ErinMarie

Thanks tmf! I will try to watch these tonight when I get home.

Alright ya'll... My life is uber stressful right now but I'm going to jump in and try this anyway. Maybe this will give me some much needed control in my life that I feel I'm lacking. I'm not in the green yet and have a fill on October. I'm going to paraphrase what I've gotten from reading about the 5:2 Fast and you can correct me if this doesn't sound right. 5 days of 'normal' caloric intake/eating and 2 days of 500 calories or less. When fasting, try to stick with 18 hrs between meals. Most people do one meal a day on fast days generally at lunch or dinner. Sometimes, something small (a Protein shake) at lunch, then something larger in the evening. Questions 1. I feel like I would need the most of the 500 calories on fast day for lunch, but I would also prefer to eat dinner with my husband at night. Should I suck it up and do a shake for lunch and the rest of my calories for dinner to keep some type of family normalcy? (Also note, I'm planning on talking my husband into doing this too so this might be a pointless question.) 2. I saw some arguments that intermittent fasting is more effective if done every other day instead of 5:2. Thoughts on this? I know it can really be whatever you want it to be, but I wanted to see if anyone had done it that way and found it easier or harder. Anything else I should remember/know/keep in mind before I start doing this? Also, I don't own a scale so I won't even know if this is working...yikes! I do have one a work though that I might be able to jump on.

I'm too lazy to read all these so here is my list...sorry for repeats! McDonald's oatmeal is awesome (BK? not so much) Wendy's chili Wendy's baked potato (although I dont really like their potatoes) Subway salad McD's yogurt parfaits Chik-fil-a chicken salad is good and you can probably get a scoup without the bread. Taco bell chicken cantina bowls that are pretty great Arbys I go for the french dip bc that helps soggy up the bread, still not the best choice though! Qdoba I always get the naked burritos (no shell) Long Johns or other seafood places I just get whatever the grilled options are! This is all I can think of right now

Thanks tmf! I'm sure a lot of it has been head hunger and snacking, although thankfully with my new job I have been too busy to snack of much of anything. I don't own a scale right now and while I was happy about it at first, I have no way to gauge how I'm doing so I just assume I'm getting nowhere. I don't feel like I'm rushing, I just feel like I'm not working at it hard enough (or be as dedicated as I was pre-baby...an unmotivated failure, if you will). I had my son 16 months ago, I was hoping to at least be down more than 10 lbs since his birth! But I haven't given it 100% because I am not my first priority right now. It's been terribly frustrating to know how well I was doing before and how terrible I'm doing now. I supposed I should realize that it took me a good 8 months or so to get in the green after my surgery and I haven't been able to go and be adjusted as often lately so that is a good way to think about it. And I just saw something about that 5:2 fast diet and was interested. I'll have to do some more research on it! Thanks again

Ladies, Everything sucks! I got a fill a couple months ago via floroscopy and it was great! I felt in the green, I wasn't getting stuck as often, my clothes were feeling loser...then 3 weeks later its like it never happened! My appetite came back, I'm eating more and hungry more often, my pants are back to fitting normally. I am so beyond frustrated. I'm very torn between caring and giving up even trying. I'm not schedule for another fill until October because I started a new job and I have to wait until my probationary period is up before I can take time off. I'm tired of being this big when I was finally in onederland yet I have zero motivation to do anything but swap veggies and fruit for Snacks at work. Please tell me I'm not alone! I need serious encouragement right now

I think re-learning the lifestyle has to be harder than the first time around for me. I know I can do it but adding a baby into the mix (a new house and a new job for me) is totally overwhelming!

Everyone's advice here is excellent! I just got a good fill a couple weeks ago and I am still re-learning (after an unfill and a pregnancy) to eat smaller bites/slower/less in terms of portion size. I would say I get stuck/slime once every 2-3 days. I have a hard time paying attention to how big my bites are and how quickly I eat. I have a 14 month old now so eating isn't always something I can concentrate on! I'm always more concerned about him eating than myself!

I'm constantly wanting to eat when I'm PMSing. Tight band or not...it's like if it is tight or in the green, it opens up during that time. Hormones are funny. Just having the band and losing weight affects your hormones anway...adding on top of that PMS hormones and there's really no telling. If you are on birth control or stressed that will affect it to. Just try to be mindful....but don't restrict your cravings so much you end up killing someone

You had a baby 4 MONTHS ago woman! You need to remember it will take your body 9+ months to even settle down and your hormones to get back to normal. Don't get discouraged yet. Be patient and remember your body is still doing a lot of adjusting right now.

Well I had a partial unfill so I had no real restriction until a couple months ago. Having a baby also made me not really care so much as about my well-being for a long time.

I just saw this after I sent you a message! Lol. I'm glad your insurance is going to cover it! I can't imagine how scary that much of a change would be!

So sorry to hear this Heather!! I'll keep you in my thoughts! Im sure the band to rny forum will be super helpful here! Don't forget about us though

You can get it back!! I still have days when all I want to do is snack and go over my calories but you can't undo what's done so you just have to realize your mistake and try to do better the next day! Getting in the green really helped my control but it's not perfect! Good luck!

Love your glasses Pjones! I was banded in 2011 and just had a baby a year ago so I'm trying to get back into it! I don't have a scale at my house anymore so I'm only checking my weight when I see my doctor

Does it ever pass? lol I'm having this issue as well. I think the best thing I could suggest is distraction and don't have anything available to snack on! (Or just do healthy snacks) Congrats! and Good luck!

How old is your baby now? I could have almost written this (just sub nursing school with living with my MIL and trying to buy a house!). I gained 60lbs during my pregnancy and only lost 20 after the birth. I was not getting in hardly any Water, eating whatever I wanted, and had basically forgotten what it was like to ever be a good bandster. My baby will be 13 months tomorrow and It wasn't until my last fill (under fluoro) that I have finally started to feel in the green. As bad as it sounds, it really took being in the green to motivate me to follow the rules better (not to a T, but close!). I am back on My Fitness Pal (add me if you want! erinistehawesome), trying to get my water in, and keeping my portions down. Granted, now that I'm in the green, I don't have a choice and I feel miserable if I eat more than a cup of food. Of course, there are days (like today) when I am constantly wanting to eat (stupid period!) so I will eat a little something, wait an hour 2, eat more, etc. It's bad, but I'm trying to keep it healthy. Celery and PB, carrots, apple, swiss roll (oops!). You don't need to jump in head first, just change a few things at a time. Also keep in mind, is not going to go super fast! It took me 18 months to loose 97 lbs. Slow and steady and consistency! Please add me on here and everywhere else and we can be 'just a baby' buddies!

So I'm on round 2 of being in the green after having a baby and I realized I didn't get our scale when we moved. I'm seriously considering not getting another one and just weighing when I go to my check ups. Anyone else not weigh on the regular?

What is your secret? Tell me what you eat in a day to get in all your recommended protein! I need to get some new ideas on getting in all this freaking protein! Please share your meal plans!

Added! Thanks!

That's how I feel! I'm tired of constantly worrying. I lost 97 lbs before and now I'm starting over! I have so much on my plate, I just want to be in the green, eat well, and stop worrying about it! I have so many other things to worry about, why add another?