I have to admit that i eat after a fill sometimes. I can't go 24 hours without eating. It kills me. I have had 7 fills and not losing weight. Could it be because I don't wait the 24 hours to eat?

This is the issue so many have because they do not listen to their doctors or follow their diet like they should. If you do not follow a strict regimen until your weight comes off you can get 20 fills it will not help you.

the not eating rule - i'm told - is more about "healing" from the fill than weight loss. If you eat after a fill - you may be somehow hurting your stomach but it would not mean anything much to the whole weight loss or gain thing - just like any other day as far as eating/weight go.

In general I keep my restriction level pretty tight. Fills can cause some swelling and if I eat solid food right after a fill it can make the situation worse causing me to stay away from real food even longer. The key for me to be able to eat sooner after a fill is to eat/drink ice cold things right after the fill. I'm talking slush or milkshake type things. I then take it easy the rest of that day with liquid or semi-mushie stuff.

My doctor just reminded me to chew well and take very small bites, so I made the mistake of eating regular food right after my fill. Boy, did I pay for that. Not only did I feel like crap, I thought I had messed up my whole band...scared me straight though! I won't make that mistake again. After my next fill I will eat soft foods and chew, chew, chew!

My doc says 1-2 days of full liquids and 1-2 days of soft foods after a fill. It's annoying but I listen because when you get a fill your stomach gets irritated and a little swollen. It needs a little TLC for a few days. I tend to lose a few pounds during this time so it's also a bonus for me

Nope, I do not think eating afte the fill is the cause. I do think you aren't yet in the green zone. Hang in there-you'll get there!! Some docs only put in .5ccs each time-which is a slow process. Once you are in the green zone you won't want food after the fill!

Good luck to you!

Umm.. yes I never wait for 2 days either. My fills are .5 at a time so even though I feel restriction I m not feeling what I hear about. With each fill I can only still eat .5 cups or 5-6oz., I was wondering the same thing, I will def stick to it the next time and see if there are any results. Cheers to both of our success!

Thank you so much everyone for the input. This helped me a lot. I just wonder what the normal number of fills is before getting in the green zone? Six fills seems like a lot. I have 10cc in a 12cc band. I don't have much room left. This is so frustrating.

Thank you so much everyone for the input. This helped me a lot. I just wonder what the normal number of fills is before getting in the green zone? Six fills seems like a lot. I have 10cc in a 12cc band. I don't have much room left. This is so frustrating.

Did they remove all the Fluid at your last fill to measure the total amount ? I have heard a few people over the last couple years say the port was missed so the fluid never went in. 12cc? Do you have realize or another brand?

As far as I know, lap-band only makes 10cc & 14cc bands.

I reached my sweet spot/green zone with my 2nd fill. They had put some in at surgery and then 2 fills. I was VERY tight at 5.3cc , in a 10cc band for a year. After that only very tiny fills are required about every 10-12 months with me.

Have you tried the 5 day pouch test? It is possible that you have stretched your pouch out and are eating more than you should be. That could be part of why you are not losing. If you have 10ccs in a 12cc band you should be feeling a pretty great deal of restriction.

Day 1 & 2-The first two days are all liquids. You can have as many low-carb protein shakes as you like to satisfy hunger or cravings. In addition drink at least six 8-ounce glasses of water each day. The purpose of all liquids is to break any snacking, grazing or processed carbohydrate habits. In addition the liquids will work to cleanse your system and prepare you for the following three days. Try to reduce your caffeine intake as well, but do not stop caffeine cold turkey or you will feel sick and frustrated potentially losing the desire to continue with the pouch test. It is very important to drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day. This will prevent dehydration, will help curb cravings and will flush your body of toxins and fat. Sufficient water intake improves kidney function and cell processes.

Day 3: Soft proteins- The next three days you get to eat as much as you want as often as you want! But there's a catch: it has to be solid protein and you only get 15 minutes each time you sit down to eat. No drinking 30 minutes before or after meals and no drinking with your food. A dry pouch will hold your soft protein longer helping your to feel full and fed longer. Protein Recommendations: canned fish ( tuna or salmon) mixed with lemon and seasoned with salt and pepper, eggs cooked as desired seasoned with salt pepper and/or salsa, fresh soft fish (tilapia, sole, orange roughy), baked or grilled, and lightly seasoned. This starts your program with "soft" protein. Measure your portion (1 cup volume or 4-6 ounces weight) and eat only until you feel full, not overfull. Remember, no water for 30 minutes before or after you meal, and no fluids with your meal. We are going back to the beginning and fluids will prevent you from feeling the pouch. If you need to add a moist condiment ( Miracle Whip or mayonnaise) to the canned fish I understand, but keep it to a minimum so the meat is not too moist. One reason we lose the sense of tightness in our pouch is that we eat "slider foods" -foods that are too moist and do not stay in the pouch very long, they slide right through the stoma. Cottage cheese is a good protein and you can include it on Day 3. To firm it up a bit you could add a chopped hard cooked egg to your cottage cheese. And yes, during the liquid phase chicken boullion with added protein is great.

