In a slump

[BandedMomX6 1]

Anyone else in a slump?

In almost 6 weeks I've only lost 2 pounds. I'm rather frustrated, but I thought maybe some of you were there, or been there/done that and had some wisdom to share. Tho' every time I sign on and read it seems like everyone is doing awesome.

Maybe I'm alone with this...

The worst thing is that I think I finally have my 'sweet spot.' I don't need another fill, I've had about 4 fills, one unfill and I really do feel this is the right fill for me. I feel like I have never eaten so little. And I've tried the adding more calories and it doesn't seem to do anything but make the scale go up.

I'm not giving up, I'm reading, writing down everything, and hoping that it will move soon. Or am I destined to lose 1 pound per month... at that rate it will be YEARS before I'm at goal. That is if I can maintain this momentum. :thumbup:

I have to say, that pre-band, I was not aware that this was really another diet. I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone. I think a more thorough examination of each candidate needs to be done.

For example, look at their diet pre-band to see if they already eat fewer calories, or see if their metabolism is very slow. I could not lose weight on traditional diets, so maybe lapband was not the wisest choice for me. When I read about big losers on LBT it seems like they were really big eaters pre-banding. Sure I went through a short eating fest, but for years I was already eating healthy and fewer calories. I could not lose weight, so I thought lapband would do it for me. Little did I know it was just another diet.

This is really hard to take, it seems like I put a lot of hope and dreams into this, and thinking that I would finally see results.

It seems like on LBT this is almost a taboo subject, and I think it should be addressed. If you said your disillusioned by the lapband people jump right in to defend it, but I think that those of us who are losing painfully slowly should be able to ask for help ... sorry to be a bummer.

[beckymein1021 0]

Hi BandedMom,

I too am struggling. It seems like I lost the first 40 lbs. relatively easy, but really fought the last 10 off. Now I'm fighting getting into 'Onderland' and it almost seems like an elusive goal to me.

I had to take a hard look at my behaviors the past few months, and while I felt like I was HARDLY eating anything, when I sat down and wrote down what I'd been eating, little bits of this and that had been creeping in.

I've found, for ME that the sweet things really do me in. They are SO easy to get down (ice cream, etc.) and are really hard for me to stay away from.

I knew getting into this that it wasn't a 'magic bullet' and that people who had problems with sweets would struggle more to lose it with the band, but I never thought I wouldn't have to do 80% of the lifting...however, having said that, it's frustrating and challenging!

I have noticed that a lot of people on here do seem to have a GREAT success rate, but could it be that the ones struggling just aren't posting? I know no one wants to be bashed, but it is a major lifestyle change and there are bound to be hiccups in the road.

The only wisdom I can share (and ALSO need to start practicing myself) is:

1) Water Water WATER (drink LOTS of it every day)

2) Get your body moving minimum 3x a week (more if you can)

3) Eat 'naturally occuring' foods (Protein, veggies & fruits)

Good luck and keep posting!!

[BandedMomX6 1]

I had to take a hard look at my behaviors the past few months, and while I felt like I was HARDLY eating anything, when I sat down and wrote down what I'd been eating, little bits of this and that had been creeping in.

I've found, for ME that the sweet things really do me in. They are SO easy to get down (ice cream, etc.) and are really hard for me to stay away from.

I knew getting into this that it wasn't a 'magic bullet' and that people who had problems with sweets would struggle more to lose it with the band, but I never thought I wouldn't have to do 80% of the lifting...however, having said that, it's frustrating and challenging!

Thanks Becky, all good advice.

For me, I was not much of a sweet eater before banding. However, when restriction is tight and hunger sets in, I will grab for something that goes down easy.

For example, today I had egg salad for Breakfast, instead of a shake, it took so long to go down that I will be back on shake tomorrow. For lunch I steamed some broccoli, and poached a piece of fish. I maybe got one bite of each. Restriction varies so much for me. Today is especially tight, but I'm pretty darn hungry and that makes me vulnerable.

Yesterday I did do much better than I had been, and you are right, I may have strayed with a taste here and a taste there. However, when I speak to banders, off list, in person, they too 'cheat' from time to time. I guess some of us just can't stray at all.

