Banded 10-6-09 - Scared and Failing

[bandedgirl75 0]

I am hoping someone can shed some light and help me. I was banded on 10/6/09. I was 247lbs on my surgery date. I have lost a total of 20lbs since surgery date. That means I am almost 6months out and have lost 20lbs in 6months. My band holds 10cc's. I am up to 7.25 but even still I eat atleast 2 cups of food. That scares me because I am almost at the max and if I max...what do I do then? I am so depressed. I am trying so hard. Since my weight loss has been so slow I figured I would start calorie counting...thinking that was my problem. I have been consuming about 1200-1400 calories a day from food not obtained thru a fast food window. Food Examples: I eat Breakfast (bagel thin with 2 eggs and a string cheese). A morning snack 4 wheat thin garlic and parsely crackers with laughing cow cheese and 4-5 small strawberries...lunch a lean cuisine with cucumbers (1/2 cup) with about 5 croutons and 1tbsp of Italian Dressing on it....afternoon snack banana with a Super whey Protein shot....dinner 6-7 grilled shrimp with cucumber salad (above) and yogurt for dessert. Before surgery I was taking about 3000 steps a day.....I am now walking about 13,000 by the bedtime...I bought a pedometer (a good one :-)....Am I missing something in the middle? I am so lost at this point. Even without more saline you would think I would be losing off pure cutting calories and walking. What gives? I need help...I am crying as I type this because I feel like I am failing, failing myself, my children, my husband. Worst of all my 5yr old son was at the dinner table last night and said...My friends liked you on our field trip, they said you were really nice and you have a big fat belly. He had no clue that it hurt me to the core because he is so little but I went into my room and fell to my knees. God help me.

[juliansmom2003 3]

First of all, congrats on your 20 lbs loss. You need to Celebrate your successes. Sometimes it's tough (which I too have been known to do), but you need to be sure you at least acknowledge the positive things....

I am sorry to hear that you are almost maxed on your band. Are you scheduled for another fill? Sometimes 1 cc can make all the difference.

Are you journaling your food? I am vigilant about doing this, as I not only track what I eat, I track my Water intake, exercise, etc. I know you gave us a sample menu of what you had in a day, but are you watching your carbs and sodium in addition to fat and Protein? Are you getting at least 60 grams of Protein in a day along with a minimum of 64 ounces of Water?

Also, with drinks, be careful of the sugar in them. If you get bored with water, you could use crystal light or something to mix it up a little. I also have completely cut out all soda, so if you're drinking soda, that too could be causing issues with stalling loss.

In terms of exercise, it's great that you bought a pedometer to track. Perhaps you could up things a notch and get some cardio in to jump start that metabolism. When I started, I was pretty sedentary, so I went on demand (Comcast) and did the Leslie Sansone Walk for Weightloss workouts. They have a 1-mile one that is 15 minutes and a 2-mile one that is 30 minutes. It also incorporates other moves to make it more than just a boring old walk and helps you to burn more calories by working your arms and abs. When I started, i was about 231 and was able to do this and noticed a difference in a short period of time, as some of her moves targeted the waistline and for the first time in ages I had a waistline again LOL!

I hope this helps you. I am glad you reached out to the board here for suggestions and advice. This is a great group of people who have tons of collective experience and will be able to give you the support you need. Do you have a local support group you can attend for bariatric patients? I find when I'm struggling, it's a huge help to me. Utilize whatever resources are available to you!

Lots of luck to you. Prayers and hugs going your way :-)!

[jtreece 0]

Hey just to let you know that I was banded 2 days after you and I've only lost 27 lbs so far. I know this is hard because so many people have dropped 50 lbs by now. I feel like everyone is judging me because they expected me to be thinner by now. I realized I only fail when I start eating the way I did before and gaining. I went months with only a 2 lbs lost and didn't start losing again until my last fill. I don't think you're at restriction yet so don't give up. You've made so many changes in your life. Big mental hug. You are not alone!

