Not successful in weight loss

marivan · July 12, 2008

Okay, I'm not great at math, but that math was just really bad.vv:wink2:

40 weeks and 40 pounds is a pound a week. but I lost 15 of it before the surgery. And the way it comes off is nothing for two months and then 2 or 3 pounds and then nothing again for ages.

Boy, and I didn't grow up with a calculator!:cool:

M

Pamperedmoon · July 12, 2008

Okay, I'm not great at math, but that math was just really bad.vv:wink2:
40 weeks and 40 pounds is a pound a week. but I lost 15 of it before the surgery. And the way it comes off is nothing for two months and then 2 or 3 pounds and then nothing again for ages.

Boy, and I didn't grow up with a calculator!

M

I know we all want to lose weight fast, but if it averages out to 1 pound a week that is certainly a healthy way to lose. You won't end up with loads of baggy skin. Everyone is different and maybe your body just needs to hang onto the weight and then dump it after a few weeks etc. I would absolutely be varying your caloric intake and shake your body up so it doesn't get too settled into a pattern.

Don't get discouraged, if your eating less and exercising there is no choice but for your body to let go of the fat at some point. Might help to stay off the scale for a while also.

Cheers!

Marilyn

jjsmiles · July 12, 2008

I am wondering if you aren't actually eating enough? By exercising a whole lot, your body is building muscle, which needs more energy than fat does. Also, are you retaining Water? Have you considered trying to go low sodium?

I am also excercising a great deal (4-5 times per week, between 1-2 hours of cardio and strength each session) and sticking to around 1000-1200 calories a day (I use www.thedailyplate.com - which I love - very easy to use). I have actually noticed that on the days I exercise, I don't lose weight, but I will on days I don't - hmmmmm? Because I have been at such a high BMI for many years, I have a lot of excess skin and fat in the abdomen and arms, particularly, but I am pretty toned, if you can get past the hanging skin. I am actually thinking that I need to increase my calories, rather than decrease!

I have been losing well, but I also generally stick to a very low fat, low sugar diet in the calories that I eat - high on vegetables, about 60-75 grams of Protein per day. When I was in hospital last year, a dietician said I should aim for about 1 gram of Protein for every kilogram, so I am a little below that suggestion, but it seems to work for me. I will probably get shot for this suggestion, but what about decreasing your protein a bit and adding vegetables (not just salad) and fruit?

I very consciously did not go low carb in this journey and am lucky that I tolerate all foods as long as I chew well. I don't know, but I am really attributing my weight loss to a healthy well balanced diet that isn't overloaded with any one food group.

Good luck!!

PS - as per Doddie, I also eat chocolate, Cookies, baked chips, pizza and chinese. I just eat it occasionally and not huge amounts. I am not overly restricted and can eat 2-4 oz of protein and at least a cup of cooked veggies at any given time.

Michee · July 13, 2008

a couple of ideas...........or things that have worked for me

1. my thyroid test showed up as "normal" when done by a lab/GP. I went to a naturopathetic doctor who has me use the basal temp test to monitor thyroid. That test showed a different result and she prescribed a supplement called thyrosense.

2. I Try to stick with foods that are not processed, and not "low fat". Usually when they remove the fat/sugar out of something they put other stuff (chemicals?) which I am sure are not nutritious. Try eliminating the deli meat (ham) in favour of lentils, eggs, or chicken that you have cooked yourself. Try olive oil or fish oil with vinegar in place of salad dressing. Since we are eating less, we need to make sure that we are not undernourished by taking in "less than useful" calories.

