cfuture88 Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 I have not lost ANY weight for three weeks. So I have a question. Are we supposed to eat at least 1000 calories/day in three meals OR are we supposed to eat about 1/2 cup of food , three times a day. I do not eat fat (certainly no added fat), try to eat lots of protein (tuna, egg, a little meat). Vegetables, a little fruit. Hardly any carbs. Clear protein in my water. Have good restriction in the AM but now lousy in the pm. AM-Eat a banana and have protein powder in my coffee, fat free half and half. Eat egg salad, or tuna salad (no fat mayo) on Rice crackers for lunch. Salad with shrimp, veg, very little low cal dressing for dinner. I can eat a lot at dinner which is why I go for salad with stuff in it. Snack is baked apple with cool whip free. Sometimes I wonder if I am not eating enough, but then what is enough? For dinner I certainly eat more than 1/2 cup but I also know that often I am only eating 600-800 cal/day. I know i should exercise more but my question really is about whether there is a calorie recommendation/day and the idea that not eating enough shuts off the furnace. Any other ideas??? I feel like I AM in Hell. (and the NSVs have stopped too.) I am going for a fill on 10/10 but I still need the advice because it is bound to happen again. I am so pissed off that I am (stupidly) fantasizing about an overfill. Now, that is sick. HELP!! :-? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BandDiva Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Bumping this up for someone to reply. I haven't been banded yet. But, can someone reply to this? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vix Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 I have not lost ANY weight for three weeks. So I have a question. Are we supposed to eat at least 1000 calories/day in three meals OR are we supposed to eat about 1/2 cup of food , three times a day. I do not eat fat (certainly no added fat), try to eat lots of protein (tuna, egg, a little meat). Vegetables, a little fruit. Hardly any carbs. Clear protein in my water. Have good restriction in the AM but now lousy in the pm. AM-Eat a banana and have protein powder in my coffee, fat free half and half. Eat egg salad, or tuna salad (no fat mayo) on Rice crackers for lunch. Salad with shrimp, veg, very little low cal dressing for dinner. I can eat a lot at dinner which is why I go for salad with stuff in it. Snack is baked apple with cool whip free. Sometimes I wonder if I am not eating enough, but then what is enough? For dinner I certainly eat more than 1/2 cup but I also know that often I am only eating 600-800 cal/day. I know i should exercise more but my question really is about whether there is a calorie recommendation/day and the idea that not eating enough shuts off the furnace. Any other ideas??? I feel like I AM in Hell. (and the NSVs have stopped too.) I am going for a fill on 10/10 but I still need the advice because it is bound to happen again. I am so pissed off that I am (stupidly) fantasizing about an overfill. Now, that is sick. HELP!! :-? Gosh...I'm so new to this (only been banded 1 month), but I almost think that it looks like you are not eating enough. This is a huge worry of mine as well...not losing as well as some because I KNOW I am a slow loser. But I hope that someone who is really experienced in this will answer you. Whenever there is an answer here, it helps all of us. Best of luck to you and hopefully this will end for you soon! :lb18: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FRANCIE Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hello; I just logged on and read your post. I would think that the weight is flying off of you with the amount you eat! The items you listed seem to be the correct amount and you are eating enough protein. I'm no veteran, I've only been banded for about six weeks and I am getting my first fill tomorrow but I am stumped with how to help you. Are you still drinking enough water? Are you exercising? Sometimes I think we need to change the routine up enough to throw our body into shock and then the weight comes off. I'm sorry that you're feeling this way and I'm doubly sorry that you didn't get a quicker answer but I would just like to reiterate to you that we are all here to help each other and we all want to lose weight. You sound very down and that makes me sad. When I get my fill tomorrow, I am going to ask my doctor what he thinks you should do and I will let you know. Until then, please just hang in there!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfuture88 Posted September 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hello; I just logged on and read your post. I would think that the weight is flying off of you with the amount you eat! The items you listed seem to be the correct amount and you are eating enough protein. I'm no veteran, I've only been banded for about six weeks and I am getting my first fill tomorrow but I am stumped with how to help you. Are you still drinking enough water? Are you exercising? Sometimes I think we need to change the routine up enough to throw our body into shock and then the weight comes off. I'm sorry that you're feeling this way and I'm doubly sorry that you didn't get a quicker answer but I would just like to reiterate to you that we are all here to help each other and we all want to lose weight. You sound very down and that makes me sad. When I get my fill tomorrow, I am going to ask my doctor what he thinks you should do and I will let you know. Until then, please just hang in there!!!! I'll up my water, I do walk, but generally I hate to exercise. I have no idea why I am feeling so down. I felt fine until I realized that all the other topics were being answered except mine. Thank you. E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlgpdx Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 cfuture88 first off, congrats on your 41lb weight loss!! =D> Way to go!! That's 41lbs you will NEVER see again! Please do NOT feel like you are not one of the "home girls" I think Sunday's are a little slow on the board as a lot of people catch up, read, post/respond when they are at work. I totally understand your feeling of not being in the "in" crowd but please know that is not the case. I swear! I have been banded a little over 6 months. I still struggle with what is the "right" amount of food to eat? There are times I can eat 2 teaspoons of something and get a lump and then there are times I