I thought I would start a thread and as we get more Merry Losers than they can copy and paste and add their names.

MERRY LOSERS

Dec 3 - CarolK1

Dec 4 - TXbandit (tentative)

Dec 6 - Sghatl

Dec 7 - Newblew

jen hollers

Dec 10 - HeatherA (tentative)

Dec 11 - ::Tracy::

Dec 13 - Caramel

Dec 17 - 100lbsforsale

MissSac

Dec 18 - Mendypoo

Dec 26 - Miss Polly

Dec 27 - jasmona1214

Dec 28 - The Fox

Please feel free to add your surgery date

Caramel:ranger:

I was going to my dr every 6 weeks then when I got to good restriction he said I didnt need to go back for 3 months. I am due to see him next month. I dont know If I will get another fill or not. It is really up to me.

I am sort of frustrated at this time. I am really stalled out in my weightloss. I go back to see my Dr on Tues for another fill. I had great restriction but these last couple of weeks I have lost restriction. I am not sure why but I have. I hope I will finally find my sweetspot. Has anyone else lost there restriction? I really haven't lost any weight for about a month. It really makes it difficult to keep your chin up!!

I have very good restriction and can eat only about 1/2 cup of food at time and I haven't lost weight in over 3 weeks. I am making good food choices - no sugar, very little carbs, low fat, getting lots of protein. I don't know what my problem is. I haven't really been exercising lately. I had to stop for a while because my blood pressure was extremely low. I am now off BP meds and doing well.

I am in no hurry to get this weight off as I have lost 133 pounds already - 66 pounds since surgery. I have been 'dieting' now for 18 months and I guess I am at a plateau. I will patiently wait it out. What bothers me is that I can't lose with what I am eating and I am about to go on a 14 day cruise. What will I weigh when I get back? At least I have restriction so I can't eat much at one sitting. I hope I can get more exercise in in the cruise's gym.

I hope I can get more exercise in in the cruise's gym.

I hate to say this, but I think the real key is to stop "hoping" and start planning. Make a commitment to yourself to get more exercise as your body allows. If you can't exercise as much as you did before, then something else in the equation has to change--lower your intake or accept that you won't lose until you can return to your old workout routine. If you were to talk to a room full of fat people and compare them with people at "normal" weight, you'd find the language is very different. We fat people have a lot of hopes and wishes....the others make plans and take action. We tend to make excuses instead!

On an entirely different note, congratulations on your huge weight loss! Maybe what you really need to do is enjoy your 14 day cruise and worry about the weight loss later...I know, I know, not good advice, but seriously, if you were to die next week, would you ever think, "I sure wish I skipped that buffet on my cruise..."??????

My doctor was happy with me only losing 7 lbs in 2 months . . . and didn't give me my 3rd fill .. . I have to admit I haven't been making the best choices - my stress level is off the charts right now . . . BUT . . . if I didn't have the band - I'd have gained at least a much as I've lost at this point! So .. . I just keep plugging away. I might get a "slight" adjustment at the end of September when I go in . . . ughhhhh . . . I hate waiting . . . but at least I'm not gaining!

Have a great cruise Sghatl! How FUN! Where are you going this time?

I plan to exercise on the cruise and I plan to enjoy myself. What I really was saying is that if I am not losing with eating around 900 calories a day now, what will happen when I eat more calories on the cruise. It still won't be much because I can't hold much and I do make good food choices. I am not consumed with losing weight but living healthily. Just how long can I eat so little calories and not lose weight. It has to come off eventually.

BTW, as a fat person I avoided buffets of all kinds. I just don't like them. The food on a buffet line is generally made for the masses and not good. Plus my husband goes way overboard on buffets and with his being diabetic I just can't watch him eat that way. We are dining room people.

Edited August 29, 200818 yr by sghatl

Is it possible your body needs more calories?? I played around with my diet and increased my protein and caloric intake and started losing weight!

I am sure that is the problem but I am eating all I can as it is. I even supplement with protein shakes made from the powder. With the chewing ability of my teeth and my crazy esophagus, I have trouble with eating things with skin on them including all fruits and vegetables, raw or cooked. I got stuck the other night on the seeds of yellow squash. Not my band I'm pretty sure but stuck in my esophagus.

I'm not able to eat any fruit or vegetables with skin, either. I've started making protein shakes in my blender with a cup of pineapple (packed in WATER, not syrup) a 1/2 cup of pulpy orange juice, one and a half scoops of the protein powder (mine is only 100 calories per scoop and gives 18 grams of protein!) with ice. I've also done the same without the oj and used coconut extract to make it more like a pina colada. I've found that putting fruit in the blender with the protein powder allows me to get in the fruit I need while helping me get my daily protein. By the time I've finished my morning shake, I've had nearly half of my daily protein and two servings of fruit and for less than 300 calories. I've never been much of a shake person but it packs well in an insulated mug and cools me off at the same time! Hope that helps.

Good idea. I've been making morning shake with bananas and one scoop of Protein powder (100 cal 23 g prot). I've tried berries and had problems with strawberry seeds. I know I can't eat crushed pineapple in Jello. I haven't tried it in the blender. And I have started drinking V8 to get in some extra veggies. 60 cal and 2 veggies per large can.

My Protein Powder and shaker are packed for the cruise already in case I don't get enough protein in in a day.

Be sure to keep an eye on the sodium with the V-8, too....though I'm sure you probably already are. Water retention kills me. I also found out that the soy in most protein powders and shakes interacts with the absorption of my thyroid medication and have recently switched to a whey protein instead. Oh, there are so many things to consider! When do you leave?

