What is maintenance like?

[marivan 0]

I'm far away from maintenance with 80 or so pounds to lose, but I wonder what life with the band at the correct weight is like?

What I mean is, if you can't ever eat very much, do you continue to lose more weight? Or does your body get used to the small portions you are eating and just stay at a weight?

I'm quite satisfied with what I am eating and my exercise routine, but I wonder how it works when you are at goal? And did your goal change the closer to got to it?

For example, I have been as low as 150 (at 5'7") in my life, but I am happy and healthy at 170, so that is my goal. But I wonder when I get close to 170 will I find that it is no trouble to get lower?

And how long does it take before you realise that you are thin now? And not still feel that you are fat? I guess it takes your brain a while to catch up with your body?

Thanks,

M

[Jachut 487]

I ended up at 154lb at 5ft 10, my weight loss just gradually petered out, and I've not needed to adjust what I eat. I eat slightly less carefully now that I'm at goal, I try to choose healthy foods but I dont worry or even think about amounts, I just dont eat uncessarily or when I"m not hungry most of the time. I'm not afraid of little treats and moderate alcohol intake. I recently had a small fill of 0.1 cc as I found I was getting hungrier and could eat more and faster, I want to stay on top of it. So far from needing to be unfilled, you need to remain aware, although there's plenty around who have been unfilled.

I guess in terms of how much I eat, its less than average for a woman of my height. Its not noticeable to others that I'm banded, they just probably think I dont have a large appetite and that's why I'm thin. I dont eat loaded platefuls of food and I dont eat entree main and dessert when I go out. I notice in the staffroom at lunch time I eat WAY less than most others though not so little that it causes comment.

I continue to run for an hour four or five times a week, its a very important part of maintenance. I have more fitness goals I wish to pursue and although I've relaxed my eating somewhat, watching what I eat is part of my lifestyle.

I accepted a long time ago that I just cant eat what some others can and stay thin. Because I have to eat less than normal people to be thin, I need a lap band, end of story. I didnt really have a problematic appetite in that it was abnormally huge or inappopriate, but what I ate was too much for my body. I cant say I ever downed 3 quarterpounders at a time or lived on huge milkshakes or ate 24/7, I just tended to be heavy (190ish) on quite a normal amount of very normal (and really pretty healthy) food and when a few lifestyle factors such as having babies and becoming less active hit me, I gained some alarming weight (up to 245) and made it into the obese category which is when I acted.

Edited May 13, 2008 by Jachut

[susieq321 31]

I'm far away from maintenance with 80 or so pounds to lose, but I wonder what life with the band at the correct weight is like?

What I mean is, if you can't ever eat very much, do you continue to lose more weight? Or does your body get used to the small portions you are eating and just stay at a weight?

I'm quite satisfied with what I am eating and my exercise routine, but I wonder how it works when you are at goal? And did your goal change the closer to got to it?

For example, I have been as low as 150 (at 5'7") in my life, but I am happy and healthy at 170, so that is my goal. But I wonder when I get close to 170 will I find that it is no trouble to get lower?

And how long does it take before you realise that you are thin now? And not still feel that you are fat? I guess it takes your brain a while to catch up with your body?

Thanks,

M

Marivan,

It varies but the band maintenance is the best thing about the band.... it is simple and easy as long as you eat well and move your body. I think the maintenance part of the band is where the magic comes to life...

I lost 150 lbs in 18 months and never really looked back... it is simple.. I have good days great days and really bad days.... where I eat whatever.

Overall I like eating well and I am pretty healthy but it is not a thought I have to eat this type of food or I will gain... I eat whatever I want when I want in limited quantities.. I hate the gym but I try and make it a few times a week to be a healthier person.

Maintenance is where you stop thinking, obsessing and generally driving yourself nuts... I haven't been on a scale in months, my clothes fit I am happy... when the jeans get a little too tight I stop and ponder, hmmm maybe the threesome with ben and jerry two times last week and the alfredo not the best thing...

