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Maintenance - ?



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Question to all you "Veterans" out there, who have finished loosing the weight......talking Lap Band......Am I missing something???

I read from time to time where people say they are now on "Maintenance"....I'm curious, what does that mean to you???

I know, with all the diets I have tried,Maintenance started when after a period of extreme low calorie weight loss, say for 12 weeks, you move to the next, possibly the 3rd stage and increase your calories and foods you eat....start eating normally again? Like a re-entry phase.

But with the band, what do you do??? get Fluid taken out of your band in order to start eating more??? Does your food choices, portion sizes change???

For me, this was never a diet...this was from the start, a learning experience...learning to eat differently, learning to give up some foods, take in new healthier foods,...high Protein, plenty of Water....etc, etc...all the things I needed to do to let the band work.

Sprinkle that with increased physical activity and Presto!

I changed my lifestyle.....and because of it my body reversed the weight gain and went in the opposite direction....it did not (and could not) stop when I said so, the weight loss continued until everything reached an "Equilibrium"

Don't like the term, but everything returned to "Normal"

Normal Eating, not in excess, and Normal weight...right where my body should be...and Normal exercise.

This learning experience, this life change, is something I will keep for the rest of my life...it will not change (unless the band changes)...

so therefore, where is the "Maintenance"?

I don't see where or what I can do differently...or want to....(except explore better, healthier foods)

Only thing I do for good band health is go full liquids for a few days, about every 6-8 weeks....but that's another issue

I'm curious what others have done when they are finished loosing weight....

Edited by B-52

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Hi B52,

Agree with what you've said. Interested in the liquids only every 6-8 weeks. How many days do you do this? Is it a conscious choice or do you find yourself just falling into it? So I guess my question is why? I actually forget I have a band most of the time.

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Congrats on your maintenance, for me, I am not sure I will ever maintain because my weight gain/issues were always mental, and always will be. Although for the most part im ok with it, it keeps me on my toes and I eventually progress downward on the scale. Not to say it doesn't fluctuate up once in a while...I'm coming out of a very cold snowy winter here in the north east but have begun to tackle the ten pounds I put on during "hibernation" LOL...however, I thank my band every day because I know it would have been a lot more than 10 lbs without it.

Edited by horsegirl315

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Wow - this is an interesting concept, B52. When I dieted before the lap band, I always thought of maintenance as the point where I would maintain what I lost, but I never seemed to get to that point. I guess I am in the maintenance phase now, but I have not really changed much from the previous weight loss phase. Until I read your post, I was not even thinking of the term "maintenance" as it applies to my changes in behavior and eating.

I would consider maintenance now more of a lifestyle adjustment. I am not looking to lose more weight at this point - although I am sure five or 10 pounds would be okay- and I have started to incorporate some additional types of food into my diet (for example fruits, which I avoided for a while). I have increased my daily calories a little, not by much though. I think the increase keeps me at a steady level. I still keep an eye on everything I put in my mouth, but I do not keep track of everything as I did when I was first banded.

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Another Great post b52 and kat

Life seems to stay in the same rhythm for me. I don't think very much of food...faithful in exercise...Never would have been the case 9 years ago.

It is just a different level that I never foresaw...

I don't know that I think of maintenance.... Just regular days. Small meals. Once in a while frozen yogurt..... Or what I chose..I know it won't be much.

Very happy to COMPLY... Tho it took years of training with PBing... And adjustments

My thoughts are it appears 900-1200 calories are what we gals eat on a very regular basis... I don't lose or gain within a few lbs.

Wondering if this is true for others on a long term basis ?

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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