I've been reading a lot of blogs where people are having a hard time with the band and losing weight. I have posted a few other times about this same topic so it may be helpful for people to read those as well.
It's been over a year for me and I have been through all of these struggles- from not losing weight, working out ALL the time, to getting filled so tight that I threw up several times a day to eating less than 800 cals...... Ive been there!
I went to an X national body builder and licensed nutritionalist and learned what I was doing wrong.
Here's the deal:
You MUST eat 5-6 times a day and get about 1500-1800 cals in a day depending on your weight and activity level. You can find out what you need by knowing your metabolic rate which you can get off the internet as a guide.
You MUST eat a lot of protien or you will lose muslce instead of fat. If you weigh 200lbs you need 200 grams of protein per day.
You MUST do moderate cardio 4 times a week for about 40 min ( dont go more or you will go into a catabolic state and burn muscle)
You MUST lift heavy weights 2 times a week just to keep the muscle you already have - takes about 20 min
You MUST eat a protein, good fat and incindental carb ( berries and veggies) with every meal
You MUST have a good "cheat day" every week - it causes our bodies to not get use to the same food day after day and requires the body to work hard ( burn calories) to digest a heavy meal.
You MUST limit sugar, starchy carbs and bad fat!!
I can promise you that if you do these things you will burn fat. Throw the darn scale away. The scale does not indicate how much FAT you lose.
I lose about half of a pound to a pound a week but Im very close to my ideal weight. My weight loss has been very slow the whole time, but thats OK!
I got all the fluid taken out of my band a few months ago because I could not eat what I needed to eat in order to lose fat.
Please email me if you have thoughts or questions.
Ive been meaning to post this for a long time but I decided to wait until my 1 year bandiversary. One year ago today I truly thought the band was the best thing for me. I was working out a lot and eating what I thought was a good diet most days and still I was gaining weight. I was 231 on my surgery day.
I spent the next 10 months doing what my doctor told me. I did not need to be on a liquid pre-op diet because I was paying out of pocket and those diets are primarily for the insurance companies. I worked out 12-15 hours a week - hardcore stuff too! I ate very few calories and kept getting fills until I could barely eat and I was throwing up all the time. I was sure with the calorie restriction I would drop the weight and then I would have an un-fill later.
I lost weight on the scale VERY slowly. It was disappointing but at least I was losing. In ten months I lost 40 lbs...working SO hard at it and doing what the doc said.
Then, I started doing some research and went to a very reputable nutritionist / trainer in my area. She was a former national female body builder and if anyone knows how to lose fat and gain muscle... its a body builder.
She reviewed my diet and exercise regime and schooled me on how WRONG I had been doing things. She gave me a plan. Now, in just one month, I have lost 10 lbs of FAT and maintained my muscle. Before, I was losing a lot of muscle since my body didnt have the "fuel" it needed to burn during the day and my workouts.
Im writing this to save many of you from the agony that I went through. Dont keep getting fills thinking you are doing the right thing. You may lose pounds but very little fat. You must keep muscle as that is what keeps your metabolism going so that when you arent working out or when you have a piece of cake it will burn it right off.
I found out that I needed to eat about 1700 cals a day and cut way back on workouts. She demanded only 40 min of moderate cardio 4 times a week and 2 days of full body weight training. My meal plan was eating 5 times a day. All whole, natural foods. Protein, carb and fat in every meal. I was unable to do this due to my band. So I went to talk to the doc who happens to have a body builder as a wife and who also happens to be trained by my trainer. I had ALL of the fluid taken out of the band so Im able to eat again. He told me most bandsters wont do the diet that I just described above and that is why he advocates for the band. He agreed that the DIET is 90% of FAT loss and doing that diet would not only get the FAT off much quicker than the band but also while keeping muscle. With the band and restricting your food, you will likely lose muscle. He also agreed that the band is great for people who refuse to diet and also the amount of money they make off of people like us is enourmous.
These are the facts people. Make your best decision. Feel free to email me for more tips if you like. I am currently in a size 10 - I weigh 180 lbs and I will soon be in an 8. Im strong and healthy thanks to the nutritionist, not my surgeon.
I wanted to post something about all the folks out there getting fills thinking thats what will cause them to drop weight.
It's been almost a year for me and I have only lost 45 lbs ( I really only had about 65 to lose). I had fills and fills until I just couldnt keep anything down. I thought I could drop the weight that way and then just have an un-fill after the weight was gone. Boy, was I wrong!
After many struggles this year I have learned a few valuable facts that I would like to share with you:
Dont get your band filled past half way. This is true for most people anyway.
We need to EAT in order to lose fat and gain muscle. I went to a nutritionist last week who does training for body builders. I was eating far too few calories. I was working out very hard at about 10 hours a week and getting no where!
