PB and keep goin??

[the best me 6]

My suggestions:

Eat a bandster portion -- 2-4 ounces of SOLID Protein and 1/4-1/2 cup of veggies for a meal. If you have to do this 5 times a day instead of 3, so be it. At least you'll begin recognizing the right portions.

Give your fill 2 weeks total. If it's not enough, get an appointment for another one. It can take 3-5 fills to get the right level of restriction.

jayme

People forget that this is a process: you didn't become obese overnight and you won't learn how to re-eat overnight either. You just have to become better at it day by day.

Thanks Jayme. I don't know if Dallasdoll likes what you say but I do! Your post has helped me.

tonight I ate a Bandster meal. We grilled country style pork ribs (I know, high fat) so I ate about 4 ounces dipped in extra BBQ Sauce, avoided the fat and chewed well. I also had lima beans/corn (1/4 cup) and some Pasta salad (1/3 cup) and I was FULL!! I haven't had or wanted a morsel since eating that. And I was Full=not hungry. I was NOT stuffed to the gills and uncomfortable. And I don't feel as though I have NO restriction when I eat this way, but I sure feel the no restriction when I eat Fritos, hello!!!

It is a learning process, and some days it simply feels like a diet, you know? But really, it's learning something new. The necessary chewing I had to learn quickly and most days it feels like old hand, no problems.

I like what you said about eating a Bandster portion, even if it means eating it 5 times a day for now, until I get it. I guess my problem is, i have gotten into the habit of eating many small meals, so that translates into snacking all day, not actually having a meal. If everytime I ate I ate a bandster meal, by the end of the day, you bet I'd be eating less. And feeling full/not hungry.

thanks for the help.

come on Dallasdoll, and everyone else, we can do this!!!

[desertmom 297]

hi

Been banded 4 weeks and even though Im moaning and complaining like mad I have lost quite a bit of weight (I just realized yesterday!)

I started writing a long thing about what to eat and how but the truth is wether you eat high carbs or low carbs the old adage of calories in calories out still goes......I have been tracking with fitday.com and well,when I go over 1200 calories I dont lose weight.

O heck, count your calories and stay under 1200 and you will lose weight......and that to me was the saddest truth ever about 2 weeks ago....I got very down in the dumps about it and regretted having done this op and not getting the DS or something.But now I think the victory will be in feeling normal about food and eating and enjoying what I eat and thinking like a thin person about food.< /p>

All information that I have seen since I have been doing research for the past 2 years says that this is not a self acting device and calorie intake should be limited and exercise is not optional but compulsory.......

Dallasdoll,I know that I have had to make a choice about this band......it is not going to work by itself no matter what I do or want it to do......it aint happening....

I have to pay attention,decide to eat less,be satisfied with less,enjoy what I eat more,taste what I eat (not try to scoff it down because I can...) and when I think I feel full not to continue because I can, but to stop..........

I know what you are talking about I have been there this month........ and it is hard (will be much easier after fill of course)but it is getting easier every meal I choose to be in control and to enjoy eating until I THINK I am full (I dont feel full until 20 minutes after I have stopped eating by the way..)

This is hard,but it can be the a great learning curve (bla bla bla......)Point is it has got to be a great learning curve because we wanted the band,we got the band now we have to work with the band or what ? stay fat? not on your life.............You have to let go of the old overweight eater and get to know the new thin, healthy eater.

If I can do this,anyone can.....and I am doing it ....baby steps and day by day....consiously and positively.....(and that was my own motivation session for the day,thank you!)

Have a great day!

[dallasdoll 0]

ok.. i am working on this.. it is a bigger adjustment for me than i thought it was going to be.... i thought i would get the band and feel fuller faster... with ease..and i would naturally eat less because i couldnt eat more.... and it just isnt working that way....

so that is hard... plus i am not a great dieter to begin with.... its just hard...

