:help: I have posted here before about my daughter.I a Worried. The band is not working for her.She has lost about 25 in the last year. I see what she eats and I do not see that she is eating that much. I do not know how to help her.

I do not want to ride her about What did you eat today.Did you exercise? We are very close and I do not want to cause hard feeling because it worked for me and not her.We are going back to the doctor for 3 cc's in her band next week.I wish he would run some test on her band .We have already had her tyroid checked.What could be wrong?:help:

It could be her thyroid. Is she tired all the time? Hungry more often than she should be? Those are all signs of underactive thyroid. I had problems with mine when I was a teenager, and had problems staying awake long enough to even attend school. A simple blood test will check that.

Just support her, and be there for her. I know it is hard to see her struggle, but if she isn't complaining, then let her do this her way. ~Mandy

I say a visit to the surgeon's office is in order. She is one year post op and I think a checkup is in order with her regular physician as well. (should have annual checkups anyway, why not add a blood chemistry to that?)

I just want to let you know that I have also been banded almost a year and have only lost 30-32 lbs. I exercise and eat right most of the time. My problem is hormones. I have underactive thyroid that we can't seem to get right (either too much medicine or too little), female hormones are out of whack and adrenal glands are sluggish. On top of all of this, I am pre-diabetic. I am happy to have lost this much and know that every little pound counts. I don't care if it takes me 3 years to lose it all......

Have her hormones checked by someone who knows what they're doing. If she is doing everything right and still not losing, there is something wrong somewhere.

I agree with everyone else - esp since I struggle even more then your daughter - of course I am much older etc. 25lbs in a year is actually really good - the 1-2 lbs a week is a 'norm' with many variations from that. Perhaps she does need a fill but being overtight is not the answer either.

Even now if I don't track my calories it is pretty easy to eat too many- the band and correct fill level is a fine line - you want to make choices and eat three good healthy meals a day and the band can't control those or other aspects of one's eating/behaviors (overeating, eating junk, etc.)

I am also sure she would appreciate your support and love - I am quite close to another bandster in my shoes (has lost even less weight then me and very tight etc.) - her mother and sister both banded on the same day are normal weight now. Some of us have issues probably yet to be discovered.

Lastly what was suggested to me (and I'm working on) is finding an endocrinologist preferably a younger woman who is more in tune with new methods/practices/issues surrounding thyroid and hormonal issues - if you are going that route - go all the way and not just get a blood test.

Good luck.

What kind of restriction does she have? Has she said? And do you see *everything* she eats? It's possible she's eating a lot at school, where temptation abounds.

:help: What could be wrong?:help:

Playing Devils advocate here.

It could be that you are expecting her to lose at the same rate as you did or at a rate other than what she is doing. Did you hear what you typed? 25# in a year loss NOT gain!! That is fantastic. You may in fact be putting nonverbalized pressure on her and she is stress eating and making comfort food choices when your not around. Whether you say anything or not the stress is there that you've lost and she has not lost at the same rate. You need to put your smiley face on and praise her for the work she has done- not the work still left to do. Your worry for her not losing could really be your guilt for your own success disguised as worry.

People lose at different rates . That needs to be your standard reply. It is supportive and sends a positive message rather than the negative one of "i'm worried she is not losing - the band is not working for her" thats an incredibly powerful negative message. Sabatoge like.

Crazy I know but step back and look again.

Good luck to both of you.

Guess I have to play a bit of devil's advocate too.

You said "I see what she eats and I do not see that she is eating that much" so I would have to disagree with your message and say that it sounds like the BAND is working for her, but SOMETHING ELSE is not. Remember that the band itself does not cause weightloss, so someone's failure to lose weight is not a failure on the band's behalf. If she's been for fills and has restriction, those two pieces are working just fine.

So then look at other things that could be the cause. You say "not that much". How much is not that much, and what types of food is she eating? What's her daily calorie intake? What kind of exercise is she getting? Does she "diet" in addition to the band, e.g. count carbs or fat grams?

It's soooooooooo easy to sneak food and I assume your daughter either goes to school or has a job or both. She must go out socially with friends and I don't think you're with her at these times. She's also old enough to buy her own food and stash it.

Have you considered bringing your daughter to a registered dietician? If you accompany your daughter to the surgeon's office, let her go in alone. She might be more willing to be open and honest if you're not there. It can be very hard for a daughter to compete with her mother in losing weight so maybe some therapy might also help.

Is she eating enough protein?

Also is she drinking enough water? I know when my liquid intake drops my weight loss come to a screeching hault. ~Mandy

Some good suggestions. I think I will not go into the Dr's office with her.

Some harsh one's too. Mandy and I do not talk about this unless she brings it up. But I am concerned and so is she.She has been to a dietician and she is taking a nutrition class at college. This is her journey and something she may have to deal with the rest of her life.I just want to be there to support her and give advice if she ask and she does ask.

This has nothing to do with my weight loss. I did not have that much to lose.Thank's for the suggestions.

I know you had her thyoid checked but did they do the full panel? Most doctors do thyroid level not a panel it's a T3 panel that she needs. Sometimes this shows more than the standard panel. Also try to bump up the water intake, and lower salt. I know that if I increase my salt intake I gain a few pounds within a few days. Last, give her a big hug and tell her you are proud of her, she is going to school, doing the band thing and is a great daughter. All three things can be hard sometimes, for her and for you. I know you are beinf supportive, when we talked one on one you seemed like such a great person/mom. Hang in there, I'm sure the two of you will get to the bottom of this. ~Mandy

I am not a lapband patient but the mother of a 19 year old who had her sugery in April 2008. She has lost about 19 pounds which she lost right away and now its like nothing is happening. She goes up a couple and down a couple. The dietician is upset with her and the doctor does pretty much what the dietician recommends as far as fills/unfills. She has a Realize band. Her fills were 5cc, 2cc, 1cc, .5cc, -.2cc, +.2cc, so I believe she is at 8.5 cc which I thought was a lot. She is now saying she is starving, like she did between fills 2 and 3, and feels like she doesn't have any restriction. She does not live at home anymore and really cant afford to be on her own so God only knows what and when she is eating. I am so disappointed, I am paying the bill and I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was worth it but its a lot of money to not see anything happening.:thumbup: