Ok, Im sure Ive read threads on this same subject but I am just at my witts end. So, Ive gone through the process and the testing and my next step will be with the surgeon. However, I cant loose 10 pounds. I mean, I can, I just dont apply myself. Please, words of wisdom. I know I can, I just dont.

Okay,

Yes first of all you CAN do it. Keep telling yourself that. Drink the crap out of water and try to walk if you can and keep your calories below 1200 and you will do this. Just keep thinking a year from now I will be so much smaller. Can buy regular clothes. Won't be constantly thinking about food and in fact you'll hardly think of food at all. Keep up the faith. You can do it.

Kerry, maybe I'm a bit slow....Is the surgeon requiring you to lose 10 pounds? Or are you speaking in general terms? If that is the case, that is what this procedure is all about. No, getting the band placed will not magically make you lose. But with the adjustments, it will allow you to adjust your eating habits so that you CAN lose those pounds.

Kerry,

The same thing happened to me! I had to lose the ten and didn't. I had to have my surgery postponed and I was so disappointed! Just think about that maybe...the longer it takes to lose the ten the longer it will take to get the tool that will help you lose it all. Try to get in that excitement mode now instead of after youi take the 10 off.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Sallie

Surgery was scheduled for April 10, Now scheduled for May 2.

Kerry, I was denied for not losing weight as well. Long story short, I was pissed and did something about it. I know this is going to sound bad and I'm sorry, but I'm saying it to help you: Don't whine and say you can't, don't cry and say that you can't, dust yourself off and DO IT!!!!

I started my one year, yep ONE YEAR MD supervised weight loss requirement for my insurance company at 344#, I had a requirement to lose 9# for a total of 5% of my excess weight to lose. I got sick in that year and was put on a medication that sapped my strength and made me sedentary. I grew to 371#. I got fixed and got off the med at 366# in January. I kicked myself in the arse and and got to 348# and then my surgeon sent in my application for the surgery accompanied by a letter from my PCP and one from my cardiologist saying that it wasn't my fault that I gained weight and pointing out that I was again losing since being off of it. My insurance company denied me because I wasn't the magical 335#. Yep, DENIED. So I kicked it up a notch two weeks ago because I was not going to be denied again this month. I weighed in yesterday at 330.4#

It's not that hard, really it isn't (okay, the last week or so wasn't the greatest of my life, for that last 8# or so). Here's what I did and I never have felt deprived, NOT ONCE:

I log EVERY SINGLE BITE of food I eat and everything I drink on www.fitday.com It is FREE and pretty easy. I also log all of my activities on there to see how my calories are burned. There are plenty of other sites like it, SparkPeople is one, but I didn't love the format, some folks do. The point is that it's free and esay and makes you accountable for all you eat.

That having been said, I do NOT count my calories, I do not watch my portion size intentionally. Logging the food has sort of done that for me. I am completely honest on my log (it is private, no one looks at it but me). If I ate two cups of cottage cheese, I put that in there, eventually I started controlling my portions myself. I find I now average (I do not aim for anything) 1500-1800 calories a day and taht has been working well for me.

I do not eat ANY refined sugar, no enriched flours, no white bread, no white rice (except the occasional sushi) no Pasta except the Barilla Pasta Plus in small portions, no Breakfast cereals except Kashi. It's easier than you think and it has made a HUGE difference in what I crave. I was a carb fanatic, I LOVED bread and rice and mashed potatoes, etc. I stopped wanting it. I watch my labels to see just how many carbs are in something. I want to say I am NOT low-carbbing it. I just watch to see so I don't get too much refined sugar or simple carbohydrates, that's what makes you hungry again. I easily eat way more than 100 grams a day of carbs, so no, I'm not eating low carb at all. But things like pasta sauce can have a lot of sugar in it. so I look for the one with the lowest amount.

I also try to avoid any artificial sweeteners, I do have probably one beverage with Splenda or NutraSweet that is manufactured a day. I have found that they make me crave sugar and the Splenda makes me hungry as it is processed just like sugar, while you don't get the spikes in blood sugar, you do get the drops and that signals you to eat again. I use Stevia, google it. I also use Blue Agave Syrup to sweeten things.

