Let me start off by saying how frustrated I am. Today is my one month bandaversary, and so far I have lost 30 lbs. This is great- I know, and I am very excited about it. However, I have been dieting. I am very careful about what I eat, and for the most part, am not starving (much) anymore. I consume 800-1100 cals a day (I change it up to keep the body guessing- thanks Bam) and for the two weeks have been on a rollercoaster. Down 29, up 1, up 2, up 3, down 1, up 1, down 2, same, same, down one, same, same, up, down, you get the picture. I am working my ASS off, and my question is, how am I going to lose weight with my fills if I am eating the same now as I will then? In fact, I am forcing myself to eat more than I am hungry for now just to get in enough calories for the day. Someone guide me through this with some "I was the same way" encouragement. Tell me what you did to get past this, and how later will be different:scared2:

Sorry I also was going to ask, I know you are tracking your food, are you getting enough protien. Also are you getting enough calories. They say if you dont get 1200 calories and 1500 if exercising that your body will hold on to the foods you are eating. Try also changing your food up.

Congrats on the weight lose....30 lbs is amazing!!! One thing I did notice reading your posts, is that fact you say you gained pounds. I know you are not gaining 1,2 or 3 lbs on a 800-1200 cal diet. Your body is just adjusting its fluid intake, probably holding on for various reasons. If you take in 1200 calories and the next day you are up 3 lbs it has nothing to do with the 1200 cals.....it takes 3500 to gain a true pound. Just try to remember that, instead being upset the scale went up. I use to weigh myself everyday....now I am only allowed on the scale on Sunday. I'm so bad about over weighing myself, I don't trust having my scale in my house. You might laugh, I know I do.....but my husband takes the scale and puts it in the shed in a locked storage box that I don't have a key after I weigh in on Sunday. He use to hide it throughout the house but I would spend hours looking for it...lol Sad I know!

Wow is all I can say to you! You give me some encouragement! You have been amazing!!

I'm with you, I was banded on 9/29/08 and seem to be bouncing back and forth between the same two pounds for the past three weeks now. I have lost 60 pounds and not gained any so I am not "freaking" out too much, just a little.

One of the things that I have started doing and that seems to help is getting in at least 36 to 48 ounces of Water in each day. Last week I did that and showed a loss. The more you drink the less you retain. I also find that if I drink my water, I feel full longer.

Hang in there. It will take a while but unlike all the other diets we have all tried, you wont fail at this one.

ALS, you are getting very good advice on this thread! I know how hard it is to be patient - I should know, I'm a very impatient person, LOL - especially when it comes to completing a task. But you must keep telling yourself that this is a JOURNEY not a TASK. Things that happen too quickly are not good!

Most all of us are in - or have been in - your position. It's hard to focus on what you've accomplished (and what you've accomplished is fantastic!) because you'd rather focus on what's left to be done. This is a bad habit I fight all the time.

It's sounds to me like you're doing everything you should be. Just hang tough and let yourself heal. When the doc gives you the OK - crank up the exercise. At that point it wouldn't hurt to review your calorie intake for a bit of an upward adjustment. Until then - keep on keeping on. Be certain you drink enough pure Water a day. On higher calorie days, try to get a higher percentage from solid Protein - and keep the simple carbs to a miminum.

As for fills, only use them to control hunger. The band controls the hunger while exercise burns the fat off.

Brad

I was released to work with no restrictions exactly 3 weeks after surgery. I feel great, feel like I can do whatever I want and I assume since he told me I can go back with no restrictions that I can do whatever workouts don't hurt me. I work in a factory so I do some heavy lifting also. The biggest problem is the eating. I feel like I eat, no, let me rephrase that, I know I am eating much more than I am suppose to eat at this stage and this really bothers me. I am 4 weeks post now and I am down 20lbs but I am just always hungry. Get that first fill next week so hopefully that will get me in line.

I was released to work with no restrictions exactly 3 weeks after surgery. I feel great, feel like I can do whatever I want and I assume since he told me I can go back with no restrictions that I can do whatever workouts don't hurt me. I work in a factory so I do some heavy lifting also. The biggest problem is the eating. I feel like I eat, no, let me rephrase that, I know I am eating much more than I am suppose to eat at this stage and this really bothers me. I am 4 weeks post now and I am down 20lbs but I am just always hungry. Get that first fill next week so hopefully that will get me in line.

You have entered "Bandster Hell." The restriction you were enjoying was from the surgery trauma. But once that subsided, you physically can eat nearly the same amount/variety as you could pre op. The primary focus during this period is healing. Weight loss is still achievable for many, but requires a great deal of discipline and focus. Most people consider any weight loss during this time frame to be a bonus, because the focus doesn't shift to weight loss until after the fills begin. Even then, the number of fills required to achieve satisfactory restriction varies from person to person. Very few achieve this in the first or second fill.

Good luck and stay focused!

Brad

You are right Bam, I AM getting really good advice/support from this thread. What a great group of encouraging people. I am still on my plateau, but for some reason have stopped caring. I am just too busy! I have SO much to do this time of year. It is IEP hell time(I have like 10 due in the next few weeks!!), semester grades, goal and objective reports, papers to grade, ARG!!!!!

