personal approach to weight loss and your band

[dontgoggilme 0]

ok... so i'm newly banded and have been thinking about my lifechange and etc. like the new diet and exercise regimen and all that. i've got one friend who had a band almost two years ago and she has lost about 80 pounds i think. however, she wasn't super gung ho about it. i mean, she doesn't really work out and only walks occasionally. she eats whatever just in smaller amounts. so i guess she's really not totally following the diet and exercise regimen that our surgeon, nutritionist and etc. want for us to. i've been trying to figure out how "hard core" i'm gonna be about this. i mean, so far it's only been 10 days and i've just been taking it easy during this healing time. been following the liquids stage and breezy walks in the evenings with my husband and kids. i know i'm going to jump on the full blown exercise bandwagon but what i wanna know is how many of ya'll out there really push yourselves and follow a strict diet and exercise and how many of you just kinda take it easy and just eat smaller portions than before (becuase of band restriction of course) and just let that do what it will without really "dieting" so to speak. i mean, i've heard some folks never ever exercise at all! just curious on everyone's take on all that.

[HiMow 0]

I do not restrict myself from any food at all and I pretty much do not exercise unless you count small and seldom walks up the block. I sometimes wonder how much better I would be doing if I tried harder. :confused:

[chrisdirects 0]

I have to say, I was a little perplexed about your posting. For you to be contemplating how committed you're going to be when you are just starting this journey is, quite frankly, a bit scary.

I'm sure that you've heard from a bunch of people that success with the appliance that you've had put in your body is 98% up to you. It took a lot of courage and motivation for you to have gone through the preop, the surgery, and the early days as a band patient. At this point, from my point of view, the question of how hard you're going to work to achieve your goal shouldn't even be crossing your mind.

It's not a bad thing that you're taking it a bit easy right now, because the focus in the beginning is healing, and letting your body get used to all the changes. The hard work part still lies ahead...but the rewards for that work are priceless.

For what it may be worth to you, my best advice would be this: it's a given that there may be things that will happen along this journey that you will have absolutely no control over...but please consider dedicating yourself now to do everything in your personal power to reach success...because you are so worth the time and the effort!

My best wishes to you-

Christine

[cwm812 11]

Well, I agree with your personalized view of weight loss. I eat what I want, but I'm aware of the fact that if I eat junk, I won't lose weight. So most of the time, I eat healthy. I didn't start exercising until I had lost about 80 lbs. My weight loss was starting to slow at that time, and I really wanted to keep losing weight. I decided what I thought was reasonable. I work out at least three times a week. I knew from my extensive diet history, that if I go into this full-speed ahead, I just gain all the weight back when I get sick of it. It was very important to me that I could live with my choices. I exercise some and eat less. It feels right for me.

Cindy

[bella71 0]

I would say that I am definitely motivated, but for me, that motivation ebbs and flows. Since I have so much weight to lose, I feel like I need to mentally "pace myself", or I'll burn out before the race is over and I reach goal.

Some weeks, I do all the right things: measure my food, make great choices, and excercise 3x a week. Other weeks, not so much. I do not want to feel like I am depriving myself. For instance, I went to Outback last night, and I LOVE their bread. I took literally two nibbles of it and put it down. I just wanted a taste of it so I did not feel deprived. I plan on eating some chocolate this Easter, but sugar free, and a limited amount.

The challenge is to learn to live with this band, and that requires flexibility and strategic planning. Hopefully, this philosphy serves we well in the long run.

[BetsyB 9]

I'm a straight-and-narrow bandster. Doing things my way placed me in the position of requiring bariatric surgery. I have no reason to believe it would serve me any better now that the band is in place.

I eat the way my doctor recommends. I exercise each and every day---at least once. Whether I want to or not.

Motivation and enthusiasm don't even play in. Like any other job I have to do, if I have an off day, I just put one foot in front of the other until I get done what needs to be done.

The rewards are FAR greater than most jobs I do--which tends to feed enthusiasm.

But really, I generally don't feel in the least bit deprived. I feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity to become healthier and happier in my own skin.

[vlp1968 83]

I follow a hard core regime. I follow the food plan reccomeded (low carb, low fat, high protien) consistently. I have other addiction issues (besides food) so for me completly staying away from high fat high suger foods works. I am not able to do things in moderation. I also workout 5-6 times a week and do weights with a trainer 3 times a week. I hope my motivation stays strong over the time.

I think everybody is different. What works for each person is individual. I think you are right to be thinking along these lines. It's about coming up with a plan you can stick to. Best wishes!

[dontgoggilme 0]

I follow a hard core regime. I follow the food plan reccomeded (low carb, low fat, high protien) consistently. I have other addiction issues (besides food) so for me completly staying away from high fat high suger foods works. I am not able to do things in moderation. I also workout 5-6 times a week and do weights with a trainer 3 times a week. I hope my motivation stays strong over the time.

