I don't know, I guess i'm just frustrated at everything right now. I paid cash for the procedure and had it done the end of Nov. I lost 12 pounds and that was it. So I told myself, well you don't have a fill yet, you're supposed to be healing...just wait till you get your first fill. Well time passed, more than a month and I got my first fill. Okay I thought this was it...nope nothing i don't even know what restriction is. Now today I found out that I have to wait yet another month for another fill. It is SO frustrating! What if the second one doesn't work...then another month. And thus concludes my venting.

jini did you say you were band in nov girl you are doing fine i was band in march and i tell you it took me four month to get 12lb off me and i was really frustrated relax its coming it took me 4 fill so i could start feeling any restriction and i tell you i run about 2mile a day and its really working hang in there its going to get better.

http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp?pc=ZSzeb064&pp=ZNxdm414YYUS

I'm looking at your stats and wonder if you possibly have a lower bmi?

(Some say if this is the case you will loose slower).

But mostly I would listen to the people in-the-know (not me right now - as I have not yet had the procedure) and they know that restriction comes after the proper fill level has been achieved.

Good luck!

I tell ya, I have had such a hard time with getting filled. I get filled...then unfilled. I can't get to a comfortable level. I met with the nutritionist and she encouraged me to do protein only for 1 week and see if that will jump start my metabolism. I started that today. We'll see how it does. Maybe you could try that too. It's only for 1 week and who knows...maybe it will get you off of your plateau!

Jini, I did not have restriction until TWO WEEKS after my first fill, then BAM. I have lost an additional 10 pounds in the last 5 weeks once the fill kicked in.

Be patient, even though it's difficult. This procedure does not give most people the instant gratification that the more drastic procedures do. But it really does work.

I totally understand, I'm in the same situation. I lost 10 lbs on liquids the month after banding, which I put back on over the next 5 weeks. Then I got my first fill and nothing was different. I've had 3 fills now and just have a little restriction; ugh, time to schedule the 4th. It seems like it takes forever to get started losing, but it will be worth it in the end!

I'm struggling a bit too - well if you call a week's plateau struggling! I think the liquid diet is a bit too extreme - it must send lots of people's bodies into shock and they dont lose like they expect to at first. I'm not going to complain yet, I'll probably start losing again and figure it was just the change to mushies, but I was having measurable losses every single day. Im just keeping up with following the rules and exercising every day. It will work in the long run.

Me too girl, struggling like you wouldn't believe. I ate a HUGE salad today with all sorts of naughty things in it. I couldn't believe how much I could eat at this point. I don't have a fill yet either.

We have to be patient and know that good things come to those who wait. At least the scale is going down instead of up. Chin up okay. You'll get there HUGS !!!!!

Thank you all for your words of support. To answer your question I do have a lower BMI. It's nice to know that i'm not alone i guess. I think I may have just expected to much too soon and can't get that out of my head. Oh well January 30th will be here before I know it and hopefully it will start working for me and until then i guess i'm going to keep on going on my own.

Hi: I will be having my band done on Jan 3, 2005. L am looking forward to it. Please explain a fill because I was going to have the bypass but changed my mind. I will tell my doctor tomorrow.

Hi Jini, chances are, it will start working for you soon. Trust me when I say that I don't know if you will lose weight. I've lost 13 pounds since April, so that is a chance that you might be a slow loser.

I know that there are few things as frustrating as having weight loss surgery, then not losing any weight. I understand the frustration and the feelings of failure that come with slow weight loss. Do not let the scale dictate to you your sucess. I know, easy words to type, but for your own sense of sanity, you must find some other way to measure your sucess.

I strongly suggest starting your list of Non-scale victories, your NSVs. You don't have to post them, but I find it is very helpful to look back at them, and I know that other people find them helpful to look at as well.

I wish I could make it all better, make it so you had losses in the numbers like you are looking for. But all I can tell you is that you are not alone. As hard as it is, you are not alone.

Don't give up! It took me a lot of fills before I got restriction. I know we want to lose all our weight like yesterday, but slow is much better for you. Remember that you will have times you lose inches not pounds too!