Please forgive this vent. I don't know where else to go. If you're looking for a feel-good message, skip this post. When I was considering this surgery, I would have avoided a post like this like the plague, and I only ever wanted to post upbeat messages, but this morning I've hit a wall.

I'm back on this board and DEEPLY frustrated. I haven't lost a single pound in 8 weeks. Two weeks ago, I had my third fill and have been keeping my food intake to about 1200 calories a day. Pre-band this would have been IMPOSSIBLE, as I used to eat about 3000 calories per day. So I know I have a minimal restriction, but the "full" feeling I finally get when eating is the most subtle, almost imperceptible feeling you can imagine. I have to convince myself I'm feeling full, because, after all I paid over $20,000 cash to feel full.

I've lost 53 pounds altogether, but frankly, I lost 23 of those pounds in six weeks before my surgery, and 11 pounds in the week after surgery. I'm losing much more slowly SINCE the surgery. Slowly -- hah! that's a laugh, weight loss has ground to a stone-cold halt. These feelings of frustration, helplessness, and despair are exactly the way I felt before the lap band. I never expected that!

I only weigh on Saturday mornings, and I don't know how I can make it through the week feeling this low about not losing any weight.

I probably told at least 50 people about this surgery, and they're all looking at me like I'm a big fat failure -- AGAIN. I keep telling them, "Oh, it's going slow but sure.' NOT....

And my fill doctor can't find my port. I keep telling him where it is, but he goes at it about 2 inches away, and digs and digs around till I almost want to scream -- and I have a high tolerance for pain. I honestly think that this last time, after 30 minutes and going through three needles -- they were BENT when he took them out, he gave up and just SAID he gave me a fill. I feel absolutely NO difference from this fill (am supposed to be at 6ml). Then, my surgeon came in after the fill, said she had reamed the other doctor over the coals for not telling her he was having a problem finding the port, and she said I didn't need to come in for 2 months. Two more months of no weight loss and I'll be beside myself.

Anyway, thanks for listening. If you have anything to share, I'd appreciate it, but BE KIND -- you have no idea how frazzled I am right now.

Edited March 22, 200818 yr by lindseyann2u

Just a thought.............you're not gaining correct? your health is good correct? You have lost a considerable amount already correct? Well be mad, rant and rave get it out and take the time to do it! this is part of realizing we have to give ourselves the time and attention we need. call your surgeon and explain just what you went thru, remember she only heard half the story from the fill doc, and see if you can come in and have HER do the fill. don't get down on yourself, you did nothing wrong, just keep things in perspective and stick to the facts. IMHO you have done a great job with your weight loss. slow down is realistic, and until others walk in your shoes.......well your get the gist. g2s

You hang in there.

You are not supposed to lose your first pound until after you get fills to reach restriction...so you have beaten those odds.

Congrats!

I didn't lose my first pound until 10 weeks after surgery, 2nd fill.

If I were you I would go back for another fill.

I know how you feel. I didn't lose anything for 6 weeks straight. It was HELL! Couple of questions: Are you exercising? If so, how much? Maybe you should increase the time or change the type? What are you eating and how often? I eat 5-6 small meals at regular intervals of 3-4 hours. This is the key to my weight loss. Go online and find out what your BMR or RMR is so you know how many calories your body burns without effort. Then eat around this amount. For instance, my body burns 1600 calories everyday no matter what. I try to eat around 1500 calories a day and then I exercise for an hour or two 6-7 times a week. I strive to burn 1000 calories a day through exercise. So far this has really helped me. I hope some of these tips will help get you started again. Good Luck!

Okay, 30 lbs since November is a great accomplishment. It is frustrating when it stops for a long time...but that will happen all along the way. We would very much like for our bodies to follow a straight line DOWN when we are losing weight...steady 1-2lbs per week. But it doesn't really happen that way. We lose a chunk of weight, then the body settles for a while and tries to hang on to what it still has. After a time (plateaus can last even longer than 8 weeks, I'm afraid) your body will have no choice but to give up a bit more weight. It goes in bumps and starts like that the whole time, at least in my experience.