(by the way.. i wasnt jealous of my moms ice cream.. i was upset that she is judging me while holding an ice cream cone... condescension while she is not eating healthy is what hurts my feelings... telling me to just go on a diet while she is just snarfing a chocolate dove bar is hard to deal with... for me atleast...maybe not for others)

but i am trying... i am just coming to grips with the fact that this isnt the solution to my problem.

on a "lighter" note.. i weighed in today at 212....so random... but i think that my scale got submerged in tub Water and its digital thing went screwy... i will weigh again tomorrow to make sure... if it is right, i can attribute it to the fact that i got a bit depressed and havent eaten much since.

anyway... my posting is mostly about my personal venting... and how i dont understand certain things.. i am alone in this fight.. my folks paid but mom is not much of a support system... and my friends stare at me like i am a freak.... so dont take my posts for more than what they are.. momentary freak outs or vent fests...

thanks to those for the positive comments though... and especially those of you who let me know that i am not the only one feeling this.... sometimes the responses can make you feel like you are failing at this.. but its good to know there are others like me.

thanks again

[Nykee 13]

I am gonna have a banana freeze thing..

1/4 banana frozen, 1 cup slow slender vanilla milk and 3 ice cubes.. in a blender,

its 60 calories, 6 carbs and 1 fat gram and 7 grams Protein.

I know I like the taste of this alot (taste like junk food) and its thicker so hopefully the fill will kick in on it, so i wont be downing the milk or juice .. and then I can avoid drinking my calories.

[giveyouthemoon 4]

Well my Dr spent a lot of time in my consultation about how the band is a tool. It's not a means to an end. It's not "I get the band then eat whatever I want and lose weight." The band takes work and by work I mean eating right for your body and exercising. The band is a tool that helps in that regard by helping you to feel fuller faster. The band can't do all the work, it won't. So no, you don't have to be on Atkins for the rest of your life, but yeah you do take a look at your balance of Proteins, fats and carbs and make good choices. It seems the "sample day" listed, toast for Breakfast, bologny sandwich is a lot of refined carbs, a lot of nitrates in the meat which causes problems as well. It seems just a couple tweaks and maybe a fill would get you to where you want to be.

[DeLarla 22]

I don't think any of us will ever know what the true meaning of the real word, "full" means. What do "normal" people feel like when they are full? Does that feeling mean they are busting at the seams, or do they still have room for another meal or snack down there? Hard to say because none of us are (or were in the past) normal.

There's no way I could trust my new pouch to tell me when it's full. Even though lots of us have huge issues with my original surgeon, when it comes to Bandster rules, he's still number one in my book. Lopez says to eat for 20 minutes, slowly, chew chew chew, then stop eating. If you are eating slowly, then you get the right amount of food in within those 20 minutes. Does that leave me feeling satisfied? Well, it takes away the kinda grindy feeling of starving or being really hungry. And if I walk away and think about it, my body (stomach/pouch) will honestly feel like there's enough in there, and my energey level is left high.

The whole "golfball" thing is where my restriction is. Once I get that tight feeling in my throat, I know it's time to stop. No, that's not how a normal person feels like they are full, but that's how I've learned to stop eating with the band.

The reason I'm here right now is because I got the golfball, and I know I've got plenty of food in my tight band, but my head wants more. Belly is good, head is screwed up, so I come to LBT and write long babbling posts. Sorry, but at least I'm not eating right now!

[desertmom 297]

hi Dallasdoll

What I did recently was to get myself some low fat Snacks.Yes, I know that they say dont snack and bla bla bla......low carb (I'm a specialist low carber by the way..lol) but I figured if I crave eating I must be ready for the cravings that usually made me eat a lot of junk.

Now, to fit in the calories for the Snacks, at least 300 some days,I had to cut a little into my food calories.I am trying to stay at 1000 so.Meals 250 calories each and 250- 300 for snacks.That includes a low fat sugar free ice cream cone every night.Sometimes when not satisfied I eat a packet of low cal walker light crisps....again I know it is not ideal but what, I have to live with doing this.

Also,tracking on fitday just for a while is so interesting because it teaches you the calorie value of food......and to make a meal more.......bulk up on low cal vegetables which is most except potato,corn and ......you get the idea.

Venting is great.A lot of us feel a lot like you and I think I did still believe that this band will make me lose weight no matter what.Why would they do an operation that will fail if you dont diet?And I still believe if you get propper restriction it will help to lose weight without soooo much effort.Look at the what have you eaten today threat....I laught because If they see how much I eat they'd think I'm mad......

Any how,keep the spirits up and hve a good day.

[Nykee 13]

Its gonna have nothing to do with Fullness for me.

I dont need a golfball feeling to tell me when I am full, just to tell me when to stop at times I otherwise wouldnt have. Thus leading to weight loss.

Dexatrim can make you almost never feel a hunger pain... so I dont get where the feeling of fullness comes in..

