Following my own advice -- :(

[coltonwade 27]

someone told me once we did not gain the weight overnight so its not going to come off overnight. Which is hard for me to remember sometimes.

Im over half way there now and even though it took me 7 months for the first half to come off it seems like it went by very quickly. However it seems like ( it may and it may not be I dont know ) the weight is coming off very slowly now . So i too am getting a bit frustrated.

Maybe in another 6 months I'll think " wow that went by fast"

I just need to keep working at it . I sometimes forget things i need to be doing. I just now really started exercising other than walking .

I have had to step away from the boars too . They can help and sometimes hender you . Sometimes encourage and sometimes discourage you.

nothing wrong with that at all. Do what you feel is best.

Dont forget about me though ! LOL

Mindy

[hollyberries 2]

Thanks, Cindy! Your marathon analogy is right on! For me, weighing every day is like running a marathon and constantly checking to see how fast I'm going. Who cares how fast I'm going? There's no way I'm coming in first and my only goal is to finish! :biggrin: I don't even give my students timed tests because all I care about is what they know, not how fast they can tell me what they know. :welldoneclap:

I think it's time I step away from the scales and maybe even step away from the board, which is going to happen anyway with the start of the new semester tomorrow. I don't mean that I'm leaving but that I need to curtail my obsession a bit. The November 07 forum is my favorite, however, so I'll still check in here.

Thanks, Momto1plus1, Mindy, Kristin, and Sades for your comments and this enlightening discussion! :wink:

Longhorn-

Can I call on you when I get into math trouble with homeschooling my boys. I gotta tell you I agree with timed speed drills. I believe that my kids need to know the concept and that speed is not necessary. It is what they know verses how fast the can do it. That being said, I am beginning to think that I did not learn a dang thing in school because I am learning so much by teaching the boys. I never thought I could be so good at fractions. LOL

Best wishes with the new semester! Don't stay away because I will miss your post and awesome insight. You really do keep me grounded. I agree about the November 07 forum! It is the best and I have enjoyed getting to know all my November Bandster brothers and sisters.

Cindy

[Longhorn 1]

Longhorn-

Can I call on you when I get into math trouble with homeschooling my boys. I gotta tell you I agree with timed speed drills. I believe that my kids need to know the concept and that speed is not necessary. It is what they know verses how fast the can do it. That being said, I am beginning to think that I did not learn a dang thing in school because I am learning so much by teaching the boys. I never thought I could be so good at fractions. LOL

Best wishes with the new semester! Don't stay away because I will miss your post and awesome insight. You really do keep me grounded. I agree about the November 07 forum! It is the best and I have enjoyed getting to know all my November Bandster brothers and sisters.

Cindy

Sure, I'd be glad to help! I teach at the college level but everything from basic math (including fractions! :wink:) to calculus.

I don't have a problem with timed practice drills when kids are learning addition and multiplication facts by rote but that shouldn't be the only way they are quizzed or tested. I like the idea of setting a timer and letting them take as long as they need but the next time, they try to beat their own time. I find that there's a lot students who suffer math anxiety and test anxiety and especially math test anxiety and timed testing just makes it worse.

I won't stay away from this board, I promise, if y'all promise to keep coming back and letting us support one another! :welldoneclap:

[shortgal 5]

Stay away from the scale? I can't do it. We went away for the weekend and I had no scale and couldn't stand it.

I have to know the number, especially right now, when i have no restriction! Mostly, I check often to be sure I haven;t gained. If the scale goes up or doesn't go down even a little in five to seven days, then I get back on to 800 calories for two days.

Problem is, I want to be feel full on 800 calories and I don't.. Right now with no restriction, calorie intake has climbed to 1200.

My next appt is tomorrow! I hope, hope, hope to get at least a little restriction at least for a week!

My dr has been willing to fill about every two weeks, but they are small fills and I had nothing placed at surgery like some others.

I can live with going down slowly and I can live (unhappily) with staying the same (until I get good fill) but I can't take going back up at all.

