btrieger

I don't think you are eating enough. Please speak to your dietitian. The journaling will help because you can present him/her with everything you've eaten in the past few days.

Sounds like my day 4. Just wait until you get on the scale tomorrow. Day 4 was no fun but I lost 5 pounds that day.

A tool a lot more important here than the lapband is a positive attitude and you seem to be very negative. Repeat after me, "This is going to work. This is going to work. This is going to work. This is going to work. This is going to work. This is going to work. This is going to work. This is going to work. This is going to work. This is going to work. This is going to work. "

I'm down about 130 pounds and still don't notice the difference in the mirror. I gave in and bought new clothes a month ago. I was wearing 56" waist pants with a 44" waste and 3x shirts when xl is loose. Needless to say, I was told not even 20 minutes ago that the pants I'm wearing are too big for me. I was at a party with people I haven't seen in more than a year last weekend and got a few double-takes and a couple of people that didn't recognize me at all.

First off; there is no average loss for a bandster. Some of us are men, some women, some 300 pounds overweight, others 50 pounds overweight, some motivated, others lazy slugs, etc... Do NOT compare yourself to others. How many calories are you averaging a day? You may need to cut it down a little or maybe even add a few. Are you drinking at least 64 ounces of Water a day? It's needed to wash the waste from your system. How much sodium or caffeine are you consuming? Both of these can lead to Fluid retention. Also, rethink what exercise actually is. It doesn't have to mean running of to the gym. If you bounce your kids in your lap for 30 - 60 minutes a day that is exercise. OOPS!! I forgot to say congratulations on your progress so far!!!

I started reading every post on this site back in September 09 before I made my decision to get banded. I then visited the surgeon and heard all he had to say and asked him the few questions I had. Following a heart attack a week later; I put into practice what I had read here and what my surgeon had told me. I cut out fast food; stopped drinking calories (except beer); cut my portions down; tried to eat only when hungry and started walking 30 minutes a day. Doing just this, I dropped more than 3 pounds a week and by the time I was banded in March I had already lost about 50% of my excess weight. I can honestly say that I felt no real hunger. I kept a positive, can-do attitude and it is working. I still have a problem with "needing" to finish every last bite on my plate and for this reason, I try to put only enough on the plate. Whether my motivation came from my 45 birthday approaching; reading success stories here; the slap in the face from the heart attack or a combination of all 3, I don't know nor care. I have it and am rolling with it. That being said and my bragging complete; I give my positive attitude 95% of the credit for my weight loss and I didn't even have to have it surgically inserted. The other 5% is due to being informed and knowing what to do and expect. I don't worry about plateauing or gaining a little. I know it's going to happen.

Eat until you are no longer hungry. This can prove harder than you'd think. I am still trying to get over eating until my plate is empty. For that reason I have really small servings on small plates. When you go for a fill, your doctor is going to ask you how much you are eating. Be honest with him and he will tell you if it is too much. It will also help him assess if and how much of a fill you need.

I agree with everything said, especially the ones that said that this is the place to whine. However, negativity is self-defeating and not only that, when voiced it spawns negativity in others. I try to avoid the negative threads except the ones that are to absurd to avoid like, "I was banded this morning and I am not losing weight yet."

Happy bandiversary! You're doing great. Keep it up!!

Did you hear the "pop" as they pulled the needle out? Mine did it both time and I think that is my favorite part.

I don't mind answering the same questions over and over. I actually have some notes that I copy and paste. The ones I get pissed at are those that have nothing positive to say or obviously did zero research before having a stranger open them up and install hardware in them.

I am still trying to read this whole thread. There are some great quotes here but this one describes my relationship with the rules best.

I'm one of those sheep because I got tired of being a cow. :devil_smile:

I've told over 50 people and the majority thought it was a great idea; others could care less and only one fat chick told me it was a bad idea. Don't argue with them, agree with everything they say and exaggerate any small issues you do have or make up something even more absurd than they are. Have fun with it.