One thing I notice is that I gain about 3 lbs of Water (sometimes more) the week of my period, and that goes away when it's all over. That can affect what you see on your scale over time.

The best way to get through a plateau, in my experience, is to change something. If you aren't exercising, start. If you are, change it up--do a different cardio exercise or increase the intensity of your workout, or make some sort of change. Your body can get used to doing the same thing over and over. You can increase your Protein, decrease your carbs for a while (but not too much), or change your calories to try to shake things up. Making some kind of change often startles the body into losing again.

I see you are in Portland--are you seeing Dr Emma Patterson? (She's the only female band surgeon I know of in Portland.) If so I'd call her back and explain what is going on to her. She's pretty understanding and I think she would at least see if you might not have gotten that fill, and maybe give you a boost if you need it.

The process can be frustrating! But you are doing awesome. Try not to lose sight of how far you have come and just trust that if you keep doing the right things you will see success. Maybe if you aren't writing down everything you eat, you could do that for a few days and see if there is something that you aren't aware of that is keeping you at this weight. Just a thought.

HTH!

Oooh my gosh. I am so sorry. But - don't give up. I know now is a bad time - but it will get better. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I promise!!!

Please forgive this vent. I don't know where else to go. If you're looking for a feel-good message, skip this post. When I was considering this surgery, I would have avoided a post like this like the plague, and I only ever wanted to post upbeat messages, but this morning I've hit a wall.

I'm back on this board and DEEPLY frustrated. I haven't lost a single pound in 8 weeks. Two weeks ago, I had my third fill and have been keeping my food intake to about 1200 calories a day. Pre-band this would have been IMPOSSIBLE, as I used to eat about 3000 calories per day. So I know I have a minimal restriction, but the "full" feeling I finally get when eating is the most subtle, almost imperceptible feeling you can imagine. I have to convince myself I'm feeling full, because, after all I paid over $20,000 cash to feel full.

I've lost 53 pounds altogether, but frankly, I lost 23 of those pounds in six weeks before my surgery, and 11 pounds in the week after surgery. I'm losing much more slowly SINCE the surgery. Slowly -- hah! that's a laugh, weight loss has ground to a stone-cold halt. These feelings of frustration, helplessness, and despair are exactly the way I felt before the lap band. I never expected that!

I only weigh on Saturday mornings, and I don't know how I can make it through the week feeling this low about not losing any weight.

I probably told at least 50 people about this surgery, and they're all looking at me like I'm a big fat failure -- AGAIN. I keep telling them, "Oh, it's going slow but sure.' NOT....

And my fill doctor can't find my port. I keep telling him where it is, but he goes at it about 2 inches away, and digs and digs around till I almost want to scream -- and I have a high tolerance for pain. I honestly think that this last time, after 30 minutes and going through three needles -- they were BENT when he took them out, he gave up and just SAID he gave me a fill. I feel absolutely NO difference from this fill (am supposed to be at 6ml). Then, my surgeon came in after the fill, said she had reamed the other doctor over the coals for not telling her he was having a problem finding the port, and she said I didn't need to come in for 2 months. Two more months of no weight loss and I'll be beside myself.

Anyway, thanks for listening. If you have anything to share, I'd appreciate it, but BE KIND -- you have no idea how frazzled I am right now.

I dont understand why your port was so hard to find.Mine is behind the largest of the five incisions I have on my stomach.Also my fills are done by the surgeon that put in my band,not some other person.I was banded on Jan 27 and had my first fill on March 4 (2cc in a 14 cc band)the only way i lose weight is to go on full liquids for 4 or 5 days at a time and I'll lose 4 or 5 pounds.I feel no restriction at all.I have lost 40 pounds though from pre-op until now.Go back on April 4 for a second fill.I hope to lose another 10 before then

Do you take your measurements? When I went for my pre-op class, the nurse told us about not losing weight for a while.... However, if you are still losing inches, you are still doing great. You can NOT lose weight but you CAN still lose inches.

So, I say, if you aren't measuring , start! Then keep track of both the weight loss and the inches loss. When both of those stop, that's when you are at a true plateau and should consider changing up your diet.

