hi everyone, i'm new here so i hope i hear from so so manny of you!!

i had my lapband or as i see so many of you say it, i've been banded, in March. so far i have lost about 40lbs. i lost 30 in the 1st month!! wow! i was amazed because i was constantly told and read that the weight loss is slow and i was totally fine with that. i wanted that! but i guess i got spoiled to losing weight every other day or so. now i cant seem to move a bit! i have stayed at 258-255ish since my 1st adjustment which was 3 weeks ago. prior to that, i had stayed at 263 until the adjustment. i can not figure out why i cant move anymore. what i am doing or not doing? i am getting another adjustment in about 2 wks so i expect to loose another couple of pounds but then after that will i stay stuck again? i'm not understanding this. can you all offer any help or advice? i eat 3 meals a day. i have snacks which i'm thinking i should cut out now. i dont know. i love to snack. i dont have high sugar snacks but as we know too much of anything is not good! my snacks are granola....basically but also SF popsicles, SF pudding, and wheat crackers(5)

what should i expect in regards to my weight loss, being stagnant and just staying focused?!?

please help:phanvan

Well, the best advice I can give is:

1. Make sure you are getting enough protein--protein first, then veggies, then carbs.

2. Make sure you are drinking enough water--except right before and right after meals.

3. Exercise! On a regular basis, if possible.

4. Watch the liquid calories--are you drinking shakes, or eating ice cream alot. How about fruitjuices or pop? All of that is just wasted calories that don't stay in your pouch.

5. Snacking isn't necessarily a bad thing, if the snacks are good choices--granola is very high carb. I like to have a piece of low-fat string cheese, or a South Beach Diet 100 calorie bar, if I really get hungry in between meals.

6. Use the fills to your advantage--don't be afraid to ask for another fill if you really feel like you need one.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing after your next fill.

wow, are you kidding about the granola being high in carbs!!!???:eek:

i had no idea! do you think that could be the main problem here? actually ever since i started going crazy with the granola is when i started to plateau. i'm stunned because i LOVE LOVE LOVE granola!!! i think i'm going to stop eating it and see what happens. as for everything else the only liquid i drink is water basically and actually. i love water:D and no i dont eat ice cream at all! no way. i have grape nuts cereal for breakfast with soy milk, a protein drink, soy burger for lunch, fish or chicken for dinner with spinach. snacks like i said are GRANOLA, sesame sticks(honeyglazed:eek:) and crackers with low fat or fat free cheese. i'm only getting like 1100 calories in a day....if that! so i cant figure it out. i'll take the granola out of the equation and see what happens. and yes i do exercise. i do lite cardio, pilates and yoga along with minor strenght training. i do this about 3-5 times a week for about 2 wks now.

my next fill is on the 25th of this month. thanks for your help!!!

wow, are you kidding about the granola being high in carbs!!!???:eek:

i had no idea! do you think that could be the main problem here? actually ever since i started going crazy with the granola is when i started to plateau. i'm stunned because i LOVE LOVE LOVE granola!!! i think i'm going to stop eating it and see what happens. as for everything else the only liquid i drink is Water basically and actually. i love water:D and no i dont eat ice cream at all! no way. i have grape nuts cereal for breakfast with soy milk, a Protein drink, soy burger for lunch, fish or chicken for dinner with spinach. Snacks like i said are GRANOLA, sesame sticks(honeyglazed:eek:) and crackers with low fat or fat free cheese. i'm only getting like 1100 calories in a day....if that! so i cant figure it out. i'll take the granola out of the equation and see what happens. and yes i do exercise. i do lite cardio, pilates and yoga along with minor strenght training. i do this about 3-5 times a week for about 2 wks now.

my next fill is on the 25th of this month. thanks for your help!!!

bump bump bump....

Many times we don't realize how many calories we are sucking in until we track it. I used Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate but others also like FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. Many times if you start tracking every calorie that goes into your mouth you'll be shocked at the number you are consuming.

You shouldn't need Snacks banded, remember... loving to snack and munch is what got us fat. You can't really question why you are not losing if you are eating throughout the day vs. like regular people... 3 meals daily. Sure, sometimes you get a little hungry and a SMALL snack isn't always a horror, but if you aren't losing weight it is a horror.

