Losing Hope

[Jillbeme65 1]

I was banded on July 30th 2008, The first 6 weeks I lost 25 lbs and now nothing. I have had 2 fills the second yesterday. Doctor comes from out of town so he wanted me to eat solids which I did with no problems.

I have lost motivation, I don't exercise...Have a gazelle, exercise bike, & an ab lounger staring at me in my office at home.. My husband asked me last night if I ever use them I said yes all the time.. ( As a purse holder and laundry dryer):smile:.

I have had some issues since I have had the band, been in the hospital twice. Probably how I lost the initial weight as I didn't have a pre-op diet.

I thought about joining a gym but I always find a reason not to go..

I hate going alone and my husband won't go... I drive a hour to and from work so its dark when I leave and dark when I get home.

As far as eating goes, I watch what I eat, but I find myself eating all the time. Stuff like grapes, crackers, no sweets and only drink water.. LOTS OF WATER!!! I need help here.. Don't know what to do.. I do know what to do I just don't know how to get motivated!:frown:

[jdrocks226 0]

i was banded on july 30th 2008, the first 6 weeks i lost 25 lbs and now nothing. I have had 2 fills the second yesterday. Doctor comes from out of town so he wanted me to eat solids which i did with no problems.

I have lost motivation, i don't exercise...have a gazelle, exercise bike, & an ab lounger staring at me in my office at home.. My husband asked me last night if i ever use them i said yes all the time.. ( as a purse holder and laundry dryer):smile:.

I have had some issues since i have had the band, been in the hospital twice. Probably how i lost the initial weight as i didn't have a pre-op diet.

I thought about joining a gym but i always find a reason not to go..

I hate going alone and my husband won't go... I drive a hour to and from work so its dark when i leave and dark when i get home.

As far as eating goes, i watch what i eat, but i find myself eating all the time. Stuff like grapes, crackers, no sweets and only drink water.. Lots of water!!! I need help here.. Don't know what to do.. I do know what to do i just don't know how to get motivated!:frown:

you probably don't really have much restriction. How many cc's do you have...? It is important to exercise, get some tapes and do them at home. Leslie sansone, walk and kick, or richard simmons. His first one is 30min. And the 2nd 45. I know it is no fun, to x by yourself, but these tapes make it possible. 25 lbs is good, we all have plateau's , just x and you will get thru it, and start losing.. Take care. Be proud of what you have accomplished.

[meschultz 0]

Keep the faith.. there is still hope.. Just try to only have 3 meals a day and one healthy snack if needed.. Start exercising again.. Start off with just taking a walk.. Not only will it give you a boost, but it will give you time to think and reflect.. Will your hubby at least go for a walk with you?? If he says no then explain to him how you are feeling and tell him you need his support right now and it would really help you if he took a walk with you..

You have had 2 fills yes, but you have not hit your sweet spot yet.. When you hit it you will realize you are no longer hungry..

1St thing is even though you are hungry.. ONLY eat 3 meals aday.. High in Protein .. do not take Snacks to work with you.. Take only enough for your food Breakfast if you dont eat befor eyou leave and then luch.. try not carrying cash.. this will keep you away from the vending machines.. Eventually you will learn to overcome the hunger and you will start being able to last longer without food.. The point of the band is to take longer for food to go through and keep you full for longer, but if you are snacking it is defeating the purpose because of course you don't feel full you are only eating small amounts at a time so it gives it time for some food to go through the band and makes room for new food to come in..

Your meals should be about a cup of food each and then the one snack...

I wish you the best of luck.. Start trying this and walking to give you a boost and it might really help you .. I am keeping you in my thoughts.. keep me postedl

[HOWLUCKYAMI 0]

I don't exercise...

I find myself eating all the time.

I may not be the authority you are looking for...I haven't been banded yet. But I've been on these boards long enough to know that if you're asking for advice, these are the two statements you're going to get tossed back at you.

The band is a tool. It will not work on it's own. If you want to be successful, you're going to have to exercise. I know it's not fun. I know it's a pain in the butt sometimes. But if you got this band it's not news to hear that you're going to have to do it. Do you have cable? If so, Comcast has OnDemand. It offers Exercise TV and they have some really great walking videos that you can do. They range from 18-30 minutes and by the end you have walked 1 or 2 miles, depending upon the video you choose.

As for your "eating all the time," I can only say that from all I have read, you shouldn't be doing that. There are some basic "Bandster Rules" that have been posted here often. I would suggest you revisit them and try to follow them as closely as possible. Take it one day at a time and try to incorporate as many of them into your daily routine as possible.