I think everybody is different. What works for each person is individual. I think you are right to be thinking along these lines. It's about coming up with a plan you can stick to. Best wishes!

yes. that's what i'm trying to do. come up with a plan that i can stick to that works best for me. and i was just curious how others approach thier weight loss. i wasn't or am not "contemplating how dedicated i'm going to be on my new journey" as someone else said. i feel like everyone has to figure out what works best for them. i mean, for some it might be working out everyday while for others it might be working out only three times a week. some might find a hard core diet regime works great while others might get burned out on that and have trouble staying "on task" with their weight loss with it. just trying to get opinions and ideas and stuff like that. that's what this website is for, right? everyone to share and ask questions and etc. :smile:

[Ilovebeagles 0]

I kind of get where you are coming from on this post. For me it's the excersize issue.

Since forever, I have been very physcially active. At least 30 minutes of good excersie (sweating) a day 6 days a week. During my presurgery classes and appointements they all kept stressing I would need to do at least 30 minutes of excersize 3 days a week. I kept thinking, this is terrific; I've already got my excersize more than covered!

Fast forward to one of my first post surgery check ups -- they told me if I had already been doing all of that for years and years prior to surgery, my body thought it was "normal" and that I needed to double it to an hour a day. Goody.

Now, obviously, I like excersize but I was a little miffed by this. I feel like I'm kind of cheated. Everyone else gets a gold star for 3 days a week at a half hour and I have to do an hour for 6 days? Well, I'm not every enthusiastic or gung ho about that.

[RavenClaw779 2]

I see where you're coming from and as someone who is just two weeks out, some days just unloading the washer was a workout - esp when I hit myself in the port with the washer door:blink:...

When I was younger and thinner I worked out but as I've gotten older, bigger and more loaded down with the responsibilities of a job and family I will admit not rising to the challenge. That being said, as I'm getting smaller, things are getting easier - taking the stairs for example used to kill my knees but not any more. My neck is no longer stiff at the end of the day and oddly enough, my carpal tunnel is gone!?!

I'm looking into Curves and already have a treadmill, but I am realistic - some days, spending time with my five-year-old niece trumps a weightlifting session, or the dog has to go to the vet, or a work project sends me out of town...

You do the best you can and don't beat yourself up. If it's any comfort, pull the July? 2009 issue of Time - there's a great article on why exercise doesn't contribute much to weight loss(not to say that it isn't good for your overall health)

[HappyMom 1]

I definitely see your point of view on your weight loss.

I am going to strictly follow the post band eating plan...but just try not to let it run my life. I tend to get a little obsessive about my eating when I join a new dieting plan. I spend hours logging what I have eaten and planning what I will have next. It seems to all go to heck after a few months because I can't keep up the time and detail obsession.

I need to find a balance between strictly following the eating plan the dietitian and I have come up with, but be relaxed enough not to obsess about every detail. Does this make sense?

I am looking at being banded as undergoing a LIFE changing alteration to my mental and physical mindset about my relationship with food. I need to find a non-stressful way to work with the band and not have the obsessive stress that comes with dieting. I want to live....not diet.

Sorry for the long post. I am having last minute jitters about the surgery in two days. I am positive that I am ready for the Band, but just at this moment it seems a bit overwhelming! Deep breaths!

[BetsyB 9]

I kind of get where you are coming from on this post. For me it's the excersize issue.

Since forever, I have been very physcially active. At least 30 minutes of good excersie (sweating) a day 6 days a week. During my presurgery classes and appointements they all kept stressing I would need to do at least 30 minutes of excersize 3 days a week. I kept thinking, this is terrific; I've already got my excersize more than covered!

Fast forward to one of my first post surgery check ups -- they told me if I had already been doing all of that for years and years prior to surgery, my body thought it was "normal" and that I needed to double it to an hour a day. Goody.

Now, obviously, I like excersize but I was a little miffed by this. I feel like I'm kind of cheated. Everyone else gets a gold star for 3 days a week at a half hour and I have to do an hour for 6 days? Well, I'm not every enthusiastic or gung ho about that.

It's no fair, huh? I feel you, truly. I've been exercising regularly long-term, too.

Know what? At first, the extra exercise was just another one-foot-in-front-of-the-other job for me--and now I really look forward to it.

I hope you find the same to be true!

Remember that you don't really have to double the time spent--you can simply mix things up in a way that your body doesn't quite recognize. For me, this has translated into upping my mileage and paring minutes from my time--I do more cardio in less time. When I get comfy, I then increase the duration at that rate until it's too easy. Then lather, rinse, repeat.

It's lots easier as you lose, too. :smile: