stateofzen

I did my 6-month supervised diet under one insurance and then switched to a different insurance because my employer had specifically decided not to cover the surgery. I was approved right away on the new insurance (didn't have to redo the diet)-- it's like the one thing that they actually require that you have a documented pre-existing condition I was still above a 40 BMI though. I'd want to get assurance from my surgeon or program coordinator that they have experience getting people approved based on starting weight at consultation/start of 6-months, even if the you drop under a 35 BMI by the end of that period. Still, there is always the risk that they won't approve it. I don't think anyone can tell you for sure until it happens.

Yes, I have. It is very uncomfortable and a good reminder about why we have to listen to our hunger and identify "not hungry" rather than pushing until "full". I've done it about 4x since my surgery and every time I kick myself for keeping eating

Being full on smaller portions of food-- that is exactly what restriction is to me.

Head hunger is nurture rather than nature-- habit and learning, not biology. It's the rough equivalent of the psychological cravings that people with drug addiction get even when their bodies are no longer physically addicted to a substance. No surgery is going to touch that-- only after a significant relearning and practicing of new habits is head hunger going to go away.

The problem is not with weighing oneself every day-- the problem is with freaking out over normal weight fluctuations I weigh daily and track my weight on a dry erase calendar I have hanging in my bathroom closet. This is my general pattern of loss-- up and down in a 1-1.5lb range for a week, then a day where I see a new low number. Then bounce back up slightly for a couple days (but the bounce up is to a lower number now), then a new lower number. I consider the "down bounces" a weight loss but I only count full lbs down (so I've been weighing at 193.4, but I count that as 194 until I see 193.0 or below). I do not consider up bounces within the 1-1.5 lb range gain-- because I know after tracking like this for 6 months that they aren't really. This is my pattern and I have steadily lost 70 lbs like this in 6 months. I'm averaging about 10 lbs a month, with many more "bounce up" days than bounce down days. That's just normal. If you expect it, it isn't upsetting. I know with others it absolutely drives them crazy to see that bouncing up and down, so they don't weigh more than once a week. If weighing every day is bothering you, give that a try.

I eat a Zone Perfect bar almost every day for breakfast-- 210 calories, 14g Protein. If I were doing it for a snack, I'd probably stick to the the Fiber One 90calorie bars, but that's only because 200 calories is about twice the amount I want to spend on a snack. For you, that might be the perfect amount.

I'm sorry you're going through such a rough time, Phran. That's a lot of stress to have to deal with, not to mention the grief. I wish you the best, and I hope your swelling goes down quickly-- don't forget the liquid tylenol to help with the pain.

I know, right? She just said what I was trying to say, only with less off-putting sarcasm.

I have had 3 weight-related goals since surgery. First, I said that getting under 200 would mean I was significantly healthier and at lower risk for weight-related health conditions than I was at 293, so if my loss stopped there I wouldn't be thrilled but I'd be satisfied (not to mention, that would put me at over 60% of excess weight lost, which is the stated goal of my surgeon). Second, I said that I'd like to weigh less than my husband, for vanity's sake. That means weighing 170-175. Third, I set the goal of 150 which would put me (barely) in the "healthy" BMI range for my height. When I started this, I have to admit that 150 seemed like a pipe dream-- an aspirational goal that would be psychologically unhealthy for me to get really attached to because I wasn't ever going to really be able to get there. Today is my six month bandiversary and I have already achieved goal 1: I weighed in at 194 this morning, which puts me 99 lbs down from my high and in so much better physical condition than I used to be, even though I am still obese. I am also clearly not done losing. I'm now thinking that 150 might be doable after all, though we'll have to see. My next goal is on my ticker-- it is being in the overweight BMI category instead of obese and it roughly coincides with my "less than my husband" goal. Sometimes this journey has been unbelievable-- case in point-- I am now in a size 12 in pants. I can't imagine wearing lower than a size 12, yet it will be inevitable if I really do reach my goals. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that. Even when I was an athlete in college I was wearing a size 12.

Cheri, you're right-- different strokes for different folks. What I should have said is that I, personally, am in the "treats in moderation" camp since I know that is what will sustain me for a lifetime. I can't speak for others.

Oh Spartan. Tell me again in a super long preachy post about how you never said XYZ and then follow it up by preaching about XYZ. You certainly proved me wrong! Yes, I'm saying alcoholics can have just one drink and be fine. That's exactly what I'm saying. The OP and others were sharing their own experiences with the band. Yes, many people who are obese have an "addiction" to food and just one bite could be problematic for staying on track. That is absolutely not my experience. It is also not everyone's experience on this site. So me posting that I would occasionally eat a french fry if I could is not the equivalent of telling a room fool of alcoholics to drink in moderation. Nice try, though. I love hyperbolic strawman arguments. Care to call me a Nazi next? Each person must take a good look at their own behaviors and the self-talk behind those behaviors to understand what's happening for them personally. If obesity were a one cause-one size fits all problem, then we'd have cured it by now. For the rest of us folks reading, here is what I'm saying: Learning is learning. Period. Learning through positivity is more pleasant and better in the long run, but learning through a negative consequence can still be effective in the end. I'm sure just about everyone has had at least one painful experience in life that they have no wish to repeat because of the memory of the pain. If this were a post about how the OP wanted to learn how to eat around the band so she could keep eating the wraps every day, well first, I'd look at the nutrition info and see that it actually isn't as horrible a choice as it could be at 280calories and 14g Protein, and then maybe we'd have an in-your-face tough love conversation about trying to sabotage one's lifestyle change. But since the OP started a thread to say, hey, guess I learned my lesson with that one-- then the preaching is just a bit much in my opinion. If you're perfect-- well, ok. Good for you! But I'm not and neither are the rest of us and I can't imagine why you'd be trolling a message board in your perfection when everyone knows sitting on your butt in front of a computer screen is a very unhealthy decision! You could be exercising, and you have a moral obligation to your loved ones to be 100% healthy, 100% of the time doncha know

Good work! I am firmly in the "treats in moderation" camp, and I applaud you for your success in maintaining and then getting back to losing. This is for life. The more we are able to train ourselves to indulge in moderation and then get right back to healthy eating without the shame and guilt, the better we will succeed.

