Advice please

[weightinggame 23]

Hi. I wonder if anyone can advise. I reached what was my original personal goal of 134 pounds about 6 weeks ago. I decided I could stand to go a bit lower but had had 1cc out of my band ready for a long flight so it was coming off really slowly anyway. I have since lost a further 5 pounds of fat but gained 2 in muscle so am now at 132. I would like to reach and stop at 126 but tightened up with stress at work a week or 2 back so went for another defill last week. I had another 1cc out but instantly was experiencing very strong hunger pangs and really wanted to eat constantly. I tried to go with it for a while thinking it may calm down but felt quite anxious that I couldn't control it so went back and after a thorough assesment from my brill nurse had 0.5 put back in.

Thankfully it's put me back to a much more comfortable position but it has really scared me. If I keep losing I'll have to have more out because they feel I should be focussing on maintenance now not loss but I'm worried about how I will handle it given last weeks experience. Has anyone else experienced this? I think my nurse would like me to remove as much pressure from the band as possible to reduce the chances of future complications but it really shocked me to realize that all the reasons I was overweight in the first place were still there and nothing had really changed other than my weight in the past year :wink2:

i know that sounds really defeatest but I feel like losing the weight was the easiest bit and now I have the real battle on my hands..... It's scary and I feel a bit like I've been conned!!!!

Can anyone advise me how they handled the return of their hunger with a vengance and how you managed slowing down the loss without having to have the brakes put on suddenly with a big defill please????

Edited November 15, 2009 by weightinggame

[sweetheart181 10]

you will find a good amount that keeps you satisfied but you also won't loose more unless you are trying. That's where I'm at right now. I had 3 unfills and 1 fill before I ended up here and I might get one more tiny fill but we will see. I normally stay at 167 but I range anywhere from 171 to 164 depending on the day. I'm okay with that range though for my height.

[Mimilou2004 13]

Excellent questions and ones I have been thinking about, too. I hope you get a variety of answers. I don't think I will ever have an empty band because every time I have a de-fill I experience a voracious appetite like you did.

Mimi

[weightinggame 23]

Thanks for the replies so far, sounds like it may not be as clear cut as I first thought. I spoke with my nutritionist also who said that most people take some time in trying to find a balance often ending up like sweetheart is with about a 5 to 7 pound fluctuation range. She thinks it's perfectly sensible for me to try to reach 126 pounds as my lowest weight and then give myself 5 to 7 pounds above that as my maximum weight that I should stay within and that might mean an occassional tweak of the band if I consistently creep back up to that. One thing is clear, this banding continues to be a journey, even when you reach your goal!

I would still love to hear of others experience and how other people have managed their appetites if they have a defill at goal weight.

Thanks Rx