I got banded July 9th 2010 and just had my third fill on January 13th. I have lost about 25-30 lbs since being banded, but have been pretty much fluxuating +/- 5 lbs since about october. I have been able to eat and drink everything I did before being banded except of course considerabley less of it. I have upped my protein significantly within the last few weeks, have been keeping up with my water and benefiber for the most part, upped my exercise from from 1-2 days per week to 3-4 days per week and also upped my fruits/veggies. I don't know what else to do! I think it might have something to do with WHAT i'm eating, but i'm confused on why that would make that huge of a difference if I am eating better otherwise and eating a lot less of the bad food.

i think we all plateau at one point or another.

switching up your menu and exercise should help... or its helped me in the past.

what does your a normal day menu look like? are you getting enough Protein (at least 60 grams?) how do your carbs look? they should be less than 60 grams.

what size band do you have and how many cc's are in it?

usually Breakfast is either Protein bar or drink or Cereal or nothing if im not hungry (i just head to work and eat my lunch once i get there). lunch is usually a sandwich or a weight watchers meal. Snacks are usually fruit or slim fast (if i havent had a Protein Drink yet) or hummus and crackers. something like that. dinner is a salad or whatever my mom made in a smaller portion (chicken or beef w veggies).

since my third fill ive kept up on making sure i get at least 40-60 grams of protein so i have incorporated at least a bar or drink once per day on top of some sort of fish or meat for lunch.

carbs are another story. i didnt know i was supposed to keep them under a certain amount per day... thats something i have at almost every meal. as a side or part of the main course itself.

i dont know much about my band. they never tell me and i havent asked. all i know is that this was my "big fill". i should ask i guess...

i used to plateau around 15-19 lbs when doing other diets. i thought this time i wouldnt plateau for so long. this whole thing is not playing out the way i thought it was going to. i thought i would get fuller faster and the weight loss would be somewhat steady. and i thought i would have more problems with it so i wouldnt make the same mistakes again. but it only feels stuck for a bit and nothing horrible enough to make me rethink what i did. i dont think i thought this through enough before i got it. i mainly got it because my parents pressured me into it.

i think we all plateau at one point or another.

switching up your menu and exercise should help... or its helped me in the past.

what does your a normal day menu look like? are you getting enough protein (at least 60 grams?) how do your carbs look? they should be less than 60 grams.

what size band do you have and how many cc's are in it?

I'm not banded yet, but according to my pre-op nutritionist your daily diet should look a lot different than what you describe. At each meal, you should have a 4 oz serving of protein first (that's the size of a deck of cards) followed by half a cup of fruit or veggies. You should eat that 3 times a day. Drink as much low-cal or calorie free fluids as you want up until the meal, then do not drink anything during the meal or for an hour afterward. The goal is to fill your pouch with protein and veggies/fruit and keep it full for 4-5 hours (liquid during and an hour after a meal will wash food thru too fast). You should not be snacking. You should avoid carbs. You should avoid liquid calories. So, those protein shakes while adding to your protein intake are calories that will go right thru your stomach and not help you feel full. Skim milk (2 eight ounce glasses a day) is ok. Avoid soft foods as well that will go right thru your pouch. I fyou eat yogrt, for example, add a bit of low-carb/low-cal granola. Tuna salad, add apple bits. Bread, rice/grains, potatoes...you should avoid all of that.

UUUGGGGHHH....I am in the same place!!! I have been exercising 5-6 times per week for about an hour at a time (cardio and strength training). I think I am eating well but have an appointment with my nutritionist on Tuesday. The scale hasn't budged since early December and it is SO frustrating considering how hard I am working. I have been assured by a number of non-banded people that all of a sudden I will lose like 5 pounds and the scale will start moving again. I sure hope so but, in the meantime, I have to try to stay positive and see all the health benefits I am doing for myself with good exercise and healthy meals. We will do this kelike26! It is just going to take time and perseverance.

Take care,

Katie

usually breakfast is either Protein bar or drink or cereal or nothing if im not hungry (i just head to work and eat my lunch once i get there). lunch is usually a sandwich or a weight watchers meal. Snacks are usually fruit or slim fast (if i havent had a protein drink yet) or hummus and crackers. something like that. dinner is a salad or whatever my mom made in a smaller portion (chicken or beef w veggies).

since my third fill ive kept up on making sure i get at least 40-60 grams of protein so i have incorporated at least a bar or drink once per day on top of some sort of fish or meat for lunch.

carbs are another story. i didnt know i was supposed to keep them under a certain amount per day... thats something i have at almost every meal. as a side or part of the main course itself.

i dont know much about my band. they never tell me and i havent asked. all i know is that this was my "big fill". i should ask i guess...

i used to plateau around 15-19 lbs when doing other diets. i thought this time i wouldnt plateau for so long. this whole thing is not playing out the way i thought it was going to. i thought i would get fuller faster and the weight loss would be somewhat steady. and i thought i would have more problems with it so i wouldnt make the same mistakes again. but it only feels stuck for a bit and nothing horrible enough to make me rethink what i did. i dont think i thought this through enough before i got it. i mainly got it because my parents pressured me into it.

