2muchfun

We have one forum member, B-52 is his handle, and his quote, that is so true is: "Until there's restriction, it's just another diet" This is so true. I stopped losing weight after my first two weeks post surgery. Then I lost and gained nothing for the next 3.5 months. With the help of my dietician and my 3rd fill, I started to lose weight and it kept coming off. Just try to eat healthy till you get that fill that gets you closer to the green zone. It does get better, but it's a slow, slow process. tmf

I rarely see those posts? I do see where people say "Help" and "Depressed" which is quite normal. But the folks who come on here and say bad things are minimal. You have to realize that over 20,000 bands are placed every year so over the last 10 years there are thousands of these things out there. And yes, sometimes the band doesn't work but mostly it's the patient not working with the band. tmf

I spent 3.5 months in bandster hell and it's no fun. But, to make it easy on myself I ate healthy, but I ate more than the usual 1/2-1 cup per meal. I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and then when I entered BH I didn't gain or lose anything for 3.5 months. Fill #3 gave me some restriction and along with a visit with my dietician I started to lose. So, I didn't suffer or feel deprived those 3.5 months. Just don't eat pizza, ice cream, sugar and stay away from bread as much as possible. I ate fish, chicken, salads, veggies etc. But I ate more than recommended. tmf

You're only failure is to not see how much weight you've lost and how successful you've already been. If you're a failure, so am I, but I can't see it and neither can anyone else around me. I'm sure you can look at your eating habits and you already know why you aren't losing but you should also be aware that the band is successfully keeping you from gaining. If you want to lose you will have to re-commit yourself to eating right, receiving fills to attain the green zone and you must exercise more than 2 X/week. I was banded on 11/28/11 and about two weeks ago I met my first weight loss goal of 50 lbs lost. I'm happy and proud that I've lost so much weight. I hope and plan on losing another 30 by next summer. I haven't been at this weight since 1995. I fit into so many clothes that I had put away. A defeatist attitude will only make you sad and lose self esteem. Pay more attention to your dreams and not your fears. Work harder to reach those dreams. You can if you truly want it. tmf

Like Missy said you need to look for satiation not fullness. But, for most of us, it's the restriction that signals that we are close to being in the green zone. And unfortunately, that means a stuck episode or three. Not all of us experience it this way but many do. It's the signal where you know you're eating too fast, taking big bites, not chewing adequately or your band is too tight. Apparently you're not there? And two fills rarely ever gets you there. Took me 3 fills to feel a little restriction and 6 to get to the green zone. And the feeling or the restriction can come at you with very small fills. Just keep going back for fills till you find a little restriction. It can happen with your next fill. And BTW, this slow process of sneaking up on the green zone is partially intentional by doctors. It takes time to re-teach yourself to eat small, chew big and do it all very slowly. Those three actions are the antithesis of how most all of us have eaten most of our lives. tmf

My daughter, the recent college grad(molecular cellular developmental biology degree) told me two weeks ago that people who have WLS are just lazy people. Yes, she knows I had WLS. But she said it out of pure ignorance. I guess they don't teach students that humans are not plants or rats and may behave or develop in different manners. I know that immediate fire that consumes the back of your skull and quickly migrates to your mouth. I'm not Italian and I'm trying to keep a good relationship with my know-it-all-daughter so I just pretended to ignore her comment. Had it been a friend or a stranger I would have blasted them with some select basic rules of biology and common sense. tmf

Just an FYI: When we do not diet for some time, our bodies can store up to 20 lbs of excess fluids. When we begin a new diet, much of the weight we lose in the beginning 2 months will be this Water loss and not fat loss. So, yes, you can expect your extraordinary weight loss to slow to something closer to 3-8 lbs per month. And, as the others have pointed out, you will need to eat less than your dietician has recommended. tmf

I always lost weight after a fill. You're one of the lucky ones if you are in the Green Zone so early. tmf

For many of us, any kind of flour product can cause a stuck episode. I do miss bread sometimes but it's just not worth the discomfort. A few times I've made a great band friendly dinner but cheated a bite or two of bread only to be stuck for 30 minutes while everyone ate and I spent the time in the bathroom sliming my bread back up. You'd think I'd learn, and I am, but I'm a slow learner tmf

Could be either one. So, if you sip water, it comes back up? If that's the case, you need to have a small unfill. tmf

It's a suture that will eventually fall off.

