Feeling a little annoyed

[mummykcb]

I'm looking at my weight loss so far and my 2 weeks pre op i lost 1st, and its taken me 6 weeks post op to lose only 13.5lb. My weight hasnt budged for 2 weeks and i really am not sure why. I am at a loss of what to do to trigger the weight loss again. Any ideas would be gratefully received.

 

[Paula Garner]

What you have to remember is its 2 stone less than you did weigh. I'm a bypasser, but you could try increasing your protein and water intake and cut back on your carbs. I'm sure some banders will be able to help you further

 

[snack]

Could u give us an idea of what ur eating ? Xx

 

[top_kat]

On average after you have your band, you should only be losing 1-2lb per week, (I was kinda surprised when told this by my provider as I was expecting it to be so much more), so going on these figures you're actually right on track . . .

I also "stalled" in the early time after my fill, but kick started it again with increasing protein and reducing carb intake and drinking lots of water.

Also, its hard not to compare the loss of the pre op with post op, but its very different, first of all you're doing a dramatic change in diet, whether it be a milk diet or a VLCD, and as such, it is only to be expected that we would lose more during this time, a lot is often water too.

Do you keep a food diary? If not its worth doing, use myfitnesspal to record everything that you eat whatever the quantity and it can help you to see what you're eating. Also, my provider said that at the moment I should only be consuming around 1000 cals a day, not to offset extra calories from exercise and to learn to accept that a 1-2lb loss a week is the way to go

 

[flutterby1966]

Well said top_kat. 1-2lbs a week is a realistic healthy weightloss per week ... I see lots of banders beating themselves up and going into despair when they are not losing more, as they compare their journey to others. Set the goal at the 1-2 (on average per week ... But taking a longer view as there will be peaks and troughs, say 5-8 pounds a month instead) and anything else is a bonus

 

[snack]

Well said flutterby I used to come on here and see that some ppl had lost twice what I had and I used to think I was doing something wrong but we are all individuals , we are all going to the same destination but we all take different routes and 2lbs a week works out at over 7 stone a year ,you have taken the brave step of surgery and also posting on here so in my eyes that all ready means you ve put in a lot of hard work and dedication ,keep your chin up we will all get there in the end xxx

 

[snack]

And top cat well said also xx

 

[mummykcb]

I think its more that i've stayed the same for 2 weeks since the fill that is really hacking me off. I asked the dietitian what i could eat and she was more giving me a list of what i couldnt eat and gave me no ideas about how many calories, what foods so i have really not gone onto much solid food because i'm at a loss on what to have. Have been eating cottage cheese and eggs most of the time which is getting boring. have the odd crispbread or melba toast but other than that really not knowing what to eat. No meat, no bread, no junk food, no drinking calories, not really meant to have dairy either, no cereals, eat 90g of protein. WTF am i meant to have. My friend who is also a bander doesnt understand as she had no of these rules placed on her. I'm completely struggling but cant get help from provider or GP so really dont know what to do.

 

[JO28172]

No meat? You need plenty of protein to burn fat! I can only say what worked for me, that was around 850 cals, 70g min protein, 70g max carbs, 8 cups of tea or water. That plus exercise got me losing 3lb a week but its tough going! Proper focus! Use myfitnesspal and track every morsel to see what you're having every day and what it's made up of!

 

[top_kat]

No meat . . .,no dairy . . .OMG lol


Goodness . . .

After I had my fill, back to liquids for 3 days and then mush for 3 days and then onto normal food and my provider encourages us to move away from things such as "soft" foods such as cottage cheese, eggs etc because they are slider foods, so to move onto drier and crunchier foods.
They have discounted huge food groups ~ perhaps the person was talking about in the immediate days after fill due to being on mash?

In the book that my provider gave me, this is what it says that we should be having in a typical day, although I had a stall post my 2nd fill (which is odd when you think that you're on liquids only) I've been steadily losing. Although they told me to aim for about 1000 cals, there are some days I've had about 1100, but on average I'm losing 3-4 lbs per week, that is going to the gym 3-4 times a week, about 30-60 mins walking a day everyday. And I limit carbs but focus on protein.

Anyway this is the information that they have given to me in the book, it may well be of help for you to work and find the foods that work with and for you.

"For your band to work effectively food needs to be of a "drier" consistency and eated and chewed slowly in small mouthfuls so that you learn to sense fullness and stop eating when you think you have had enough, when you're not hungry (not when you're full). With drier foods the appropriate quantity should fit in the palmo of your hand, eating this will keep you fuller for longer.

There will be some foods you will be able to tolerate less well than others and some you may not be able to tolerate at all. The important thing is to find out what works for you and this will involve trial and error. When introducing a new food for the first time do so at home and chew it well so you can be confident you are eating it and its ok.

The food they suggest that we have, takes items from the main food groups to provide a balance, but they actually do not rule out any foods.

1) starches eg bread, cereals potatoes.
Portion sizes 3-4 servings daily
~ 1 slice of bread or toast
~ 1 crumpet
~ 2 crisp breads / 3 small crackers
~ 2 small oat cakes
~ 1/2 pitta or 1 small pitta
~ 1 chapatti
~ 3 tablespoons dry porridge

2) Fruit and Veg ~ should have a mixture and at least 3 vegetable/salad portions a day, fruit to be used as a snack if necessary, chopped on cereal or as post meal dessert. Your main meal, half of a side plate size should be a variety of veg or salad

Fruit portions ~
2 to 3 servings daily

~ 1 medium piece of fresh fruit, apple, orange or 1/2 banana
~ 2-3 small fruits, eg plums or apricots
~ 150g strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
~ 3 tbsp stewed or tinned fruit (no added sugar)
~ 1 x 100 ml glass fruit juice
~ 1 heaped tablespoon dried fruit
~ handful of grapes

Veg portions
3-5 servings daily
~ 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables
~ 1 side salad (half side plate size)
~ 1 medium or 7 cherry tomatoes
~ glass of vegetable juice

3) protein
Aim for 2-3 portions a day, it is vital to included at least 2. Trim visible fat from meat, remove skin from chicken and avoid high fat choices such as bacon, sausages, beefburgers and pate. Beans such as canned beans or pulses are a good low far source of protein, but aim to eat at least 2 portions of fish per week

Protein
2-3 servings daily
~ 100g chicken, lean cooked beef, pork, lamb, turkey, liver, kidney, pilchards or salmon
~ 150g cooked white fish or tinned tuna (in brine or spring water), tofu or Quorn
~ 2 eggs (limit to 6 per week)
~ 4 tbsp cooked peas, lentils, beans (including baked beans) kidney beans

4) milk and dairy products
eat moderate amounts of these foods, 2-3 portions per day, but choosing skimmed or semi skimmed milk, low fat yoghurts. virtually fat free fromage frais.
2-3 servings daily of

~ 200ml semi or skimmed milk
~ 1 small pot of diet yoghurt or fromage frais
~ 60g low fat soft cheese
~ 100g cottage cheese
~ 25g hard cheese

5) fatty foods
the diet requires some limited fats and these are optional.
1 serving max daily
~ 1 tsp butter, marg, oil, mayo, nut butter
~ 2 tsp low far spread, reduced fat mayo, salad dressing or single cream
~ 7g nuts, 8 hazlenuts, 5 pecans, 4 walnuts, 4 brazil nuts
~ 1 heaped tsp seeds eg pumpkin, sesame, pine nuts

~ Remember to drink plenty of fluids, tea, decaff cofee, low cal drinks water and herbal teas.

The things that they suggest are pretty specific and I find that I eat more protein than they suggest, but I do have some carbs, even in form of muesli with a dash of milk, and its the one thing that really keeps me full for ages. From what you've said about what they have said you shouldn't be eating you're left having softer "slider" foods and not balanced food.

Im currently having around 80g protein a day, max of about 60g carbs, somedays thats higher, especially if I've done lots of exercise with lots of walking and a gym visit. But I also monitor what Im having each day to the last grape. I weigh everything and as much as possible am limiting my cals to the 1000 that they said, although I was stalling I have found that if I have a time when I do eat more, it does kick start it.

Im not the dietitian but it sounds to me as if she is wayyyy off the mark . . . I dont know if the above is of any help, but its working for and with me, and the only thing I've found not to be easy to eat is pork.

 

[snack]

Who banded u ? Seems very radical to me ?

 

[top_kat]

How are you doing today? Just thought I'd check in with you to see how you are x

 

[lilypersian]