You have the gift of a very powerful tool to help you change your lifestyle. But it is going to require some serious effort on your part to work. I wish you nothing but success and may God bless you.

[Jillbeme65 1]

I don't eat unhealthy snacks... I am a "grape" fan.. I only have 3 cc's in my band. Like I said have been sick for the past 6 weeks and finally on the mend.

I know the band is a tool... Believe me I have changed my eating habits, I don't have anything fried, I eat only healthy Snacks and healthy meals just the fact is that I am HUNGRY all the time... Don't know what I am missing... Or am I really hungry or is my brain hungry?

[karen_karen 0]

i have to agree with the last post from howluckyiam. i got banded on july 3rd and the second month i found myself not losing anything that month i was discourage but i found myself reevaluating myself and trying to understand why i wasnt losing weight. number one i was not excerising and number two i did not change my eating habits. i really wanted a motivation to go to the gym but with a 2 year old and a 4 year old 24 hours a day i found myself discourage to even go to the gym. plus i dont have my husband with me on this journey he is deployed for iraq for 15 months. he just left at the end of july few weeks after i got banded. what i realized was that the band is a tool its not a miracle and you just cant sit around and think it will do all the work for you. aint going to happen. so i got myself a personal trainer and signed up for the gym at the same time figured if i do 3 times a week with a pt and spend the money on him i will get off my ass and work. plus it will be a started for me. well its been 7 weeks and i tell you its one of the hardest roads i took. getting up early and going to the gym everyday i try to do about and hour a day at the gym sometimes more sometimes less. i also got a bodybugg to let me know how many calories i burn throughout the day. everyday is a struggle everyday i find excuses not to go but i go because i know that i will not lose anything sitting around. i can still eat a 6 inch sub at subway with no problem and i know that is alot for what i should be eating so i am also hungry but i been watching what i eat and how much i eat the band is there to remind me not to overeat. in this journey one thing i did learn its not a miracle its there to help you but not a miracle you still have to work hard and you will struggle but you just have to get back on track and make the days you do good count. you got to remember you want this band because you want to change your life. but if you lose weight and not change your lifestyle then its worthless. you have to understand that you did the easy change "getting the band" now its time for you to do the hard part and that is excerising and eating right. you didnt get fat overnite so it will take time to lose the weight pat yourself on the back for losing 25 lbs and work towards the future and change your life for good and get back on track use those machines if you cant then try getting a personal trainer to start you off yes its expensive but you have to think about the outcome you will be happier and you will have a whole new life. what do you got to lose? nothing if you work out it wont hurt you it wont make you fatter all it can do is move you forward.

hopefully this gives you alittle motivation 7 weeks ago when i started with my trainer i had a 49 inch waist(yuck i couldnt believe it my jaw dropped) i never thought i was that big. i weighed 229 at the time too. on my 3 week weigh in and measurement i lost 8lbs and 10 and a 1/2 inches of my body. (4 inches of that was my waist) i was so discourage that i didnt lose more but then again i gained 5lbs of muscle. well here i am today and i havent had any measurments done again yet but i weighed myself today and i was at 212 i lost 9 lbs the last 3 and half weeks or 4 i checked my waist as well and its down another 5 inches. i got 2 more sessions with my trainer and then im on my own and i know it will be a struggle but i want those results to keep coming so i know i will have to work out and eat right.

i hope everything works out for you just dont get discourage and find a plan that will work for you.

my starting weight was 265 and now im down to 212...

[Jodi_620 37]

You need to eat solid Proteins three times a day and no in-between meal snacking. Grapes are healthy but they are not going to stay in your pouch and keep you full as long as a piece of solid Protein will. Crackers are carbs, try to avoid them so you can have better control of your head hunger and if you have to have them (crackers or grapes) make sure you are eating them along with a Protein and with a meal...no snacking.

I work full time and have a hard time getting myself moving after work too but I do find that once I actually get out there and walk, I feel so much better about myself. It is so relaxing and it gives me a boost that helps me get the rest of my stuff done for the night. I don't have a gym membership and am not interested in getting one but there are plenty of ways to get your activity at home.

[nesser081982 0]

I don't have any advice for you, but I wanted to say that I know where you're coming from. Today I had my sixth fill, and found out that I had gained 4 lbs. I've been watching like crazy what I eat, walk for an hour once a day, and this is what I found out.... I'm trying not to lose hope also, but sometimes it's just so hard.

