention……the five day pouch test. People swear by it, and some (B-52 in particular) do it on a regular basis to recharge.

What is 5 day pouch test?