I just got my first fill bill....Without insurance $1700, with insurance (what I have to pay $177) ok I've had 2 fills...that's $354 and not counting what I lost when I was on the liquid diet, just counting the pounds the band has "helped" me lose...2 lbs. I'm 19 years old...it shouldn't be this difficult. I walk for my job...8 hours of walking, standing on my feet, climbing stairs. During the week I clean my apartment, walk a mile across campus to my class. I have for the most part cut out bread. If I eat "Fast food" I get the chicken nuggets. Lowest in calories, highest in protein. No fries or anything bready. My calories per day are between 800-1200. Even the days I "gorge" I never get above 1200...I'm depressed, this was a horrible mistake. I knew it wouldn't work for me...

Did I mention I haven't lost a thing and my band is already at 8cc in a 10cc....?

yeah you're telling me. They barely do anything. And I'm pissed. Maybe it's my surgeon's way of being a d**k. lol Cuz he even tried to get me to get the bypass and he says he prefers it(well no kidding, get paid twice as much, see the patients once and then no more work for him).

Btw, if I have lunch I'll get the kid's 4 piece chicken nugget (190 calories). I can still eat a whole can of green Beans on top of a salad. I don't eat bread. I'm aware of how many calories are in things, I look it up religiously. A 4 oz, roasted, skinless chicken breast is 140 calories...so it's not that dramatically over. I dont' use dipping sauces either.

And yeah you did kind of sound snarky, because you assumed I was an idiot. I was fully aware of fills, how they worked, etc. Even now, I've read about other people with the VG band and it takes them awhile for restriction but it's usually at 4-6 cc's...I'm currently at 8cc and it was the first time I felt slight restriction. So I'm not a very normal case. And no he didn't mention the prices...because again from what I've heard, my doctor charges a hell of a lot. And why would he scare off people from trying to give him money? hmmmm, it's a hospital people...a business not a charity. I expect them to be jerks.

Just something small I learned from reading diet books, a calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie, they are not all the same. Someone who reacts to carbs or sugars and their insulin levels spike can gain up to 300% more than someone who is of a normal weight who isnt subject to insulin spikes. i.e. that 200 calorie candy bar, or mashed potatoes that spike your blood sugar, that skinny gal she only gets 200 calories when she eats it. If you are like me that same 200 calories can hit you with as much as 600 calories because your body stores the insulin your body produced as fat. The fact that you are so much younger, this may not be hitting you as hard as it hits me. Something to think about.

the idea behind low gi dieting is to eat foods that dont spike your blood sugar. Its been proven you can eat more calories a day and lose faster than either doing low fat or low calorie diets. You can easily lose on 1200 to 1500 calories a day if they are low gi foods. Whole wheat, whole grains on Cereal, rice or noodles if you have them at in small quantities.

You dont have to eat the way Im trying to eat, Im much older and its harder for me to lose than most people, so I have to eat this way to lose, but it doesnt hurt to understand how food works in the body, knowledge is power.

Blackcherry2002,

No one is assuming you are an idiot. People here are reacting to your post only to help you. Some people go into this process asking a million questions and know how much their surgery is, how much their fills are, how much their insurance is covering, the foods they are suppose to/not suppose to eat, etc. Others go into the surgery not knowing many details. Some of it is lack of info provided by the surgeon and some is the patient not asking enough questions, but usually it's somewhere in between. We all want to help each other and sometimes that means giving constructive criticism. You asked for help so people are just curious as to what your habits are, so we can help give alternative options. The choice's you're making may not be the best for you. You've gone down two dress sizes which is awesome, so you're accomplishing something. This is a slow process and it didn't take you 3 months to put on the weight, so give your body time to adjust to this change you've made. I am young like you, 24, and I think sometimes for us younger gals we get anxious and are in a hurry a bit more. Think about this - the slower the better. We don't want old saggy grandma arms if we can help it! :redface: You'll do fine, just listen to the people here and listen to your body. If it weren't for this forum, I probably would have already been committed!

I just got my first fill bill....Without insurance $1700, with insurance (what I have to pay $177) ok I've had 2 fills...that's $354 and not counting what I lost when I was on the liquid diet, just counting the pounds the band has "helped" me lose...2 lbs. I'm 19 years old...it shouldn't be this difficult. I walk for my job...8 hours of walking, standing on my feet, climbing stairs. During the week I clean my apartment, walk a mile across campus to my class. I have for the most part cut out bread. If I eat "Fast food" I get the chicken nuggets. Lowest in calories, highest in Protein. No fries or anything bready. My calories per day are between 800-1200. Even the days I "gorge" I never get above 1200...I'm depressed, this was a horrible mistake. I knew it wouldn't work for me...