[gentylwind 1]

My secret to get myself walking is to have my MP3 player packed full of upbeat songs that I love and then telling myself I don't have to exercise. I am just going out for a stroll, to enjoy the sun and fresh air. I tell myself, and really mean it, that I can just mosey along if I want to. Its not exercise, its entertainment. By the time I am back from my two mile walk, I am keeping up a good clip without even realizing it because I naturally keep pace with the music. Its great time to reflect and I find I feel awesome when I am done and have broke a sweat. Doing this, I average 2 miles in 35 minutes without even meaning to.

As far as the food goes, I am no expert. I am not banded yet. But I have read enough to see you aren't following the band rules of three meals a day, no Snacks, and Protein first, vegetables second, fruits third and if you still have room, a tiny bit of carbs. Believe it or not, eating Protein first, after two to three days, you will find your cravings for carbs/sweets goes away completely.

To address motivation....nobody can tell you how to do that. You have to find it inside yourself. Get PISSED. You just had major surgery done to help you achieve your dream and you are SABOTAGING yourself. YOU are keeping YOU from having it. Get out of your own way!

[tym2findme 0]

I felt the same way. After the 3rd fill (Fill during surgery +2) I finally got the restriction and started losing weight. Just keep going in for your fills and you will get there. It is frustrating though. My surgery was April 14 and I didn't start losing until August.

Hang in there!

[Great2BThin 5]

Well like you said, I think you know what to do. You MUST exercise. You can't sit and wait for the motivation to come. It won't. I hate, hate, hate, hate it. I know they say to find something you enjoy, I'm still looking. I hate it all, I hate to sweat, my knees hurt. BUT.....I do it. I look at it this way, I have to brush my teeth every morning. Do I look forward to it? not really, do I enjoy it? no not really, but I need to do it for healthy teeth (and floss). Same with exercise, whether you are motivated or not, you just need to do it, just like the Nike commercials used to say...just do it. I don't mean to sound harsh, but if I waited to be motivated to do it or looked to someone to motivate me, it ain't gonna happen.

And, foodwise, are you eating your solid Protein first? before the grapes? before the crackers? before the 'healthy snacks'? 80% of your meal or snack should be solid protein. It keeps you full longer. If I snack on some chips or crackers, those just slide right through the pouch and I am hungry again and I have great restirction now. If you must have those, eat some protien first with it. If I eat my protien first, I can get by on 4 oz meal portions, if I don't I can eat way way more than that. The band is a tool and will only work as good as you work it. Also, talk to your dr. about some more aggressive fills. and Good luck! you can do it!

[chicamam1 1]

its funny because i stopped losing weight and then started walking for like 20 min a day at diff interval speeds. i started losing 1/2 pound to 1 pound a day. i missed exercising wednesday and didnt lose any weight the following day. very strange but for me, its the key to keeping my weight loss active right now. otherwise id be at the same plateu

[HOWLUCKYAMI 0]

Well like you said, I think you know what to do. You MUST exercise. You can't sit and wait for the motivation to come. It won't. I hate, hate, hate, hate it. I know they say to find something you enjoy, I'm still looking. I hate it all, I hate to sweat, my knees hurt. BUT.....I do it. I look at it this way, I have to brush my teeth every morning. Do I look forward to it? not really, do I enjoy it? no not really, but I need to do it for healthy teeth (and floss). Same with exercise, whether you are motivated or not, you just need to do it, just like the Nike commercials used to say...just do it. I don't mean to sound harsh, but if I waited to be motivated to do it or looked to someone to motivate me, it ain't gonna happen.

And, foodwise, are you eating your solid Protein first? before the grapes? before the crackers? before the 'healthy snacks'? 80% of your meal or snack should be solid Protein. It keeps you full longer. If I snack on some chips or crackers, those just slide right through the pouch and I am hungry again and I have great restirction now. If you must have those, eat some protien first with it. If I eat my protien first, I can get by on 4 oz meal portions, if I don't I can eat way way more than that. The band is a tool and will only work as good as you work it. Also, talk to your dr. about some more aggressive fills. and Good luck! you can do it!

Long2Be...you consistently provide good advise in a motivating, yet frank manner! You've been an inspiration to me during my "lurking" days and whenever I start doubting my decision to do this, it's posts like yours that help me realize that I CAN SUCCEED! Just wanted you to know...:smile:

[Great2BThin 5]

Long2Be...you consistently provide good advise in a motivating, yet frank manner! You've been an inspiration to me during my "lurking" days and whenever I start doubting my decision to do this, it's posts like yours that help me realize that I CAN SUCCEED! Just wanted you to know...:smile:

Wow, what a nice surprise to come on and read that. Thank you, Howlucky! Good luck to you in your journey, you will succeed.