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I have also noticed her "slight" weight gain. She still does exercise every morning, but, in her line of work the food is always tempting. I hope she notices herself before she gains a bunch of weight back. After all her efforts that would be a shame.

Funny, I never felt I was "obese" until I saw pictures of myself. when I looked in the mirror I didn't see it. When I looked down at myself, I didn't see it. When I held my clothes out in front of me I didn't see it. I was unhappy with my weight gain the first several years, and then after a while it didn't really matter. I was happy with myself. I didn't consider the lap band until I started seeing physical health problems evolve as a result. My husband NEVER said anything about my weight so I felt secure and totally accepted. We started having sex less about 2 years ago. I just assumed it was him and a "man" problem. He was compliemntary, and sweet and it didn't ever occur to me that I was the problem. I got banded about 2 1/2 weeks ago, and this past weekend, I brought up the subject with my husband. It was only then that he dropped the bomb on me that he is no longer sexually attracted to me, and that he was fine physically. I'm devastated, and for the first time, I have TOTAL self loathing. I'm humiliated and literally sick. I just want to crawl under a rock. Now I don't even want him to look at me. It's earth shattering to realize your husband actually finds you repulsive. I don't remember when I've been this sad or depressed. My new band, which was bringing me so much self confidence, almost seems like a waste of time. What do I do?????? Great timing huh?

I have been banded almost 5 weeks and have been on solids for a week with no weight gain. My weight loss is getting a little slower but have kept losing up until the last few days. I need to get back into regular exercise which I'm sure will help.

Yesterday and this morning lots of pain in abdomin and around port site. Today, less pain, but still pretty sore both topically and in the gut. Unable to urinate well due (I think) to anesthesia. Lots of diarrhea and a weight gain of 6 pounds, despite liquids only diet for 3 days. Could it get any worse?

Yesterday and this morning lots of pain in abdomin and around port site. Today, less pain, but still pretty sore both topically and in the gut. Unable to urinate well due (I think) to anesthesia. Lots of diarrhea and a weight gain of 6 pounds, despite liquids only diet for 3 days. Could it get any worse?

Like many others, I love food! I like everything. As a child I was given food as a reward and carried that into adulthood. I always felt it wasn't fair that others could eat all the foods I wanted and not have the same weight problems, so I just ate what I wanted and didn't address the problem except occassionally. I take full responsibility for not addressing my weight earlier in my life. But, I also had a verbally abusive father who destroyed my self esteem, making it so so easy to defeat myself controlling my weight. Add that to a very slow metabolism and I've been defeating myself for many many years. The "bounce back" weight gains were always more than I lost, making me heavier and heavier. At age 64, I have finally realized that I can do it and that I must do it. I am learning that the treadmill is my friend, not something to be loathed. I am also learning that I can get along very well with much smaller portions. I've lost 26 lbs. pre-surgery while eating out and having most of the foods I love...just in moderation and smaller quantities. My surgery date is 1/17/2008 and I am maintaining/still losing on my pre-surgery diet. I'm headed to a healthier me, albeit somewhat late in life. If this old lady can do it, anybody can! BobbiG

I'm a 43-y.o. stay-at-home mom to two homeschooled children, ages 5 (girl) and 8 (boy). My husband and I are building a home - well, his salary is paying for it, I'm managing it, and our contractors are building it, lol. I used to be a research scientist. I started my weight gain/loss journey at age 9 when dad pointed out I was getting chubby and didn't I think I should stop drinking shakes and put me in a (boys!) soccer team for exercise. I was particularly clumsy at soccer and it did nothing for my self esteem... I wish they'd taken some effort to get me on a swim team instead - I'm actually a very good swimmer. Anyway, I followed a typical "lose 10, gain 15" pattern - the last round I lost 70 lb and gained 100... I'm starting my 2 week pre-op Medifast diet on Monday at just under 350 lb. My last straw was when my parents went to Hawaii last month - my son remarked that he wanted to go back, which reminded me that two years (and 50 lb lighter) ago I was jumping in the surf with my 6-y.o., and right now I don't even know if I could comfortably walk on a sand beach because of the arthritis in my knees and hips :-( My knees have been bad since I was a teen, so it was particularly stupid for me to have gained so much weight. I've been told that I can't have knee replacements until I've lost 125+ lb. I want to keep up with my young kids (hence the knee replacements) and I also want to live long enough to see my grandchildren. Consequently, I'm very highly motivated to succeed with my lapband. Looking forward to sharing progress stories with you all - Alyson

