Hi there! I was banded in February 05. I started losing weight but shortly thereafter I became pregnant. The pregnancy went well and it was nice to only gain the recommended amount of weight this time thanks to the band. After giving birth to my little girl in February 06, I started losing weight again. I am down to 175 from my (unpregnant) high of 240. I say that because my all time highest weight was nearly 280 when I was 9 months pregnant with my son. Anyway - although I have been successful, it has not been easy going. I find that in order for me to lose weight, I have to have my band so tight that I am only able to eat soup most of the time and drink milk and juice for my other calories. I know that I am too tight - but I cannot lose otherwise. My nights are miserable, I'm either awake coughing or spitting up saliva as soon as I fall asleep. I also have to sleep sitting up which has limited me to the couch. That's okay though cause hubby won't go get that vasectomy we've been talking about and this body is not making any more babies! It's pretty bad - but I don't want to get loosened up because I want to make it to my goal of 150. I had my doctor only fill me up .25cc's at a time and last time I had .25cc's removed I gained weight. I survive on such little amounts of food, sometimes I don't know how I function. I chase 3 little ones around all day. The funny thing is too that no matter how little I eat and how much I exercise and move, I lose soooooooo slowly!!!! I guess I'm just looking to make sure I'm not the only one who has to suffer like this for the band to work. If you asked me however if I would do it all over again, I would. To me all the suffering and lack of sleep is worth it when I look in the mirror. I would never want to go back to where I began. I feel very good and if I never see 150 - it will still all have been worth it. I will say that I would never tell anyone to absolutely go get it done - that's a decision they need to make without my advice.

Can anyone else relate?

Thanks!

Jeanette

Jeanette...

I can relate, but you need to be VERY aware of the dangers of a too-tight band. Aspiration pneumonia (from nighttime reflux) is a particularly nasty form of pneumonia that will land you in the hospital and can even lead to abscesses in your lungs. If you begin to experience shortness of breath, chills, fever, and body aches (much like a bad case of the flu) - please see your doctor immediately, even if the symptoms go away by themselves in a day or two.

To me it sounds like you're not dropping weight because you're eating to little. Your body goes into a starvation mode on to little calories and holds onto whatever it gets. I'd try increasing your calories and see what happens. Also try eating 5 small meals a day to keep your metabolism going. Just my thoughts from experience. When I don't eat enough I lose slower than when I eat 1200 to 1500 cal a day.

Hey Jeannette

Sorry to be the one to mention this - but you have to continue to diet and exercise to lose weight - even with a properly adjusted band. All the band does is make it EASIER to stay on your diet.

Now, if you DID do those things when your band was not so tight, and you still didn't lose weight - then you might want to have a doc check out your thyroid.

The basic rules

1) Drink lots of water - as close to 64 oz a day as you can get.

2) Do not drink with meals. Do not drink for 30 minutes prior and 1 hour after a meal.

3) Eat solid foods - protein, then veggies, then carbs if there is room.

4) Take tiny bites and CHEW everything a billion times - to liquid form

5) STOP eating when you are no longer hungery. (forget "full". throw that concept out. go with "not hungry")

6) Exercise at least (very minimum) 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Longer if possible, or more frequently.

Once you get your band adjusted so that you CAN eat solid foods, you may find that you stop being hungery, sooner. If you CAN'T eat some sort of solid protein, then you are too tight. No question about it. The band will NOT work if it isn't properly adjusted. it will not work if you can't eat solid foods.

Once you get proper adjustment, try tracking the calories in what you eat. Be brutally honest. It's easy to "guestimate" measurements wrong.

Fats, dressings and sauces should be avoided and if eaten, must be accurately measured and accounted for in the calorie count. It's all too easy to count a table spoon of mayo as a teaspoon if you are guestimating. I know. I have done it. Cheese (my personal downfall) should be weighed. 1 oz = 100 calories as a general rule.

I know, just what you wanted, a Lecture - but it's easy to lie to yourself. I wasted the first year of band life doing that. Only the hard cold measurements tell the true story.

You dont' have to change everything at once. The first thing to do is to get your fill adjusted so that you can eat solid foods, maybe not at breakfast, but certainly at lunch and dinner.

Then you can start working on one thing at a time.

Once you have practiced drinking water in the right amounts and at the right times for a couple of weeks, then you can start working on true measurements of the foods... but to start, you must eat solid foods.

Speed is not the object... healthy loss is what you are looking for. That takes a little time.

Good Luck!!