Give us an example or two of a daily menu for you and maybe we can come up with some little hints to help.

wow, are you kidding about the granola being high in carbs!!!???:eek:

i had no idea! do you think that could be the main problem here? actually ever since i started going crazy with the granola is when i started to plateau. i'm stunned because i LOVE LOVE LOVE granola!!! i think i'm going to stop eating it and see what happens. as for everything else the only liquid i drink is Water basically and actually. i love water:D and no i dont eat ice cream at all! no way. i have grape nuts cereal for breakfast with soy milk, a Protein drink, soy burger for lunch, fish or chicken for dinner with spinach. Snacks like i said are GRANOLA, sesame sticks(honeyglazed:eek:) and crackers with low fat or fat free cheese. i'm only getting like 1100 calories in a day....if that! so i cant figure it out. i'll take the granola out of the equation and see what happens. and yes i do exercise. i do lite cardio, pilates and yoga along with minor strenght training. i do this about 3-5 times a week for about 2 wks now.

my next fill is on the 25th of this month. thanks for your help!!!

Why are you drinking a Protein Drink with your breakfast? It could really be one or the other, you don't need both. Remember, you can only absorb about 20-25gms of protein at a time and what you don't use turns to fat unless you burn it off.

Honeyglazed seseme sticks, granola, ... how can you possibly be under 1100 calories daily? I'll bet you are consuming a lot more calories than you realize. Even with 1100 calories daily you would be losing weight.

You do "lite" cardio, "minor" strength training... Maybe kick it up a bit? I shoot for 100 minutes of hard cardio daily plus other things.

Many times we don't realize how many calories we are sucking in until we track it. I used Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate but others also like FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. Many times if you start tracking every calorie that goes into your mouth you'll be shocked at the number you are consuming.

You shouldn't need Snacks banded, remember... loving to snack and munch is what got us fat. You can't really question why you are not losing if you are eating throughout the day vs. like regular people... 3 meals daily. Sure, sometimes you get a little hungry and a SMALL snack isn't always a horror, but if you aren't losing weight it is a horror.

Give us an example or two of a daily menu for you and maybe we can come up with some little hints to help.

ok cool, thanks.

yesterday i was busy so i had Protein shakes(gnc-cookies n cream) mixed with yogurt(6oz,fat free, 100cals), 2 strawberries, small banana and a T of Peanut Butter. i had this for breakfast and lunch.

i promise i just had 2 pinch size pieces of an oatmeal raisen cookie

dinner- 1/2 cup of wendys chilli

i also had 2 SF fudge popsicles and a couple pieces of SF candy

1/4C of no salt sunflower seeds.

today i had:

B-6oz fat free cherry yogurt

L- 1 small crabcake, 2 pieces of turkey pastrami with a piece of fat free cheese(rolled up, no bread) and 4 wheatable multigrain crackers

Snack- SF fudge popsicle, 3 piece of SF candy

D- (i plan on having) asian chicken salad. its pre-made, you just add the lettuce. i never had it before. the chicken is cut up already and cooked and has sesame sticks in it. it probably has a dressing too which i will not "dump" on my salad anyway.

please help!!:help:

should i eat more protein, nevermind vegetables and fruits? it seems like i need so much to feel satisfied.

i just got my 2nd fill a week ago and only lost about 3lbs. what can i do. i also exercise some and trying to up that as we speak. i did count calories and was having about 1200 or less and still saw no results. i just stayed the same

Why are you drinking a Protein drink with your breakfast? It could really be one or the other, you don't need both. Remember, you can only absorb about 20-25gms of protein at a time and what you don't use turns to fat unless you burn it off.

Honeyglazed seseme sticks, granola, ... how can you possibly be under 1100 calories daily? I'll bet you are consuming a lot more calories than you realize. Even with 1100 calories daily you would be losing weight.

You do "lite" cardio, "minor" strength training... Maybe kick it up a bit? I shoot for 100 minutes of hard cardio daily plus other things.

i dont have a Protein shake with my breakfast. clarification would be that as my 2nd breakfast i drink a protein shake, like 3 hrs later. i may be consuming more than i think but the honeyglazed sticks were probably like a half of a palm size when i ate them. it was just a couple. anyhow i stopped eating them as well as the granola and still nothing!

i said "lite and minor" because thats what the program calls it that i do it with. minor strength training is my description because it was only about about 20minute with 3lb hand weights and 1lb gloves.

this is new to me, the band, exercising, eating better so i'm just learning. i have asthma also so its a little scary when i cant catch my breath but i am trying and willing to devote the time to this, my health. i'm about 100lbs more than you. i need to work up to where you are. i'm sure i'll be able to do 100minutes one day too.