Day 4 Firm Protein- Protein Recommendations: ground meat (beef, turkey, lamb) cooked dry and lightly seasoned, shellfish, scallops, lobster steamed and seasoned only with lemon, salmon or halibut steaks, grilled and lightly seasoned. By now you should be experiencing that familiar tightness that will reassure you that your pouch is working. Remember to drink plenty of water between meals. Take some time to meditate and rediscover the wonder of your pouch. Often we don't like that uncomfortable tightness of the pouch, which is why we gradually move toward slider foods that don't make us uncomfortable. It is always my preference to eat moist protein so I don't get uncomfortable, but doing so allows me to consume more than I should. Rediscovering the pouch with this 5-day plan reminds me of how the tool really works. I hope by now you are rediscovering your tool and enjoying the hope and excitement because your pouch still works.

Day 5 Solid Protein- Remember to chew chew chew. Measure your portion (4-6 ounces) and eat only until you feel your pouch tighten. Remember, only 15 minutes per meal, so you'll have to work fast to chew your food completely. By now you should be out of any carb cycle you were in and perhaps you have lost a pound or two. You will have new confidence in your pouch and your ability to work the tool for your health and emotional well being. Don't go hungry! Remember, you can eat as often as you want as long as it is solid protein, consumed without liquids and measured in 4-6 ounce portions.

I do about 2 days liquids, then 2 days soft foods. My Dr recommends 48 hours on liquids. I extended that on my own because I baby my band something fierce.

I always eat after my fills whether solid or mushies, depending on what I have a taste for. However, my doc recommends liquids, then ,mushies, then solid over 3 days. I haven't had a problem over the past year and a half. Good luck.

I just had fill #4 Thursday. Normally, they say I can eat whatever that same day, no restrictions. However, this week, they said (and wrote on my discharge paper!) liquids only for that day and the next, then soft food today, and back to normal tomorrow...well, I did liquids only on Thursday, then yesterday I tried to eat some triscuits while waiting for my Protein Soup to cool and got STUCK worse than ever!!!! I had to leave the lunch room and not eat my soup....in huge pain!!! Lesson learned!!

Then last night I did ok with some tiny pieces of grilled chicken that I mashed up...

I'm now up to 5.9 cc and must be getting closer to my green zone, as I could only eat half of my egg mug this morning before I got the stuck feeling (on mushy scrambled eggs!!!) Nothing came up today or yesterday, thankfully, but will be paying more attention to what I eat and how much!!!

I got my 4th fill yesterday and I am hungry as .... I found out something interesting, my doctor usually tells me to do clear liquids for 3 days after a fill but his nurse gave me a printout that had a new format: liquids for next 2 meals, puree for next 2 meals and then soft foods for next 2 meals. Has anybody ever heard of this?

Hi Everyone, so an update. My doctor took all the fluid out and found out I only had 6.5 in my band. The last guy who did my fills missed my port a couple of times. Well now I have had three more fills and still haven't gone into the green zone or even lost one pound!!!! I am so frustrated and want this thing out. My doctor only does .5 at a time. Sometimes if I eat regular sized bites and eat fast (forgetting I have a band) I will get stuck and throw up but then can eat. I don't know what to do. Am I too tight or just not there yet? I never thought it would take this long. I was banded March 15, 2011 and have only lost 20 pounds and that was before and right after surgery. Are there people out there that never lose weight with the band? I am going to ask my doctor if I can take an appetite suppressant at this point. So incredibly frustrated. And yes, I have been working out. I was doing cardio for 30 minutes so my doctor said do it for 40 minutes and don't do 30 on the treadmill and then switch to the bike for 10 minutes as my heart rate will apparently go down just walking to a another machine 5 ft away. I work out three to four times per week. I might as well have just gone on a diet on my own! Help! I need advice on hitting that green zone. I feel like I will never find it. I have had 11 fills now!