I'm in this for the long haul.

I hope to hear from more out there that got them over the wall. I'll keep ya posted.

[bandster_1007 1]

are you exercising? i'm not..and i'm losing REALLY slow. i know if i would get off my butt, i would lose more.

and i was like you, i didn't eat a whole lot prior to the band, i just loved to eat cheesy, greasy, foods and they add up real quick :wink2:. i have determined that i have the slowest metabolism.

but i have to say this. i was filled real tight, like you are talking about, i was miserable. sure, i could eat very very little, and i was losing weight, but i was hungry all the time, and i had to fight myself not to get "soft food syndrome" which actually causes you to gain more weight.

i was unfilled and refilled, due to a pregnancy that ended in miscarriage, now i can eat several bites of good solid food, and i'm losing an average of 1-2 lbs per week...just now. however, i eat less calories because i can eat more solid food. before i was so hungry that i would get milkshakes and crap i didn't need. i still do every once in a while though.

my doc also said at this point i should be eating bread with every meal. so i do. i can eat about 3/4 of 1/2 of a tuna fish sandwich. i can eat about 14 chips (yeah i know...), i can not eat potatoes unless that is all i want to eat..3 tator tots, or 1 or 2 bites of a potatoe and i am done.

i know i'm rambling, but i'm just trying to figure this out together. my doctor does not think that we should have to do all the work, he says if that were the case, we would have lost on diets. he says that when you have good restriction and you pick good foods, you will lose. even if you pick bad foods, you can't have much of them. he says if you don't drink liquid calories, don't drink with your meals, and keep getting fills you will lose weight.

i think that is true, i was trying to lose being too tight, and it was MISERABLE. i felt hungry all the time. now, i get full and i stay full.

[BandedMomX6 1]

i think that is true, i was trying to lose being too tight, and it was MISERABLE. i felt hungry all the time. now, i get full and i stay full.

I think you are right here. It is very hard to stay on program when you are so tight that nothing will go down. I had that problem. It was awful. Even Water would sit in the 'chamber' and go no where! I felt this cold pain in my chest, from the Water. I had some of the fill taken out. But then I had some put back in and for a couple of weeks I was tight but I could eat Soup, etc. Then I finally reached that 'sweet spot.' I could eat, but felt full and satisfied.

However, recently it has felt v. tight. I think it is from some sinus meds... maybe I'm dehydrated a bit.

I am really staying on program tho'. I am having to rack my brains to find things that will go down. It took me 2 hours to eat some soft scrambled eggs.

Thanks for your reply. I do see that for some it is slow. I have been sick for a while and an injured ankle so I have not been exercising, and you are right it does come off faster when I do.

[beckymein1021 0]

Bandster, WOW, what you said really made sense to me. I've fallen in to the soft foods 'easy' trap! I've been eating soft foods because they are easier to get down and that might be where I've been running into problems.

I wrote down everything I ate yesterday and today when I got on the scale, I was up a pound. This is SO frustrating. I'd be happy with 1 lb. a week at this rate!!

I'm getting VERY close to getting VERY discouraged/disappointed!

This is what I ate yesterday - if anyone has any feedback, I'd be very interested in hearing it.

3.5L (~120 oz.) of Water

1 Cup of Tea

2 Instant breakfasts (one morning and one afternoon)

1/2 cup of yogurt, granola & strawberries

1 cup chicken vegetable Soup for lunch

1 oz. cheddar cheese

1 cup skim milk

1 shrimp enchilada

I didn't exercise because I'm doing Curves 3x a week (and today is my day to go again).

Any ideas anyone? Thanks in advance for your help!!

[BandedMomX6 1]

This is what I ate yesterday - if anyone has any feedback, I'd be very interested in hearing it.

3.5L (~120 oz.) of Water

1 Cup of Tea

2 Instant breakfasts (one morning and one afternoon)

1/2 cup of yogurt, granola & strawberries

1 cup chicken vegetable Soup for lunch

1 oz. cheddar cheese

1 cup skim milk

1 shrimp enchilada

I didn't exercise because I'm doing Curves 3x a week (and today is my day to go again).

