BuffyC413

Maybe you could ask your doctor to take out Fluid for a week or two, start from 0cc's and then slowly start to fill it back up? That seems to be what worked for me. Also, really pay attention to your body and what happens when you start to think about having a meal. Do you start salivating at the thought of something you can eat? What type of food are you craving? When you open the fridge, are you really hungry? And, notice what it's like just to be satisfied and full and not OVERfull. I will be eating something and all the sudden, I'll look at my food and say "I COULD finish this but, will one more bite be better than the last bite I just had?" Most of the time, the answer is no. And, if I defy that warning, I'll usually puke the last few bites up because I over-did it. The saying "eat to live, don't live to eat." is very true. Eating now is kinda a chore! I don't enjoy it the way I used to. And, I NEVER knew what full was and wasn't until now at 33 years old. Full to me was that over-eating, clean everything on your plate full, where you wanna take a nap. Now, I know the the true feeling of fullness is the top of my stomach right under my rib cage will feel full and I will be satisfied and not crave another bite. I'm not miserable or needing to lay down. It takes A LOT of work just getting your mind in the right place. Who-ever says we took the "easy way out" by getting lapband surgery is a fool. There is nothing easy about it. But, I've noticed a trend with lapband failures and I thought I was going to be a part of that statistic. And, I may still convert to the sleeve in the future. But, I HATE hearing that other people have been banded and aren't losing weight. I totally know how you feel. I got lucky, I think. Miraculously. I can't pin point one thing that finally lead to my losing weight. It's a time line of several different things. The main thing being frame of mind!

I'm so sorry to hear that, Sally. I felt the exact same way. And, even though I've lost all the weight I wanted to lose, I'm still worried about how long this band will last and live in fear of gaining it all back one day.

It's Feb 8th, 2013 - 2 years and 6 months since my surgery - I weigh 148 - less than I ever dreamed I'd be. Once I started losing, it was due to starvation, basically. Having the band so tight that I couldn't eat anything. When I got aspiration pneumonia in May 2012 caused by reflux because my band was too tight, my surgeon removed all my fluid from my band and I gained 20lbs back in 2 months. I convinced him to put some fluid back in. He agreed but only put a fraction of what was in there before. Previously, I had been at 7.6cc's in a 10cc band. This time, I was at a 1cc. I actually started losing. I have less fluid in my band now than I did when I first had the surgery. After surgery, I was 4cc's and I could eat any and everything. Now? I'm still less than 2.5cc's and since May, have lost 27lbs. The only thing I can think of is that my band wasn't placed correctly the first time or my body just remembered how to lose. I don't throw up as much. But, there are still days when I won't eat anything. I will be getting my hormones checked. My hair is falling out and I've developed adult acne. But, I'm the smallest size I've ever been - a size 8. My BMI is now 27. I know a lot of it boils down to the band taking the pleasure out of eating. Eating takes much, much longer resulting in your food going cold. I actually can ask myself "Am I wanting seconds? Or will that make me too full? Am I really hungry? Or bored" You've got to break the addiction to food.

Yes. It's now been 2 years and 3 months since my surgery and I have lost a total of 70lbs. (From 223 to 153) It took about 6 months before I started losing. It came off slow and steady. The first year after I posted this, it was mainly because it was too tight and I just couldn't eat anything. But, the past 6 months, I've been able to eat and I'm still losing. So, after all this time, I'm finally at that "sweet spot".

Yes, you could still be full. There are times when I can only eat one major meal a day. If I try to eat anything else, I get that "stuck" feeling.

I started a new topic here several months back titled "5 Months Post Op and No Weight Lost". I was banded August 16th, 2010. Each month after, my band was adjusted. By the new year, I was just as heavy as I was the day of my surgery (almost 220lbs) In February, 2011, I had lost 10lbs but, only because my band was too tight and I couldn't eat anything other than liquids without throwing up. They took fluid out and I gained half of it back. At the end of March/beginning of April, I noticed that it felt "different" when I ate. I could eat most anything as long as I chewed it to mush and kept my bites miniscule. I don't know what changed but it was seemingly overnight. So, 7 months post op, I finally started losing weight! I am now going on 15 months post op and I weigh 180. The past 3 weeks, I have not lost anything. They said I should expect to lose 40-60lbs so, I don't know if my body is choosing to stay at the low end or what. I'd like to get at least 10 more lbs off but I think it's going to take another fill which I haven't had in several months. The only explanation I can offer for things changing is perhaps my brain finally gave up on my food addiction. Eating is no longer pleasurable. It takes a lot of time and patience and I don't get any of the joy I got from it before. I don't look forward to it and I don't think "I wonder what I'm going to eat today?" I've managed to talk to a few people who have had little success and are at 4-6 months post op. Is there anyone out there who started losing weight after half a year of being banded, or longer?

