As a founding member of the Slow Losers thread here on LBT, I've been thinking about restriction - or a lack thereof.

I would venture a guess that the proud members of the slow losers club have had a hard time acheiving restriction with their band. We've all read about the people who wake up from surgery, perfectly restricted and don't need a fill for months. Or the people who were able to hit their 'sweet spot' after one or two fills. I believe that these lucky people are the rabbits amongst us - and their restriction is what enables to run ahead of us.

Most of the slow losers I've heard from haven't really been able to feel very restricted - sometimes it's a lack of money and they can't afford a fill, or they can't get to MX or wherever they get adjustements, sometimes they have very conservative surgeons who only give very small fills or make you wait a long time between fills.

I'm here to say after my umpteen fills, I'm still not at my 'sweet spot'. I'm going next week for yet another .1cc drop in the band bucket.

How about the rest of you slow losers? Do you agree with my theory that finding proper restiction has been slow and difficult to acheive? Would we all be rabbits if we had gotten real restriction earlier in our journey? Everybody chime in here.

why be proud to be a slow loser? Shouldn't be proud to be a fast loser. Or a slow loser. It's most likely because "fast" losers might have had restriction from the get go.

On this journey, I've been both the slow loser and the fast loser. Occasionally, I've been the gainer.

jayme

Okay, call me the odd one out but I had waaaayyyy too much restriction in the beginning, and as a member in good stead of the Slow Losers Club (I do have my NSV list up and running), fills don't seem to be an issue, really.

I waited 3 months for my first fill. I was so tight post-surgery, I really wasn't wanting to stand in line and pay cash money for more, even after the restriction subsided a bit. I needed time to recover from being so tight, getting used to being banded, have some time feeling normal again. I never gained any of the weight I lost post-op, but I didn't lose anything more until just before my first fill. THEN, I needed a small unfill! So restriction is something I am able to get from fills.

What's odd is the restriction seems to come and go. Unless, that is, I stick very close to a good bandster diet and eat protiens at every meal, then veggies, very few carbs, healthy Snacks (4pm is the hardest part of the day for me). Those are the days when, although I CAN eat, I don't get as hungry. The hungry monster doesnt' seem to notice me as much. So I am trying to keep grilled chicken breast cooked and handy in the fridge.

Today, we went for Japanese after church. It's a ton of food, and lots of carbs with the rice and noodles. I ate some for lunch, a few Triscuits and cheese for snack, and the rest of the Japanese for dinner. Had a CIB for Breakfast. That's all I ate but I had an entire plate full of food at supper and ate every bit of it. Not alot of chicken and veggies, a good bit of rice and noodles. Add some shrimp sauce and it goes right on down. This said, maybe it is time for a small fill?

I don't know, you all tell me. I have normal portions so I'm not too tight, and if I eat right (bandster way) I don't get hungry, but boy oh, I can slide some bad stuff right on through...hence, slow weight loss...

Never mind, you are right. I need a fill.

I think, as least for me, I'm a proud loser because otherwise I would undoubtably give up and quit. I gained 2 pounds this week, up from the 4 I lost last week, so since May, I've lost 6 pounds.

In the last 10 months, j. lynn, you have lost almost 90 pounds! that is amazing work and we are proud of you and Celebrate your rapid loss. But I don't know if you've been in our place, you could't have been because you've lost almost 90 pounds in 10 months. You''ve averaged 9 amazing pounds a month! I've lost 6 pounds in the last 4 months.

I don't know if I've had good restriction or not. I have to assume that I do, because I averaged 1200 calories for months and months. For the last 10 days I've been very close to the 1000 calorie mark. I don't konw that I would be able to maintian that low calories without good restriction. today, I've had roughly 110 calories.

I've decided that I'm going to call an see about getting another fill. I have about 2.5 ccs.

I just want to lose weight. I know that this is not the only measurement of success. I know this, but I'm so frustrated. I want answers about why I'm not losing weight.