Okay, GNC Cookies and Cream, is this it?

GNC - GNC Pro Performance® Mass XXX - Cookies 'N Cream

>>This special blend of carbohydrates includes 83% complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin and fiber) and only 17% sugar. Each serving of this highly specialized sports formula boasts 66 grams of quality Protein and 146 grams of carbohydrates when mixed with 2% milk. It also features a blend of essential fatty acids including some healthy unsaturated fats, medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) which are quickly absorbed for energy, and no trans fats. This combination of protein carbs and fat help to provide the extra-calories that you need to put on the added pounds you want.<<

What brand of yogurt? What brand of granola? How much granola? What brand of crabcake? What brand of cheese? How much cheese? What brand of Asian chicken salad and how much? What brand of honeyglazed seseme sticks? Give me brands of everything you have been eating that created your plateau.

I'm going to show you that you are eating way more than 1100 calories by running it through a website that will create a food label for you.

There is just no way you can be eating all that and keeping calories at 1100, fat grams on the low side, low sugar, (bandster foods), etc. If you really are eating 1100 calories daily you'd be losing weight weekly.

What are your stats? Your weight, how tall are you, gender, age, start weight, current weight, and even goal weight.

i dont have a Protein shake with my breakfast. clarification would be that as my 2nd breakfast i drink a protein shake, like 3 hrs later. i may be consuming more than i think but the honeyglazed sticks were probably like a half of a palm size when i ate them. it was just a couple. anyhow i stopped eating them as well as the granola and still nothing!

i said "lite and minor" because thats what the program calls it that i do it with. minor strength training is my description because it was only about about 20minute with 3lb hand weights and 1lb gloves.

this is new to me, the band, exercising, eating better so i'm just learning. i have asthma also so its a little scary when i cant catch my breath but i am trying and willing to devote the time to this, my health. i'm about 100lbs more than you. i need to work up to where you are. i'm sure i'll be able to do 100minutes one day too.

Darl'en... this is new to ALL of us! If we all knew this we wouldn't have gotten fat to begin with. Look at me, I'm a nurse, I *should* know better and I didn't. We ALL have a learning curve, we ALL eat foods and swear (while sincerely believing) we are eating good quality foods and low calories. We all do/did that and if any fat person tells you otherwise, they aren't being honest.

Face it, you are the same as allllll the rest of us.

Seriously, it's true. There is SOOOO much to learn about diet, exercise, and then top it off with banding ... that's an entirely new world of information. It's overwhelming at first but soon it becomes a lifestyle and let me tell you, when you start losing weight... a lot of weight, the motivation kicks in and you just can't get enough of the new lifestyle. It's no longer much of a challenge, it's a way of life and best of all, you will LIKE it! Nobody believes that until they experience it. But I promise, there will be a day when you are typing these very words to another newbie and you will be trying to find the words to explain how true this is. You know the newbie won't be easily convinced but you will know it's true and you'll be the one trying to come up with the right words.

Give it time, you'll see.

As for exercise, I damn sure didn't start at 100 minutes daily! I started out at 10 minutes daily because that's all I could do since I was so out of shape. But if I can do it, anyone can. It just takes time.

Okay, GNC Cookies and Cream, is this it?

GNC - GNC Pro Performance® Mass XXX™ - Cookies 'N Cream

>>This special blend of carbohydrates includes 83% complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin and fiber) and only 17% sugar. Each serving of this highly specialized sports formula boasts 66 grams of quality Protein and 146 grams of carbohydrates when mixed with 2% milk. It also features a blend of essential fatty acids including some healthy unsaturated fats, medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) which are quickly absorbed for energy, and no trans fats. This combination of protein carbs and fat help to provide the extra-calories that you need to put on the added pounds you want.<<

What brand of yogurt? What brand of granola? How much granola? What brand of crabcake? What brand of cheese? How much cheese? What brand of Asian chicken salad and how much? What brand of honeyglazed seseme sticks? Give me brands of everything you have been eating that created your plateau.

I'm going to show you that you are eating way more than 1100 calories by running it through a website that will create a food label for you.