Thanks for sharing what you're eating, Lisa! I too limit carbs (most of the time). Today I had more carbs than usual because of the fruit and crackers. Today I had a banana for breakfast, a wedge of 35cal laughing cow cheese with 35cal whole wheat crackers for a snack, a beef bratwurst (no bun) for lunch with 4 cubes of colby-jack cheese, and summer sausage slices for dinner. It has been a weird day-- I normally get more veggies and don't eat this much cheese! But that is about 800 calories. I may go ahead and eat a salad later if I get hungry to get in more veggies. ETA: It's also a strange day because of the processed meat. But I'm trying to clean out my freezer, so I'm eating some interesting things in the protein department. At least I have turkey burgers on tap for today

Sure, yes. But that's part of what the band does-- helps people learn and makes it easier to make healthy choices. Why does it ultimately matter why she isn't eating the wraps anymore? In the end, the band helped her learn a better choice. Eating unhealthy food-- enjoying it on occasion-- is not a moral failure. I think we all need to take a moment for a self-reality check before we get on that very high horse and judge other people's reasons for deciding not to eat something. I will straight up say-- if I could still eat french fries without getting a stuck feeling, I would. *Gasp* Every once in a while, I would eat 1 or 2 fries (that's all my appetite would ever allow after my protein) just for the shear enjoyment of the taste. That does not make me a bad person or a band failure.

Good to hear it went well-- and it sounds like you have the right attitude for keeping up your success in the future.

Maxi- Your lower rate of loss is because you started at a lower BMI (at least, you started 10 BMI points lower than I did). I think you're doing great. Just try to remember it's not a race (I'm telling myself this too, as I know I'm going to see my losses slow down soon since I'm approaching a lower BMI). As long as the scale is moving, even if it is at a glacier slow rate, the band is working. Sure, I'd like to be at goal tomorrow, but if I count on it I'm just setting myself up for feelings of failure and disappointment-- which is crazy, since I haven't seen my current weight (195) in over 10 years. Ask yourself this-- when was the last time you lost this much weight and kept it off/kept losing in 6 months? If you're like most of us, it has been a very very long time.

Banded in September and I've lost a total of 73 lbs since surgery, 98 lbs since pre-op diet. I have about 50 more lbs to lose before I make my goal. I have gone from a tight 3x, 22/24 to a large in tops and a 12 in pants. More importantly, I have lost all of the pain I had associated with weight-- back and foot. I am also off of my cholesterol meds (actually, that happened just because of my pre-op diet). Today, when discussing joining a private mutual fund with a broker, he made a passing comment about how if we were "fat and taking up the whole chair" then he'd have concerns about us joining this "very healthy group" but that we were exactly the type of healthy that they look for.

Hahaha-- Spartan, you're absolutely precious. Let me give you your official "food police" badge that you can wear attached firmly to your chest. You go, you born again food and fitness evangelist! Thank you for preaching to us sinners.

Extraonme-- you've lost 10 BMI points!!!!! That's amazing I have lost a lot, but I lost almost 30 lbs of it before surgery during the pre-op period. So really, I'm much more in line with everyone than it may look from looking at my ticker. In any case, don't let the comparisons get you down. I've seen people on this site, at goal, who said they took 3 years to get there because they were slow losers. 3 years is nothing in the scheme of things. You will succeed. I think the worst thing about these support sites is the comparison factor and if we could all stop that we'd honestly and logically look at our progress and be happy. When's the last time you lost 10 BMI points in six months? Keep up the good work-- you are right on track. ETA: LisaA, you are awesome too. You have the best attitude and are a great support for the rest of us.

I thought giving up soda (Diet Dr. Pepper in my case) was going to be horrible. I drank it like it was Water. It was easy in the end, so easy that I'm surprised I ever worried about it. I truly don't miss it at all. I'll tell you, I weaned myself off it with Diet Sweet Tea (made with splenda), so it was super sweet but no calorie and no carbonation. Then I got sort of tired of the tea and just stopped drinking that too. I have no regrets. I have had to give up a total of 3 things that I loved before-- soda, beer, and french fries. That's it. Everything else I can still eat in moderation. And all of the things I can do now that I couldn't do before-- I'd give up those 3 things a million times over for everything I've gained. It's not even close.

That's fantastic!

NUT is nutritionist (dietician)

Congratulations! i just tell people I limit carbs and eat less-- which is completely the truth

Thank you both so much!

I haven't been on Depo in about 10 years. I too took it for six months and it took a year for my periods to return, so it's good you're going off now if you want to conceive in 2 years, just in case it takes you as long as it took me. I take BCP now (Apri is the brand name) and I have had no problems losing on it. In fact, one of the weird things about me compared to the other ladies is that where some people gain or stall around their period, I can count on losing 4-5 lbs when I start (and it's a permanent loss). I have no idea why it works that way, but I'm not complaining. Knowing what I know about the Depo side effects (and how it works by storing in your fat), I would not be at all surprised if you see weight loss after it cycles out of your system (though again, because it is stored in fat, the more you have, the longer it seems to take to disappear). I don't think this was probably helpful, but it's all I can offer!