I know we all hear about how important it is to drink Water and I probably hear it more than most, as I get it drilled into me every morning at our Safety Meetings on the mine site. They are constantly telling us about hydration/dehydration and have a very high focus on it, because of the heat out on the mine. I thought I'd heard everything there was to hear about how good water was for you, but today they gave us some new information and a lot of it really made an impact and is particularly relevant to weight loss, so I thought I would share it with you all. I've underlined the really interesting bits. WATER How 8 glasses a day keeps fat away Water is the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. It is important to drink 8-10 glasses (approximately 2 litres) a day. You should also increase the amount if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry. It should preferably be cold because it absorbs into the system quicker than warm water. If you're not getting enough water, your body fluids will be thrown off balance and you may experience Fluid retention, unexplained weight gain and loss of thirst. Ultimately, when your body gets the water it needs to function at its best, its fluids are perfectly balanced. Water supresses the appetite and helps the body metabolise fat The kidneys need enough water to function properly. When they aren't receiving enough, some of their workload is dumped onto the liver. The liver's main function is to metabolise stored fat into energy for your body to use. Therefore, when the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it will not function fully. This results in the metabolism of less fat, therefore more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops. Drinking enough water is good for fluid retention When your body is not getting enough water, it begins to hold on to every drop possible to survive. When this happens, water starts to store itself outside cells and this can lead to swollen feet, legs and hands. To prevent this from happening, you must drink plenty of water! By doing this, you will be releasing the stored water from cells. An overweight person needs more water than a thin person Larger people have large metabolic loads and since water is essential for fat metabolism, it is clear that an overweight person would need a large amount. Water helps maintain proper muscle tone Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving them the ability to contract. It also helps to prevent sagging skin that results from weight loss. Water re-hydrates the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and supple. Water helps to flush out waste When losing weight, the body has a lot of waste or metabolised fat to get rid of and water aids in that process. Water relieves constipation When your body isn't getting enough water, it takes what it needs from other sources and the colon is a primary source. This results in constipation, however, by drinking enough water, normal bowel function will return. Things to remember Your body will not function properly without enough water and can't metabolised stored fat efficiently Retained water shows up as excess weight To get rid of excess waste you must drink more water Drinking water is essential to weight loss I know we all read and hear about how water helps in weight loss but often we don't really know why. I am the sort of person that needs to really understand a process before I can fully take it on board and this information helped me a lot. I hope it helps you too! DRINK UP!!!

I was 58 and very worried no doctor would do it as I'd heard I was too old-funny I don't feel too old. Anyway, I wish I could have had this done before I developed just about every co-morbidity there is related to weight. I was very physically active during my youth, but the weight gain really stopped me in my tracks and then all the related stuff about did me in. I do credit this surgery with saving my life. My insurace absolutely will not pay for anything like this to help save a life. :whoo:So I'll be paying back a loan until h _ _ l freezes over. :think Still worth it. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I've hap pcos for decades....all the female and related problems, weight gain around the middle, and ultimately type II diabetes....most of the female problems were resolved through surgery or menopause, but the diabetes is now under control with the surgery....I was on 5 meds for diabetes, and am now down to 2. I've lost 31 lbs since surgery 9-21-07...it's probably more, but each doctor I go for my various other problems, shows different numbers on their scales so I don't get too excited about it... Was supposed to get my 1st fill 2 weeks ago but still have some restriction since surgery so we decided to come back in a month, but the surgeon stated that if I'm losing a minimum of 1 lb per week, come back in 2 months...which is what I'm going to do... Good luck with your weight loss program, just remember, we all lose in our own ways, but if we follow the program, we lose !

I asked my doctor about spironolactone, and he said that is is contraindicated during pregnancy and since I choose not to use birth control, he is not comfortable prescribing it to me. I tried laser hair removal and epilation, but it scarred my face and was so expensive. I wax my lip, chin, and sideburns once a week. Facial and arm hair are probably the two things, next to weight gain, that I hate the most about PCOS. Amy

