NC Mama

I had a full unfill at week six. Over the next few weeks I gained about 7 pounds. Now over the past 3-4 weeks I have lost two pounds. I think that when your body is used to a very specific calorie intake (say 1000-1200) then you all of the sudden are eating more (1500-1800) it really throws your body out of wack. But after my body got use to the new calorie intake I have lost weight and am now trying to add in some extra calories so I don't continue to loose weight. Also, if you have eaten a lot of things with high sodium levels this can cause you to retain a lot of fluid you could try to eat some foods that are natural diuretics to see if water weight was contributing to your problem. I know when I eat Mexican food I weigh 5 pounds more the next day.

I had a full unfill about 6 weeks into my pregnancy due to intense morning sickness. My band doc recommended that I come back 4-6 weeks after the baby is born to get an initial fill. While, I will not go right back to where I was I think that most doctors just focus on you getting enough calories (for you and baby) regardless of fill level. From what I have seen on here everybody has a different fill level during and after baby it is really between you and your doc.

My band doc told me to schedule to come in 4-6 weeks after delivery to start adding fluid back into my band. He also encouraged me to breastfeed as he said that would help with the weight loss. I would assume that around that 4-6 week point is when your body has healed enough to think about weight loss.

Congrats on your news. Your band physician may not give you a choice in the matter. Mine did not, he took out most of the fluid. At first I was wondering if that was the best choice. But now I am 15 weeks into this pregnancy and have lost 2 lbs over the last 4 weeks. I am trying my best to eat but nothing is appetizing to me. If I had the restriction level I had before he took the fluid out, I would be in real trouble as far as getting adequate calories, since I have just not wanted to eat. So bottom line, trust your doctors.

I am sure it would depend on how much you weigh when you get pregnant. I have recently become pregnant with the lapband and the first thing my lapband doc did was to take most of the Fluid out. I have been banded for about 15 months and had already lost about 50 lbs when I found out I was pregnant. With my weight where it was it would not have been appropriate to continue on through my pregnancy as restricted as I was, plus it was really causing a lot of nausea problems with the band tightened. Now, I am eating maybe 500-800 more calories a day (up from about 1,000 to 1,800 or so) which has been good. I have only gained about 4 lbs so far and just went into my second trimester, so I am good with where I am at. With that said I know some people who became pregnant and were extreemely overweight (300 pounds or more) and their physicians advised them to continue with weight loss slowly during most of their pregnancy. Really the best thing you can do is talk to you physician about it as they can advise you on what is appropriate for you. Best of luck!

JoJo How did the removal go? Are you able to keep things down now and doing better?

Have you had your band unfilled? I had mine unfilled and this did wonders for my appitite. Especially since I could easily eat a wider variety of food, like rice that is sometimes good when you don't feel like eating anything. A lot of people seem to be really worried about gaining weight, but I have been eating what seems appetizing to me for the last several weeks and haven't even gained a whole pound yet. So, don't be overly worried about that!

Congratulations!!

I actually went in to see my band doctor on Friday and he took out most of the fluid in my band. I was getting progressively tighter over the past week and could hardly get anything down. I feel much better now, although, with this pregnancy the thought of food makes me sick. So I still seem to be having a hard time getting in many calories. Thanks for the advice. I am really glad that I had some fluid taken out.

I will for sure. I was not trying to get pregnant but they say there is a baby in every band! I was kind of settled into two, but am now getting excited about having a little one again. My youngest is getting ready to turn 5, so she is seeming really big now. Anyway, I will let you know how big of a change it is from two to three...

I just joined the club of those pregnant and banded. Any tips for going through pregnancy with the band? This is our third baby so I had two without the band. I am wondering what differences people have noticed.... Thanks!

I found that if I use 1 cup milk, 1 cup ice and one whole banana it has a much better consistency. I do this in the mornings with a sugarfree carnation instant breakfast packet.

A good trick for avoiding this in this type of setting is to ask the venue in advance for a vegetarian plate. I find myself in this situation quite often and many times the vegetarian alternative is much easier to eat, although it may not really give you much Protein. So I just plan and eat before or after (protein) and then I will cut up the veggies, eat some and move some around as to not draw attention at this type of event. I feel your pain though, I had a terrible experience with rubber chicken before I learned this trick.

I have been very choosy about who I tell. When people ask me what I have done to loose weight, I simply tell them that I am exercising both cardio and weight lifting and that I have really reduced my portion size. That is all true and as far as the person who you run into once every few months that is all they need to know, in my opinion. It has been my experience that the people who see you everyday don't notice as drastic of a change because they are seeing you loose the weight gradually so those people haven't really asked me many questions. Ultimately it is your decision, but I will leave you with this warning: Once you tell someone you cannot undo it, so proceed with caution if you have any reservations.

A lot of people have other factors that contribute to this as well. For example I have two children and the second child was born via c-section. So there is no way that I am going to get where I want to be without a tummy tuck. If you have not been pregnant, I think you may have a better shot at avoiding one.