Hey guys. I am trying to gauge what to expect right now. I had surgery on February 13th. At the time, they put in 3 cc's of fluid into the band. A week after the surgery I was having really bad shoulder pain so they took the fluid out. I was on fluids for the first two weeks and never really felt any restriction even before they removed the fluid. They advanced me to mushies now. I'm getting in between 600-800 calories per day. I lost good my first two weeks (19lbs). It's been almost a week and the scale just isn't moving. I don't understand why with such limited calorie intake. I'm afraid that even when I get my first fill (two weeks from now) that I'm still not going to lose b/ca they are only going to put in the 3 cc's they took out. I'm not hungry so that's good. But why am I not losing? Will it just start dropping off all of a sudden? Anything you can share is appreciated.

The nutritionist that I worked with recommended that I don't pay soo much attention to the calories, but rather make sure that I maximize my protein and keep my carbs below 100 grams a day. That seemed to work well for me. Initially my band was empty for the first 6 weeks and I lost 40 lbs. before my first fill.

During the mushy phase, my regular day was:

8 am bottle of sugar free carnation instant breakfast

10 am single serving low fat cottage cheese

1 pm Sloppy Joe hamburger/sauce mix (the meat is

gound fine enough that it went down easy)

4 pm 3 oz Protein Drink (New Whey-fruit punch) - these

are sold at GNC and have 64 grams of protein in

only 3 oz.

7pm 1/2 can cream of Campbell's chicken & mushroom

soup.

**

if I was up late and craving sweets, I would have sugar free Jello Chocolate Pudding with a little whipped cream.

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this "diet" seemed to work well for me. The items all have a good amount of Protein, and low carbs, and kept me full.

Next month is my 1 yr anniversary and I have lost 90 pounds so far.

Don't get discouraged, it's a slow process. Right now my band is at 9 cc's, and that seems to be my sweet spot.

Good Luck!!

I had my operation 1/8/9 and did not have any fill at operation. During the pre and post-op diet I lost around 30 pounds (I was starting around 380). After a few weeks and was back on regular food and I begin to regain a full apatite. I have had no restriction at all. I received my first fill on 2/20/9, 6 weeks post-op. I was on liquids for a few days but did not feel any restriction. When I went back on food, again no restriction. I received 3 cc at first fill. I called doctor and they said I had to wait two weeks before next fill so I hope to go in this Friday for more. I am working out hard and doing fairly well, but weekends come and eat and drink way too much. I have lost over 100 pounds on my own before but have regained, so now I am really hopping this band is going to be a productive partner in this effort. At the end of the day it is calories in minus burn, but would be nice to have some help. Good luck!