Exercise is important but its only 20% - the other 80% is the diet! You must eat lots of lean proteins, no sugar substitutes, no sugar and only natural carbs that are in fruits and veggies.
You must get about 1500-1800 cals in for women if you are doing exercise 4x a week. Now, those calories must be the good kind.
Losing 1 lb a week is awesome! Losing much more than 2 a week is a sure sign that you are losing muscle. Thats not a good thing.
Your body will respond if you follow some of these things. I love to eat and I love to workout. So I was killing myself working out so I could eat a small sugary treat every day. I couldnt understand why the fat wasnt coming off. Now, I understand. It's ALL about the diet.
DO NOT GET OVER-FILLED THINKING YOU WONT BE ABLE TO EAT AND THE POUNDS WILL DROP. you may lose weight on the scale but you will be losing your muscle first and not your fat. HUGE mistake.
Im finally losing the last 20 lbs of fat that I have. With this knowledge, I will be lean and buff in 6-7 months.
Well after 10 months of fills and unfills and only losing 30 lbs I have decided to just have some fluid taken out for good. I work out very hard 5 days a week and I cant get enough calories in for my workout. I am unable to eat anything before 3pm and end up throwing up most of my dinner. Im sick of it. I had a fill expecting to lose more weight but that just isnt the case. Im very conscious about fitness and nutrition and at this rate Im only doing myself harm.
Ive been so jealout about the people around me lately. My family and friends are doing the 17 day diet and losing crazy amounts of weight!!! Meanwhile, I work out, eat right and have a band around my stomach and still nothing happens. On the 17 day diet, they dont workout either - mainly because the calories are so low. It is only recommended to walk for 17 minutes. Please!!! Im so disappointed.
I just had this pic taken last weekend and I wanted to share. Some of you may know I have been struggling with this weight loss. I have only lost 30 lbs in 9 months. I was a size 18 and now Im a 12. I weigh 199 lbs. I think I still need to lose another 30 lbs just to get back to a size 8 where I use to be. What do you think? Please, be honest.
Thank you to those who gave me some advise on whether or not to have another fill. I went in yesterday to talk to my surgeon and see about a fill. He was reluctant to give me a fill but said he would if I really thought I needed it. Its been 8 months and I have only lost about 30 lbs. I am 198 lbs and a size 12. I am a fanatic about my workouts ( I do 2 a day usually, high intensity)...but still I dont lose any weight. Since my unfill 2 months ago I have been able to eat whatever I want, slowly......sooooo...I have been. I eat clean 80% of the time but I have some form of sugar and fat every day. He told me that I need to be much more strict with my diet. The band only does a small portion and I have to do the rest. I realize that I am not that big , but for me, I would like to get back to a size 8 - and that is about 180 lbs. He put only .3 into my band and he said he would not fill me anymore. This requires a ridiculous amount of dieting and exercising for those of us who only need to lose 20-30 lbs. I think I have a lot of work to do! So, I must stick to 1000 cals a day even though I burn that much in my workouts. It seems strange but apparently that is what I need to do. Its ganan be very hard since Im so hungry.
I have replied to several posts lately so some of you may recognize me. I have a questions for everyone who has already been banded. I am struggling with getting another fill or not. Heres my deal:
I am 39 and been banded 8 months now. I currently weigh 200 and Im a size 12. I started this process at 230 lbs and a size 18. Im a strong, healthy looking woman. I use to be a model in my 20's and so I put on almost 100 lbs. I look my best at a size 8. I paid 15K for this surgery hoping it would be the tool to help me get back to a comfortable size. I have been stuck at 200 for 3 months now and I dont know what to do.
I was filled pretty well but I was getting food stuck every single day and throwing up all the time. I went for 3 days throwing up my own saliva and couldnt get anything down. So I had my doc take a little fluid out. Since then...I have been able to eat whatever I want. I havent gained anything but I cant loose anything either. Before I found it VERy hard to get all my protein in and get enough cals. I do 1-2 hours of work out 5-6 days a week. I do the P90X series and walking/hills. So I burn 500-800 cals per day. I eat about 1500 cals a day now where before I could only eat about 800....BUT I WAS LOSING. Now, I enjoy my food and look forward to it. Am I eating more than I should? I have some treats every now and then but mostly I make good choices. I dont understand why this is SO hard. The doc says its simple science but I really dont think that it is.
Should I have another fill?????? I hate the thought of not being able to eat right and the possiblility of getting stuck all the time despite eating slowly and chewing..... or do I need to diet more?
Ive been struggling with this for months now and I need your advise PLEASE.
