I know - I know... I've read all the posts and I know the time between surgery and your first fill is bad news - but COME ON! Three weeks (3!!) without losing a single miserable pound. I've been walking 5x p/week, eating like a bird (ok, maybe an occasional tootsie roll from the Halloween leftovers) - but, still! I'm still eating 1/2 of what I used to, plus walking - NOTHING! Should I be losing something being so darn fat?? I'm just not friend of the band right now. I hope we can make-up soon. My first fill is today. I'd like to say I'm excited, but, I'm not. I think I'm destined to be fat forever (start the violins). Just feeling blue I guess - and MAD!

I know how you feel. It is amazing how little we are eating and still not losing like we should. I feellike I need to stop whining, because I am losing, but I just dont have restriction. I dont get my first fill until the 26th, and I cant wait, but then I think I better enjoy being able to eat now, cause it wont be so easy later.

There are so many feelings involved in this band process, just go with it. Be mad, be happy, be sad, it is just what we are gonna be for a while.

I hear you loud and clear! Ah, I am jealous you already get a fill and my doctor said NO WAY JOSE! until at least 6 wks which means Dec. 7th but since my company is having our Christmas Party that day I have changed the date to the 14th. Dr. Ferrari only does fills on Fridays..oh lazy ass doctor! LOL

Calm down, I feel your fraustration and boy can I hear you loud and clear! Looks like you have lost 20 pounds so that is a good sign! My thing is that I am starving all the time! Hungry Hippo should be my name! LOL I think that I am destined to be fat forever but see I am giving you hope when on other threads I need a little shove myself! I guess we just like to feel sorry for our selves! Don't worry we will soon be smiling!

Brenda Lee **AKA Allamess*

Banded with "Bella" on October 22th 2007

First Fill will be December 14th

Starting weight: 219

Weight as of 11/05/07: 211

First things first, put the scale away for a while and get out the measuring tape. I lost about 16 inches all over before I lost my first pound. Your body has probably kicked into starvation mode and is hanging onto every calorie that you eat. It will come off soon I promise, I was not long ago in your shoes and was just about to the point of beating my scale with a sledge hammer. Plus, if you have never worked out before you are building muscle and that weighs more than fat, and eventually that muscle will start burning your calories for you. You are just at a critical stage right now and you body has to get over the starvation mode hump but it will. Head up, keep going, keep walking, it will happen.

Thanks you guys (sniff-sniff). These are the struggles that only fellow bandsters could possibly understand. Everyone has been on a diet, and everyone has hit a plateau - but, when you've had weight loss surgery, it's expected that you lose continually and never have to struggle again. What a misconception that is! This is far more frustrating due to the fact that I did undergo WLS and I'm still not losing. My sister had gastric bypass 6 years ago, and I remember her dropping weight left and right - over night without trying! I know it's apples to oranges, but just makes me jealous of those folks. Know what I mean?

Ok - so, keep my chin up. Keep trying, and keep my eye on the prize. I'll get there.. might take longer than some, but I'll get there. We all will. (applause applause applause!) haha

Don't get down trodden.. well, you will in the course of it.. but you have to just keep on keeping on!

I'm 7 months out, and in our April banders, we ALL have our moments. You hit plateaus.

My first month post-op I lost 35lbs. Then the next month.. 0lb.

Not a SINGLE POUND!! I was not filled until September, so I know how frustrating it is. But just know, it gets better. You'll lose weight.. then you'll plateau.. and you just keep on keeping on

Mbanja is right!

The scale is not your friend.

I feel your pain, got my first fill and was not down nearly what I thought I would be but I'm down 2 pant sizes so that is my saving grace right now.

Hang in there!

Yankee, you are exactly right you can't compare bypass with the band.....I mean I haven't seen the first person that has the band look like a bobble head doll....you know like Star Jones. It does take lap band patients alot longer to loose our weight, but hey once your are skinny fine and your sis is packing the pounds on again you can laugh to yourself and say she should have got the band, What's she gonna do have bypass again. Ha Ha we can just go get a fill if we start putting the pounds back on. I am sure that this is one of your reasons for getting the band in the first place (sssshhhhh big secret.) I know it was one of mine!!!!

Oh man that was really mean of me to say..... I didn't really mean to be mean! I just wanted to give you confidence. I'm sorry!

