:phanvan

Hi, guys

I'm new to this board. Had the Lap Band in January 6, 2004. So far, lost 18 lbs. Most of that was the first 2 months after banding. Now, no loss. It's hard to get enough exercise; I think that's the problem.

Anyone else have this problem and overcome it?

Hello Cathy... It must be so frustrating for you..

how much fill do you have? do you need more in?

What kind of things are you eating?

have a look on this link - it might help you out

http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=541

That's a great thread !

Hope to hear from you soon

Aud x

Hi Cathy,

Congratulations on losing 18 lbs! That's a great start, particularly if you're still pre-fill. If you haven't yet had a fill, the fact that your weight loss is slowing down (or has stopped) is definitely an indication that you need one. The band is not SUPPOSED to work well until it's properly adjusted, and for most people that means at least a couple of fills.

Have you scheduled one yet?

I wouldn't worry yet, you could need more fluid added to your band. I did experience the same problem at first I lost 20 pounds and then nothing. I had 4 adjustments total and still I didn't lose anymore weight. My tube had broke from the port and I had to wait almost 8 months to get it fixed since my insurance didn't cover the original banding or the tube and port replacement. But they fixed it at the end of February and now I have lost a total of 52 pounds.

Just wait and see when you get fluid added how much restriction you have, if after a few days of getting the adjustment you don't notice restrictions in what you eat then there may be a problem. Otherwise remember don't drink while your eating and what you eat is absorbed quicker into your system. Good luck.

Thanks for your suggestions, guys.

I actually had 2 fills since surgery. The second fill, 0.5 cc, was a disaster. Right after the fill, I could drink Water in the dr's office. But that night, something seemed to 'tighten'. Could drink only 1-2 tsp. water at a time; sometimes even that came up. Only solids I could eat (drink) was cream of chicken Soup. That seemed to stay down better than water.

Anyway, I lost 12 lbs in 6 days. Went back to the m.d. severely dehydrated. Felt and looked awful. He took out the 0.5 and no more loss. Now, I'm working on making good food choices. It seems that junk food (crackers, popcorn, chips, creamy stuff) goes down fine. But lean meats, fibrous vegetables, etc. get stuck. Sigh. Trying to exercise more, too.

This summer, I am going to be a camp nurse at a fitness camp in New York. Overweight staff members have to abide by the same agreement as the campers. They all lose weight! And hopefully have a good time doing it. So there is hope for me.

After the summer, I might have another fill (just 0.2 cc or so!) But for now, I'm steering clear of more restriction.

Thanks again.

most likely you need more fill. My doctor added 2cc when i had my fill. But US based doctor are always more conservative when adding fluids.

Hi Cathy -

It is a dilemma when the good stuff gets stuck, and the less nutritious stuff goes down. Normally I would tell you to get a slight unfill, but you've already done that. You may still be too tight, or if the unfill was recent your stomach may still be swollen, and I would recommend liquids only for a few days to let everything relax.

I offer the following suggestions to get the most out of where you are right now - this is advice I would give to someone with a slightly too tight fill who wants to "work with it" instead of getting a slight unfill, which is usually my number one recommendation.

1. Drink hot liquids right before your meal. Hot liquids tend to loosen things up, and make it a little easier to eat.

2. Have two EXTREMELY small bites, and then wait 5-10 minutes, and then resume eating. Sometimes the pain people feel at the beginning of eating real food is esophageal spasms, and using this technique often helps with that.

3. Stay hydrated to help eliminate possible edema in the stomach tissues. Some sites recommed .5 oz of Water per pound of body weight per day.

4. Stay away from icy drinks right before your meal, as they tend to tighten things up.

5. When you are super restricted, drinking with meals generally creates a backup instead of helping things flush through the pouch, so definitely DON'T drink with meals to avoid this problem. Bandsters in general should NOT drink with meals in order to maximize their weightloss, as drinking with meals either washes the food through faster leaving you able to eat more and feeling hungry sooner, or it backs stuff up on you when you're tight.

6. Choose good, nutritious foods, but make sure they are very, very moist. Most people have good luck with steamed fish and dark meat chicken with some sort of sauce. Avoid the more challenging vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, celery - they're very fibrous and tend to get stuck. Try steamed cauliflower, squash, mashed turnips (YUM! Better than mashed potatos!). Also you may have some luck with melons - I particularly enjoy watermelon - it doesn't get stuck, and fills me up.

I hope some of these tips help. Good luck, and keep us posted!

Thanks, Leo and Donali.

I am considering another small fill, after I return home in August. While traveling and living away from home, I don't want to deal with too much restriction.

Also, great idea to drink something warm before eating. I have noticed that I can have something get 'stuck' when I first start eating, I burp it up, then later I can eat the rest of the same stuff! I think you're right--it's esophageal spasm. I've noticed it's worse if I'm upset or even a little tense. Hardly ever happens when I'm eating alone.

Will keep you posted.

Originally posted by NurseCathy

Hardly ever happens when I'm eating alone.

Aha! Then, unless you talk to youself aloud while dining alone, it could be that you swallow a little before the food is really well-chewed, so that you can keep up with mealtime conversations. I do that all the time. At home alone, I can take a bite, and chew a long time, and wait for even longer times while I play on the computer. In group dining situations, I think there's an invisible social-pressure -related tendency to try to keep pace with the group.

I have to add, IF YOU ARE ALREADY HAVING PROBLEMS EATING NUTRITIONAL food, YOU DO NOT NEED A FILL!!!!!!

Yes, I am YELLING!!

If you cannot handle nutritional food at your current fill level, why on Earth does anyone think being even TIGHTER is going to make it better???

The band can only do part of the job - choosing nutritious foods is up to us. But we HAVE to be able to EAT the nutritious foods we choose! Once we start choosing less nutritious stuff because it goes down and stays down, we are TOO TIGHT. Period.

You are already too restricted, Cathy - I absolutely would NOT recommend going any tighter until you can eat healthily at your current fill.

JMHO.

Thanks for your suggestions, guys.

I actually had 2 fills since surgery. The second fill, 0.5 cc, was a disaster. Right after the fill, I could drink Water in the dr's office. But that night, something seemed to 'tighten'. Could drink only 1-2 tsp. water at a time; sometimes even that came up. Only solids I could eat (drink) was cream of chicken Soup. That seemed to stay down better than water.

Anyway, I lost 12 lbs in 6 days. Went back to the m.d. severely dehydrated. Felt and looked awful. He took out the 0.5 and no more loss. Now, I'm working on making good food choices. It seems that junk food (crackers, popcorn, chips, creamy stuff) goes down fine. But lean meats, fibrous vegetables, etc. get stuck. Sigh. Trying to exercise more, too.

This summer, I am going to be a camp nurse at a fitness camp in New York. Overweight staff members have to abide by the same agreement as the campers. They all lose weight! And hopefully have a good time doing it. So there is hope for me.

After the summer, I might have another fill (just 0.2 cc or so!) But for now, I'm steering clear of more restriction.

Thanks again.

Nurse Cathy,

When did you have that trouble with you fill? Two weeks ago I have my 2nd fill and it was too tight. The doc brought me back to where my first fill was. 0.6cc (1.2cc was too much) I feel fine again but probably should be at 1cc.

Good luck at the summer camp job, it sounds great. I live in NY and work as a school nurse... is it a camp for kids or adults? It sounds like that show the biggest loser!

I have lost 87 lbs since being banded 7/06...I have not given up my Protein shakes and I weigh and measure my food. maybe this will help you.

. Let me know how you are doing. I'm actually a new member just a few days now.:paranoid