:think Hey guys,

I totally need help.... I was banded on May 8th, and have been fairly lucky, only a few problems w/ PB'ing and some post-op problems, but I was blessed. I've had 2 fills and I'm due for my 3rd Sept 5th. Im totally stuck in plauteu land. I went from no exercise pre-op to hitting the gym 2-3x/wk for 30-45 mins and doing 45+minute walks every other day. Im eating everything Im supposed to, and still getting in enough Water, Protein, and calories, but Im not losing.

I have lost a total of 10lbs, and Im totally discouraged and hurting. My nutritionist cant even meet w/ me due to a tight schedule, then our hours mesh. We're doing phone consulates and monthly meetings, but its not enough. Im going to start liquids tomorrow for a few days, but if any of you guys have any suggestions I can really use the help. Im going out of my mind trying to figure out what im doing wrong, and its just not happening.

Suggestions would be awesome, thanks

Tabitha :help:

You may be building muscle, which weighs more than fat. Have you been measuring yourself? What are the changes there?

Other than that, I can say that I have gone through regular plateaus, and I think they are necessary to our bodies as the adjust to new weights. They are also necessary to our minds as we adjust to our new, smaller sizes.

Stick with it. You will see results!

I havent been measuring myself. I know that it helps, i just never did. At the beginning I was still losing inches, but now even thats stopped. Normal plauteus are ok, but even my nutritionist said i shouldnt have w/ only 10 lbs. thtats my total weightloss from pre-op to now, so about 4 months.

I was stuck at 11 pounds for a couple of months. I increased my water intake and it helped. I still can't work out much because of arthritis, but it's slowly getting better. Can't wait till I can get around more and be more active. Try the water, it helped me.

The thing that helps me most is my FitDay.com food journal. I log my food and I can see exactly what's going on. It's amazing how just a few extra calories here and there really add up without you realizing it. FitDay is what keeps me honest and when I stay within my goal parameters I steadily lose weight, when I don't lose weight I can look at my journal and see exactly why not. www.FitDay.com has a free version to see how you like it and the freebee works pretty well. The downloadable version is $20 and WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!

Give it a try and see if it helps you too.

Hi Lighter,

ok, track track track. It will give your nutritionist something to work with. If, after meeting with her, and your menu still looks good, it's time to start demanding answers from your doctors.

After my inital loss, which included mostly Water weight, I didn't lose anything for months. After about 8 months of not losing, I finally started demanding answers from my doctors. It is not normal, reasonable or right in any way shape or form to not lose on a low calorie diet.

Turns out the band news is that I have Cushing's caused by a pituitary tumor. Good news is that it is curable.

Sorry to sidetrack this thread, but how is Cushing's curable? Is it mainly with surgery and steroids?

Boo,

How are you? It has been a while since we've spoken.

Mousecrazy,

I'm in the same boat as you are. I was banded April 13th, lost 5 lbs before surgery.....12 more right after and nothing since then. I've had 3 fills (up to 2cc), I work out, drink my Water....etc......nothing.

I'm going to call today and see if I can get in to get another fill.

I agree with tracking your food. Either write it down or fitday.com. You need to know exactly what you are eating for awhile. Vines, is right...if you aren't losing on low calories, something is wrong.

Shawn

Hey Tabitha,

I was banded on May 1st. Fortunately for me, I havn't hit any serious plateaus yet but, I have a lot to loose and I am sure they will come. We have a "may 2006 band crew" monthly thread and it has been amazing to see all of the different experiences each individual has. You are definately not the only May Bandster who is struggling. Her is a link to our current thread: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=21691

There are a few of us who use Sparkpeople.com. I found it much easier to use than Fitday and it is free. You can download reports for your nutritionist or even have her access the website while you have your phone consultation. My nutritionist is is thrilled with the information I have been able to provide for her and is also really impressed with the website.

Donna is right though, whether you use Fitday, Sparkpeople or some other way, it is important to track what you are eating. After a while you start to see trends and learn what works and what doesn't.

What kind of things do you eat in a typical day? How many calories, Protein grams, fats, carbs etc. are you getting? There are a lot of really knowledgable people on this site and maybe if you post some of this information, someone might be able to suggest some useful changes.

Anyway, good luck! I know this is hard--especially when the scale isn't moving!

Hey guys,

I want to thank you for all of the suggestions, and help. I feel like I'm living every lap bander's biggest fear, to go through all of this, and not lose anything. I don't feel so alone anymore.

I have an update to my problem. I took your advice and tracked my food/calorie intake vs burned, and I'm actually burning 2-3x more than I'm taking in. Tues was our monthly meeting so I brought it up to my nutritionist, the group, and my surgeon. The nutritionist said that I'm eating exactly how I should, except my qty is a little high, which may be because I'm still not fully restricted and i only have 1.2ccs so far. My surgeon asked me like 4 questions, and he was right on to other symptoms that Ive been having, but didn't realize were related.

He thinks that i may be retaining fluid, so hes prescribing a diuretic for once a wk for 3 wks and a fill on sept 5th. he thinks if i do that and slightly decrease my water it should help. I was drink about 80oz of water a day, he said to go to 64ish, and w/ all of this the lbs should start coming off. Dr. R was a little upset at me for not coming to him right away, he told me his door is always open no matter what, so next time i have a problem, its you guys and him right away.

Thanks again

Tabitha

That's great you have a plan of attack. Keep us updated on your progress. You hit the nail on the head when you said "I feel like I'm living every lap bander's biggest fear". As someone waiting to be banded I hate hearing stories like yours, but I'm happy to hear you're getting help.

Good Luck!