ElfiePoo

This is how I lost my weight and did not exercise. My health and vital stats improved tremendously. My blood sugar levels went from over 200 to around 100, my good cholesterol went up, my bad cholesterol and triglycerides went down. I had tremendous energy and was clear headed and best of all, never hungry as I was on typical so-called 'balanced' diets that had less fat, less calories and more carbohydrates. I was not saggy and flabby either...or at least no more so than anyone who loses 70 pounds, but eventually my skin snapped back. I am once again on a strict Atkins regimen and loving it! .

Nope. When I was at my highest of 330, I dropped 70 pounds without exercising. I've dropped another 35 pounds since without exercising...but more slowly. The closer we get to our goal weight, the more slowly we will lose weight if we don't increase our activity. Remember, weight loss or gain has to do with calories taken in vs. calories used. As our weight drops, our calorie needs drop as well. Which means we'll start losing more slowly and have more stalls...weeks where we won't lose at all because the difference in the calories we're eating vs expending may amount to only 2 lb of loss per month. I detest exercise and have no plans to start a formal exercise program unless I find something I enjoy doing. Now that the school year has started, our local high school holds swim aerobics for adults once a week. Since they only use half the pool, I go in and swim laps in the deep end for an hour. It's a beginning. Find something you enjoy doing...Richard Simmons, Zumba, Curves...whatever. Ignore the 'expert's' advice on you must get to your target heart rate, no pain/no gain, or whatever idea they're pushing. Work at your comfort level and just move. It's a beginning. I think you'll find as you take off the weight that you actually enjoy moving...because it's easier. :smile:

Ditto to what HB said. I had that pain until I lost some of my belly fat which, I think, allowed the band to sag a bit. Even then I'd get the pain when sitting in the passenger seat of the car because it put me at just the right angle. In the last week it has disappeared completely...as has more of my stomach! .

My .02...that's a lot of fill in one month but if your doctor has you on a completely liquid diet, I can see why you would be having no difficulty. Nothing to get stuck. Personally, since you're getting ready to get off that liquid diet on 10/7, I'd stop getting fills. My guess is that even without this next fill, when you go back on solids you're going to get stuck constantly as you learn to take small bites and chew slowly...basically just adjusting...and have to go in for unfills. Maybe not...but it's quite likely, particularly if he takes that band to capacity. .

What are you eating? Have you reached restriction? Are you eating a low carb diet? My .02...eliminate rice, Pasta, potatoes, starchy vegetables and anything from your diet for two weeks. The more carbs you have in your system, the more likely you'll be 'hungry'. .

You can stop losing when you're too tight but it's a result of not being able to eat enough...or eating slider foods. That's what happened to me. My weight loss stopped completely. I finally went in for an unfill and have been slowly (cuz I've had a hard time getting back on plan) losing weight...which is better than nothing or worse, gaining. .

If the band is already helping, it may be that your surgeon gave you a slight fill when they put the band in. Some do. Or it may be that you're one of the lucky ones who gets restriction just from the band. In any case, 13# from August 31st is more than 2# a week so good for you! That is excellent progress! No, you don't want to slime or get stuck or have to urp up something that's stuck. The best way to avoid this is to take small bites, chew thorough, don't drink with meals and pay attention to which foods give you problems. For example, many people have difficulties with bread. There will be times you will get stuck on something that gave you no problem the day before. That's just life in the band lane but it doesn't have to be more than a rare occurrence. . .

So who won? Re: the lab peeing in the house. They say when a dog starts doing that, it's because of stress of some sort...or a urinary infection. Good luck figuring out which before he ruins the carpets. :smile: .

Haha! Beelz doesn't run away! My sil visited last week with her terrier shitzu mix and Beelz attacked it despite the fact that the dog had to have weighed 30 pounds! At first it stood its ground but completely freaked when Beelz leapt into the air and land in a Halloween cat stance, all claws out, on its back. I did manage to control myself until they left but then laughed so hard I almost peed myself. Menopause, eh? Well keep him away from 20 year old ditzes and little red sports cars. <g> .

David, I've never heard of the band causing an autoimmune disease, but who knows what the last straw was when someone's body turns on itself. I hope they find the answer for you soon! .

The anesthesia they give you will take care of your headache <g>. I do get regular headaches from stress. I just crush my Excedrin migraine with my mortar and pestle. Tastes horrible but at least it doesn't get stuck by my band. I tried liquid Tylenol but it doesn't do anything for my headaches. .

I dunno...what'd he do? I might consider it if you take my demon kitty. I thought I slept bad before. Ha! This little terror sleeps in my bed but at some point in the night I'll find him nuzzling my neck like a nursing kitten...which wouldn't be so bad except he still has his claws and uses them like kittens do when they're nursing from their mom. Feels like someone is jabbing me with pins. Heaven help me if my husband or I move our feet under the covers. :smile: .

