GoingforGoal

If you 'wing' it you are bound to overeat and give into temptations. When I am trying to lose weight I fully immerse myself into it. For example, I will create a daily or even weekly menu for myself. Not only does it help w/ grocery shopping but it dictates what I am eating. When I generate this list, I put the # of cals and protein grams on it so I do not exceed my calorie goal and ensure I get adequate protein. If you wrote a log of what you are eating this week, you'll be surprised how quickly the cookies and sweet tea just sabotaged your healthy choices and your overall progress. Another recommendation, if you have a sweetness, stay the hell away from it. Sorry to be blunt, but it takes energy and intent to go to McD's. That's a habit that needs to be relearned. Eating out is the #1 way to ruin your diet. Many times people assume they are selecting the healthiest options (baked chicken and steamed veggies) and when they look at the nutrition menu they realize it was twice the calories they assumed and not even close to being the healthiest option. If you are not at the stage where you know what foods are staples or how much of one time= x amount of calories, I would restrict my diet to the same foods for awhile and practice learning your staples so that you can eyeball a meal and know how many cals are in it. This helps tremendously when you do eat out or are preparing meals. Some people poopoo calorie counting, but I feel if you don't know how much you are putting in than you don't know how much excess you are taking in. Additionally, if you log your calories you can also fine tune how many calories you should take in..for instance if you take in 600 you might not lose, take in 800 you lose and take in 1000 you gain. Well than, your body is telling you where your range is for optimal loss. This will need to be recalculated once you start on a consistent exercise program since you will be burning cals. But you should be in tune w/ what your body needs to lose.

tx, join me in the chat room to discuss getting stuck

Congrats hon. And no, we all struggle. I'm at 155 trying to get to 150 and it seems like it's going to take 5 years before I get there... having lots of head hunger and grazing doesn't help hahaha. We all have our up and down days..just hang in there

BREAKFAST 1) Oatmeal: One packet plain oatmeal mixed with 1 tsp brown sugar, 10 g dried fruit, 10g almond slivers 200 cal can add a Greek yog with fruit for extra 80cal 2) Eggs and Bacon, 1/4c eggwhite and 3 turkey bacon = 200 cal (again add a yogurt if necessary) 3) Omelet: 1/4 c eggwhite or 1 whole egg, cook spinach tomato and garlic in separate pan for bulk, add quiona for texture and depending on your calorie allotment feta cheese for a punch of flavor (2-300 cal). SNACKS: 1/2 c cottage cheese (80 cal), greek yogurt (80 cal), cheese stick and slice of ham (80 cal), soft laughing cow cheese on rice cake (80 cal), soup (100 cal), after workouts I have protein shakes for proper recovery (100-150 cal), hummus on rice cake or well toasted low cal bread 1) df

Name, real or screen~ Stephanie "Hazelsbliss" Goal weight for July 31st~ 150 Weight on July 1st~ 155 Age~ 35City/State~ Larkspur, CO Dietary goal for July~ Reduce mindless snacking Exercise goal for July~ Work on lower body exercises Personal goal for July~ Get physically & mentally prepared for plastic surgery in August Date banded~ 11/2009 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 95 Favorite Independence Day Activity~ Discussing the Constitution/Bill of Rights/and the history of July 4th w/ the kids

I know it must be nerve wrecking but I think the consensus is that you are giving yourself the biggest gift ever. Most of us did this later in life 30, 40s and even 60+. What life would have been like if we did this in our 20s instead. Trust me, you don't want to wait if indeed you need this. You'll thank yourself once you live life the way it was always suppose to be lived-free of weight obstacles lol

Hello. Ahhh caffeine..I think some of us are more reluctant to do away w/ our beloved caffeine than chips, cookies and pizza alike (ok, that's a stretch but still... try taking my coffee away and I just might act that way lol). Caffeine is indeed a diuretic. Not a great thing if you want to remain hydrated for a surgical procedure where IVs are necessary (and hard to access and maintain on dehydrated patients) or if you are struggling with your fluid intake (think postop week 1). Also, caffeine is in many carbonated beverages..which if I were to prioritize a no consumption list, carbonation would come before caffeine. However, someone mentioned erosion. Here's the deal, caffeine does increase stomach acid. This in turn can result in GERD and/or ulcers. This in turn can cause band erosion. However, some of us do not suffer from acid reflux and do not find caffeine to be an irritant (thank all those lovely night shifts as a nurse where 2 pots of coffee is necessary not desired). If you have GERD symptoms or if you feel any negative symptoms after coffee maybe cut back to decaf (will lesser caffeine) or cut it out completely to prevent these symptoms and further complications. I have been banded 3.5 years and coffee/tea is a common staple still. However, I notice I cant drink coffee on an empty stomach anymore so I have decreased coffee intake and ensure it's with a meal. Lastly, caffeinated drink like coffee are usually laced with sugar and cream and become high cal drinks. Another reason to cut back if indeed you cant drink it w/out all the high cal additives

Get a second opinion. I have a different attitude than some others. So I'll just keep it at that lol

Unfortunately there is no preventative or quick fix. Your body will shed hair under stress, rapid weight loss and malnutrition. Ensure adequate protein as the amino acids are the building blocks to luscious locks. However, supplements like biotin and multivits will help support hair growth but it's not like miracle grow, it merely helps replenish depleted building blocks. Usually when things stabilize you'll see regrowth.

