I had my surgery on feb 1 2008, The only time I seem to lose any pounds is when i get a fill. I am getting very sad, I dont feel like it is working for me . I have lost 23 so far and i am very happy and greatful for it !

I am so tight right I still have a hard time eating , I just dont get it ! :thumbdown:

Well the best thing to do is change something in your routine to shock your body into responding. If you are exercising, then you need to change your routine to include a different type of workout. If you are not exercising then that is the first thing you need to get started. Now I hate exercising, and I understand how difficult it is to get started, but once you tuff out the first couple of weeks, you will find yourself looking forward to it.

Also I know I have found myself in a food routine. Even if that food is overall healthy, I have better weight loss when I switch food routines as well. Switch your source of Protein from chicken to fish, or some other change in routine.

I am sorry it has been hard.

Isn't one thing that makes it hard being too tight? I think you need to be able to get enough food to have the energy to be active. You don't want your body to think it is starving. It will hold on to everything.

There is also an interesting report I read somewhere that shows that the people that have the most success are the ones that are able to eat regular foods - but smaller meals. Although it would feel good to lose rapidly, you really want to aim for a slower, but steady weight loss and overall more healthy lifestyle.

I know right now (about 6-7 weeks after surgery), I have lost only about 5-7 pounds in the last month after losing 20 early on. But I am feeling good about being able to eat most foods (just much smaller portions of them). I am slowing down and really thinking about what I am choosing and eating. Even when I do eat something that is not low fat, I am really enjoying it because I am spending time realizing that I am eating it. And I know that it is a small portion.

I also know that I am eating enough food that will give me the energy I need to keep up with my kids. I have not had any fills (and don't really feel like I need any yet). I really want to stay at a point where I don't feel so restricted that I am getting sick or having PBs - I feel like that would get in the way of running around with my kids and being spontaneous.

I have also found the fear of complications with the band very motivating to being overtight or overating...

I hope you can find some motivation and way to make it work for you. I don't think getting fills is the answer. We have to work with the band - it can't do it for us alone.

If you haven't already, talk to your doctor or nutritionist about what you are eating and how much. Keep a food journal to show them so that they can help you.

I lost all of my weight being what most would consider "VERY loose". In fact after the first fill (which I then had to have removed) I went through the patter of fill/unfill then fill/unfill til I just had the whole fill removed. I completely changed the types of food that I ate and I started working out a lot. Because of that I lost weight steadily. Being too tight forces you to eat high calorie slider foods or even worse...high calorie liquids. My doc highly discourages Protein drinks after your first fill. There are plenty of foods that you can eat that will get you to the amount of protein you need. Make sure you are keeping a journal of what you eat. I found it essential to count calories so that I could be accountable. We WAY underestimate the amount of food that we eat an WAY overestimate the amount of calories that burn. Let's just say a 12 oz steak DOES NOT have 200 calories and walking for an hour DOES NOT burn 500 calories.

One other thing...the band does not work FOR you...you have to work WITH it. So try some of the suggestions before and consider getting a small unfill. Then take the time to think about whether you are hungry or not when you want to eat. Sometimes you have to stand up to yourself and tell yourself NO! Your brain will want to eat even if your stomach is satisfied.

TJHunter is right.. if you are too tight and barely eating your body is going into starvation mode. The band isn't about being too tight.. it's about eating small meals to help you lose and be healthy. TJ's comment about changing routine is also very true. When I eat the same thing every single day I don't lose as much as I do if I change it up a bit... Good luck to you.

Wow

Thank you all so much !! I am going to take all advice to heart and start to listen to my body and start a food journal. Thanks again !

Keep up the great work !

Pipa