Hang in, your plateau will come to an end!!

kero · July 13, 2008

I feel your pain. I have been banded for 11 months and have only lost 50 lbs., all of which I lost in the first 6 months. Now I go up and down 5 lbs and have lost nothing in the past 5 months. It is very frustrated. I had my thyroid removed due to cancer so I take replacement hormones so I am told that can't be an issue. I feel I am doing the same as before, but am I really? I am not as active as I was in the first 6 months because I am getting back in the rut of being depressed about not losing and eating crap when I am depressed. I also have had issues with not being able to get the right restriction level - most seem to get there in 3-6 fills, I have had 12 or 13 fills and have to keep going in every few weeks to either be filled or de-filled. When I am overfilled I lose weight - but only because I can't eat anything solid (the pain is too much even when chewed to death), so then they de-fill me and I can eat solid food again, but then eat too much apparently. Then they fill me again and I get back to a liquid-only diet, I lose a bit, but get frustrated, want to eat solid food, and then they de-fill me because this plan is not suppose to encourage a liquid-only diet for the rest of one's life. Then there is the issue that I have severe TMJ which results in severe pain in my jaw muscles that throb all night long when I engage in serious chewing of solid foods - basically I seem to be (pardon my language) 'screwed' no matter what I do! It is very frustrating and I have really thrown in the towel the past month or so. But I am coming up on my one year anniversary and told myself this morning that I am not going to throw $16K out the window and have to try something to motivate myself to get over this hump...that is why I am here today.....I don't know if that helps or is just depressing...but I am hoping some encouragement finds me soon! lol

Best wishes!

lisa in toronto · July 13, 2008

Hi Maryvan:

I haven't yet tried the pre-op diet, as I was away, and couldn't do the Protein shakes etc. Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Anyhow, today I ran a race in the Distillery district in Toronto, so no preop diet today! Maybe tomorrow.... I was done at TLBC by Dr. Yau one year ago, and it was Jill who suggested the pre-op diet to kickstart out of a plateau. I really like her alot, and she really seems to want to help.

Sorry you two are having such a hard time of it. It does seem unfair. What about the "Insulin Resistance" possibility? Maybe some Metformin is what you need to get things moving again. I'm Diabetic, but with the weight loss, I'm in good control now, although Iam still on Metformin. I'm almost afraid to go off it.

Cheers to all and have a good Sunday!

marivan · July 13, 2008

To be honest, the only processed food I do have is the 1 or so ounces of ham in my salad and the dressing. However, I could give them up and see if that makes a difference. I'm really not binging or eating crap. I honestly wouldn't ask what I was doing wrong if I was.

I'll keep up with my exercising and go back on the preop diet for a week or two and see if that helps. As someone said, the weight has to come off eventually!

I am toying with the idea of going for a walk in addition to my 5x a week exercise every evening as well. I'm determined that I'm not going to remain fat, even if my body thinks otherwise!

Kero, I'm sorry to hear your story for two reasons. I can understand how frustrated you are after so much time, and I am terrified that I will be the same. Keep your chin up and I hope you can consider tomorrow a new day and maybe you could try the pre-op diet too? It isn't like I feel hungry really, so it won't be as bad as it was before the band.

Lisa, that's pretty cool that you ran a race! I can't wait to be able to do something like that (although I doubt I'll ever be a runner!).

Good luck to us all in breaking these plateaus.

M

timandi · July 13, 2008

I feel your pain and fustration. I've been banded now for 5 months now, had two fills and can hardly go a day without throwing up. I know my band isn't overfilled because I'm only at 2.5 cc's. I have lost a total of 6 pounds. I lost about 10 right after the surgery and then gained back 12. Recently I started back on Metformen for insulin resistance and was able to loose the 6 pounds so that weight isn't really attributed to the band. I'm really fustrated as it appears that no matter how much I exercise, eat/don't eat, diet etc. nothing seems to work.

I am in the same boat you are in, just about. I had my surgery on may 13 and no matter what i am trying i am not losing. 7.5lbs to date and i go back to the dr tomorrow hopefully for another fill. I am going to havwe to try something totally different in my diet? What do you eat? Throw any suggestions my way!!!!!!!!!!!!!PLEASE, stay positive............

betttybboop · July 15, 2008

Honestly, as much as I appreciate those that come on this site and preech healthy eating, and I completely agree with the theory of healthy eating, I have one itty bitty, teeny, weeny, little issue.