Did I mention I haven't lost a thing and my band is already at 8cc in a 10cc....?

Hi, I see a few things to comment on that may give you some insight... I don't see you mention that you exercise, I see where you are trying to count you daily activity as your exercise. However, I was told this activity is what your body is used to doing and it doesn't count as exercise. I am a nurse on my feet 12 hour shifts and I don't count that as exercise, obviously I have gained weight despite being on my feet for 12 hours over the years.

Next, what are you eating?? instead of chicken nuggets... my choices are Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich off of the bun with a side salad and fat free dressing, Subway salad with any chicken or turkey on top is also filling. Applebee's weightwatcher menu works good too for best choices. I use the Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate to journal all food and exercise and use it to look up restaurants and look at what the protein and calories are before I go so I have a plan.

You can do this, change your attitude to a more positive by saying " I can do this and I am doing this"!!! Get yourself on an exercise program and stick to it. Make better food choices... and you'll be back on your way!!!!!

How about using the gym at your school, if there is one.

I think the root of your frustration/anxiety might be from having a limited amount of income to last you 3 months (starving college student I totally understand that!) which compounded your expectations of the weight loss you wanted.

Being a slow loser is frustrating but you will find a sweet spot. It has been 6 months and 4 fills for me and I still haven't found it but from reading the forums and getting a better understanding of what my band and body are doing I have a better understanding that my body is adjusting in its own way and I have to let it do its thing.

My suggestions:

Mix in as much Protein as you can into your meals. Protein is good for you, you should be getting at least 60g of protein per day from your food choices. Protein makes you feel fuller longer and helps your body process the foods you eat. When you are reading your labels also check the protein content and figure out how much your taking in. Then add some protein to your meals. For instance dry milk is packed with protein and is tasteless (at least I think so) when cooked in food.

So for Breakfast you might make a mixed berry smoothie with Yogurt, Frozen Mixed fruits (or a fruit of your choice), Milk and about 3 tablespoons of dry powder milk for that extra punch of protein. You can also mix a tablespoon of the dry milk into your scrambled egg before cooking it add a little bit of shredded cheese to those eggs and that is even more protein. You can mix it into just about anything! Make Carnation Instant Breakfast with reduced fat milk and add a tablespoon or 2 of the dry milk that is a huge protein punch that will really jump start your metabolism into a great burning day.

For lunch I suggest Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers or Healthy Choice frozen Entrees (quick easy low fat low calorie but lots of extra sodium eck that parts not as good) with fresh fruit or veggies with ranch dip. (Again if you make your own ranch dip mix in that dry milk for double the protein!) Another excellent source of protein is tuna or canned chicken salad (add the dry milk for a punch of protein).

For dinner anything baked is a good choice as well as low sugar vegetables like green Beans, asparagus, salad, and cole slaw. Baked potatoes are also excellent sources of Vitamins and protein just be smart about what you put on it. Try and avoid high sugar vegetables like corn but if you want it.. eat it!

Also you should always be taking a Multivitamin everyday, and make sure you take at least 30 minutes to begin and finish a meal. As someone else said you need to eat till your no longer hungry not just "full". You can also eat nice healthy Snacks between meals to keep your body in a constant state of metabolism.

Lastly you always need to eat at least 1200 calories and of course its better to eat good calories and not bad ones. But if you dont eat at least 1200 calories everything you eat is simply being stored as fat because your brain puts your body in starvation mode.

And FINALLY.. I know right shut up already! Make sure you are drinking 64 oz of Water a day. At first you will be forcing yourself to always have water on hand drinking it but then soon you will crave it and not even notice that you are drinking it.

Ok Im done I pass the soap box to someone else. :redface:

funny thing is, I'm getting charged a gym fee but they are in the process of building it. Won't be done for another few months.

And unfortunately, I've been heavy my whole life. Not extremely but always a good 40-50 lbs overweight. Well my senior year of high school, I went gained about an extra 85 lbs in 4-5 months. I don't know how or why. Although I did find out my throid was messed up go figure...But I did gain weight pretty rapidly so I probably will have saggy skin, I already have a ton of stretchmarks everywhere. So I'm not expecting to get to goal weight in a month or anything, but I was kind of hoping these first few months I'd see some decent weightloss maybe 20 lbs-ish, and then it would slow down. I have dropped down to 236 now, I was just stuck at 240 for 2 months....:redface:

I'm looking at your stats. You didn't get a fill until August 21, 2008. That's just about 6 weeks ago, and it's showing that you have lost 29 pounds. Most people don't lose much until thier first fill. I think you have done a phenominal job!! Don't beat yourself up. this is a process that takes patience and committment. Personally, I think your doctor filled you up a bit to fast..... 8 CCs since July? that's a lot. I think you may be one of those people that has a delayed reaction on restriction. Be patient. At that rate of fill, you're bound to feel it eventually. Don't give up, and THINK POSITIVE. Meet with a nutritionist. I think if you evaluate your food choices, you will see that there are better options. Be sure you are drinking enough water. I think you're doing great. Just don't listen to that negative head talk.

