Oooooookay So I was banded in September '10 and I've been gradually shedding my weight. I started at 300lbs, and currently weigh 277. My lowest point after surgery was 274. I've been battling the same 3lbs since Thanksgiving ( I was surprised at how well I did during both holidays). 7.5cc is filled out of my 10cc band. I don't know if I should go in for another fill. When I have a meal I feel satiated for 4 hours and then I have another meal. I don't really snack during the day (if I do, it'll be a 100 cal snack). I pretty much used to never exercise and since the holidays I have increased my exercise, I'm doing fun cardio workouts for at least 30min. a day.

I'm just very confused and frustrated at those stupid 3lbs. Any ideas or suggestions?

Yes, it is a very long battle, but well worth it.

It does not sound like you need another fill if you stay full or are not hungry for several hours. Your body might be taking a little break, but you might be able to kick it back in to weightloss mode. Sometimes all it takes is something to mix it up a bit. We tend to get in a rut with eating patterns. Change things around a bit by doing something like drinking a couple extra Protein shakes or drinking more Water than you normally do. Look at the "what do you eat" threads to get different food ideas.

I have a feeling there might always be a 3 lbs fluctuation for me as long as it keeps going down that;s good. Hormonal changes can also be responsible. Best wishes to you it sounds like you are doing awesome! keep up the good work!

Welcome to my world. Have you been tracking what you eat in something like fitday.com? Do you know how many calories and how many carbs you're eating *consistently* every day? As we lose weight that caloric discrepancy shrinks between what we need to eat to maintain our current weight versus what we need to eat to maintain our ideal weight. Plus, some of us just have slower metabolisms and have less caloric needs than others.

I've been charting everything I eat (even on the bad days) for about 10 months now. The charts say that if I eat 2100 calories for my height, weight and age, I'll maintain my current weight. The fact is that I will not. I will gain at the rate of about 2 lb per month. That means, for my metabolic rate, my current weight most likely only needs somewhere around 1850 calories per day to maintain. Which explains why I'm only losing 1 lb per week when I'm consistently eating 1200 calories and less than 60gm of carbs per day.

It may be worse than that since I do Tae Bo every day for at least 30 minutes, sometimes twice a day...which is 30-60 minutes more exercise than I used to get.

Drink Water, record what you eat even on the bad days. You'll either find that you're eating more calories/carbs than you should...or that you have a slower metabolic rate and need fewer calories than others.

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Thanks everyone! I had started tracking all my exercise and my caloric intake at the begging of January, but I haven't been doing it religiously. I think if I track more often and drink more Water, that may help

It could also be that it's been more of a nuisance because it's that time of the month for me and every little thing has been getting me upset lol!

I go up 3-4 lbs every "time of the month" - it never fails.....so you might chart your cycle/weight and see that it happens cyclically......

How much Protein are you getting? A lot of folks find when they quit losing that their protein intake isn't high enough.....you might journal what you are eating and ask your doctor/nurse for input.

Hang in there --- it is a long journey, but well worth it once you find your sweet spot and everything clicks!

Kim

Happy;

I would certainly echo what everyone else here has said. Losing the weight you have lost is excellent, and we all lose at very different Rates. But, it would seem that you should have lost a bit more in that time frame.

DO journal Everything you eat....even the little things that you might think are inconsequential. You might be very surprised. Calorie Counting is not always the answer to weight loss.....but you need to establish how much it is that you actually eat. You may, in fact, have to reduce your consumption.

Also, consider increasing your exercise. You said that you do some "fun" cardio, but pehaps it's a little TOO fun?....make sure that you are working out at your correct heart rate.....that makes a big difference.

Good Luck!

S.

I just wanted to say -- pay attention to the kind of protein that your body reacts best to. I know from previous diets that while chicken is my favorite protein, my body reacts best to eggs (egg whites). I obviously don't just eat eggs but I do purposely eat more eggs to make sure that my body gets a switch... that may help too. Good luck!