I have already given up all carbonated drinks in anticipation of banding as you aren't supposed to have the post-op and I have given up caffeine. I gave it up for health reasons, but it is an appetite stimulant.

I have started eating like a Bandster, I take small bites (and use baby utensils when I am at home) and put the fork or spoon down between bites. I do feel satisfied faster. I try not to drink with meals because (hopefully) soon I won't be able to anyway (after being banded, I mean). I eat my Protein first, veggies second, and then carbs/fruit if I still have room. It has made a difference.

That's it, that's all I've done and I had lost about 32 lbs that way. The past week or so all I had was salads or chopped raw veggies and one or two SlimFast Low Carb shakes or EAS AdvantEDGE or Atkins shakes (good protein and low sugars) and some cottage cheese every day, and I got another 12 lbs off. That was not easy, but the other changes were.

You CAN do it!

I definatly know I can do it, which is why its so painful WHY I JUST DONT DO IT. I know you all can relate to me when I say this.....You know that feeling you get when you want to loose weight, you just wake up one day and do it......You start to loose, feel good, self esteem goes way up, etc.......Ive done that before and know how awesome that feels. Every time I loose over 50 pounds, I totally have it in my head that I will never be fat again, and why I go back to gaining it again, I will never know. I will be the first to say that I truly beleive that obesity is a disease like alcoholism or drug abuse. IT SUCKS...

I truly appreciate the C&C, keep it coming.....

Kerry, maybe I'm a bit slow....Is the surgeon requiring you to lose 10 pounds? Or are you speaking in general terms? If that is the case, that is what this procedure is all about. No, getting the band placed will not magically make you lose. But with the adjustments, it will allow you to adjust your eating habits so that you CAN lose those pounds.

Its required and I certainly understand that I need to loose the weight, its just the kick start thing. I dont understand why I just cant focus. I think I need to slow down some things in my personal life, I work full time and go to school full time nights, plus have a family. Im think Im forgetting about me.

I have come to learn that when someone wants the band badly enough, they will do whatever it takes to get it.

i agree with you i cannot lose the 10 lbs either. i just can't make myself yet. my surgery is set up for may 18. i act like everything i put in my mouth is the last supper so i gotta get my fill of all the foods i'm going to give up. i go this tues. for pre op, so i'm scared she's going to say lose 20 lbs, or say i'm not ready and postpone it. really i am ready, but if i can eat,i'm gonna eat.if i'm throwing up i won't eat.

faith: Great advice. Through and through. I have the band and it was good for me to read. When you get through the first 6 months post op, it is easy to backslide. You're feeling good, you get happy and then boom, you regress and start eating the things that made you fat. It is important to have a plan. Using fitday.com has helped a lot of people. I know it would help me just to make myself aware of what I'm really eating every day. It is so easy to pop something in on the go and forget ever having eaten it. The next thing you know, you start with the cravings that are hard to ignore.

Good advice, faithmd!

BJean: Thanks!! I am really trying now to make healthy and easy lifestyle changes. That way when I am banded, it won't (hopefully) be such a shock. I cannot imagine eating regularly and then al of a sudden being banded and be faced with a liquid diet, no soda, no sugary foods, no breads, etc. all at once. I figure if I make the changes now, slowly, I'm much more likely to be successful post-op. I am probably limiting myself now to things I may then choose to eat post-banding becaue I know now without anything stopping me (a full feeling for example), I would just eat and eat certain foods.

i agree with you i cannot lose the 10 lbs either. i just can't make myself yet. my surgery is set up for may 18. i act like everything i put in my mouth is the last supper so i gotta get my fill of all the foods i'm going to give up. i go this tues. for pre op, so i'm scared she's going to say lose 20 lbs, or say i'm not ready and postpone it. really i am ready, but if i can eat,i'm gonna eat.if i'm throwing up i won't eat.