Thanks for sharing and Happy 21st Birthday (wink)

hahah that reminds me when I went in to get a back injection and the dr who was not familiar w/ me started lecturing me on needing to lose weight. At that time I lost 80 lbs and so I say " well it sure beats being 80lbs heavier like I was last year" he shut up. Better yet, 3 months later I go in for another one. He doesn't remember me as he probably sees 10 of me a day. I was bracing for his 'lose weight' lecture again, but now I'm down 100 lbs in size 6...guess it's a tad inappropriate ey? lol

Yes you can

Yep at that point you are clear and it's first available per your surgeons surgery schedule. It took less than 3 weeks for us

I would disagree. Signs of slippage usually involve nausea, new onset of acid reflux, ability to eat larger portions suddenly or the opposite-difficulty eating/drinking at all, sometimes abdominal pain etc. The fact that you are asymptomatic can mean that your band is on the tighter end of your green zone. I would food journal and ensure that you are getting adequate protein/nutrition and fluids. If not, than you are too tight, simply because you can not take in minimum nutritional requirements. Sometimes a mere 0.1-0.5cc removed will keep you green but allow you to eat more and consume your minimum nutrition. I always recommend being on the loser side of green to prevent complications such as erosion, slippage etc. It's not necessary to be so tight you become symptomatic or cannot eat properly. Being day 3 you can still be inflamed, just depends on how much of a fill you added. I noticed I am much more sensitive to fills now that Im 3.5 yrs out. At 6cc I could not swallow water at 5.5 I'm at green.

Ditto everyone else's posts. I occasionally drink a diet coke (like once a month) and it doesn't bother me. However, some drinks like beer, are just way too uncomfortable and I forego them in fear it'll cause issues. I would be equally concerned with the 'liquid cals' issue and would consider converting to a zero version of your pop choice. Those pesky liq. cals alone can thwart your wl efforts.

Good luck hon. When it rains it pours as they say... but all will be well. Here's to a speedy recovery and a crap load of wl friend! Cheers

I think you are just overwhelmed with all the reasons you listed. Usually we can tackle one, maybe two stressors at a time, but after that it can really bombard us. I know right now you are in the height or your emotions, pain etc. But this is not the time to reevaluate your decision. YES you did make the right decision. As crappy as it seems and feels at this moment, the only thing you are going to regret in a couple months is your regretting your decision Hang in there hon. These are the moments that show you how strong you really are once you get to the other side. I'm excited to hear about your progress once you've healed.

I like your post because it's a good reminder that fills follow us for a life time. Newbies may expect that once they reach green that that's it. No more fills. However, weight loss, pregnancy, complications and even saline evaporation etcetc may warrant unfills and fills throughout our journey. I got a fill last May, first one in 3.5 years. I was ready to get back on track and my last fill was maintaining me at 195, my new fill maintains me at 155. Thanks for the post

That's because you are 2 weeks out In reality, the post op phase is a great tool to help change our mentalities. Getting back to basics if you will. However, in time, you will learn how your band works and what foods can/can not be tolerated. You'll slowly reintroduce foods of preference and it'll be just as delish as it was pre-op..just less portions. Inevitably there are some foods that will become no-no foods no matter how much you like them. After your fills/restriction some foods just won't pass and it becomes uncomfortable to eat those foods. After awhile you no longer try eating them and than the desire for said foods diminish. This isn't about deprivation, just moderation. But remember, this is not about resuming old eating habits and trying to sneak in unhealthy foods in every meal. I eat high cal/fat foods maybe 1-2x week to help satiate cravings or simply to enjoy a specific meal.

Quinoa is a popular food here in bandland. Noone I know has had any issues with it, but than again, our bands have minds of their own. Try it..it really should be no problem AND its delish

Very good job And don't worry you'll notice soon enough. Keep up the great work.

I've lost 100% of my excess weight. I think it's important to talk to people who are years out who are more likely to have reached goals than those <1 year. I think it's also important to see everyone as individuals. 45% is a statistical average that includes those who have had complications, those who are noncompliant (ranging from poor food choices so they are maintaining but not losing to those who have just abandoned their band/rules and are gaining all their loss back). 45% is not a barrier and is not supposed to represent anything more than these averages. Losing readily at first and than losing slower as time goes on is the norm. Don't over think it and DONT make excuses/barriers that really don't exist. You are an individual, your success is your own.

woot woot

Hi Smiles! Do you know how small or big of a fill you received? Also, did you transition with liquids to solids after your fill? It'll help me answer your qs

Ditto the previous posts. But I would advise that you weigh daily or at least weekly with or without a filled band. Had you watched your weight gain I'm sure you would have put an end to it earlier. It's a slippppppery slope so be sure to stay on top of managing your loss and your eating habits at all times