I got banded at the end of Feb. My first two fills didn't work at all because the nurse was a nitwit and didn't even get the saline in the band.

So....I've had five fills total, but since two of them didn't work at all (and the doctor totally recognizes/admits this) I've really only had 3 fills.

First "real" fill was in May for 3 ccs. I felt nothing at all.

Second "real" fill was in May again for 1.5 ccs and again I felt nothing at all.

Last "real" fill was in early June for .75ccs and that one worked. I FINALLY feel restriction!

I have a total of 5.3 ccs currently

I haven't lost a single pound.

So I finally feel restriction which is good. On the other hand, I never had a problem with watching what I eat and restricting my food on my own.

I eat very healthfully. I track ever morsel of food and drink I put in my body. I eat plenty of protein, lots of veggies. I watch my calorie intake.

I exercise too. I go to the gym for cardio and strength training. I rollerblade at lunchtime. I hike, mountain climb, canoe, walk with my girlfriends, bicycle after work, etc.

I tried for YEARS to lose weight the healthy way before lapband surgery. Calories in vs. Calories out. Watch what you eat, exercise, get the right amount of weight training vs. cardio. I've been to nutritionists and dieticians. I was unable to lose weight. Instead the weight just kept piling on.

So I turned to the lapband, and now I'm four months into the band and I haven't lost a single pound. WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH THAT?

I feel like a rotten failure. And now I wonder why I got the lapband because now I have to deal with food getting stuck...gassy all the time, etc.

The only think I can think of that might be stopping weight loss is this (WARNING GROSS CONVERSATION AHEAD)

A lot of time, maybe 3 times a week, my food goes "out" completely undigested. It looks the same getting pooped out as it did going in. I can EASILY identify...yup, there's lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion. It's not digested at all. This doesn't happen every time I poo, but it happens several times a week.

If my body isn't digesting the food, maybe it's in "starvation mode" and thinking that I'm not eating at all?

What could be causing my food to be completely undigested? I didn't have gastric bypass, so all my food is going through my stomach and intestines like it should be.

Is this a common side effect of lapbanders?

Ack, help. I am really bummed over this lack of weight loss.

Since you always had good portion control (which is the point of the band) I'm shocked the doctor didn't steer you in a different direction than the band...since it's just one option for weight loss.

However...this sounds like something you should discuss with the nutritionist. Do a food diary and s/he should be able to help you, and can refer you for tests if your bowel issues strike him/her as odd.

Good luck!

Wow. I thought I was the only one! I am 5 months post op and I haven't lost one single pound! I've had 3 fills total so far. The first two, I was still able to eat just as I did before with no problems. This last fill was pretty aggressive. I'm at 6.5cc of a 10cc band and now, I can only eat soft foods. If I try to eat something dense, it gets stuck immediately unless I chew it into liquid form which only makes my jaw hurt and I get sick of eating. It takes me 30 min to eat half a burger.

Is this what we're supposed to be doing to lose weight? I've never met anyone else who hasn't lost weight, only had minimal weight loss in their eyes, but to me it's significant weight loss.

At 5 months post op, I really thought I'd be 25lbs lighter. I thought 5lbs a month was a realistic goal since I take medications and have health problems. But no. I was 217 the morning they rolled me back for surgery and I am 217 right now. And, I'm so depressed. Even more so than usual. It would be nice to have a lap band buddy to talk to. Especially since we are experiencing the same things. Feel free to email me at buffyclary@yahoo.com.

I got banded at the end of Feb. My first two fills didn't work at all because the nurse was a nitwit and didn't even get the saline in the band.

So....I've had five fills total, but since two of them didn't work at all (and the doctor totally recognizes/admits this) I've really only had 3 fills.

First "real" fill was in May for 3 ccs. I felt nothing at all.

Second "real" fill was in May again for 1.5 ccs and again I felt nothing at all.

Last "real" fill was in early June for .75ccs and that one worked. I FINALLY feel restriction!

I have a total of 5.3 ccs currently

I haven't lost a single pound.

So I finally feel restriction which is good. On the other hand, I never had a problem with watching what I eat and restricting my food on my own.

I eat very healthfully. I track ever morsel of food and drink I put in my body. I eat plenty of Protein, lots of veggies. I watch my calorie intake.

I exercise too. I go to the gym for cardio and strength training. I rollerblade at lunchtime. I hike, mountain climb, canoe, walk with my girlfriends, bicycle after work, etc.

