I was banded on 1/21/08 and have only lost 5 lbs. Does it really make a difference once you get a fill? I sure hope so because I am getting pretty discouraged. i go for my first fill tomorrow. I would really like to lose 30 lbs by the end of May. Is this even possible?

Fills make ALL the difference! However don't expect a lot of change with just the first fill. It usually takes 3 or 4 to really feel it. I know it is easy to get discouraged but I'm sure in researching the band you learned that this is not a fast fix, it is a long slow process. Hang in there, keep up on your fills, if I'm not at good restriction within a couple of days after a fill I'm calling and scheduling another one, I have been in 3x in one week before. Without the fills the band isn't even working yet so just give it time.

My second fill was on Friday, 2/15 and all of a sudden I feel restriction all the time. I am not Pb'ing, or Sliming, but get that full feeling after eating a small amount of food. Which is exactly what the band is supposed to do.

At your next party make sure you don't blow up any balloons. Just tape them to the walls w/o air.

How does it look?

Balloons were made to be filled....so was the band.

Oh, if you've lose even an ounce w/o restriction- you are doing something that the band wasn't made to do....good job!

Does one have to wait a certain amount of time between fills or will the doc do them all in a week or two?

Another question-- are doctors going extra easy on the fills so they can do more and get more money??

wow Grace you have lost a bunch. When were you banded? Did you not see significant weight loss until after fills?

Leather - I can only speak from my experience of coarse, my doctors office recommends at least a week between fills but I think that when you start to know your band and your reactions to fills they are more easy to work with. I have had a fill on Thursday evening and called and got in on Saturday morning before. My fills are included for the first two years so it isn't a money issue either and they are aggressive when I ask them to be within reason of coarse but I'm sure others have had different experiences.

30 pounds bythe end of May sounds like a reasonable goal, to me. You really don't start feeling any restriction until the 2nd-4th fill. i would reccommend to keep up on the routine your doctor says and exercise,exercise,exercise, that will keep you going and when you do finally hit the restriction the work will be easier.

Yes, fills are what it is all about! That is how the band works. Without fills your band isn't doing what it is supposed to do (unless you are one of those people who have restriction without it, and I'm NOT) My doctor lets us get fills every 10 days. He is conservative with amounts because he would rather have us come in more often if needed and not be overfilled, trust me that is a much wiser way to go about it. My fills are free for the first year so he doesn't make any extra money whether I have 2 fills or 10. Your doctor is doing what is best, ramping you up slowly. That can be frustrating, but I really believe it is better physically and emotionally. Once you are at the right restriction you should be able to lose about 10 pounds a month, but it might take several fills to get to the right restriction. Don't be too discouraged if you can't lose 30 pounds by May. In ten years you are not going to remember if it took you 10 months or 10 weeks to lose this weight. I know just how you are feeling, and felt exactly the same way after my surgery, and my weight is just starting to come off now and it's okay...because I know it is going to come off!

When I went in for my pre-op, there was a woman there for her four week post op check up, and she had already lost 35 pounds! I lost 5 pounds on the pre-diet and 13 in the 2 1/2 weeks since, but I don't expect that it will be anywhere near that fast going forward. I'll be thrilled with 10 pounds a month! That's 120 pounds a year!!!

wow Grace you have lost a bunch. When were you banded? Did you not see significant weight loss until after fills?

I was banded last June. No, not an ounce. It took 2 fills before I reached restriction and that's when I lost my first ounce.

Those who can lose weight w/o restriction.....why did they get the band? I've heard so many say they lost such and such pre-op or while on the liquid diet.

If I could have done that...I wouldn't have gotten the band! I can't go on a liquid diet!

(that was rhetorical....folks get the band when they decide to.... and many are good patients by following doctors orders for the pre-op or liquid diet. My doc only had a 3 day pre-op diet so I WAS able to do that)

You have done great. I can lose weight fairly easily without the band, especially with Weight Watchers. The trick for me is keeping it off. Quit dieting, old habits, weight comes back. Hpefully I can prevent that yo-yo with the band. Had my irst fill an hour ago. They put in 2cc and I couldn't swallow water or saliva. They removed a little ove 1cc. We'll see what happens now.

I was banded on 1/21/08 and have only lost 5 lbs. Does it really make a difference once you get a fill? I sure hope so because I am getting pretty discouraged. i go for my first fill tomorrow. I would really like to lose 30 lbs by the end of May. Is this even possible?

I was also discouraged until I received my third fill and boy is it different. I could still gulp liquids down until I received a fill that really made a difference and it hurt if I tried to gulp. It was sip and chew chew at that point or I would really regret it. You first start to slime and then have to pb up the plug that is hurting. Then if you do it again the same day your really sore. So you learn quickly to take it slow and if after 4-5 bites you have to stop then you stop or you will hurt. Pain is a big deterant from your old habits to overeat and try to get that full feeling we used too which took a lot of food to get to that point. I had my third fill back in Sept. and felt really tight so now it is end of Feb and still have days I feel really tight. Other days it is just not an instant hurt when I start to eat. I am so used to just have very little now and it took me a long time to get to that point. 5 small meals a day is what I try to stick too and a Pure Protein Shake can be one meal that takes 15 - 20 min to sip down. Then a yogart is a meal and a small peice of fish with some soft veggies another. When I first got my band I was like 1200 cal a day are you kidding!!!!!! Now I have to fight to get to the 1200 a day. It is like a weight (literally) has been lifted and the obsession of food is not there anymore. It is just a science to get what I need to be healthy and keep my Metabilsm going instead of being at platue. Even though you don't eat like you used too it doesn't mean the weight will keep dropping. Your body is tricky and will platue so you have to keep up the Protein and exercise to really get the inches off. It takes awhile and it is hard to be patient but the slower you loose it the better your skin will tighten. With By pass patients they loose so fast they have skin that hangs. You have this tool for life or for a long time so remember that once you reach your goal we have to learn how to healthy maintain so that up and down weight roller coaster days are gone. Weight watchers is a great program for anyone because you learn how many points everything is and you look at it as do I need to add 10 points with those Cookies or 3 points for that yogart with granola...............GOOD LUCK my bandster buddies and hang in there. This tool is a gift and fills are the key!!!!!!!!!! Just don't do it fast like get a fill that is so tight Water won't go down. It is worth it to get little by little because everyone's body is different and reacts to fills different.

I just had my second fill and I almost feel as if the doctor took some out. I'm more hungry then I was before. I'm calling Friday to schedule another fill, I can't imagine waiting the full 6 weeks. Does anyone have good suggestions for lunch meals at work. I'm sick of tuna & salad but I like to bring my lunch everyday, i need some new ideas?