Who considers themselves....

~c~ · March 31, 2005

successful in their weight loss journey?and why?

Now for the why i ask.

I schedualed another fill but don't honestly know if this is what i need.

I haven't been following the rules.I know i can eat alot.I eat exactly what i want just like before and am not trying at all.I don't know why i do this.It seems i will be going along, doing all the right things for several weeks and then revert back to all the old behavior.It seems like an up and down pattern.

I don't know if i should get a fill and recommit myself to losing weight or try and change my habit first then get a fill what do you think?

one too many · March 31, 2005

If you go and get your fill, I would say you won't be able to eat just what you want so it will be easier break the cycle.Therfor you will be able to recommit yourself.This band is a tool.Use it or you won't loose it.(weight that is) You know how to do it as you have done so well so far.We all have bad days ..take stock ...refocus get filled.

The very best of luck.

Iluvharleys · March 31, 2005

If you are not following the banster rules of eating your Protein first, then veggies, etc. you won't feel full and the band won't work for you. If you are consuming liquids over protein, it is not working properly. I think I would get back to the basics, eat properly for a couple of weeks, and if you are losing then you don't need a fill. If you aren't losing eating the proper way, then you need a fill. Fills are not going to work unless you are eating properly. Your band is just a tool to help you, without you working with it, it won't work as it is supposed to.

live2canoe · March 31, 2005

If you can 'eat alot - just like before' I say you need a fill.

You went to the trouble of getting this wonderful tool - why not use it to it's full potential? If we could do it on our own, just by eating right, none of us would need a band.

Good Luck!!

DeLarla · March 31, 2005

Good question. I'm an awesome success. I stopped losing weight a couple months ago, but I'm still down 70 pounds. I don't have a port so I can't have a fill, but I still have enough restriction that I'm not gaining anything back. Medically speaking, I need to lose another 60-70 pounds if I want to see myself on the "normal" BMI scale (I'm still considered morbidly obese.)

My husband doesn't want me losing any more, and neither do my friends. They say I'm happy and healthy now. I'd like a new port next year so I can lose 30 more, but I'm happy where I am today. Obviously you'll lose weight if you eat right, but none of us were able to eat right without the Band anyway. Some people have more willpower or whatever you want to call it so they found a way to eat healthy food in small proportions according to the Band rules.

I like goodies too much. Maybe one day with a new port and more restriction I'll be able to give them up, but the Band is just a tool while we still have to do most of the work. You say you aren't trying, but when you have no restriction it's just like not having a band, right? Well, we couldn't manage our food before that tight restricted feeling, so maybe you need that feeling again, which you'll get from your fill?

lapbander081004 · March 31, 2005

Kim,

I agreee 100% with you. If I could have done this without the band I'd be thinner. I got the band because everything else failed. Now when I need a fill and the food is not staying up long enought I revert back to old habits...Why because Its what has cause me to fail in the past. Obiesity is a disease and the government now admits it. Alcoholics go back to old habits if they get off thier program as do drug addicts. I am addicted to food and I can control it with the band.

Good luck and don't hold back from a fill. Let the darn thing work with you and good luck.

Oh yes I forgot to mention that even thought I recntly gained weight due to Falling off the program. I still say I'm a success because I got back up and to it and have lost all I gained and working on dumping more in the future. Without the band I won't have gotten back up and at it again.

Alexandra · March 31, 2005

C, the fact is that it's easier to eat less when your hunger is dimmed by a properly adjusted band. So the question is: Are you saying you are able to eat a lot even when you're not really hungry? Or are you really hungry and so eating a lot?

If you are not hungry yet are able to overeat, my thinking is that a fill will not really help. Even with tight restriction it's always possible to overeat and eat the wrong things. Grazing or soft foods are the culprits there. If that's what's going on then it may be that you are perfectly well restricted and need to focus more on changing your habits. I've gone through this process several times.

If, on the other hand, you are hungry just an hour or so after eating a protein-rich meal, I'd say a fill will definitely help. Only you can really determine what steps you should take.

As for whether I consider myself a success on my weight-loss journey, the answer is a resounding YES. My reasons for getting banded were more about arresting the upward trend in my weight and becoming more energetic than anything else. Both of those things have been achieved in spades. I was a success a year ago after only a 40-lb loss.

QWINNER · March 31, 2005

I have only been banded since January, and I consider myself successful not only because of the weight I lost but because of the way I am working with the band. The band is just a tool to deminish hunger. That is all. It doesn't make you not able to consume 3000 calories a day. It doesn't wipe out our past habits or our horrible childhoods or pregnancy weight or anything else. Prior to getting the band, I knew that it wouldn't be the end to my bad choices and over eating. The only thing that would help that was to gain a better understanding of why I was over eating, riding myself of the negative behaviors and learning about nutrition. This band won't work if too many calories are consumed and not enough calories burned. It is the same concept as a diet, however, the band is supposed to diminish the feeling of hunger. Isn't it up to us to think thru our hunger to determine if it is in our heads or in our bellies. I think it is important for people (myself included) to truly understand the purpose of a silicone band. It will do nothing for you if you do nothing for yourself. If I were to find myself eating everything in sight or not able to work with the band, then perhaps the band wasn't the right choice. We can't just look through this board and see that people are losing 50, 70, 100 lbs and think oh this is going to be it for me. This is the answer. The only thing that is going to make the band work is working with the band.

~c~ · March 31, 2005

Ok i know I need to do the work and i have been but i fell off the wagon and need/want to know if the fill first is the way to go or habit then fill/I want to think i need the fill and that's why it's been so hard.It's the excuse that oh well i need a fill might as well eat(fill in the blank)

I just had lunch.First a cup of chicken broth.Half ab hour later i had 4 slices of cucumber and half a tuna sandwich on ww toast(light mayo no butter)then another half and then another half.Finally i feel satisfied.Not busting but just right.

Tonight i am baking some pork chops and salad as a side.I won't stop for a donut like i have been and honestly see what it takes at supper to feel satisfied.

Is satisfied the way to go,should i just stop eating?Sheesh...

DeLarla · March 31, 2005

C, my doc says to eat for 20 minutes then stop. That will give you the best satifaction. If you have a little now, then wait and have a little more, you'll be able to eat much more. Does that make sense?

babsyintx · March 31, 2005

HI

In answer to your question, I feel I am successful. Why? I stuck to Protein and veggies and exercised a lot during my journey.

I agree with Alex and Lisa. If you are "mindless eating" and are not really truly hungry, you need to work on the habits first, then see if you need a fill. If you are truly hungry, then you need to get a fill. It is easier to be more committed when you have proper restriction.

If you are eating a little, then going back for a little more and going back for a little more, you will never be full cause this is grazing. If I graze, I can eat the kitchen table. If you stick to solid Protein and eat a bandster portion in 20 minutes or less, you should be full for three or 4 hours. If you are not, you need a fill.

I hope that answers your questions!

babs in TX

334/180

-154

6/23/03

new goal: 170 or less