On the "lap-band chart of restriction", there are three zones; yellow, green, and red.

One of the indications that you are in the "red zone", or over-filled, is poor weight loss.

So, here's my question: why is there poor weight loss or even gains in the red zone? I am pretty sure I am over-filled at the moment because I basically can't eat. I have been this way for the past three days and I have actually GAINED two pounds.

WHY!?!?!? This doesn't make sense to me AT ALL. It made sense to me to think that if someone is over-filled, they may stretch out their upper pouch while eating resulting in ultimately consuming more. BUT, if I am eating so little- and obviously NOT stretching out my pouch- why on earth am I not losing? :tt1:

Weird. Just weird.

I plan to go in to my doc's on Monday if my restriction hasn't loosened up some.

Thanks for your help!

I was told because you are taking in such low amounts of daily calories your body goes into starvation mode and what happens is whatever you take in your body trys to store to keep your body functioning. hope this may make sense it did to me.

When people have too much restriction, they tend to consume slider foods: soft, high-calorie foods that slide down easily. Eating slider foods tends to stall weight loss.

Slider foods, slowing metabolism, reduced activity, it all adds up.

Conversely, I've been away on a school camp this week and fed so much food I felt like I had to poke it down with a stick, and was embarrassed by how much I left on my plate. Come home to not one ounce gained. Your body uses a lot of energy to digest food.

(obviously I still never ate as much as I would have pre band, there's only so far that theory will stretch, lol).

The slider thing is true and so is the Famine Control mechanizm. We think that if a little restriction is good, then a lot is better, if reduced calories is good then no calories is better. It is the reason we got where we were in the first place. It is ok to eat, but there is another thing to think about. How long ago did you get too tight? You could be swollen and after it goes down you will be able to eat more. In the mean time find a protien shake that will go down, so you don't starve...... Hugs!!!

It's often because the foods you can tolerate are higher in calories and fat than the foods you'd eat at proper restriction. And that the sliders move through more easily, resulting in hunger sooner (and therefore eating more frequently).

Our bodies may (and there is NOT concrete enough evidence to "prove" this---just as there is abundant evidence to the contrary) hold on to our energy reserves (fat) more tightly when our caloric intake drops. But this "starvation mode" is controversial at best. After all, people do, in fact, starve!

The body certainly does not gain as a result of eating too little. It is absolutely impossible to create energy (fat) when there is no excess. Impossible.

If you are gaining, it's either from Fluid retention, from swelling, or from eating too much (or the wrong things). It's not from eating too little.

If you're maintaining, it might be from eating too little---depending on which school of thought you espouse.

Edited March 27, 201016 yr by BetsyB

I have wondered this same thing and was told the same too tight means little or no weight loss but I have been too tight several times and have still lost weight so really the thing that makes the most sense to me is that you are compensating for not being able to eat solid foods with the slider foods that are higher in calories and you are always hungry. I think the only reason I didn't do that when I was too tight was because I got so sick from trying solid foods that even the mushies or slider food didn't sound good to me at the time but I can definitely see where that would happen.