Question for all the sucessful bansters!

Hi everyone, I have a question for the sucessful bansters on this forum. How did you loose your wieght? I obviously don't know what it takes to loose this weight with the band. I was banded in Jan of this year and lost some weight with the post op diet but havent lost anything since. I had a band complication last month that required surgery to repair it and thought that after that i would be on my way to success but it hasnt happend. What I do know is I need to track my food and excersice but I need a band friendly food plan to go by. Did you loose your weight by eating your own food plan or did you do a program like weigh****chers or Adkins or something else? 

Thanks!

Jules u don't mention anything about restriction. If you never get restriction then it's just like trying to lose weight before you got the band. :-(

Yes Maria I have to agree with you about restriction. I didnt have it for a long time and I know what you are talking about, it is REALLY frustrating. I had a leak that they didnt find for a while until it was fixed. I had no restriction and it was horrible... Now that I have restriction I am still not loosing weight, but I am not eating right and I need to get on track.

Try doing high protein, lower carb, sugar and fat. Be careful what you bring into the house. If you keep tempting foods out of the house then having to leave to go to the store to buy it can sometimes be enough of a deterrent. Good luck!

I did my own thing following my Dr.'s strict food progression and the dieticians recommendations.  3 weeks liquids, 2 weeks soft, then on to solids. 

I faithfully tracked everything I put in my mouth and for the first 9 months banned simple carbohydrates from my diet replacing them with their complex counterparts.  For example, I eliminated all the white carbs:  pasta, white bread, potato, rice, flour and refined sugars.  I replace those foods with brown rice, yams or sweet potato, whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread and crackers, etc.  I didn't count carbs only protein and made sure I got 60-80 g of protein via real food daily, (no shakes) unless I had just had a fill.  I will say, that by the time I fit in all of my protein there wasn't much room for carbs...

If I wanted a sweet treat I did SF jello, pudding, popcicles or 10 calorie hot chocolate.

I also eliminated salad dressings and other high calorie sauces but used ketchup and bbq sauce when needed to moisten meat.

For me the recommended portion size 1/2 or less since your pouch is aproximately the size of an egg.  800 calories a day was my target but I kept it around 1000 on average.

I was faithful and actually rigid for the first 9 months and lost 104 lbs.  Once I let refined sugar back in my life I stopped losing weight and am struggling to lose the last 30 lbs because of my sugar/carb addiction.

I didn't do a lot of exercise but definately moved more than I did before walking, parking further away, walking the escalator rather than riding, etc.  But I wish I had done more.  Today I am dealing with lower back trouble because I lost muscle along with the weight and didn't have enough muscle to support my frame.  It's getting better but I wish I had focused more on strength training early on.

There are many ways to work the band.  This is what worked for me. 

I guess if I was in your shoes I'd start anew today.  And yes, track your foods!  It's the only way you can really educate yourself about what you're eating.

We're all here to help so keep asking questions.

Best~
Lisa O.

Jules --- here is what I did -- your mileage may vary

1.  I dedicated myself to the process 100% -- I set a goal of getting to 155 pounds, I put my head down and I got started
2.  I made a few lists ---- a list of why I am doing this, a list of 25 things I can do besides eat if it is not meal time, a list of 20 things that will show that I am being successful (not scale related)
3.  I made a list of 'trigger foods' --- foods that I would pray to be willing to stay away from -- for me, that was mostly sweets --- I was controlled by sweets in the past
4.  I joined an OA group on line to help me abstain from my trigger foods (www.oa.org and www.therecoverygroup.org )
5.  I went back to Weigh****chers for support, accountability and education --- I could not eat according to their plan for a long time -- but I went every week and built a support system there

I lost weight or maintained every week except for 1 -- in 18 months. 
I lost weight before my surgery, I lost weight after my surgery.

I weighed/measured my food.  I did not wait for 'restriction' --- I assumed that the band was there to help me -- and even before the band, I was able to lose weight -- so I did not 'test' my restriction.

I did not see 'how much' I could eat -- I challenged myself to see "how little" I needed to eat.
I measured out my food and cut it in half alot of the time --- and ate that and tried to go for 2 - 3 hours before eating again.

