NEED HELP GETTING BACK ON TRACK

Good Afternoon Lap Band Family .

I have not been on the boards in several years. I was banded in 2005 , at my highest weight I was 385 day of surgery .  Today I am 328.  The lowest I have been is 265., gained 63 pounds when I had my daughter and I am still carrying it  ( which was 3 years ago ).   So I need your love an support to finally loose the weight .  My goal is 190 !!!   So please send your suggestions and thoughtful words to help me pull out of this slump and get back on track .

 

Blessings,

 

 

HI Browneyes,

Have you went and seen your doc yet ? That is probably where I would start first :o) See if you need a fill and get back on track with the NUT to help you out .

I would just start out like you just had the surgery .  Get back to measuring your food , getting your protein in, keeping carbs low but not to low and the dreaded word most of us dont like exercise lol.

Find something you enjoy so it dont fee like it's a chore doing it. Mine is zumba I love it and do two classes of it on Wed because I love both of the instructors so much I dont want to miss one of their classes lol.

Get your water in that is huge right there.

Start  tracking your food .  Eat it log it . that is my motto no matter how bad you have been for the day log it.  If I go to high on calories, sodium or carbs it makes me feel guilty and I get back on track the next day :o)

You can do this. You have lost weight before so deep inside you know what you need to do , just taking that first step is the hardest sometimes

Good luck and keep posting on here for support we will help you

PS dont forget to take your measurements again

Thank you Steeler Fan ,

I actually just got off the telephone with the doctors office my appointment is July1 at 8:00 am sharp .  And your right ,  exercising is not my favorite thing especailly in HOT Texas , LOL !!! 

I apprecaite you posting and giving me your suggestions,  I thinik thats where I got lost in the whole Lap Band loss thing. I  never really did the support group or posted a lot on the boards. I am mother who is tired and really want to give my daughter a mother who is enegetic and healthy . So by hook or by crook ( as my grandmother would say ) I am going to get back on track and head for the finish line .

I was thinking about doing the 2 week fast on just liquids again .  What do you think ? 

Thanks again

 

Glad you called the docs :o)

Exercise was not one of my favorites either lol.   I saw Zumba at Curves and thought what the heck might as well try it and I got hooked lol. Now Im a Zumba freak lol.

On Tuesday and Thursday is my slow day of exercise just 30 min at curves and I always tell myself okay I will go walking the track them nights for some extra exercise and it just dont happen lol.

I dont think I would do the two weeks worth of liquids that is to extreme . I think once you star****ching your portions again, counting your calories, carbs and sodium you will be amazed what will come off :o)

Just remember you will probably lose fast the first month or so alot of water weight but dont get upset when it slows down.

I think you said you had a daughter three yrs ago there you go right there. You and your daughter can go on walks together :o) Wait till it cools off at night or go first thing in the morning .  Or get some exercise tapes and she might dance along with you .  My son loved doing that when he was small we made a game out of it .  We both got exercise that way

First --- schedule an appointment with your surgeon's office

You need to make sure that the band is still correctly placed and adequately filled.

As far as eating goes -- here are a few 'basics' that I rely on

1.  no liquid calories (except low-fat milk if you want it)
2.  no drinking with meals or for 45 - 60 minutes after eating (allow the food to sit in my band and satisfy my hunger)
3.  eat protein at every meal and with every snack
4.  small, careful bites (cut my food into pea-sized bites)
5.  finish my bite, swallow and breathe before taking another bite
6.  schedule my meals/snacks (about 3 hours apart)

Congratulations on your recommitment! 

Here is what I recommend:

1.  Go to the doctor and get a fill if you need one.  If you'r having any issues have them to an upper GI to check band placement since it's been so long.
2.  Decide now what you're going to do "diet wise" .  Get rid of all foods that don't fit your new eating program.  Make a plan, do the shopping and start today. 
3.  Put protein first.  This is a very basic banster rule, but it's one of the first to go in bandsters that have been at it a while and find themselves off track, (like me).  I start gravitating to soft foods becuase it's easier and then before you know it my protein drops and so does my energy level.  60-80 g minimum according to my Nut is the recommendation.
4. Track what you eat.  When you've been doing this for a while it's easy to stop measuring and tracking foods.  Whenever I start measuring to check myself I ALWAYS find that my portions have snuck up. Also, when I tracked food faithfully it really helped me understand what I was putting in my body.  It's amazing how much sugar is in supposidly healthy foods like yogurt!  And cottage cheese is really high in sodium.  Who knew?!
5.  Carbs-  It's up to the individual but I limit carbs this way:  No bread, or pasta.  Brown rice only on occassion and other than that I switch all white carbs to their complex counter part, i.e. yams instead of white potatoes, whole grains instead of processed foods.  Choose your path and stick to it.
6.  3 meals a day and one snack is how I lost my weight.  Some do 6 smaller meals throughout the day.  Whatever you choose, pick your calorie level and stick to it.  Snacking in between meals is the kiss of death for me!  I lost 104 lbs on 800 calories a day with very little exercise.  Today I'm more active but I still try to keep it at 1200 calories if I want to keep losing. 
7.  Move more than you did before.  I'm not big on exercising and now that I have just 25-30 left to make goal I need to step it up.  I know that, but my general rule for the first year after surgery is move more than I did before.  I take the stairs instead of ride, I park further away, I walk the dogs, do a pilates DVD or walking DVD, etc.  If you like exercise go for it!  It will always speed your weight loss but do what you can.  Some is better than none.
8.  Come here often.  This has been my main support since surgery and I come here everyday.  I also started my own support group because I wanted to surrond myself with people that know where I've been and where I'm headed.  Those relationships have been invaluable!

Welcome back!
Lisa O.

Thank you so much Lisa !!!! 

I have been in planning mode all day . Trying to go back over what really helped me loose in the beginning.  I know that carbs aren't my friends by i really love them LOL . I am going to do a full liquid protein fast for about 3 days to ween myself back off the carbs , put the DVD in for Slim and Six and turn my attention back on my weight loss.

I know that part of my issue is not getting the regular fills and watching my diet , but I also became very overwhelmed being a single mother after my daughter was born , trying to balance work and home. But I am recommitting to myself , because my daughter deserves a mother who can roll around on the floor all day without feeling sore and tired after just 20 min. 


Thanks again for the excellent steps to moving ever closer to my goal .
Sonia 

Not sure where you are in TX, but I feel your pain on the summer heat.  Southeast AR gets pretty hot too.  I need the air conditioning most of the time for working out, and like Steeler fan, got hooked on Zumba.  I also do Curves Zumba and love it.  We have a bit of a break in the weather so I am walking tonight, and MAYbe for the next couple of days, but by the beginning of next week we are back to mid and upper 90's plus the dang humidity that goes with it, and I will be back in the air conditioning working out.  Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

Hey Debbie,
I am in HOT Dallas !!!  I need the air too when I work out and most of the time .  Thanks for the encouragement .  I was able to get an appointment for July 1 so in the mean time I am going to go back to the beginning and do my liquid protein at least twice a day and a low fat meal at dinner time  . I gotta get off the carb train . They have never been my friend.

Sonia

I am glad the first post I saw was yours. I was banded a year ago and 80 of which I gained back 10 from having no fill, several health scares and medications. Maybe we can support each other?