I have been banded 7 months now. I have only lost 30 pound but Im ok with that for now. I have had several fills and one un-fill. I just dont understand this band. I can't seem to make any sense of it. There are days when I throw up ALL day and other days when I eat perfectly fine and eat larger portions than I should. 2 months ago I got something stuck and went 3 days without eating OR being able to get fluid down. I threw up my own saliva ever 20 minutes. The doc did an un-fill. A few days a week I feel a super-tight restricion and even though I am very careful about chewing and eating slowly....I still get that stuck feeling then end up throwin up for hours and hours on end. It is sooooooo annoying. Nothing seems to help. I know after throwing up so much my stomach gets inflammed and then when I am able to get fluids down I am extremely careful.
Does anyone else have a finicky band like this? Does anyone else get stuck episodes frequently? The doc says I am only half full in the band and does not feel like I need more fluid out. Its so hard to believe that there are days I go without eating at all and other days I can eat normally and yet I still dont lose much weight. I am religious about my workouts but when I have a sick day, I dont workout because I simply dont have the enerygy with out the fuel in my body. Sometimes....I wish I never had this band. Other days Im so thankful that I spent the money and have endured all that I have gone through. UGH.
Is there anyone else out there who has been banded 6 months or longer and is finding that their weight loss is extremely slow? Its been 6 months for me and I went from 230 to 205. size 16/18 to 12/14. I have had 3 fills and 1 unfill. I lost most of the weight before the unfill... I was just too tight and I could barely get food down. Now, Im eating almost anything I want because a small amount of fluid was taken out. I wish I could find a place where Im not hungry all the time but where I can also get enough protein and good food in. Just curious to see if anyone else can relate to this.
Its been 6 months for me and I have only lost 20 some pounds. Im close to being in onederland. When I got my 3rd fill I felt good restriction. I was only able to eat a little at a time and I was losing about 2-3 lbs a week. I had something get stuck 2 weeks ago, I threw up my own saliva for 3 days and went in for an "unfill". He took out all the fluid allowing the stuck thing to pass and I felt better instantly. He put most of the fluid back in he said. Now, I am HUNGRY and eating all the time! Im even eating breads which never would have happened before. I have not gotten on the scale because I know I have gainded weight back. What should I do? My next appointment is at the end of April. I know he will do a fill then but should I see if I can have him do a little fill before then. I DO NOT want to feel like last time and throw up almost every day. There is a "sweet spot", right? Is there actually a place where I feel restriction but do not need to worry about throwing up? Please refrain from telling me how to chew food , the pace and what not to eat. I have been doing this a while and I already know and do that stuff. I dont mean to sound arrogant I just read a lot of these blogs that keep re-stating the obvious to those of us who have been banded for a little bit.
Thanks so much everyone!
Well, after 3 full days of throwing up every 20 minutes, no food and no water I demanded to be seen by my doc today. He took all the fluid out of my band and put most of it back in. Ahhhhhh! I was finally able to eat some soup and drink water. All of this from ONE small bit of a cheeseburger ( no bun). Sure, I lost 6 lbs in the past few days but I would rather have a slow and steady weight loss than to have to go through that again. Soooo tired of throwing up my own saliva all the time.
Is been 5 months and 3 fills. Today I ate one bit of a cheeseburger ( no bun) and felt that it got a little stuck so I stopped eating and waited for it to pass the way it always does. It hasnt passed. Now, 6 hours later, I cant even keep my own saliva down. I throw up every 10 minutes ( just my saliva). I tried drinking hot water and it came up. I feel a pressure in my chest and its uncomfortable. Im so worried that my band has slipped. Ive thrown up before but that would usually resolve the feeling. This has gone on way too long. Does anyone know how to tell if the band HAS slipped? I plan on calling the doc in the morning but Im really worried and uncomfortable now. Please help if you can.
I have had 3 fills. The last one was 5 weeks ago. The past few weeks I have been eating too much! I havent felt as much restriction as I would like. All of a sudden today, I can barely drink let alone eat anything. I take one bit of something and it just sits there. Whats the deal? Has anyone else had this happen?
Hi everyone,
It has been 5 months since I was banded. I have had 3 fills now. I think Im around 6.5cc in my 9 cc band. I felt restriction when I got the 3rd fill but that wore off after a month. I was 231 on my surgery date ( size 18) and now Im 207 ( size 14). I really expected the weight loss to come a little quicker. I work out hard but now I can see that Im eating too much. Is this normal? Is it normal to have such a slow weight loss?
Ive been banded 5 months now and although I have minimal weight loss despite all of my hard work I feel thankful that Im no longer able to over eat.
Prior to surgery I ate good nutritional food but I ate a lot of it. Now, after my 3rd fill especially, Everything I eat has protein but usually doesnt have much fiber. My bowels dont seem to move the same and its more difficult. Im not able to eat very much and my first choice is protein - it must be that way since I work out very hard. I find that I dont have much more room for veggies and I certainly cant eat things like whole grains.