Basically, it's calories in vs calories out. Have you been counting calories? Try measuring and weighing your food for a week and see how many calories you are eating. Unless you are really restricted and unable to eat much at each meal, you will probably get enough protein with meats, dairy and eggs. So, I would cut out the Protein drinks. Also, I am not anti-carb and I don't think a baked potato or whole grain Pasta once in a while is a problem. I mean did we really get obese from eating baked potatoes? Plus complex carbs are filling. So don't eliminate them entirely from your diet.

Also, you should be exercising every day or at least 5 days/week.

What concerns me about your post is that you indicate that you were hoping to have "more problems with the band" (than you are having) so that you wouldn't make the same mistakes.

The band doesn't work by causing problems. The band works by allowing a small amount of healthy food to satisfy you for a certain amount of time and reduce hunger. If you think getting stuck or vomiting or other such problems will keep you on track, then you need to re-think your whole experience with the band and your expectations.

Ok, I have bee reading lately about the five day pouch test. For what I know it will help you to shock your metabolism and give it a jump start. Google it as it guarantees for you to loose between 5 and 10 pounds in a week. five day pouch test

I'm not banded yet, but according to my pre-op nutritionist your daily diet should look a lot different than what you describe. At each meal, you should have a 4 oz serving of Protein first (that's the size of a deck of cards) followed by half a cup of fruit or veggies. You should eat that 3 times a day. Drink as much low-cal or calorie free fluids as you want up until the meal, then do not drink anything during the meal or for an hour afterward. The goal is to fill your pouch with protein and veggies/fruit and keep it full for 4-5 hours (liquid during and an hour after a meal will wash food thru too fast). You should not be snacking. You should avoid carbs. You should avoid liquid calories. So, those protein shakes while adding to your protein intake are calories that will go right thru your stomach and not help you feel full. Skim milk (2 eight ounce glasses a day) is ok. Avoid soft foods as well that will go right thru your pouch. I fyou eat yogrt, for example, add a bit of low-carb/low-cal granola. Tuna salad, add apple bits. Bread, rice/grains, potatoes...you should avoid all of that.

I couldn't eat only 3 times per day...even at this fill level I get hungry after 3 hrs.I cant fathom going 4-5 hours between meals It doesnt seem normal to me.

I do snack between meals but it will be a healthy snack like fruit, veggies or a Protein shake.

As far as drinking I drink up until I eat then stop drinking for 30min after my meal...It's not so much so that if wont flush the food out of the pouch but so that you dont get stuck...

Basically, it's calories in vs calories out. Have you been counting calories? Try measuring and weighing your food for a week and see how many calories you are eating. Unless you are really restricted and unable to eat much at each meal, you will probably get enough Protein with meats, dairy and eggs. So, I would cut out the protein drinks. Also, I am not anti-carb and I don't think a baked potato or whole grain Pasta once in a while is a problem. I mean did we really get obese from eating baked potatoes? Plus complex carbs are filling. So don't eliminate them entirely from your diet.

Also, you should be exercising every day or at least 5 days/week.

What concerns me about your post is that you indicate that you were hoping to have "more problems with the band" (than you are having) so that you wouldn't make the same mistakes.

The band doesn't work by causing problems. The band works by allowing a small amount of healthy food to satisfy you for a certain amount of time and reduce hunger. If you think getting stuck or vomiting or other such problems will keep you on track, then you need to re-think your whole experience with the band and your expectations.

Cleo's mom is correct. Losing weight is a simple equation of calories in vs calories out. It doesn't matter if you eat them via 3 meals, 5 meals, 20 Snacks, ice cream only, whatever. If you consume less energy than you burn, you will lose weight. So try tracking your calories. I use fitday.com and I like it.

I also agree that eliminating certain "bad" foods is so ridiculous. If we have a healthy relationship with food, then there won't be any "bad" foods. I rarely eat less than 60 carbs a day (or whatever the figure was that one of the above posters gave). I love ice cream and mac and cheese and I'm not giving them up anytime soon. But I track my calories (both consumed and burned) and continue to lose because my input is less than my output. Instead of depriving yourself of everything "bad" (this is not specifically directed at OP, but to the general LBT public), go to a therapist or support group and fix your head issues. I eat every single one of the foods that MarcyLoo listed (and labeled as completely off-limits) including snacks, carbs, liquid calories, protein shakes, soft foods, yogurt (and trust me sweetie, a bit of low-carb low-cal granola ain't gonna stop if from going through...what is low carb low cal granola by the way? Seems like it would be one or the other - not both), tuna salad (without apple bits or any other kind of 'bits'), bread, rice/grains, and potatoes. I eat them all and lose 2 pounds per week on average, consistently. I'll be interested in speaking to you after you've had your band for a year to see if you are still following this prescribed stringent and restrictive diet.