can eat 2 cups and feel fine. It is not the same for everyone and while their are guidelines each person has a different reaction and we cannot all be lumped into one. Try shaking up your body/system. Don't eat the same things or the same amount everyday. Somedays I can only get down 600 calories, then maybe the next day I consume 1,500 calories. If I have to many days when I don't eat enough my weight loss stalls, when I eat more then I drop more weight. Believe I KNOW there are days you just cannot get enough down but do what you can. When I am stressed out I tighten up and can't get anything down. Add some whole grains for carbs... I love to eat refried beans with melted cheese on top.. about 1/4 cup at a time.. it fills me up, high in fiber and good carbs. don't deprive yourself, if you want a piece of chocolate buy a bite size piece and enjoy it. if you want a milkshake get a childsize and enjoy... exercise.. you gotta do it. Walk.. don't run, don't jog, but get out and walk. start slow but walk. You have lost a lot of weight in a short time! Remember that the weight did not appear overnight and it will not disappear overnight. You are doing great! You might have a month or more when the scale doesn't move. That's how weight loss is. Just know that now you have the band and you will not go back to your old lifestyle of overeating and giving up. You will stick to the plan, change your eating around to confuse your body, start walking and the weight WILL start coming off. please keep us posted, we are all here for you. xoxox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawkchick75 Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 I'm so sorry i'm not banded yet either so i'm not much help. But I know that when I was on WW and I wasn't losing the first thing they asked is if I was getting my water in. I never had this issue, but many people who were having trouble losing also found they weren't eating all their points. So I would make sure and check and make sure you are eating enough. I'm not sure what the magic number is, but I would think like 1,000 would be good. Also, mix up how many calories you eat each day - eat a bit more on some days and less on another, but do it where over the course of a week you eat the right amount. Good luck and I hope you can break the plateau!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cckcsharp Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Oh sweetie, I think when you are feeling so frustrated and overwhelmed it's easy to think the whole world is against you. Sometimes I post things and get tons of responses and sometimes just a few. I think it depends on a few factors. One is the time when you post. Weekends are slow. Also, remember that our questions are new to us, but old to people who have been here for a while. So sometimes I think people just get tired of answering the same questions over and over again. I am new too, and everything is new to me. But even in the short time that I have been here, I have seen the same questions get asked repeatedly. This doesn't mean that you did something wrong, though. New people will always join the group and the same questions will continue to circulate. This is a normal part of these online forums. It's not that anyone has something against you. Seriously, I think it all comes down to timing. And you never know when that time is. There are just certain times when there are more people on the board, and sometimes people are more in the mood to chat. You are an important part of the group and your questions are important and valid. Just not alot of people chatting tonight. As far as your situation goes, I am only banded a month. So I am not sure. The one thing that I have researched is that keeping your calories at about the same level every day is a recipe for plateau. And that seems what you are dealing with. The way to un-do this(according to research) is to stagger your calories every day. Say you normally eat about 1200 cals a day. That would be 8400 cals a week. Well, with the stagger method, you eat 1400 than the next day eat 1000. You alternate every other day. At the end of the week you have eaten 8600 calories. Basically the same amount as eating 1200 per day. By staggering your calories, you keep your body guessing and confused. This helps avoid those stinking plateaus. So give it a try for 3 or 4 weeks and see if it helps. Also, drink lots and lots of water. At least 64 OZ a day. I can't believe how much this tip has helped me. And lastly, your body may just be taking a break from losing weight. Take a week off from "trying" to lose weight. So what if you gain back a pound or two. Just take a break if you need to. Then go at it again head strong after you have given it a weeks vacation. That may re-fire up your body into fat burning mode. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying go on a crazy eating binge for a week. Just eat normal and don't think about counting calories. I am not saying this is the right solution nor has it been proven effective. I am just merely making a suggestion. If you have been working hard at losing weight for several months and have reached a plateau, than maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a weeks break and see what happens. I have not experienced a plateau yet. So I am just offering suggestions based on things I have reasearched or what I would think of trying if I were in a plateau. And I am sure that it's just a matter of time before I get there too. And these are some of the things I would try. Oh yeah, forgot to mention exercise. I hate it too. But it's obviously an excellent solution to helping get through a plateau. So there's another idea. Hope this helps. We love you and are hoping the best for you. Sorry about the rough time you are having. You can get through this and succeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandNewDawn Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 cfuture88 Wow, I think you are doing terrific. I went 4 weeks without any weight loss before my second fill. I know it can get discouraging but hang in there. I'm older too (49) and I think it just takes longer for us older ladies to lose the weight. I do not know where all this talk of 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup come from. I still have the information I was given by OCC and it does not say anything about the calories that you need to consume or the amount of food you should eat at any one sitting. I think how much we are able to eat is