I got in tune with how completely 'over served' we have become as a culture.  If I ate out, I ate 1/4 of a serving and stopped -- sometimes I brought home leftovers, and sometimes I left them behind because the food was tasty, but not really healthy --- and it was a treat to eat a little bit of it and move on.

I pulled out my 'lists' every time I started to doubt my journey -- and I forged ahead.

I am maintaining a loss over over 130 pounds for 10 months now --- and know that I am not cured.
I will be a morbidly obese person who is in remission for my life.
My life can change in an instant if I go back to my old ways --- so, I continue to weigh myself every day that I am at home ---- and adjust my eating if the scale is up more than 2 pounds above my goal weight.

I was certainly not a successful bandster, but I have been pretty successful with my sleeve which is also a restrictice procedure.

One of the most tried and true VSG plans for the losing stage calls for 600-800 calories a day, 40g of carbs or less, and 70g of protein.

I am not the quickest loser on the VSG board and my diet has been closer to 800-900 calories per day with my carbs usually around 60-70.

I am not sure what your restriction is like or if this is a do-able plan, but I just wanted to throw it out there. Maybe you can tweak it for your band and your needs.

Best,
Lindsey

I decided I would follow the rules to the letter.  I am now almost 4 years post op and I still follow them. 

1.)  Eat my protein first.  I never sit down to a meal that doesn't include protein.  The protein is consumed first and then if I have space, I will eat the carbs.

2.)  I measure my meals - If I'm eating chili or something like that consistency, I measure a cup and put that on my plate.  I'm an addict for food and always will be, so if it tastes really good, I will sometimes push the limits and eat more.  Bad bad bad of me!  I learned this very early and bought some pretty little measuring cups.  I use them every meal. 

3.)  I prepare my meals before hand.  I don't allow foods that are trigger foods into my home.  I love chips!  They go down easy and I could live on them!  They are evil!  Once a week, I make my meals for the week.  I measure them into 7 bowls and put them in the refrigerator.  I eat turkey breast chili a lot.  I will buy all the fixings for a salad and make 7 salads - including the turkey breast or chicken breast to go on top.  I know what I have to eat and that way when I am hungry, I am not tempted to eat out or something I shouldn't.

4.)  Since before my band (during my pre-op) I have used www.fitday.com.  I can go there and see what I ate in 2008, on any given day.  I weigh daily, plot my weight, use the goal setting page and log each and everything I eat.  My friend says I'm obsessed.  Perhaps, I am, but I need to be!  I started at 488lbs!

5.)  I drink right up until my first bite and then I do NOT ever drink with my meals or for 1 solid hour post my last bite.  If I am home I set my timer.  If I am out, I consult my watch and pay attention to the time.  This is a biggie for me and one I will not cheat on.

6.)  I drink my 64-80 oz of water each day.

7.)  I do some kind of activity every day.  Take a walk, go to the pool or gym or ride my bike.  Every day 7 days a week.

8.)  I set small attainable goals.  I had over 300 lbs to lose.  It was overwhelming at first, but I set 10% weight loss goals and just worked toward them.

9.)  I get a small fill every 6 week or less.  My last fill was 0.10 ml.  That's a drop, but it works!

I'm not perfect.  I do cheat and eat the occasional treat.  But I am determined to not be fat the rest of my life.  Each time I hit a plateau, I return to my pre-op diet of NO Carbs and Protein only.  It resets my mind and my motivation because it breaks my plateau.

Wow you are such an inspiration! I started at 498 when I had my daughter on 03/09 and now I'm 330 so I still have so far to go it seems so overwhelming. Do you have any before and after pics? I would love to see them. And your tips are great I'm saving them.

Just add me as your friend and you can see my pics!  I'll try to post a few recent ones.  I felt totally overwhelmed when I started.  I had friends who were reaching their goals in less than a year and here I was just plugging along! 

Today, I am a new woman and I keep moving my goal weight lower.  I feel like I am 30 years younger!  For me following the rules and living with the LapBand has been worth it!