There is just no way you can be eating all that and keeping calories at 1100, fat grams on the low side, low sugar, (bandster foods), etc. If you really are eating 1100 calories daily you'd be losing weight weekly.

What are your stats? Your weight, how tall are you, gender, age, start weight, current weight, and even goal weight.

thanks for your help and to be honest, initially your note sounded a bit condenscending. like i ONLY do x amount of LITE cardio and ALL those sesame sticks..blah blah... kind of like when a skinny person is telling a fat person, "if you stop eating you wouldnt be fat!" type of tone.

so we're past that now. i'm ok:)

it would be easier i guess if you told me or gave me a sample of days menu. the yogurts i eat are la yogurt lite. i just switched to that brand and i think thats the name. i have always eaten breyers fat free. this new brand has 100 calories, 6oz.

the crab cakes, granola, sunflower seeds is where it gets sketchy. i buy them from the amish and they dont put labels on their stuff so i know thats a big red flag and i had problems with that before BUT i guess i got caught up in it tasting so good that i got over the non label issue:(

the cheeses are fat free individually wrapped. the brand varies from kraft to store name.

i drink soy milk, regular or lite with my Protein shakes and Cereal.

when i do eat cereal i eat grape nut cereal. i was eating kashi but switched to grapenuts. i havent eaten cereal in about 2 wks though.

i do eat chilli often, either small wendys or 1 cup of campbells(beef or turkey)

the asian chicken salad i picked up from bjs last nite. i dont recall the name brand though. its enough to serve a family really and i will probably end up having 2 servings of it.

um...what else....oh i eat tilapia like everyday but havent in about 4-5 days though, well actually since i had my adjustment so about a week now. i love tilapia!!

what do you recommend? i lost most of my weight right after the surgery. 30lbs in about 30 days, give or take. but once i got to introducing solid foods is where the loss stopped. i was eating the same things that i did pureed and soft. i was too scared to eat any thing else or try to eat sweets and old things i was used to. what can i do? i have no problem changing my regimen. i know i have to be honest with myself to be honest with you and everybody else!

thanks again. oh and my stats are in my signature. also i'm 5'7"

ps. i usually drink chocolate or strawberry gnc Protein Drink but thought i would "treat" myself with cookies and cream. is that flavor not good? whats the verdict on that?

WASaBubble Butt: I have been drinking this brand from GNC. Can you look at the label and tell me if this one is ok. I thought it was based on the carbs, caloires and sugar. I want to try it in the chocolate and vanilla if its ok. GNC Pro Performance® Whey Protein - Unflavored. Sorry I couldnt make the link work.

thanks for your help and to be honest, initially your note sounded a bit condenscending. like i ONLY do x amount of LITE cardio and ALL those sesame sticks..blah blah... kind of like when a skinny person is telling a fat person, "if you stop eating you wouldnt be fat!" type of tone.

so we're past that now. i'm ok:)

it would be easier i guess if you told me or gave me a sample of days menu. the yogurts i eat are la yogurt lite. i just switched to that brand and i think thats the name. i have always eaten breyers fat free. this new brand has 100 calories, 6oz.

the crab cakes, granola, sunflower seeds is where it gets sketchy. i buy them from the amish and they dont put labels on their stuff so i know thats a big red flag and i had problems with that before BUT i guess i got caught up in it tasting so good that i got over the non label issue:(

the cheeses are fat free individually wrapped. the brand varies from kraft to store name.

i drink soy milk, regular or lite with my Protein shakes and cereal.

when i do eat cereal i eat grape nut cereal. i was eating kashi but switched to grapenuts. i havent eaten cereal in about 2 wks though.

i do eat chilli often, either small wendys or 1 cup of campbells(beef or turkey)

the asian chicken salad i picked up from bjs last nite. i dont recall the name brand though. its enough to serve a family really and i will probably end up having 2 servings of it.

um...what else....oh i eat tilapia like everyday but havent in about 4-5 days though, well actually since i had my adjustment so about a week now. i love tilapia!!

what do you recommend? i lost most of my weight right after the surgery. 30lbs in about 30 days, give or take. but once i got to introducing solid foods is where the loss stopped. i was eating the same things that i did pureed and soft. i was too scared to eat any thing else or try to eat sweets and old things i was used to. what can i do? i have no problem changing my regimen. i know i have to be honest with myself to be honest with you and everybody else!

thanks again. oh and my stats are in my signature. also i'm 5'7"

ps. i usually drink chocolate or strawberry GNC protein drink but thought i would "treat" myself with Cookies and cream. is that flavor not good? whats the verdict on that?

