HEY EVERYBODY. I AM GETTING REALLY DEPRESSED BECAUSE MY WEIGHT IS STUCK AT 260. I HAVE LOST 12 PDS BUT I WAS HOPING FOR MORE. MY DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT I WOULD BE LOSSING ABOUT 12 PDS A MONTH SO THEY STATE THAT I AM ON SCHEDULE. MY PROCEDURE WAS ON OCT 5TH 2004. I AM READY TO LOOSE MORE WEIGHT. I GOT A FILL THE OTHER DAY. 2CC. I DO NOTICE A CHANGE BECAUSE I TRIED TO EAT A FISH STICK AND I FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO VOMIT. I HAD TO DRINK SOME WATER IN ORDER FOR IT TO GO DOWN OK. SOMEONE GIVE ME SO WORDS OF INCOURAGEMENT PLEASE. :squareeye :phanvan :sick

Sounds like your band is doing what it is meant to do. Again, with the lapband, 5-10lbs PER MONTH is average. You are actually ABOVE average. Try chewing more and taking smaller bites. Remember, this is for life. There is no hurry and you will not/SHOULD NOT lose like someone with the gastric bypass. Slow loss is a much more healthy loss. This is not a race. Try not to drink while you are eating so that the food will stay in your pouch longer. If you begin to feel as if you will vomit, these could be signs of taking too big of bites or eating too fast.

Today is the 22nd. You have lost 12 pounds in 17 days. What's there to complain about?

I'm a bit concerned that you got a fill BEFORE 6 weeks is up. Can you tell us again, who is your doctor? This is very unusual to get a fill before the 6 weeks healing period is over.

LovemeaCB4E (what's your real name--that's hard to type!), here's what you need to hear:

THIS TIME IS NOT ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT!!! You are busy healing from surgery and your body is adapting to its new internal configuration. You're losing weight quickly because you've (presumably) been on a mostly liquid diet, but I guarantee your loss will slow down once you're back on solid food. THIS IS NORMAL AND PROPER.

I'm very surprised you were given a fill at only a couple of weeks out! Inamed's recommendation is to wait at least 6 weeks and be completely back on solid food. Your doctor is following a different set of rules I guess, but you must take it easy on yourself to avoid problems.

What kind of loss were you expecting? Bypass numbers? 12 lbs in the first three weeks is terrific. Your doctor should NOT be predicting 12 lbs a month, because that sort of loss is higher than most people can expect. The usual numbers mentioned are 1 tto 2 pounds a week, or about 5-8 pounds a month.

Please try to adjust your expectations. I'm afraid you will think the band is failing you because you're expecting some miracle numbers that just won't materialize. You're doing wonderfully and are off to a great start. The feeling you had with the fish stick is a sign that you have good restriction, and now you should be concentrating on learning to eat slowly and carefully, and not washing food down with liquid.

Your weight is not "stuck." You're just starting a long journey and the scale is not going to move at a steady predictable pace. There will be times in the future when the number doesn't change for weeks at a time. Those are the times that reassure me, that tell me my body is really learning to live permanently at this new MUCH lower weight, and that all those pounds I've lost will not be returning.

You may be ready to lose more weight right now but your body has been through something big and it's holding on. Be patient and the numbers will fall. Just be careful and keep eating like a bandster.

12 lbs in less then a month is Damn good, you only had surgery less then 3 weeks ago so that is 4lbs a week. You are right on target. It is important to remember that you are still healing this period of time the first 6 weeks is for healing not weight loss. You are one of the few who I know who has gotten a fill before being 6 weeks post op. Most docs want you to wait until you have healed atleast 5- 6 weeks out ..You are also one of the few who I know who was allowed to eat fish sticks less then 3 weeks post op. I did not get solid foods until 6 weeks pot op. Once you go from soft/liquids to solids it does take your body a little time to adjust maybe that is why your weight loss is stalled. Be patient, it will happen. is your fill .2cc's or 2cc's? Yes you will notice a difference once you get a fill, so it is important to eat very very slow and chew like crazy...Remember this is NOT a race but a Journey..do not get discouraged you are doing great!

Hey, Leatha, get out of my brain!! You too, michelle! :D

LOL..I was thinking the same thing we all just repleid within 1 minute of eachother all saying basically the same info

LOL, well. Looks like it needed to be re-iterated. lol.

Loveme, you did get weightloss surgery for the lapband, right? Not gastric bypass surgery? Where were you banded? What dr.? Why did you get a fill? You have got to take care of yourself and retrain yourself to eat proper foods. Pizza crust and fish sticks are very, very dry. You can check the old posts for food ideas, if you're not sure. You were one of the lucky ones that got a band. Now YOU have to take care of yourself. No one else can do that for you. Living with the band also requires us to do a lot of "head work". If you need to, please schedule an appointment w/ a psych. dr. that works specifically w/ people with eating disorders. Please find out what you need to do before you do something that could endanger your life!

THANKS FOR YOUR REPLIES. MY DOCTOR IS DR. MORTON HE IS AT SOUTHERN HILLS MEDICAL CENTER IN NASHVILLE TENNESSEE. THEY FELT REALLY COMFORTABLE WITH ME GETTING MY FILL BEFORE THE SIX WEEKS. THEY ALSO TOLD ME AFTER A WEEK FROM MY SURGERY I COULD START ON MUSHY FOODS AND THEN IF MY BODY COULD TOLERATE IT AND NOT GETTING FULL THEN I COULD TRY SOLIDS. I AM SO SURPRISED FROM ALMOST EVERYONE SAYING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ON LIQUIDS FOR 6 WEEKS. I DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT I WEIGHED MYSELF THIS MORNING. I NOW WEIGH 257 INSTEAD OF 260. I AM NOT REALLY SURE HOW I LOST MORE WEIGHT IN 3 DAYS SINCE MY LAST POST. MABYE IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH MY FILL. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR POSTING YOUR REPLIES. I WILL BE UPDATING MY PICTURES TONIGHT SO YOU ALL CAN SEE THEM. SEE YA! :banana

I sure don't understand why any doctor would go against what the manufacturer of the product deems to be the most successful way of maintaining a band. Strange. In the end, however, it may be very lucrative. 'Iffy' maintenance could UP the chances of re-operation. As a consumer and patient, I would be a bit concerned about this.

Be kind to your band, Loveme. It is meant to save your life and to help you maintain your weight loss for the rest of your life.

Michelle/Southern Band girl, was he this lax when you were first banded? Just wondering..

Most of us were not on liquids for 6 weeks..we were just not allowed solids until 6 weeks. There is the clear liquid stage, the full liquid stage, the soft mushy stage and the solid stage. I had 3 weeks of liquids 2 weeks of clear and 1 week of full..2 weeks of soft mushy foods. The doctor wanted me all healed and my band to be set in place before I was allowed to have solids so the digestion process of the solids would not displace my band. Every doctor is different. Glad to hear the scale moved downwards for you..

The whole reason I lost the intial 15lbs was because I was on liquids after that it's been about (averaging) 1 1/2 per week.... I think you should def be careful and there is a great book out there that will help with the do's and don'ts hell I forgot the name... But I know someone will let you know. Remember this is a life journey... not a quick fix. Take it slow and be kind to yourself and your band...