I was banded one month ago today. (No Fluid in band yet) Two week follow up after surgery my doc said there was still lots of swelling around the port so she wanted to wait a bit longer to do the first fill. So I will go in two more weeks.

I have a little restriction...meaning, I can't go too fast or eat large amounts. But everything goes down! I am eating fairly sensibly but it is the summertime, home with my daughter and we sorta snack all day here and there.

So I am not losing any weight and I am afraid I am doing something wrong and I feel like a loser! I am also terribly anxious about "breaking" this thing.

I would love to hear of anyone who also had a 'delay' in success. Are we just inherently trained to want immediate satisfaction/results and freak out when it doesn't happen? Do some of us just have bigger openings without fluid? I keep reading about people who start losing weight fast, right after surgery...arghghghghhghhhhh!

Yes, you are being too anxious/impatient but that's okay, most of us were during bandster hell.

Six weeks is the typical timeframe for the first fill so nothing unusual there.

I don't think most people lose much weight, if any during this stage...a lot actually gain. Some lose but it is mostly through willpower and not so much the band.

Just be patient and know that we all have been there. It may take more than one fill to get where you want to be so be prepared for not feeling much difference in two weeks.

As long as you eat slowly, take small bites and don't eat too much or any other act that will make you sick you will not "break" the band. But you should use this time to learn to stop snacking through the day and sit down to three meals a day, it is an important part of using the band properly.

Take a deep breath and know that the band will soon start working for you.

I panicked weeks 2-6 after surgery. I lost and gained the same 3 pounds during those 4 weeks. I had read enough that I KNEW it would take time to heal and that I probably wouldn't start losing weight until I started getting fills and restriction, but at the same time I had the band and was ready to get this weight loss thing going... so where was the weight loss??? It's hard especially when some people seem to lose easily during this phase.

BUT most people don't lose much if any during this time period. You had a major surgery. Be patient, give your body time to heal, try to follow your doctor's eating guidelines (what, how much, and when), get plenty of Water and Protein. The more you can do to follow his guidelines now, the easier it will be as you progress.

My doctor told me I may actually gain before my first fill. I ended up losing 3 pounds from weeks 2-6. You just have to stick with your doc's plan and have faith that it WILL work. Once you start getting fills and restriction you'll notice the weight starting to come off.

Patience is an over-touted virtue. We all felt like we'd taken this absolutely HUGE step and we wanted gratification! But if you've read many posts here, you've heard the phrase "Bandster Hell" and that's exactly where you are. The good news is once you get that first fill, while you may not feel a whole lot of difference, it is the first step toward your "sweet spot" and you WILL get there. Like BamBam, I gained and lost in the first few weeks -- the same few pounds. But 5 months out, I've lost a total of 70 pounds so patience does pay off. But, like the t-shirt says, "Patience, he**!! I wanna go kill something!"

I was banded just before you on 06-17-09 and my first fill will be 08-04-09. It is very difficult during this time. A lot of the people on this forum call it "bandster hell". It is a very difficult time when you don't have much restriction but you still need to be in control. I am very careful about my daily intake and what I eat. I got some protein flavored powders that you mix with water and I drink that inbetween my meals. I eat twice a day lunch and early dinner. I have a protein shake in the morning with a chewable vitamin and I do not snack in between. Snacking to me is a very dangerous thing and I just stopped cold turkey. It hasn't been easy but I absolutely cannot and will not go back to where I was. You have to make up your mind that you want this to work and you have to make it work for you. Hopefully, you will feel the restriction when you get your first fill but you still need to be in control and watch your intake. Good Luck!

