Ready To Give Up

[need2lose2 10]

Thank you guys. I'm feeling better knowing that i'm not the only one having issues and setbacks.

The Protein Bars sound like they would really help after having a meal where i feel deprived (like grilled chicken over a salad). I do have fruit. I do have other healthier Snacks that my nutritionist did not tell me i could have....

Maybe i'm concentrating on her menu and allowances too much?

I cancelled my fill appt for monday because while i feel i can eat greater quantities during the afternoons, when it comes to dinnertime, i do feel restriction after a few bites. I'm a bit hesitant to be any tighter when i can't get around how the band is supposed to work for me. My worst fear is being too tight. It scares me that i'm already at 8.5cc in an 11cc band so i'm going to give it another week and see how the restriction feels (it's been 2 wks since my last fill).

[danielle b 32]

Don't give up! It is hard. But it is worth it. I have had a very rough time. I was banded in June 2005. I lost 55lbs the first yr. Then had a panic attack because People started saying I was looking good. Gained some back. Then life got really crazy.Needless to say it has been a long journey. I'm still not at my goal. In fact in the last year I have broken my ankle and have gained most of my weight back. I feel like I am starting over, but at least I can start over. I haven't had a fill in four years so may 29th I'm getting filled back up and staring over.

I have a hard time with Protein too Cliff bars are by far my favorite. meat gets stuck but chips go down. I so know how you feel. When I did have a good fill I couldn't eat at night either. Someone on here said to me "why do you have to eat dinner?" What a thought! ummmm I don't, I guess. So I just fixed myself a protine drink and sat down with my family. I have eight children an a husband so I didn't want to miss out on dinner. It worked pretty good.

The thing is we have to make the band work for us. We do have to change the way we think about food and the habits we have. That is what it is all about. I thinks so many of us think the lbs will just melt off once we have the band. But the band is only as good as we are. It is just a tool to help. I haven't taken advantage of mine latley, but I know it will work. hang in there an together we will do it! :wub: your new friend Amy

I only cook dinner maybe if the family is lucky 2 or 3 times a week. By the time I get home from work it is almost 5pm...then I hit the computer and about 3 or 4 days a week I walk at 6pm...4 miles. When I get home, it is almost 7:30...I'm usually not hungry, but on days like that I drink a Protein shake 30 grams...and only 160 calories and I call it good!! I agree...who says you have to eat dinner!! NOT ME...

[need2lose2 10]

Sometimes i am actually hungry at dinnertime, when i end up eating too fast and getting stuck and needing to vomit. Other times i just eat dinner cuz well, it's time for dinner. I'm still conditioned to eating at certain times whether i'm hungry or not. But then, if i didn't eat dinner, i'd be looking for food a few hours later.......Ugh, it's all so confusing and frustrating! I sometimes wonder i even got the band in the first place....the foods that i'm supposed to stay away from go down easily with no issues, and the foods i'm supposed to be eating get stuck!! Can someone explain that logic? LOL

[Mxmom740 9]

I, too, feel like I've been conditioned to eat at a certain time each day. I'm trying to wrap my brain around the fact that if I'm not hungry, I shouldn't eat!!! I've been having good success with Protein bars & shakes, as well as loving my chicken & fish. I'm 1 month post-op today & am down 20 lbs. so far. I think I'm getting the hang of how this lap band works, but I love these forums to hear from others & their experiences.

The Protein is what gets me through the day so keep on trying different ways to get it! I'm rooting for you!!!!

[patt741950 1]

I related to alot of what you are saying. I also have a tendency to eat the "wrong" things. I asked my doctor to loosen my band so I could eat Protein without feeling so sick and that has seemed to help a little although I still enjoy those slider foods. I am working on mental conversion right now since I have developed a sweat tooth worse than before and so far haven't gained, but have maintained at a 70 pound loss. Without eliminating the shakes, etc., I don't think I will reach my goal weight so I really have to develop a new attitude. The summer is very hard because of our traveling and eating out so much.

