reverie

1. The first 6 weeks are for healing. You cannot expect to lose weight for the next 6 weeks, and if you do count yourself lucky. Stay off the scale. 2. The scale isn't your only measure of success. Take your body measurements. Are you feeling better about yourself? Those all count as well. 3. Those 2lbs are probably not a true gain; don't sweat it. 4. Continue walking, it will help you heal. 5. Are you only drinking carnation instant breakfasts? Try switching things up. I was told these were a no-no but as long as you're cleared for them eat up. However, switching up your food may help.

There's plenty of us here who will support you throughout! Sit down and weigh the pros and cons of the band. Yes you will be eating less, but you'll be eating less and be full with what you eat. There is no set amount of food you can eat, however, so keep that in mind. That amount depends on your level of restriction. For instance, some here have very tight bands and are satisfied with 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of food at a time. I eat a cup of food, maybe a little over, each meal and I am satisfied. It all depends on your level of restriction. Good luck!

Lol. Starvation..not so much. It is a challenge though. The purpose of the pre-op diet is to reduce the body fat from the liver and the stomach, to shrink the liver and to overall increase the amount of Protein in your body that will help keep your muscle tissue protected once you do start to lose weight post-op. This way you're losing fat not muscle mass.

It's either still part of your port or maybe a hematoma. I wouldn't worry much but if you are call your surgeon's office and ask. Maybe relax on the ab work until the pain is gone.

Are you exercising? Eating right? Are you tracking what you eat? Maybe you need to play with your calories. Remember your weight-loss won't always be stable. Some weeks you'll lose a lot, some weeks an average loss, and some weeks nothing at all. It's all part of the journey. Having a fill doesn't mean you're going to lose weight, it simply tightens your band.

Agreed. Sometimes some of us (I think all of us do at some point) need some tough love. We've all fallen off the wagon, even if it's just a small slip. This just shows how important it is to follow the band rules. Hopefully she is able to get it together! You can't expect results without effort.

How much have you upped your exercise? Generally when you up your exercise, (ie. longer running time, more weight, more cardio, etc) your calories need to follow Maybe try eating 100 calories more a day, if not 200. Play around and see what works.

Common; you probably did too much too soon. I was back to feeling half-decent about a week out. I took off 2-weeks because I had the paid time. Remember that you just underwent pretty invasive surgery and you still need time to heal. Take it easy and relax as much as you can. Resting is key. Hope you're feeling better soon!

First, be proud of the 50lbs you've lost. That is 50lbs gone and you lost it in a 3 month's time; that is a great weight loss amount. Use that to spark your motivation again. In 3 more months you could lose 50lbs more, that puts you under 200lbs. Either way...tough love; get yourself back on track. If you can't afford fills, then it's up to YOU to make healthy eating choices. Having a fill only keeps you fuller longer. If you're still eating crap food, the band isn't going to work for you, fill or not. You said it yourself; you're not even following guidelines. Then how are you expecting to lose? Are you going to blame it on a lack of fills when you're eating poorly? It doesn't work that way. Start counting your calories each day. Focus on your Protein amounts and aim for at least 20g each meal. Protein keeps you fuller for longer. Get rid of all the unhealthy food in your house and keep it out of sight if you cannot control what you eat. Also, exercise. Even a small walk around your own house is exercise. Go for a walk outside. Run in place for 5 minutes 5 times. If food is so important to you maybe it's time to see a therapist as well.

Congrats! 70lbs is a great loss for your time frame. How much more are you looking to lose?

Ketosis is good, as are low carb diets Ketosis is generally an indication that your body is burning fat, not muscle. I say stick to it. I ate no more than 50g of carbs a day for the first 7 months and lost flawlessly. Now that I am exercising an hour+ each day I've needed to up my carbs as I was burning out easily, so now I try to eat no more than 70g a day, which is still quite low.

Get a small unfill then? Why would they make you super tight, and if you know you're too tight why haven't you gone in for an unfill? Either way caloric levels will vary per person. I started off eating 600-800 with minimal exercise along with a low carb diet. Now that I am exercising an hour minimum a day, I've been eating 1300 calories a day. If you want a rough range of what you should be eating calorie wise each day, this website may be helpful http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/. If you want to do it on your own, figure out your BMR, multiply it by your activity level, and then subtract 500 from that total. For example, my BMR is 1440 or so; that's how many calories I'd burn laying in bed. For my activity level I say I do "moderate" activity, which is usually calculated at 1.3 or so. 1440 x 1.3 = 1872. TO maintain I'd want to eat around 1800 calories. To lose, I create a deficit, so 1872-500 = 1372 calories a day. Of course this isn't perfect though it may help give you a range to play around in. I did lose plenty eating 600 calories but it is not attainable nor healthy.