By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS When you're trying to lose weight, the question isn't whether or not you'll hit a plateau, it's when. Plateaus are like bad weather on a long hike: it's inevitable that you'll run into it, but knowing that in advance won't make it one bit less frustrating or annoying when it happens. Cheer up! Since plateaus are as common as rain, we have a pretty good idea what to do about them. At least one of the following techniques should help you break through a plateau and start losing again. 1. Be a Calorie Detective When clients tell me they've stopped losing weight, the first thing I ask is this: how many calories a day are you eating? Calories have a way of creeping up while we're not paying attention. Be brutally honest with yourself: how much are you eating? Using a food diary for a while is a great way to monitor this. And yes, sodas and alcoholic beverages count! A good calorie goal for dieters is your target weight times 10. 2. Change It Up When you're not making gains in an exercise program you change your routine. Same holds true with your eating plan. Low-carbers could go higher carb for a few days, high-carbers might switch to a plan like Atkins or South Beach. Varying calorie intake may have a positive effect: If you're averaging 1,500 calories daily, try dropping to 1,200, going up to 2,000 and then dropping back to 1,500. You get the idea. Your body's gotten comfortable, so it's time to shake things up. 3. Try a Temporary Ban Food sensitivities can cause weight gain and bloat, and the frustrating thing is that most of us don't always know which foods are the culprits. So play the odds. Highest on the list of "usual suspects" are grains (wheat in particular), dairy and sugar. Temporarily ban all three and see what happens. 4. Take Your Workout Up a Notch Forget the "fat burning zone." High intensity intervals -- 30 to 60 seconds -- are the wave of the future. If you're accustomed to level three on your cardio machine, ramp it up to level 6 for a minute then slow down, catch your breath and repeat. Ever see a sprinter with love handles? Training like a sprinter will lower your body fat faster than any technique I know of, plus it'll boost your metabolism and lower your weight. 5. Strength Training If you're not strength training, start now. And if you are, ramp it up a notch. Muscle is your greatest ally in breaking a plateau. Unfortunately many women train with weights too light to produce the metabolic boost they need. Don't be afraid of heavier weights. They should be heavy enough that you can only do between 8 and 12 reps. 6. Up Your Protein Studies show that higher protein diets make it easier to lose fat. Protein boosts the metabolism (in one study as much as 100 percent for 24 hours), and increases satiety, making it more likely that you won't overeat. A higher protein diet could be just what you need to break that plateau. 7. Try a Detox Unsupervised fasting is a really bad idea, but the idea of giving your system a rest makes sense. Try a "smart fast" of nothing but fruits and vegetables for a couple of days. The added fiber is always helpful, and the massive amount of nutrients and phytochemicals is like "spring cleaning" for your metabolism. 8. Take Inventory Other things besides diet and exercise could be stalling your weight loss, such as stress, lack of sleep or medication. Take a look at what else is going on in your life that might need attention. Sometimes when you clean up the problems in one area of your life, problems in other areas just naturally take care of themselves.

By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS When you're trying to lose weight, the question isn't whether or not you'll hit a plateau, it's when. Plateaus are like bad weather on a long hike: it's inevitable that you'll run into it, but knowing that in advance won't make it one bit less frustrating or annoying when it happens. Cheer up! Since plateaus are as common as rain, we have a pretty good idea what to do about them. At least one of the following techniques should help you break through a plateau and start losing again. 1. Be a Calorie Detective When clients tell me they've stopped losing weight, the first thing I ask is this: how many calories a day are you eating? Calories have a way of creeping up while we're not paying attention. Be brutally honest with yourself: how much are you eating? Using a food diary for a while is a great way to monitor this. And yes, sodas and alcoholic beverages count! A good calorie goal for dieters is your target weight times 10. 2. Change It Up When you're not making gains in an exercise program you change your routine. Same holds true with your eating plan. Low-carbers could go higher carb for a few days, high-carbers might switch to a plan like Atkins or South Beach. Varying calorie intake may have a positive effect: If you're averaging 1,500 calories daily, try dropping to 1,200, going up to 2,000 and then dropping back to 1,500. You get the idea. Your body's gotten comfortable, so it's time to shake things up. 3. Try a Temporary Ban Food sensitivities can cause weight gain and bloat, and the frustrating thing is that most of us don't always know which foods are the culprits. So play the odds. Highest on the list of "usual suspects" are grains (wheat in particular), dairy and sugar. Temporarily ban all three and see what happens. 4. Take Your Workout Up a Notch Forget the "fat burning zone." High intensity intervals -- 30 to 60 seconds -- are the wave of the future. If you're accustomed to level three on your cardio machine, ramp it up to level 6 for a minute then slow down, catch your breath and repeat. Ever see a sprinter with love handles? Training like a sprinter will lower your body fat faster than any technique I know of, plus it'll boost your metabolism and lower your weight. 5. Strength Training If you're not strength training, start now. And if you are, ramp it up a notch. Muscle is your greatest ally in breaking a plateau. Unfortunately many women train with weights too light to produce the metabolic boost they need. Don't be afraid of heavier weights. They should be heavy enough that you can only do between 8 and 12 reps. 6. Up Your Protein Studies show that higher protein diets make it easier to lose fat. Protein boosts the metabolism (in one study as much as 100 percent for 24 hours), and increases satiety, making it more likely that you won't overeat. A higher protein diet could be just what you need to break that plateau. 7. Try a Detox Unsupervised fasting is a really bad idea, but the idea of giving your system a rest makes sense. Try a "smart fast" of nothing but fruits and vegetables for a couple of days. The added fiber is always helpful, and the massive amount of nutrients and phytochemicals is like "spring cleaning" for your metabolism. 8. Take Inventory Other things besides diet and exercise could be stalling your weight loss, such as stress, lack of sleep or medication. Take a look at what else is going on in your life that might need attention. Sometimes when you clean up the problems in one area of your life, problems in other areas just naturally take care of themselves.

