I?m so frustrated, discouraged HELP

its ok I have had mine a year now. To tell u the truth I have just start to lose I Had surgery in July 09' and I have only lost 54 pds. it's ok the last fill for me was the trick I'm at 9.5cc in a 13.cc band

That just goes to show you that everyone is different. I am at 5 cc in a 10 and cannot eat bread of any form. I have a little restriction. Restriction scares me though cuz I am the queen of sliming. I haven't lost much either. Only 37 lbs since dec 20 09. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome that makes my weight lost slow. And Some ppl just lose it slower. You may need another fill or two. What does your doc say?

if you can still eat anything, and a lot of it, then it sounds like you havent reached your sweet spot. until you have proper restriction, the band is not "working", you're just dieting...and if we were "good" at dieting, we wouldnt have gotten banded, right? i have 10.75 in my band (3 fills)...maybe you need more fills?

I can understand your frustration, I have had a similar experience. I am a year in and have lost 42 pounds. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for that and it is halfway to my goal. But 12 pounds was my pre-op and the other 30 was in the first six months. From Dec. until July I lost and gained the same 3 pounds several times.

Here's how it went:

I had immediate loss after surgery, but after the swelling went down I felt like I had NO restriction - at 6 weeks or so I had a 4 cc fill - was restricted for a few weeks then back to not feeling like any. However occasionally if I didn't chew well I would get stuck so I was really careful to eat slowly. Just slowing down and chewing more made a difference in my weight, and I was careful to NEVER take seconds. So I was losing. But I was hungry a lot. It is like BandRanger said above, it was just dieting. I had more incentive because I was afraid of getting stuck, but otherwise, just discipline. When I plateaued I got another fill but doc kept it small (because I mentioned getting stuck a few times and I really fear that). So after several months at a plateau I went back last week and got another fill and am at 8 cc's in an 11 cc band. NOW I FEEL RESTRICTION. The best part is, now I know the difference between restriction and just getting stuck (I also found out what sliming is - ick). I am NOT hungry (for the first time since banding) and I do have to be very careful what I eat. In fact it may be too tight, but I am using protein shakes and protein shots and so far I am back on a losing streak. I lost 5 pounds in 6 days.

The band seminars told us that if you have true fullness in the area above the band your brain receives a message that you are full and your metabolism in in high gear. If you are hungry, metabolism slows down. So, it does seem important to have the "fullness" in your stomach - it is not just for self-control...it is physiological.

Whether you get another fill or not, two essential keys to weight loss are:

1) exercise every day. At least a 30 minute fast paced walk or swim. Something every day.

2) get plenty of protein. I try to get 70 grams a day and still keep calories at 1000. This means protein shakes and shots. Tip: I put cottage cheese in soup.

Consider upping your exercise and protein (but not calories) for a week and see what happens. If nothing, then you need a fill.

HI Ellaal01, on ur next fill take a water bottle with you...so when the doc gives u ur fill..take big drinks of water not a sip a gulp...until u feel it come back up or bubble slowly down. if you feel it go down to easy and fast then you have him fill u more...until u feel the water bubble..Good Luck

Thank you all for the advice.. I don't see my Dr. i see his nurse practitioner She won’t give me the fills that I need. As a matter of fact iv called her to ask if I could get a fill a few weeks after she gave me the last one and guess what she said no. I had to wait cause sometimes it takes time. I know the process is slow but not this slow???? So I called my Doctor to see if we could talk about what’s going on i have an appointment with him next week.. So lets cross our fingers that he gives me a fill. I will keep you guy's posted... lots of thanks...