Yes, I did. But, "everything" to me is still healthy. I've never been a fan of ice cream, for example. I thought I'd still be able to eat a 6 inch subway sandwich, only less. But, turns out, the bread is a bit too much. I didn't realize that by restriction, you actually had to avoid breads and thicker meats. I thought you could still eat those things and not feel anything internally only the outcome was you'd just eat less of it when you got full quicker. I'm used to journaling what I eat. I did WW a few times and was successful. I'll probably go back on it. That was my plan in the beginning anyways but a friend and fellow bander told me it wouldn't be necessary because the band would take care of that for me. Do ya'll know of anyone else who has gone through this? My nurse said she's seen it before. People going month to month with little weight loss and then BAM! They get the right amount of restriction and it starts falling off. I hope that is the case for me. I can definitely tell a difference after this last fill.

I know it's hard to understand. And, most people do automatically assume that I'm not eating right or eating a lot of sweets. All I can say is that I ate healthily before. I gained most of my weight because of disease and not being able to be active. So, I set my standards low when I got this surgery because of my inability to be active. I doubt I'll allow them to make my band much tighter. I guess I'm willing to live with this tightness level if results happen. I go back to the Dr. in 2 weeks.

My last visit, I saw a different nurse. I could have sworn that at the visit before this latest one, I had been filled to 6.4cc. But, when she took the saline out to measure, she said it had 5.5cc's. I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure if she misread or maybe the last nurse was wrong. I feel the restriction this time around. So, I will see what they measure the next time I go in. I've never heard about the thicker liquid.

Wow. I thought I was the only one! I am 5 months post op and I haven't lost one single pound! I've had 3 fills total so far. The first two, I was still able to eat just as I did before with no problems. This last fill was pretty aggressive. I'm at 6.5cc of a 10cc band and now, I can only eat soft foods. If I try to eat something dense, it gets stuck immediately unless I chew it into liquid form which only makes my jaw hurt and I get sick of eating. It takes me 30 min to eat half a burger. Is this what we're supposed to be doing to lose weight? I've never met anyone else who hasn't lost weight, only had minimal weight loss in their eyes, but to me it's significant weight loss. At 5 months post op, I really thought I'd be 25lbs lighter. I thought 5lbs a month was a realistic goal since I take medications and have health problems. But no. I was 217 the morning they rolled me back for surgery and I am 217 right now. And, I'm so depressed. Even more so than usual. It would be nice to have a lap band buddy to talk to. Especially since we are experiencing the same things. Feel free to email me at buffyclary@yahoo.com.

I am 5 months post op and have had 0 weight loss. I went in for my 3rd fill since surgery and am experiencing the same things. Solid foods won't go down without pain and usually having to throw it back up. Burps and gurgles occur when I eat. But, is this where I'm supposed to be? I had a fellow bandster tell me "yes" on FB. If I don't lose weight this month at this month restriction, could it be that I'm probably the only person who's had Lap Band and not lost any weight??

I was banded in August 2010. The day of surgery, I weighed 217lbs. As of today, I weigh 217lbs. I've had no weight loss whatsoever. I've had 3 fills and am now up to 6.5cc of a 10cc band. I haven't found anyone who has had the band and not lost weight, only some who have had minimal weight loss. By now, I thought I'd be 25lbs lighter, at least. I'm very discouraged and depressed and wishing I would have just had gastric bypass. The latest fill I had gives me so much restriction that I can barely eat solid foods. I can only eat soft foods like mashed potatoes or chili, etc. Is this the way it's supposed to be? When I decided to get Lap Band, I thought I'd be able to eat everything I wanted only in smaller portions. At my last dr. appt, I asked that I be considered for gastric bypass because of the failure. But, they told me that I have to have band failure for at least a year to even be considered and even then, they didn't know that insurance would cover it. I still have all the health problems I had prior to surgery. Can anyone shed some light on the situation for me? Is there ANYONE out there who has had the same issue? I feel so alone and lost and so, so depressed. Feel free to post to my new topic in the forum. But, if you want, you can email me at buffyclary@yahoo.com. Thank you in advance.