Today I want to share what I am specifically doing to turn my lapband failure around and ensure success. It is important to have a game plan. My hope in sharing is to encourage anyone else who wants to get back on track and doesn't know where to start.
I guess that my situation is unique in that I never lost any weight with the band. I never experienced the joy of seeing any success with the band at all. I did not ever lose weight with my band, and I turned to diet pills. For the first time ever, after being unable to continue on diet pills, I have turned back to the band because I realized that I never learned how to use my band to begin with. Not only that, I was a master at eating around my band. I hardly knew it was even there!
So now I want to share with you my journey and what I've done to get on track. It started with researching about the lapband, and watching various videos on the web. I also visited several web pages that offered support and started speaking to people and asking questions. Since I moved to a new city, I also found a new doctor that I could go to for support. The process of learning more about my band took about a month, and getting an appointment with my new doctor took three weeks to get in. It was a pain to wait that long but it did enable me time to start working on changing some habits.
I found out from the doctor on my first appointment that I only had 3 cc's in my band, and I was even surprised that I had that much. I felt little to no restriction. My new doctor decided to give me a 2 cc fill. I still was not in the right head space mentally. I still continued to try to eat around my band.
I had a tiny bit of restriction but didn't feel that I had enough. I was also putting more responsibility on the band, and blaming the band, expecting it to do all the work and I was not responsible whatsoever. My excuse was that I just was not at that "magical" spot yet and therefore I had no responsibility until that time. A big mistake. As you can see, I've had a lot to work through mentally. I would never come out and say it, but I was not taking responsibility and I was not doing my part with the choices that I made.
I scheduled to go back to the doctor for another fill because 5 cc's wasn't doing anything for me. It took me another 3 weeks to see him. I asked him if he would give me 1.5 cc's and he said that he would only give me 1 cc after I was above 5 cc's. I am SO thankful that he set a limit and only gave me 1 cc fill. After I left his office, I noticed that my band was way too tight. I've never experienced the band being that tight before. I could not believe that in the mornings I could not even hold down water! I had to get back to the doctor right away to get an unfill.
Unfortunately, when I went back three days later, he was quite concerned and decided to take the entire 1 cc out. I was back at only 5 cc's again! He wanted me to wait for another month or at least 3 weeks before getting a fill again, to make sure that my stomach settled and any swelling went down.
As you can see, getting back on track may take a little time to get the adjustments just right. It worked in my favor though, because I needed to get my head right as well, and needed to work through that at the same time.
I was finally able to get another fill, and got .3 cc's in my band. And that is where we are right now. I currently have 5.3 cc's in my band, and I can tell that I am very close to reaching the right spot for me. However, more than that, I've been learning more about my band and learning to take responsibility for my choices.
One source where I have gotten a lot of information, and where I was even inspired to do a blog, was from another blogger called Lap Band Girl and you can visit her site here as well for wonderful information about her success with the band: http://lapbandgalsjourney.blogspot.com.au/
From tips and advice from the page above as well as other resources, here is what I've done so far to ensure my success:
1. I've purchased a small $4 notebook to keep in my purse, and to track my calories and protein, how many ounces or grams my main meals weigh, as well as exercise. I've taken some photos as well so you can see what I mean:
Just to add to the above - my calories are not always in the 1200's. I try to stick to between 1200 and 1400 calories a day. There has been one day this week that I had only 950 calories, but that is rare at this point. I may not be at the right fill level just yet, so 1200 to 1400 is manageable and I believe that is a healthy range to aim for at this point. In addition to counting calories, it is extremely important to count your grams of protein as well! Protein is extremely important and you should aim to eat between 60-80 grams of protein per day!
Furthermore, don't be alarmed if some days you "blow it" and have 1800 calories or thereabouts, just get back on track. If you are not at the right restriction level, you may have to start at a slightly higher calorie count to keep you satisfied until you can get to right spot. Start practising good eating habits now. This is about making long-term changes and changing your eating for life!
2. I've purchased a digital scale for the first time ever in my life to weigh my food, and I also purchased extra measuring cups as well I now weigh everything that I eat, because I am quite an inconsistent person and if I eye-ball it then I will be way off. I need to be consistent, and the digital scale really helps me do that. Invest in a digital scale and measure your food. I aim to eat between 7 to 8 ounces (200-250 grams) of food at each meal. A digital scale can be your best friend to keep you on track with your band!
3. I've purchased smaller plates and bowls, and I use smaller forks and spoons with my meals. It really does make a difference to use smaller plates and bowls. It feels as though you are eating a normal sized meal. Here is a comparison of my normal, large dinner plate next to my new dishes that I purchased:
You can see how huge the dinner plate is in comparison. I don't feel deprived when I use smaller plates and utensils. I feel I have a large portion of food even though my husband has huge sized meals compared to what I am eating. It takes me about 10 minutes longer to eat mine as well after he is finished.
Here is a visual of some meals that I have eaten on smaller plates - each meal was weighed to be 8 ounces.
This first one is two tuna rissoles with fresh cooked veggies and a dash of tartar sauce. This was served on a small saucer plate.
Here is another dish that I created when I was really hungry and couldn't think of what to eat. I diced up some sweet potatoes and cooked them in a skillet, then added two scrambled egg mixture with green onion and tomatoes, and it was delicious. Again, this was 8 ounces of food:
I have also created my own space for my special lapband-friendly dishes. The first photo is just to show some of the types of dishes I have purchased.
4. I plan ahead as much as I possibly can, and I have a backup plan for when I am out and about so that I am not too hungry. I keep some mini protein bars with me in my purse and I will cut up some apple slices or stick a small banana in my purse if I am going to be gone for several hours. It's good to be prepared in case you get famished while you are away from home. Try to include protein with every meal, including snacks.
5. It is important to make healthy food choices as often as possible. Stick to quality foods. You eating a smaller amount of calories, so make the nutrition and nutrients count. Choose quality foods and cut out processed foods and sugar as much as possible.
6. Take smaller bites (remember, use the small utensils) and chew your food well. It will make it seem like you have more food when you eat small bites and go slowly. Also, wait 30 seconds to one minute between bites.
7. I choose to not drink with meals. I don't drink 1 minute before eating my meal and I wait 30-45 minutes after my meal to drink. I have found that this does make a huge difference in feeling full. Sometimes after I have eaten my tiny amount of food I am still a little hungry, but if I wait and don't drink anything then I gradually start to feel very content and full. Do your best not to drink with meals. I think a tiny sip if needed at times is fine, but you will notice a difference if you start to incorporate this rule.
Let me just add that I am someone who absolutely loves to drink with meals. Now, I make my yummy glass of ice tea with liquid Stevia drops and fresh squeezed lemon, and I drink 3 or 4 sips beforehand, and then I put it in the fridge. I look at the clock when I finish eating and wait at least 30 minutes, and I have my ice tea waiting for me in the fridge so I have that to look forward to as a reward for waiting. I'm finding that it now works quite well for me to wait to have my drink after my meals.
8. I usually eat 5 meals a day: Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. However, there are times after dinner that I get hungry and need a little something before bed. Have a plan for those occasions that you are just too hungry to fall asleep. Here are some things that I do: I'll have 3-4 bites of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, or I will have a cup of hot tea (usually chai) with a few drops of liquid Stevia and an ounce of milk. I may also have 3 bites of meat, such as chicken, and that satisfies me very well until the morning. Have a plan if you tend to get hungry at night where you can be satisfied with a small amount of low-carb food.
9. Exercise: weights and cardio. Make a commitment to exercise at least 4-6 times per week, even if you can only walk for 35 minutes. Challenge yourself to get moving each day.
10. Keep a good relationship with your doctor and his staff and keep going back for check-ups and to get fills as needed. It may also be a good idea to see a nutritionist if you are struggling, but do your best to get as much support as you can from your doctor and make yourself accountable to him for your weight loss. Join support groups - make sure you are not a lone ranger on your journey.
I hope that these tips will help you as you get started on getting back on track! If someone like me who has never experienced success with the band can do it (and make new healthy changes 6 years after having the band) then I know you can do it too! Please leave a comment if this post has encouraged or helped you in any way. Thank you and keep following as I post more tips and updates along my journey!