Hang in there!

my surgeon does my fills at the hospital under an Xray machine so he can actually see what he's doing, no bent needles, my gosh. I've had two fills. I can still eat all the quantity that I want, but the LapBand helps me by feeling like I don't have a bottom-less pit inside of me. I don't have restriction.

Like they say, the LapBand is only a tool, so far for my weight loss, my head has had to do the majority of the work. Don't know how long my head will hold out, I'm a long-time yo-yoer.

I know just how you feel! I had my surgery on Feb. 1 and lost 22 pounds the first month and haven't lost anything since. I am scheduled for my third fill next Friday. I really hope this does it for me, because its getting frustrating! I journal my food, so I know its not because I am eating anything that would slow me down. I suppose I could just go back to liquids, but its hard enough to do that for the two days after my fills! I know - hang in there!

Please forgive this vent. I don't know where else to go. If you're looking for a feel-good message, skip this post. When I was considering this surgery, I would have avoided a post like this like the plague, and I only ever wanted to post upbeat messages, but this morning I've hit a wall.

I'm back on this board and DEEPLY frustrated. I haven't lost a single pound in 8 weeks. Two weeks ago, I had my third fill and have been keeping my food intake to about 1200 calories a day. Pre-band this would have been IMPOSSIBLE, as I used to eat about 3000 calories per day. So I know I have a minimal restriction, but the "full" feeling I finally get when eating is the most subtle, almost imperceptible feeling you can imagine. I have to convince myself I'm feeling full, because, after all I paid over $20,000 cash to feel full.

I've lost 53 pounds altogether, but frankly, I lost 23 of those pounds in six weeks before my surgery, and 11 pounds in the week after surgery. I'm losing much more slowly SINCE the surgery. Slowly -- hah! that's a laugh, weight loss has ground to a stone-cold halt. These feelings of frustration, helplessness, and despair are exactly the way I felt before the lap band. I never expected that!

I only weigh on Saturday mornings, and I don't know how I can make it through the week feeling this low about not losing any weight.

I probably told at least 50 people about this surgery, and they're all looking at me like I'm a big fat failure -- AGAIN. I keep telling them, "Oh, it's going slow but sure.' NOT....

And my fill doctor can't find my port. I keep telling him where it is, but he goes at it about 2 inches away, and digs and digs around till I almost want to scream -- and I have a high tolerance for pain. I honestly think that this last time, after 30 minutes and going through three needles -- they were BENT when he took them out, he gave up and just SAID he gave me a fill. I feel absolutely NO difference from this fill (am supposed to be at 6ml). Then, my surgeon came in after the fill, said she had reamed the other doctor over the coals for not telling her he was having a problem finding the port, and she said I didn't need to come in for 2 months. Two more months of no weight loss and I'll be beside myself.

Anyway, thanks for listening. If you have anything to share, I'd appreciate it, but BE KIND -- you have no idea how frazzled I am right now.

Lindsey..I like you have not seen my scale move much since my surgery (2/2/08) I have had only one fill so far and my next office visit is 17 Apr. After the first month I lost only 1 pound..I just about dropped my jaw to the floor..here I am eating like a bird and not more than a pound came off?? My lapband doctor told me a good rule of thumb is to only eat 1/2 cup of food per meal and only 3 meals per day..ok so I do that and yes the scale is staying steady but I am losing inches. Also, something else..my nutritionist suggested that I drink a Protein drink in between meals if I start feeling hungry..which unfortunately is almost all the time..but they do take the edge off. I use Carnation Instant Breakfast with skim milk. Just kinda keeps my metobolism up a bit! I won't be deterred..I know the lapband sometimes takes a while to really start doing it's magic..but you can hang in there..you're not alone!! I vent on my poor husband and bless his heart..he doesn't understand why the scales don't move because he is very precise and measures out my foods! LOL! :frown: So I think just keep your spirits up and know eventually something has GOT to give!! Just don't let this get you down and vent, vent, vent!! That's part of the reason why I joined this site..to have someone else that knows what I'm going through that understands and to make it tolerable so I don't feel like a loser! HA!:wub: Take it slow and easy and it will start to drop off! Never give up..you went through too much to stop!! :frown: