sHeLLaBee

I would think the Protein shake just slid right threw you. Try a solid Protein for breakfast.

The problem is my band is so tight in the AM that I can't get anything solid down. Maybe I can do my Protein Shake and then wait an hour or so and eat something? That's an idea. It just makes me feel like I'm snacking and I don't want to snack! =) I guess it could be considered part of my breakfast though. Thanks!

Yay! Congrats!

I am about 15 months out from surgery and have lost 88lbs. I had 7cc in my 10cc band as of July 2012. I have been plateaued since October, so I went in for a fill yesterday of .25cc. This morning I had my Protein Shake and I seemed to have felt more restriction. It's only been a few hours and I think I feel hungry? Is it possible to be this far out and still not really understand what hunger feels like? I ate stringed cheese and now I feel really full, but could it not be hunger? I'm trying to get back to band basics and have been working out a lot more in the last few weeks hoping to break this plateau. I'm just venting, but any ideas, opinions, suggestions are welcome!

Oh no! That is a horrible feeling. =( I've been on a plateau since October and it's killing me! First things first; do you need a fill? Are you able to only eat 1 cup of food per meal and it keep you satisfied for 4-5 hours? If your answer is no, go get a fill!! If your answer is yes, here are some suggestions that work for me... No snacking, no liquid calories, no sweets, very little (if any) bread, Pasta, rice, etc. Carbs are bad for me. No fast food. Make sure you are eating 3 meals a day and getting enough Protein. Are you drinking a Protein shake? Make sure you are taking all your Vitamins. 1000mg of Calcium and 500mg of magnesium a day helps with weight loss as well. Make sure you are getting a minimum of 64oz of Fluid in everyday, but make sure not to drink within an hour after eating. Working out 3x a week for 30 min is proven to only maintain your weight. Make sure you are working out at least 4x a week and try to bump it up to an hour! Get a pedometer. It helps motivate me to take at least 6500 steps a day and to try and bump it up weekly. Here is a sample of my daily routine.

7am - Protein Shake

7am-12pm - Drink 16oz of Water

12pm - Lean Cuisine meal with less than 300 calories

1pm-5pm - Drink 16oz of Water

5pm - 30 min Curves work out (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)

5pm-bedtime - 32oz of water/sugar free juice

530pm - 1hour of Zumba (Mon and Wed)

5-7pm (depending on the day) - Cup of veggies and a small chicken breast (which I never finish)

I'm sure this may be more of what you already know and have probably heard it over and over and over... but if even one thing is new and helps make a difference I am happy I saw your post. =) Good luck and keep motivated!

Love, love, love my FitBit! Hubby and I have been using them for close to a year and it is so motivating! I actually go out of my way to go upstairs at work, even when I don't need to! Lol! It also tracks sleep pattern, but I only used that for a few months. Fortunately, I sleep just fine. =) I try to average 6,500 steps a day, but have gotten to 15,000 on Zumba days. Also, love MFP for calorie tracking.

OK... I will be the downer. The real answer is it does not matter how much fill is in my band. What matters is how you and your doc think you are doing with whatever fill you have. Many on this forum have lost close to 100 pounds with NO FILLS!!! We are all different, and comparing is a dangerous game to play. Do what works for you and do not rely on fills to get you to your goal. Your goal is a new lifestyle not just losing weight. Learn how to eat better as you lose if you want permanent long lasting results. I am still learning myself, even though getting close to goal. Good luck on your journey, it is a new lifetime.

I totally agree! There are people who have had the band for years and never needed a fill because the band itself gave them enough restriction. There are also people who have had to have fill after unfill after fill to be successful. We are all on this journey to learn to be healthier and to learn to eat better FOR LIFE, but if it was that easy we would have never been over weight to begin with. Use the tool that was granted you by this drastic measure that was needed to be a healthier you. Don't suffer through feeling hungry all the time. I know that, even with the band, I have to learn when to stop, but in case I am having "one of those days" I know my band has my back and if it isn't adjusted correctly for me, then the surgery was for not. Be patient. You will get where you need to be successful. It is different for all of us, so we can't compare, but hearing other peoples experiences sometimes gives us another outlook and makes getting through the wait easier because we know there is hope. People have survived all scenarios and been successful! Good luck!

You shouldn't feel hunger! Well, at least not within 4-5 hours of eating a 1 cup serving of any meal. If you do then ask for a fill! You don't want to get discouraged and it shouldn't feel like a diet. Good luck!

I like Muscle Milk Light. Also, the Premier brand is pretty good and they are inexpensive and easy to find (Walmart, costco, Sams Club). You will get through it and it will be worth it! Good luck!

Hi all! I am at 7cc's in a 10cc band and have been since 07/12. It took me 9 months and 5 fills to get there, but I was consistantly losing along the way. In October 2012, at my one year, I got down to 191 (85lbs lost). Unfortunately, I haven't budged since then! I kicked up my work outs and am trying different foods, but I think it's time... I'm going to get a small fill today and see if it makes a difference. I've heard that as you lose your stuff shifts and shrinks, etc. It looks like that has happened and I need a little tightening. Hope this helps!