I'll go there. My weight GAIN was mostly physiological -- four pregnancies in 8.5 years and eating completely wrong for someone predisposed to diabetes explains that, but there are some psychological components. Primarily, it boils down to one thing -- caring for a family of six on one income, luxuries were few and far between. food -- usually simple but delicious -- was a reward I didn't guilty letting myself have. I justified it that I was keeping it from going to waste. And subconsciously pleasing my mom, by living up to her expectations of a clean plate!! STAYING fat was a different story. I know that at least SOME of the reason I got so comfortable in the fat world was that it insulated me from unwanted attention. Last time I had a school girl figure, I was, well.................a school girl!! And I was one of those girls that developed early and looked 18 when I was 12. I got a lot of attention from that -- mostly negative, as you can imagine. I had to fight very hard and stand very firm to not live up to the reputation that I inadvertantly got from that. (Evidently, if you're cute and boys like you, well, you're a 'slut' whether you do anything or not!) Looking back on some of the situations I ignorantly got myself into, it's frankly amazing that I was never a victim of date rape!! But somehow I managed to stay a virgin until I married -- LOL -- not that I'd win any endurance records for that ..... I married 12 days before I turned 17 and got pregnant 9 months later. The 21.5 inch waist was gone forever and with it went the unwanted looks and flirtations of other men, so I actually LIKED that. See, my husband lived 500 miles away and was unaware of those rumors. I guess -- in my immaturity -- I tho't if he saw me dealing with glances and passes from guys, he would think I was causing it somehow and it would cause problems. LOL It seems silly to say that, after 28.5 years of marriage, there's probably not a less jealous man on the planet!!! But in my mind it was a huge deal back then. In 1988 I dieted down to a size 10 after several years of being an 18/20. It absolutely freaked me out the first time someone whistled at me.....I looked around to see who they were flirting with!! But I didn't have to worry about it long, because within a few months I was pregnant again and once again 'safely' invisible.

Bodybuilders are in a different class of their own. As mentioned before, pre-competition is a lot of calories (4,000+ a day) and a ton of Protein (I have seen as high as 1 gram per pound of bodyweight). A lot of the heavyweights go over 300 pounds during the training cycle, then compete/show at around 260. Unless you are working out every day, it'll be impossible to reach close to what they are doing to their bodies. Typical adults would be hard pressed to add 20 pounds of lean muscle mass in a year, so don't fall into the trap of "Oh, I gained 10 pounds this month, but that's ok because muscle weighs more than fat." It's true it does, but 99.9% of people out there would not be able to gain that much in lean muscle in such a short time frame. Short term weight gain for those of us who lift weights is typically Water retention. Oh, and those bodybuilders use diuretics to lose those last few pounds prior to shows too. They don't look like they do in pictures as soon as the next day, and a few have died from dehydration complications.

