I have drastically slowed down, but not stalling in my weightloss, and I guess since I am well over halfway there.. a lot of friends & family have been asking me lately "So when you get to goal, then what? Take it out?/Unfill it? Will you keep losing?" etc.

I'm extremely open about the surgery and don't mind answering questions, but this has been the hardest one to answer. Ok, most of us realize the calorie in vs. calorie ratio out.. how as you get closer to goal, it's harder to lose due to the calorie out going way down and blah blah. Yeah, this is what I try to explain to them.. and I get the glazed over look. Then a week later they ask me the top questions.. hoping maybe this time I'll give an answer in English. Since no one cares (stupid skinny people!) how calorie in vs. calorie out work, they don't get why the band is not going to be taken out or unfilled. Is there an easy answer? If I just say "no, they leave it", they get worried and say "Won't you keep losing?" and saying "no" isn't good enough, but the actual reason is beyond them. Help!

What's a good easy explination? :tongue:

"The bigger you are, the more calories you can eat. So when I get to goal, I need to eat less than I used to just to maintain my weight."

I always like analogies.

When I was bigger, I was like a mack truck (pick a different analogy if this one offends you). A mack truck takes way more gas to run than a golf cart. Now I'm a golf cart. I take less gas to run.

When I got the band, I went from filling up (aka eating calories) for a mack truck to filling up for a golf cart. Since I didn't have near enough calories to run my mack truck, I burned pounds. Now that I have almost enough gas, I don't lose as fast because I don't have to burn my reserves.

Like I said, I like analogies and I think people respond to those better. If all else fails and they're being impossible, tell them it's magic and it disappears like those new fangled disappearing stitches ! LOL. Good luck and hang in there. I've seen your pictures/blog and you've had amazing results !

It really is amazing how little you can eat to maintain a normal weight!!!

Thanks Cate!!

And that may help, I think everyone has ADD when I explain. I don't know why they ask if they don't want the answer, but they keep asking over and over, so my answers aren't sticking. After my attempt at explaining, they still don't understand why I wouldn't have it taken out.

You can tell them:

-People who get it taken out regain their weight because they lose the hunger control

-The amount of calories the band lets me eat is the right amount to maintain my goal weight. If it's not, I might get a slight unfill.

I think the problem is that people think of diets as these things you go on and then go off. They think you are on a diet. So, of course, when you get to goal, you stop dieting and that means taking out the band or getting an unfill so you can start eating "normally" again.

I say that I will just try to eat more. If I can't stop losing weight then I will have a little taken out.

That seems to work on most people. A lot really think the doc will operate again and take the whole thing out - crazy!!! Then I'd just go right back to where I was, lol.

The fact is that as a formerly obese person, for reasons unknown (as explained by my surgeon) you will probably never be able to eat what a person who's always been normal weight can and stay at your goal.

I need my band to maintain, more so than I needed it to lose I think. I eat about 1500 calories a day. Which is not a lot for a 152lb woman who runs an hour a day, its certainly not bad, but most women of this weight can eat more than that.

What I found was my weight loss gradually petered out, and stopped here.

Its really hard to stop though. Its hard to jsut switch it off, and I still have quite generous thighs and behind, I keep thinking I want to get down another 14lb or so, but at 5ft 10, its not really realistic. What happens is that I try hard, keep dropping to 148 or so and then back it goes overnight to 152. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that this is my weight, its where it wants to stay. The types of lifestyle changes i would have to make to weigh less would be too restrictive long term - I mean I already eat well and exercise lots. But I've never NOT been on a diet!

Just tell them once you reach your goal you will keep it at the same amount of cc that helped you reach your goal weight and if you start to gain you will get a fill. No complete unfill, no removal.

I love Cates analogy hahaha

This may sound silly, but I was also wondering what happens when we reach goal too! I haven't really given it that much thought, because I'm just starting the WLS process.

I was picturing myself getting thinner and thinner and really enjoying the image! Now that I have a picture in my brain of a Mack truck and a golf cart parked side-by-side, my fun is spoiled!

Dang-it!

I have drastically slowed down, but not stalling in my weightloss, and I guess since I am well over halfway there.. a lot of friends & family have been asking me lately "So when you get to goal, then what? Take it out?/Unfill it? Will you keep losing?" etc.

I'm extremely open about the surgery and don't mind answering questions, but this has been the hardest one to answer. Ok, most of us realize the calorie in vs. calorie ratio out.. how as you get closer to goal, it's harder to lose due to the calorie out going way down and blah blah. Yeah, this is what I try to explain to them.. and I get the glazed over look. Then a week later they ask me the top questions.. hoping maybe this time I'll give an answer in English. Since no one cares (stupid skinny people!) how calorie in vs. calorie out work, they don't get why the band is not going to be taken out or unfilled. Is there an easy answer? If I just say "no, they leave it", they get worried and say "Won't you keep losing?" and saying "no" isn't good enough, but the actual reason is beyond them. Help!

What's a good easy explination?

I always said "I will tell you when I get there" (usually the mechanics of the band have been explained by this point in the conversation, and thy understand that the band is in place till such times as it needs to be removed)

And when I was there, I said "Maintaining isn't all that different to losing, so I guess I will just keep doing what I'm doing".

You can tell them:

-People who get it taken out regain their weight because they lose the hunger control

Yeah. Not always. Just saying.

The fact is that as a formerly obese person, for reasons unknown (as explained by my surgeon) you will probably never be able to eat what a person who's always been normal weight can and stay at your goal.

I need my band to maintain, more so than I needed it to lose I think. I eat about 1500 calories a day. Which is not a lot for a 152lb woman who runs an hour a day, its certainly not bad, but most women of this weight can eat more than that.

What I found was my weight loss gradually petered out, and stopped here.

Its really hard to stop though. Its hard to jsut switch it off, and I still have quite generous thighs and behind, I keep thinking I want to get down another 14lb or so, but at 5ft 10, its not really realistic. What happens is that I try hard, keep dropping to 148 or so and then back it goes overnight to 152. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that this is my weight, its where it wants to stay. The types of lifestyle changes i would have to make to weigh less would be too restrictive long term - I mean I already eat well and exercise lots. But I've never NOT been on a diet!

Exactly what she said.....except A LOT slower with the *realisation*. Damnit I WANT to be 60kgs...Gah!....And I am I am still thicker around my tummy and have skinny legs....but yeah the same.

Yeah. Not always. Just saying.

It doesn't have to be 100% true to shut them up. Just saying. :drool:

I've been thinking I might get a small unfill at goal. It depends. I just got off a three month plateau anyway, so I'm not real worried about losing too much.

I find that I still have to "diet" (watch what I eat, avoid high calorie foods, stop myself from snacking too much) with my band. I can maintain easily, but I don't lose weight unless I make a real effort.

I would probably just smile at my skinny friends and say, "I'll have a little bit more ice cream!"

I would just return the question with another question...

"Why would I want to remove my appetite supressant and gain all the weight back, when i worked so hard to get it off?"

Maybe when they realize it was a dumb question to begin with, they'll stop asking..... :smile2: