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Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to take your Vitamins. Other than that be patient. keep your calories up rather than down - but focus on protien. Get a tight tshirt so yo ucan confirm you are still losing inches - I bet you are. STAY THE COURSE! stick in there! Just wait it out. Yo uhave this wonderful tool that keeps you from feeling starved. Just go as you would - read your books, see your counselor or attend some meetings, etc. And again, just wait it out - you now have the power to beat the stalls.

Haven't lost any weight since May 15th. Doing everything I'm suppose to, I'm so frustrated. Eating about 500-800 calories and drinking water. Vitamins are a problem can't remember to take the consistently. Exercising and weight training, what else can I do????

Rhonda. I am sorry you are frustrated. The first few months are the hardest.... like others said you have to want it very badly to make it through. .how are you doing with sticking to the portion sizes and calorie counting we talked about?

I am only in week two, but I started drinking Carnation Instant Breakfasts adn they are great. They do have a low cal/carb one, but when I have tried the low cal/carb stuff before it really sucks, so I think I will stick with the CIB regular. It is definately workable into a 800 calorie diet! I look forward to eating salads for lunch and chicken for dinner.

For me, the sample diet my program was simply a guideline for the type of foods to eat. Such as, my plan advised to eat fish twice a day, well I don't like fish, so I substituted beef or chicken. I didn't follow it to a "T", and it hasn't had any negative effects on me at all. As for the eating more than the recommended amount, your stomach is still healing. You should not overfill it, and you really don't want to feel the uncomfortable, cramping, pain that comes with overfilling your sleeve early out. You put yourself at a higher risk of a leak if you overeat. I'm not trying to scare you, but it is the truth. I'm 5 months out, and can barely eat 4-6oz of yogurt, or creamy Soups. But, I eat extremely slow, and make sure that I listen to my body. There is a learning curve early out, and it takes 20 minutes of eating for your stomach to tell your brain that you are "full". If you consume more calories than recommended, yes, it will effect your weight loss. During the initial post-op phases, the key is allowing the stomach to heal properly, and to maximize your weight loss.

Are you eating stuff high in sodium? Could it be fluid? I'm a bit over a week out. I haven't lost the past two days. A little concerned. Be sure you aren't drinking your calories. Easy to do with high fat cream based soups.

well not that I'm ANYWHERE near goal but the lower your bmi and weight the harder it is for your body to consistently lose. When you intensify your workouts you don't want to get so low in calories it is unhealthy. That will tell your body to hold onto some of the weight til your glycogen is back up to proper levels. Great job so far,

How long will you be banded by that point? And keep in mind, it should take a lot less alcohol to get you plowed than it did before. Stick to hard stuff if you are going to do it. There are fewer calories, and more alcohol content. That way you are not getting too many empty calories. I have heard lots of people getting drunk with the band. I don't think there is any harm in it as long as it is an occasional deal. Too often will sabotage the hard work. I outlined the best things to drink while on a diet in another thread. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?p=244160#post244160 If you are going to do it, plan ahead. Drink a lot of Water for two days before hand. Make sure that you prepare your stomach with some malox or tums before and throughout the night. And be sure to drink plenty of water during the evening too. It will help with the dehydration, help to keep you from getting sick, and help your stomach not get irritated by the booze. Hope that helps.

