Hi all, I'd love some advice.

I was banded on 6/30 and have been eating solid foods for about two weeks now. I eat my Protein first, then veggies, and eat around a 1/2 cup per meal 3x's a day with rare Snacks (healthy or low-cal, and only a few times a week). I occassionally eat carbs, but try to not choose empty ones.

My calorie range has been between 600-900, but I've been trying to bump it up because my weight-loss has slowed some.. so now I'm probably eating around 900-1100. I'm rarely hungry and head hunger has been very slight and totally manageable.

I'm supposed to be going in for a fill next Wednesday. I had planned on not having one, because I have decent enough restriction to feel happy with the foods and amount I'm eating -- I mean, isn't eating the way I'm doing already supposed to be the purpose of getting fills?

At this point I've had zero issues with PBing/sliming and have no problem foods. I'd kind of like to keep it that way if I can.

Buuuut: I'm losing fairly slowly. This week I've lost about a pound. Last week was 1 1/2 pounds. The week before that (on purees) I lost just under 2. I'm frustrated that I'm eating correctly and not seeing the weight fall off the way I think it should.

So, I'm not sure if a fill would help things along, or if it's not really necessary since I'm already eating small amounts of 'good' foods with my calories in check. I also love that I can still eat half a piece of wheat toast or protein Pasta or eggs and chicken and not have issues. If I started having a hard time eating most foods, I think the band would be a much harder tool to get used to. But, I want to be losing more than 4 -5 pounds a month too... especially this early into the game.

Advice??

It sounds like you don't need a fill. You wouldn't want to eat any less than you're eating now, and you're not hungry between meals.... assuming you're satisfied at the end of each meal, I'd say that's pretty much right on target! And if so, you're very fortunate. It took me 5 fills to get to that point.

I would say just make sure you keep getting in that many calories. I've stayed at 1200 calories a day all along, I felt like things were moving kind of slowly for awhile but every time I'd go for a fill, my nutritionist would point out that I was actually doing pretty well. And now suddenly in the last 10 days, the weight is falling off of me. (I also increased how much I'm moving, walking, going upstairs, etc. each day since I got a BodyBugg and am able to track how many calories I day I'm using up).

You sound very much like me and to me it sounds like you do not need a fill. You are losing between 1 - 2 pounds per week which is the healthy way of losing. You are not hungry in between meals and you are making good choices when it comes to your foods. If you bump up your calorie intake try to also add a little exercise to the mix. You are doing great so why get a fill when you dont need one...save the room in your band for when you stop having restriction and need a fill or 2 to help you out.

good luck