That's what a lot of folks feel (the Last Supper phenomenon, I mean). But I have to say, your last sentence makes me very concerned you may not have done your research fully. The band is not intended to make you vomit if you eat too much. You DO NOT want to vomit! You risk slippage of the band if you do that too much. You also risk erosion in your pouch. The point of the band is that it is a tool that will help you feel fuller faster so you don't eat the quantoties you eat now. There are no foods that you really have to "give up" as a bandster (from what I understand). I know the Inamed book says certain foods will be difficult to eat but if you sepnd a little time looking around here you will find that among the bandsters here, they can eat just about everything. Everyone is different and you will not know what you can tolerate until after you try it post-band when you are at te stage you can eat whatever "it" is. Some peopl cannot do eggs, others live on them. Some cannot do chicken, for others it is all they can eat (of the meats).

The band is not meant to make you sick so you lose weight, it is meant to help you control how much you eat, what you choose to eat of that is up to you.

Look at it this way u only have to try for 14 days out of your entire life! to loose 10 pounds that is how I looked at it, I ate 50g of cereal in morning, piece of fruit for break, I had 50g of meat and as much salad as I wanted no dressing!for lunch. then a piece of fruit for afternoon snack. Then for dinner I had 50g of meat and as many veg as I wanted but no carbs! I managed to loose 10 pounds in 7 days. The way I kept myself on line was to think that if I wanted to be thinner this was the way in which I could acheive it buy yourself something nice in a size smaller so you have something to aim for, best of luck!!!!!!

I don't know if it helps, but I have to lose 5% as well before we submit to insurance. I am trying not to look at it like a diet. I have always failed at those and this time it is not an option. I know I can't live without treats now and then, so I am not making myself not eat those things. Instead, what I am doing is I cut my calories back. I was eating about 2000 per day and now I try to not go over 1500; what you eat each day truly depends on your weight. If you are over 300 lbs for example, they recommend you eat 1800 calories per day, so cutting to 1200 will make you feel starved. You have to watch this though because if you cut back too far too fast, it will backfire on you eventually. Your body will think you are starving it and you will plateau fast. Then when you do start eating again, you will gain back even more than you lost; I think we have all been there.... Also, it takes 21 days to break a habit and that is what eating is to most of us....a habit. Keep that in mind and don't try to break all bad habits that you have had your entire life overnight, it doesn't work. I am looking at my weight loss as a life style change. It has to be something I am willing to live with or it isn't going to work and for once this strategy is working for me. I am starting to see some results and am enjoying how I feel you will too, just stick with it!

Kerry,

You can do this...you can....just drink the drinks that you have been told to drink and stick to it....I will be praying for you and I am sure there are others that will pray for you, too.....Please hang in there and just make up your mind, you are going to do this....drink lots and lots of Water and stay well hydrated...that will help...I had to drink 3 or 4 slim fast (optima)a day,for the first three days.. and then on the fourth day I could add a green salad with ff dressing..but I had to trade one slim fast for the salad.....I had sf Jello, and crystal light, diet cokes, sf tea....this will be so worth it...you will be so glad you did....please let us know how you are...you are with a group of caring people and we have all been where you are today...

Di/Texas

re: 'no soda, no sugary foods, no breads, etc. all at once."

really....this is no big deal.....when you have no desire for it, you have no demon to dance with....and for the first time, there I was.....all ready to not dance.....

It is easy to NOT eat that stuff....

You are so very right Jack, I'm not banded yet and I've given these things up and it really has been no big deal at all! :clap2: It was relatively easy. And I know you and others have said that our tastes change a bit after banding and I may not even like some of the things I do now. I just know that I have also read a lot of posts about how emotional many people are in the immediate to recent post-operative phase. I figured with my luck, that's going to be me, I guessed the emotions after banding plus the potential deprived feeling might spell disaster for me. That's why I gave it up now rather than waiting to see if it would be easy or hard after the band was placed.

Jack you have given such fantastic advice and are so down-to-earth. I look for your posts all the time.