I just wanted to make a suggestion. I know that you said you stand all day, and walk across a campus but maybe you need to add to that and do some different exercise. They say that your body gets used to the same exercise after a while. Maybe you could fit an extra 1/2 of cardio in somewhere. Hang in there.

8cc's in a 10 cc band and you don't feel restriction? I would ask for an upper GI test to check the band and see how liquids flow through.

8cc's is a lot to have put in your band in such a short time, it took months before I reached that level and I believe ending up with a lot of fill in my band was partly the reason my band had to be removed.

In the end I was sorry that I did not insist on more testing sooner to find out why I needed so much fill.

Does your Dr. withdraw all the Fluid to check for leaks and to be sure they didn't miss the port with the fill?

Your ins. should cover an x-ray and an upper GI and even an endoscopy if one is needed.

I also would have some blood work done about this thyroid problem you briefly mentioned.

And I agree with some of the other posters, you might need to consume a few more calories, not less ( assuming the band and thyroid are not the problem). If you have an active lifestyle, you should be eating more than 800 to 1000 calories. I found that mixing the calories up helped my body. Some lower calorie days and an occasional spluge day ( to 1500 calories) seemes to "confuse" my body on how much food to expect.

But to lose 29 pounds since your surgery is not bad at all.

Your "copay" for the fill is ridulous!

No kidding! and I thought I had good insurance, I mean I only pay $3 for generic prescriptions and $9 for name-brand but then I get screwed when I need a dinky needle of saline, go figure. It's been two weeks since my 2nd fill, and I do feel some restriction I just...wish there were more.However I felt very little restriction with 5cc's. I have a question....how many of you have had weird size issues? For instance I was a 13/14 when I was 165lbs...but I'm at 238ish right now and in an 18 and it's starting to get loose...so I'm wondering if when I hit 165 again I won't end up being smaller than a 13/14...Do you get what I'm saying? lol I'm not being very clear...

At least you got 2 or 3 cc's at each fill. My copays were smaller but then I would only get 1 cc or .5 cc's so I needed more visits ( either way we pay, right?)

Sounds like you if you have some restrcition now, you'll start to lose but don't expect fast results or you'll just be disappointed. As long as the scale goes down ( not up) and goes down consistently, one day you'll wake to find yourself close to goal.

Sizes are a funny thing because it can matter where you might retain some of the fat and where you lose it. I can't get rid of my belly fat, so I need to wear a size larger to accomodate that because my legs will fit into a smaller size.

It's hard when you're young to be patient sometimes, but the lap band process can be slow.

Remember almost 30 pounds is gone. Try to find something that weighs 30 pounds and hold it for a few minutes, you'll see how much that is!

I too was wondering, along the lines of what shortgal mentioned---with the testing.

When your Dr. does your fills, does he pull out the Fluid already in there and then add to it? Are the fills done under fluoro? I think I too would ask for an upper GI to assure myself I did not have a small leak. If you do, the omnipaque might be enough to fix it!

Upping the exercise or changing it up is always a good thing, as is watching the food we intake-----but when that is not working, it might be time to look inside, and make sure that you really do have that level of fill. Yours would not be the first band to have a leak, or to be the first fill that missed the mark!

Hang in there....I know my SIL and I were banded together, and she took forever it seemed to begin to lose, but when she finally got to that point, she lost quickly, passing me up and reaching goal, long before I did!! You just never know how these fickle bands are going to react....or when. But when they get to the point they are doing their job, they cannot be beat!!!!

Kat

Hi Cherry,

I KNOW, I felt EXACTLY the same way! I stopped even coming to this site because I was so discouraged. It was depressing to see all of these people who had their surgeries later than I did, losing like crazy!

I lost the initial 10, then after surgery I actually gained a couple of pounds. I didn't get any restriction from my first 2 fills. I felt like such a failure! The third fill was the one that did the trick. I had my surgery in April and finally got restriction in August!

When I went through the classes, they briefly touched on the fact that it could take a little while to get restriction. I think that they should have focused on that much more. After reading and reading on this site and others, I found out that MOST others experience the same thing to varying degrees.

My doctor says that over a period of a year or a little bit more, I will likely have the same weight loss as a gastric bypass patient. It's just that the lap band starts off slower. But, we all end up in the same place! :wub:

Good luck!