My name is Shauntrell and I was banned 3/10/14. After the first 2 weeks of my liquid diet I had lost 18 lbs. I thought I was on the right track. After my 6 week post-op visit I was down a total of 22 lbs. I rcvd my first fill which was 3 cc's on 4/23/14. Afterwards, I felt no restriction at all and was hungry all the time. 12 week check up I rcvd a fill of .5 cc's and had only lost 4 lbs. 18 week checkup was 7/16...still feeling hungry and had only lost .5 lbs. My dr gave me another 1.5 cc's. I am currently at 5 cc's but still feeling no restriction at all. Any advice? My next appt is 8/27.

@@Shauny08 my advice is keep going!!! I know the road to weight loss with the band can be frustrating at times. You read and hear about people who are losing 4 pounds a week and your lucky if you lose 4 pounds in the month...and suddenly it can become a big source of frustration.

Take a second and check your frustration, what exactly is frustrating you?

Are you doing everything you can to help the situation? Or are you relying on the band do to all the work? What is your definition of "restriction"? What is it that you are looking to accomplish? and what have you done toward achieving that goal?

Lots of questions....but in asking sometimes we find our answers.

When you look at fill level and "restriction" you should not be looking for the band to "stop" you from eating. It is not creating a small container for your food to sit in and tell you OK your full that's enough. What it is doing is slowing down the rate that your food passes from your upper stomach into your lower stomach. Think of an hour glass and the way the sand moves through it. The tighter the pinch in the middle the slower the sand will move. The looser the pinch the faster the sand will move. Also think about the texture of the food you are eating. Are you eating solid foods that you need to chew chew chew? Or are you choosing more softer foods that will slip right on past the stoma and through to the lower chamber of the stomach?

Choosing solid foods will help to engage the band and the muscles in the esophagus to signal the nerves to tell your brain that you have had enough after a cup full of food. If you are choosing soft or slider foods then your not engaging your band well and you are not going to get the response from the Vagus nerve to tell your brain your full and you will keep eating long past that cup of food.

If your not measuring your portions, try doing that to start. Give yourself 20 minutes no more and no less to finish and once finish walk away from the food. If you are truly hungry have some more, but if you are not after 20 minutes then you are done. If you continue to eat after 20 minutes you are eating into your next meal so stop after 20.

You should be satiated for at least 3-4 hours between meals, if your not and you find that you are hungry again after an hour have some Water and asess if you are truly hungry for more fuel or if it's more emotional or mental hunger. If it's the later try doing something else you like to do, read or go for a walk listen to music. If your still hungry then have a light snack.

If you find that you are hungry between meals often and it's not head hunger you may need to keep tweaking your fill level until you reach that sweet spot. It takes time to learn how to live in harmony with our band and it takes time to find the optimal fill level that works for you.

Keep it up Shauntrel. It usually takes about 6 fills to find the right restriction. Once there your hunger will be curbed. Hang in there and we are all here backing you. Some don't lose weight in the first few months so according to my doctor you are doing well and ahead of the game. Keep working at it!!

Thank you guys so much for the support. Lisa I really reflected on the questions you asked and realize I'm really probably more frustrated with myself than the weight loss process. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations of what the band should do. I always thought if I worked hard in the gym the band would help restrict the amount of food I am able to eat and it would be a win win. But when I was able to eat the same amount I have been used to eating I started getting frustrated...thus making terrible food choices which resulted in me not wanting to work out as much as I should. Then I spiraled out of control. Thanks for the reality check. I needed it.

It will work! Good luck to you!