skinnyjenny08 aint so skinny and 08 is almost over!!!

[bjbstoney 1]

Hi

I am new here but had my band put in on Jan.15, 2007. I have lost 167 pounds. It does work so don't get discouraged. Some times it takes 4 or 5 fills before you feel a restriction than the weight will drop. I don't find much time for walking either but it only takes about 15 minutes to eat so I spend the last 15 minutes walking outside or if it is cold I walk the hallways. I stick to protien first and there is not room for much else. If I feel like a snack I try to stick to protien Snacks like string cheese or cashew nuts. Hang in there.

Bonnie

[010308 0]

I was banded 10 months ago and have lost about 50 lbs since the day of my surgery.

At 3 months I was one po'd person because the weight loss was so slow and my doctor's office was not willing to be more agressive with the fills.

My opinion is that if you're able to eat a pretty good portion of food (even if it's not as much as it was before surgery), and you're not losing weight then it's time for a fill. So definitely see if your doctor's office is willing to do an adjustment. Stay on top of getting fills. If you get back to being able to eat a normal size portion and you're not losing... get back in. I just had my 7th fill in a 14 cc band-putting me at 8 cc's and I really can tell the difference in my portions far more then I have after any other fill.

People are right about the exercise, but I can see where you're coming from. The truth is that the more weight you lose the more energy you're going to have to get out and exercise.

[terilynn112 1]

I too am a parent. I have 3 kids. My kids get up anywhere after 5:30 am. It's hard to find time for me too. BUT I have put that 30 minutes as me time. I have to do this right. It is far to important to mess up.

Teri

[ukcatsfan 0]

Hang in there Skinny Jenny. 23 pounds is awesome. Don't forget that and 2 to 3 lbs a week is all you should be losing with a 30 min. 3 X weeks exercise program. So from August to November 24 pounds to 36 pounds lost would be the expectation and you are right on money just on the low side of it. Don't get discouraged and keep on the program. Add some exercise to your schedule if it's just walking more during your work day and adding some on the weekends. You really doing great!!

[kjhack 3]

I am right there with you. I get up at 530am and take 2 kids to school program then commute 45 mins to work. I totally understand. I have starting walking around our builidng on my breaks. I may do 10 mins in am, 10 mins in pm and 10 mins at lunch, but i am now getting the time in. It makes me feel soo much better.

[Firedad53073 4]

I dont feel like I am doing so hot. I have recently had my first fill and have gained some weight. I know right. Its like what the heck????? I dont have any energy and Im starting to kind of get depressed. Any advise or information? Help I dont want to be the me I used to be I want to be the new me

[Thegirlnextdoor 0]

I dont feel like I am doing so hot. I have recently had my first fill and have gained some weight. I know right. Its like what the heck????? I dont have any energy and Im starting to kind of get depressed. Any advise or information? Help I dont want to be the me I used to be I want to be the new me

I'm sorry to hear about that Firedad. When did you have your first fill ? Recently? Maybe you are due for another .

[flowers 0]

You are losing on average over 7 lbs a month. I think maybe your expectations are too high. Anything over 1 lb a week is considered good. I know we all want to lose 5 lbs a week, but for most people it aint going to happen. If you are losing steadily, just stick with it and eventually you will be where you want to be.

Im impatient too. I think 10 lbs gone is nadda, and then I sit back and count the weeks it will take to lose 10 lbs and step back and say whoa!!! Every 10 lbs to me is a new goal, and each time I pass a new 0 mark, I Celebrate. 23 lbs in 3 months is doing good. Dont get discouraged, just pat yourself on the back.

I looked at tickers and dates of surgerys here for a long time before my surgery and realized it would take me over a year to get into the 120s where I want to be. Hard to wait I know, but we will get there.

[flowers 0]

Don't forget that and 2 to 3 lbs a week is all you should be losing with a 30 min. 3 X weeks exercise program. !!

Where have you found these figures?? Iv never lost 2 to 3 lbs a week, so I must not be doing well either :cursing:

I thought 1 - 2 lbs was average. .... and Im walking 3.5 miles a day for exercise, I rarely miss a day.

[maguirre67 0]

well i had my band june 30th ive lost 28 pounds since then and my last appt was oct 21 di get fill but have lost 7 pounds is that good or bad i think i need a fill i lose 3 pounds then a dont lose for 2 or 3 weeks

[tracie30 0]

Hi Jenny,

I think everyone who posted has great points but I would recommend breaking these issues down into managable tasks.