I paid $18,000 as a morbidly obese woman to get a surgery to assist in reducing the amount of food I eat. Just the restriction alone, even if I didn't change ONE thing I ate from before to after the surgery, should result in some sort of weight loss.

If between day one and day two I could reverse my eating habits, I would not have needed the band in the first place. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that truth.

So, I'm three months post op and up 30lbs. I've given up, I'm completely de-motivated and quite frankly, I feel ripped off. I feel like I was promised a dream come true and the entire process has been a nightmare.

marivan · July 15, 2008

You've gained 30 pounds since your operation? I agree, I would feel demoralized and ripped off too!

Don't you feel that at this point you should go to your doctor (your GP) and demand to have extensive tests done? If you can't eat much now that you have the band and you are gaining weight, there has to be something else wrong. If nothing else, the band may be the tool that allows the doctors to actually believe that it isn't you! (I don't know about anyone else, but I now feel vindicated that I haven't been kidding myself and I am not secretly eating)

I think you should also go to your clinic and ask for more support too!

Let us know how you get on!

M

p.s. I've had some suggestions that make me feel like I'm not believed in what I eat too, but I think that everyone is just trying to help. We've all been there. Are all still here.

Doddie63 · July 15, 2008

I am sorry you are feeling ripped off and that is something you should take up with your clinic.

We all know the band is supposed to be a tool that restricts the amount of food that is eaten at any given time so if you are eating the allotted 1/2 to 1 cup of food with 3 oz being hard Protein and eating every 4 hours some sort of protein and not losing weight, it is time to go to your GP.

See if he/she would refer you to an eating disorder clinic and have you monitored as to what you eat and whether or not you are doing the best exercises for losing weight. I am sure there are a battery of tests that would eventually find your problem.

We certainly don't intend to preach, as we all have similar issues but when giving advice, all we can do it tell you what the health authorities tell us. Calories in must be less than calories burnt. You problem is to find out why this isn't happening.

For instance, I have been sabatoging myself by having 900 calories a day but I either don't exercise my 30 - 60 minutes/day or I get into the tortilla chips and sauce. I log everything and I soon am reminded I am eating 1800 to 2200 calories. I also graze and that is a disatrous thing to do.

My point is if you can't find your own solution by tracking your food intake and exercising then it is time to bring in the GP and experts in obesity. Good luck

dixiedoo · July 20, 2008

Hi all - I am a newbie in that I am not banded but new to this forum. I need to lose about 110 lbs and I'm sure like all of you, have tried every darn diet known to man, and lost the same 40 lbs over and over again, and gained each time afterwards. The last thing I did was go to BMI (Bariatric Medical Center) here in Ottaa. The people and doc there were great and I learned how to track calories, etc but ultimately gained back everything and more. My knees are aching and I am having trouble staying on my feet for long. I'm seriously thinking of banding but I am terrified of getting it and having it not work... and of course getting more weight gain. do any of you regret doing the lapband. Is it worth the money? Anyone in Ottawa do the surgery? (I haven't found anyone.) How about the clinic in Montreal? I'm sorry this is rambling. Any replies would be appreciated.

marivan · July 21, 2008

Hi DixieDoo,

Even though I have been disappointed with the speed of my weight loss, for the first time in my life I do feel positive that I will get to my goal eventally. The wonderful thing about this is that I have not been hungry enough to "fall off" a diet. I'm not on a diet, I am avoiding processed foods and rubbish foods and eating healthy real foods. But better than that, I am not able to eat large portions which is really helping.

I don't regret the band for one moment. I do wish the weight would come off a bit faster, but I'm pleased that I've lost 42 pounds, and feel so much better already.

I live in Lindsay, and i was banded in Toronto. Perhaps there are other people who can answer that question. I think there are a lot of people in your area though.

Good luck!

M

nan42 · July 21, 2008

I was banded in oct 2007 and have had a hard time loosing also but I self sabbotage i see it I will loose and get freaked out so I eat suggary stuff. The band does not work on Ice cream and crap. I need to get control HELP