Hi all.....so I have been on a plateau for about 2.5 weeks. I had my first fill on June 8 at 2.25cc. I feel a bit of restriction (not tons) and I am careful as to what I eat.

So...the phoenomena (sp?) for me is.....how can I be dropping in clothes sizes and not be losing pounds on the scale?? Numbers seem to be big for the doc too as he seems to think I will eventually have my band filled to capacity (5cc).

Can any of you pro-bandsters shed some light on this for me? Thanks in advance for the information.

I'm NOT banded - but learning for myself and from people like Telly - I have to say - are you exercising??? if you are - that might be why inches are going but not pounds! Make sure the doctor knows that you are losing LOTS of inches and clothes sizes -- muscle weighs more than fat -- and you may be gaining healthy muscle and so it 'appears' you aren't losing fat...when you really are...

I say all this because this is MY life too - even unbanded - my clothes are getting big on me - I've only lost 15 or so pounds - but the inches are falling off of me!

what type of workouts are you doing? any weight-based ones? if you're new to exercise or not so new and doing weight work, you're probably gaining a nice bit of muscle mass.

scales are the bane of everyone's existence! it is so hard not to care what it says, even if you're looking/feeling better. but do try.

as for filling your band to capacity... does your doc think you might not have the right size band?

I had the same thing happen several times. The scale would stop and my body would catch up. Sizes changed and clothes were bigger. I think that sometimes it takes our bodies time to catch up with the losses. I really didn't notice things getting bigger as I was losing. It was almost like the scale had to stop and then I would see the difference in my body.

After you've lost some weight, your body needs to take some time to re-adjust itself. It kind of re-distributes the fluids where they belong. If you're working out, muscles replace fat (hopefully). You tone, you shape.

I noticed that after I lost a bit of weight, oh say 20-30 lbs or more then slowed down significantly or stopped I noticed that at first I had some loose skin. After a few weeks, that loose skin wasn't so loose any more. I guess that's the best example I can give.

Just like the old song says:

"...and Little By Little, You're there..."

I always tell Bandsters - don't just monitor your scale, also monitor your measurements and how your clothes fit.

Often with Banding, the progress doesn't show up on the scale but it can be slow, steady slenderizing. We all get 'caught up' on a particular weight or a certain number but often while we are stressing that the scale isn't moving - we're slowing losing inches and decreasing in size.

I always use the metaphor of a golfer - sometimes we don't always hit big, long drives that fly hundreds of yards away - at times we are just chipping away at our weight.

I've been chipping away slowly at my weight for the last few months but it's been steadily decreasing and my sizes tell the real tale. And that's all I care about!

Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...