Get out the Bandster Rules and pick 2 of these you can tackle and make as natural as breathing. Once you have those 2 down, maybe 2 weeks, tackle 2 more. This way it's not so overwhelming and you can get back on track.

That's what I'm doing to try to keep from falling off my wagon. Hope this can help you!

Good Luck!

Tracie

[lellow 1,713]

I think that if you're not exercising and eating anything you want, you're doing well to be losing instead of gaining (which is what would be happening without the band).

The band is doing it's work, it's helping you lose. If you want to lose faster than that though, then you will have to exercise, and you will have to watch what you eat.

If you don't want to do that, you will likely still lose, but not as quickly, is all.

First thing I'd do if I were you is think about getting a fill. It will help with suppressing some of your appetite. But to properly suppress your appetite, you need the right kinds of foods and not foods that will 'slip' past your band.

Secondly I would try to exercise regularly. I don't exercise every day, but I do exercise at least 3 times a week. I work fulltime, leave the house at 6.30am and don't get home until 6.30pm. I cook dinner, then spend time with my family, then at 8.30pm, I put my kids to bed and Mondays, Wedndesdays and Friday, I jump on the stattionary bike and cycle for 35kms before settling down to study (I'm studying at university part-time too). I also walk an hour both mornings on weekend.

Two things I wanted to point out: not long before I was banded, I also posted about how I wouldn't have time to exercise because of my other life commitments, and Jachut replied to say that as busy as life was, this was something I had to do to to make this work for me. I've taken that to heart. It wasn't always easy to do, but now exercising is a part of my routine, just like working or studying or being with my family.

The second thing: I spent the first 2 months hating every minute of the exercise I was doing. I complained to anyone who would listen how much I hated it. I hated sweating, and being so tired, and my legs burning and resented the time it took away from my 'life'.

But after a while, I realised that exercising wasn't as hard anymore ( esp as I was losing weight), exercise was a great de-stresser from work, I started looking forward to my 'me' time on the bike, and I was developing huge amounts of energy. I would NEVER in my life believed I would get addicted to exercise - not me, not the person who used to break out in hives at the thought of breaking out in a sweat! Yet here I am looking forward to my bike ride tonight (what the hell happened to me? Lol)

Exercise is a habit you have to develop, and like all habits, it takes doing it over and over again to learn to enjoy it. But if you persist, you eventually can learn to enjoy it. So if you start today and stick with it, in 2-3 months, you will very likely be doing it because you want to and not because you have to.

[ukcatsfan 0]

i just calculated the weeks and divided into the amount you said you have lost. My math may be off, but you're still losing and that's what is important. Those are pounds that you won't have to worry about ever again. And that's why I got banded knowing once I lost each pound, that was one less pound on me.

This isn't a sprint, or a lap or a mile run. It's a lifelong journey to health and freedom from our weight.

[krtork 0]

Very good points posted by all.

Make sure you make time for yourself. I am the queen of doing everything for everybody, but me. I had to carve out time to start exercising - after three weeks it starts to become a habit. I have found it to be one of the best things I have done. It is my me time and I love the solitude!

Try setting some goal that you can work toward, I know that can also be a motivator. I set a goal to run a 5K and set it about 9 weeks out. I told other people about my goal, which also made it more motivating. I reached my goal this weekend and now I am looking to find another 5K to keep myself motoring!

Just think about the weight you have lost! Those are pounds that you don't have to lose again. Make sure you follow the band rules and you will keep moving down the scale.

[bambam31 168]

Spot on Lellow! I hate cliche's... but... the band IS a tool - not a miracle.

I count on my band to control my hunger and nothing more. If I'm making good food choices - in appropriate proportions - and am still hungry - then it's time for a fill.

But losing weight is not the responsibility of the band - it's the responsibility of ME. And to do that requires exercise. And for most of us, not just casual exercise - but intense exercise. The form that gets your heart rate up and keeps it there for a period of time.

The band controls the hunger while the exercise burns the fat off - plain and simple. For almost all of us it's not negotiable. That's just the painful truth.

There may be a few people who achieve outstanding weight loss with little or no exercise. They are an anomoly. Don't expect to be one of them.

The band is truly a learning experience. We all struggle at some point or another. Lellow mentions "jachut" in her post. Like Lellow, I have learned so much from reading Jacqui's posts. She is a true inspiration. And her signature is always worth repeating, "Shut your GOB and move your A$$" It's what got me through my plateau and posting big losses again.

Brad