Hi friends, seems like im at a stall as of now. I had my surgery on Feb 28 and im down 40 lbs, but now im stuck. I also have no fill. Is this a sign of now i need a fill? I have the VG band. I want to get back to loosing how I did in the begining. I admit I can eat anything and Im scared I could of streatched my pouch. my portions are way larger than what I usted to eat but when i get that pain i do stop eaing. Any advice or concerns for me?

First, stop eating BEFORE you get the pain. You've been doing this for 6 months now, you can tell the quantity you can eat without waiting for it to hurt. Measure it or eyeball it, but stop before it hurts.

Second, call your doctor and schedule a fill. Your band will only help you if you use it the way it was intended - that's with a fill.

Third, follow your doctors orders about liquids after the fill, possibly mushies after that. When you do go back to solid food, go VERY VERY slowly. You're used to being able to eat a certain way, amount, speed, type of food. The rules are about to change. Go slowly till you learn what you can and can't do with your new fill level.

Mostly, stop eating before it hurts. I know it's hard. Damned near impossible, right? Guess what, the band is a tool that teaches you to do that. Eventually, you have to do it on your own. It'll be easier on you if you start doing it now rather than later.

Was this enough of a scold? lol

You're doing fine so far, now jump in there and make it really work. Congrats on the 40 pounds.

I would say it's time for your first fill, you're done great with losing 40 lbs without a fill:clap2:

Greetings,

My doctor said he recommends a fill every month, and every two weeks if you aren't feeling a restriction anymore.

Banded 11/22/06

Dr. Rohrscheib, Illinois

Port replacement 5/8/06

Get your fill! For the most folks, the band doesn't work without the fill.

Take care. 40 pounds in 6 months is terrific!

Shawn

I was banded just a few days after you and have been in a stall for... oh... just looked at my calendar and the last time I had a concrete change in weight was July 21, so 3 weeks now. It is a little discouraging, but you have to see it in terms of the bigger picture. Also, it seems quite common for weightloss to stall, then resume at a much slower pace, at the 6 month mark.

Definitely go in for a fill. No sense in having our bands if we don't use them, right? It's nice to rely on willpower, but if that was enough, chances are you wouldn't have the band.

Why do you think you stretched your pouch?

I just love Donna's advice...always so practial!

I've had 3 fills and am at the about the same point as you, between 35 and 40 pounds. Without my fills I don't think I'd have gotten this far. So congratulations on your ability to get where you are without a fill.:clap2: But, it sounds like it is time. I had almost a month where I didn't do anything, that is discouraging. But since my last fill, I'm really feeling the restriction now and am happy things are beginning to move again. I haven't weighed in this week yet, so hopefully I'll be able to make a significant change in my Ticker:)

how do you get those cute little weight loss graphs at the bottom?

go to www.tickerfactory.com

Yippy! I go for my first fill the second week in Sept! Got to get the scale moving again!