Can I jump in for just a second and give a little advice. I don't know what it's worth but maybe a couple of things to consider.

Shirley, you don't mention your Fluid intake. Are you getting at least 64 oz. per day? That has been key in my weight loss. Without the liquid my body just doesn't let go of the weight. When I stall out, I've upped my liquid to at least 80 oz. and in a week I see a big change. Okay...relatively "big". I also feel more alert and more energetic. Just something to consider. You also mentioned v8. I love the v8 fusion light juices. Fairly low cal, liquid and fruit and veggie serving. It is thinner like Water so easier for me to drink than regular v8. Also possibly a way to up your cals a couple hundred for a couple of days.

The next thing I wanted to say was what my NUT told me a month or so ago. We were talking about plateaus and she said that new research says they are actually better for us than steady weight loss. She said when we lose and plateau our body fixes a new set point. That way, if we begin to gain again, our body feels THAT is the new place to stop, not the old top weight. Also our body doesn't feel so far away from the set point so it is more apt to continue with losses. She said she is beginning to see research that points out better success with some plateaus. So maybe they aren't as discouraging as originally thought.

Another thought since you haven't been able to get out and exercise would be resistance training. My nut talked to us about resistance bands but also normal things like doing curls with a bottle of water. Most of the weight lifting moves with dumbells can be done with something like a 20 oz bottle of water and actually give you quite a workout. Since muscle uses more energy than fat, it boosts your metabolism and every little bit helps. She showed us about 8 exercises we could do sitting watching tv and my body got tired in 15 minutes. It might be something to look into. She suggested doing a search for resistance band exercises and try them with something like water bottles before you put out the money on the bands. The bands are only about 20 bucks though so it's not like putting out a ton.

Just some thoughts. Again, take them for what they are worth. I have to say your loss is amazing and I don't think your 60+ pounds since banding is anything to disregard.

Oh...and enjoy your cruise. I am so jealous. I want to go on a cruise so badly!!!!

Thank you luv2teech and Stephanie.

Thanks for the warning on soy Protein and thyroid meds. I didn't know that, although all of the protein I have consumed and bought has been whey protein. I usually use unjury or Matrix from bariatriceating.com. I don't watch out for sodium because all of my doctors tell me the sodium level in my blood is too low. So I have never had to watch sodium. But now that I am off BP meds which included a diuretic, I may have to start watching.

As far as liquids are concerned, I have at least 64 oz per day. That is another thing my doctors tell me is that I might need to cut back on my Water consumption, again because of the low sodium, but I never do. And it is all mostly water that I drink except for a decaf tea to start my morning.

I already own the resistance bands although I have not used them in a while. I admit I have been lazy of late. I do enjoy water aerobics and will resume those as soon as I get back from vacation. I haven't totally not exercised. I do walk on the treadmill in my basement a couple times a week but I can only walk for 15 minutes. I have bad knees and relied on a scooter to get around outside my home before I lost my weight. I have only used it once in the last 3 months. I only need it to cover an entire mall to shop. If I got to one or two stores now, I walk.

I am flying to London on Sunday, spending a night there and then meeting the ship in Dover on Tuesday. I will be sailing back to NY by way of Iceland and Greenland. I have lots of all day tours scheduled in every city and even have 8 days at sea. It's a 14 day cruise and I am excited. It's on Crystal cruise lines, our very favorite line. I haven't been on them in almost 2 years. My husband and I cruise anywhere from 2 to 4 times a year and this will be number 32 coming up. We have already been to South America and Antartica in Feb of this year. I have two more week long cruises scheduled for the Caribbean in Oct and Nov on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. As I said, we love to cruise - our vacation of choice. We like to see the world and usually cruise in the Caribbean in November to rest up for the hectic holidays ahead.

That is the first time I have heard those things about a plateau, but they do make sense. And as I said, I am more concerned with being healthy, feeling healthy than I am with rapidly losing weight. It took me years to put it on and won't come off magically. I am anxious to get off the next 3 pounds - I will no longer be morbidly obese then. I told my surgeon that I thought it would take me 18 months to lose my weight - from surgery date.

Edited August 29, 200818 yr by sghatl

Your ideas sound honestly grounded Shirley. You have been working towards a better you and that is what matters.

Good for you on your scooter use! That is a huge step forward. Mobility is so much more important than a number on a scale. You are still working on losing and working out as able.

All those changes are life changes and GREAT! Kudos to you!

Have a wonderful time on your trip! It sounds amazing and I'm even more jealous now. Can I stow away in your suitcase? Have an amazing time!

I'm jealous Shirley. I won't be going on my first cruise until Nov. or early Dec.

I'm glad you posted that about Set points, Stephanie. Another way to reset your metabolism rate (Set Point) is to increase your exercise. My nurse discouraged further fills for me even though I can eat over 1 -1/2 cups at lunch and dinner. I'm tight in the morning. Her reasoning, which is very sound, is that I need calories for what I am doing. I have done 3 triathlons since 6/21/08. I have my fourth Tri on Saturday, 9/6/08.

One thing that I decided on before I had the surgery was that I was DONE dieting. This is not a diet for me at all. The Band gave me back control of portion size. I know what is sensible to eat, but freely admit that I have not always eaten the "good foods" since the band. I reward myself with something I want. I just don't eat "the whole box" anymore. I don't want the whole box anymore.

This is just my 2 cents to the forum. Good luck to you all!!!