I tried for YEARS to lose weight the healthy way before lapband surgery. Calories in vs. Calories out. Watch what you eat, exercise, get the right amount of weight training vs. cardio. I've been to nutritionists and dieticians. I was unable to lose weight. Instead the weight just kept piling on.

So I turned to the lapband, and now I'm four months into the band and I haven't lost a single pound. WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH THAT?

I feel like a rotten failure. And now I wonder why I got the lapband because now I have to deal with food getting stuck...gassy all the time, etc.

The only think I can think of that might be stopping weight loss is this (WARNING GROSS CONVERSATION AHEAD)

A lot of time, maybe 3 times a week, my food goes "out" completely undigested. It looks the same getting pooped out as it did going in. I can EASILY identify...yup, there's lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion. It's not digested at all. This doesn't happen every time I poo, but it happens several times a week.

If my body isn't digesting the food, maybe it's in "starvation mode" and thinking that I'm not eating at all?

What could be causing my food to be completely undigested? I didn't have gastric bypass, so all my food is going through my stomach and intestines like it should be.

Is this a common side effect of lapbanders?

Ack, help. I am really bummed over this lack of weight loss.

Have you talked to the nutritionist, i would think they would want to see exactly what you are eating and maybe tweak it a bit.

Wow, I hear you, I need a lapband buddy also lol. I am so depressed I went through the surgery 1 year ago as of October 18th and guess what I lost 2 pounds right after the surgery, but since then I have not lost a pound, not 1 pound I have actually gained weight. I think I am going to be the first person in lapband history who couldn't lose weight, I totally feel like a loser. I have had a songram, to make sure my band is on properly and there was no problem no leakage, its working properly. I have had it too tight were I couldn't even swallow liquids without throwing up, so I was like ok maybe this is good, maybe it will start working, now things get stuck sometimes, however I can still eat more than I should. I honestly don't understand why it's not working I am so disapointed and emarrased, I too have health problems and I can't exercise much so i didn't expect to lose as fast as most but not to lose anything WTH?

A friend of a friend got the surgery 3 months ago and already lost 60ibs. What is wrong with me? i am so glad i found someone in the same situation, what do we do? I have scars, throw up sometimes and the fear of the band slipping or coroading since it's been 1 year now and I did not get any weight loss. Oh and I am @ 7.5cc as of Sept 23rd because on my last apt. Oct 26th the Doc said it was too tight since I threw up several times, so he did not want to tighten it anymore for now. I am half way as far as i can go i believe I can only go up to 14cc's.The doc tells me to be patient everyones different, come on its been 1 year now what the hell is going on?

Sincerely,

Your new Lapband Buddy,

T.Bonz

Wow. I thought I was the only one! I am 5 months post op and I haven't lost one single pound! I've had 3 fills total so far. The first two, I was still able to eat just as I did before with no problems. This last fill was pretty aggressive. I'm at 6.5cc of a 10cc band and now, I can only eat soft foods. If I try to eat something dense, it gets stuck immediately unless I chew it into liquid form which only makes my jaw hurt and I get sick of eating. It takes me 30 min to eat half a burger.

Is this what we're supposed to be doing to lose weight? I've never met anyone else who hasn't lost weight, only had minimal weight loss in their eyes, but to me it's significant weight loss.

At 5 months post op, I really thought I'd be 25lbs lighter. I thought 5lbs a month was a realistic goal since I take medications and have health problems. But no. I was 217 the morning they rolled me back for surgery and I am 217 right now. And, I'm so depressed. Even more so than usual. It would be nice to have a lap band buddy to talk to. Especially since we are experiencing the same things. Feel free to email me at buffyclary@yahoo.com.

I was banded at the end of July 2015... I initially lost weight because I stuck to strictly liquids for the first two weeks. Since that time I have not lost a pound. I've watched what I eat, and when I feel full I stop eating because vomitting terrifies me! (so far I haven't) I too am very depressed. Everyone says, "well you have to diet and exercise" well heck... what did I pay all this money for? This was a last ditch effort to not be terribly overweight! Whatever was causing me to gain weight is still there, even though the doctors claim there's nothing wrong in my body. Everyone knows I've had this surgery so everyone gives me "the look" when they see I haven't lost any weight. I've had six friends who have had the surgery and they lost 30 - 50 pounds in the first three months. It's very discouraging.

Also, where I had mine done, there is no discussing things with the surgeon. People are run through this office like cattle to get the fills or to be weighed and checked. There are no consultations with the doctor unless you make an appointment with his personal practice which equals more money. I've tried being patient but I've had my third fill now and the only thing that has changed is gas and depression are now a big part of my life. I wish I'd never done this.