Does anyone have a good nutritional supplement ( preferably food, not a pill) that would help me get the propper nutrion while still allowing me all the protein I need?
Its been 2 month and 2 fills later. I just recently started losing weight. Its only been 3 pounds but Im happy with that. My question is this:
Until my second fill I could eat whatever I wanted with no porbs. After this 2nd fill....sometimes I eat a few bites and I feel it getting stuck, it hurts and IM done. Other times I eat normally. I never know what its going to be. Last night my family went out to dinner. I ate 2 bites of fish and spinach and drank a gulp of water and ....blah. I sat there for 20 minutes trying not to throw up and then it passed. I was able to eat small portions of my meal and everything was fine. I was drinking water while eating.
What is the deal? Does anyone have suggestions of how to NOT have food get stuck? I know to eat slowly ( I dont have a choice in that) and I know I cant do heavy carbs. Just wondering if anyone has found something that works for them. Its so embarrassing to having that feeling when you are out to eat.
After 2 months of feeling pretty good and being able to eat anything I wanted....I got a fill 2 days ago and today I ate 1/2 piece of toast and 2 bits of egg and ....blah. I sat with it for about 10 minutes until I realized that it wasnt going to go down. I went to the bathroom to throw up. Its different than throwing up before. Now it comes from the chest area , not the belly. I felt better afterwards. Later today I was able to finish my food with out problems. Is it normal for foods to work sometimes and not others? How ofter do people throw up?
I am more than 2 months post-op and I find myself feeling very jealous and envious when I read all these blogs. Seems like everyone is losing weight but me. I spoke at length with my doc about this and he said I am doing just fine. Since my surgery date I have only lost 1 lousy pound. I have had 2 fills now and I find that I am eating much less and sometimes I feel restriction and sometimes I dont. I currently lave 4.5 cc in the band. I love workouts so I dont have a problem there. My doc said that because I was smaller when I had the surgery ( size 16 and still am a 16) that it will take me longer to lose weight. He said I should expect to lose one pound a week. Ok.... but....I read over and over again that people are losing much more more than that. Has anyone else had an extremely SSSSLLLLOOOOWWWW weight loss? Does anyone have any words of wisdom?
So I had a fill the day before thanksgiving. He put 4ccs in but took 1 out because I couldnt get the water down. He told me to be very careful because this is still an aggressive fill. I have gained 5lbs since surgery so he really wanted me to feel restriction.
Well....I fell no different. I ate a plate of food yesterday ( thanksgiving) including bread and pumpkin pie. I felt no restriction. Now today I woke up and had a cheese sandwich with double protein bread. I feel nothing.
Is this normal? When will I start to feel full quickily or be unable to eat more than 1/2 cup of food?
Im almost 7 weeks post op and all I do is gain weight. Please help!
So I had my first fill today. Its been 6 weeks since I have been banded. I GAINED 5 lbs in that time! Since I am private pay the doc said he was going to fill me aggressivley so I WILL lose weight. He put 4ccs in my band and had me drink a dixie cup of water. I barely got it half way down and I felt it getting stuck. He had me lay back down and he took 1cc out. That seemed perfect.
Oh, for all of you nervous about having fills.... its nothing. The needle was the same size as what they use to take blood. Its not long, nor is it a bigger guage. I felt a small pin prick and then nothing else. Nothing to worry about there.
I certainly hope I start losing weight. After all, thas why I paid $14k! I am a workout finatic so I know that isnt the problem. I would admit my portions were a little larger than what they should have been but still way less than per-band meals. I just dont get it!
I hear a lot of people talk about eating too fast or not chewing well enough. I am 5 weeks post op and so far I have had no discomfort with anything. Is this something that happens after a fill? What does it feel like?
Hi everyone.
I am 5 weeks post op. I have an appointment with my doc in 2 weeks. My question is: when can I start doing hard core workouts? He told me to hold off for "a little while" but I negled to ask him how long. When is it safe to do pilates and core strengthening? Since I have not lost weight yet and Im able to eat anything I feel like I really need to get back into my hard workouts. I dont want to end up with a hernia ( doc siad that was possible ).
I was banded one month ago today. I have had no weight loss at all. I believe I am doing all the right things with food and exercise, however today......I cant say that is true. I have been limiting carbs and eating protein all the time. I have been so hungry for something sweet and carb loaded. So I had whatever I wanted.... and 1/2 cup of diet pepsi. I feel like such a jerk. I spent A LOT of money on this proceedure and now I feel like maybe it was a waste. Im very hungry and without a fill I can eat whatever I want. I dont really over-do it. I stop when Im full. Except for today. Has anyone else felt this way? Any suggestions or comments?
