Rebeccastl615

Nicole, I really hope that your 3rd fill goes well. My 3rd fill date is set for December 13th. As you know, I am having a very similar experience as you. Unfortunately though, I have not been working out nearly as much as I should be. Not like you, you are doing great! Keep up the good work! But I have not lost any weight at all really since my last fill and cannot tell a difference as far as restriction goes. I do get stuck and PB and slime quite a bit but that is due to me eating too fast and not chewing up my food like I should be. I am really, really hoping to hit some restriction with this 3rd fill as well. I know this is not a magic band but I was really hoping that it would work better in restricting the amount of food that I can eat. I am having real trouble with eating more than I should. The good news is I have not gained any weight, but I want to LOSE weight! Another problem I have been having is hair loss. Now I know that I get enough Protein and eat plenty of food so I do not understand how I am losing hair if our bodies still absorb nutrients the same as they did before. That part is baffling me. Is anyone else experiencing this? I would understand if I had more restriction and wasn't getting in the full nutrients that my body needs, but I know that I am eating almost normally. I do eat less than I used to, but still eat like an average individual at this point. Good luck with your fill Nicole! Please keep us posted on how it goes for you!

I was banded on 7/22 and have had 2 fills so far and I have some restriction but not that much. I have lost 25 pounds so far. But I haven't lost any weight in FOREVER. It gets so frustrating knowing that you made the choice to have WLS and then not getting the results out of it that you want to. I am happy to have lost some weight but really thought I would be further along than I am. To be honest, I know I should be working out more and eating healthier more of the time. But at the end of the day, I will just be happy when I have MORE restriction so that I CAN'T eat more than I should. That was the point of the surgery in the first place right???? My doctor only does fills every 8 weeks and then he only does about 1cc at a time so I have a way to go before I get to full restriction. My 3rd fill isn't even until Dec. 13th. I feel your pain! I guess all we can do is hang in there until we get to restriction land! Good luck!

Hi Nicole! Thanks for starting this thread! It is so good to know where everyone else that were banded around the same time as us are doing. It helps to know that everyone is going through the same thing and we aren't alone in our struggles! For everyone else (as Nicole knows my story) I was banded 7/22 and I have lost 25 pounds so far. I wish it were more, but need to be happy with what it is since I can honestly say I have not worked as hard at it as I should/could have been. I have had 2 fills so far and have some restriction, but nowhere near the sweet spot yet. I am hoping the 3rd fill gets me closer to where I want to be. I do have problems with bread and pasta most of the time. French fries are now my enemy. (I guess that is a good thing) I don't make the best food choices all the time, that is one of my problems, along with not exercising like I should. But I am trying to stay positive and hope that with each fill I will get closer to restriction and will eventually get to ONEDERLAND! Good luck everyone!

Danide, I am here for ya girl! In the same boat too. I am 3 months post op, have had 2 fills so far, and have some restriction but not at sweet spot yet. Down 25 pounds so far. And I have eaten more than my fair share of fun size Kit Kats during Halloween! There I said it. And I do not make the best food choices. There I said it again. And I KNOW I do not work out as regularly or as strenuously as I need to be. There said that too! So I know that I could be much farther along in my success story if I would just STICK WITH THE PROGRAM! But, I am not the most perfect person in the world. I know that I will get my butt in gear here soon and I know that I WILL lose the total of 100 pounds by next June that is my goal. I know that I WILL be a success story. I will make certain that it is going to happen. It is so easy to beat ourselves up over the little things. But just know that every day is a new day and we can only take it one day at a time and One Day We will Get to the Promised Land! :thumbup:

Thanks, Betsy! Yes, the doctor said that we are playing catch up now because he had to unfill the first 2 cc's in that 3rd week. According to him, I am moving along just fine. He is a Bariatric Center of Excellence rated doctor who has personally done well over 700 lap band surgeries alone, not sure how many gastric bypass surgeries in addition to that. He is definitely experienced in this. I agree that I would prefer a more conservative approach than some of the other doctors that I have read about on here that seem to be way too aggressive. I think that would definitely have more propensity to cause complications resulting in PBing and unfills, etc. Betsy, I admire your resolve and self discipline when it comes to your diet. Unfortunately for me, I cannot be that strict with myself all the time. If I do so, then eventually I will have a complete meltdown and cram any and everything I can find into my mouth! I do much better to allow myself a little here and there so I don't feel so deprived over all. But you are right, whatever works for you! Thanks for your input! It is much appreciated! I hope to one day be working on maintenance like you too!

