Until you have a complete blood work up for Hypothyroidism, a complete work up for Adrenal function and a complete hormone level check.

If your doctor fails to preform these not so basic tests, he or she could be selling you a surgery you do not need. Or a surgery that will not give you results like you expect.

You need to be sure your labs include Free T4 and Free T3, Cortisol levels via saliva or urine, and hormone levels. Too much estrogen will keep weight on you as well.

Look into Liver Detox, the best plan for weight loss will not work if your liver is not functioning properly.

I found out I was hypothryoid. I dropped 18 lbs on medication in the first 2 months. I've slowed down to a hault. But that is the plight of hypo patients and no amount of intake restriction is going to resolve the weight gain issues of a hypothryoid person. I'm still reading, but thus far it's a no. I'm waiting for my 6 mo mark on meds to have my levels drawn, then I might get an increase in medication and drop more.

At the same time I was going through my journey to dx. My bf went in for LB surgery. She lost some weight during the pre-op and 2 wk post-op and then stopped. She stopped while still on a liquid and soft diet! She has had another fill and still no more weight loss. She is in debt, depressed, and still just as fat as she was in September.

She did not get the lab work ups she should have had IMO. She was sold up the river that a surgery was the answer to her problems. She still suffers from depression which is a major sign of hypothryoidism in additon to low energy and lack of weight loss.

Just don't get sold up the river is all I'm saying. You have to be your own advocate for better health. Be sure you find out if you have underlying causes. Doctors usually only run the TSH thyroid test and for millions it will come back fine when in fact the main hormone tellers T3 and T4 are not fine and have not been checked. I spent almost a year finding a doctor to actually run the right tests and then he was so shocked I spent another 3 months going to another doctor who was a jack a$$ and back again to my doc.

The JA would not run the thyroid antibody tests, the cortisol and adrenal tests, the hormone tests, nothing total waste of my time and money. All he saw was a fat woman w a normal TSH test, he ignorned my super low T4 and T3 levels.

There is a stigma against fat -- I'm fat only b/c I over indulge or am lazy. I'm not lazy, I'm not an over indulger. And docs can't get their heads around it. I was told a doc automatically triples what a fat person tells them they eat and subtracts 3X what a fat person tells them they exercise. I'm shot down just by walking in the freakin door!

Just don't get sold up the river like my bf. I feel for her, I really do. I so want her to go to a doctor and insist on the right tests.

Thyroid problem aside, your friend does not have the right fill. I lost virtually no weight in the 1st few months b/c I had no fill. When I got to the right fill point I started losing very consistently, and have lost almost 80 pounds in 11 months since surgery. She has the band now, and she can be succesful, but she has to be patient and utilize the band. It is an unbelievable blessing to the vast majority of people who have it!