Welcome Cindy---from one unofficial member (not technically an April 07 bandster!) to another! Glad to have you here! Hang out, and let US get to know YOU now!!! Well my stitches are out, it doesn't look as bad as I feared. He said the residual swelling will likely take months to go down--loverly!! Wow---deep thoughts today girls! My story is pretty easy---I blame me! I did not get fat until well into my 20's. I married at 17, he cheated on me regularly. But no one in my family had ever divorced, so I was afraid to stand up for myself, even though I knew divorce was the right direction. Eventually when the 2nd child (besides ours), I did it and divorced him. I began seeing DH then, and realized how different life could be. But it was not meant to be at that time, and he had college to finish, and my now ex refused to allow me to leave the state (as per NM divorce) with our DD. So Rick and I went our separate ways---at least physically! Then I met and married the biggest mistake of my life. I did not listen to family nor friends, I accepted the first thing offered, I guess trying to recapture what I lost with Rick--I don't know. Soon after the abuse began, verbal, emotional...escalating to physical and sexual. The pushes and shoves grew to all out beatings, broken bones, and hospitalizations. But he had me where he wanted me, he did not threaten me when I tried to leave, he threatened my elderly grandparents and my crippled brother---he would hurt them---I knew he would, it was not a threat, but a promise. I got myself into the situation, I refused to get one of them hurt or worse, trying to get out of it. Eventually he wanted to move to TX where his family was (San Antonio), so we moved. I saw it as my way out---none of my family there to hurt. I got him to agree to let Manda stay with my parents until we found a place to live. She was with them for 6 weeks. Nothing changed, he was only worse, when in the presence of his abusive step Dad---horrible, horrible family. I began putting on weight about this time, I had zero self confidence, I doubted my own judgement in anything, I knew IF I lived through it, I was going to be twice divorced---the thought killed me! One day walking in KMart there was a big woman in there, and he told me if I ever looked like that he would leave my ass. Suddenly those thoughts come back, and I worked to gain weight! I even went so far as to drink weight gain from GNC!! The big ordeal went down--he tried to kill me, stabbed me 8 times. Eventually I flew home tattered and torn, and he went to prison. And the depression deepened---how did I do this to my life? By now Rick is remarried...and I am horribly alone, and scared to death to even think about another man---I trust no one. BUT food comforted me, and did not lash out, and did not cheat, and was always there when I needed it! Through the years I moved on and worked through my issues, as well as one can I suppose, but by then habits were set, and I was huge! Rick was never far from my mind, nor me his he says, we kept tabs through mutual friends. He divorced, and called me, and we have never looked back. When he left for school, I was maybe 125 pounds. When he walked up to my house all those years later, I was twice that! He was smiling ear to ear, and looking in my eyes---he did not ever say a negative word to me about my weight-ever. I can now look back, and understand exactly what motivated me to make the mistakes as I made them, but...didn't see it then! The old hindsight thing! I had such an easy childhood, almost idylic, I never EVER expected a husband to cheat....that was for soap operas! And yet that paled in comparison to what happen next---but my fear was what isolated me to living with the food. If Rick had not come back into my life---I would likely have remained alone, trust is still not something I give easily. I already knew him, trusted him, and loved him, and his kids. We married a few years later, we lived together for awhile before that...following a long distance relationship! And I could not ask for anyone to ever treat me any better---I often wonder how I lucked out this time around! I desperately wanted to lose weight for me---but also for him. He was just as disallusioned with life as I was, and I want to give him as good as he gives me---that means not only healthy---but fun to look at!! So....that is my session on the couch. Many of you knew my story---for those that didn't....sorry it is a bit of a shocker I know...but the finale of the story is that I WON! I am strong, and able, and confident now----he will never ever have power over me like that again, even if he does get out----I will handle it! I have moved from fear, to anger---and now have a "bring it on sucker!" attitude for him! The End! LOL Kat

I had Isopure, but my food list allows liquids but it doesn't have to be clear so I could have a slimfast if I wanted to. I'm on 4 weeks of liquids but there was no distinction made for clears. The list of what I can have for 4 weeks is very short though. I forgot to mention that I have gained 4 pounds since the morning of my surgery. I know it's not "real" weight gain as I have hardly had any calories at all for days now. It's still weird to see the scale go up.

Well, I totally disagree, lol. Most thin people use food inappropriately too. Nearly everyone does, the person who views food ONLY as a source of nutrition is a very rare person. Our culture has led us to viewing food as a source of pleasure, socialising, celebrating, most cultures approach food in that manner. Also human beings, like animals are really evolved to stuff themselves stupid, lie around in blissful satiation for a few days and then go and eat again. When we do eat, we're meant to expend huge calories to catch our meal. There's LOTS of reasons people have become fatter that have nothing to do with emotions or issues. We dont even have to wind our car windows down anymore. Speaking for myself, I was someone who held a bit of extra weight but was not obese for the majority of my childhood and up to when I started having babies. When I had babies, my lifestyle changed, the exercise dropped, the ability to think only for myself (and thus plan to shop and eat appropriately) disappeared into a haze of breastfeeding and nappy changing, followed by toddlerhood and with each baby, the weight went up a little more and whammo, sudddenly that 8kg weight problem was a 38kg one. On top of simply being a person who liked to eat, liked to cook and entertain and liked to sit on my well cushioned rear end in front of the telly, I was prone to that weight gain. I can see it in my kids now, one is active and thin, one is getting pudgy and is by nature very sedentary and one is too little to tell yet. So I have to insist - I dont have ANY issues. I just like to eat, specially when I'm bored and have nothing else to do. I learned to associate telly watching and internet surfing with food too, a habit I've broken. I couldnt say I ever had a food "addiction" in the way others talk about it, I just ate a bit too much. I dont call myself "lazy" but I enjoyed too many non active pursuits. I could always find the energy for whatever it was I really wanted, its just that my downtime I liked to spend non actively. Lazy doesnt translate into not good enough in my mind, it just means I like to be horizontal, blissing out. I can still be that, I just have to counter it with some activity. Actually, valuable as therapy can be, the whole "overtherapising" trend annoys me, it shifts responsibility onto some external event, person or thing. Seriously, I didnt exercise enough becuase that was something I didnt care to find the energy for and I ate too much because I just liked eating. When I really faced that issue - that I could do something about it if I really wanted to - I lost weight. Simple. It was down to me, it wasnt due to anything BUT me, and when I faced up to how big a problem it had gotten I knew I had to act so I did. There's no complicated issues there, it was just a matter of seeing the problem and taking action.