Yeah, my writing style strikes again. Writing has never been my forte, never. I likely flunked writing in elementary school. I can't get what is in my head to a computer screen, never have been able to. I come off sounding like a witch and that's not my intent at all. Sorry about that.

If you are drinking the product that I provided a link for, that is not a regular Protein shake. That is to GAIN weight!!! It has 17% sugar, 145 carbs and that is per serving. I couldn't even find a source that listed calories, likely because the manufacturer is ashamed. It just isn't a product to be used to maintain muscle during weight loss, it's for 17 year old boys that want to go out for football and gain weight. The label even explains it is for gaining weight.

Example, that product has 145 carbs.. that's a weeks worth of carbs for me! Literally, a weeks worth of carbs. The stuff I drink is 2gms of carbs, 120 calories, and 23gms of protein. The stuff I asked you if you were drinking has 66gms of protein and considering we can only absorb 25 or so gms of protein at a time, the rest has to be burned or it turns to fat.

Fat free products, do you know that they usually have sugar instead? Fat is what gives a food much of the flavor. When the fat is removed they have to flavor it with something so they use sugar. Lots of people get fat on fat free products. They don't realize they are exchanging fat for sugar. Let's face it, the more sugar we all eat, the more sugar we all crave.

Crab cakes and granola.. I have no way to run that through a website I use. For comparison purposes, check out NutritionData.com NutritionData's Nutrition Facts Calorie Counter. It's a GREAT site!! You can put an entire recipe in there, divide by the number of actual servings and it will give you a food label. For folks that come here and believe they are keeping calories down I usually run a days menu through there and people are shocked at the number of calories, fat grams, etc. they are consuming.

Campbells chili... read the label lately? Those products are usually loaded with fat and calories. If you are eating tiny quantities it's fine, but on a regular basis check the labels.

I'm going to run your stats through another website that tells how many calories you need daily just to maintain your current weight. I'll bet it's more than 1100. That's why I know you are consuming more calories than you believe you are. And btw, most of us have the same exact issue and especially in the beginning.

I think the operative words in WASA's post for the Cookies N Cream were "help to provide the extra-calories that you need to put on the added pounds you want" - in other words, this particular drink is to help you GAIN weight. I'm not banded yet, but my doctor's instructions for Protein drinks are ones that contain 10-15 grams carbs, less than 10 grams of sugar and less than 200 calories. I think you will get some great advice from WASA BB, even though her tone may be pretty straight-forward.

I totally understand about the exercise thing too - I dusted off my bicycle yesterday and rode all of 2 MINUTES, but today I managed 8

(but I had to ride 4, rest 4 and ride 4 again).

This is probably really frustrating for all us newbies, but I guess we need to READ, READ, READ the labels of everything we buy. I am just starting my pre-op diet and trying to get all the right Protein Drinks is a pain!!

She...

I just ran your stats through a calorie web site to determine the number of calories you need just to maintain your weight daily. This provides energy for breathing, walking around, lite exercise, heart rate, blood pressure, etc. You have to consume around 2400 calories daily just to maintain. If you want to lose you have to consume less than 2400 calories daily give/take 200 calories.

With restriction I'd stick to around 1000 but that is going to mean cutting back quite a bit.

WASaBubble Butt: I have been drinking this brand from GNC. Can you look at the label and tell me if this one is ok. I thought it was based on the carbs, caloires and sugar. I want to try it in the chocolate and vanilla if its ok. GNC Pro Performance® Whey Protein - Unflavored. Sorry I couldnt make the link work.

Is this the same stuff I posted a link for earlier? If so, that product is designed for people trying to gain weight. If you'll look at the paragraph that I quoted, look at the very last sentence.

Here, I just found it:

>>This special blend of carbohydrates includes 83% complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin and fiber) and only 17% sugar. Each serving of this highly specialized sports formula boasts 66 grams of quality protein and 146 grams of carbohydrates when mixed with 2% milk. It also features a blend of essential fatty acids including some healthy unsaturated fats, medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) which are quickly absorbed for energy, and no trans fats. This combination of protein carbs and fat help to provide the extra-calories that you need to put on the added pounds you want.<<