One day at a time...today is Day 3 on Atkins Induction. Surprisingly, I'm not craving as much as I have in the past when I went on induction. Maybe it's the mental attitude of seeing my carbs as a true addiction and knowing that I'm avoiding them completely for that reason...and not just a diet to lose weight? Who knows the head games we play with ourselves. :smile: At any rate, my headache is finally gone and I feel better than I usually do the first week. The mental fog seems to be gone as well. Bonus - my belly is shrinking again. At some point, after that initial reshifting of body weight (skinny legs, no butt or hips, belly reducing) any weight gain (which I did when I went from onederland back up about 20 pounds) went right to the tummy so it's nice to see it shrinking back down. Since I'm on the induction phase I don't worry about monitoring the quantity...just making sure I'm eating minimal carbs. So, since it's a cold, rainy day I think I'm going to make a pot of my chinese Soup so I can sip on it throughout the day. It's pretty low calorie anyway but very satisfying. Only 4 more days to Disney! WOOHOO! .

10 months postop and it still feels like a diet...and I'm struggling just as much (2 steps forward, 1 step back)...but I don't have restriction yet. That darned sweet spot just seems to be eluding me. .

OMG! So that's why I was eating constantly a couple weeks ago! I was on steroids for my hives! Argggh!

Yeah...and both parents are obese as well. This kid doesn't stand a chance. .

Betsy, I'd love to low carb with the band's help and I may take someone else's advice and have them take me up .1cc at a time because my records show that once I went from 7 to 7.25, I had major problems with any type of Protein and vegies. Perhaps my sweet spot is somewhere in between. .

Ok, so I just finished watching several episodes of 'Too Fat For Fifteen' and I have to say I'm a bit appalled. Yes, the teens need to lose weight, but this approach seems pretty brutal. One 14 year, quite huge, was in tears and one of the adults made the comment that a 14 year old boy shouldn't be sitting on the ground crying at the activities he was asked to perform. Uh...maybe a 14 year old who wasn't quite so overweight...and who wasn't made to do twice the reps that others did because they didn't like how he did them the first time. I have the same problem with this show as I do with 'Biggest Loser'...nobody seems to be taking into account the weight or the current physical status of these people. They're all just expected to (as the one instructor said) suck it up. Also, to go through such a brutal program, only to go home and gain it back...what's the point? All they've done is set these kids up once again for failure. It also ticks me off that a number of these parents who have shipped their kids out have weight problems themselves. What chance do these kids have when they return home to the same unhealthy eating that put them where they are in the first place. The one positive that I saw was when they put Tanisha in the pool to exercise because of her massive weight and bone disease (?). This girl should not be out in a field doing jumping jacks or crawling like a bear. Good grief. No...not impressed by this show or Biggest Loser. .

Thanks barneygirl. :biggrin: I'm not 'giving up' but I am going to focus (just for the immediate future) on a low carb diet using sheer willpower. I'm looking at the bad carbs the way an alcoholic looks at alcohol since that's how I respond to them (Pasta, potatoes, rice, flour products). With this new view, I've been more successful these last 2 days than in the previous 10 months. Melody

No, the band will not prevent the symptoms of hypo/hyperglycemia. I was hypoglycemic for decades. Now I'm hyperglycemic. In both cases, I had to eat something every 3 hours to keep my blood sugar stable. Still do. .

The liver shrinking diet preop is another one of those things that varies with doctors. I have no idea what you weight, but prior to surgery, I weighed 260 pounds and I carried a lot of that weight in my belly. I had no preop special diet and my surgery went very well. I'd say do the best you can and don't stress about it. .

Angel, The first thing you need to do is take stock of your eating behaviors. *Why* do you eat. If you're a grazer, the band will most likely not stop you from continuing that bad habit. If you're a sweet eater, the band will still allow you to get your sweet 'fix' because many of these high carb goodies slide right through. The band will, once you have restriction, help you control portions at one sitting. The rest will be up to you. 10 months postop and I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the band was not the right choice for me so I'm going back to Plan A which was responsible for me losing 70 pounds without the band...and that was a very restrictive low carb diet. I don't count calories or fats...just carbs. I also only eat the kind of carbs found in low carb vegies and fruits. Everything else is completely off limits...not even a bite for a special occasion. Good luck with whatever decision you come to. Melody

I have a number of books, but have found Fitday.com to be more accurate when compared against the book I bought for my Nutrition class. Now I use Fitday.com almost exclusively. Melody

Welcome to the forum! Melody

Leigha, Thanks for the support. I'm fortunate because my husband and son have said they'll go on the low carb with me (at least at home) so no special cooking for them or temptations for me. Melody .