Hi all,:eek:

I am day 14 post op and enjoying the mushie stage - wow what a present after 4 weeks of Optifast.

I was just wondering after 6 weeks do we (Laqpbandits) go on diets?

Is that our future life to lose weight??

I was just wondering what is next.

I was hoping you could all let us know how to achieve great weight loss with the lapband.

I did hear from one young lady that I know had lapband she said and I quote; "when she dieted she lost nothing much and as soon as she started eating junk food the weight fell off". She has lost 36 kilos in 1 year.

I look forward to hearing your comments and recommendations.

kind regards

M:thumbup:

Hi all,:eek:

I am day 14 post op and enjoying the mushie stage - wow what a present after 4 weeks of Optifast.

I was just wondering after 6 weeks do we (Laqpbandits) go on diets?

Is that our future life to lose weight??

I was just wondering what is next.

I was hoping you could all let us know how to achieve great weight loss with the lapband.

I did hear from one young lady that I know had lapband she said and I quote; "when she dieted she lost nothing much and as soon as she started eating junk food the weight fell off". She has lost 36 kilos in 1 year.

I look forward to hearing your comments and recommendations.

kind regards

M:thumbup:

Hi M,

Bet if feels great having some real food on your plate again!!:cool2:

My dietician said there is no reason I can't 'do' a diet but the idea is to learn to eat for a different lifestyle. I suggested WW, but the minimum you eat is the equivalent to 18 points, and let me tell you that once you have a fill or two, eating enough food to equal 18 points will be like running a marathon.

I eat just about what ever I want, I try to eat lo-cal foods, but I am eating soooo much less than before that I can lose weight no matter what I eat. It is great being able to eat just about anything and know that I won't gain 10kg!! Of course you have to be smart about what you eat. If you eat nothing but high cal foods you will not lose weight, but as WW always says everything in moderation.

My dietician feels that it is better to have a little of something that you like rather than deprive yourself and then binge eat.

Danna

You don't have to diet at all. The whole point of the band is to shrink the amount you can eat, by creating that smaller pouch at the top of the stomach. You just need to be sensible. Eat a healthy, balanced diet and have the (very) occasional treat and the weight will come off. If you add exercise into the mix it will ensure you keep muscle, so all weight loss if fat only and keep your skin toned.

and wat they they said... hehe

Not really - I guess it depends on your definition of "diet". If that means restricting your calorie intake, then yes, I do.

I no longer blast myself on sugar, fat and huge quantities of food to medicate myself.

I do try and always eat mindfully, and have a treat every day - realising that Jam on one biscuit is a "treat" and I CAN have this, where as 12 per day is not clever and self destructive. The same goes for chocolate, jelly Beans, take away food.

Having said that, I had a take away the other night - I only eat a child portion and some of that goes to the dogs.

I am feeling so much more in control - I pray it lasts forever :laugh:

As the others have said, it's not really necessary to diet aggressively, but it all depends upon how quickly you want to lose weight. Those that lose fastest are those who go onto a strict diet regiment with substantial exercise (no surprises there), but you can still lose effectively with just sticking to a sensible balance eating pattern and smaller portions. I think sticking to a strict diet is probably much easier after banding and some people are really excited and want to see the pounds melt away as fast as they can.

For me personally, one of the main reasons I had the band was because I couldn't face the idea of yet another diet! I'm not in a huge hurry, I like the idea of losing slowly and steadily and giving my body time to adjust. I like the idea that I don't have to deny myself anything, just take all things in moderation and that I can be satisfied on this. I have been fairly conservative with my fills precisely because I DON'T want that intense restriction. My progress hasn't been fast but it is reasonably steady and I am quietly confident that in a year's time I will have achieved my major goal of 100lb lost. I'm figuring on at least 18 months and probably more like 2 years before I hit my final goal of 140lb gone.

You need to decide for you just how you want to work the band.

I've basically learned to live a different lifestyle MOST of the time. Bad habits still creep in now and then.

But at this point in time, I need to go out and buy some new clothes for teaching rounds and a new job I'm starting. I'm annoyingly stuck right between an Australian 14 and 12. 14's are loose, baggy and look untidy, 12's give me a muffin top and are uncomfortable when washed. I need to lose 4kg I think. To do that when you're already at a healthy weight - that means DIET. Sigh. It really does, you need strict calorie control at this point in the game.

But did I diet to get to goal? Nup. Dont believe in it for the most part.

Jachut,

congrats on the new job.

Did I diet to get to goal? Nope. I changed my lifestyle. Turned it into something I could live with for the rest of my life. I learned to love good, healthy food, and I found an exercise I adore.

Can you "diet" with a band? I don't see why not, but to me "going on a diet" implies that at some point you will go off it, and what usually happens when we go off diets?

Dear All, Thanks for all your replies I found them informative and interesting. It seems that this is a very individual journey for everyone.

Success in becoming a healthier happier human seems for the most part the goal

Regards

Best wishes to all.

M