Hi all,

I am new to the forum. I had my surgery in April of 2011. My starting weight was 330 lbs. Currently I am hovering between 288 - 292 on a daily basis. I feel that I should have lost more weight than I have. I know that my food choices are not the best, however, my mindset was that the sheer cut in the amount of food that I take in would have allowed me to lose more weight. I am still kind of naive as to what I am supposed to feel when I eat (even though my wife had the band also and did well) or what I am supposed to feel when I am satisfied. I really need some input from some outsiders or some advice from those who have gone through the same thing that I am currently going through. Am I being too ambitious or am I right in feeling like I am beginning to fail?

You are only going to fail if you allow yourself to have those negative thoughts and let yourself fail. I was banded exactly 4 months ago today and have lost 45 pounds so far. I eat under 1200 calories a day, mostly low fat stuff. I go to the gym until I burn 300-400 calories then I go home. I allow myself to cheat some times which is one reason I think the weight is coming off still. I had hit some plateaus for a week or 2 here and there but for the most part, you've got to stay strong minded and make it through that. Tell yourself you will not let yourself fail. Usually men lose quicker and faster. So I believe you need to make better food choices. As far as what you feel, you should feel satisfied after eating. Sometimes I can eat a cup of pudding and feel satisfied. I no longer live to eat, I eat to live. Keep that mind frame going and the weight will come off.

First thing I'm wondering is how big is your band and how much fluid is in it? I have a 14cc band and never really felt the satisfied feeling until I had around 10.5 cc in it. It took me a long time and a lot of adjustments to get to the correct point. I generally try to eat everything the right way. Of course I have periods of time where I fail at that. I know for a fact that if I eat heavy healthy- protein rich foods- chicken, beef, or fish I eat around 9-14 oz for that entire meal. now if I eat garbage- slippery greasy food I can eat a lot. From my own experience I had to be filled properly before the band made a difference. Talk to your doc and tell them your concerns. You might need adjustments.