HI all. Im hearing alot of self bashing going on. Believe me I'm just as hard on myself. I think there is something happening that needs to be looked into. It is a vicious cycle. Scale stops moving, "I must be a failure". Didn't exercise for a few days "I must be a failure". Shouldn't have eaten that cookie "I'm a failure". Im not at goal "I failed" I'm a failure so I might as well; -eat all the other cookies - just lay in bed - sit and watch another mind numbing TV show -look back and beat myself up for all my short comings. Yep the motivation isn't as strong as when we first started this journey. Im not sure I will ever be that motivated again. But to say I'm a failure is just not correct. These last few weeks I've been trying to find my MoJo again. When I have a particularity good day I try to see what made it so good. Why did I bounce out of bed, work so hard with my trainer, take the dog for a walk and go to yoga class? Plus I made good food choices. So what gives? Is there a way to bottle this and reproduce it on the days Im just not getting it in gear? Because when Im at that place where I don't want to move my body or the peanut butter is looking really good willpower is out the door. It is really easy to say F it I'm just not meant to lose another 10lbs (or 1lb). So Im left to try to acknowledge what works. Really mindfully acknowledge that something is going right. Maybe even write myself notes of encouragement to the sorry self I might be the next day. Focus on the good. We all know what we are bad at. What is hard. Directing your energy to trying to figure out a negative will just keep you in that negative place. So why not find what you're good at and build on that. Do you work out more consistently with another person? Well make it your business to get a buddy or join a group. Do you need to make a commitment to something? Do a charity walk where they have training help. Like the Avon 3 Day Walk. Does telling your story about the band and your decision to get it remind you why you did this in the first place? Than offer to talk at your Drs support group or informational meeting. Be a mentor here on LBT. Do you do well with a list or goals? Than write a few and support them with an action plan of how you will succeed. Do you struggle with food choices? Start using The Daily Plate/Calorie King or whatever. Set yourself up with a menu for the next day or the whole week. Make a list before you go shopping, and stick to it. You get the idea. Find what works. Baby steps. Stop beating yourself up about what you haven't done. Be kind to yourself. -Since I choose not to have another cookie I feel empowered. -That walk yesterday really energized me, how can I fit in another one tomorrow? -I have come so far on my journey and Im still committed to a more healthy lifestyle. We all slip up. Sometimes for a day sometimes for a few weeks. Main thing is you have it within yourself to make the change. For Gods sake at some point you were motivated enough to get the band. Pat yourself on the back and shout "WooHoo!" Move forward. Tomorrow is a new day. I think you're doing a great job!!

I was banded on 10/29 and the same thing is going on with me. I am trying to limit my calorie intake and keep protein up. I get my first fill 11/30 so I am excited for that. Bandster Hell sucks!

I would strongly suggest you track your food and calories. You may be taking in too little or more than you realize. It can be an eye opening experience and you should be able to see where changes can be made. My NUT recommends about 1000 calories per day and 60+ grams of protein per day. Also, definitely up the exercise as that will help. Since you just joined the gym did they give you any time with a trainer or do they have workout classes you can do?

I do track is MFP and am staying around 1000 -1200 calls a day although my Doc doesn't have a specific calorie range. I also measure all of my food, no more than 3oz of meat plus 1/4 cup of veggies or fruit per meal generally. My NUT diet has as an example, Greek yogurt for Breakfast, Protein shake for snack, 3oz tuna for lunch, Protein Shake snack, 3oz cottage cheese plus 1/4 cup no. Starch veggie for dinner. The Protein shakes are part of the NUT diet, she requires a min of 16oz per day in this phase. My exercise is moderately more than pre surgery, I haven't been wih my trainer since Nov (I buy 6 week sessions with her). As for weighing, it's a tool I use after years of weight related therapy I have learned for me, daily weigh ins are a must, as my therapist says, it keeps it in the forefront of my mind.

While this time is for healing... its important to count calories and measure portions as well. I fear many people forget to do that and think they are eating small amounts which may be true but they forget to count the calories. Also drink lots of Water... that made a huge difference for me. I found that even eating 1000 calories a day...if I didnt drink at least 64 oz of water i wouldnt lose weight. Also after liquids I was done with Protein shakes. The are alot of calories and do not fill you up so you may want to consider and speak to your dr about getting your protein from real food instead.

My nutritionist said those dinners are fine - we are allowed 2400 mg of sodium a day. Even if you ate two of those dinners in a day they would probably have less sodium than that. Her program promoted those low-calorie, low fat diet dinners. But every nutritionist is different and everyone has to decide what is best for them.

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?

Curious how many calories post sleevers are eating 8 months plus post op to continue to lose? I started using myfitnesspal.com and set it for 1000 calories. I'm still not losing!!! I'm wondering if that is enough? Not enough? Can you post- sleevers weigh in!! No pun intended... haha Thank you!

On my Droid phone and Ipad I use calorie counter by fatsecret.com I havent looked at the others because its the one i started with 2 years ago... I like it because it had lots of chain restaurant's nutritional info and for home use you can scan a bar code of a box of whatever and it will give oyu the info thats printed on the box. I used mine religiously when I was losing. Now the Dr tells me not obsess with it as I maintain but I will use it for checking calorie counts if I am eating unfamiliar foods. It helps me make wise choices..For example I was at Hooters and wanted to know how many calories were in Buffalo Shrimp.... I just looked it up and saw that 6 pieces had 555 calories. I skipped that and had the steamed shrimp instead since they had 230 calories in a 1/2 lb which of course I couldnt eat all of.