[charding 0]

I just finally opened up this email and found this forum..great infor I got from all of you. I had my lap band surgery 18 mo ago. Lost 50 lbs the first year, not too hard..then for about 4 mo stayed the same no matter what I did.. I lost 10 lbs the last 2 mo and keep staying in the same 5 lbs. CAn't seem to get below it. Reading all your info makes me realize that I used to ALWAYS

CARRY Protein bars with me and nibble on them. Also focused on the protein first at meals and if I had room would eat veggies and carbs.. Thanks for the reminders, hopefully this will help me get through my litle slump. And need2lose2 I will keep you in my positive thoughts that you get your mind, body and soul working with you too.

[pugsx3 39]

I was banded on 9/15/11, and have lost 105 since starting my preop diet. It's been unbelievably hard, and I've stumbled more than once. I can tell you that following the rules (Protein first, no drinking while eating, etc) has lead to my best weight loss. My surgeon says the only thing I can't have is liquid calories - that includes Protein shakes and Isopure drinks. I tried them a couple of times, and even though I was eating less calories, those were they weeks my weight loss stalled - so I gave them up too. For Breakfast, I usually have a zone bar for Protein, and they've worked well. Lastly, I always allow for something sweet daily. My fav is fat free no sugar added vanilla ice cream & diet root beer float. It costs about a hundred calories - but keeps me happy and focused on the prize of reaching goal, and keeping it off this time!

I'm also a carb-a-holic, and getting myself away from them is a daily battle. What I've found is that they're very much like an addiction. The more you eat, the more you want. If you can get off them, you won't crave them as much, and you'll actually feel better and have more energy - at least that's how it is for me. I rarely eat them any more, but when I do, they slow me down and it takes a couple of days to get me back on track.

Don't give up. The only way to guarantee failure is to quit! You can do this, and everyone here is always ready to step in and help. I've found that there is always someone who is able to say just the right thing you need to hear to give you the encouragement and motivation to keep going!

[need2lose2 10]

Thanks so much for the great advice.

For some odd reason, Proteins do not make me full. That's why i had so many problems with most of the diets i went on. That's why i'm frustrated. I need to have the carbs with the Proteins to help me get them down, as well as be satiated both physically and mentally.

You guys have lost so much weight. It's been 7 months since my surgery and i've only gained! I wish i could say i've lost 20-30-50 lbs in the last 7 months.

Have all of you experienced the pb'ing, sliming, and vomiting? I have experienced all 3....can i confide in you about something? Last week my husband and i went to a sit down dinner. I had half of the appetizer which was a mashed potato and meat filling wrapped in pastry, and a bowl of Soup because i wanted to leave room for the Protein (main course). I had the grilled chicken with a side of green Beans. Great, right? Well, i took 2 very small bites and chewed carefully..........and i got stuck!! Getting stuck in public is terrifying and i was trying real hard to ignore it while socializing at the table. I finally got up saying i was going to the restroom and when i got there, there was a line of people and i was dying to wretch it all up. I quickly went outside the building and around the bend.....as i got there i gagged and pb'd and then i vomited it all up! Boy did that feel good afterwards. I'll never forget that feeling. UGH

[pugsx3 39]

I've never had any sliming, stuck food, or pb's, but I don't have restriction either. What I've accomplished has been all mental. One day I sat in my surgeon's office and cried. I told him I'd be willing to go for psych help if that's what it would take, as I could not continue to live like with the constant denial that my life had become. He told me to wait until I had good restriction to make that decision, but was happy to know that I would consider it if necessary. I figure I had surgery to get my weight under control, so I have to be willing to do anything else necessary also. I go tomorrow for another fill, and I pray this is the one that makes a difference.

It sounds to me like you may be too tight. Maybe a small unfill would help with your ability eat solid Protein? If you can't get Protein down, then carbs are all you've got - and that's not good.

[need2lose2 10]

Oh no, sorry if i wasn't clear. I am able to get the amount of Protein down, i just don't like to eat Protein alone. I am struggling with that tremendously. When i eat chicken, for example, i just can't stomach eating only chicken. If i have a cooked veggie on the plate, i need to take add a bit to my bitefulls of chicken. Or add a bit of brown rice to the bite.