Impressive! Congrats!

Christie - Congrats on being able to eat. I can remember when I got my first teeth. I felt so good, I wet my diaper. :devil_smile: I am not looking forward to my first unfill but that is way off. You should have seen the size of the sandwich I had for lunch and finished. Third fill next Wednesday. Bobbie - You are such a poor sport. I'm sure the doctors were looking forward to putting their scope in your bum. Colonoscopies are fun if you get to watch but lately they have been knocking me out. It's kind of like watching The Discovery Channel, only it's your insides. Denise - I drank nothing but Guinness and Bloody Marys for the past 5 days and lost 2 pounds. You should have passed up the mushrooms and drank more beer. Stacie - Congrats on the halfway! I once lived in a halfway house. Leigha - Slow down and stop showing off you weight-loss snob. Crystl - That room looks great. When you're done with your house, can you come do mine? Shammah - Congrats on your success. Now get back to celebrating your anniversaries. Your man is waiting. Jacki - Who gets dressed up to go to the zoo. You were just looking for an excuse to try on your skinny clothes. Congrats!! Dotti - Try the 12 piece puzzles. Whoever put that "4 to 6 years" on the box is crazy. I can do them in a day and a half. Anne - I can't think of anything witty to say yet but congrats on your progress and good luck with surgery! Karen - Congrats on your boobs now where are these fun threads? They removed the erection one. Betsy - I know you're out there lurking. Slow down on those walks. You're making me feel like a tortoise. See, I actually do read this stuff sometimes

Betsy was posting in a couple of the same threads as me today. She's around. Like me, she probably has a lot of catching up to do here before posting.

Congrats!!! Keep it up!

If whatever you are doing is working, stick with it until you plateau (which we all do). Then, use some of the other ideas that we have mentioned.

My first two episodes were fish as well. Not quite as soft as you would be lead to think. The band is there to help but you have to help it as well. By cutting down the amount of food you are consuming now; it will not be as much of a shock to your system and will be a lot easier to follow the rules. I am a meat and potatoes guy myself and I lost 95 pounds in the 5 months leading up to my surgery. Almost completely by cutting down the size of my portions. I would take my usual serving; discard 15 - 20% of it; cut it small and chew like hell. I did this gradually until I was down to 4 ounce servings. I am not lying when I say, I was hardly ever hungry and when I was; I just had a low calorie, low fat snack like fruit, sugar free pudding or baked potato chips. I am not very active. I walk 30 -45 minutes a day and dare I say, run a little. Everyone is different and you just have to take a little of what everyone else that has been successful is doing and play with different combinations until something works for you. I personally don't think that 800-900 calories a day is enough for a large man. Talk to your nutritionist about that. I try and keep mine 1,200-1,400 and dropped an average of over 3 pounds a week for 6 months and am still averaging 2 pounds a week. That is because they can't say for sure which size to use until they have you opened up and see the size and shape of your stomach. At least that is the response I got from my surgeon when I asked which size I would be receiving prior to surgery.

I was looking for the last thread like this one earlier after I saw the word "challange" in 3 separate posts.

Congrats and very fast time!!! 45 minutes is my target for the Heart Walk of September 11th. I am currently doing it in just under an hour.

Congrats!!

Sounds like you are at about the same point as me. Fortunately, I have no problem eating anything as long as I take my time. I too have been measuring whether a fill is required or not by eating a 6 inch sub. The PA/dietitian that does my fills says that there is in no way that I should be able to eat half of the bread that is in the sub. I also wake up tighter than I go to bed. I was told this is normal as well. So, I usually have a shake; yogurt or cottage cheese for Breakfast. It is great to feel full all of the time but make sure you are getting the proper nutrients. Most importantly, make sure you are consuming at least 50 grams of protein daily and drinking at least 64 ounces of Water. Good luck and congrats on your progress!!

It sounds like it is working to me. How much are you eating? More than a half cup? Do you know what causes the episodes you do have? Are you eating too fast or too much when they happen?