The band works when you work with it. If you work against your band, you can't expect to lose. Maybe it's time to go back to your surgeon and see if your band/pouch are still in good shape. Otherwise, to be blunt, it's up to you to get your stuff together. It sounds like you may be eating around the band, eating carelessly, and not making healthy food choices. You're eating the same types of food; why? You should be eating healthier and focusing on your Protein and Water intake. In short, you need to work with your band. It's not going to do all the work for you; it's not gonna keep you from eating what you want. That is your own choice. Maybe a nutritionist or therapist could be of great help to you.

I somehow gained 2lbs this last week as well, though I don't think it's a true gain as the scale dropped a pound this morning and last week I upped my calories and my exercise. Keep on pushing! 7lbs is definitely a great loss in a month.

Muscle Milk Light and Isopure. I used Centrum chewables.

As others have said, keep in mind that these forums and any other support forums you come across will have more negative posts than positive ones. People seeking help will come to forums and those who are succeeding will rarely come as they do not need any help/advice. Overall I'd say weigh your options, the good and the bad. I too have had a relatively easy band journey. I have PB'd, which is my own fault for still not learning to eat slowly, but otherwise I have lost amazingly. 112lbs in 9 months, no fills. I do workout for my own sanity and because I want to tone. Band journeys, I believe, are what you make of it. Some people have a harder time than others, and 98% of the time that's attributed to fills and unfills, but I have no experience there and prefer the restriction I have as opposed to keeping a very tight band. Sit down, consider the pros and cons and go with your gut feeling.

58lbs is 58lbs gone, keep that in mind and be proud of what you have lost. If you're not losing as much as you want, sit back and figure out why. Are you snacking? Are you eating healthy? food wise I eat a lot of chicken and turkey, sometimes fish, mostly tilapia and salmon. 4oz of dense Protein each meal with 1/4-1/2 cup of vegetables. For the first 7 months I kept myself on a high protein low carb diet and it worked wonderfully. Now that I'm exercising more I have been eating more carbs, eating grains again (brown/wild rice, bread, oatmeal, etc) and stick to 1300 calories a day. For example today's plan is: Early morning snack: Cottage cheese w/ pumpkin (I add Splenda and pumpkin pie spice, tastes like pumpkin pie once baked) Breakfast: 1 egg, 3 pieces of turkey bacon, 1/4 cup steel cut oats Snack: High protein bagel w/ 1/2 tub of mini Philadelphia cream cheese Lunch: 1/4 cup brown rice, 1/4 cup vegetables, 4oz of chicken. Snack: Cantaloupe and grapes Dinner: Turkey burger on an oopsie roll with carrots and low-fat ranch. Overall: about 1300 calories, 126g protein, 69 net carbs, 52g fat, 27g sugar.

38D to a uhh...i don't even know. 34 something. LOL!! Hello fake boobies.

Tightness in my chest that I'll feel in my upper back; it's sort of hard to explain. Like when you take a big bite of something and it goes down slow. Sometimes it'll pass sometimes I end up sliming and spitting the food back out. Lesson learned: chew and chew.

Maybe you need another fill? Also, please please please, I can't stress this enough, the scale is not your only measure of success and you shouldn't see it as such. You're losing inches. That is a much better loss than the number on the scale, trust me. I know you need to see the numbers, but there's numbers in the inches lost. Do you feel better about yourself? Are you getting more compliments? Those things are success as well. My advice: stay off the scale as much as possible. It can ruin your journey easily. Trust me. I was on the scale in the beginning 10 times a day, if not more, and ever .1 or .3 I went up I went nuts; it's not worth it.

Common; your swelling has died down. Try eating as much protein when you can. Keep yourself busy if it's head hunger, if not, eat a healthy snack when your stomach is growling. Hunger (real hunger) is normal.

May 2010; 112lbs or so with 12 more to go. I didn't really have any comorbidities, just my BMI was above 40 though I do think I had sleep apnea as I always woke up with headaches/migraines and I was always tired; that's gone now! But, I can now exercise for hours on end, run to no end, go up stairs within feeling winded, wear size 4 jeans, wear 4 inch heels with NO problems...and so on.

Try refried beans with some salsa and cheese. I also ate ricotta cheese with spaghetti sauce baked with mozzarella on top. Soups that can be pureed.

Name, real or screen~ Ashley - reverie Age~ 20 Weight on February 28th~ 133.6lbs Goal Weight for March 31st~ 127.6lbs (though I'll be happy breaking the 130s) Exercise Goal for March~ To keep on pushing through P90X. To jump rope for more than a few minutes, faster pace on the treadmill, and increasing my push ups. Dietary Goal for March~ To stop running for my granola each day; healthy but I gotta stop! Personal Goal for March~ To become more content with myself. Date Banded~ 05/10/2010 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 112lbs.