I was banded on 10/21. I lost a lot of weight in the begining and have not lost any for going on my 3rd week. Basically since I started eating food.

I know that I have read on here that this is fairly normal. But wouldn't you lose something? Even 1 pounds a week with the way less amount of food you are taking in?

My first fill in November 30, so I know that will help. Just want to make sure that this is somewhat normal. Seems odd that with taking in so much less that I am not loosing something.

I should get the ok to start exercising after I see the surgeon on the 30th.

Your doing great! Everyone is a little different but your problem doesn't sound like a new one to me. Are you counting your calories at all? I use a program called www.fitday.com, its free for the web version. It will at least give you an idea of your calories and nutricianal intake. A fill will help too. Have a good thanksgiving, Teresa

Beyond tracking on fitday, keep in mind that you were on liquids n' such for a while. Once your started eating real food your body when "holy crap!" and started holding on to everything that it could. Tracking on fitday will likely tell you that you aren't getting enough in. You need to be getting in probably at least 1200 calories, or your body might think it's starving.

I totally know where you are coming from though. "I'm not eating half as much as I used to, how is this even possible!"

I am more then likely not getting in 1200 cal a day.

Breakfast - Protein shake 90 cal plus cals from fat free skim milk

lunch - maybe around 300 cals

Water in afternoon

dinner - maybe 500 at the most

When I work I drink two shakes a day.

I am off this week so have to make myself eat and get food in. I have been eating no more then two small meals a day.

I guess I am getting in right around 1200 a day. Just hard to make yourself eat.

yesterday all I ate was a boca buger for lunch with a little cheese on it. shake for breakfast and lobster bique for dinner - it was out of the south beach diet cookbook so not too fattening. and 16 oz of water last night.

I will try to start eating more. Maybe that will help. Thanks for the thoughts. The hard thing with tracking on line, I cannot do that during the day at work and am usually so busy at night. I do try to write things done, but had to remember to do it.

I will start doing it.. I am sure that it will be an eye opener.

Happy Turkey day.

Are you getting all your water in during the day? But not with meals or for one hour following meals? That really makes a difference!

Tracking on www.fitday.com really doesn't take that much time and you really don't have to do it EVERYDAY. It's especially good to do it for a few days at a time to see where your carbs, Protein and fat lie.

Sorry to say, but yes, all those things you have read abotu NOT losing weight once you enter back into mushies/soft foods is VERY common. I believe I posted an article written by Robin/Coffeewench just this weekend on 'bandster purgatory' - the UNFILLED stage.

It's pretty hard to get in all your protein and make very good choices during the soft foods/mushy stage. Most of the time, the items we have are things like mashed potatoes(starch, starch starch), yogurt (dairy, dairy, dairy). This is one of the reason they say that once you are on real solids to try to cut out as much 'soft' foods as possible. They are calorie/fat/carb laden - and it's not the good carbs.

Once you moved into hard Proteins, in fact, one 8 oz glass of lowfat milk per day is all the liquid calories you are encouraged to get. Everything else really should be hard proteins and veggies. Liquid/soft calories are not our friend and usually, most of that initial loss the first week or so is Water. You will really begin to see the weight loss once you have gotten a fill that is noticeable to you and the band begins to do it's job of restricting your intake. That is, if you stick with hard proteins and quality carbs such as veggies.

Thanks Leatha, You always have such good advice.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Momhappe1, and everyone else who is faced with this inevitable issue, believe me you are NOT alone!!! Almost every single bandster faces this plateau before their first fill, and it's not at all uncommon to even put back on a few pounds.

At this time it's especially helpful to look at your weight loss over a longer timeline than week-to-week. You've lost almost 20 lbs in one month! Considering the average loss is 1-2 lbs per week, you'd still be within average parameters if you didn't lose another pound until the end of February. Microanalyzing each week's weight is absolutely counterproductive, in my opinion. This is ESPECIALLY true at this stage, when your body is adjusting to a major change in caloric intake right on top of having surgery.

RELAX. You're doing great!!

Thank Alex. You are too.

I thought that it was pretty normal, just wanted to make sure that I was amung the norm.

Hi MomHappe1,

I too am were you are. Banded 4 days after you and getting my first fill next Thursday. I lost about 20 pounds and then plateaued as well. It is a little hard not to be anxious about 'not loosing' right now but as others point out, ya gotta look at the bigger picture and this is just a 'stage'.

Hang in there and good luck on your first fill next week!