OneYearLater

Ok, this is probably going to sound like a strange question... I was losing great at first and now it's come to pretty much a stand still. I keep gaining and losing the same 2 pounds over and over for the past month. I'm playing with my calories- up and down to try and find where I lose and upping my exercise. I'm working out anywhere from 45-60 minutes every day plus doing weights alternating arms, legs etc. I've also been changing up my workouts to try to get my body moving instead of getting in a rut and I have been ranging my calories everywhere from 900-1500....and still nothing...granted, i'm seeing some looseness with my clothes...but come on! It's got to come off SOMETIME, doesn't it? I know that I just need to be patient and I know that many people say not to worry...I'll start losing once I get more fills and hit that "sweet spot", so here is my question.... What is the difference with the fills and finding the "sweet spot" if I'm ALREADY watching what I'm eating and working out? Did that make any sense? I'm kind of confused with what would make a difference and why I should see the weight start to drop if all the band is really supposed to do is control the amount that I eat when I'm already doing that and working out? What is it about reaching that "sweet spot" that should make the weight supposedly start coming off that makes the difference with why it's not happening now? I'm so concerned that I'll reach the right amount of fill in my band...yet still be fighting these same 2 pounds... ugh... It's SO frustrating because sometimes I feel like I was already losing this and more when I was on Weight Watchers. I know in a month I would have seen SOME loss (my problem was with KEEPING it off). Sharon

As some of you might know from previous posts I've done, i've been at a standstill for about a month now or losing the same couple of pounds and at a loss for what was causing it. I haven't been eating a whole lot, varying calories and working out every single day.... lots and lots of Protein...lots and lots of Water. Everyone gave lots of great advice (along with some that implied that I wasn't being honest with myself and what I was doing to try to lose weight...blah blah blah... I won't even go there) but I wanted to say that SunnySandy said that I might want to check my Fiber intake. It's not something that I really thought about and it just didn't think it made that much difference. After thinking about it, I realized that I was concentrating so much on protein that I wasn't eating as much fruit and grains etc (very low carb). I get more than enough protein (usually over 100grams) so I decided to add more fiber (benefiber to my protein shakes) and add some fruits in. Lo and behold..after a couple of days, the scale has started moving again! WOO HOO!!! I'm not saying that it is the catalyst that will jump start everyone again..but it sure worked for me! Thanks SunnySandy!

Were you overweight when you and your husband first started dating and got married? Has he ever said anything before about a 'preference' for heavier women earlier on? Did he say anything about it at all while you were in the losing process or has it been just suddenly? Sounds like he may be feeling insecure about your changes and thinking that you might either try to change him if he is overweight or it may be a self protection mechanism. He might feel that eventually you will try to push him away so he is trying to do it first. Sometimes that is how someone protects their feelings... Either way....it's something that you guys definitely need to see a therapist to work through... Good luck!!!

Just curious, since you seem to be a "weight loss expert", how much have you lost so far following "the program"? When were you banded? Sounds like after being banded, you have been pretty lucky and haven't experienced the plateauing problem that so many of us have until getting a few fills. Good for you! Maybe you can share some of your banding story with us and how you were able to not experience the same things that so many of us have right after that liquids phase is done! :rolleyes2:

You know what? You just might be right! Now that I think about it...I used to eat WAY more fruits and vegetables and got a ton of fiber through wheat and high fiber breads etc. Since I cut out breads and don't get nearly as much of the fruits and veggies....I KNOW I don't get enough fiber. I wonder if that could make a difference. Thanks so much for that! I think I've tried so many other things...I think it would be good for me to up my fiber and see if that helps

Well hell! If it were as easy as that, then EVERYONE would be able to track EXACTLY how much weight they should lose and have it EXACT every single time...not that simple. How then is it possible for people to be on liquid diets for the first couple of weeks then suddenly stall out and not lose another pound even though they still are only on liquids? It happens and I can guarantee you that many people on this forum can tell you that this happened to them without shoving chocolate cake down their throats when no one was looking. I'm one of them... Losing weight is more than just the numbers game or an exact science or you wouldn't have plateaus. I can tell you right now I track ALL of my calories including GUM and chewable Vitamins (ranging anywhere from 900-1600) and work out EVERY SINGLE DAY usually twice a day (once in the morning with a WII advanced step for 30 minutes- then in the afternoon after work at the gym for 45 minutes to an hour on the elliptical trainer or bike plus weight lifting for another 15 minutes or so.) The result? I have lost and gained the same 2-3 pounds since my last fill. Is it possible that I'm sabotaging myself by not eating ENOUGH calories to cover my workouts? Sure it's possible....but by what you are saying with taking in less calories than I am exerting, I should be dropping a ton of weight..and I'm just not. By the way....yes, I'm frustrated with it... but all I can do is keep trying to figure out what will work for MY own individual body..whatever it may be and that is ok... I'll find it one day! My point of this rant was that it really makes me angry when people post with the attitude like everyone MUST be cheating if you aren't seeing the numbers...or with the "it's not rocket science" theory...like if you aren't losing the weight you are stupid or something.... some of us just aren't seeing the pounds come off no matter what we do. Ok..sorry...rant mode off... carry on everyone... :thumbup:

I get a good amount of protein- anywhere between 95-120 grams a day. I fill up 2 32oz jugs to drink with Water or diluted crystal light every day and even on days when I'm having to force myself to do it..I do it. I'm tracking what i'm eating at sparkpeople.com as well as my workouts. I do about 30-45 minutes of cardio (ranging either from the elliptical with the arms as well, stairclimber or 45 minutes if I'm doing the bike) plus weights. On the days I'm working, I'm also adding in the 30 minutes of Wii advanced step with the extra risers every morning at 4am and go to the gym in the afternoon when I'm finished with work- EVERY DAY. I get 7 hours of sleep every night and seriously have been doing VERY little carbs. I will maybe every couple of days have a couple of spoonfuls of rice. I've had a tiny piece of bread maybe twice since I was banded in September...and that's IT. My day usually consists of a Protein shake in the morning, a salad with a fat free/low fat dressing, turkey and a little fat free feta cheese for lunch. dinner is usually chicken breast with Beans or some kind of veggie. I have more Protein shakes in between when I'm hungry, a little fruit with some Peanut Butter or cheese and that is about it. See what I mean? Like I said, my problem has never been LOSING the weight when I'm in the zone. My problem is keeping it off. I REALLY REALLY am trying hard which is why i'm SOOOO frustrated with not seeing the movement on the scale. It would be one thing If I were cheating on eating or not working out..but I am. I'm so frustrated with not seeing the weight loss and am REALLY hoping that as everyone says....it will start to come off after I find my sweet spot, although I just don't see HOW. I don't understand what the difference would be? I just don't see how getting the right amount of fill is going to make me work harder somehow than I already am...although I'm really really hoping that somehow it will so that I can finally see some scale movement!!!

Agreed..anytime you feel the motivation to do it.....do it! That's the right time. I personally work out every morning before work. It gives me energy for the day and sets the pace of my eating for the rest of the day. If I worked out and feel good, i am less included to want to eat a lot and mess it up through the day...but that is just me :eek:

YAY! Congrats! I couldn't see how losing a Snooki would ever be a bad thing...although I only wish that we could lose her from magazines and tv as well haha You look spectacular!

I was banded on September 3rd and I have to tell you...i'm so happy to see this thread! I've been feeling so bad that I'm just STUCK and have been at a standstill now for the past 3 weeks no matter WHAT I do! I've lowered and raised calories...added and varied workouts..I'm even working out every single day...and can't get the scale to change. I see all of the success that people are having and get so frustrated thinking that I've GOT to be doing something wrong. It makes me feel a little better and more hopeful to see that I'm not alone and that others have been going through it as well. I KNOW that i'll have success at this.....but you sure do feel alone when you think that you are the only one not seeing any big losses or consistent losses this early in the game.

I stay in touch with a few folks from the Kaiser classes that I had to take as a prerequisite for being approved for the lapband surgery. There are a couple of people that had the bypass close to the same time that I had my banding that I was just communicating with. I've been feeling so frustrated lately with my weight being at a complete stand still over the past 2-3 weeks....but was actually pretty surprised that they both have been experiencing the exact same thing with the bypass! I know that with the bypass, you are supposed to lose much quicker and much more extreme. I have lost about 20 pounds since the band surgery..and both of them..same thing..as soon as they hit about 20 pounds after the bypass, they have been at a stand still as well. I've been changing my calories up and down to try and find the right amount as well as upping my exercising..but still nothing. I definitely see the difference in my clothes..but SHEESH...you would think the scale HAS to start moving SOMETIME! Anyway, the reason I brought that up, is that it sounds like this ugly early plateau might not just be something that people see with the banding.... One of my bypass friends said that she heard that most of the weight loss that people see is somewhere between 3-9 months out from the procedure... I'm sure HOPING I'll start seeing some movement SOMETIME soon! Anyone else hear this? That it starts to kick in more after about 3 months?

I was really surprised that they weren't losing more as well. I thought for sure they would! They both have about the same amount of weight to lose as i do and are about 215...so maybe it's because they don't have as much? 1 of them probably isn't following the instructions as stringently...but 1 is VERY strict and was telling me how sometimes she can barely eat. I did lose a pretty good amount pre-op....so i'm thinking that maybe I'm not seeing a lot of loss because of that? I just saw someone today that I haven't seen in a long time and she seemed shocked at how much weight I have lost. I kinda thought i looked the same, but maybe not! lol

LOVE muscle milk light. I've tried so many different kinds of protein powders, and this for me by far tasted the best. I went into a Vitamin Shoppe and a GNC to ask them if there was anything that tasted as good out there to try something different, and everyone there pretty much agreed that Muscle Milk tasted the best. I would have it for all my meals except I know that you also need to actually EAT :thumbup:. My favorite flavor is Chocolate Milk, which I sometimes mix a little fat free sugar free pudding in with the powder to get a variation of flavor and thickness. It can get kinda pricey though, but I found it on a site called Mass Nutrition for about $17 each 1.65 tub. I ordered the Peanut Butter/Chocolate, Cake Batter and another one that I have forgotten haha!

I have PCOS and am a super heavy clotting bleeder as well. My period starts at a regular time 28 days, but can be really heavy and last a long time. I had my surgery on September 3rd and just finally got my period the other day. It was pretty late and not anywhere NEAR as heavy as it normally is. It's been kinda nice having a "normal" period without going through a tampon or pad every 15 minutes! LOL My regular doctor told me when you are doing low carb like I've been doing since getting the surgery and losing weight...you may start to regulate. He said that many women after losing some weight find that they were never able to get pregnant before...but suddenly find themselves pregnant....so he actually suggested that I think about going back on the pill or some form of birth control although I haven't for a long time since I was not able to get pregnant. Your period will come....your body is probably still in shock from the trauma of having surgery

I'm still very new to all of this only being 6 weeks out as of today. I had my first fill on Wednesday. To be honest, I can't say it was pain free like many of you. I got the numbing shot which BURNED and the DR was having a hard time getting to my port. The needle was moved around A LOT until finally I could hear a pretty big POP....ugh...but I digress.... I was filled with 3ccs and I know that most experienced people with this say that it takes a few fills sometimes to finally hit that elusive "sweet spot"...but what exactly DOES it feel like? Do you feel FULL after a small amount of food..or do you feel "Not Hungry"? I'll be honest..after this first fill... I can eat still... A LOT if I wanted to probably. Do I feel full? NO! Buuuuut......I'm also not hungry. Oh sure, I have head hunger and if I felt inclined could probably go get a 6 pack of Cinnabons and wash it down with a 64 oz. soda (don't worry....I wont )...BUUUUT.... I'm not "hungry". Before the fill, not long after, my stomach would start to growl. Now? The growling is gone. I definitely don't feel like I'm full and could eat more...but I'm not "HUNGRY". Did all of that make sense??? Anyway, I'm wondering if this is what good restriction is supposed to feel like...or do you actually feel FULL with a much smaller amount of food? Is this it? Should I keep experimenting with more saline?

It's all so new and hard to read..and confusing. I know everyone is so different. I feel like I DEFINITELY can't eat the normal amounts that I used to....but I look at the amounts that some people say that they eat and are full and WOW....I'm no where NEAR that small of an amount. Nothing gets stuck..I haven't had anything come back up or felt like I had to slime anything down. I look at the sites that say how many calories I should have to lose 2 pounds a week..and it sounds like so much! I know that some people need a much smaller amount of calories to lose (600-800), but I KNOW that the sites that say the calories you need are NEVER going to say that low of an amount. I'm working on trying to get to that "not hungry" stage to stop..I'm getting more used to it. Part of me wonders how much of that is because I have cut down the carbs so much and from just getting used to the smaller amount of food instead of it being from the band itself actually giving me any restriction at all.

