Robin G

Hey guys! I am 16 weeks post op as of today. I'm down 40 pounds and feeling good. But for the last 4 weeks or so I have stalled out and can't seem to lose for the life of me! In fact I've actually gained 2 pounds! I'm eating like I'm supposed to. I have good restriction (I think so anyway) and I'm doing circuit in the gym for 30 minutes a day 4 times a week plus Zumba. I don't know what's going on and I'm getting really bummed out. For a while there I was losing fast and had a pep in my step and now I feel let down bc even though I'm doing right, I'm not losing anymore! I realize 40 pounds in 4 months is awesome but I don't want to stop at 40. More like 140 lol. Does anyone have any advice in how to break this plateau? I'm getting discouraged and need some advice stat! I hope the rest of you are doing wonderfully!

I am 3 months out from my lap band surgery. I am only down about 20-25 lbs which is a bit frustrating BUT my I literally can't wear any of my old clothes. I wore at 18w-20w pants and a 2x top before. This past weekend I bought a pair of 14w jeans at Macy's and 2 pairs of regular, not womens, size 16 dress pants! I was able to fit into a 14/16 blouse which is technically smaller than a 1x! I went to my primary care doctor this morning and she said I looked 10 years younger. I'm nearing my 47th birthday so that was awesome to hear. My fasting blood sugar is down from 176 to 134, my cholesterol is down from 286 to 226 and my triglycerides are down from 461 to 263. I still have work to do on those numbers but everything is going in the right direction. On top of all that, I feel great!!! Thanks for letting me share.....Shelley

GOOD FOR YOU! I had a similar experience. I am 54 and my daughter is 22. She needed a new dress so I reluctantly went with her to Dress Barn. I have worn a 26-28 for quite a few years. I was picking up 22's but soon found the 18's z

aaahhhh im so freakin excited! I made a goal that i wouldnt do any clothes shopping till i broke 300 i cant wait to get out of the tarps that ive been wearing!

AWESOME... Oh what a feeling. Keep up the good work

5K done today in 1.00 exactly (jogged a lot of it, but my husband walked it and he is slower and less fit)......10K next...then the 10 miler..I can do it...I know I can...even if it kills me.

Goodbye 92 lbs so far...13lbs away from "normal" bmi. (1/9/10 surgery date)

Goodbye 24 and 2x/3x..hello 12's (and two dresses that are 10's) and hello to the new medium running outfit from Dick's Sporting Goods that I bought myself for finishing the 5K.

Onward...onward....it's not easy...but I got/get my fills...stay relatively restricted but still can eat most things that I want just very little of it, and I work out and eat relatively healthy( I figure the few bites I can eat should be healthy)...no longer diabetic and many of my symptoms of my PCOS are dwindling.

In other words, I am thrilled and love my band!

BRAVO TO YOU!

Today was my first visit with the surgeon AND my first diet class. When I called my insurance to inquire about bariatric surgery I was given a list of requirements to obtain a pre-authorization. They did not mention a six month monitored diet and when I specifically asked I was told "the list says nothing about a six month diet." Soooo....I had hoped that with the visit to the surgeon this could be confimed/denied. The surgeon's nurse told me to go to the diet classes b/c sometimes my insurance requires it and sometimes they don't, lol. She did say they would submit once all the pre-tests were done. That should be by the end of March. I guess I'll find out then if we can get this party started or if it'll take another 4 months...Grrrrrr. I also got word two nights ago that I was accepted to start RN clinicals in May! I sure wish I could get a handle on the timeline for the surgery so, I'd know what to plan for school wise. I plan on taking two weeks off of work, but will not be able to miss any school. The clinicals are going to be part-time, one night a week lecture and one clinical..so I hope I can be banded and return right to class without missing a day. OR best case I don't need the full six months and I get banded BEFORE I even start. Oh my,,,I'm gonna be crazy before this is all over!

I think these insurance companies are more trouble than they are worth.

Self pay is the way to go. I was banded two weeks after my initial consultation. No hassle no problem!