dependent upon how good our restriction is. The better the restriction, the less food we need to feel full. The last time I was at OCC, the doctor who did my fill said with a good fill we should only be able to eat 1/3 of what we would have been eating before. For example, if you used to eat 3 cups of something, now you should be able to eat 1 cup and feel satisfied. Having experienced a too tight fill, believe me when I say "be careful what you wish for." Yeah, I do not really like to exercise either but I try to get in a walk at least a few days per week. You have to accept a slower weight loss without exercise. Don't feel sad. You are doing so good. And don't get bummed just because you don't get answers. If you just read around enough, you can find answers sometimes without even needing to ask the questions. And, many of the people who are on the forums have not necessarily been banded that long themselves. None of us are experts (accept the doctors). No one has all the right answers. Good luck with your fill on the 10th. I hope you get a good fill and get off the plateau you have been on. Take care. Feel better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfuture88 Posted September 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Mindy and Dawn, thank you for the perspective. All you newbies, I appreciate the support. Sorry for the paranoia, and thank you for all the private messages I recieved. I am going to up my water, walk more, and not be so strict about what I eat. I am going to try not to feel so sorry for myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will T Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 also, look way back on some of the other 38 pages of topics, and you'll see that all of us plateau. When that happens, we usually go for a fill. What you are experiencing is common, so you'll experience it every so-often. I graphed my weight loss for the first 5 months, and it looks like a set of stairs going down with all the plateaus. Julie is right about the people posting. Some of us check the forum every few days, and respond as we feel led. The trend is for upcoming bandsters to scour the topics, recent bandsters to post often, and long-time bandsters to post infrequently. There are exceptions, but that is a general rule. The only poster that has been ignored or disliked was branded a troll, and Queen Fiona the first (Clynn) booted him from the board (he kept logging in under different nicks, and was actually booted a half-dozen times or so). A lack of immediate responses is just what Julie said. Wait til the work force returns, and the people will get back to reading and posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jena Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 You need a fill! You sound just like me. After my first fill I lost a little weight, but then nothing...for weeks. It finally hit me one day, I need a fill!! I made an appointment and got one and it did the trick. Just had my 3rd fill on Saturday and I think this one has done the trick. For the time being anyway. Jena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willi333 Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Don't get too frustrated, sweetie !!! You have done amazing with your 41 pounds so far and you will continue to lose even more. We all have to deal with those plateau's and everyone gets frustrated at one time or another The last 4 weeks I lost 2 lbs and than I gained 3 and lost 4 and picked up 2 and so on and so on ... I stopped stepping on the scale because I was about to go crazy. This weekend I checked my weight again and voila! I lost 6 lbs in a week .... Mindy and Jessica are right on ... (((HUGS))) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrty835 Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hey Bandsister, Im right there with you. Remember for the past month I was at a stand still. Well I started walking and drinking more water and Im going down about a pound a week, Ill take it. It is fustrating tho. But as long as Im not gaining Im ok. Ill send you my number, if you need to call Im there for you. Hey we have come a long way to give it up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittycat Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 I haven't read all of the replies..so I may be repeating what' s already been said...eat at least 1200 calories per day, more protein than veggies or fruit (I actually rarely get to fruit at all). If you eat less than the recommended calorie intake, your body will go into starvation mode and hold on the weight. I find when I eat more protein and take in a high calorie intake, I drop the weight. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mona-camille Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hey friend, I haven't posted in a while because I have been very very busy! Fell and hurt my leg a month ago and now fell again and hurt the other! Been trying to build a web-page and am having a very hard and frustrating time with it, but I need to get it going very quickly or I will lose the market share for my product. So, thats kind of where I have been. It is driving me CRAZY because I don't know what I am doing and I have to teach myself as I go along. I do come on here and read occasionally but don't take the time to respond much anymore. But when I saw your post I had to come on and tell you that YOU ARE NOT AN OUTCAST!! PROMISE!!!!! It was just bad timing I think. Please don't get upset over it, no-one here means any harm at all! And if we knew how badly you were feeling, a lot more people would have come on and said the same thing as me. So, please, DON'T FEEL BAD!!!!!!!!!! I do that to myself a lot and know how sad that can make you feel. But I promise, your posts aren't being ignored. And if you were near me, I would grab you and give you a great big hug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So dry up those tears, put a smile on your face, and KNOW that we are all in this together and you are liked just as much as the next guy! KISS KISS HUG HUG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfuture88 Posted September 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Jena, Willi, Cathy, Denise and everyone so far- I am still tearful but now it is because of your advice and kind words as well as whatever is also going on. I do know, Jena, that after you said it, that I kind of felt this way right before my first fill but I was gaining. At least I am not now. I so look forward to going on in the evening and piping up when I have something to say. I don't tend to be very mushy on here but I have found many of you that I have come to care for. I appreciate your tender ministrations. Ellen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfuture88 Posted September 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hey friend,I haven't posted in a while because I have been very very busy! Fell and hurt my leg a month ago and now fell again and hurt the other! Been trying to build a web-page and am having a very hard and frustrating time with it, but I need to get it going very quickly or I will lose the market share for my product. So, thats kind of where I have been. It is driving me CRAZY because I don't know what I am doing and I have to teach myself as I go along. I do come on here and read occasionally but don't take the time to respond much anymore. But when I saw your post I had to come on and tell you that YOU ARE NOT AN OUTCAST!! PROMISE!!!!! It was just bad timing I think. Please don't get upset over it, no-one here means any harm at all! And if we knew how badly you were feeling, a lot more people would have come on and said the same thing as me. So, please, DON'T FEEL BAD!!!!!!!!!! I do that to myself a lot and know how sad that can make you feel. But I promise, your posts aren't being ignored. And if you were near me, I would grab you and give you a great big hug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So dry up those tears, put a smile on your face, and KNOW that we are all in this together and you are liked just as much as the next guy! KISS KISS HUG HUG Ramona- you are so nice. I wondered where you had been. Hope you leg is not too bad, and what are you trying to sell, if it is okay to ask. El Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momonamission Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 I think everyone is different.Sometimes I will go a week or longer and not lose 1 pound knowing I have been really good. Than I will eat something crapy that I know I should not have and the next day 2 or 3 pounds will be gone. STRANGE!!!!!! Alot of us are just trying to figure it out with you. You have already passed me on poundage. I try not to stay the same calories everyday, just cause I heard it keeps your body guessing. Same with excercise...you should try to change it up. Best of luck to all of us as we just keep plugging away one pound at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julieburns Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 How are you doing today Ellen? I read all the replies and all I can add is "Ditto". Really. I am on here almost everyday reading but some days I just don't feel like replying. I don't have any methodology as to whom or what I reply to it's just what hits me at the time. You are just as important as anyone else here my dear so chin up and know we all have gone through what you are going through at ont time or another. It sucks to be depressed or feel down and bad about your lack of weight loss. Again just reread all the above responses and do as you said you would to mix it up a little. This will work if we all hang in there together. That's what this forum is for. :lb4: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UTdigiMOM Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hey Ellen - I'm a newbie here, but I'm being banded by Dr. O on 10/10. Will you have your fill done at the OCC? If so, I look forward to meeting you!! Hope today is better than yesterday. It usually is. Big smiles, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadiggty Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 hi ellen! im a newbie too, not banded, but i wanted to chime in and say HI ive heard it's not so unusual to not lose anything before your first fill, do keep us updated as to how youre doing. the lbs may not be coming off right now, but they WILL and FOR GOOD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mona-camille Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Ramona- you are so nice. I wondered where you had been. Hope you leg is not too bad, and what are you trying to sell, if it is okay to ask. El Nah, not too bad, it's getting better already, so I think that means NO SURGERY! My web-page is petlossmemories.com you can go check it out, but it is far from finished. It's so messy but I am having a hard time with it. It's a way to memorialize a deceased pet. I've made them for people before just because, but now I have been told I should sell them because there are a lot of pet bereavement places sprouting up and are looking for something like this. Plus I have some vet offices that want to order some small ones to give to their clients when one of their pets pass away. Go check it out, and I AM VERY OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS, you can be brutal, I need to know! ((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))) Ramona Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisem Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Ellen, I think you are doing great on your weightloss! 41 lbs is nothing to sneeze at. Everyone who has replied to you has given great advice and I having nothing new to add that they haven't already said. Heck, my weightloss is slower than yours, so I'm tuning in for tips too! :-) Try not to let it get you down though...I look at it as a slow process and anything that takes time to accomplish usually lasts longer and you are more proud of the accomplishment! Hang in there! Denise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfuture88 Posted September 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 I went for my 1st and 2nd fill in TJ at the OCC. The second fill is 10/10- I am hoping that will help. After that I will go to NYU at the suggestion of a member. I went to a pharmaceutical meeting last night and ate great food, and way more than usual, like I said great food and I am the same weight!!! So, I hope you are all correct and I am jump starting this metabolism. It is so counterintuitive to having dieted all of our lives, the not restricting our calories in such an obsessive way as to end up starving and shutting down our metabolism. And I realized after speaking to all of you that I did lose better when I ate more and didn't get obsessive about losing. At this point I feel like the scale is alive and I have to visit it every morning. Ellen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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