It's a STRANGE thing... I've gotten so used to my stomach constantly growling over the last 6 weeks that it's really odd to not have this happening. I was walking around the mall with my daughter and I would notice here and there that my stomach was quiet! Could I eat? SURE! But I wasn't HUNGRY...I wasn't FULL.... but I wasn't hungry either.... It's taking some getting used to! lol

Ok... so that time of the month is coming up and I'm so FREAKIN' HEAD HUNGRY!! I haven't had a fill yet and don't worry, I'm not going to start eating everything in sight...but MAN! If I could shove a cow into my stomach and get it past the band I would...ok...maybe not. I think I'll go gnaw on a tree or something...do trees have any Protein? :smile2:

Love Love Love Muscle Milk Light in the Chocolate Milk flavor and Chocolate Mint. I was at the Vitamin Shoppe the other day seeing if they could recommend anything that tasted as good as Muscle Milk just to try something different. Everyone in there pretty much agreed that the Muscle Milk/Muscle Milk Light tasted the best. I seriously would have nothing BUT Muscle Milk Light except for the fact that I have to eat SOME food haha!

I'm assuming that you haven't had anything filled in your band yet (some people have doctors that will do a slight fill during the surgery). Without the restriction you probably won't feel full. It's just your stomach the same size with an unfilled band. You CAN usually eat pretty much anything ....the question is SHOULD you? The amount of time that doctors say to eat the mushy food progressing slowly to more solid food isn't so much for the weight loss part of the process, but is to give your stomach time to heal.....eating things like that (harder foods like pretzels etc) probably isn't good for your stomach when it's still in the healing stages. When I first was banded, after about 4-5 days, I was STARVING and felt like I pretty much could eat ANYTHING. I'm finding that the more i'm following what my doctor told me to eat (TONS of Protein, low carb, no breads or pastas) the less hungry I am feeling as time goes on. I haven't had my first fill yet

You look fantastic! !! Great job!

Yes you are... lol. No, but seriously, I'm not an expert, but I'm about a week and a half further along the road. You will sometimes see lots of loss at the beginning because of all the fluids and since we're usually on liquid diets/mush those first couple of weeks. Your body is repairing itself and you suddenly are taking in a lot less calories than normal. Once your body starts getting used to the small amount of calories, it starts to be much more efficient with energy usage and you stall out with the weight loss. Some wise little birdies here on the forum that have more experience told me that more of the loss starts to come after the fills start...so I'm looking forward to that :drool: I did, however, make sure I wasn't using a lot of carbs for my calories and have added exercising in and am seeing the dropping in weight again....in inches and in pounds.

Ok..I have a feeling this is going to come across as a dumb question..but wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this and if I should be concerned or not. I"m about 3 1/2 weeks out from surgery. My scars are pretty big and I have been able to feel the port since it's been a harder bump...not a big bump, but I could feel it. All of a sudden today, I just realized that I suddenly can't feel my port at all. It doesn't feel hard in any spots... Should I be concerned about this? Is this totally normal?

What are you eating? If you are that hungry, it sounds like you aren't getting enough Protein in. If you are eating carbs or sweets...you will keep feeling hungry. Eat more protein or try sipping on a Protein shake when you start to feel hungry..that and LOTS of Water liquids etc. A lot of it could also be head hunger. This definitely isn't brain surgery, so if you haven't been able to find and tackle the head hunger demons, you will still want to eat all the time. Good luck! It's a tough battle and it's still all really new...one step at at time.

I'm 3 weeks post op and was really struggling with the hunger. I was pretty much at a standstill and even gaining some weight back and forth. I decided to play around with my calories to find what worked for me. My dr. said 3 meals a day....no snacks. I was at about 600-800 and not losing at all and miserable from the hunger. Little by little I edged myself up to about 1000-1300 by adding a couple more protein drinks (Muscle Milk Light) in between meals (one a little before I go to sleep at night) and I've started losing weight again at a great rate and am WAAY less hungry. Satisfied, but not stuffed...and not having to deal with the grumbling all the time. Don't know if that will help you, but it sure has helped me.