Hi,

I need to vent and I knew you guys would understand. I was banded on 9/1 and have not been losing any weight even though I pretty much starved myself for the first 3 weeks and followed the diet to the letter for the next 2 weeks. Now I am starving all the time and am having a hard time staying on such small portions. I had my first fill of 3cc's at my 5 week check up and then another 1cc last Fri. I was told that they will only fill 1cc at a time, every 2 weeks. I figure at this rate it will take until the new year to feel any restriction. As of now I don't have any!! Today I called to make the 2 week appointment for my next fill and was told that the Doctor will be on vacation and I can't come for another 3 1/2 weeks. I just about lost it on the phone. I begged them to let me come in this Fri before she goes away and they said that it is too soon. I only lost 11 pounds and gained back 2 already for a net of 9 pounds in 7 1/2 weeks. Now if I continue to gain weight I will be right back where I started. I know this is only a tool, but there is a reason why I had this surgery. I need HELP!!! Now without any restriction I don't have any help. I don't know what else to do!!! I'm completely frustrated and upset!!! I'm starting to feel like this is never going to happen for me. It was difficult just to get to this point and now to have to deal with this. I'm sitting at my desk at work crying!! Has anyone else had a similar experience? If so, how long did it take you to start feeling some restriction and lose some weight??

Thanks all!!!

Up your protein. I have found that when i eat more protein, i start losing lbs again. you are still healing. you don't want them filling you so fast, you will have restriction soon, usually St 4 or 5 fills. everyone is different. I am 3/4 filled. doctor won't do any more for awhile, I have good restriction. try not to focus on the scale. focus on your clothes and how they fit. you are doing fine. it is a learning process.

Here's something I received a while ago that may help: Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.

As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

I'm pretty new at this (only two weeks post-op) but have been reading everything I can get my hands on about this process. From what I am read I suspect you may be focusing too much on the notion of "restriction."

The goal of the surgery is appetite reduction and slowing of digestion, I think, rather than restriction. The band isolates the top portion of the stomach, which contains nerve endings that relay the message to our brain that we are "satisfied" or full. Without the band, we have to fill our entire stomach to feel full or satisfied; with the band, we can attain satiety by eating much, much less.

However, it takes months to learn this and entails re-training our brains and emotions. We are used to eating a lot of food very quickly and paying little or no attention to the notion of satiety. With the band we need to learn to eat a small amount very slowly. We have to learn to "tune in" to our sensations of fullness. Repeating, it can take MONTHS.

That doesn't mean I won't feel the same exact way as you in a couple of months. The surgery was drastic and like everyone else, I am hoping for drastic results. But I'm afraid that's magical thinking and you have to fight it.

I hope this helps. And I hope someone with more experience will correct me if I'm wrong or off-base.

__________________________

Hi,

I need to vent and I knew you guys would understand. I was banded on 9/1 and have not been losing any weight even though I pretty much starved myself for the first 3 weeks and followed the diet to the letter for the next 2 weeks. Now I am starving all the time and am having a hard time staying on such small portions. I had my first fill of 3cc's at my 5 week check up and then another 1cc last Fri. I was told that they will only fill 1cc at a time, every 2 weeks. I figure at this rate it will take until the new year to feel any restriction. As of now I don't have any!! Today I called to make the 2 week appointment for my next fill and was told that the Doctor will be on vacation and I can't come for another 3 1/2 weeks. I just about lost it on the phone. I begged them to let me come in this Fri before she goes away and they said that it is too soon. I only lost 11 pounds and gained back 2 already for a net of 9 pounds in 7 1/2 weeks. Now if I continue to gain weight I will be right back where I started. I know this is only a tool, but there is a reason why I had this surgery. I need HELP!!! Now without any restriction I don't have any help. I don't know what else to do!!! I'm completely frustrated and upset!!! I'm starting to feel like this is never going to happen for me. It was difficult just to get to this point and now to have to deal with this. I'm sitting at my desk at work crying!! Has anyone else had a similar experience? If so, how long did it take you to start feeling some restriction and lose some weight??

Thanks all!!!

I am new to this too, I was banded the 14th of October. I think that we are so use to failure in dieting that it is hard to have faith that this will work for us. I am feeling the same pressures and fears you are. I lost until I started eating again now I am standing still. I fear the scales will never budge, and I get on them each morning (bad Idea, I know but I can't help it) I am trying to increase my exercise and walking on the treadmill. I feel like everyone is watching every bite I put in my mouth. I have not had any fills yet , I felt restriction at first from the swelling I guess, but not now. I do not yet know when I will get my first fill. But I think it needs to be soon. Good luck and keep your head up, you will succeed.

What you're feeling is normal. DON'T rush your recovery! Your surgeon is doing your fills pretty fast!! Mine won't do a fill any sooner than 6 weeks so it wasn't until fill #5 that I felt ANY restriction. So...do the math. I'm a year out and have lost 98 lbs. Stick with what you KNOW to be doing. Eat your protein first, then veggies, then if you're still hungy, eat carbs. Learn the difference between head hunger and actual hunger. If you can walk away for half an hour, do something else and not be hungry, its head hunger. If you're shaky, sick, etc...its real hunger, so eat! Common misconception with the band is people (including me) think that you'll never be hungry again and you'll have restriction as soon as you wake up from surgery. Then...the ugly reality sets in. Relax and recover from a major surgery. You're not gonna have restriction for a while.

Here are some things you can do:

First, don't let whether or not you get a fill be the determination of your success.

Remember you are in control not someone else.

How can you creatively work around this small wrinkle?

Low carb high Protein may help you feel satisfied longer. Also are you getting 6 to8 glasses of Water per day? Maybe next time you feel hungry, instead you go for a walk around the building and say to yourself, "If I'm still hungry after this walk, I'll have a piece of babybel cheese or one of thos small slim jim things to chew on"

Also, in regard to what others said about retraining your body, my nutritionist is empahsizing taking no more than 15-20 minutes per meal, putting your fork down between each bite and waiting a full 30 seconds before you pick it back up even if I have to time myself" I think that is so my brain has time to actually register that I"m getting full instead of stuffing until I'm uncomfortable like I used to and then going wow I ate way too much.

I don't know if these are good suggestions or not, but I'm learning to remember that I can decide whether to let the situation take control or try to take control of the situation!

Don't give up!

Thanks all! I knew you would understand! I do know the difference between head hunger and real belly hunger and trust me this is belly hunger! Without the restriction everything is going right down into the big belly and nothing is staying up there in the new pouch. Eating these smaller portions while it is all going right through is not keeping me full for very long. I do try to drink first when I am hungry, but that doesn't last long! Again, everything is going right down!! I know this is a process that requires patience and learning, but it is hard not to feel this way when I have cut into my body to fix this problem and I don't feel any different and don't have any help. I read all of your posts and see that sometimes it can take a while and then you are successful; I can only hope for the same success!!! Thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge with me!!

I'm glad the responses have helped, we all know your pain. I just wanted to add to the voices of encouragement. You are really lucky with your fill schedule, I got 1 cc at a time for the first 3 or 4 fills and then .5cc after that...it took months for restriction. You can do this, really track your protein and your liquids. I find a big difference if I slack off on either of these. Take care!

Thanks again!!

I'm glad the responses have helped, we all know your pain. I just wanted to add to the voices of encouragement. You are really lucky with your fill schedule, I got 1 cc at a time for the first 3 or 4 fills and then .5cc after that...it took months for restriction. You can do this, really track your Protein and your liquids. I find a big difference if I slack off on either of these. Take care!

I was banded Jun 30th and have only had one fill. I am only at 2.5cc's and basically eat anything I want and as much as I want. I was really bad this past weekend, but for the most part I do my part by trying to eat the right things. My doctor will not give me a fill if I am averaging 1-2 lbs per week. Hang in there, you will be just fine!