I really need some words of encouragement right now. It's been 8 wks since my banding, I have only had 1 fill, 4-5cc I believe and (1 wk ago was my fill) and I have only lost weight from when I did the clear liquid diet. I am getting really discourgaged and thinking, did I just waste all this money? I am I going to be that person who only loses 14lbs?

I don't feel any different as far as eating. I think I am eating less.......... but it's not reflecting on the scale.

I have been working out for 4 wks now..... good hard, sweaty work outs.... and still I at a road block!!!!

Can anyone tell me when they started to lose?

I was told by the doctor it may take up to three fills before the restriction is noticable, but my office will only do them 1 a month. I see others who get fills 1 a wk. Any comments on that?

I really like my medical team and doctor so do believe they are waiting it out for a reason, but I am getting a little anxious!

I feel your pain... had first fil llast week, and im eating more now then ever! I feel no restriction at all. Thankfully i havent gained any weight, and thanks to walking 45 mins everyday i have contunued to lose, but i just thought a fill would tighten you up at least a little bit to restrict you from stuffing your face! My Dr. does fills every 6 weeks!, so i have to wait. Just try to eat smaller portions even if you arent full, and start exercising if you are not. good luck!

what are you eating and how much water are you drinking?

Hi Beck, what is an example of what you can eat during each meal? It took me about 4 fills to get to the sweet spot. for example for breakfast, which i cannot eat anything until around 9:30, i have about 8 oz of coffee with a laughing cow cheese. For lunch 8 oz of soup with small salad, dressing on the side, for dinner I eat in my sons cereal bowl usually chicken, ground meat, or salmon, with about 1/2 spoon of rice with beans. I am less tight as the day goes by, but i have to be careful not to eat to late or over eat, i get sick. In between meals I try to eat a spoonful of peanut butter. I run 5 miles 3 days a week and have a trainer 2 days a week. I had a flipped port 2 times and had to have it fixed. Wha i do know is it takes a while to get to sweet spot. also the first doctor I went to get fills at thought he was filling when in fact nothing went in. He thought i had 5 cc and when i switched doctors I had 1cc. I am at 6cc of a 10cc port. I have had one slight unfil, i dehydrated and lost 7 lbs in 2 days, most awful feeling. Everyone is different, but you have to work closely with your doctor because the band does not work unless you get you fills as needed, and I know they are expensive. Patience over everything, I didnt get to be almost 300lbs over night and surely know I would not lose it over night either. I am 25lbs away from my first goal of 175lbs. It slows down, not as fast as at the beginning, I had days i went up 2, down 2 for weeks, Just dont drive yourself crazy, keep it up and you will see it will start to happen! Good luck! God Bless, m-

try keeping a food diary. it will let you know how much you really are eating if youre honest with it. i found that myfitnesss.com from here and it really helps. and check something out before you eat it, maybe looking at how it affects your total calories, youll change your mind on eating it. maybe keep a semi liquid diet if you were doing well on that. good luck

try keeping a food diary. it will let you know how much you really are eating if youre honest with it. i found that myfitnesss.com from here and it really helps. and check something out before you eat it, maybe looking at how it affects your total calories, youll change your mind on eating it. maybe keep a semi liquid diet if you were doing well on that. good luck

It took me five fills before I got to a good place with my eating. Don't forget that fills sometimes take a week or two to kick in. Also, you're still healing from surgery and learning how to eat with the band, so don't beat yourself up! Concentrate on getting enough water and eating right...the weight loss will follow. You can do it!

I've been banded five weeks and have not lost any weight since the second week in. I get my first fill next week. For me, its easy to forget about the band. I have had a good recovery and am able to eat just about any kind of food. Old habits rear their ugly head on occasion. I'm a stress eater and as we all know, there is A LOT to be stressed about!

Everyday, I wrap my head around the process a little bit more. One of the biggest factors in my journey was the nutritionist looking me square in the face and tell me what I need to eat. No more "what I don't need to eat". I need Protein, I need veggies, I need Vitamins, etc.

Reading the message board helps. I get to see that there are people out there just like me. We have good days, and sometimes bad days. Hope for more good days than bad. Don't beat yourself up, that won't help. (I know because I have a lot of experience in that, ha)

I know LapBand surgery is not the complete answer, but, it gives me motivation. I spent a lot of money and time getting here and I'm not going back. I'm exercising, drinking Water, eating healthier and I'm ready for a change. So, keep going! If what you are doing isn't working, do something different. Food diaries are great. You can look back and see exactly what you have taken in.

Try not to beat yourself up too bad over it. I was banded on 9/30/11 and between then and now, I have lost 32 lbs. I try to walk and exercise as often as I can, but my doctor is strict on the 4-6 weeks with no heavy exercising. I have not lost any in the last two weeks and I had my first fill on 10/27/11. I also feel like I am able to consume a little more than what I did before, but I am not worried because I am using my fitness pal and still falling way short of my calorie intake. Sometimes instead of seeing a change in weight, we may be losing it in inches. Make sure that you are staying hydrated and getting your vitamins and proteins. Everyone is correct in saying that it takes time for the green area of restricting. I am being patient and thanking my lucky stars for the weight that I have lost thus far.

I know you're going to hate hearing this BUT......this is a journey. Lapband is not a miracle quick fix. I was banded in January and have only lost 30 lbs. I was a slow loser before the band and I'm still a slow loser. Your body will fight you with everything it has. The minute you start restricting calories and moving more, your body thinks you're trying to starve it. Don't compare how many cc's you have in your band to someone else. It truly means nothing. Each person is so different. Your stomach is a constantly moving organ and restriction can change throughout the day. Being only 8 weeks out you're still healing to some degree so work on getting good at eating very small bites very slowly. Practice makes perfect. I still screw up and I'm 10 months out. It's hard to be patient but you will get there. I was just at my doctor on Weds complaining that I'm 10 months out and only down 30. I lost 3 lbs in the last 6 weeks and they were thrilled with that amount. I'm not thrilled but that's just me. There are people out there that lose all their weight in just a few months and some that take a couple years. There are a number of people that NEVER get a fill and lose all their excess weight! It's hard not to compare yourself to others especially when you're new at it. Just keep on!

It's a s l o w go, so you have to learn a lot of patience, and control with the Band.

Your working out ! So you might start losing inches before the weight shows on the scale.

That's O.K. ! really ! because a loss is a loss. Take it !

Don't get hung up on the numbers, it drives you up the wall.

Once it starts falling of, it wil keep up for a while, then stop, and lose inches.

This goes back and forth through your WL journey, so don't even think about

getting discouraged yet.

Weigh yourself when you see your Dr.'s You will be surprised when you see the scale go down,

and so will the Nurse, and Dr... I record mine in a purse calendar, and review it once in a while.

Just to keep me on Track.

If you must use a scale, try 1 x every 2 weeks... You will start to see something eventually.

First you need enough fills in you.

For now keep up the working out, and I will tell you, you are not wasting your time..

On the plus side your doctor is pretty agressive with fills. I was not at 5 CC's until my second fill. I id dont get restriction until about 10.4 CC's (took about 6 months)

Try not to beat yourself up too bad over it. I was banded on 9/30/11 and between then and now, I have lost 32 lbs. I try to walk and exercise as often as I can, but my doctor is strict on the 4-6 weeks with no heavy exercising. I have not lost any in the last two weeks and I had my first fill on 10/27/11. I also feel like I am able to consume a little more than what I did before, but I am not worried because I am using my fitness pal and still falling way short of my calorie intake. Sometimes instead of seeing a change in weight, we may be losing it in inches. Make sure that you are staying hydrated and getting your Vitamins and Proteins. Everyone is correct in saying that it takes time for the green area of restricting. I am being patient and thanking my lucky stars for the weight that I have lost thus far.

CMOM, I am in the "ready for surgery stage" having just met w/ my surgeon for the first time yesteday. Surgery date is Dec. 8th. I thought I was ready and after meeting w/ him, I am really nervous. Is vomiting going to become a way of life for me? How much trouble have you had since your surgery? What you've lost seems really encouraging to me although I know it will slow down after the initial weight loss. Have you had a really hard time adjusting to all the liquids/no food??? Any insight you can give is appreciated.

Vomiting should not be a way of life! Knock on wood 15 months post op not one PB experience.

CMOM, I am in the "ready for surgery stage" having just met w/ my surgeon for the first time yesteday. Surgery date is Dec. 8th. I thought I was ready and after meeting w/ him, I am really nervous. Is vomiting going to become a way of life for me? How much trouble have you had since your surgery? What you've lost seems really encouraging to me although I know it will slow down after the initial weight loss. Have you had a really hard time adjusting to all the liquids/no food??? Any insight you can give is appreciated.

I was ready and then nervous myself when I got closer to my surgery date. The next day after surgery I was all emotional becuase I could not eat and wondered what I have gotten myself into, but things do get better. You will not be vomiting and vomiting is definitely not a good thing if it should happen. Everyone has a different journey and your journey will ne unique to you. Choosing to get the LapBand surgery is a good thing, but rapid weight loss is not what you are going to experience, so try not to compare yourself to everyone on this sight. I have defitinely slowed down in the weight loss department, but staying hydrate and eating the right things is what you should stay focused on the most. I know that you will read a lot of things on here that will share you, but having a band in to the horror that you read. Once you pass the first week you will feel like your old self again and will not know that you have a band at all. I was weak the first week, but went back to work 10 days after surgery (that varies for each person) because I drive a school bus. If you follow the guidlines set by your doctor you will be fine. Try not to stress the small stuff. Oh, Protein is definitely a plus, so make sure that you are getting enough of that and plwnty of Water. Make sure that you take your Vitamins. If you have any other questions or if I can be of any helo, please feel free to drop me a line.