marivan

Thanks Doddie, I'll let you know! I'm not hopeful that they'll even test me for anything because after all, we fat folk are fat just because we're always eatin'! But I will do my best to see what's up. You've done great though, I dream of the day I see a number like 73 pounds lost! Talk soon, M

Hi Doddie, Did you mean a steady 2 pounds a month, or a week? I've seen your weight loss and it looks faster than monthly. Thanks for the idea, but my fill isn't too tight. I would think it was too tight if I couldn't eat real solid food without BPing and could only really have Soups or liquids. I can go for fills whenever I want, it is included, so that's not an issue. I feel that I'm at a good restriction. If I don't eat carefully, slowly or too much I BP. If I follow the rules there are not problems. I read a post you made earlier in this thread about how you sometimes eat a whole bag or chips and then realize that you should cut down again and use that program to monitor your food to get down in calories. I can't afford to have any junk food at all, as even while being very careful with what I eat the weight is not coming off. I just want to see if my Resting metabolic rate is low. There may be nothing that can be done except for me to continue to work out as hard as I have been and hope that I'll get to my goal by the time I'm 60! (I'm in my 40's now) But it is frustrating to hear people say they eat this treat and that treat and consistently lose 1 - 2 pounds while for me to be lucky to lose that in a whole month! It's a bit soul destroying. I don't know if it will paste well, but here is my chart for the past month. This is how it has gone since I started this journey in October last year. 13-Jun-08252.5040.520-Jun-082511.54227-Jun-08253-24004-Jul-08253.5-0.539.511-Jul-08255-1.53818-Jul-0825234125-Jul-08251142 I came back from a holiday of three weeks and stayed the same (I was really careful to eat healthy) and then you will see that for the following three weeks after my holiday I gained each week! As I said, I will post what my Doctor says, and if she is willing to send me for any tests. Take care, M

I've got an appointment with my GP next week to see if she'll do some tests that no one has ever done for me. I watch what I eat, am exercising like mad and the weight is coming off at about 3 pounds a month. (well, the past two months I've stayed the same) I'm not eating chips and ice cream and crap. I've had lots of suggestions. Increase your exercise, don't exercise so much, you aren't eating enough, you are eating too much. I'm sorry but I'm not buying it. I eat a very healthy, varied diet with no processed foods and the weight should be coming off. I don't blame the band in any way, it has finally proved to me that I am not a loser, I've been right when I've maintained that I have stuck to diets and lost nothing. However, no one ever believed me and I got frustrated and gave up. That's how I got fat. Failing diet after diet and then eating like mad trying to save it up for the next diet to come. Now I'm not doing that. I haven't binged or fallen off of any eating plan. I'm hoping that my GP will believe me and at least do some tests. I'm at a good restriction, can't eat bread, but can eat a varied diet of solid food. Don't go up to 2500 calories when I don't pay attention. Stick to under 1500 calories. I'll let those of you that are also losing slowly and know you are doing everything right, what happens. And I've gone to my clinic and they say "you are doing everything right, we don't know what to say". So big help there. M

Hi DixieDoo, Even though I have been disappointed with the speed of my weight loss, for the first time in my life I do feel positive that I will get to my goal eventally. The wonderful thing about this is that I have not been hungry enough to "fall off" a diet. I'm not on a diet, I am avoiding processed foods and rubbish foods and eating healthy real foods. But better than that, I am not able to eat large portions which is really helping. I don't regret the band for one moment. I do wish the weight would come off a bit faster, but I'm pleased that I've lost 42 pounds, and feel so much better already. I live in Lindsay, and i was banded in Toronto. Perhaps there are other people who can answer that question. I think there are a lot of people in your area though. Good luck! M

You've gained 30 pounds since your operation? I agree, I would feel demoralized and ripped off too! Don't you feel that at this point you should go to your doctor (your GP) and demand to have extensive tests done? If you can't eat much now that you have the band and you are gaining weight, there has to be something else wrong. If nothing else, the band may be the tool that allows the doctors to actually believe that it isn't you! (I don't know about anyone else, but I now feel vindicated that I haven't been kidding myself and I am not secretly eating) I think you should also go to your clinic and ask for more support too! Let us know how you get on! M p.s. I've had some suggestions that make me feel like I'm not believed in what I eat too, but I think that everyone is just trying to help. We've all been there. Are all still here.

Hello all, I just found this thread. I was banded in Toronto on Nov 8th 2007 and I've lost 40 pounds so far. I am at a good restriction of 6.5, and I'm eating healthily around 1000 calories a day and exercising, but the weight is pretty slow to come off. Are any of you at the same weight loss rate as me? Are you eating a lot less? Is everyone starving themselves to lose weight? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Thanks! M

You are so right. My brother and his wife haven't acknowledged my loss at all, and I wonder how much I'll lose before they do. We are doing it for ourselves, and that's the best reason. M

