2muchfun

No pre surgery diet was required so no loss. I decided over a year in advance to get banded. 6 month nutrition counseling required but that requirement by BCBS was dropped near the end of the 6 months. I wasted about 3 months with a surgeon whose staff couldn't find their butts with a butt map. tmf

The green zone is incredibly subtle and transparent. But it sounds like you're there? I don't know why you're so concerned? Most all of us would like to be where you are. I'm nearly there and was once there. I could use a small fill but I'm not concerned about it. I'm just waiting for the biking season to start. I can eat 3 meals a day and 2 small Snacks and be fine. I sometimes crave something late at night and usually I ignore it but sometimes cave and have an apple or cheese stick. Jean McMillan said it a few weeks ago: "NO WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY OF ANY DESCRIPTION WILL KILL THE EATING DEMONS IN YOUR HEAD" No truer words were ever said. There may be a bandster out there who can eat 3 times a day and never experiences head hunger/cravings but I know of not one. tmf

No one losses massive lbs of fat post surgery. Most all of the weight lost is Water weight. Some of us did not have to go on a pre op diet so we lost a lot of water weight post surgery. If you lost a lot of weight presurgery, you probably won't lose much post. Unless, you have a lot to lose. Someone who is 200 lbs overweight can drop 50 lbs of excess fluids shortly after surgery. You don't seem to have to lose as much so I wouldn't expect you would lose a lot of fluids post surgery. This is a long journey and what you lose now makes little difference. Relax and don't compare yourself to anyone else. Compare yourself to you before sugery. tmf

For me, being stuck means great discomfort right under my sternum and pressure like a golf ball is lodged there. I couldn't possibly eat another bite as there is no where for the food or liquid to go. It just comes right back up. I slime and spit up as much as I can but it usually takes 30-45 minutes to pass. Feeling full means I've eaten too much, I could still eat if I wanted but I recognize this feeling and it's much much much(did I mention much?) more subtle than being stuck. I can't say I can feel it anywhere but in my stomach area and it's definitely not in my sternum area. That's just me. tmf

You've made the same mistake so many make. The band won't make you lose weight. It won't make you eat less. It will only dim your appetite so that you can gain control over your food addictions. It sounds like you gave up far too soon? It takes most of us more than 2 fills to find that one fill that gives us satiety. If you really want this it's still achievable. Some people just can't let go of their food addictions. No shame in that, but you could turn it around if you changed your mindset. tmf

Great Post and sage advice. BTW-You're one hot geezer and I know geez! tmf

Cabernet Sauvignon...Yummmm. We belong to a couple of wine clubs and get new bottles every month. Fortunately my wife can swig better than I can. But a nice cab with a small filet or rack of lamb? Or a huge chunk-o-salmon with a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is heavenly and makes for a wonderful weekend meal. tmf

Aren't you supposed to be drinking protein shakes or something? I didn't have a pre op diet so I'm not a lot of help? Usually docs or the nut will give you a pamphlet or guide to go by?

Stept, Do you really need to ask if any of us have problems losing weight? We all do or we wouldn't have this surgery! Sorry, just giving you a hard time "I read the band tricks the body into thinking it is not in starvation mode thus speeding up the metabolism" ??? Nope. The band only slows the passing of food through a small pouch. Nerve endings in the small pouch send signals to your brain that you've eaten enough and dims your appetitie. That's it in a nutshell. It doesn't restrict how much you can eat, it doesn't store food in your pouch, it doesn't make you eat less, it only helps you to know when you've eaten enough. There's so much more than just this and you will have to read this forum to learn more or buy Jean McMillans book "Bandwagon" or Alex's book "The Big Book on the Lap-Band". link is below.

Well, that's technically not totally accurate? 1 lb of fat weights the same as 1 lb of muscle. Muscle is far more dense so 1 lb of muscle will occupy less space than 1 lb of fat.