Any ideas anyone? Thanks in advance for your help!!

You know that there are a couple of things you could check, sodium level of some of that, and also how much Protein did you get and how many carbs. At least this is what my doctor would say. Your day looks somewhat like a typical day for me, was. I'm working on getting Protein in and not turning to soft foods that are high in carbs.

But like I said, this is new to me, the tightness, so I'm still adjusting. The scale is starting to move again. So theres hope.

[bandster_1007 1]

becky!!!!! girl, we have been going through this together...banded same date. and have ran into each other several times with similar experiences.

in my opinion, you are not getting enough solid foods. I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR food ALL THE TIME IF I ATE THAT...but that is just me. i was tight, where i was eating like that, and i was miserable.

you didn't have anything solid until dinner. now, i know that some people on here do the same thing, and if that works for you great, but those liquid calories in Soups and instant Breakfast, and yogurt add up really quick. i think the instant breakfast has like 90 cal, yogurt usually the same, they do have Protein, but mixed with milk you get more calories than Protein.< /p>

but again, i am not perfect. this is a typical day for me:

breakfast---around 10..nothing before.. 3/4 slimfast high Protein Bar (190 calories and 15 grams of protein for the whole thing). 3/4 of a 1/2 of a tuna sandwich for lunch..on wheat, with some fritos in the sandwich ( i know weird). for dinner, 4 bites of solid meat, hamburger steak, real steak, chicken...whatever, 2 bites of veggies, and if i have room, starch.

...that is typical, definately not the rule though. for instance last night, i forgot to eat cuz i wasn't hungry, then i had sugar drop, got the shakes, inhaled some tuna salad on chips, threw it all back up because i didn't chew very well..then had nothing else for dinner. so i had nothing for bk, 1/8 of a nacho bell grande taco bell (weakness), and then nothing for dinner....know what i did??? pigged out on ice cream snickers right before bed... that's what i get for not eating.

you are eating healthier than i am, but i think you would get less calories with more solid Proteins.

my doc has a rule....he doesn't like for us to have milk..EVER...i don't like milk..so no problem for me, and he doesn't want us drinking our food. period.

i thought the only way that i could lose weight was to be super tight, but i was wrong. and i feel a lot better now that i'm eating. i lost 4 lbs since last week!!!!

[bandster_1007 1]

..and look at the weight you've lost..it looks like you are doing pretty good!!!!!! congrats on that.

[beckymein1021 0]

Bandster, I KNOW!! So many things you've posted on here I relate to!!!

Thanks for the kudos on the weight loss, but I feel I have to focus on what's ahead of me and not rest of my (haha) laurels.

I think you hit upon something with the eating things more substantial during the day -- because I feel like I'm hungry all the time, but the last time I got a fill, he had to take some out because it was too tight. Last visit he wouldn't even give me a fill, so I think he's leary about getting me too tight again.

I go see him 6/5, so it will be interesting to see if he gives me a fill.

I'm tight in the morning, so I usually drink a cup of tea to loosen things up. I can eat more than I'm used to eating, however, later in the day.

I think my biggest problem is I am still struggling with what are the best foods to eat and what will give me the best weight loss for the calories!

And I must confess, I LOVE LOVE LOVE skim milk and would live on it if I could. I find myself getting lazy at night and just fixing an instant Breakfast for dinner. Maybe I'm having too many dairy products...I must confess I love the cheese, milk, cottage cheese and yogurt... :tongue:

[bandster_1007 1]

i love dairy products too, and i eat them, but i try not to drink liquid calories as much as possible (as i drink my mcdonald's sweet tea :rolleyes2: ) ...i mess up though.

i just think your overall food intake was too liquidy. Soup is great when you are really tight, but it has a lot of liquid in it, and it goes through really quick. not to mention that there are usually way more calories than good Protein (10% Protein is supposed to be our guide, but that is HARD).

I am not perfect by any means. i'm just excited that i can eat normal foods now and still lose weight...it's awesome (first time for me...).

i weighed at dr. this morning and i'm 201...whew hew. 27 lbs gone.