[CutieBJMR 0]

Hi, i feel your pain....congratulations on your 20 pound loss. I was banded on march 19, 2010 and have lost 16 pounds since surgery and 24 pounds total. I think you may be eating too many carbs, my doc told me to eat 80 to 100 grams of Protein and drink 80 ounces of Water a day (not so good with the water). My menu consist of...3 turkey sausage links and 40z of greek yogurt....bumble bee tuna sensations and 10 almonds or laughing cow cheese......3 to 4 turkey meatballs in marinara sauce and 1/4 cup of steamed broccoli ...a protein shot if i am not at 80 grams and a pudding before 9pm (need something sweet to close my evening. I eat around 1100 calories a day sometimes less sometimes a little more. Hope this helps!

Edited April 28, 2010 by CutieBJMR

[bandedgirl75 0]

Thank you for the responses. I keep telling myself the only way I can fail is to stop trying but I feel helpless. I feel like everyone is looking at me like....I thought you had surgery...why are you still fat? And I sometimes wonder if people wonder why I can still eat so much. I fear that this just isn't going to work and my thoughts were when I got the surgery that this was my last hope. Hope? I fell hopeless! When your overweight you do other things to compensate for the lack of body self esteem and I loved my hair and make up...well now my hair looks terrible (thinning) I am still overweight and feel more lost then I did before surgery. Man what a combonation! I did try to do more exercise thinking maybe walking wasn't cutting it for me so I joined a boot camp...well needless to say...don't laugh now....I ended up fainting and the ambulance had to be called. Gosh how embarassing it was. So I am back to walking but the fitness traniner in our community of course made me feel bad about myself...told me walking wasn't challenging my cardiovascular system...Well fainting isn't either...if I die who cares if I lose weight!

[bandedgirl75 0]

OH and I totally want to Celebrate my success but I don't feel successful. 20lbs to me is not alot when I have 65 more to go and I don't feel like I am making any strides. 6months out of surgery I thought I would be down atleast 50lbs. I just feel like SOMETHING is missing. Restriction? Maybe...because I can eat and drink together. But I went to a different doc and explained my situation and she filled me to 8.00 and I couldn't swallow my own spit so she took me to 7.5 still the same, couldn't swallow. She took me back to 7.0. Decided to go back to my regular doctor (1 month later) since they knew my history and she filled me to 7.25...I am fine there but not losing. I go in on Monday for another fill. Will this be the magic fill? God I hope. I've put my family through alot to get here and I just can't fail. Is it possible to have to much Fluid in the band and that be the reason for not losing? I went back through my food log (yes I journal everything with the exception of Saturday's food) and I am range in protein....yesterday I had 47g, 41g, 57g and so on. I don't think I go over 60g ever. Thanks again for helping me....

[JoJo1 0]

Walking is a wonderful exercise. I have lost 49 lbs just walking, and using my band for restriction. I walk 2 to 7 miles a day depending on my schedule and the weather. Try to walk faster, and try to find some gentle uphill trails to walk. I can not get my heart rate up walking flat. I find places to walk that have some up and down hill spots so I can work up a sweat. I also do not think you have enough restriction yet. Get another fill, you are probably almost there. Hang in there and congratulations on the 20 lbs.!!! Hugs!!!!

[shadst8 8]

OH and I totally want to Celebrate my success but I don't feel successful. 20lbs to me is not alot when I have 65 more to go and I don't feel like I am making any strides. 6months out of surgery I thought I would be down atleast 50lbs. I just feel like SOMETHING is missing. Restriction? Maybe...because I can eat and drink together. But I went to a different doc and explained my situation and she filled me to 8.00 and I couldn't swallow my own spit so she took me to 7.5 still the same, couldn't swallow. She took me back to 7.0. Decided to go back to my regular doctor (1 month later) since they knew my history and she filled me to 7.25...I am fine there but not losing. I go in on Monday for another fill. Will this be the magic fill? God I hope. I've put my family through alot to get here and I just can't fail. Is it possible to have to much Fluid in the band and that be the reason for not losing? I went back through my food log (yes I journal everything with the exception of Saturday's food) and I am range in Protein....yesterday I had 47g, 41g, 57g and so on. I don't think I go over 60g ever. Thanks again for helping me....