Thanks for the feedback Melissannde! It is really helpful to hear from others. It looks like you are moving along quite well and goal is well within reach! That is awesome! Congratulations on doing so well! I hope to get there eventually myself. Thanks for the good advice as well!

When I go out to eat, I just order water and not drink it. I tried not ordering a drink at all, but the waitress was like "Are you sure? Nothing???" I decided I didn't want to go through that all the time so now I just order water and let it sit. And then when I leave the restaurant, I go through McDonald's and get my large tea and drink it when I get home! That works out perfectly usually. When I am at home I just go watch TV for a while and before you know it, it is time to drink! My doctor makes me wait an hour between eating and drinking. I thought it would be very difficult, but it really hasn't been too bad. Sometimes are worse than others, but it is really one of the minor things compared to all that I have had to deal with/give up for this band! Now if I could just get skinny already! :wink2:

Oh and my 2nd fill that I waited all this time for with such high hopes....yep, don't feel any difference either! BUT, there is always fill #3! Mine is Dec. 13th! Imagine having to wait that long between fills! Yep, you are feeling better and better now aren't you? :wink2:

Hey, you should read my post I just posted about my 2nd fill! You would be much less discouraged! LOL. We were banded very close to the same time. (Mine was 7/22) and you are already at your 3rd fill and will have your 4th fill and possibly even 5th fill before I will even get my 3rd fill! AND you are at almost 40 pounds weight loss. I am only at 26 pounds lost. You are much better off than me at this point if that makes you feel better! :biggrin: My doctor only does fills every 8 weeks and told me he usually only does .5 cc's to 1.0 cc's at a time. So I have a MUCH longer journey to get to the sweet spot than you, band sista! But good luck and hang in there! We will get there! (You might get there a little quicker than me though! :wink2:) This time next year, hopefully we will both be doing the skinny happy dance together all over the place!

I read threads on this site every day looking for people who are going through the same struggles that I am. If it weren't for this site, I would be really discouraged at this point, so thank you to everyone who posts on here! It helps more than you know! :thumbup:Hence the reason for my post. I figure I have gained so much from reading posts, I should also post about what I am going through in case it might help others as I have been helped by others posts. I was banded on Thursday, 7/22/10. I only had to do a 3 day pre-op liquid diet, which started on that Monday before surgery. I weighed in that Monday morning at 258 pounds. :wink2:( I am 5 feet 3 inches tall, to put into perspective) On Thursday surgery date, I weighed 254. I was given what I think is either a 9cc or 10cc band. (I asked the doctor if it was a 10cc and he said yes, or maybe 9...so that is why I say that...:blink:LOL) Apparently, when I was banded there was 2 cc's of Fluid placed in the band at surgery. I found that out when I started eating solid foods about 3 weeks post op and became ill:drool: and had to go and get unfilled at the doctor's office and he took 2 cc's out. I didn't know I had any fluid in my band prior that happening. My doctor is a very conservative doctor compared to many that I read about on this site. He does the initial first fill 6 weeks post op and then only once every 8 weeks thereafter. He is very conservative on the amount of cc's per fill as well. When I told him what I read people were getting on this site, he was skeptical about it. (HA, yeah right, he should read this site for himself!:biggrin:) My first fill was 1.5 cc's. I did get some restriction from this fill as I started becoming stuck on foods that I had not had problems with before (bread, french fries, rice, etc.) But for the most part, while I now eat much less than I did pre-band, I feel that I can still eat much more than I should be able to when I reach full restriction. I went in for my 2nd fill last Monday, Oct.11th. He gave me 1 cc at that time. I had only lost about 5 pounds between those 2 fills.:scared2: (7 weeks! I talked them into giving me my fill appt. a week early at the desk) As you can imagine, I was feeling discouraged about the lack of progress on the weight loss. Admittedly, initially I was not exercising like I was supposed to be. I have started working out now on a much more consistent basis for about the past 4 weeks. I know that I still need to amp it up from here, but at least I am getting there! :thumbup:(I am walking 2 miles at a time 3 days a week) My doctor requires full liquids on day of fill and mushies only the next day, and then back to regular food the following day after that. I was really hoping for more restriction with this 2nd fill. I had heard that it can sometimes take a week for it to "kick in". Or "delayed action" is another term I read about it. However, here I am over a week and a half out from my 2nd fill and I can definitely say I have no more restriction with this 2nd fill than I did with the first one.:wink5: I have to wait until Dec. 13th for my 3rd fill. My doctor told me he usually only does .5 cc's to 1.0 cc's at a time when he does fills, so I foresee a long process before I get to the elusive "sweet spot". I am very happy that I have my band, I just wish it were all progressing a little more quickly. In all fairness, I could be doing a little more on my end to be getting quicker results. I have now lost a total of 26 pounds to date and am at 232 pounds. I am pleased with the loss, but wish it were more like 40 pounds at this point. What can I say, I am greedy! So I hope that my 3rd fill will get me closer to where I need to be restriction wise. In the mean time, I am going to STOP just waiting for the band to get me there, and start doing more for myself to get me there. I am going to crank up the intensity and frequency of my exercise and I am going to make better food choices MORE of the time. (I cannot say ALL the time as I am not a perfect person!) HOWEVER, at the end of the day, I KNOW the band is working somewhat already ( I can go to my favorite mexican restaurant and get stuffed off of a few chips and salsa and just one taco now, where in the past I would eat the whole basket of chips and salsa, 3 tacos and rice and beans!....I do not do complete low carb/no carb like some of you. I already gave up bread, Pasta, except whole weat pasta ocassionally, and potatoes so I am NOT giving up tortillas and chips!!! As long as it is in MODERATION, right?) So I know I am getting there and will eventually get all the way there! :wink2:

For me it is soft bread and french fries! I know, I know, I am not supposed to be eating french fries anyway! But sometimes I can't help myself and grab a few of the kids or something. Even though I have got stuck 5 out of the 6 times I have tried to eat french fries, I would still keep trying. UNTIL......last weekend I got stuck so bad on 3 french fries and it hurt SO badly that I was immediately kicking myself in the butt and then I had to go to the bathroom and I slimed saliva like I had not done before and PB'd a little. It was a horrible experience. But guess what? Yep, it cured me from trying to eat anymore dang french fries! I went to McDonalds with my friend today for lunch and she asked me if I wanted any of her french fries. I hesitated for just a second and remembered the pain and discomfort I went through last weekend and said No Thanks! No more fries for me! DONE! I can eat toasted bread, tortillas, soft or hard, and crackers. But any soft bread is a No No No! I don't even attempt that anymore and haven't for a while. I did take a bite of my boyfriend's fried rice once and it got stuck badly too. But if I eat rice with sauce on it, it seems to be okay. No problem with chicken or hamburger, so I feel fortunate for that! But it is true that everyone is different on what they can and cannot eat, and that something that gets stuck one day may not get stuck another day. This is definitely a learning process!

Nicole, it seems you and I are so similar. I am 39 (just a bit older than you :smile2: ), have yo-yo'd my whole life with weight and diets, I was banded on 7/22. I had to have 2 cc's removed a few weeks after surgery, and now have had 2 fills (2nd one yesterday!) and I have a total of 2.5 cc's in my 9 (I think) cc band. I have lost 23 pounds total and am constantly struggling with the food issue. I cannot really tell yet if I have more restriction now with the 2nd fill since it was just yesterday but I am sure hoping. I am hoping to lose 80 more pounds by next June. I really find it helpful seeing others posts that are going through similar experiences as me, that were banded around the same time as me. Good luck to you and let's hope we can get through this together and reach our goal weights!

I have had the same problem. I have bounced back and forth between the same 5 pounds for well over a month now. I was banded 7/22. I had 1 fill so far. I am actually going in for my 2nd fill today and am so ready! I do have a little restriction now. I cannot eat french fries, soft breads or some rice. But other than that I can pretty much eat whatever I want. I can't eat as much as I used to be able to but still more than what I know I am supposed to. Sometimes I make good food choices and sometimes not so good ones. I have started exercising 3 times a week, but that hasn't helped with weight loss. The past few weeks have gone like this (I weigh myself once a week): Lost 3 pounds, stayed the same, gained 2 pounds, lost those 2 pounds last week and now this week stayed the same again. So not really making any forward progress. I am hoping my 2nd fill helps me to get some more restriction and I get motivated and start seeing the numbers go down. Don't get discouraged! There are others just like me and you out here struggling. Let's hope once we get to our "sweet spots" that this will get easier! So glad that we have this website to keep each other feedback and know we aren't alone in what we go through and deal with. Thank you!