...and this is the way any weight loss program works for me. Just today started on Stage 2 foods but if smooth, creamy or liquid, really easy to get down. I feel I might be eating too much, and I find I don't really have to wait between swallows or wait very long before I have a beverage. I assume that will change after 1st fill. First few days, not hungry I assume due to swelling, but that has changed, now hungry, stomach growling. Most of all, not losing much has been my big concern since I never ate huge quantities of food, and cutting way down on calories + exercise did not result in weight loss. Always grew an early tolerance to whatever program I was or meds (i.e. fen/phen). Discouraged,

I think patience is the hardest thing to grasp. When I went for my first fill 5 weeks post op, I had lost 1 lb. Since then, I have dropped 12 lbs. No appt until 3/8 for second fill and have been at same weight since 10 days after 1st fill. (I was scheduled for a fill on 2/4 but had to reschedule due to inclement weather in Houston...go figure:) ) I'm really not worried because I know the weight loss will resume. I keep telling myself that the band is a tool and as long as I am doing the right thing, Life is Good!

I'm sure you will do fine. It gets easier every day,

I wanted to reported this here as it seems we either say something when we panic or when we finally lost lots of weight. I have been banded August 2010 in UK (single incision surgery from my belly button). I was very much scared from the surgery but all was fast and ok. I got my belly button infected so it was my first disappointment but finally it went away and healed perfectly. I am on a 14 cc band and 1 cc was in the band when they placed it.

I got my first fill 1cc fill in October 2010. It did not effect my eating much except instead of 2 large pizza and 2-3 large coke, I was down to 1 large pizza and lots of coke. I was demotivated and asked myself if I did the right thing. Now there was something in my body and if I wanted it out I needed another surgery. After 1 month, there was almost no change in my weight. So I got another fill. again more chock episodes but everything was down one or other way and no weight loss at all. second fill, third fill, forth fill. etc. Imagine after each fill NO CHANGES. It was frustrating. I was reading here people having no fill and losing lots. Anyways as of Jan 2011, I got my fifth fill. Yes it works:)). I am at my sweet spot. I feel never hungry. I can not eat more than handful of whatever I want, soft mainly mushy. I can not drink fizzy drinks. And it feels different. I also started seeing many stretchmarks and started gym a month ago.

For those who are like me, after so many fills you haven't seen much difference. Just be patient and wait. You will definitely find your sweet spot. And one tip. never ever eat if you do not feel hungry, just because its dinner time and everyone in the family is around the table. My rules in losing weight:

- Do not eat anything in the morning till a moment you really really feel hungry.

- If you have a partner, let him/her prepare family meals. stay away from food, kitchen or supermarket.

- Wait till you will hit your sweet spot. You can definitely not eat a bowl of rice.

- Do enroll at a gym. Believe me even in 1 month, it does wonders. You will not lose weight as you wished because you are gaining muscles (for men and for those who are more into weight training like me). But you will lose inches.

- Remember it worked for soooo many people and will work for you.

- Ice creams, candies, anything you can suck or melts in your mouth is your enemy. Make a drastic change.

Kerim

Was 129 kg in Aug and now 110 KG: 19kg lost which is almost 40 pound

Kudos to you on your success! When I first started reading I thought ...Duh...If you are eating a whole pizza and drinking lots of coke, you are sabbotaging yourself. I am happy to hear that you are now on the right track

I'm sure that now that you are motivated, you will be at your goal before you know it. Keep up the good work:)

My doctor decided to tell me 5 minutes before wheeling me back to the OR that he will see me in 6 weeks and WILL NOT fill me at that time. I'm 2 weeks post op and already know I need a fill! How many weeks did you all have to wait for a first fill?

I received my first fill 5 weeks to the day after banding. I had only lost 1 pound . since then, 3 wks tomarrow.. I am down 11 lbs. Color me EXCITED!

IMHO, You shouldn't have to censor your questions in fear of being flamed on the forum...I, too, have read a lot of the posts that have gotten a bit heated lately and I will say that there is a BIG difference between moving from mushies to solid food a few days early and going out a few days post op and eating a Big Mac. I would be willing to bet that there are many people on here who moved from one stage to the next a few days early (me included ).

