I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm so discouraged. I am on my 3rd fill and have not lost a pound in 2 months (since about 2 weeks after surgery). I eat so much less and better foods (most of the time) but I am still not losing. I get full a lot faster but I do still get hungry a few hours later (to the point of feeling sick if I don't eat). I wake up in the morning and my stomach is growling and cramping like I haven't eaten for days.

I don't know what the deal is but I am so frustrated. I feel like this is going to be another failed weight loss attempt. And they are no help at the aftercare center. They just say "don't get frustrated, you are just getting started" but I see people on here who had surgery the same time as me or after and they have lost 35-50+ pounds and I'm not even at 25 yet. I have been trying to count points (weight watchers) to see just how much I am taking in but I am still very hungry most of the day when I only eat my allotted number of points. I am drinking plenty of Water and getting in my Protein. I see people who can just drink a Protein shake for Breakfast and be fine and I tried that the other day and I wound up eating a banana 2 hours later and was still starving and sick feeling by lunch. Any suggestions or is anyone else having this problem?

Another question. How does it feel when you are really tight? I feel like after a fill that I am tight for a few days but then it goes away. But, it's not really a feeling of being full from food. It's more a feeling of pressure/tightness in my chest and lower throat area. Is this what good restriction feels like or do you actually feel full like when you ate before getting banded? Thanks.<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Did they take your fill out and put it back in when you had it done? Did they use fluoro? I'm just wondering if you may have a leak or lost some fill. I've heard some people have had to have the thicker solution for their bands called Omnipaque. I also agree with others that you need to find some exercise you enjoy. Take the dog for a walk, find a fun yoga video or get a friend to walk/go to the gym with you. Try to increase movement in everything you do-park farther away from the store and walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. Also, make sure most of your calories come from protein. You may be making your WW points, but if that is mostly carbs, you may feel hungry shortly thereafter. Lastly, take measurements! Sometimes you lose inches when the scale doesn't show progress. Don't give up yet and don't compare yourself to others! Everyone has a different body and it's unfair to yourself to compare. Best of luck!

They do pull out the last fill before injecting it back in and last time she sat there and thumped the syringe several times trying to get the solution to come out and said there was some bubbles but she didn't say anything about any of it having leaked out. She said I have about 6.4 cc in there now.

NSVs-Off diabetes medication, blood pressure and heart rate under better control, more energy, asthma/lung wheezing is gone.....yes, when I look at it that way, I have had a lot of NSVs but I just thought I would have lost more weight by now.

I'm not exercising. I know I should be but I hate it so much. My husband is supposed to try to adjust the belt on our treadmill. Right now it slips a lot when I'm walking on it and I am afraid I will fall. I'm wondering if I weigh too much to be on it but I think the weight limit is 275 and I weigh about 264.

With treadmills the belt can stretch over time from use and it needs to be adjusted. You also need to treat the area under the belt every few months to keep the treadmill going well.

However, that is not an excuse not to exercise. You don't like it? So what, I don't like it either. It's like cleaning the bathroom or going to the dentist. Nobody likes doing those things but sometimes we have to do things we don't like.

If you want to bump up weight loss then get out there and exercise. Maybe those losing at a faster rate are exercising. I did and it worked for me. You have to force yourself to do things that aren't fun sometimes and exercise is one of them. I still hate it but I do it because it works.

Mandi,

what about NSVs? any of those?

please dont get discouraged. what are you eating? are you logging? exercising? you can do this!!

the people who have lost more, did they start out needing to lose more weight? i started off at 402 so the weight came off pretty quickly in the beginning...

Pardon my ignorance, but what is an NSV?

NSV is a non scale victory

:thumbup:This was near the back of the line (of threads) and after I read it I thought that a lot of good advice was given here. How bout we bump it up....

Here are some thoughts:

1. You have lost 26 lbs in less than 4 months...that is more than the average of 1-2 lbs/week. Yes, some people lose more quickly than that, but you are still above average.

2. Protein shakes will always go right through the band and you will not feel full from them. If you eat solid band foods, protein first, and you don't drink for the recommended time after eating, you should feel full for 3-4 hours. If you do this and you get hungry iin less than 3 hours, you are not at optimal restriction yet. Try to develop the habit of getting your protein from solid lean protein sources (lean meat if you eat it, fish, legumes, tofu, etc.).

3. "Full" as a bandster is not the same as "full" before banding. Full should just be "satisfied".

4. Your experience of having restriction after a fill and then it going away is normal. Your band is around your stomach and the fat that is around your stomach. When you lose some weight, the fat pad shrinks and your band becomes a little bit looser as a result.

I wasn't really adequately restricted until my 3rd fill, and it's never been "tight" restriction. I've stopped wondering if this is bad and just learned to work with it. My weight loss is average, 1.5 lbs per week. It does add up over time. It won't come off overnight, it didn't go on overnight.

I hope this helps you a bit, you are doing great even if you don't feel like it!

One thing that helps put this in perspective is to look down at the bottom of this thread to the "Similar Threads" section and see just how many other ones there are with the same title and exactly the same worries. You are not alone, mate, and at 2lb a week are really doing well in the average scheme of things.

I agree with WASA I think you already said what your main problem is . Your NOT EXERCISING ! If you look at others like you said who had surgery before or after you and have lost more weight then you , i can all but gurantee you that they are moving. I HATE Exercising more than anything. But I do it . I know if i dont my scale stops moving. And lets face it no one wants to do it MORE than you have to . So once you start doing it you will get a feel out of what you HAVE To do and what you Dont HAVE To do to keep the scale moving. For me 2-3 days a week and is good for me . If i dont do anything my scale wont move.

So stop beating yourself up and GET MOVING !!!! :biggrin:

Mindy

One thing that helps put this in perspective is to look down at the bottom of this thread to the "Similar Threads" section and see just how many other ones there are with the same title and exactly the same worries. You are not alone, mate, and at 2lb a week are really doing well in the average scheme of things.

That is such a good point. The list in the "similar threads" surprised me!

I also wanted to add something that was emailed to me that I found REALLY interesting. When you are dieting alone (no exercise), when you lose a pound, you are losing .75 lb of FAT and .25 of MUSCLE. But when you EXERCISE in addition to dieting, when you lose a pound, you are losing 1.25 lb of FAT and gaining .25 of muscle - which obviously would result in inch loss. Yes, lbs are important, but inches more so because it gets you into smaller clothes quicker. :biggrin: So it's time to get moving. I'm not a huge exercise fan, either - but I make myself move. Having an ActiTrainer has helped me keep track of my activity level so I can get moving more if necessary.