I don't think i need an unfill; i am struggling with the decision on if i need another fill. For the most part, i can get through a meal, assuming my bites are small and chewed, with no problems. Sometimes i feel full. Other times, like tonight, i can eat more or start looking for something to eat. I'm trying to figure out if it's head hunger i'm feeling or if indeed i need another fill.

[cbreeden28 23]

Same here need2lose2!! So many bandsters preach about eating Protein first, then veggies, then carbs. But, I like variety with my meals. I don't want to just eat all the protein at once. I like to mix my bites up. I will usually just put the protein and veggies on my plate and mix the bites up. If I get all of that down, I may have a little bit of carbs if I want them. But, I can't just sit down and eat 3-4 ozs. of protein by itself with nothing mixed in between.

[pugsx3 39]

It's clearly not my preference to eat only Protein, but I do it as that's when I have my best results. It kinda helps with the feeling that its more trouble to eat than its worth too, so I end up eating less. Weight loss to me is all about choices and priorities. I can follow the rules and achieve my weight loss goals, or I can eat what I want and not make my goals. I can't eat what I want the way I want and be successful. I ask myself what I want more with every bite I take, and most of the time I choose to achieve my goals. I don't have to find it easy - but every time I make the choice to lose weight I'm that much closer to my goal. Making the right choice also gets easier with each repetition, and ends up becoming habit - especially when you start getting the rewards with good weight loss.

[need2lose2 10]

Same here need2lose2!! So many bandsters preach about eating Protein first, then veggies, then carbs. But, I like variety with my meals. I don't want to just eat all the Protein at once. I like to mix my bites up. I will usually just put the protein and veggies on my plate and mix the bites up. If I get all of that down, I may have a little bit of carbs if I want them. But, I can't just sit down and eat 3-4 ozs. of protein by itself with nothing mixed in between.

It's why i could never be on those high protein diets. Uch. When i told my nutritionist that i cannot eat a 4 egg white omelette (with cheese) for Breakfast on its own, she said it was ok to put the omelette on a piece of whole grain toast and have Tomato slices as well. So in each bite, i get something other than they Gummy whites, kwim?

I struggle with lunch, however. I don't like deli turkey or any deli. I don't eat fish. And i like to have chicken or beef for dinners. The only things i could possibly have as Proteins are Beans on salad or veggie burgers with salad, but i don't always have them on hand and i bore very easily.

Like i said, for dinner, when i have my protein (which is a cooked meat, usually), i need to stack my fork with a piece of protein and the vegetable as well as some of the carb (i try to stick with just the veggie)

[need2lose2 10]

It's clearly not my preference to eat only Protein, but I do it as that's when I have my best results. It kinda helps with the feeling that its more trouble to eat than its worth too, so I end up eating less. Weight loss to me is all about choices and priorities. I can follow the rules and achieve my weight loss goals, or I can eat what I want and not make my goals. I can't eat what I want the way I want and be successful. I ask myself what I want more with every bite I take, and most of the time I choose to achieve my goals. I don't have to find it easy - but every time I make the choice to lose weight I'm that much closer to my goal. Making the right choice also gets easier with each repetition, and ends up becoming habit - especially when you start getting the rewards with good weight loss.

What is your average day's menu?

[pugsx3 39]

I usually eat a zone bar for breakfast - chocolate mint is my fav. Sometimes I have Greek yogurt, or egg beaters with reduced fat cheese and salsa. The egg beaters are what fills me up the best.

lunch is fat free cottage cheese with salsa, or fat free salad dressing or Greek yogurt.

dinner is chicken breast, pork chop, lean burger, tilapia. I almost always have a salad with fat free Salad Dressing and veggie of some kind with it.

I've also found that breakfast is really key for me. If I am satisfied after breakfast, the rest of the day is much easier, and I can eat less. If I'm hungry after eating breakfast, the rest of the day is going to be a real challenge.