[coltonwade 27]

Stay away from the scale? I can't do it. We went away for the weekend and I had no scale and couldn't stand it.

I have to know the number, especially right now, when i have no restriction! Mostly, I check often to be sure I haven;t gained. If the scale goes up or doesn't go down even a little in five to seven days, then I get back on to 800 calories for two days.

Problem is, I want to be feel full on 800 calories and I don't.. Right now with no restriction, calorie intake has climbed to 1200.

My next appt is tomorrow! I hope, hope, hope to get at least a little restriction at least for a week!

My dr has been willing to fill about every two weeks, but they are small fills and I had nothing placed at surgery like some others.

I can live with going down slowly and I can live (unhappily) with staying the same (until I get good fill) but I can't take going back up at all.

At 800 cals I was Hungry as hell and Not loosing at all ! Your calorie intake ideally should be from 1000-1200 calories a day . at 800 cals a day your body can go into Ketosis which is dangerous not to mention STINKY ! LOL

Even before I had restriction My doc told me to get in as close to 1200 a day and when i started exercising 1000 was a MUST !

If you dont your body will go into starvation mode and you wont loose.

Your not doing yourself any justice by cutting back . So EAT WOMAN LOL

I agree with you on the scale though , I cant stay away either.

I have to know if i have gained I manage to only weigh once a week !.

But the first 2 months or so it was every day .

Once you get restriction you should have it for much longer than a week. Mine lasts for around 6-8 weeks.

Good luck . Do you have a larger band ?

HTH

Mindy

[shortgal 5]

Trust me, the 800 calories was just two days and it did seem to break the barrier of the scale not going down.

At 56 years old and being relatively inactive right now, I have to avoid 1200 calories, but 1000 seems ok.

My new worry... I have my dr's appt tomorrow and I just had the worst "stuck" episode I've had. I've had one or two mild stuck events in the whole six weeks and now the night before, I get a bad one? I tried the papaya enzyme and pineapple juice ( even tho' it seems impossible to drink or chew when you're stuck), i walked around for about 10 minutes and it finally came up. I was eating some fresh berries and I guess I didn't chew it well enough. But in the last week, I've felt like I didn't even have a band until tonight's event.

I have a 10cc band with I think 3cc in it.

[shortgal 5]

Trust me, the 800 calories was just two days and it did seem to break the barrier of the scale not going down.

At 56 years old and being relatively inactive right now, I have to avoid 1200 calories, but 1000 seems ok.

My new worry... I have my dr's appt tomorrow and I just had the worst "stuck" episode I've had. I've had one or two mild stuck events in the whole six weeks and now the night before, I get a bad one? I tried the papaya enzyme and pineapple juice ( even tho' it seems impossible to drink or chew when you're stuck), i walked around for about 10 minutes and it finally came up. I was eating some fresh berries and I guess I didn't chew it well enough. But in the last week, I've felt like I didn't even have a band until tonight's event.

I have a 10cc band with I think 3cc in it.

[coltonwade 27]

Trust me, the 800 calories was just two days and it did seem to break the barrier of the scale not going down.

At 56 years old and being relatively inactive right now, I have to avoid 1200 calories, but 1000 seems ok.

My new worry... I have my dr's appt tomorrow and I just had the worst "stuck" episode I've had. I've had one or two mild stuck events in the whole six weeks and now the night before, I get a bad one? I tried the papaya enzyme and pineapple juice ( even tho' it seems impossible to drink or chew when you're stuck), i walked around for about 10 minutes and it finally came up. I was eating some fresh berries and I guess I didn't chew it well enough. But in the last week, I've felt like I didn't even have a band until tonight's event.

I have a 10cc band with I think 3cc in it.

As time goes on we defiently get a feel for what we need to do . If i start to slow down I can go walk for 30 mintues and im not kidding the next day the scales moves . I dont track my calories anymore. And i wont .

Unless its needed to see why im not loosing .

As for the stuck episode. Be sure and tell your doc you had one last night, he might want to keep you on liquids longer after the fill ( if you have one)

As for the pineapple juice and the papaya enzymes, I like the Enzymes better , i find it SO HARD To drink if im stuck , it hurts sometimes so bad. So i prefer the papaya Enzymes . They seem to work better too .

The pineapple juice usually makes me PB if I am stuck.

HTH

Mindy

[shortgal 5]

I found it hard to even chew the papaya tabs while I was stuck, but I did, hoping it would help.

I will definitely tell them today at my appt, but I hope it doesn't change my fill, because I really feel I need it. They keep me on liquids two days anyway.

Once I get restriction, I hope I can once again stop counting calories, but without restriction, I need to know that I'm on track. It's so easy to "fool" yourself and pretend a few things didn't count if you don't add it up.

My son is getting married late Sept and if it wasn't for that, I would just take my time and go thru the band process gradually, but I know buying a dress will be hard enough and trying to avoid being disguested with myself when shopping and I'll have to start looking in July, so time is running out.

Before surgery, I was walking 3 miles about 5 times a week. then I had surgery and the weather here changed and I haven't gotten back on track with that. I know I will again when spring comes, it really made me feel better.

[lindata 1]

"I'm only frustrated with myself for giving into the frequent weighing. Oh, sure, I'd love to be losing as quickly as some. As helpful as this board is, the down side can be reading about others gushing about how the weight is falling off when it isn't happening to me. And I know I'm not losing because I don't have restriction yet, because I had a low BMI to begin with, and because I'm perimenopausal and having periods that last two weeks and come every two weeks. "

Longhorn, you are doing great! If this were someone else, wouldn't you say the same thing to them? I think we all are a lot harder on ourselves than if the same thing were happening to others.

If weighing you every day is depressing, then stop! You don't need that aggravation. I like weighing every day. If I don't then I gain for sure. And my weight fluctuates all the time. I tend to lose, then gain it back, then lose it once and for all, then plateau there for a while, and the cycle begins again. But if you're frustrated by it, then how about just at your doc's office like you first started? How about you throw out that scale and just rely on your doc's? Then it's not even there to tempt you, and you can focus on NSV's and the way your clothes fit.

ALSO, big important thing here, you always weigh more at the doc's office than at home. Usually at home it's in the morning, no clothes, no food in your belly. At the doc's office you're wearing clothes, retaining Water weight from the day, etc, etc.

I also hate the gushers. It makes me want to stab myself in the eye. It's hard not to compare to others though. I feel like I'm losing at a great rate FOR ME - it's probably slow compared to others. It looks like I've lost a lot but most of that was on my liquid phase in the beginning. I've slowed right down, but for ME it's absolutely incredible, and I have to keep reminding myself of that. I'm thankful when I don't GAIN, so to lose is an absolute miracle.

I also have a hard time with challenges. It kind of sets me up to fail. But they can be very motivational for the right people.

So, end of story, you're doing great! Don't beat yourself up! And do what works FOR YOU!!

Love ya!

Linda XOXO

[Kristin1031 0]

I was told the BAND would afford me 1-2 pounds per week weight loss! This is suppose to be a slow process. Not like GB and other more invasive procedures like the DS.

I chose my BAND because I wanted slow and steady, giving my body time to catch up to the changes, and my skin a chance perhaps to shrink back. I think so far it has been dramatic. I believe the more we have to lose the faster it will be in the beginning.......but it will all even out. The closer we get to goal the harder it might become.

It is hard to not think we should be losing 10 pounds a week, because the is exactlly what I did the week of perop! Sure it was possible but I was only on Clear Liquids.

LOL........I figure as long as the scale is moving that is success, it hasn't moved in years except to climb,climb,climb!!

We all deserve KUDOS for jobs well done, to take the step in the first place was huge, to stay on course......heck that deserves an Academy Award in my humble opinion.....LOL!:biggrin2:

[Longhorn 1]

Thanks, Linda! I think I've finally decided that there's nothing wrong with weighing every day, that I've just got to get over caring about what the scales say. I need to look at it as a part of my day like brushing my teeth or taking my Vitamins. I can be pleased when I see a new number but this time, I know that a pound or two of "gain" really is just fluctuation because I can't not lose weight with this band! I'm not trying to defeat it, I'm stepping up my exercise, and I'm eating less than ever on a prolonged, consistent basis, and that has to result in losses eventually.

Maybe it's my second fill and the fact that I met with the physical trainer but I'm feeling more relaxed and optimistic and patient now. And there's no reason to really care how long this takes because I'm not suffering at all, which is the big difference with most diets. There's no reason for me to long for this losing phase to end based on hunger or deprivation because I'm not experiencing any of that. That's the band working! Of course, if I allowed myself to be hungry or deprived, I'd probably be losing faster but that would just lead to more frustration so I think I'll opt for comfort.

I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses because it has really helped me sort some things out in my head. I think a lot of this is the old diet mentality and I've got to get used to the fact that it's different this time. And it's not fair for me to suggest that others shouldn't be thrilled with their losses. My gosh, where else can they virtually jump for joy about every little pound than this board?!! It's my problem, not theirs, if I allow myself to get down over the successes of others.

So we'll continue to support each other -- happy for the losses and understanding when it's slow. Thanks so much, Sweetie! :biggrin:

[Longhorn 1]

Kristin:

You're absolutely right and at 19 pounds in 11 weeks, I'm right on the average. I think I got it in my head that it would be 1 or 2 pounds a week AFTER the initial loss. :wink2: So when I only lost 3-1/2 pounds in 5 weeks, it was a little depressing. It's funny because I wasn't hungry -- I didn't diet, per se, so I wasn't suffering any but I knew I was eating way less than usual so it can be a little discouraging. But as you can see in my response to Linda, I'm over it.

Since I'm back to weighing myself every day, I was down to 206 yesterday, which would be three more pounds since my doctor's visit. One pound of that is probably clothes and I won't be shocked if the 206 doesn't stand. In the past, my weight loss has been like a ball bouncing down the stairs: it lands on a new stair but bounces up and down on that stair for a while, then finally bounces on a lower stair. I think I'll start recording my weight by using the new stair and then not recording it again until I hit another stair. It helps me ignore the bounces. :mad:

Y'all are my rocks! Thanks! :biggrin:

[Skinny_Jill 36]

Hi Longhorn,

I'm so glad you are feeling better about your weight because you are doing great. I weigh everyday and my weight seems to stay the same for 5 days and then it will drop a little for a few days and then level off. I also feel like I haven't lost much since surgery but I've lost 13 pounds in 8 weeks so that really is pretty good. At least the losses are steady unlike in the past. This thread is great because it proves that journey is much mental as it is physical. For the 1st time I believe that I will lose this weight and keep it off. It is very exciting, scary, frustrating and many other adjectives I can't think of right now. :biggrin:

I truly believe we all win this battle!

[Longhorn 1]

Hi Longhorn,

I'm so glad you are feeling better about your weight because you are doing great. I weigh everyday and my weight seems to stay the same for 5 days and then it will drop a little for a few days and then level off. I also feel like I haven't lost much since surgery but I've lost 13 pounds in 8 weeks so that really is pretty good. At least the losses are steady unlike in the past. This thread is great because it proves that journey is much mental as it is physical. For the 1st time I believe that I will lose this weight and keep it off. It is very exciting, scary, frustrating and many other adjectives I can't think of right now.

I truly believe we all win this battle!

Hi, Jill!

You reminded me of how I lost weight every other week when I was on Weight Watchers years ago. It was so predictable, it was a joke! I think that on some level, I expected the band to be magic, even though, intellectually, I knew exactly how it worked. And why would I lose weight that quickly when I couldn't lose weight AT ALL on 1400 to 1600 calories a day? At least for now, my body clearly is holding on to every ounce of fat and it is taking a very low calorie diet to make it budge. The band is allowing me to do that without suffering and I truly am thrilled by that.

Congratulations on your loss and may it keep coming for all of us! :biggrin: