2muchfun

You certainly have a different menu than most of us do? You should be on solids by now and not eating slider foods. You can lose weight eating those foods(depending on your calorie intake) but you're defeating the purpose of having the band? tmf

Yeah, about 4 months of B hell for me. But I managed not to gain weight. The band did make me feel full quicker and I think that alone kept me from gaining. And, I also started to eat healthier. More greens, no sugars, no white flours, lean meats and seafood. It will all work out, no worries! tmf

I feel like a dirty old man now

Then we are in agreement.

Don't mean to disagree with you but how many CCs in your band is irrelevent. It may be information you'd like to have but it has no bearing on restriction as each of us are all so different and restriction is a moving target. The amount of saline in my band, your band or anyone's band will vary due to different anatomys, different doctors, different band placements etc. Some find the best restriction with 0 CCs and others may need all 10-14? tmf

Losing weight is simple math. Burn more calories than you consume and you lose weight. If you're not tracking calories and not exercising a lot you may not lose. If you're not satisfied with a small meal(lapband friendly), and you don't feel restriction, the band is not working it's magic. You need to find the green zone for this to work for you. Otherwise you're just on another diet. Here are a couple of calorie calculators to estimate what you need per day to lose weight: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/calculat.htm Keep seeing your doc and get filled till you find the green zone or you may just stay on a diet the rest of your life? And we all know how well we did on diets right? tmf

Weight loss slows down after 3 months so no surprise there. Losing 2-8 lbs a month is expected even if you follow the rules religiously sometimes. Of course, the Holidays set many of us back a few months. You might want to mix up your diet and calorie intake. Maybe up calories to 1400 a few days in case your body is in starvation mode. Then go to 1000/day for a week or so? Mix up your exercise routine too. I like to eliminate most of my carb intake for a few days to get the scale to move or go on a 5 day pouch test. Just don't do the same thing day in and out. tmf

If you want help you're going to have to provide a lot more info? How many calories do you consume a day? And, do you track your foods? What do your meals look like? Starting weight and weight now? Are you religious about your eating habits or do you sometimes backslide? Fills? Green zone? Restriction? Snacking? Are you hungry after a meal? Or, just go to your nutritionist and he/she can break down the reasons you're not losing? Most of us can only give you our own personal perspective but it might help? tmf

http://5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html

Please fill in your profile so we know more about your situation? And what do you mean by slow? I've seen people complain that 10 lbs a month was slow.

Don't expect to lose weight every week and maybe not every month. It's very common to go weeks with no weight loss due to many factors. Your surgeon is the only one who saw your stomach and knows how much you need. Leaving it empty gives your stomach time to heal. Filling the band with 4 CCs may not be normal but what is with the band? Nothing! tmf

Anyway you do it, just keep in touch with us if you need help or even if you don't, we want to hear about your progress! tmf

I was in the green zone last summer but wandered away from it. Haven't really gained a lot of weight and recently had another fill but I know I need another. I saw you recently had all your Fluid removed so you're sort of restarting too. tmf

Kelly Elliot monitors about 3 different support groups in and around Denver. If you go to one of them you can pimp her for some free advice? She's my nut and she's awesome. http://www.bnrllc.com/ tmf

Are you still taking pain meds? Pain meds will slow your digestive system down causing fluids to stay in your stomach and intestines longer than usual? Also, swelling hangs around longer with some than others? tmf

I see bandsters comment often that they're caloric intake is very low but they don't lose weight. I'd be careful that your body doesn't go into a starvation mode and your metabolism slows down so much you're losing very little. Here's one from just a few hours ago: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/164823-depressed/ I would recommend kicking it up to 1000-1200 to evade slowing down your metabolism. Mix it up too. Maybe 1200/day for a week and when your body's metabolism increases, hit it with 800 again. Good luck. tmf

Bingo!

I'm going to stop responding to these posts and just click on "Like" whenever Missy posts. Nothing left to say. tmf

If you're not getting enough calories or the right nutrition, your bady will tell you and it sounds like it's speaking loud and clear. tmf

Only you will know if you can continue to lose without the band? Most of us have lost and gained dozens of times and know for a fact that we need more help than just willpower. tmf

Polar H7(bluetooth version) is awesome. I use it with my Iphone. I downloaded the polar app but I find the cyclemeter app to be much easier to read. They're both cheap to free. Yes, knowing your heart rate is critical if you want to push your limits and get the best workout possible.

You might want to mix up your diet. Try eating 1400 a day for a few days and then 800 for a few days. Sometimes our bodies go into a starvation mode and slows down the metabolism. You need to trick the body out of that mode and eating more calories might do that. Change up your exercise routine too. Maybe try elliptical, stair climbers or recumbent bikes instead of walking a few days a week. Walking is good but if you can work your muscles more you might ramp up your metabolism. tmf

This is a topic heavily discussed on this forum. I sometimes sip but I got used to eating without drinking so I usually stick to the original script given to me in 2011. Since then a study or two have come out and claim it's OK as Dr O'Brien suggests. Some doctors are picking up on this trend but for the most part, most doctors still stick to the no drinking while eating. I think the no drinking rule is a good one. Even for me it's difficult to wait an entire minute before drinking. If I don't wait I risk washing my food down with the Water and compromise the efficacy of the band. tmf

I doubt you'll find a doctor who would accept the liability of doing both? Unless they're laparoscopic trained as well as trained in plastic surgery. You're talking about two very different types of doctors and surgeries. tmf

Why Denver? Seems like you would want a doc near where you live? Post surgery support is very important!!