During my last talk with my surgeon about food, calories, dieting, etc., we talked a lot about "the Honeymoon Period." I asked him why it was so easy for the first 9 months, but now everything is so hard.

He explained that the Band is just like anything else - when it's new, we are excited and motivated, which is why the weight falls off. But he told me my "honeymoon was over." That's when we have to get down to reality. I think some people are really lucky and they find a way to live the rest of their life in the honeymoon phase, but for me it's a lot harder.

I'm sure getting a new port and a fill would be like going on a new honeymoon. But I still have so much restriction in the morning that I wonder if I even need a fill.

Next time lightening crashes and the sky opens, I hope the answers fall out.

kelly, my last personal trainer was gorgous. Perfectly fit and toned and just wow.

She was a size 12.

People with an athletic build are bigger. Bigger doesn't mean fatter.

I want you to go get a real body fat analysis done. I'm serious. You may be at 25% body fat, WHICH IS THE NORMAL PERCENTAGE FOR WOMEN..

One thing we MO or now just O people soon to be Normal people need to understand is that we have much dense bones and probably more muscle mass than someone who's never been MO. We needed that extra density to move our bodies on land.

When I was wearing a size 20-22 I would have said that I would love to be in a 16.......when I got in a 16 I wanted to be in a 12, now I am in a 12 and would love to be an 8.............so will I ever be truly happy??? Ask me after my breast reduction in October.......lol

Kelly, I am so with you on this one. I find myself answering people that comment on my weightloss, "Well, I still have about 30 pounds to lose." or "Thanks, but Im still not near my goal weight".

When in fact, I should respond, "Thanks, I FEEL so much better"

Who the hell cares how much I have left to lose... its such a major difference from where I started.

Ive taken the old diet pills out lately. Just twice in the past 2 weeks. I find that it gives me great restriction, and absolutely NO hunger... am I mental or what?

I think it goes back to that obsessive compulsive thing.

Just like what Kelly said, if you have 100 pounds to lose, will you be satisfied losing only 50, then having to diet?

That should be the first and last question you ask yourself before going through a drastic surgery. It's lots of money, lots of potential complications, lots of downs... and lots of UPS! I would do it all over again. Yep, absolutely.

The fat demon I kicked it in the _ss Today after a month I have lost three pounds I was almost thinking of just maintaining my weight at 227..... but at 224 the whole world seems to open and I can really make my goal weight and I dont have to starve my self doing it!

I hope that you all meet your weight loss goals maybe a few more steps taken in a day. turn the pedals on your bike a few more times, setting the fork down sooner...

it can be done!

Take care God bless you.

Where can I get a real body fat analysis done at?

Paula, if you are mental so am I....I have been taking the Adipex!!!

One thing we MO or now just O people soon to be Normal people need to understand is that we have much dense bones and probably more muscle mass than someone who's never been MO. We needed that extra density to move our bodies on land.

My personal experience with bone denseness does not support your comment Vines. I just had a bone density scan and I am at risk for spine fractures. I just started taking Actinol and extra calcium. I think it has to do with my age and the age I had my hysterectomy. I was forced into early menopause. My bones are more brittle now.

The Honeymoon ends sooner for some than others, that's for sure. My journey has been a journey of plateaus, with some weight loss in between, which is just frustrating as heck, but there's no gains inbetween either, so I'll take it . I'm also a year out and down 50 lbs, which I definitely wish was more, but anytime I start to get bitter about it, I just remind myself that it's highly likely that without this surgery I'd be bumping 300 right now, so I'm much happier holding 230 for a while.

I do get tired of things sometimes. I would love to have a big fat juicy hamburger with the bun, and all the fries sometimes. More often than not, I'm perfectly happy to not have that, and even GLAD I can't eat as much as I used to be able to, but sometimes I just want it. I also get tired of all the chewing, and the consequenses for not doing so. I also watch my boyfriend wolf down his meal in 5 minutes and I just stare in horror at the size of the bites and the lack of time between them. I was at a barbequeue one weekend and my sister was loading up her plate and I caught myself thinking "Oh my gawd, no one can eat that much food!" And then of course guiltily thinking that it wasn't ALL that long ago that I would have loaded double that and gone back for seconds. Crazy stuff. I also think it's good to get this all out into the open, for no other reason than to say it. I'm one who's guilty of (trying to) give good support while being not too thrilled about things at the moment myself (lack of constant weight loss grates the nerves), but not having said anything about it either.

Anywho....

Kelly, I have mine done at my band Dr's. But reputiable gyms or universities should be albe to do this for you. Bell sells a body fat% checker for about $15 or so. I find it is slightly off from what the doctor's scales says. but we are talking a difference of a point of a percentage. The difference was .3%, big whoop. Just make sure you are really well hydrated to get an acurate reading. One of the other things you can do is find someplace to get weighed under Water.

I believe there is a scale that was on one of the threads has this option as well.

But even if you turn out to be 27% as opposed to 25%, is that added stress worth it? Especially since there is some research that shows that stress causes weight gain?