You might want to check with your nutritionist about INCREASING your calories, you might be in starvation mode and need a jump start.

it seems like it is just trying to get you some lower calories with a good mix of proteins carbs and nutrients... likely a normal lower cal balanced diet to keep you from the "last supper" mentality

Well Songbird it appears that there isn't much difference in side effects between the sleeve and the band, because I have had severe nausea since about 2 weeks post op. I am now just under 2 months post op. The nausea is constant and I too get the waves of "ut oh, I am gonna lose it this time" feeling. Eating, not eating, doesn't make it any better for me either. I too had a period of plateau in weight, but I think that is because your body might be going into starvation mode? And that will make it hold onto whatever calories it gets and store it. Are you on any nausea meds?

Whoo Hoo! I can finally update my Ticker! One “ten pound head” (with my fat face) gone and nine or so more to go. I think I win the award for slowest weight loss pre-band…actually, probably not as I’ve run across quite a few others here who also weren’t allowed to lose much on their Six Months of Lingering Torture. I know, I know, you’re saying what’s so torturous with not losing much weight??!! Gee I REALLY feel sorry for you BG! I’m telling you if you’ve come to this point in your life where you feel desperate enough to get WLS, then you’re ready to make the change, and you want it to start happening sooner, rather than later. I’d describe my feelings much like an alcoholic would about ‘hitting bottom’. For me, and I think many others, we had some sort of turning point, or ‘moment’ where we hit bottom and decided to consider WLS (I’ll share my moment another time). It’s actually been hard while you’re researching and learning all this not to be able to put it all into practice. I swear it's made the time go slower too, probably because you don't have as much to do (tracking calories, exercising, planning/cooking diet meals). If you’re someone like me (professional dieter) who is always either gaining or losing it’s been weird staying about the same weight. I haven’t stayed about the same weight this long in I don’t know when! So ‘breaking’ my plan, and actually starting my stricter diet this last month of the Six Months of Lingering Torture, has been a great feeling. I started my dieting last Monday and haven’t really been cutting the calories too drastically yet (I’m planning to step things down) as I didn’t want to lose a TON of weight this month. Well, you can all call me an ‘April Fool’ if I mess this whole thing up and get denied! Time to update my Ticker tomorrow…FINALLY!...I hope I remember how! Me, Summer 2010: “Lost Weight? Me? Thanks for noticing!”

If you're losing weight in a healthy manner- enough calories, enough Protein, not junk calories- then don't worry about the speed at which you lose. Your body will regulate itself soon enough and you'll miss the days the weight just melted off, For the record, I lost 44 pounds in the first 6 weeks after surgery and continued to lose at least 20 pounds a month for the first 6 months. Now, I am lucky if I lose 5-8 pounds a month. The lower the scale goes the slower the weight come off because your body is much more resistant to let it go. You're fine

I feel like I eat "a lot" at times too. I hope it is that I am just adjusting to my new small portions since I still serve everything in a 1/2 cup size bowl or very small plate and I am 10 months out. I'd prefer that my calories be around 800-900 but they are usually 1000-1100 usually though

MFP is not accurate in what I should be eating nor is it accurate when it predicts what I will weigh in 5 weeks. It wants me to eat much more than I can eat in order to maintain. It thinks I will lose much more than I will actually lose. I use MFP to help me track my Protein intake. My goal for that is 70 a day. I also use it to record exercise and Water intake. I like that I can check the amount of calories, carbs and sugar in something I plan to eat because it helps me make great decisions. I am very leary, however, about the amount of calories ingested and the amount of calories burned. I think there is too much wiggle room for these to be accurate enough for me to ever consider eating my exercise calories. I feel this way about any calorie counting and not just that at MFP. If the calorie amount is printed on something, the actual calories can be 10 percent higher or lower and still be within range, according to labeling laws in the U.S. The predictions for how much calories are being burned by exercise often depends on effort as well as size of the person, and effort is just too unpredictable. It allows for too much variance. I used MFP every day for almost two years, and I am again back to using it daily. It is a great tool, but it doesn't know everything.

no. You'd have to eat 1750 calories above and beyond what your body needs to gain 0.5 lbs in true weight. At two weeks post-op, there's no way you're eating that much. It's probably just water retention - or else your intestines have a lot of "content" in them. Weight fluctuations are normal - if they start playing with your head too much, just start weighing once or twice a week instead of every day.