I was banded in April 2007 by a reputable US doctor. I lost 15lbs before my first fill (May 07). After the first fill, I lost another 6lbs. Had 2nd fill in June 07 and have not lost a single pound since then. I haven't really felt "full" yet and it seems like I can still eat a lot of food with absolutely no problems. Within the past 2 weeks, my port site has become constantly painful. There are NO skin irritations or swelling though. But pain is increasing. Called Dr office and they said it's nothing to worry about, not concerned. Anyone else developed port pain and/or had weight loss completely stop?

You haven't had a proper fill yet. It is like buying the most expensive tires on the market for your car, deflating all of them, and wondering why your car won't go fast. YOU HAVE NO TIRES.

You have no working fill in your band. It isn't going to take you far. Give your band a chance to work and see what happens then. Listen to your doc, you didn't choose him because he is the WORST in the business, so listen to what he has to say.

Hit your sweet spot and get back to us. :confused:

having pain in your port is not normal. maybe you are leaking from your port causing pressure and thus losing the fill. i dont know , im just trying to think of anything that could cause pain. i dont have pain in my port area, once in a while i feel a little twinge but thats it. did you ask your doctor about the PAIN? what did he say.

Thanks for the encouragement notes. I see my Dr next week. I am anxious to know what is causing so much pain & tenderness Also anxious to discover what "full" feels like Ill be patient. Even with the current setback, I am thrilled with the early weight loss. I hadn't been able to loose that much weight in 15 years of trying

WASa-Question for ya! How filled do you think someone should be? How many calories, in your opinion, should you be eating? I have 2.0cc's in my band as of now, but I had 2.4 previously and I asked the doc take some out because I was pb'ing on things such as rice or potato. Right now, I know I can't eat bread and pasta, which is fine, but I'm still eating what seems like a lot of calories, I've tracked my caloric intake a number of times on fitday and it seems to range anywhere from 1500 to 1800 cals a day. And I have sincerely tried to wait until I felt absolutely starving to eat, and it seems like I'm feeling that way every few hours. Could I just be getting used to my fill and need another?

WASa-Question for ya! How filled do you think someone should be? How many calories, in your opinion, should you be eating? I have 2.0cc's in my band as of now, but I had 2.4 previously and I asked the doc take some out because I was pb'ing on things such as rice or potato. Right now, I know I can't eat bread and pasta, which is fine, but I'm still eating what seems like a lot of calories, I've tracked my caloric intake a number of times on fitday and it seems to range anywhere from 1500 to 1800 cals a day. And I have sincerely tried to wait until I felt absolutely starving to eat, and it seems like I'm feeling that way every few hours. Could I just be getting used to my fill and need another?

You got an unfill so you could eat white carbs? I'm not sure I understand why. Carbs are what causes blood sugar spikes and when your blood sugar goes up from eating carbs your pancreas kicks out insulin. When that happens your blood sugar goes too low and that signals your body that you are hungry. Besides, white carbs are not going to help you lose weight.

I think 1500-1800 is wayyyy too high, but not everyone agrees with me. My doc limits us to 800 calories daily. Most docs from what I have seen suggest around 1000 daily during the weight loss phase.

If you wait until you are starving you will eat more. Don't wait that long. If you had enough fill removed so you could eat "weight-loss unfriendly" foods then you really won't lose a lot.

If I was in your position I would get the fill back so I couldn't eat those kinds of foods. My band works because I can't eat those kinds of foods. Then I would cut out ALL white carbs, flour, sugar, rice, potatoes and that will cut your hunger. Keep your protein around 60gms daily, drink your S/F fluids, and make sure you are getting your 30 minutes of exercise daily.

I should have added more to the list of things that make me PB besides white fluffy stuff....I have a real hard time (when I was filled to 2.4 cc's) with chicken breast, turkey breast, basically any white meat, egg whites, cheese. That's pretty much all that I can think of right now. I guess my problem is that I'm not sure what to eat now. I either drown the white meat in sauces or mayo, which I'd rather not do, or eat red meat, which I'm trying not to eat too often. I don't like any types of seafood, so I guess that's what I'm having a hard time with, trying to figure out what to eat.

YEOW! If I went much of 1000 my loss would stop completely. I stay between 700 and 1000 (max). Get with a good food journal program (FitDay, SparkPeople) and log your food religiously and start trying to drop those calories down and you'll see some action.

I should have added more to the list of things that make me PB besides white fluffy stuff....I have a real hard time (when I was filled to 2.4 cc's) with chicken breast, turkey breast, basically any white meat, egg whites, cheese. That's pretty much all that I can think of right now. I guess my problem is that I'm not sure what to eat now. I either drown the white meat in sauces or mayo, which I'd rather not do, or eat red meat, which I'm trying not to eat too often. I don't like any types of seafood, so I guess that's what I'm having a hard time with, trying to figure out what to eat.

You could switch the white meat for dark meat, most seem to have a problem with eggs anyway, and cheese... full of needless fat.

Really, 1500-1800 calories... I know I'd stop losing weight. I'd have to eat that much just to maintain my current weight and I'm still considered overweight.

I understand what you are saying about sauces and mayo but aren't you really making a trade off anyway? Instead of sauces and mayo you are eating pasta and rice. Six of one, half dozen of the other. Instead of the fat from cheese I'd rather have fat from good quality oils. You need some fat in your diet so why not make it good fats?

I would get an appropriate fill, cut out ALL white carbs, and cut about 800 calories daily from your menu. Weight will fall off. And with the right fill you CAN do 800-1000 calories daily.

I go to see the doc in a week and a half, I'll ask for the .4cc's back and work with it. Thanks for the advice!