I found this about hitting Plateaus, thought there were some some good points/advice so I thought I would share. By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS When you're trying to lose weight, the question isn't whether or not you'll hit a plateau, it's when. Plateaus are like bad weather on a long hike: it's inevitable that you'll run into it, but knowing that in advance won't make it one bit less frustrating or annoying when it happens. Cheer up! Since plateaus are as common as rain, we have a pretty good idea what to do about them. At least one of the following techniques should help you break through a plateau and start losing again. 1. Be a Calorie Detective When clients tell me they've stopped losing weight, the first thing I ask is this: how many calories a day are you eating? Calories have a way of creeping up while we're not paying attention. Be brutally honest with yourself: food diary for a while is a great way to monitor this. And yes, sodas and alcoholic beverages count! A good calorie goal for dieters is your target weight times 10. 2. Change It Up When you're not making gains in an exercise program you change your routine. Same holds true with your eating plan. Low-carbers could go higher carb for a few days, high-carbers might switch to a plan like shake things up. 3. Try a Temporary Ban Food sensitivities can cause weight gain and bloat, and the frustrating thing is that most of us don't always know which foods are the culprits. So play the odds. Highest on the list of "usual suspects" are grains (wheat in particular), dairy and sugar. Temporarily ban all three and see what happens. 4. Take Your Workout Up a Notch Forget the "fat burning zone." High intensity intervals -- 30 to 60 seconds -- are the wave of the future. If you're accustomed to level three on your cardio machine, ramp it up to level 6 for a minute then slow down, catch your breath and repeat. Ever see a sprinter with love handles? Protein Studies show that higher protein diets make it easier to lose fat. Protein boosts the metabolism (in one study as much as 100 percent for 24 hours), and increases satiety, making it more likely that you won't overeat. A higher protein diet could be just what you need to break that plateau. 7. Try a Detox Unsupervised fasting is a really bad idea, but the idea of giving your system a rest makes sense. Try a "smart fast" of nothing but fruits and vegetables for a couple of days. The added Fiber is always helpful, and the massive amount of nutrients and phytochemicals is like "spring cleaning" for your sleep or medication. Take a look at what else is going on in your life that might need attention. Sometimes when you clean up the problems in one area of your life, problems in other areas just naturally take care of themselves.

Holy Cow said the Bovine Priest!!! Those are some shocking numbers, and I now see the main contributer (other than myself) for my weight gain. Chili's, which was my favorite restaurant for years, was killing me!! I am shocked by how high some of those fat content numbers are!

South Beach diet is the best to follow. My PCP put me on it. Addiction to sweets is connected to spiking blood sugar, which leads to hunger and weight gain and can eventually lead to diabetes. If you follow the diet, the sugar cravings go away. To break the sugar addiction, you also have to avoid the foods that your body turns into sugar right away. The rate at which the body turns food into sugar is called the Glycemic index. The idea is for the body to turn food to sugar slowly so your blood sugar doesn't spike. For example Oat bran breads' GI is 68 while french baguette is 136. Or sweet potato is 63 while baked potato is 158!!! This really does work. Now it is time for me to follow my own advice. I ate really high GI foods for Tday and have been on a sugar binge since then. Congradulations on your no sugar day.:clap2:

I agree with Pamela---we ARE always here, and each of you has my phone # now from the list--please feel free any time to use it! I am not sure that it was a consious thing with me last year (where you guys are now) or whether it was SAD or what---but when Rick reminded me, I went WOW! This year it IS different! Last year, I was somewhat worried about what I could and could not eat, what was good for me, what would cause me problems, and what I was going to miss. And then if I ate and gained, was I destined to spiral out of control never to emerge on the happy bandster side of life again? I felt like I personally had no control! My band had some control, that I truly did not appreciate! The difference is this year, I know it will pass!! I know I CAN eat, there are a multitude of things available that are not horrible choices...because it is afterall a holiday celebration! I also know that if I gain 5 pounds---it will come off, and I am NOT failing again. Judy is not having the panic over that, she has faced the issues on her cruises...all the yummy food, and the weight gain....and has come out the other side with the knowledge that a backslide is not a failure, it is a speed bump! I for one am uncomfortable being too tight--it scares me! My loss has likely been slowed by that, but it is my choice---but even with that, when I gain here and there, it eventually comes back off, and when I mentally go off the deep end, and eat junk, junk and more junk (oh yeah has happened many a time!!!)---eventually something clicks again (often times a compliment from someone---it spurs me on again!) and I get it under control, and feel like I have not only survived but won. This is not the Atkins of old, that once I ate a chip it was a roller coaster ride back to the original weight plus. With the band, I may gain weight, but for the most part when I am being bad in my choices, it still maintains me pretty well---keeps me from giving up hope! Knowing I can do this, and the band IS doing this--made this year much easier. It is relaxing, knowing it is there, to keep me within my personally set boundaries. I could not handle the constant PB's---I would prefer to have a milder warning that enough is enough---stop eating! I think it is a time line that is normal! Remember as has been pointed out---there are little stages we all go through, and I think this one y'all are hitting is normal....and remember if you say it isn't---you are calling me abnormal!! LOL Like Pamela said----come here and scream and cry and vent--who better to understand? And not judge? ((((hugs)))) this too shall pass, and you will look back, and be so thrilled to see that you and your band made it, and life goes back to the exercise, and eat right way---because it does. We are all human, and the season change, added to the time change, and the holiday work overload, stresses us all....stress sometimes affects the band. It ALWAYS affects my eating! But it is survivable, and surmountable!! Hang in there girls---it is gonna be ok!!! Kat

This is quoted from a response "LapDancer" gave to a question regarding fills. Thought it might help. Think You Need a Fill? THINK AGAIN By Nikki Johnson Do you remember that feeling you had when you first had your band placed? For a while, everything was great. You didn't experience hunger, you felt satisfied with a small portion of good food, you had more energy, and you were thrilled with your initial weight loss progress. If you are like most people, your experience changed over time, Some of those feelings of hunger returned, and you stopped losing weight. You knew you needed something, so you went to your surgeon's office and asked for a "fill" right? If so, you might be surprised to learn that it is your thinking about your band, and not the band itself, that needs adjusting. The LAP-BAND Bad Word Paul O'Brien, MD, FRACS, is a skillful, compassionate surgeon and a foremost expert on the LAP-BAND System. he was involved in its design in the early 1990's and placed the first band in Australia in 1994. Since then, he has treated thousands of patients and is recognized worldwide for his expertise. When his patients utter that worst of four-letter words, "fill," in his office, they are asked to throw a dollar in the Red Cross donation bucket--a reminder that, according to Dr. O'Brien, thinking about a "fill" is just wrong thinking. How can a concept that we hear about so constantly be so very wrong? Dr. O'Brien's answer is simple: "Any adjustment to the band is something that only takes place in the context of clinical consultation--part of a relationship of trust, honesty and communication between patient and surgeon--that is much more key to the success of the patient than the precise number of milliliters of Fluid in the band. This concept of partnership is the central theme of Dr. O'Brien's new book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership of Weight Loss. Patty's Note: Available on Amazon.com ISBN#9780522854121 Like many people, you might assume that weight gain or a sustained plateau means an incorrectly adjusted band; in fact, you may be right. But you may be surprised to learn that weight gain sometimes results from a band that is too tight. This is part of the reason why the "fill" concept is so misleading. If your surgeon determines that you are not losing weight as you should, then discovering why that is happening is crucial. Sometimes adding fluid to the band will only make matters worse. Life in the "GREEN ZONE" Most people who have the LAP-BAND operation will have an amazing feeling of disinterest in food for the first week after surgery, before any adjustments are even made to the fluid in the band. According to Dr. O'Brien, that lack of interest in food is referred to as satiety. A related but different feeling is satiation, or the feeling you get as you are eating, precisely at the point that you don't need any more food to eat but you do not have an uncomfortable feeling of fullness. These two feelings--satiety and satiation--are what the properly adjusted band helps you achieve, allowing you to maintain your new healthier eating habits. Your careful observation and truthful sharing of your feelings and eating behaviors, combined with the expert care and training of your surgeon and his or her staff, can make the very individual determination of whether your band is properly adjusted much more accurate. In order to help create the most effective partnership between themselves and their patients, Dr. O'Brien and his colleagues at the Australian Centre for Obesity Research and Education have developed a concept they refer to as the "Green Zone". When patients are in the green zone, they experience satiety, satiation after properly-sized small meals, and satisfactory weight loss or maintenance. However, there are also yellow and red zones, both of which indicate that the band is not optimally adjusted. If your band is too loose, you will not have the benefits the band's hunger-controlling mechanism. If your band is too tight, you will have trouble eating properly and may actually gain weight because the foods you can eat more comfortable, that tend to be liquid and calorie-rich, like ice cream and chocolate, do not provide the proper nutrition. Learning to recognize when you have the feelings and eating behaviors that signal a problem can help you give your surgeon the information he or she needs to help you keep the band optimally adjusted. Thinking Adjustment Once you have eliminated the concpet of "fills" from you Lap-Band vocabulary, you will be able to let go of much of the conventional thinking connected to it. Perhaps you have heard talk about the "ideal" amount of fluid in the Lap-Band. While it may be helpful to have some idea of how much fluid is in your band, Dr. O'Brien says there is no magic number. No perfect amount of fluid will provide the best results for everyone. He says, rather, that "whatever volume of fluid is needed to achieve the [feeling of non-hunger] is the correct volume." When you notice that you are feeling hungry or are not losing weight, your body is telling you it is time to revisit your partner in weight loss -- your surgeon. your success absolutely depends on this relationship. So rather than thinking "adjustments," adjust your thinking, and, in partnership with your surgeon, find a lifetime of health! For more information about all of the themes discussed in this article, please see Dr. O'Brien's book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership for Weight Loss, which is available fro Amazon.com. We also invite you to visit LAP-BAND® System Forum - Home for more information and supportive resources. You should You are You should ADD FLUID OPTIMAL REDUCE FLUID Hungry Early prolonged satiety Difficulty swallowing Big Meals satiety Reflux - hearburn Looking for food Small meals satisfy Night Cough Satisfactory weight loss Regurgitation or maintenance Poor eating behavior __________________ ~*~*~*~*Lap Dancer~*~*~*~*

