Cazzy

I think you will find that stress is a major factor in not losing weight, we metabolise food a lot differently under stress and for some its the trigger to emotionally eat too. It might be an idea to find an outlet for your stress, either by relaxation, counselling or something like boxing or gym work .. Having the band fitted doesnt remove all the life challenges we face and we have to learn how to deal with what life throws at us, reduce the stress/change the way you deal with it and i am sure your mind will be a lot more free to concentrate on making the band work for you. Even getting on the scales to find out you have put on weight can add to your stress, self sabotage with food is a way of internalising stress and this blocks our ability to find the motivation to change what we eat. But please dont put yourself down, you arent a failure, you just need support. I wish you well Try listening to 'If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it'. ~Mary Engelbreit

Good luck Jim I really hope all goes ok for you.

I can eat any meat if it is just cooked, even roast pork but i slice it wafer thin and use a sharp knife and cut all meat up very small, i love fish tho so eat more fish than anything. Cold meat is a no no for me tho, but i eat wild alaskan smoked salmon every day, low in calories, high protien and almost no fat. i only eat red meat maybe once a week.

I hit 'onederland' a few days ago .. it feels soo good ... good luck with it

My biggest fear was waking up after the operation and them saying they couldnt do it .. that didnt happen

I add pure oat bran to yoghurt .. it makes a yoghurt more filling and helps cholesterol and gives u a ton of fibre never had a problem since i starting using it, also i eat prunes which also help that end of things

Maybe speak to your dietician/nutritionist but 500 to 750 isnt a lot .. i also eat around 1000 to 1200 a day

good luck .. i will have the same as you are having done, around march 2012 i think, theres a lot to cut away on me tho .. I am excited for you

I would definitely look to doing some weight training, u need to get yout heart rate up on the treadmill then go onto the strength training, i use resistance bands and dumbells after i use my cycle seems to work for me strength training is important it helps metabolise sugar and burn the calories, the more muscle you have the more calories u burn just doing nothing its a win win ... i change the resistance on my bike each month so that i am gradually building up stamina and leg muscles over a longer period as i was totally inactive before i started all this.

You are both in my thoughts ... sending good wishes from across the Atlantic .

gratz on a great weight loss .. well done !

Gratzz melissa on a great weight loss. I hit 'onederland' today and feel great

I had my prescriptions for meds changed to liquid versions until i was able to eat again ..i was given this info b4 surgery so i was able to change them all before i needed to. Am not on any meds now Some pills like metformin for type 2 diabetes specifically say do not crush them so i had to change it.

thank you all for the kind words I hit 'onederland' today yayyyyyyyyy !

Given you are putting weight back on I would answer that it sounds like you need to address both issues, get back to band basic eating and go see the doc

I ate salad all summer long every day, i just cut up everything really small before eating, i can only eat hot fresh cooked chicken breast, cold chicken is a big no no for me. Salad dressing i would make myself from lemon joice, white wine vinegar, wholegrain or dijon mustard and splenda i would also put some chilli flakes on the tomatoes to save me using salt ..

I eat around 1000/1200 calories a day made up mainly of fresh veg and fish and chicken, some red meat only in small amounts, i have home made veg soup for lunch and i drink tea and weak coffee made with skimmed milk in between meals to stave off any hunger .. If i am hungry before my main meal i will have a weight watchers tomato soup before .. this always helps fill me up before i start eating. I cycle around 8 miles a day in front of the tv and do dumbells for strength training. I started off slowly just doing dumbells at first as i couldnt even sit on a bike . I dont allow myself to get sidetracked and even tho i actually dont like exercise that much i know i have to do it.

Sounds like u need another fill, it takes a few fills to get where u dont get hungry so quick, for me anyways, now i easily go 4 hours on most days in between meals, there are odd days tho that i am hungrier earlier than 4 hours, on days like that i eat a snack in between meals like some cottage cheese or some oat bran in a plain yoghurt, i also drink tea and weak coffee ad lib with skimmed milk and this helps stave off the hunger without adding many calories .. Your band becomes loser and needs a fill if u have lost weight since the last fill so it looks like u will be ok next fill. My stomach also growls at me when i am hungry, i have found the band makes your stomach noisy as hell remember most times being hungry is a state of mind, none of us will starve .... good luck

Stay positive and try and relax a little, being tense intensifies pain, i was lucky i had virtually no pain afterwards just a little gas nothing more, but if i do get pain if food gets stuck i use a heat pad on my back, warmth is very soothing and it helps the gas dissipate, so might be worth giving it a try. It will get better we are all different and our bodies react in different ways so hang in there, things will improve im sure I wish you well ...

Thanks guys it really means a lot to get some support it helps me in this long battle i have had i wanted to be 200lbs lost by christmas so i beat my target by a couple of weeks, am really happy about that. My reward will be some more new clothes, i had purchsased some and they are already too big, i had no idea that my weight loss would keep on the steady path it has, so some clothes are already redundant, i am also treating myself to a bike so i can go out for rides, using the cycle indoors is pretty boring even while watching tv. I will wait for the January sales to spend some more money..

I was 57 yrs young !!

It must be very hard to face all we do give up to lose this weight and having to quit smoking too, seems a nightmare scenario. I would use patches the day before u go for a fill say u gave up a month previously. You at least should be able to get through the time till a fill and not smell like a smoker. Air your clothes and and use fabreeze otherwise just find another doc.

It sounds like you need more support than you are getting and really it might be wise to get back to your doctor or a different one and talk over whats going on. Is something else going on in your life that is causing you to feel this way ? from your profile you have lost 45lbs so far, that is something to be proud of and going back to old eating eating habits and no exercise will just undo all the hard work you have already put in. It feels like whatever is going on in your life needs to be addressed with help and support and hopefully that will help u discover what is making you sabotage yourself. Of course there are people that the band just doesnt work for but given your initial weight loss it doesnt seem like that is the case, motivation to make this thing work to me is key for a successful journey, what motivated you when you were losing weight ? , try and get that back. Please dont throw in the towel, even if you set yourself a goal of not putting any weight back on it will help you bide time till you can sort out the emotional side of eating. I really hope u can sort this out and find something/someone that will help u get out of this 'low' that you find yourself in ..

I was able to drink coffee and tea after surgery, coffee can dehydrate you if u have large quantities of caffine but the odd cup to 'most people' has no ill effects at all, It is essential you follow your own Doctor's advice tho ..see the Mayo clinic ...http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661 which says: Question Caffeine: Is it dehydrating or not? I've been seeing ads that say cola and coffee drinks hydrate you as well as Water does. Is this true? Answer from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. It is true. Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day. Still, caffeinated drinks can make you jittery, sleepless or anxious. Water is probably your best bet to stay hydrated. It's calorie-free, caffeine-free, inexpensive and readily available. If you are allowed to drink coffee then dont make it strong and use skimmed milk. good luck on your journey.

Congrats to all the big losers here, great job ! I am 2lbs away from becoming a 200lbs loss member maybe we need a thread for 200lbs loss club !