I'm searching for an answer for myself and if there are others out there with the same problem maybe we can solve it together.

The first year (2007) of the lap band was WONDERFUL!! No more thinking about food all the time, not hungry (other than OCC. head hunger), the pounds just falling off...everything was perfect. Sixty pounds gone and I'm a happy girl...hoping and praying this was the answer since I paid a boat load of money for this.

Fast forward to now..I've gained back 15 lbs and have 3.5cc in a 4cc band.

I'm hungry, no weight loss, thinking of food again...not perfect. I know the weight loss will NOT be as fast as before..but I didn't have this to have to struggle as I did BEFORE the lap band. I know we have to follow the rules but we shouldn't have to go back to struggling as before.

I know I make bad choices at times ....so this is what I was wondering.

Have any of you with the same problem had an unfill to the point of where you WERE losing weight? Did it make a difference or did you eat more than you were doing before the unfill?

My thought is this: maybe if I can't eat hard Protein and get full..I'm eating too many slider foods? I've used the calorie counter and sometimes I get too many calories and other times I don't. Sometimes I pb but most of the times I don't...what I have noticed since I'm tighter is that I snack more.

I was wanting that "sweet spot" that everyone talks about..my doctor tells me I read too much on the internet and there's no such thing as a sweet spot and it's all about calories in calories out.

I asked him about the gastric sleeve before I had the lap band..he said I would have too many problems and it wasn't as good as the lap band.

Anyone with answers? I would sure like to hear some.

Thank you for listening.

I think you need to see your doctor and have another fill --at least that's what I'd do. I've been filled to the point where nothing would go down, even water (at the drs office) and he immediately unfilled "a little" --since then I've been happy with what I have --no fills in 4 years --but I AM filled pretty tight --have to watch what I eat and how much or it just sits there for a long, long time. Sometimes fluid can leak out, I suppose, but in all honesty, going through all you have, you need to go back to your doc and say, hey, let's work on this together. I cannot see how an unfill would achieve anything excpet put you back where you were. FYI started at 242, currently 152 and have been at 152 for a year --It took me about a year to get to 162, then just sort of continually drifted downward with no particular effort until 152. I do not exercise but I'm a farmer so very active. I don't know about a 'sweet spot' --I think if my doc were alive he'd think I was a bit too tight (he died) but his associate doesn't want to change anything since I'm where I want to be. If I slip down past 142, I'll probably go see her about a slight unfill -- I no longer see the bariatric folks --just my GP --I call once a year to see if they want to see me, but so far no. I did call when I went o Celebrex and it made me barf every night --but that's just how some people react to it. Once I stopped taking it, I stopped barfing. TMI Sorry. Work with your doc, he's the expert. :-)

Thanks so much for replying.

I love hearing about people that have succeeded after more than a few tweaks. My Doctor isn't the easiest person to talk to. At first he was sooooo nice and urged me to have the lap band.and not any other type of surgery. I found out the lap band is the only type he does.

Now...he pats me on the shoulder and says it's not the band it's what you eat...well duh!! That is why I had the band.

I'm not wanting a magic bullet here..it worked once why not now?

I want to change Doctors and hopefully with a "new start" all around the weight will move. Changing doctors is like....well...other doctors don't want to take you. It's really odd that it's not easy to change and of course I want a doctor that matches my ideal of long term weight loss.

I guess I'm just rambling..or venting. I'm sorry..I'm just frustrated with where I am right now.

I'm around Jacksboro, Texas if anyone has a Doctor they are really happy with after 1-2 years out. I would love to hear about it and have their name and number.

Thanks to all for listening.

Hopefully someone can hook you up with a dr near you whom you can talk to, but in the meantime --and this is tough because I only started "being this way" after drs started being younger than I am ---be ASSERTIVE --don't accept the "pat on the shoulder." Tell the dr what YOU want HIM to do --after all, you are paying the bill. If he was cleaning your house, would you let him do it HIS way? Yes, he's the expert, but this is YOUR lapband. Ask him how much Fluid he can put in at a time. IF he says, well, I can put in another oz and then you'll be shut tight, then ask, can you put in a 1/2 oz and we'll try that? RE Money, my dr did not charge me if I came in the same week --so if he'd put in too much on Monday, he'd adjust on Thursday w/o a charge. ASK your dr to do the same or stick around the office long enough to know if you are in a good place. As I said, I was filled shut once and that's no fun. But pick a month --four consecutive weeks, make a pest of yourself until you get the fill amount that works for you. Day one, make an appt. and TELL your dr what you are going to do --I want a fill, and I've made an appt for a week from today to have it taken out a bit or added to -- (you can always cancel the appointment) --if he starts to pat you on the shoulder, whip out your BILL for the whole thing and say, "Hey, DR, I've paid $20 K --and this isn't working for me. I want a fill. Let's try it or please recommend me to another DR who will do this." (Ball in his court). If he starts on the internet, how you eat, etc, keep saying, "Sorry, Doc, I want a fill. I need a partner in making this lab band work and if it isn't going to be you, then I need to know that now." He'll either throw you out of the office or give you a fill. I'm betting he'll give you the fill.

We women are too passive, especially if we've been overweight --do you really think you should pay $20K to be told you need to diet? Hell NO!

FYI I'm the worst at dieting. I don't eat anything I'm supposed to, I drink with meals, I eat popcorn (why is that such a big deal?) and I drink Coke. One thing I don't do is drink booze but I never did, nor do I drink coffee or smoke. But today I had cerial for Breakfast (with nuts), potobella mushroom with cheese for lunch (cooked in butter), and one bbq pork rib for dinner. I have to eat tiny amounts b/c I'm so tight, but I'm ok with that. I don't feel hungry. I have to remind myself to eat sometimes. Honestly, keeping weight ON is a concern now. At 142 I look pretty drawn in the face. I like 152. I'm trying to stay there.

Make that appointment, look the DR in the eye and say, "I'd like a fill. Let's talk about how much you can put in." If he starts to pat, keep saying it, and pull out that bill!!!

Shelby

Honestly, I'm not sure if you're too tight or too loose! If you're mainly eating sliders or you can't eat enough during a meal, you are going to be hungry.

Last summer, my band started getting tighter for whatever reason. I started eating Soup and chili constantly. I'd supplement that with chocolate and ice cream, occasionally. Although, I was eating very small amounts, I didn't lose any weight. Eventually, I decided that I was tired about getting stuck all the time and I went to my doctor and told him that I didn't care if I never lost another pound, but I hated living like this. I asked for a small unfill. He wanted to remove .5 cc, but I said only .2. It was magical. I felt so much better. My stomach stopped making weird noises everytime I ate and I could eat some solid Protein. I went back 3 weeks later and had the other .3 cc removed. Now I could eat almost everything and (here's the best part) I lost 5 lbs after the unfills. Eating solid food, is definitely a key for me. Since then, I've only lost a few more lbs, but honestly, I'm not trying to lose right now. I'm pretty happy where I am.

Foxglove is absolutely right, that most people are too complacent about their health care. I'm just not sure if a fill is the answer for you. I'm very lucky. My practice has a bariatric specialist who is NOT a surgeon. He does all the after care and he is excellent. I will say this. I'd try something and I'd start with your doctor. No matter which way you decide, you will know in a couple of weeks whether it is working. If it is doesn't work, there's always the other option.

I hope you find what works for you.

Cindy

If you're hungry, it sounds like you need a fill. It may only take a tiny one to get you back to your non-hungry state.

.