Back to the OP, If you're doing what you should be, and your calories in are less than your calories out, your plateau will break itself eventually. If you want to speed up that process, change up your macronutrients (if you're eating tons of carbs, try to cut back on carbs for a few days and add more protein...if you haven't really been eating much fat, try adding some in to your diet), try varying your calorie intake (instead of 900 calories everyday, do 800 calories one day and 1000 calories the next) and try a different work out routine. Often tricking our bodies by changing our eating pattern for a day or two or changing our exercise will be enough to get things moving again. And please remember, this isn't a diet (diets are what lead to most of us being morbidly obese), its a lifestyle change. Think of it that way. Good luck!

This may sound simplistic, but you know what got me off my plateau, it was upping my Water intake. I hadn't been drinking enough water. My doctor explained it as the body didn't have enough liquid to flush out the fat as I started losting. It doesn't just disappear, it needs to be washed out. So, I upped my water intake to 4-5 bottles of water a day and I started losing again. I guess this makes sense. Now, I'm thrilled whenver I need to get to the bathroom because, as I now understand it, I'm losing fat!

I also agree with one of the posters above, journal everything. When I don't journal, I really tend to underestimate what I'm eating.

Best of luck to you!

Cleos mom - just the way my doctor talked about the food getting stuck made it sound like it would teach me to slow down and rethink what I had just done. I haven't gotten to the vomiting part except for maybe 3 times in the last 8 months.

Thank all of you so much for the support I'm still plateaued but I haven't been trying as much as I should... But I'm doing the best I can at the moment. I'm switching my Snacks and tracking my carbs (but not eliminating).

Keli26, reading your post makes me think perhaps you should cut down on the carbs. I am not a carb hater and don't consider my self a low carb person really. For Breakfast I think you should focus more on Protein and less on carbs. You mentioned having Cereal. Unless it's a straight oatmeal you are probably not staying full for very long. I realize WW meals are super easy for work. My concern is whether you are really getting 3-4 oz of protein. Some of them are only 6 oz to begin with. Often they are rice or Pasta based so again very carb centered. You mentioned eating less then preband. That's great. But you also noted perhaps what your eating are not the right choices. I highly recommend getting a digitial food scale. You would be suprised how small 3oz can really be. I measure both lunch and dinner protein every day. This keeps me honest. When the food is gone I'm done eating. Are you at restriction? It took me 6 months. My doctor does'nt want me to get stuck. In fact if I'm having several stuck episodes he thinks the band is too tight.

Being banded is at least a 50% mental battle. I don't demonize certain foods but I don't eat them on a regular basis (even at small portions). It can help to ask yourself "If my doctor saw me eating/chosing this would I be embarrased?" If so walk away.

I believe I have seen you post something similiar to this before and like everyone said before you cannot flush fat out of your system. More Water helps all of your organs wokr the way they are suppose to lol but you cant flush the fat away or everyone would be drinking 20 bottles of water a day.

ugh i wrote a big long thing and it didnt post so im just gonna say i agree with you and im trying lol that was the jist of it

Keli26, reading your post makes me think perhaps you should cut down on the carbs. I am not a carb hater and don't consider my self a low carb person really. For breakfast I think you should focus more on Protein and less on carbs. You mentioned having cereal. Unless it's a straight oatmeal you are probably not staying full for very long. I realize WW meals are super easy for work. My concern is whether you are really getting 3-4 oz of protein. Some of them are only 6 oz to begin with. Often they are rice or Pasta based so again very carb centered. You mentioned eating less then preband. That's great. But you also noted perhaps what your eating are not the right choices. I highly recommend getting a digitial food scale. You would be suprised how small 3oz can really be. I measure both lunch and dinner protein every day. This keeps me honest. When the food is gone I'm done eating. Are you at restriction? It took me 6 months. My doctor does'nt want me to get stuck. In fact if I'm having several stuck episodes he thinks the band is too tight.

Being banded is at least a 50% mental battle. I don't demonize certain foods but I don't eat them on a regular basis (even at small portions). It can help to ask yourself "If my doctor saw me eating/chosing this would I be embarrased?" If so walk away.

yeah i stopped with the cereal. now i usually dont eat at home i go straight to work and have almonds, string cheese and sometimes a hard boiled egg. ive started having more greek yogurt, balance bars (instead of the protein shakes), healthy choice (higher protein) and then whatever dinner is at home. the reason for the shakes was because my doctor said it was ok to continue with the drinks if i wasnt hitting my protein goal for the day.

carbs are so hard to stay away from because they add up sooo quickly! i like that question about if my doctor would like what i am doing or not. thats kind of why i havent been keeping up contact with them which i know i should in this instance...being satisfied is getting easier the head hunger is still in the back of my mind and i cannot wait to overcome that. i realize it will always be there because addiction always is but i know it will get easier. its just getting to that point thats hard. i guess theres no turning back now unless i take it out one day and that would just be painful and expensive.