[beckymein1021 0]

Hi again BandedMom & Bandster,

I went to the doctor today and according to her scales, I've lost 15 lbs. since January. Now personally, between you guys and me, I think that sux. I know some people would say it's still progress and I should be happy I lost and didn't gain.

Listening to what you both have told me has really helped a lot. You have both given me some real food for thought (who came UP with that saying???) and I've been taking a closer look at my intake and my Water and my activity level. My doctor thinks I'm getting obsessed now (and she may be right), but if not tracking it equates to not losing, then I'm prepared to weigh and measure every bite that goes into my mouth.

I found a great site (which I had used before) called sparkpeople.com. I've seen it mentioned on here before and their tools are really great (AND free, which made it a big win for me). I'm tracking all my meals and Snacks, exercise and my Water.< /p>

Bandster, you were right about the liquids and I thought about what your doctor told you about not drinking your meals. I'm going to try to get away from that, as a matter of fact, DH and I went out to Claim Jumper last night for dinner, but I once again had the bowl of Soup. I don't know why I seem to have a STRONG tendency to stay away from foods that I'm afraid will get 'stuck'. After all, isn't that WHOLE idea of the band...to stay in the pouch longer so you feel full longer and don't need to eat as much/often?

I'm trying REALLY hard not to take the short cuts and eat the easy food. I am going to eat an apple today and try for 1/2 a banana later.

What I wanted to say in all this rambling is THANK you to both of you...Bandedmom for starting this thread and to Bandster for jumping in and giving me the support and good ideas! You both are really helping me hang in there and stay sane doing it!!

P.S. Going out of town this weekend, so wish me luck. Anytime I get out of my 'comfort zone' it is a challenge...

P.P.S. Bandster: I hope I'm right behind you in the journey to Onderland!!! :crying:

[bandster_1007 1]

anytime becky, if i can help, that is what i come here for. pm me if you ever need to.

i hope i can actually make it to onderland...i got down to 201 before i miscarried, so it seems like it's just out of my reach :crying:

and remember, you have lost almost twice as much as me :thumbup:

[BandedMomX6 1]

P.S. Going out of town this weekend, so wish me luck. Anytime I get out of my 'comfort zone' it is a challenge...

P.P.S. Bandster: I hope I'm right behind you in the journey to Onderland!!! :sad:

I love sparkpeople too btw!

I did get the scale finally moving and it was by writing myself out a schedule to follow. An eating plan that is. I went off it this weekend and so I need to get right back on track. Funny thing, even though I eat less with the band, if it isn't all good things, then I will not lose. Feels more like a diet than I wanted it to feel like. But I doubt I could have done this w/o the band.

How was your weekend Becky?

BTW, if it makes you feel any better I've lost about 10 pounds since January. :eek:

[beckymein1021 0]

Hi BandedMom,

I think my issue is the same as yours. I've been fighting the band (not sure why, when I really DO want to be successful), but I've been sabotaging myself with eating easy stuff, not necessarily stuff that's good for me.

I started logging my food, Water and exercise on Sparkpeople. That has really made me MORE conscious of the CALORIES I'm putting in, instead of thinking 'I have the band, ergo I will lose weight'. Yup, this is a diet. I knew that going in, but I guess it just hadn't STUCK.

Also, what bandster said about 'eating' too many liquid calories struck a chord with me too, so I'm really making the attempt to eat more 'solid' food, which means I have to start making better choices.

You would think that after 7 mos., this would be easier!! I guess it just takes longer to sink in for some people (ME!).

My weekend was great, we went to visit our best friends in Albuquerque. We did a lot of running around and what I did eat wasn't too bad (even managed to get some fruit in). I've also found a lifesaver for me is those little packages of raw almonds from Trader Joe's - I stick 3 packs in my purse and when I get really hungry, I just munch on a couple of those. Then I don't feel 'starving' by the time I do eat.

How was your weekend? I'm glad we didn't BBQ, because I LOVE BBQ'd hamburgers and that would have been SO hard to resist.

Keep on keeping on!!