Who'd want to be famous, eh? It's bad enough when you know your friends are talking amoung themselves about how much weight you've lost or gained! :party: Yes, I think the band is teaching me that my old portions were a big problem. but I'm going to go on my pre-op diet for the week and see if that helps the plateau. And maybe add more walking through out the week in addition the workouts I already do. I really want to have lost at least 70 pounds by the year's end. I would feel that I've accomplished something. Thanks for the encouragement. It's hard not to beat up on yourself, like you are doing something wrong, when you are just doing your best. I'm not as young as I was when I lost 100 pound the first time (in my 20's) so it isn't as easy now that I'm in my 40s. but as you say, when it finally comes off it won't go on quite so easily. Take care, M

To be honest, the only processed food I do have is the 1 or so ounces of ham in my salad and the dressing. However, I could give them up and see if that makes a difference. I'm really not binging or eating crap. I honestly wouldn't ask what I was doing wrong if I was. I'll keep up with my exercising and go back on the preop diet for a week or two and see if that helps. As someone said, the weight has to come off eventually! I am toying with the idea of going for a walk in addition to my 5x a week exercise every evening as well. I'm determined that I'm not going to remain fat, even if my body thinks otherwise! Kero, I'm sorry to hear your story for two reasons. I can understand how frustrated you are after so much time, and I am terrified that I will be the same. Keep your chin up and I hope you can consider tomorrow a new day and maybe you could try the pre-op diet too? It isn't like I feel hungry really, so it won't be as bad as it was before the band. Lisa, that's pretty cool that you ran a race! I can't wait to be able to do something like that (although I doubt I'll ever be a runner!). Good luck to us all in breaking these plateaus. M

Thanks for being so honest Cindy. This is why I ultimately went with the band rather than NutriSystems or Dr somebody. I've heard with all of them that you lose fast (because you are starving in some cases) but then can't cope with real life. Look at Kirsty Ally (if the tabloids are to be believed) and she's likely got all the help in the world if she wants it. I know I shouldn't be so down, but after gaining that weight I was really upset. And it really wasn't due to any binge either. I'll plug away. I am tempted, however, to go to my GP and as for some more tests as to my metabolic rate. It's never been done and would be nice to have it confirmed that it's really low. Thanks, I'll keep going. M

Okay, I'm not great at math, but that math was just really bad.vv:wink2: 40 weeks and 40 pounds is a pound a week. but I lost 15 of it before the surgery. And the way it comes off is nothing for two months and then 2 or 3 pounds and then nothing again for ages. Boy, and I didn't grow up with a calculator!:cool: M

Okay, I'm not great at math, but that math was just really bad.vv:wink2: 40 weeks and 40 pounds is a pound a week. but I lost 15 of it before the surgery. And the way it comes off is nothing for two months and then 2 or 3 pounds and then nothing again for ages. Boy, and I didn't grow up with a calculator!:cool: M

I'd enjoy the journey more if I was actually going somewhere! We've been doing this for about 40 weeks now. I figure that means that I'm losing on average 1 pound a month. Not the 1-2 pounds a week I was quoted as being expected to lose. And I'm not blaming my clinic or anything, and I know that I'm doing what I was told to do. I think I'm going to go see my Doctor. Perhaps she will have some ideas. She was pretty supportive about me getting the band in the first place. Thanks all! M

Thanks for all your suggestions. I do still get my period, I'm not getting any pre menupausal symptoms that I know of. I've also started tracking my periods and weight loss to see if there was some sort of pattern, but not really so far. And I could accept it if it came off again afterwards. I'm at the 40 week mark and that means I am losing on average of 1 pound a month. Pretty sad. I think I may go to my Doctor. She's pretty supportive and was great when I told her about the band. I've been the same weight (up and down 2 pounds or so) since the beginning of May. I'm really working my butt off and it just seems so unfair. Amayqt, keep in touch and let us know what you find out. It may take me a couple of months to get an appointment with my Doctor, but I'll let you know if a) she'll refer me for testing and :cool: what they find out. Thanks everyone. M BTW Lisa, is your nutritionist Jill? at TLBC? Perhaps that is the stock advice? Did it work?

I went to my clinic a month or two ago and showed her my food diary and the nutritionist said I was doing everything right. She couldn't see any reason that I wasn't losing. I'm thinking of getting another fill, but not because I am eating too much or binging, but they always say if you aren't losing get a fill. It's not a magic bullet though. I'm going to go on my pre-op diet again for a week or so and see if that doesn't shake things up a bit. If not, I may go to my GP and ask her to send me for tests (other than thyroid, as I've been tested to death for that) and see what they can find out. Maybe it's just my age (48) and it's harder to lose the older you get? Thanks for the comments. M

Thanks Cindy and Foofy, Your answers have made me feel much better. I am also really pleased with the 40 pounds that I've taken off (although less so with the gain I had this past week) and I feel that I am doing everything right, but then like you, I hear that someone has lost 70 pounds and I feel a bit down. I didn't think it would be so slow. I guess in a way it supports what I said all along that it wasn't me that wasn't sticking to diets, it was my body not wanting to get rid of the weight! I'm going to go on my pre-op diet for a week (it was just salad and protein) and see if that doesn't take off the 3 pounds that I gained and give me a boost. I'm glad I found this thread. Thanks! M