And I dont get what Mental Hunger is, I want to eat what I want to eat, when I want to et it.. cuz its yummy.. regardless if I feel physical hunger pains or not.

If thats mental hunger, than oh well... with the band restriction tuff titties.

I was sick and I had the golfball thing and I even slimed alittle a few days ago.

it was on half of one of those cheap chicken pot pies..

NOTHING in that thing could of made that happen, it MUST of been becasue I was sick for a few days.. (real sick, phlem, coughing, weezing)

I stopped immediately terrified of a full blown PB and didnt eat much until I felt better...

I went camping last night and I ate tons of food, no problem, not one ounce of restriction..

I cant wait for that golf ball feeling with my new fill, get this started!

[Shannon 0]

so basically i should be on Atkins the rest of my life? hmm... why did i get the band then?

Honey, I am 3 1/2 months out and I have lost 40 lbs...I am not dieting at all. I'm like you...if we were good at dieting, we wouldn't have had to have the band! I think the feeling of depriving yourself is worse than having the food. I eat what I want, just way less of it, and I am more conscious of what I eat. I have the "want to" to eat healthier foods now. As you lose weight, you get more motivated. The way I see it, the band is your tool. USE it. Diets don't work, most of the time, in my opinion. Just work hard to make healthier choices, but don't diet, in my opinion.

I may get blasted for this post, but I consider 40 lbs in 3 months to be fairly successful.

Shan

[Nykee 13]

Thank you for posting that!

[the best me 6]

How are you hanging in there Dallasdoll? Boy, your venting has turned into a really great thread! Thanks! I had forgotten that you are just a week after me on your surgery date.

I have some feedback. Yesterday I did what Jayme said and made sure I had Bandster meals all day, even if I had to do more than 3, right? Well, I had a GREAT eating day! Just a little effort and I was able to fill up on hard protiens, the day flew by, I wasn't hungry and I continued my downward (SLOW) trend on the scale. 205.6 this morning!!

However, today was not so hot. I didn't worry and just ate and snuck in some sweets. Todays lessons are: Brownies are evil and large restaurant salads with 3 ounces of chicken finely chopped in do NOT keep you full. I have eaten worse than today, but it was very different from yesterday when I ate my solid meat first and snacked on sliced turkey instead of brownies.

I'll fill you in on what the scales say in the morning. I hope I haven't gained back my tenuous loss of 3 pounds.

Come on Dallasdoll! We can do this! Plus you have to do SOMEthing to keep it together until your next fill, right?

It will only feel like a blasted diet for a while, until we change that thinking. And whoever said it above, when the scales start moving, it's a real motivator!

[dallasdoll 0]

i dont know what is going on with me.... my scale was broken though.... i am still weighing in at 218.... for about 3 weeks now.

i have been trying to be very good... today i had a Protein shake for Breakfast, a beef burger patty for lunch from fuddruckers (out with family)... 2 pieces of chicken for dinner...and a sugar free popsicle and tapioca pudding for Snacks today.

yesterday i had a piece of chicken for dinner with a few bites of salad...omelet and toast for breakfast...and a Protein Bar for lunch....

this sounds reasonable right? i mean i do not eat alot... im not eating terribly badly either i dont think... and i drink ALL of my Water and even exercise.. i have always been a big Water drinker...but the fact of the matter is simply that my parents paid over 10 grand for me to weigh the exact same as i did weeks ago... i shoulda just bought some big freakin diamonds.... id be happier than i am now. sooooo frustrated.

i am ready to give up. this just isnt working for me.... i am very down.

[desertmom 297]

hi

ok,now not to be funny or anything.But what whould "giving up" be when you have a band?

Just wondering.

[Corgi 0]

Alexandar,

I needed to hear this, I will apply your method today, Thank You! I am 10 weeks out and after my 1st fill I was so restricted I had to go back for an unfill, now I am at 1.5cc. The last three weeks meats have been really really hard for me, I end up vomiting, so I have reverted to foods, such as starches, sweets which go down really easy. Over time I had now been eating too much of these foods and not losing any weight, at a stand still. I said I will never have another fill again, and I can't wait to see my doctors on June 20 for another one.

Corgi

[Iluvharleys 15]

Lopez says to eat for 20 minutes, slowly, chew chew chew, then stop eating. If you are eating slowly, then you get the right amount of food in within those 20 minutes.

My doctor told me the same thing, after 20 minutes the food starts going through the band and you are eating too much.