Well, I am 3 weeks banded, I have followed all the rules and have been eating up to 800-900 calories a day. I lost 9 pounds the 1st week after surgery and have not BUDGED in the past 2 weeks. I am eating mushies at this point and have been eating mostly proteins and a few veges. Any ideas if this is normal , or why I can't make the scales move ? I have been walking on the treadmill 5 days 30 mins. at a time too. I want to see some RESULTS ! IMPATIENT !

Hiya Kaybee, actually we are just in the April Bandits thread, discussing exactly the same thiing right now.................we have all been told by docs to forget about weight loss until first fill that is when things start happening, also having enough water ( I don't) . I am only starting mushies today and am not allowed to exercise for another 2 weeks, except light walking.............I guess we have to just be patient? Have a look at our thread, that might help also, you are not alone!

Kind regards

Fiona

When you lose 9 lb in a week, you lose a lot of Water. No doubt after the following 2 weeks you've lost body fat but your water levels are returning to normal and they've kind of cancelled each other out.

The scales are evil. They just dont tell a true picture. Like why I've maintained at 93kg for a month yet gone down another clothes size.

Just keep at it, you're doing all the right things and it WILL work for you. Dont focus on what the scale says.

Oh, thank you Jachnut and Amourette. Yup, the scales are evil and I should know better than to weigh in each day. Makes sense that I lost water the 1st week since I couldn't care less about eating or drinking that week ! I do feel 100% better than 2 weeks ago and am drinking more normal amounts. Found out some folks actually gain during this time, so I now realize I should't be so RUSHED to lose the pounds.

Hang in there, I am three weeks out and now down 47lbs, I lost 12lbs in the last five days. I am very active up working in retail all day and then hitting the gym at night. It will happen , patience is goldennnnnnnnnnnn

HOLY SMOKES, SHACKDOG ! Congratulations on your total weight loss and losing 12 lbs. in the last 5 days ? Remarkable !

Are you noticing differences in your clothes? Have you taken your measurements? That will help. Also if you are doing some serious walking you may be gaining muscle. Keep goin girl! Were rootin for ya!!

My doctor also told me that he does not look for much weight loss until the first fill.

I had my first fill a few weeks ago and still nothing. I keep telling myself to be patient. My doctor says sometimes it takes several fills before you get it just right.

Hi, here I am again ! I went to my nutritionist and she said EAT ! I couldn't believe my ears ......Know what I mean ? I NEVER thought I would EVER hear a doctor or nutritionist tell me to eat MORE..........She said I was below the caloric threshold my body needed and said for me to eat between 1100 and 1200 calories a day. I am now down another 1.5 pounds, my tummy is happier and I admit I feel better with the extra calorie consumption. Guess I have to get out of my mindset that I have to STARVE to lose the pounds. Thanks to all of you for your support and to all of you who have had the surgery in the last few weeks, PATIENCE is the key and don't drive yourself NUTS like I did !!!

www.fitday.com is your friend. focus on protein, but eat your veggies too.. :Banane13:

What kind of veggies can you eat? I have trouble with them.

Ah yes, the old "not enough calories" pitfall. I'm glad your nutritionist set you straight on that! Start getting in the habit of drinking your Water, too. Have a look at this article. It's a quick and easy read and will help you see why drinking enough water will help you lose weight. http://www.inch-aweigh.com/water.html

Roseann - I eat iceburg lettuce type salads (prebagged) and have had no problems. I also eat frozen veggies (peas and carrots, cauliflower, broccoli), boiled a long enough to make them really soft. I also eat canned green Beans. No problems with any of these veggies.

Oh, I eat most veges. but haven't eaten corn except in soups. I noticed tomato skins are hard for me to chew as much as needed and celery sometimes has those pesky strings that I cannot swallow, but other stuff is fine. I am working on getting enough water, but since I cannot GULP it down now, it is hard to get in @ least 8 glasses a day. Going for 1st fill in 3 days and only 1 cc, so maybe my hunger will dissipate a little. Back to liquids for a day or so probably.

thanks, but sometimes a bite of lettuce will get stuck. I have a friend who knows someone who runs a support group and this person swears by only protein, that why fill your belly with other stuff if you can feel more full from just protein? Lettuce and veggies are only watery fillers, and they don't stay in your pouch long enough to keep you full. SO, I am stuck between listening to her, who has lost lots of weight just by eating ricotta cheese, refried beans, cottage cheese, protein shakes and nothing else. I would love to try veggies and salads again, and will try that today, see what happens. I PB hard stuff, tomato skins don't go down easy either. I eat raisins for the iron content and sweetness, and they are ok. I guess I am just confused about what foods to eat. I don't go to a nutritionist, but I know they tell you to eat more. I have been eating way too less calories, thus no weight loss. Problem is, I get weighed every month with my psychologist who has the band and she also tells me to eat just protein, nothing else. HELP.............

With most diets, and this probably isn't much exception, you will see an initial weightloss (glycogen stores, etc. - I have a previous post with more detail on what's happening) and then a plateau while your body "levels out" and adjusts to the changes.

I lost 25ish lbs my first week, then 8 more, then 6... then just lost & regained 3 more pounds for the next 5 weeks, then another 5 lbs... then nothing... I've *just* started losing steadily again -- about 12 lbs in the last 2 weeks.

It's just a "thing", really, and nothing to get worried about. The weight WILL come off as long as you're doing your part, but not until your body gets into the groove.

On another note -------------------------------------------------------

Eating just Protein isn't safe. You can actually get a type of "poisoning" from eating just Proteins (which is why survival experts always preach that if you're going to hunt animals to survive, you have to eat the organs/bones/etc. and not just the muscle). Ketones can build up in your body and if they build up enough you will become... well... I've seen it compared to diabetics who do not take insulin, with the same dangers. I'm surprised ANY doctor would say "protein only" since there have been deaths documented in medical literature, caused by high protein-only diets (I've read them! - given to me by 3 different personal friends who are doctors when I was all gung-ho on Atkins)

Here are some add'l potential side-effects of protein-only diets:

Unpleasant body odour and bad breath - if you eat only protein foods, then you start to smell like a carnivore - the bad smell is caused by the ketones that accumulate in the body

Increased risk of high blood fat levels - high-protein foods are often also high in animal fats, particularly saturated fats and cholesterol, which raise blood fat levels and increase the risk of heart disease, and certain types of cancer

Loss of muscle tissue - you will agree that this is not the object of weight-reduction diets and it is ironic that the more carbohydrate you cut out of the diet and the more protein you eat to slim, the lower your body protein stores will be, because you are burning protein foods as fuel

Risk of deficiency diseases - cutting out fruits and vegetables, which are our main source of antioxidant Vitamins such as beta carotene, and Vitamin C, protective bioflavonoids, and certain minerals, to eliminate carbohydrate from the diet, exposes you to the risk of developing a whole range of deficiency diseases; cutting out wholegrain cereals also exposes you to the risk of developing vitamin B and E deficiencies

constipation - carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables, grains and cereals, particularly the wholegrain varieties, are the main source of dietary fibre in the diet; eliminating these foods will inevitably cause severe constipation, which in the long-run can lead to diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and may even make you more susceptible to bowel cancer.

One of the most telling indications that high-protein slimming diets are not good for you, is the fact that most of the diet books that advocate such diets, always warn that you should only use the diet for one, or a maximum of two weeks, at a time. The writers know that these diets are fraught with negative effects, so they cover themselves against law suits, etc, by issuing these warnings. If you use these diets and suffer adverse effects, the blame rests with you for using the diet for too long.