Gummie, sounds like your husband has a little passive-aggressive thing going with his weight. Do you think he might be trying to punish you for losing weight? Some guys do get insecure when their wives do something to make themselves more attractive, so instead of trying to make himself more attractive he does the opposite. Then he can blame you if anything happens to your marriage, because you couldn't put up with his weight gain even though he stayed with you when you were heavy. I'm just doing some totally untrained and probably misguided psychoanalysis on him, and could be way off base. Anyway, I don't think you can really do anything to stop him other than go on with your life, avoid any enabling behavior, and don't let him see he is getting to you. He may straighten out if he sees you are happier and healthier without the extra weight, but still not about to leave him. You can't talk him into doing anything about his weight; he needs to decide himself that he would be better off without it. By the way, you don't need to be 100 lb overweight for a lap band that I know of. Is that your doctor's rule or your insurance's guideline?

My DH tried to join the bandwagon with me when I started out. He gave up cokes too. 7 months later, he drinks them, but we don't keep them in the house (for my sake). So he just buys bottles and drinks at work and at home whatever is left over. Still less than he use to. He also eats whatever I make, or wherever I can go (I don't eat fast food anymore unless it's Wendy's chili). We were eating fastfood 2-3x a day before. So naturally, he was losing a little weight. He has gained weight since I met him (use to be washboard, now it's a little tire ) Went from 30 waist pants to 36 now. I have GENTLY said something every once in while- mostly due to me having to buy him new pants sizes. He doesn't care, doesn't take offense, but he doesn't see the weight gain. His brothers have called him 'fat' at a family gathering once (imagine how my 300lb+ self felt at that time.. I was sitting there). But anyway.. guess my point is, see how he feels about it. Maybe bring it up casually about him exercising with you (I tried this, he's wishy washy about it). Tell him you worry about his Cholesterol and see if he's willing to eat better with you. The worst he can do is say no. Don't be judgey or mean about it, just casual In my situation, things seem to just be happening. He has told me 2 times in the past month (he weighed himself) that he is losing weight. If your DH is eating with you or where you go (like mine), he's going to tend to lose weight due to better food choices. If you make dinner, don't make you your good healthy food, then make him his 'regular' kind of food. I only cook 1 dinner, and if he doesn't like it, he doesn't eat hah hah! Portion is another thing, of course, but if it's a ton of healthy food instead of a ton of fat and calories.. see where I'm going? Good luck!