I was on the slow loser list being that my surgery was in Nov 04 and I am only 44 pounds down. I didn't get a fill for 6 months and could eat what I wanted unless my band was in the mood to work that day. Now that I have had my 4th fill, a generous 1.0 cc, I understand what restriction is supposed to feel like and wouldn't dream of even trying to eat a full anything. Pasta and bread scares me. This morning I could only eat half of my oatmeal packet before feeling that restriction of not being able to eat another bite. I had 4.5 oz of chicken salad from lunch and couldn't possibly eat another bite. I'm sure I will have more room at dinner as always, but for those who can eat entire meals in 1 sitting I say you need a fill. I'm betting in a few weeks it won't be this tight, but I am enjoying not needing my self control...I need to save it all I can for later when the fill doesn't seem so tight. I am hopefully in the rabbit realm now. I think I was enjoying eating what I wanted for the last 6 months, I had forgotten why I had this surgery to begin with. When I came to reality that I was eating the same as every unbanded person around me, then I knew a fill was in order. Everyone has to judge what speed they want to go themselves. My surgeon was upset I hadn't been there for 6 months for a fill and told me it was like ordering the tools to help me get thin and then never going to pick it up. TURTLES RISE UP!!

Kim - you'll have to let us know how it goes with your new fill. I'm happy you've decided to use your tool to it's fullest potential.

I hope you enter the rabbit realm!

That would be great for you and it would help further my theory that we're only turtles because we haven't been able to get to a good degree of restriction yet.

TURTLE POWER!

I agree about the restriction. I'm guessing some, no matter what the fill is like, can have the greatest of restriction. I'm guessing that has to do with the physiology of our bodies. I have lost 7 pounds in 9 days, but was on liquids for 3 of them. I have also stopped the cokes, so that is probably 90 % of it right there. I just hope this restriction is permanant and the ease to eat doesn't come back slowly. Good luck to you...now I have the Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtle theme song in my head, TURLTE POWER!

Damn that Ninja Turtle theme song........I'm terrible about if someone mentions a song or sings one around me it gets all in my head for the rest of the day.........thanks alot kimaliciosu!!!!! Now here's one for you....PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON.....LIVED BY THE SEA.........

I honestly can't say if my slow losing is because of adequate restriction - maybe I don't know what adequate restriction is??? I eat waaaaaaaaayyyyyyy less than pre-banding - which has me confused why I haven't lost more weight. I now eat 1/3 of what I did pre-band yet still only small weight loss. I think I've come to the conclusion that it isn't what I eat, but how I don't move much anymore. I need to get me a pedometer to motivate me just to move more. I look back and notice when I had a significant amount of weight gain was shortly after high school - that's because I was constantly on the move in high school and once I graduated I got a desk job - hellllloooooooooo fat assssss!!!!!! I'm only 6 years out of high school and weighed 230 and muscular/athletic in high school - before surgery I weighed 293 - so I gained 63lbs in six years........wow just had an epiphany here with you all.......damn I've gained 63lbs since high school only 6 short years ago and was gaining steadily and have no doubt I'd be in the 300lb club if it weren't for Bambi (my band).

Somebody buy me a pedometer for Christmas!!!!!!! I can't find any around this area in stores. Waaaahhhh - actually I think I'm going to go ebay it.........do they make a pedometer in a wrist thing? I don't like wearing things on my waist. Mainly because when I sit my fat roll folds over my waist......gross....I'm so grossss..........LOL - BUT NOT FOREVER!!!!!

I don't here the Ninja turtle stuff, but for some weird reason I ALWAYS get "Wonder Twin's power-ACTIVATE!" whenever I read the Turtle threads.

a wrist pedomiter wouldn't work because it measures your foot steps by way of hip shift.

I apperently don't move my hips when I walk because the last 3 pedomiters didn't work as expected. After walking all over campus, one direction one mile, I had a daily total of 13 steps....

I've tried all sorts of different locations on my belt line, but all no good.

hmmm interesting - i haven't gone to look for one yet - but i will try to find a sensitive one

I pretty much stayed around the 230 range (pre-band) no matter what I ate. I think that was my body's ever incresing set point. I know that if I eat more than 800 cal a day I will slow down to very slow or no weight loss right now. Since I have not had a fill I don't know what it feels like. Some have restriction without a fill for awhile. I know I don't eat what I used to because but feel like I am dieting. It isn't as hard to stick to it as it was pre-band, however. I do get full quicker.

I haven't had a fill yet, so I can't relate yet, but I do know that my doc said to only eat 3/4 C of food at a time, regardless of how hungry I am or how much I CAN eat. If I get hungry an hour later, only have another 3/4 of a cup of food.

It seems like even though some of us CAN eat more doesn't mean we SHOULD. Eating healthy food in these small increments will help us keep our metabolisms going.