Make sure you're not eating processed foods, simple carbs, white flour or noodles. They're fine once in a while but try to keep to complex carbs that are low in glycemic value. The band works best if you're not eating slider foods. Eating your proteins first will give more satiety. But you're doing great so far. I only lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and nothing for the next 3.5 months so I'm jealous.

I first went to two seminars put on by two different docs. My 1st consult was just a weighing session and a visit with the doc. He asked me a lot of questions about my weight loss attempts and what my future plans were. We both decided on the lapband. It really only took 20 minutes tops.

First, congrats on the 6 lb loss. 6 lbs a month is about normal so if you can lose more than that it's just icing on the cake. Most of us can always eat more, the band usually won't stop this. The band is supposed to make you feel satisfied sooner so you should be looking for satiety and not fullness. And, I've never felt the green zone and I don't think that feeling exists. The signs you should be looking for is being able to eat less because your band has decreased your appetite during a meal and you should not feel hunger for 4-5 hours after a meal. Of course, we all have to deal with the head hunger/cravings, but the band won't make those go away entirely. The band can dim your cravings though. tmf

I've been stalled for about 6 months myself and I still get stuck. But, I know why I'm not losing weight. I eat the same amount of calories I burn off. So, no weight loss. Funny how that works eh? So, if you want it to work, consume fewer calories than you burn. Count your calories. If you don't have restriction or near the green zone, find out why? Talk to your bariatric WLS nutritionist too. They have great insight into how you can make this work. Like Missy said, it's not going to make you lose the lbs if you don't use it properly. tmf

I didn't feel any restriction till my 3rd fill and finally got restriction and satiety with my 4th.

Depends on what your doctor recommends? Most docs wouldn't really care, but your own doc knows your medical history and may know something we don't know? I know for me, it would be fine. I'd be peeing like an old man though(wait, I am an old man)

Is it the pressure against the port? Or, is it the fact it's rubbing on something and the skin is irritated? Being sleep deprived really sucks. LOL...B, I could never get away with the wrinkle comments But yes, she is lovely isn't she. Looking forward to the after photos!!

I'm nearly 1.5 years out and my port area protrudes and if pushed against a counter or something hard, it's very uncomfortable. sleeping is no problem since we have a pillowtop mattress. My port area was very sensitive for about 6 months but is much less now, so time willing, the discomfort should improve? tmf

You can have some swelling around the band area from the fill. Just a little pressure can irritate the lining of your stomach so take it easy with the meats for a few days.

Some people fail the band. Especially when they take a 5 year hiatus. Just saying.

I'm over a year out and still get stuck maybe twice a week. Learning to eat slow, small bites and chew chew chew is one of the hardest of the rules for me to adhere to. I'm doing so much better but I totally understand. Regarding the plateau. Mix up your caloric intake. Maybe go on no/low carb for one week, or lower to 800/day or even the other way, 1400 a day for 3 days. Don't do the same exercise every time, mix it all up so that your body isn't accustomed to just one way. tmf

Before restriction I focused on filling up with healthy foods like chicken, fish, salads etc. I refused to have that diet feeling of being deprived and hungry all the time. I choose to snack on beef jerky(small packets from Costco), fruit, pickles(crunchy), tuna or chicken salad, hard boiled eggs. Eating 1700 calories a day probably won't help you lose weight but I understand why you eat this much. I never liked that hungry feeling either so that's why I ate more and I maintained a 12 lb weight loss until I finally got some restriction after 4 months post surgery and my 4th fill. Then I lost another 38 lbs. Watch this video? It may assuage your disappointment over not losing lbs during this phase:

"Ask for your limitations, and they're yours".....Richard Bach-Illusions

Was this your PCP or your bariatric doc?

And to add to Missy's post, I believe there may be a small population of patients who cannot sense or have no sensation that they have eaten enough and continue to be hungry. Since we can't get into someone's mind, it could happen? tmf