I think that fact that you are reaching out is good step. Refocus is the key and some positive thinking. I think you have gotten some great advice in this thread--if you take on working on one piece of their advice a week and gradually adding on, you can get back on track. Begin with your protein--reduce some of your carbs to get in more Protein One week. Then add trying to get at least 64oz Water the next two weeks. Then monitor your sodium by journaling and reducing that the next 2wks. Then try changing your exercise maybe some fun cardio like Zumba where you are dancing or another workout dvd. Dvd's are great because you can control the amount and pace you do them, so you build gradually. The one thing that you could try immediately is not to eat and drink at the same time--this is a no-no for most of us bandsters and makes you hungry faster and decrease feeling of being full. The 20lbs prove the success is in you!:thumbup:

[Agnes 0]

YOU ARE ALL NOT ALONE...and honestly I havent been on here in a while and just hopped on bc i needed some motivation and a kick in the butt...

and this post made me feel better that I am not going through all this alone.. I was a lower BMI patient and have always lost weight VERYYYY slowly.. I lost about 22 pounds and was banded July 8th, 2009! So, even though I do feel better in clothes..etc.. i feel like a failure.. I feel like I should have been at goal by now.. I regret telling as many people as a did.. i def feel like i get the "shouldnt you be skinny by now?" looks! I am trying to be patient and know I will get there.. I am scheduled for another fill tomorrow..

You are not alone..none of us are! Good luck!!

I dont remember the PW to my ticker so its not updated! LOL

Edited April 28, 2010 by Agnes

[AllieKat 0]

Stressing ourselves out and being afraid can also cause weight loss to stall. We have to be gentle with our bodies and minds, we have abused them our entire lives! Who knows what other people are thinking, but we have to say, who cares! We were brave enough to lay on a table and risk living to lose weight. I think we have made the ultimate sacrifice to try to be healthier. We do have to go to some extra lengths to get the weight off, the band is only a tool, but it will be worth it.:thumbup:

[BetsyB 9]

Do you journal what you eat? Have you done so for a period of time? I ask, because if you're able to look back to the time when you were losing well, you can get good clues about why you're not losing now.

I bring this up because what really made a huge impact on me (and, in fact, drove my decision to be banded) was learning that in order to lose (or to maintain at a normal weight), my body only needs 800-1000 calories/day. WITH exercise. I learned this by journaling intake---both when I was eating in that range, and when I was not (and was not losing or, worse, gaining).

I really bridled against that knowledge for a very long time--it flew in the face of everything anyone ever told me, and I simply did not want to accept it.

But it's my reality, so I have a choice: eat in that range, or not; the latter results in gain. (Thank God for the band, which makes it possible to stick with that level of intake without utter insanity.)

I bring this up because it sounds like you need to rethink what you're eating. You've reached that, "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got" point---and it's not working for you.

So it's time to make a change.

DON'T discount the loss you've already had--that's a big accomplishment!

Now it's time to lose the rest--to get back to basics, and find what works for YOUR body. That may mean making diet changes. It may mean making exercise changes. Tracking what you're doing can give you a leg up on figuring out what to do.

I don't know what your doctor recommends, but the diet you've described would cause me to gain weight (and my doctor to blow a gasket). Can you de-emphasize refined carbs/starches/sugars, and focus more on lean Protein and nonstarchy veggies?

I'd also work with your doctor to achieve a good level of restriction---you may need to increase in tiny increments, but if you can get there, it will help a lot.