Hi Patricia, I put all of that day's food in Sparks and it totals 998 calories. The ham was lean and only added up to 118. Now my protein for the day was 119, maybe I shouldn't have so much? But if I exercise hard every day and eat around 1000 calories, my math isn't great, but surely my body should be burning some of that. So I should be in a deficit. Doddy has done really well and lost 70 pounds and she is admitting that she is eating potato chips, I'm not eating any junk food and 10 almonds aren't going to kill me. (10 dry roasted added up to 56 calories). What do you eat in a normal day? It would be helpful to know what people are eating, as I feel I'm eating real food, in small quantities and I'm really frustrated that the scale is going up at the moment. After nine months that muscle has to be going somewhere! :thumbs_down: Thanks for your input, I do appreciate it, and I'll give up the ham, the peanut butter, but I am not eating excessively and thought approximately 1000 calories would result in a loss, and I have no idea why I've managed to gain 4 pounds this week. How is that possible. And I'm not lying about what I'm eating, what's the point. M

Hi Soonsunny, I'm going to assume that you are eating healthy food as you would know why you aren't losing weight if you were eating things like potato chips. (and Doddie, you are very lucky to be losing steadily but still having treats like that) I'm in the same boat. I have managed to gain 4 pounds this week, despite eating very healthy foods, hard Protein and exercising 5 times a week. I'm very frustrated as well. I'm actually considering going back on to the pre op diet for a week or two just to see if that helps. I have a Protein Drink for Breakfast, salad with ham and a little shredded cheese for lunch (no more than 3 oz total for both ham and cheese) and dressing. dinner is usually a piece of chicken or fish and more salad. I eat an apple later on with Peanut Butter on it (for more protein.) I may have 10 - 15 almonds or a baby bell cheese as a snack during the day. And I'm drinking my Water. I exercise 5x a week, weights and aerobics. I can't understand either why the weight isn't coming off and in fact is now going the wrong direction. If I was eating things like potato chips or icecream etc., I could understand, but I"m not. If you figure out a way to break this, I'd love to know too! I'm really unhappy as I thought I would have lost 60 + pounds by now (since the op in Nov 07). It always annoys me that doctors have said like a mantra my whole dieting life "if you take in less than you expend in calories you will lose weight" Well I have a big raspberry to say to that :thumbs_down: as it isn't that simple. I would be lucky to eat excess calories enough to gain a pound in a week, let alone 4! Anyone got any ideas? M

It's funny how people's ports are in different places. I remember when I was in the clinic for my first consult, a guy there said his wife had more pain after surgery than him because she's asked for her port to be where her bikini line was. Our surgeon was Dr Yau. I was never asked where I'd like it (never knew there was an option) but I'm the only one I've heard have it where I have it, it is about an inch below my belly button, not to the left or right, but directly below it. I'm really pleased as I would hate a lump under a t-shirt. Wonder what makes him choose different places for each person? Mary

I went to shop for pyjamas yesterday because I'm going away with two friends (didn't end up getting any as I hate them and they were all hideous) but standing in the full length mirror in the changing room I noticed how saggy my inner thighs were. And although I was thrilled to see that I was totally wrong about the size 26 (waaaay too big) and into a 22, it left me a little down. Are there any exercises that can help with this? I am weight training and working out 5 times a week, but if there is any exercise I can do to minimize the sagging, I'd appreciate it. I kind of thought (but hoped not) that I would have to get a tummy tuck or something, but I don't want to have to have a thigh lift too. But if they really sag, I'm still not going to want to be seen in a bathing suit, no matter how thin I get. I just feel that I've spent so much on this surgery, but it is for my health, but I'm not sure I can justify, even to myself, spending thousands again on vanity. Any thoughts on this? Thanks Mary

I suppose it is vanity a bit, and although I love swimming, it is more that I'd like to go on holidays for once in my life and not dread going to the beach. It seems a bit sad that I will replace the fat issue with the gross sharpai skin instead. However, i'll have to see, as I'm not made of money either! Shame that our skin can't just bounce back! But I'm working on it.

And did that work for you? You talk in the past tense, so did you end up having a tummy tuck? Or just live with it? I'm exercising, and doing skin brushing and hoping for the best. Mary

I hope you are right Angie, as I don't want to lose all this weight to still be embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit because of saggy thighs or stomach! I guess I'm more vain than I thought! I'm going to try lunges (when I sort my poor back out!) Mary

I saw this topic earlier, and maybe it is a cold weather thing, but I moved to England and married my husband (Scottish) and I had quite the struggle to get him to take his shoes off in the house. I was brought up that it was polite to take them off and he just didn't get it. He's gotten better over the years, but he does a bizarre thing of bringing his shoes into the kitchen to put them back on and he invariably forgets something when he has them on, so there is a pile of dirt in the kitchen and dried dirt elsewhere. I suppose I should be grateful that it is dried. Maybe we were taught to take off our shoes because of the snow? Mary as for the marshmallows and the green bean dish. I agree Ewwww.

p.s. it really gave me a head start on my new body though, I lost 8 pounds the first week and 7 the second. More at once than I have with the band! Mary :cursing: