Confused and discouraged

[Melissannde 41]

I had the LAP-BAND®®® placed 7 months ago. I lost 20 lbs pre op, 30 lbs post op, but stopped losing 3 months ago.

Congratulations on loosing 50 lbs!! It's disheartening I know to regain, but it does happen. You can start losing again if you work at it.

I don't know what the LAP-BAND®®® is suppose to do. I have the same bad habits I had before the band. I eat the wrong things and eat too often. These are my cravings and the LAP-BAND®®® has not changed that.

You will get different responses to this.. but what I've been taught is that the band is supposed to DIM your hunger. Making it a little easier to control your impulses. It's always possible to eat more and to make poor choices, the band doesn't take over for you.

I was told to eat 3 oz of Protein (I actually ate 4oz at the beginning of my journey because I was SMO ~ super morbidly obese ~ and have gone to 3oz as I lost) and 1/2 cup of low carb veggies. Try not to eat white carbs.. white potatoes, white rice, Pasta, bread, white flour products, corn...As these items TEND to be high glycemic and will make you hungry sooner.

After eating your Protein and produce.. move away from the table. If I am still hungry 20 minutes after I finish my meal, my nurses say I can have more veggies. I'm usually not physically hungry. Oh.. I can eat.. head hunger is almost never quiet.. but actual physical hunger is usually abated by the small meal.

I lost weight because I was motivated to because I had the LAP-BAND®®®. It was pure psychology, not any physiological effect of the LAP-BAND®®®.

Yes, I see that you are saying that you have no control over what you put in your mouth. I know it is difficult, but you do have control. As someone said on another support list today.. food addiction is very difficult. With alcoholism or drug addiction, you can put the addiction in a cage and never let it out. With food addiction you have to let it out of the cage at least 3x a day.

I've had fills until I can hardly eat solid food. Nothing helps. I can see that the band can help those that eat too much at a meal, but not a habitual grazer like me.

If you can't eat solid food comfortably, you may be too tight. When you are too tight it's so much easier to eat soft foods .. and those tend to be higher calorie. You need to be able to eat solid, but tender protein and vegetables. And a tiny tiny bit of whole grain.

I have not seen a doctor since being banded in March. The doctors in this hospital group only so the surgery and know nothing about the working of the band, diet, and could probably not even do a fill. That is not the way this group works. The nurses do everything - fills and counselling and even fluoroscopy fills.

I have also had all my fills done by the nurses. I have seen my doctor in passing, but never had him do a fill or even an exam room visit with him. I'm perfectly fine with this. I think I might end up seeing him next week on my regular appt as he has started seeing patients on Wednesdays and that's the day of my appt. If you feel the nurses are competent regarding fills, and other follow-up, great. If you are unhappy, then you could ask to have an appt with one of the surgeons, or maybe even look for another bariatric practice.

Honestly, I did know prior to surgery that the band may not help a grazer. But I decided to have it anyway. I thought it would help some. However, i can't say it is of any value to me. I could not keep weight off before and I can't do it now. It still takes a willpower that I, just like most overweight people, so not have.

I'm not sure I buy the "no will-power" thing, but I will grant that maybe you really don't have any where food is concerned. Would you be willing to try to learn some techniques to develop some willpower? Look into behavior modification books. A very good one is "The Beck Diet Solution" by Judith Beck. It's not a diet per se, but a guide on how to deal with disordered eating and sabotaging thoughts and actions.

The band may contribute to more grazing because I can not eat as much at meals, so I get hungrier later. So maybe I am need some fill removed. However, I did no better when I was less filled.

Try putting yourself on a feeding schedule, if you know you're going to be able to eat again in a few hours, it might be a bit easier for you. For example:

I have Breakfast at 7am. steel cut oatmeal with walnuts & apples & 1 turkey sausage patty or link.

If I get hungry before lunch, I let myself have a high protein snack around 10am.

lunch is anywhere from Noon to 1pm depending on my schedule. smoked salmon/reduced fat cream cheese, veggies.

PM snack is about 3 hours after lunch. today was a small apple and a cheese stick.

Supper is usually about 6:30pm chicken breast & veggies.

If I really want something ..and I haven't exceeded my calories, I will have 100 cal. snack (or less) before bed. I try to keep it to a cup of tea, but sometimes I'll have a bit of almonds.

I also make myself drink 32 oz of Water between Breakfast and lunch. Another 16 oz before supper and the last 16 oz after supper. This doesn't include any flavored drinks or tea I might have.

I'm not perfect (fell off the wagon and ate a half box of saltines yesterday.. dang it), but every time I fall off, I get up and try again.

You might also try keeping track of your food intake on a website such as The Daily Plate on LIVESTRONG.COM - Calorie Counter, Weight Loss, Food Calorie Counter, Nutrition Facts | LIVESTRONG.COM. I know other folks here really like fitday.com. The website All Things Food and Diet - FatSecret also has it's fans. Just chose one that works for you and use it. I think it's very helpful to record what I'm taking in. I can also make a printout when I go in for my appts and the nurse and I can discuss where I'm doing well and where I need to make changes.

I know you said you exercise, but it might be that your body has become accustomed to what you are doing, you may need to do some extra or some intervals. Do you belong to a gym? If you do, see if they have any trainers who will work with you for a short period of time. I know I used to think that hiring a trainer was an indulgence.. and it is to a degree, but they can be very helpful. And not all of them are expensive.

Does the bariatric group you're involved with have support groups? Do you attend? If they don't have any, may I suggest joining this one online?

SmartBandsters : Smart_Bandsters

health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SmartBandsters/

I hope I haven't come across harsh and unfeeling. That's not my intention at all. I'm impressed at how far you've come and am so glad you're reaching out for help.

[Melissannde 41]

Another little "trick" that works for me is that when I want to indulge in something, I try and work the calories off first... before I eat it.

I used to love McD's sausage biscuits. Those dang things are about 430 calories each. And I used to eat two of them per sitting. :thumbup: :smile2:

Do you know how long it takes to work off 430 calories on a treadmill? Waaaayyy too long. So totally not worth it.

Make a list of the reasons you want to lose weight and post it where you can see it every day (maybe in more than one place).

Hang in there.. you can do this!!

[Llyra 3]

I will bet dollars to donuts... that there are grazers on this forum that have the LAP-BAND® and have learned to make it work for them. Most likely they changed the foods they grazed on.

Well, you'd win that bet, Phranp, because here I am. I gave up hamburgers, french fries, pizza, soft bread, and any number of foods I once thought I could not live without, largely because the band makes them damned uncomfortable to eat. I find that while I sometimes miss the idea of being able to eat exactly what I want, I don't miss the reality. I ate a bite of pizza this week and honestly- it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered.

My weight loss is slow, about 4-5 pounds a month, but since I gained all that weight at about the same rate, I'm not surprised. I am happy with my progress and hope to progress even further with both weight loss and adjustment to a healthier way of grazing.

I wish you well, Fred. May I suggest a counselor or psychologist to help you work through your food-related hang-ups? I have a standing appointment with my counselor every five or six weeks just to check in and make sure I'm doing okay. It helps, it really does.