I am not sure the brain ever catches up.... I have thin days and fat days most days I just say I am average it is when I see pictures with my friends or I say I have a shirt you can wear and I am smaller than they are.... there are days I think I look like a cow in the mirror... I didn't get it after a bypass friend who was a size 2 said she understood her thin friends and their fat days now.... and I looked and said you never have a fat day anymore... but we do it is just how you feel on that day either blah or chunky etc. I don't pay a lot of attention to it it is just a day... then again I don't pay a lot of attention to anything until some stranger starts talking about how hot I am blah blah blah... (my friends are beautiful so we don't think about it until we hear it out loud from strangers)

Go with how you feel and where you feel good that is all that matters I am a size 8-10 and I am happy there

Heather

[Tyler883 0]

Am I correct to say, most people never reach their ideal weight thus requiring a maintenance program.

Instead, most of us reach a plateau before we reach our target weight.... a 'balance' rather than a maintenance program.

[susieq321 31]

Am I correct to say, most people never reach their ideal weight thus requiring a maintenance program.

Instead, most of us reach a plateau before we reach our target weight.... a 'balance' rather than a maintenance program.

Most of the bandsters I know set realistic goals and reach them, I have several close bandster friends and all have made and maintained their goals.... now some are more realistic than others, some people want to be a size 2, some want to weigh 130 lbs, I am happy at size 8-10... no matter what I weigh. (my clothes range from a size 6-14 but the average is 8-10, just depends on who makes em)

Keep in mind for someone who started at 400lbs to be 200 is a great goal and very reasonable... or to be a size 12 is reasonable.... excellent it depends on where one starts and where they want to end.

At one point I wanted to weigh 140 but when I hit 150 and my band surgeon was complaining I lost too much weight... and I really shouldn't lose more... I looked emaciated...and refused to give me a fill and started defilling me... now insurance and BMI tell me I should be 130-140.... why?

I think we need to remember that as obese people we have a layer of muscle in there and muscle weight three times as much as fat so you may weigh more than you want and be a size that is perfectly acceptable to you. That is where I am... size 6-8 on top and 8-10 on the bottom and every time i step on the scale it changes... up and down... so I stopped and I am happy with my clothes fitting and NOT buying bigger clothes and making excuses for it like I did when I was heavy.

There is nothing stopping people from losing more or losing less... sometimes the body doesn't want you too though it reaches its healthy point and rebels and there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes our bodies know more than we think we do.

Heather

[Tyler883 0]

I'm currently 380

I feel that 250 would significantly reduce my health problems and health risks. I would feel more than energetic enough to do the things that I want to do in life. ie work in my backyard, take my son out camping.

[susieq321 31]

I'm currently 380

I feel that 250 would significantly reduce my health problems and health risks. I would feel more than energetic enough to do the things that I want to do in life. ie work in my backyard, take my son out camping.

Tyler you are completely correct and when you get to 250 you might adjust you goal to be something else, or it might be the perfect goal weight for you.... I preferred setting mini goals as I went along and lost weight at 50 lbs lost usually with milestones too...

[marivan 0]

Thanks for your input. I have a very modest end goal of 170 pounds, but I am working towards small goals in the meantime. And when I get to 170 I may find that I could manage 10 more pounds. My first goal is to reach the lowest weight I've been in 15 years, which is 243 (a nice round number) which I am 10 pounds from. My next one will be getting under 200. I just wondered (and you all answered) whether you were so used to eating what you were that you stayed at that level, whether you found you lost more because you were still restricted.

I don't feel deprived and the weight is coming off slowly, so I think I can live with that!

Thank you all.

M

[Jachut 487]

After what I said, I got on the scales this morning and have dropped to 150lb since my fill, which I am pleased about, I'm 5ft 10 and to be a size 6 or so would be great, I like to be thin, its the body type I have and luckily its also what personally I find attractive.

So - my fill which was meant to keep me in place with a bit less variation week to week has actually caused me to lose a little, that 4lb has come off over a couple of weeks. I've got about 10 more I could play with, anything after that and I really would think about a slight unfill, I dont want to be emaciated. But at this low weight end of things, even losing 10lb would significantly loosen up my band so it will probably stabilise again.