Penni, I'm going on the bone thing based on what my doc said. It is possible that he was refering to my personal genetic weirdness and I misunderstood him. I do know that my DH had gi-normous leg bones... and he's been MO and beyond since he was a teen.

Meanwhile, I think Kare is me with another screen name.

That's so funny you said that DeLarla because the month I was lurking (before hopping into this forum) there were a few times I could barely stand to hold back with an opinion I wanted to express--and then you would post almost exactly what I was thinking! (And I'd wannna say, "Yeah, what she said!")

The reason I took so long to jump in is because I knew once I did I would spend way too much time here! AND O MAN was I right! I've had this forum in my desktop background ALL DAY, reading posts inbetween dealing with clients & questions from co-workers. Several times I just wanted to say, "Leave me alone--I'm reading here!!" Soooo not a good idea since I have to make $$ to pay Mastercard for this thing!

But back to the subject... honeymoon... marriage is a pretty good analogy for the band (any eating plan really, but especially this one). There are going to be times you love it to death--times you want to divorce it and lots in-between. I fear for people thinking any kind of food restriction is going to be easy for those of us with the fat genes. Yes--it will be SOMETIMES (if you're lucky) but don't get sucked in. I have lost over 100# twice now and KEPT it off for OVER 2 years both times. Believe me, I thought I had it licked. THere were MONTHS I felt so good being fit and thin I didn't even consider binging. Twice now I thought I'd never gain this much weight again. Never again. Two things I know how to do now. I know how lose weight and I know how to gain it. Now I just have to lose it (AGAIN!!) so I can take another shot at maintaining it. I'm going to fight like hell to keep this demon at bay. I'll never believe it's easy--except for those golden, fleeting moments when it is!

Those are a gift--don't look 'em in the mouth.

I'm for that just say when!! I think it would help with the concernd and quesstions.....let me know!

carrie

Our demons are no different than the crack addict or the alcoholic. How many alcoholics have quit for years only to fall off the wagon in one fleeting moment. I spend way too much time here, too. But without LBT I have no other avenue for expressing myself. It's so safe here, because I could talk (write) for hours if necessary, and it doesn't matter if anyone reads it or not. Just getting it all out takes it off my shoulders. I've had a heck of a time so far after losing two ports, so maybe I'd still be on my honeymoon if I had regular fills and constant restriction. For now I'm going to keep writing and posting till I figure out my next move. I shudder at the thought of yet another surgery, but I need a fill, which means I need a port. I like to ramble, blah blah blah yada yada yada!

The whole "honeymoon phase" isn't something I came up with. My surgeon explained it to me and it clicked immediately. This isn't something specific to me, it's something most, if not all of us, will have to face eventually, so thank God for LBT.

Peace n' love - it's bed time. Wink.

I'm on the same cruise ship as the rest of you I guess... I lost 68 pounds in 8 months and for the last two have lost and regained the same 2 to 4 pounds... I'm not really gaining but have certainly stopped losing. I still have very good morning restriction, and still can't eat most of the same foods I found difficulty with in the beginning, but find myself wondering if it's finally time for additional fill. I'm finding that though I eat WAYYYY less than I used to, I can still eat plenty of the creamy junk like ice cream and chocolate (DQ Moolatte's)! I do have trouble getting in enough water, I'm probably running just shy of dehydration, and I definitely know that isn't helping, so I've been trying to do better, but it just doesn't like to go down, unless it's in a icey shake or slush... I'd been at my sweet spot since surgery, but wonder if I'm slowly losing it... My meal quantity isn't increasing, but my loss has stopped. Have any of you who've been at your sweet spot for a while had it fade away? Could that happen?

Kelly, I've been thinking more about what you said. about how yuo thought you would be happy once you hit 16, then 14, then 12. You are at a size 12 but you are not happy. I dont' think you will be happy at a size 8 either. I think you need to learn to be happy where you are, happy as the person you are at a size 12. Because if you are not happy now, you will not be happy then.

A lot of people think that if they could only move to a different city a differnt state they would be happy. They could leave all their trouble behind. But once they get to the new city ,the new state, they aren't happy, because happiness doesn't come from outside. It come from within.

Perhaps once you are happy and content with yourself at your current size you can let that go. When you are ready.

In answer to "should I just diet" If diet worked for us, we would already be at our normal weight. We need the tool of the band, and the psych part about why do you eat too much and how do you change your mind set. Is it easy? no way, but nothing worthwhile is easy. At curves they had a rubber model of five pounds of fat and five pounds of muscle --you would be amazd at how big five pounds of fat looked. Also, yesterday I carried my toddler grandaugher who weighs 22 pounds. I was tired and winded after carring her for a few minutes---hm minus 22 pounds, now there is a thought! Remember that old song "you don't know what you've got, until you lose it" I am ready to lose it!!!!Band date August 1

Yes it works! But it's not easy. It takes work and it takes thought and I know it is harder than the RNY but it is better! And at 3 years out, we keep off just as much weight as they do.

It works but it doesn't do all the work.