Until you do, remember that just because you can eat at least 2 cups of food doesn't mean that you should. You shouldn't, plain and simple. Eat as though you have ideal restriction---even if you don't, yet. Practice eating that way so that when you do, your eating does not cause problems that result in a need for another unfill. (I'm not saying that was why you needed it in the past---just suggesting a way to avoid potential problems as you increase your restriction.)

You CAN do it---you've shown that with the 20 pound loss, continued dedication to exercise, and the fact that you haven't regained any weight. So do it!

[Lisa73 0]

I was banded Oct 7, 2009 starting weight 242.0lbs and have 7.75cc in a Realize Band and I have only lost 20lbs. I am so tired of every time I attend a function everyone asking how's the weight loss going and trying to explain to them about restriction and I don't have any, and they get that puzzled look on thier face and they really don't want to know all that info anyway. I know alot of people may not understand this but I refuse to starve myself just to loose weight if I don't have any restriction and I count every calorie and exercise 3-4 times a week just to loose a few pounds my will power may only last a week or two and those pounds just come back. I have noticed other patients at my doctors office complaining about they are starving and the doctor only gives them a tiny fill because they are loosing weight but it's all on thier own not the band I just don't understand this at all. I do eat healthy, exercise, drink 64oz Water daily and do not drink with my meals. So until I get restriction I don't expect any weight loss. I do consider it a success not to gain any weight. For the first time in my life I did not gain through the holidays and I lost 5lbs. I know that was because of the band. I do not get another fill for two weeks he mentioned that when I come back He would have me stand up and drink water which I have never done that before and I have had 4 fills. I really hope that makes a difference.

Edited April 28, 2010 by Lisa73

[coloradobanding 5]

Congratulations on your weight loss so far...don't give up!!! This is just the beginning and you're doing GREAT!!!

The first thing I noticed is your diet. As Betsy noted, it is pretty high in carbs and not what my nutritionist would consider a good meal plan for a lap-band patient.

I would seriously start completely over with your diet. Focus on fresh lean Proteins and veggies in moderation. Few, if any, Snacks and UP your Protein intake!!

The MINIMUM for my Protein daily is 80 and that is on the lower end usually. My doctor recommends a minimum of 60grams of protein a day but stresses 75-90 grams of protein per day.

What I do is this. I ONLY eat (or drink) protein all day until I've met my protein goal for the day. Once I reach that goal, I can eat other things. I don't limit myself to anything once I hit my protein goal, but by the time I reach that goal, I'm usually not hungry at all. It really works!!!

Walking is fine if that is all you're capable of doing right now. What I would suggest is to have a "sprint" a few times during your walk. A "sprint" in this example would be to walk as fast as you possibly can for 1-3 minutes then back down to a normal pace. Doing this raises your heart rate and speeds up your metabolism which burns more calories..it REALLY works!!!

Best to you..DON'T GIVE UP!!! You're worth it!!

[Lisa73 0]

coloradobanding, could you give me an example what you are eating for meals in a day I have never heard of this approach and I'm very interested. thanks

[JoJo1 0]

I am quite surprised you have not heard of the Protein issue because it is discussed very extensively here and at my surgeons office. I thought it was everywhere, but apparently it isn't...

Protein helps you increase your metabolism because it uses more calories to eat and to digest!! It helps your hunger level because it doesn't require as big of an insulin surge to metabolize it. It stays with you longer because the stomach uses it more slowly. It is a requirement if you are exercizing but as a band patient, you can not eat large quantities so you really need to concentrate on it to get enough of it in you.

Protein is any meat. Beef, Pork, chicken, fish, cheese, eggs, tofu, Cottage cheese and greek yogurt are also good sources. Protein Shakes make good sources as the last poster stated, but I do not use them unless I am too tight to eat my protein. In the morning, I put Protein Shake powder in my coffee. I can't eat anything solid until around 11AM so then I eat my protein. A small amount of meat and some vegetables in green, not starchy, variety is usually my lunch and dinner. I even use low fat cheese for a snack in the afternoon. Hope it helps!! Hugs!!!