Hi There,

Tomorrow is my 3 year anniversary since getting the Realize band. I have gone back to my surgeon for a total of 9 fills in this 3 years. Just about every 2-3 months I go back for some tweaking. I have kept off 80 lbs out of my 90 lbs total loss. I still have not gotten to my goal weight, and I had some insight this weekend into some possible reasons why. I attended my hospital's WLS support group meeting and it was really good for me to hear other peoples' experiences. So the first year post-op, weight loss was my main focus. The second year was 50/50 weight loss and balancing work and life. This third year my focus has completely shifted to balancing my life through major changes. While I can say that I have formed one, solid new behavior- exercise- everything else is still a lot of effort.

For now, I am going back to the basics. Protein bar for breakfast. Lean Protein and veggies for lunch. Measuring my dinner portion. Only liquids in between meals. Logging in everything I put in my mouth. This is what life post-op looked like that first year when the weight was falling off. I want to re-capture that focus and this is how I'm beginning to do it =)

I am also trying to get away from slider foods and experiment with ways to cook lean protein- like chicken breast which I swore off in year 2 because it was too hard to get down. I got some new recipes from Obesity Help magazine and it inspired me to try new ways to cook chicken. I found that if I stir fry chicken (with only 1 tbsp oil), it's much moister than baked and I can get 3 ounces down! This has inspired me to try other lean Proteins that I had sworn off for fear of the pain associated when something gets stuck.

Good luck to you on your journey. It sounds like a fill might help you along with some more solid type food. I found that I was back to feeling hungry in between meals until I recently increased my protein. I find that if I have >30 grams protein per meal, it stays with me a lot longer. This could mean just adding a string cheese or a boiled egg to my lunch to push the protein count over 30 without a significant increase in calories. I personally do believe in finding that "sweet spot" because I think I'm there. I had been too tight (and knew it because I had constant heartburn) and then a little "unfill" did the trick to get rid of the heartburn and leave me with good restriction. Now that I'm at my sweetspot- It's all up to me how I work it =)

Hi There,

Tomorrow is my 3 year anniversary since getting the Realize band. I have gone back to my surgeon for a total of 9 fills in this 3 years. Just about every 2-3 months I go back for some tweaking. I have kept off 80 lbs out of my 90 lbs total loss. I still have not gotten to my goal weight, and I had some insight this weekend into some possible reasons why. I attended my hospital's WLS support group meeting and it was really good for me to hear other peoples' experiences. So the first year post-op, weight loss was my main focus. The second year was 50/50 weight loss and balancing work and life. This third year my focus has completely shifted to balancing my life through major changes. While I can say that I have formed one, solid new behavior- exercise- everything else is still a lot of effort.

For now, I am going back to the basics. Protein bar for breakfast. Lean Protein and veggies for lunch. Measuring my dinner portion. Only liquids in between meals. Logging in everything I put in my mouth. This is what life post-op looked like that first year when the weight was falling off. I want to re-capture that focus and this is how I'm beginning to do it =)

I am also trying to get away from slider foods and experiment with ways to cook lean protein- like chicken breast which I swore off in year 2 because it was too hard to get down. I got some new recipes from Obesity Help magazine and it inspired me to try new ways to cook chicken. I found that if I stir fry chicken (with only 1 tbsp oil), it's much moister than baked and I can get 3 ounces down! This has inspired me to try other lean Proteins that I had sworn off for fear of the pain associated when something gets stuck.

Good luck to you on your journey. It sounds like a fill might help you along with some more solid type food. I found that I was back to feeling hungry in between meals until I recently increased my protein. I find that if I have >30 grams protein per meal, it stays with me a lot longer. This could mean just adding a string cheese or a boiled egg to my lunch to push the protein count over 30 without a significant increase in calories. I personally do believe in finding that "sweet spot" because I think I'm there. I had been too tight (and knew it because I had constant heartburn) and then a little "unfill" did the trick to get rid of the heartburn and leave me with good restriction. Now that I'm at my sweetspot- It's all up to me how I work it =)

I am so glad I read your post, I am hungry all the time a reach for slider foods quickly, I am going to try to up my Protein and see what that does. I am at a plateau just hit my 10 month . Since December I have only lost 5 lbs. I guess I need to get back to the basics from when I was first banded.