189.6! It's only a pound and a half, but I'm getting a fill today. Hoping for more next week.

Mine is 3" to the left of my belly button and about 3" up. I have heard some people got them under their arm pit or to the outside of their boob? Anyone have that?

I have no side effect to my regular 30g Protein Drink, but if I try to add more Protein (via powder) to kick up my protein intake, my stomach is not happy and the bathroom becomes my contant companion for the next few hours. =/

For anyone in the San Gabriel Valley area of Southern California:

Check out these links!

http://www.lightenupsgv.com/

http://www.cvhp.org/Events_Calendar/Lighten_Up_SGV.aspx

This starts next Saturday, 01/19/13. We hang out for the day on the Queen of the Valley campus getting free classes on how to eat healthier and weighing/measuring. You can join as a group or as an individual. Round one ends first week of June, round two in November. You can do one or both and win prizes! You are only required to attend 3 days during the year, the rest is on you! Top prizes are awarded based on percentage of weight lost and everyone that loses 10% of weight or more automatically receives a prize! Only catch is you have to be at least a year out from any WLS.

If you're going to sign up, let me know! Maybe we can hook up while we are there and support each other through the challenge!

I was there and my band seems to have loosened? ...or my stomach shrank? All I know is I want to be there again! Going in for a small fill tomorrow. Hopefully, that will make the difference. I know it's my responsibility, but it's nice to know that my band has my back. =)

It's unanimous! That was the worst part. Mine last nearly 2 weeks! I am over a year out and was still getting random shoulder pains, so I looked further into it. There is a nerve that runs through your abdomen up into your left shoulder. It can be damaged during surgery, or after, depending on where your port is and how you lose weight. It is nothing major, but you could continue to have that shoulder pain on and off through the years. Coincidentally enough, I seem to have it if I over eat. =/

Wow, I would def request your appts with the other doctor in the practice and I would even tell them why so that it is listed in your chart that you refuse to see him again, I have always see the PA's in my office for fills. I've only, honestly, seen my doc twice. Once for the consult and then at the surgery. Haha. He was great and I love all the PA's. I have an appt for a fill tomorrow. Pretty much same issues as you have been having. Getting hungry too fast mainly, but I am also able to eat way more than I should be able to. I hope venting made you feel better! Don't stress him. You know your body and you were right. Good job!

Thanks ladies! I am on day 8 and I feel great! How long have you both had the band? I'm trying to figure this website out.. at first I only had it on my phone so now I actually have a picture:)

I have had then band since 10/07/11, about 15 months. I love it!

I will say it did help me to get used to the lesser amount of food when I started eating again after surgery. It was so drastic of a change going from normal plates of steak and burgers and spaghetti to liquids. Haha. Listen to your doctor and listen to your heart, then decide. Good luck!

Congrats! Wish I, too, would have started sooner. I'm 33 and now I feel 20! No regrets. Enjoy your new life. =)

Good luck! It's totally worth it.

The liver being smaller also helps for less painful recovery because it isn't so much extra weight bearing down on your stomach. I don't think the doc would stop the surgery, but it may be beneficial for you to not suffer as much.

I am not banded yet so can only speak from what I have learned on here and from the support group I attend. The being afraid of an overfill thing I was told to make sure and have a couple drinks of Water after your fill if that wont go then food definitely wont. Whether or not my surgeon requires this after a fill I will hang out and drink some Water before leaving that office.

I have also read a good way to break a stall is to go back to a liquid diet for a few days. Good luck I am sure between you and your Dr. you will figure this out.

Thanks! My doc does require one full glass of water to go down before I can leave the office. I guess that's the best proof I have if it's too tight! I also have to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours after the fill. So, I guess I will know sometime Thursday if I'm good. =) My appt is on Tuesday.

Wow, one day pre-op diets, or none at all! I had TWO WEEKS of liquids! No joking. It is standard for my doctors entire practice. I say, if it makes you feel better, do a little diet of your own. It can't hurt! =)

My surgery was October 2011. I have lost a total of 88lbs. I have a 10cc band and was filled to 7cc as of July 2012. I was great from then until about mid October and then stopped losing weight. As of January 3rd, nothing has changed. I picked up my exercise and am changing up my diet, but I noticed in the last month or so that some things have changed.

I used to just have a Protein Shake for Breakfast at 7am and that would last me until about 1130. Now I have to add something to it (banana, granola bar, apple sauce) to fill me up and it is only lasting a few hours until I am hungry again. I have also noticed that I am able to eat more than I was before. Not a whole meal still, obviously, but def more than before. So, I'm thinking I need a super small fill. It's just weird, because I still have those days where I can barely eat anything or everything seems to stick. They are much more far and in between now, but they still do happen.

Has anyone gone 6 months and then all of a sudden needed a fill? I've heard that as you shrink, so does your stomach and the band needs to be tightened. Maybe that's the case? I have this extreme fear of over filling. My doc is an hour away and I feel like if there was an emergency then I would be too far away, maybe? I'm going to call the doc today, but what do you guys think?

Love it! I have noticed that I have to move the seat closer now. I think losing my backside has made that happen!