I agree with the posts saying that this is the time for you to heal and to figure out how to make the band work best for you. Since I was banded I have tried different calorie levels to see how many calories I need to eat in order to lose weight (I don't lose at anything less than 950 calories). That said, I will also say that I am one of the lucky ones who has felt some sort of restriction from the beginning but I am finding that I don't feel full in the same way I felt before - I weigh and measure everything I eat, put it on my plate and eat that and only that until it is time for my next meal/snack and I journal everything I eat. I never feel full, but rather satisfied and I normally don't feel hungry until time to eat again. If I do feel hungry then I have a small high Protein snack. I know that some people eat 3 meals a day and that's it...some days I do too but other days I find that I need a mid morning and mid afternoon snack.

The point is, everyone is different and has a different experience with the band. Don't beat yourself up about it, just take this time and figure out how to make it work for you...

Good luck - I'm sure you will do great!!!

What a great and honest discussion. I too was banded on 12/02/2010 and have had good and bad moments.. I think we need to remember that our band is a tool. The majority of this battle is psychological. The hardiest thing for me is watching other people eat to their hearts content. The good news is that my husband is now on the pre-diet and will be banded soon. Writing down everything you eat is another great tool. I think if we eat small bites, chew thoroughly and eat slowly, we can basically eat what we want.

Hey everyone, I was banded on 1/18 and i am doing pretty well imo. my incisions are healing well and most of the abdomen pain is gone, but i do have one question about a stabbing pain near my left shoulder. I've read about the shoulder pain, and I think i've already went through that, but this is higher, feels like the peck muscle a few inches away from the neck, and maybe an inch or so away from the shoulder socket. I feel the pain much more when i inhale deeply.

is this normal? is this the co2 gas stuck up there?

I walk about 2 miles a day right now, so I (think?) that's pretty good.

I've already lost almost 8 pounds.

anyway, second question. when drinking Fluid, is it normal to "feel" or hear the Fluid going down your throat? I am only swallowing a small amount, but i can still hear/feel it and it's wierd (not bad...just wierd). I do sometimes burp. I say that because I thought that you couldn't burp. I know myu surgeon put 1-2 cc of fluid in the band because I asked. When I swallow fluid, I do my best to not swallow air, but I'm admittedly a huge chugger from the past. I used to drink 12oz of soda in a few seconds.....(Oh and i'm not drinking anything with carbonation).

Sorry for the questions, I've read up alot on this stuff, but these things seem unusual.

Thanks!

Congratulations on your band. I was banded on 12/2/2010 and had the shoulder pain for 5 days. I was glad when that was gone. I never noticed any sounds when drinking but did have very small burps. Those things have subsided and now Life is Good!

You are so right Robin G! It's def pschological and sacrifice is what I've learn in these 3 weeks. Tomorrow is a niece b-day party and I have to figure out if Im going to even go. Do I want to sit around everyone and watch them eat while my stomach is only full of liquids and I'm in that hungry stage hmm I dont really think so.. So I'm just wanting for the easier part which i hope is soon .... Thanks for the info!!

I will be rooting for you! My pre diet was the week before and after Thanksgiving. I had a house full of company and prepared a beautiful meal for them to eat.. I ate turkey and green Beans.. It was torture... but I was and am still determined to succeed. I'm sure you will be fine. Let me know how it goes for you.

I'm getting really hungry being on this liquid diet for now 3weeks. Had my surgery 7 days ago to today date. And I'm really getting tired of the Protein shakes not to mention how I havent used the bathroom in almost a week since yesterday and that was pretty painful. I see my doctor monday and hoping he says it's ok to move on the next stage... I'm craving mash potatos at this moment... Just cant wait!! Sorry needed to vent!!

This is the hard part. I am on day 50 and find the hardest thing is the psychological. Trying to eat little but watching everyone around you. Just hang in there. It gets easier all the time..