Experienced Bandsters please...

[tanderson 3]

Hey everyone,

I am scheduled to be banded on June 4th. Here lately I have been doing a lot of soul searching and I am in the need of support.

My thing is that I am a chronic over-eater...usually out of bordem, but sometimes depression as well. I know that the band should help me with some of that, but I will have to address those issues too if I want to be successful. I have dieted so many times in my life and have usually been successful, only to regain plus more for various reasons. (I know you all know where I am coming from.) The last few times that I dieted, I would eat well, drink 80 ounces of Water a day, and exercise only to find that in a weeks time I had not lost ANY weight! In fact, sometimes I would gain. So then I would be so depressed that I would start shoveling any and everything in my mouth.

I am so scared that after I am banded that even though my caloric levels will drop and I will be exercising, that I will not lose any weight. Is this even possible? Did any of you have these feelings prior to being banded? How do I work through this?

Also, while I have you here...after you are banded and you eat a meal, do you stay full feeling for a long time? What is a typical days worth of meals for you? Approximately how many calories do you take in a day? And how in the world do you get enough Protein in your diet? OMG...I am freaking out. I just don't want to be a failure...I just can't fail at this!

Sorry this is so long...any suggestions, comments or advice would be so much appreciated!

Peace Out!

T~ :hippie:

[jasgot 0]

I have been strugling with this very concern for days, I just logged in to post my concern as a question.

I am scared to death to go through with the surgery, only to find that I still eat when bored, upset or depressed......

How is this problem dealt with?

[edieparks 2]

Dear Jasgot and Tandern,

Oh dear! Your question (s) are tough ones.

I will attempt to answer the first one I came to in your post.

" If I follow all the rules of banding and don't lose weight, is that possible?".

No and yes.

In my 8 months I lost 105 lbs. I also had 5 plateaus! One lasted almost a month.

I was doing the same routine mostly. I was able to exercise longer as I became more able. I ate around the same amount of calories (1000-1100) and drank about the same amount of liquids (4 20 ounces).

I was depressed when I would get on the scales and they hadn't budged.

I have read everything about plateaus. Your body hanging on because you are losing.... it didn't make me feel any better.

Nothing is an instant fix.

I should not have jumped on the scales so much but just try to keep me off them.

edie

[Jade 0]

Jasgot and Tandern,

I like edieparks have had incredible success and had the same fears as yourself before I was banded. Asking the questions you are asking is the first step you should make.

The answer about caloric intake is to measure yourself on the scale and count your calories. The surgery really helps you with Portion Control. Eat fresh foods and never step foot into a fastfood place again. I haven't because after eating healthy- the food is absolutely disgusting. If you let yourself- you can walk down any chips/baked goods/ cracker aisle at the supermarket without stopping and feel so proud for it. In addition, you have to look at the surgery as a JOURNEY!! You will try a variety of foods and some will work while others will not. It's different for everyone. I personally try to stay away from Soups and soft foods simply because they don't fill me as if I was eating a small piece of fish, chicken or steak. I never eat sandwiches because bread is something I cannot eat anymore. I have for lunch about a few ounces of shaved turkey (shaved really helps get it down), a slice of diet cheese or salad or cooked veges (whatever I have room for ). My Breakfast consists of a Light n' fit yogurt and a Protein bar. My dinner is usually meat of some sort ( a few ounces) and salad or veges. I drink Soy milk in my coffee and sometimes I will drink Isopure if I feel I am too little on my Protein.

I mix it up and I excercise because I LOVE to try out things I could never do before. It blows my mind to think I will do an hour of Step aerobics after an hour of Pilates.....Anyway, this like life itself is a journey full of twists and turns. However, never give up, be honest and ENJOY THE RIDE!!! Understand that food is really not that exciting of a thing when you can express yourself and MOVE like you have never done so before. There are so many opportunities before you. Don't waste one more moment of your life obsessing over food. Be "Bigger" than that- Good Luck!

[mylapspirit 2]

Jade, your post is wonderful. I am going to print it out and hang in the kitchen and put a copy under my pillow at night.

Thank you!

[Chickie 15]

I am so scared that after I am banded that even though my caloric levels will drop and I will be exercising, that I will not lose any weight. Is this even possible? Did any of you have these feelings prior to being banded? How do I work through this?

Also, while I have you here...after you are banded and you eat a meal, do you stay full feeling for a long time? What is a typical days worth of meals for you? Approximately how many calories do you take in a day? And how in the world do you get enough Protein in your diet? OMG...I am freaking out. I just don't want to be a failure...I just can't fail at this!

Hi Tanderson!

Yes, I was worried that despite being properly restricted, eating good healthy food and exercising I would not lose weight. I think fear of failure is pretty normal. How do you work through it? I don't know how you should do it, but I know for me, talking through my fears with my husband, and prayer helped me a lot.

I stay full for quite a few hours after I eat. This is pretty normal for me. But then, I tend to eat more than most of the people here at LBT (I eat a small meal of carbs, Protein and veggies. If I put it in a cup it would fill a medium coffee mug) But it works for me. If I had to guess how many calories I eat it would be somewhere between 1500 and 2000 a day. I don't keep track of my daily protein, but my blood work always comes back normal, and I still have all my hair, so I guess I must be getting somewhere near enough protein.

I have been banded over two years now, almost 10 months of that at, or under my goal weight, I have learned that the health benefits of being a normal weight are amazing. I feel alive, fit and healthy. Losing weight has shown me that I can do anything. That I can achieve anything I want to. I have become the person I wanted to be - Inside and out. And as good as getting to my goal weight was, that little revelation was better.

I wish you the best of luck.

[tanderson 3]

Thanks to all who responded with encouragement, support, and understanding. Just when I think I am a looney for feeling the way I do, I realize that I am really pretty normal...and it's OK to be feeling these feelings!

Peace Out!

T~:hippie: