Getting my act together

[Babe]

Hi guys! I haven't posted in ages, and actually rarely do, but i lurk a lot...

Anyways, I've just gone through a few very difficult months (3 family deaths, financial probs., housing probs, relationship stuff) and i'm ready to focus on myself again. I got banded in Feb, and have lost about 30lbs since banding, 45 in total since Jan. I've had 4 fills in my 4cc band, the last one was in Sept. and i'm only at 1.3cc. My question is this, how much should I be able to eat if i've got restriction? I always thought it was 1 to 1 1/2 cups a meal, but i'm starting to second guess that now... I follow all the bandster rules, and and do an hour cardio 3x a week and walk a 1/2hr the other days. Yes, admittedly I slipped back into my emotional eating patterns a bit over all the turmoil the last 3-4 months. I'm back to monitoring my feeling and using my food log again.

I've kind of resigned myself to being a slow loser, but just to be on the safe side, i'm seeing and endocronologist later this month. I have an underactive thyroid, but I'm starting to think something else is in the way making it harder to lose the weight. This is so frustrating! Sometimes I feel like maybe I've wasted $8K, and then I remind myself that I probably wouldn't have lost the 30lbs without it.

I'm not sure why I posted... maybe i just need a bit of reassurance and motivation.

Babe

[Kristi]

Good Evening Babe,

When I have good restriction, I can only eat about 1/2-1 cup of food within a 20-30 minute period. Right now I have very minimal restriction which is making it a bit harder on me to get to my goal of 130-135.

As for thyroid issues, I know from personal experience that an under-active one can be a real hassle and cause weight-loss to be near impossible. An endocrinologist is definitely someone that should be able to figure out if there is something going on. My new Endo is Awesome!

Well, I am glad you are on here and it sounds to me like maybe you are ready to get back on track.

So, since you admitted to slipping on the emotional eating, now it is time to cut out the junk food and focus on the good foods for yourself. I still follow the main band rules regarding eating, eat proteins first and then onto veggies. I normally don't get carbs/starches in, which is ok for me. BTW, good idea on the food log. There are some of the others that post their food log here on the site. Might be another way to go too, just a thought.

Look forward to hearing about your progress and how you Doctors appt went.

Hugs,

Kristi

BTW --- 43 pounds so far is outstanding!!!

[Smiley]

It is my understand that whether you have restriction or not you should only be eating 1 cup of food at a meal. I always tried to 1/2 cup of protein and 1/2 cup of a vegetable. Then, if you are still truely hungry 30 minutes after you have eaten you can have another 1/2 cup of food. I rarely if ever found myself to still be hungry. The other thing that can resemble hunger is the need for liquids.

Glad to hear you are getting back on track!!!

[Babe]

Thanks for answering Kristi and Smiley. Ok, now I'm convinced I need a fill. I can easily eat 1 and a half cups of food at a time (except if there's bread or dry chicken involved).