Im in the same boat. I was banded June 16th, so I just passed 5 weeks. I dont feel like I even have this thing in me. I barely feel any restriction at all. I eat smaller amounts, but have a full appetite. I am hungry all the time! I do work out HARDCORE 6 days a week so I know I am burning a lot and my body is wanting fuel. My first fill is Aug 3rd. They would have done it at 5 weeks cause I NEED IT, but Im going on vacation and didnt wanna chance anything. This is for sure a horrible stage! But I also have heard this is not the time to worry about weight loss, just healing. I am fortunate enough to have lost 23 lbs during it. I have been at a stand still now for 2 1/2 weeks. Cant wait for a fill!! Hang in there and know there are others just like you going through the same "hell"!! We can do it!!

Totally normal. I am pretty new here so I don't know if this happend to others but I didn't feel any restriction until I was at 4.5 ccs. That was 4 fills!!!! Ugh, I was so mad. Even then 4.5 wasn't much restriction. Everyone is different I guess? I have great restriction now that I am at 8ccs. My doctor here in Germany is very different than mine was in the States and approaches fills in a totally different way.

Ok...now that I stole your post I will tell you that you CAN DO THIS!!! I looked at myself in the mirror every morning when I was in the same phase as you, said "You can totally rock this girl!", gave my botty a nice pat and made it through the day.

Depending on what you are snackng on I don't think a fill will help, if you are snacking on slider foods such as chips, cookies, ice creams this stuff will silde right down no matter what your restriction is, this is the one thing my surgeon stressed, is this what you mean by snacking?

i was very hungry before my first fill as well. I remember it - no, you will not break your band... I've never heard of that... if it gets anywhere near that point, you won't be able to eat.... hang in there - hope your first fill is soon. It will make a huge difference.... what helps me when I get so hungry is to go out for a walk... that's what I am going to do now!!

I posted similar concerns a few minutes ago on another thread (sorry mods, should have checked!).

I've been worried too about feeling hungry. My first fill is in two days and like everyone has indicated here, the impatience of wanting to drop the weight is frustrating once the decision has been made to make a difference.

I am trying to distract myself rather than reach for the fridge. I don't want to put on at all, whether I have any fill in place or not. That said, I am peckish a lot of the time (guess that's what got me into this situation in the first place!!), so I am determined not to let it beat me.

Cheers everyone,

Mandy

I actually had the same problem. I was very disappointed at first because I was actually eating very little and was borderline hungry and wasn't losing anything. Then I had to go back and rethink how I was going about this whole eating thing. I haven't had my first fill yet but I definitely cannot eat as much. Anyway, I realized that I need to eat more food. Can you believe it? I was originally told to eat 3 meals and 1 snack, but then I decided to eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day. Add more protein to my diet (even in my snacks) I tried special K protein water instead of crystal light and I started taking weight watcher's meals and lean cuisines for breakfast and lunch to work. I also added a special K protein bar as 1 of my snacks and it worked! I started losing. I know I would do better if I would exercise more. So far I am down 20lbs after surgery and I was banded on 6/18/09

I got the band on 5/28/09. I too ended up with very little restriction as I started to heal. I found myself simply trying to add in a protein shake here and there to try and keep myself from going overboard with my eating. I just had my first fill this past Wednesday and things are seeming to fall into place. Just be patient! Good luck to you, : )

Same thing here, Rockstar. I was scheduled for a fill on July 30th, the day before my 8 day vacation. I moved it to right after. :-)

Depending on what you are snackng on I don't think a fill will help, if you are snacking on slider foods such as chips, Cookies, ice creams this stuff will silde right down no matter what your restriction is, this is the one thing my surgeon stressed, is this what you mean by snacking?

No, no junk food. The worst snack in my house is low-fat triscuits and hummus. And I get a serving of those on a plate (the old me would just dig in the box!).

Thank you all for your replies. I feel much better...now I can chill out, heal and stay balanced. I am not gaining weight; it's just not MELTING OFF AT A RAPID PACE.

I am in the same boat. I had surgery 6/18/9. I have been doing pretty well but noticing I am hungry and can eat more than what I like. I have started to work out and that is helping. I go 7/29/9 to get my first fill and hope this helps.!!!