PLease Help......... Had op in Nov 08, and haven't lost one pound....... OK I haven't gained any weight, which is good, but I was hoping to lose, should I be able to eat, or am I just not suppose to, should it be the band that stops me, or my will power.............had two fills total, 5cc. this evening I ate baked potato, chicken and veg, maybe 21/2 + cups, and had a drink, cranberry. have I stretched by pouch?? has my band moved, was it ever fitted right??? I should have been able to lose from the start.......shouldn't I?????

HELP.........have I harmed myself, do I have any hope???

waiting in anticipation for advise.

Anna

That sounds like a lot of food for me ..for 1 meal so maybe u just need more fill

Whoa! Slow down. You are fine. No. most people don't lose weight right away. It takes some of us many fills to get to the proper restriction. I had 5. I am practically all the way full. I lost 12lbs right after surgery because I was restricted to clear liquids and all but after that, I didn't lose for a while. My weight loss really didn't start happening til the past few months. Chosing the band meant chosing a slower process. It is not like the bypass. If you read many threads on here, you will soon see that most people struggle at first. It sounds like you just need more fills. You will get there. Just hold on. Read! Read! Read! Read as much on here as possible to educated yourself. I have noticed that everyone has different situations but if you look long enough you find someone on here you can relate to.

Edited February 12, 200917 yr by Kat225

I would def get a fill!! But don't freak out. Even if you're at 5cc. I took me 7.2cc to get good restriction. And once you get it, the band will keep you from overeating. Unless you push it, but that will be painful. Just get a fill and see how you do

You mentioned cranberry juice, are you drinking with your meal? My doctor says that is the key to not wash your food through your band. I am told not to drink 15 min before eating and not until 30 min after I am finished. Are you eating solid foods for the most part rather than liquidish foods? What about junk food like chip? chips go down really easy and pass through the band quick.

Hang in there I am sure things will improve for you

The drinking thing is HUGE for me. If I drink with a meal I can easily put away 2 cups of food because when you drink the fluid mixes with the food in the pouch and makes it mushier and therefore makes it easier for it to pass through the band. My doctor does a 30/60 rule (no drinks 30 minutes before or 60 minutes after) which is incredibly hard to follow but boy does it work!

I think your fine. I could eat that much with my 2nd fill. It was not till my 3rd fill that I really felt restriction. My 3rd fill was my sweet spot, it lasted from Oct till Jan 1st. My 4th fill did not do much at all so went back at the end of Jan for my 5th fill and I am back at restriction. You will know it when it happens, or at least it did for me and I hope it does for you also.

So I agree with Kat, slow down. Don't get so worked up, your fine and you will get there.

Good luck

Anna,

First of all, how big is your band? 5 ccs in a 10cc band is not a lot of restriction. I'm assuming you have a 10cc band.

Secondly, did your doctor put you on any sort of guidelines for your intake? The band is going to help you with portion control so you won't have to rely on your own will power, but it will take willpower to do a couple of things: stick to the program your doctor wants you on, AND follow the band rules.

Are you following the band rules? My doctor says I can't drink until 30 minutes after I eat. This is an easy rule for me to follow because liquid has the opposite effect on me. It doesn't seem to make my food pass through my band any faster, in fact it seems to completely stop me up. I burp and gag and feel disgusting if I have any liquids before or after a meal. And NOW I know that if I need to take any medicines, I had better do it BEFORE I eat. LOL!

I don't know what sort of program your surgeon has you on, but mine recommends that at least 50% of my meal, if not more, come from Protein. He wants me to limit my carbs. The baked potato and the vegetables and the cranberry juice seem like way too many carbs. I have a rule that I ONLY drink juice if I'm sick -- and even then, I drink light cranberry juice. Juice is like drinking pure sugar. Just switch to Water or crystal light. I drink iced tea with sweet n low -- my reward for not having diet coke in an entire year! yay!

If you just ate the meat and the vegetable without the potato or the juice, you'd be losing weight. And when you get to proper restriction, your band will tell you (quite quickly) when to stop eating.

You say that you are desperate. I was desperate, too. That's why I made the decision to start and stick with a program even before I got to proper restriction. It REALLY made a difference for me mentally. The weight loss started quickly and continued to fall off of me from the day I started my pre-op diet. But it was MY decision to not wait until I got restriction. Like I said, I was desperate.

Does your surgeon offer any nutrition classes or any suggestions with what to eat to help you lose weight? You should probably look into something like that. It can't hurt.

Best wishes!

are you getting any exercise ? they go hand in hand with have WLS, you have to get your body moving to burn off fat and then with your limited intake of food, your body starts burning off the stored fat and you start losing, also a pitfal most people fall into is the scale, as you lose fat but build muscle ( from exercising ) you trade fat weight for muscle weight which is a good thing, you should be doing something cardio at the very least every other day for 30minutes at a time... the band is just a tool to HELP US lose weight and get healthy the other 90% is up to you... but you can do it !

My doctor's office stresses following "the rules of the tool". As other posters have stated, the band is a tool in our weight loss journey. Some of the rules or guidelines include omitting liquids with meals. Another rule is that we should eat 1/2 cup of food by volume not by weight where 75% is lean Protein and 25% is carbohydrate/fiber. You may need a fill but you may also want to take your food diary to the nutritionist at your doctor's office. Let the doctor's staff assist you with ensuring you are making good food choices and are working successfully with your band.

Best wishes to you along this journey.

Follow the band rules. No drinking with meals, usually 1/2 hour before and up to an hour after. Protein first, then vegetables, then if you still have room, a VERY small amount of carbs. No soda. Avoid chocolate, ice cream, chips, crackers, high calorie liquids including juice and white carbs of most any kind including rice, mashed potatoes, cake, Cookies. Exercise daily or at least five times a week. Keep your calories under 1500 per day.

It will be easier once you get restriction but it still won't be easy. A lot of the good choices you need to make can be practiced now before the band is tight. 5 cc is not much. You probably need another fill and to slow down, start coaching yourself to stop eating when you are no longer hungry, NOT when you are full or stuffed. Learning to tell the difference is half the battle. The band was never intended to be a physical block to eating. It is intended to give early and prolonged satiety from a smaller portion of food. There is a difference between the two. Its hard but keep in mind that "satiety" is not another word for "full" or "stuff". It simply means "enough".

If you are honestly already doing all of this and STILL not losing anything, you need to see a doctor to find out why your body is not working the way a healthy body does. PCOS, diabetes and thyroid problems are all common barriers to weight loss. If you do not have one of those and you are still not losing, look hard at what you are (or are not) doing.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Edited February 13, 200917 yr by gentylwind

Based on what you posted..the things I would change if I were you are:

1) eat more Protein, cut the out the baked potato and continue to eat your veges.

2) Do not drink fluids when eating and since you have not lost anything, you should wait at least 45 minutes before drinking anything.

3) Make a list of all your slider foods and calorie rich items you are consuming and get rid of 'em. If you don't know what 'sliders' are you..search the forum. They are real sabotagers!

4) Are you moving? Exercising?

5) And yes, you have to work the band. It is a tool, but won't make you lose weight without your committment.

6) Ask your doc, if he thinks a fill would be a good thing for you.

Good Luck!