I have taken your advice and just learned to relax. I am only worried because for some reason I can eat more than I used to. This caused a problem, because I was starving and ate to fast and had "the pain." My mouth was watering and I thought I might urp- but it passed in about 5 minutes. I was lucky I guess. That is what sucks about having 20-25 minutes to eat eraser sized bites of my 1/2 cup of refried Beans and steamed veggies.

I quit counting calories for a while. I mean, I eat the same darn things almost every day and know what is in them. I have been eating closer to 1200 cals, but it is not moving the scale. I am getting 60-80 grams of Protein also, so I am good there. I could probably drink more Water, but I can't leave my classroom because my students are real yahoos, and will probably do something very naughty if I am not in the room. So I drink a lot (of water) when I get home.

Thanks again for all of your support- you guys and gals are great!!!!!

Let me start off by saying how frustrated I am. Today is my one month bandaversary, and so far I have lost 30 lbs. This is great- I know, and I am very excited about it. However, I have been dieting. I am very careful about what I eat, and for the most part, am not starving (much) anymore. I consume 800-1100 cals a day (I change it up to keep the body guessing- thanks Bam) and for the two weeks have been on a rollercoaster. Down 29, up 1, up 2, up 3, down 1, up 1, down 2, same, same, down one, same, same, up, down, you get the picture. I am working my ASS off, and my question is, how am I going to lose weight with my fills if I am eating the same now as I will then? In fact, I am forcing myself to eat more than I am hungry for now just to get in enough calories for day. Someone guide me through this with some "I was the same way" encouragement. Tell me what you did to get past this, and how later will be different:scared2:

Wow, I think I posted this same post..lol

First off let me start off by saying CONGRAT ON 30LBS..That is GREAT!.. Before I had my first fill, I did not loose NOTHING for 3 weeks and I was very frustrated. I thought ok I need a fill. I got my first fill and for the first four days it was great and then I felt like I have never had a fill. I could eat ANYTHING! I was not eating as much as I use to, but anything I put in my mouth I could eat. So two weeks later, I get my second fill. In those two weeks I had lost 3 lbs, which is good. In my mind I thought it was bad and what I was eating was WAY to much. I had to stop and think thqt what I was eating was really not that much compared to what I use to eat. I think we all have it in our minds that we are only suppose to eat two bits and be full. I have GREAT restriction now, but on the flip side of things I have to really work hard to get my 1200 calories a day. I have learned that this is a tool that you have to work with. I now can not eat eggs, chicken, pretty much have problems with anything solid. I have to chew chew chew and eat VERY slow. I get that "stuck" feeling very easy. I think somtime that I would rather have to have the "Self Control" rather that the "stuck" feeling after eating a couple of bits. I have learned that with anything in life, this takes WORK and good choices. Again 30 lbs is GREAT! Keep up the good work.

Wow, I think I posted this same post..lol

First off let me start off by saying CONGRAT ON 30LBS..That is GREAT!.. Before I had my first fill, I did not loose NOTHING for 3 weeks and I was very frustrated. I thought ok I need a fill. I got my first fill and for the first four days it was great and then I felt like I have never had a fill. I could eat ANYTHING! I was not eating as much as I use to, but anything I put in my mouth I could eat. So two weeks later, I get my second fill. In those two weeks I had lost 3 lbs, which is good. In my mind I thought it was bad and what I was eating was WAY to much. I had to stop and think thqt what I was eating was really not that much compared to what I use to eat. I think we all have it in our minds that we are only suppose to eat two bits and be full. I have GREAT restriction now, but on the flip side of things I have to really work hard to get my 1200 calories a day. I have learned that this is a tool that you have to work with. I now can not eat eggs, chicken, pretty much have problems with anything solid. I have to chew chew chew and eat VERY slow. I get that "stuck" feeling very easy. I think somtime that I would rather have to have the "Self Control" rather that the "stuck" feeling after eating a couple of bits. I have learned that with anything in life, this takes WORK and good choices. Again 30 lbs is GREAT! Keep up the good work.

You should be able to eat most solid foods without being stuck. If you can't soon, you should go get a bit removed or it will probably hurt your weight loss as it is eating the solid Protein that helps us lose faster (so they tell me!!).

I think I just need to stay off the scale and not weigh more than once a week or even two weeks. After the first 2 months, we are not going to lose at a fast rate. Most of us will average 1-2 pounds a week, and if we are weighing every single day that can be discouraging because it takes awhile to show up!!

I'm frustrated, I was banded a year ago, I did really well and then around October I caught a stomach bug, and they took all fluid out, then a week later added fluid back, I keep feeling hungry, yes physical hunger pains, it seems when I get a fill, it would work, and then 2 weeks later, I would feel unrestricted again. I love my lapband and until now had done really well with it. They are thinking when I got a fill, something in the tubing may have gotten punctured. Now discussing with my doctor, they are talking about perhaps removing the band all together, and doing the sleeve. Has anyone else been thru this and did you overcome it and start losing again, without having a different surgery?