This is not as easy as I thought!

[birdee 1]

I have been banded of almost 5 years and I am still not at goal. :huggie: It tool me a very long time to get my head right. The band is a tool that I am indeed greatful for, but you still have to do "something" in order for it to work! I have never been the type of person to take care of myself, so this is very hard for me. I started it out at 235 and I got down to about 176 and lo and behold I got pregnant.:w00t: I am not regretting that for one bit. He is the son I always wanted.....Full term I weighed about 211. Currently I am 186. I would love to 140-150. My son will be 2 in June and I really would like to be 160 by then. I know what I have to do, but I can not get motivated to do it. I would rather just not eat at all then to have to work out and measure food and worry about Water intake.

So my question is this, what do you use for motivation? It is very discouraging to see the weight just fall off of some bandsters...I am sure that everyone is not "playing by all the rules" so why couldn't I be that lucky???:cheers2:

Anywho. I have committed to go to the Y on Monday for Water aerobics....I hope that will help me to stay motivated and do what I have to do!

I hope to get to meet you all here and we work to encourage one another!

[IndioGirl55 32]

I have been banded of almost 5 years and I am still not at goal. :huggie: It tool me a very long time to get my head right. The band is a tool that I am indeed greatful for, but you still have to do "something" in order for it to work! I have never been the type of person to take care of myself, so this is very hard for me. I started it out at 235 and I got down to about 176 and lo and behold I got pregnant.:w00t: I am not regretting that for one bit. He is the son I always wanted.....Full term I weighed about 211. Currently I am 186. I would love to 140-150. My son will be 2 in June and I really would like to be 160 by then. I know what I have to do, but I can not get motivated to do it. I would rather just not eat at all then to have to work out and measure food and worry about Water intake.

So my question is this, what do you use for motivation? It is very discouraging to see the weight just fall off of some bandsters...I am sure that everyone is not "playing by all the rules" so why couldn't I be that lucky???:cheers2:

Anywho. I have committed to go to the Y on Monday for Water aerobics....I hope that will help me to stay motivated and do what I have to do!

I hope to get to meet you all here and we work to encourage one another!

Bridee

I guess it's about how bad you want it - nobody but you can motivate you - I can talk till I blue in the face and give you all the reasons why you should get the rest of your weight off - but you all ready know all the reasons - It's the work involved that seems daunting - break it down into small segments - don't think I have 30 lbs to loss - think of it in 5 lbs in a month - - Ya you gotta do the work IMHO 75% of the work is up to you by making good food choices & exercise - and the bad does the other 25% by restricting your portion

Do you need a fill - go to your doc get a fill - stay committed to going to the Y - (IMHO exercise is key) take it one day at a time - if you dont take care of you who will- and you want to be there for your child .

Good Luck to you..

You just gotta do some soul searching and you will find the strenght to get motuvated

[juliegeraci 7]

I am in the same boat as you. I am down 100 lbs but only 65 is from the band 21 months ago. I am currently 30 lbs from goal. The only thing that has kept me motivated is the thought of my plastic surgery. I can have surgery 20 lbs from goal which puts me 10 lbs from that. To stay motivated I committed and prepaid 10 weeks at Weight Watchers. My first week I only lost .7 but this week I believe I have lost at least 2 lbs. The program is based on a point system. I have been only eating 20 points a day which is 1k calories a day. This is the only motivation I have. As far as exercise goes, I try and do my workout video at least 4 days a week. Good luck.

[MerryHearted 20]

Yeah, the head issues can be tough in the long term. You can see from my siggy that I'm not at goal eiether.

Ultimately you have to decide you want it bad enough to do the work. I highly recommend working through The Beck Diet Solution (not a diet) to help get yourself back on track if you continue to struggle. It's been really helping me so far.

Do you have a list of reasons why you want to lose the weight? That's a good place to start for inspiration / motivation.

[Jachut 487]

It does get harder further out. I must admit, I lost weight steadily if not fast, and easily. I thought it was a breeze. but 2 and a bit years on and thinking "oh, five more kilos would be nice to lose" - I jsut cant seem to manage it. I'm not gaining, I'm maintaining well but I cannot seem to lose a gram. But truly, I dont eat anywhere near as well as I did whilst losing. Its very hard to keep that up long term. If I didnt have a band, I'm sure I would have regained some by now - I've managed to keep a lot of my lifestyle improvements, but I allow a lot of extras in now that I really dont need. Its fine for maintenance, but not for losing.

Could you use an adjustment? I think I could probably benefit from a little fill right about now, just a tweak. But I dont want it because I enjoy the freedom to do what a fill might prevent me from doing, lol.

[snowbird 2]

birdee, I'm not a long timer by any means, but when did you last have a fill? The band is only a tool, but we need to tune it up to make it run right.

I don't exercise like crazy--I ride my bike 5-10 miles a day, but I'm not sweating like crazy in a gym--and I don't measure my foods, because my band holds down the portions when I'm filled adequately. As for fluids, I'm already used to thinking about that because I live in Arizona and you always have to watch your hydration, but I just remind myself to drink a few times a day. I like the sugar free Hawaiian punch or Tropicana light orangeade as a tasty, easy alternative to carbonated drinks.

If you're going to set goals, it might be better to set small, short term ones. I get too discouraged if I set a big goal and then start to see no results. Twenty six pounds in three months IS doable, but it would require a lot of work and constant vigilance. Why not just say, I will lose two pounds by the end of the month, and be thrilled if it happens sooner? That works better for me, and makes me feel successful rather than like a failure. I don't know as I am really in a position to give you advice, but unfortunately that never stops me!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

The Beck Diet Solution is a great book! It has helped me a lot.

[favorite 3]

are you getting fills? without proper restriction losing is almost as difficult as having no band. and just keep thinking of how much more you will enjoy playing with your little boy with less weight on you.

[Songinmysoul1 0]

Yes, after 4 monts of not loosing a dang thing, I too have come to the conclusion that I must "diet" with weight loss surgery! No, I am not so fortunate as to have it fall off at all. I know I have good restriction, actually I might have to much. Anyhow, I have since put myself on a 1200 calorie diet and before the band I would have been famished but this tool is helping me feel satisfied. I should start loosing like gang busters I hope!?

[IndioGirl55 32]

Yes, after 4 monts of not loosing a dang thing, I too have come to the conclusion that I must "diet" with weight loss surgery! No, I am not so fortunate as to have it fall off at all. I know I have good restriction, actually I might have to much. Anyhow, I have since put myself on a 1200 calorie diet and before the band I would have been famished but this tool is helping me feel satisfied. I should start loosing like gang busters I hope!?

Songinmysoul

Take the word diet out of your vocabulary - diets don't work - what happens when you go off your diet - you gain all your weight back plus some - This is a Lifetime Lifestyle change in your eating habits - this isn't about dieting - though diet is the correct word for what ever you eat - be it fast food or healthy food but diet has such a bad connotation to it.

This is about change the way you think and feel about food - it's no longer your medication but something you must do to live - you will learn to eat to live not live to eat - Food will lose it's power over you.

IHMO I feel that 75% of the work is up to you (mental & physical exercise) and that the band will do 25% of the job restricting your portions - but you have to eat healthy and not around the band.

Good Luck and I am glad that you have discovered that the band is not the magic cure to your issues with food and I really don't think that any of us have had the weight fall off - without doing the work.

I don't like it to be know that I am banded - then my weight loss will be discounted - I have worked HARD at eating healthy and exercising my butt off - It would have been so much easier to eat around my band - but had I - I would be at the same place I started and not the healthier, more active - feeling 10 yrs younger person that I have become.

My best to you

Also - it's not that you can't do it - it's that you think you can't - Take the words HOPE out of your vocabulary and replace with I WILL - Positive reinforcement...

[socaldixiegal 0]

I am SO right there with you guys. When I went into this I was foolishly thought it would be easy - even though I did TONS of research. There was still a thought in the back of my head that the band would do all the work.

Months later it's really sinking in that I have to do the work too! I'm still not really at that sweet spot in that even eating something healthy I can eat too much and I'm getting hungry too often, but I have to make sure that my choices are the best ones.

Yes, I've realized it's my choices that matter.

[IndioGirl55 32]

I am SO right there with you guys. When I went into this I was foolishly thought it would be easy - even though I did TONS of research. There was still a thought in the back of my head that the band would do all the work.

Months later it's really sinking in that I have to do the work too! I'm still not really at that sweet spot in that even eating something healthy I can eat too much and I'm getting hungry too often, but I have to make sure that my choices are the best ones.

Yes, I've realized it's my choices that matter.

Socaldixiegal

I am at my sweet spot and i still get hungry - for me the band doesn't take away all of my hunger - it stops me from eating more (I can't eat a whole taco- usually about 1/2 to 3/4 with a couple bite of Beans and some chip) - I will eat dinner be phyically full but still want to eat -

Our brains are the root of our issues with food not our stomach.

I am happy that you have come to the realization that it is all about your choices - that's half the battle

Best wishes to you to get to your goal.. You can do it if you do the work.

Hugs

Janet

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

The band does a lot of the work for me. I ended up eating out twice today.

lunch I ordered a shrimp salad. I could only eat the shrimp and nothing else. I really wasn't even hungry at dinner time.

The only thing the band doesn't help me with is head hunger. That is up to me.

Having the right fill makes a huge difference.

[ginger3151 0]

I totally agree

[Aquameliza 0]

Yeah, this is not as easy as I thought. They are right when they say that the band does not do the work - you have to do the work. I have been getting stuck and vomiting waay to much lately. I hate doing that and everytime I have, it is my own fault- eating too fast or too much. It is so hard to see food on the plate and no be able to eat it. I am thinking of not eating with my husband as it kills me to watch him take big bites and barely chew it at all. Oh, well, I will stick with it and am learning so many lessons on the time. Rather than grazing for lunch at work, I am going to try frozen Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers meals - I need control and that should help me.