It's been almost 5 weeks since my surgery and I have only lost about 3-5 pounds since my actual surgery. I lost about 18 before that. Problem is, now that I'm all healed up and can eat anything, and my appetite has returned, I'm worried that I'll not only NOT lose, but start gaining.

My first fill is Nov 30th. I guess we'll see what happens after that. It is nice to not feel that knot in your stomach whenever you eat, but in the long run that feeling is a good thing.. a nice reminder of all you've gone through and not to mess it up!

I'm just trying to be very careful not to eat too much, but I did break down and had some potato chips and pizza for the first time yesterday. To be honest, it didn't even taste that good (I'm glad!).

Good luck to all of US!! Thanks for posting your problems, its' good to have others who are dealing with the same problems so we can share. :straight

Yankee, I can't even tell you how relieving it is to hear that I'm not the only one who is a little bit down about not losing that much weight so far. It's always been SO easy for me to gain weight and hard to lose. I'm currently 2 1/2 weeks post-op, and I don't feel as if I've lost a thing. I've really been trying. 3 meals a day and 1 snack. No drinking until 30-45 minutes after the meal, stick with lower fat, more protein, less carbs. I'm hungry in between meals and don't feel satisfied after. My first fill is December 10th, which seems like a lifetime away, but I'm forcing myself to stick to it. I weighed myself about a week ago and it looked as though I had lost 3 lbs. On Friday AND Saturday, I had a relapse and went overboard with the eating. But I didn't let it get to me and started again today. It sucks because everyone I run into first asks "so how much have you lost so far?" and I feel like I have to lie even though they don't understand that the band doesn't work like that- you don't just get the surgery and drop pounds and pounds immediately. Everyone thinks it's like Gastric Bypass and it annoys me so much. Anyway, besides for complaining (haha!), I guess the point of my reply is to tell you that I'm in the same boat as you are, and it sucks, but we've got to just keep it going until the 1st fill!! The benefits will come eventually...don't give up! Let us know how everything goes.

Omg!!!! I Thought I Was The Only One. I Had My Surgery 10/23. Pre-surgery I Lost 14 Pds. Post Surgery 1 Pd. Before First Fill Gained 2 Pds. Had 1st Fill Nov 6. No Lost At All. Beyond Frustrated. I Feel No Restriction. My Secind Fill Will Be In A Month. I Have A 14cc Band With A 4cc Fill. I Can Eatanything But I Have Not.

I Am Soo Happy I Did Not Tell Anyone I Had This Done. At Least I Won't Have To Answer Any Stupid Questions.

I Am So Sad.

First off let me say this:

MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT

if we are all exercising then logic says we should be gaining weight or plateauing if we are not consuming less than 800-900 calories a day... and yes - those calories add up quicker than you think... So don't sweat it if you aren't losing it.

Like mbanja said - you could be losing inches and not even know it but your stupid scale won't tell you that.

I have went through gaining and losing since surgery last month and even had a cry fit on here when I saw that I gained weight once... but then everyone encouraged me and I got back on track (in my thinking)... they (the docs and nurses) don't WANT you to lose weight post-op until you have a fill because then they can see that you have no restriction and are trying to heal.

You are doing everything right - just chill out and hang in there...

It will start to show it on the scale soon enough!!!

Heck - just this past week I gained two pounds back... but I am not letting that falter my thinking... I know it will happen!!!!

Keep the faith!!

Amy

Thank you for this post! I have been able to eat anything i want and I was scared to go for my fill tomorrow. My week out appointmnet I lost 8 pounds, but I think that I put a pound or 2 back on. Can't wait for my fill and results!!!

First off let me say this:

MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT

This is not correct. A pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat, A POUND. BUT that being said, muscle is less bulky. It takes less of it to weigh a pound.

But hang in there, as you lose the fat, you are gaining muscle. So if the scale does not go down, your body is. Don't rely on the scale so much to measure your success.

Well, I just did some research and found that Babs is right, muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. That really sucks. But anyways muscle burns more calories than fat. Get off the scale and get the tape measure out for a week or two. Believe me it will show a difference, don't go on pants size either, I have lost 25lbs and have not really gone down a pants size, but my upper torso is slimming up.