Hi There Mummykcb,

First of all, I was feeling exactly the same as you! I'd stayed the same weight for weeks. I've just had my second fill and dietician appointment and she said that 1-2 pounds is good progress. My nurse who does the fill did say the weight loss may stall compared to how much we lose in the beginning, but what she also said is that our bands aren't working to 100% yet, so whatever we lose is great.
As you are on the normal food now, I would try everything! We are all different, and I have been ok with everything, but you MUST chew everything so well. I said to the nurse at my 2nd fill "oh i've been really lucky, I can eat everything" and she said "you're not lucky, just doing everything right" (like chewing everything well).
You really should try protein in your diet, as will fill you for longer. I've eaten ryvita with extra light philadelphia with cucumber for lunch as the crunchy textured foods take longer to digest, keeping us fuller for longer!
One great thing I've learned so far is the 20-20-20 rule. Chew well 20 times, wait 20 seconds, chew well 20 times etc, and after 20 mins stop eating. This has been really hard for me as i've always bolted my food with hardly any chewing. It's amazing how chewing well and eating slower makes a difference!
Dont feel despondent, til you're up to your maximum fills, you won't be getting the full benefit, and then you will see the results you want. Although if you are impatient like me, this is easier said than done!!
One thing i've thought is that I wouldn't have even lost this much without the band!!
Hope this helps!
Keep your chin up too!
Lilypersian
xx

 

[mummykcb]

I think for me i would of lost this much without the band on a radical diet like this, but my willpower is waning badly and i constantly feel hungry. I chew my food well and have tried other foods this week but now i have the issue of going over my calorie intake of 1000 because of being so hungry. I feel i have no energy whatsoever only having 1000 calories a day and if i hadnt mentioned before i also have arthritis and chronic fatigue with fibromyalgic symptoms so always felt tired before but this is crazy. I have 3 children and i've never felt so drained apart from the week i went on holiday and did eat lots of different foods, went over my calorie intake, lost no weight but felt ok. I feel like i'm between a rock and a hard place.

 

[lilypersian]

My dietician did tell me that they don't tell us a calorie intake, but i'd say between 1000 - 1200 is good. Just try to vary your food so you dont get bored.
How many fills have you had so far? I've just had my 2nd taking me up to 6ml and can really feel the difference already! Hope you get to a good place soon.
xx

 

[mummykcb]

I had my 1st fill at the op and was at 4.5ml before i started eating solids. I had my first official fill and now up to 6ml but feel no restriction whatsoever. really getting annoyed with it. i was told 1000 cals a day. I'm eating up to 1500 a day and still really hungry.

 

[top_kat]

I am at 6mls too (first fill at 5 weeks of 5 mls, 1 ml 2 weeks later) and feel no restriction from my band and haven't done from day one. However, all of what I lose and in terms of what I eat is done through controlling what I eat, limiting the carbs too, but counting the calories and working to find foods that fill me up for longer, but aren't taking me beyond 1100 cals. Ive actually found in the past couple of weeks that with exercising, eating 1100 cals is a point at which my loss is increased, eating less and it doesn't.

What do your foods consist of? Meals? If you have a couple of typical days, what sort of things are you eating? Could we help you with alternative suggestions?

I was finding a couple of weeks ago, that I was incessantly hungry, but a real change in the foods I have eaten has really helped, that even tho I have no restriction, Im not feeling hungry and the losses are going well . . .

 

[mummykcb]

Breakfast cottage cheese with scrambled egg
lunch crackerbread with pate or marmite
tea a chicken thigh new potatoes with carrots and brocoli
supper crackerbread with marmite
drinks 3-4 teas with 2 sugars(have yet to find a sweetener that tastes nice) and 1 hot chocolate

 

[flutterby1966]

Mummykcb ... From what you have posted its not clear how much quantity-wise you are eating of these foods. And while I am not a bander who advocates cutting out or having drastically low levels of carbs, do you think you would maybe benefit from reducing the volume/frequency of carbs at this point (as they can create sugar high/lows) and potentially leave you feeling like you want to eat all the time? Likewise those 3-4 teas with sugar are wasted calories and probably part of the same issue).

What about trying something crunchier for breakfast ... Such as ryvitas or crackers with your protein or maybe even half/full crunchy apple after your proteins .... That may fill you for longer. For lunch, bulk up with some salad/crudités/fruit and have more protein rather than using the carb as a carrier for whatever else you are eating. For dinner, more low fat protein (thigh contains more fat than breast) and less potatoes. Snacks to benefit weight loss would maybe be fruit/veggies and more protein based such as yoghurt/hard boiled egg/cooked meat etc as again they wouldn't create the cravings and would speed up weight loss.

I was always told, protein (1/3rd of plate) first, followed by fruit/salad/veggies (1/3rd of plate) and then only to eat carbs (final 1/3rd of plate) if you were still hungry ... So the most nutritious food was always the priority xxx

 

[Paula Garner]

Breakfast cottage cheese with scrambled egg
lunch crackerbread with pate or marmite
tea a chicken thigh new potatoes with carrots and brocoli
supper crackerbread with marmite
drinks 3-4 teas with 2 sugars(have yet to find a sweetener that tastes nice) and 1 hot chocolate

Try agave nectar. It's the best one I've found. No horrible aftertaste