BTW-Early weight loss in the first 2 months is mostly Water loss. Do not judge your current or future weight loss on how well you did in the beginning. It's just not physically possible to lose 10 lbs of fat every month and even 6 lbs of fat is difficult. tmf

So much depends on if you are exercising? Not just walking, but truly exercising? You could be replacing fat with muscle which is good. But 3 lbs a month is good, not great, just good. I'm only losing 3-4 lbs a month now and I'd like to lose more but if I don't, I really don't care. I'm losing and not gaining. What were your expectations? 3-6 lbs a month is pretty much all most of us accomplish so you're not far behind. tmf

Need a lot more info to answer that question? And, you might want to wait a week so that you are back on solids and have been able to see what you can and can't eat? tmf

I've done insanity as much as I can for an old fart. I love it. I have a small gym in the basement with soft mats, weights, other equipment and I do it twice a week in the mornings. The band does not affect my workouts at all other than making me thinner and more mobile. tmf

I would say it's not normal but what is? I've seen similar posts from other bandsters so it happens. I still eat my 3 meals and 2 Snacks a day and I'm hungry much of the time. The band has never stopped my hunger, it's only stopped me from eating too much when I do eat. So, it works for me. tmf

Sounds like a bug but can you drink fluids or eat Soup? Just trying to figure out if it's in your upper pouch or your stomach? Have you ever experienced a stuck episode? That's where you eat too big of a bite or don't chew properly and the food gets stuck on top of the band? You'll slime and feel a lot of discomfort. If you can drink Water or down fluids, it's not a stuck episode and most likely is flu bug type illness. But, if it continues, you should call your doctor. tmf

I go through spells where I get stuck often. Then I'll go 1-2 weeks and everything slides through. Is there a particular type of food that gets stuck? Can you drink fluids and still eat Soup? You're fairly new to this and learning to eat with the band takes time. Small bites? Chewing a lot? Eating slowly? tmf

More information please? Constipation and being stuck from a too tight band are two different issues? tmf

Nearly all of us go through what you are going through but most of us did lose more than 4 lbs the first month. I see that you have a blog/youtube presence and you lost 25 lbs before surgery? If you lost a lot of weight on the pre-op diet, this could be why your post surgical weight loss is so low. But, like the others said, you're in bandster hell and it will take some fills to get you over this hump. Took me 6 fills and 6 months to get there. I only lost 12 lbs the first 4 months and no I'm over 50 lbs lost. So, it will get better. tmf

Just make sure the carbs you consume are complex and not simple carbs. Flour products made from bleached white flour is like eating sugar. So are potatoes. I've never counted much of anything. I just make sure I'm eating enough food and keep it balanced. I may be eating 80 carbs a day right now because I'm eating so much fruit that is seasonal. That will slow down now that fresh local fruit is waning. tmf

That sounds like it's too far away? Sometimes you have to be assertive with these docs. I'd wait a couple of weeks and make sure you're following the rules. Call them and let them know you have no restriction and need a fill immediately. Go straight to the doctor if you have to. Sometimes the minnions play gatekeeper and they like the power of saying no. Don't take no for an answer. And, I'm assuming you have no or very little restriction? If so, 5 months out is far too long. tmf

Well, most of us have tried to lose weight every other possible way and have failed. Finally realizing that diets don't work for most of us is the first step. Is the band the right surgery over the others would depend on each person? The risks to not having surgery are obvious. Early death rates, lack of mobility, low self esteem, numerous weight related illnesses and the list goes on. I think for me it was the realization that WLS was my last and only hope of ever regaining my life of activity and a brighter future for me and my family. I never considered the sleeve, bypass or any others. But, if for some reason the band fails, I would also consider the other surgeries. I don't believe I will fail the band and many people do fail the band. Learning to eat with the band is a must and you won't succeed unless you do. Some bandsters just can't cope with restricting how much they eat. But, I'm told that all WLS patients can fail with any of the surgeries if they cannot control their food addictions. The risks from band slippage or me developing some kind of internal organ illness could be the only reason the band would not work for me. So far, so good but I have many more years ahead of me before I cross any of those bridges(knock on wood). tmf

I always liked egg drop soup. There's a great mix in the asian isle at the grocery stores. Or, google a recipe and make it from scratch. It's very filling and has Protein from the egg. tmf

That's not always the case. Eating with the band is a learning experience and it takes a little longer with some of us. Took me 6 months to get there and I'm still nibbling around that green zone. I'm still losing weight but not as fast as I'd like. Learning to lose those old bad habits can take time. Most of us are guilty of eating much too fast and eating large bites and gulping the hardly chewed food down. Years and years of conditioning takes time to overcome. And it's still a battle for me. tmf