2muchfun

Calories? 800-1200 depending on how active you are. Each person seems to be different. I hear where some consume only 600 a day and the lose weight and don't feel deprived. It sounds like you are getting some restriction since you said you get stuck occasionally? There's a learning curve to how to eat with the band. You'll hear over and over again to take small bites, chew, chew, chew, eat slowly and don't drink while you eat. It is so true. Your nutritionist can explain the whys, or we can, but trust me, you are well on your way to your goal. You may see days or weeks where you lose nothing and then suddenly 3 lbs will disappear. You will see days where your band will allow you to eat any kind of chicken or fish but find the next day, you can't. It's all part of the re-education of your mind to eat like we should be eating. And most of all, eat healthy foods and exercise. tmf

You may need another very small fill and a consult with your nutritionist. 20 lbs is awesome. I only lost 12 lbs the first 4 months and many others have similar stories. Like the forum member B-52 says....Until there's restriction....It's just another diet! tmf

Need a more info Andy. Have you had a fill recently? tmf

Yeah to kll724. Why won't your doctor meet with you? That's odd? tmf

Our bodies are not machines. Our bodies react to foods, environment, medications, spices and our own particular cycles of life. It's very easy to retain 2-10 lbs of Water due to the same items I just mentioned. I gained 7 lbs of water over a period of 6 days back in July. I lost it all in about 5 days the following week when all my relatives left town with all their chips, Cookies and crackers. FYI-the initial weight loss in the first 6 weeks is mostly fluids. You will only lose 1-3 lbs per week of "Fat" from here on out. Your weight will fluctuate with the types of foods you eat, medications, menstrual cycles and sodium intake. You may plateau for weeks at a time only to have 3 lbs disappear over one weekend. You're doing great, don't sweat the small or even large temporary setbacks. It's all good. tmf

Sit down with your nutritionist and he/she can find why you aren't losing. Exercise is important but this is simple math. Burn more calories than you eat and you'll lose weight. Exercise will help you lose maybe 1-3 lbs more a month depending on how hard you exercise and how many calories you consume. I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and then nada for the next 3.5 months. My nutritionist pointed out some ways I could eliminate about 300 calories a day and I got my 3rd fill the same day. I started losing almost immediately. tmf

I don't think I could have gone anywhere 5 days after my surgery so it won't be much of a stretch to tell her you're not up to it. tmf

You won't feel up to it most likely so it will be easy to beg off. If she's your best friend, why worry that she'll spill the Beans? If she's that good a friend she will understand. Now if you do have to go, eat egg drop Soup, or hot and sour but don't eat the meat. Order a big bowl and just take your sweet time sipping it. Do not have any adult beverages or you could be very sorry. My best advice, tell her you can't make it. This surgery and new life style is much more important than one birthday party. And if she's a good friend, when you see her again and you're 50 lbs lighter, she will understand. You're very young, there will be so many more parties to go to. Skip it. tmf

You're in a tough spot it sounds like? I've wondered the same for me? How long can I keep this up? I'm dieting like crazy and exercising like I'm trying out for the Tour De France. But, I keep pushing on. I still look at pictures of myself when I was thin and that motivates me. I still want this so badly! Where do we find the motivation? Probably a different answer for everyone of us eh? What motivated you 18 months ago? If that no longer works, find another motivator? A beach vacation? A cruise? Maybe a high school reunion? Or, maybe you just want to be healthy and live longer? You're still young so that one may only work on old farts like me? tmf

I'm only 8 months out and I eat mostly healthy foods. Not much red meat, cut way back on dairy and anything with flour in it. But I'm still in the losing phase. Most folks who are 2 years out will be close to goal and may allow themselves to eat more of the foods I'm rejecting but the band always reminds us to eat healthy and of course, less. tmf

Yeah, for me, it's chew, swallow(little inside voice says, dumba$$) and then I wait till the pressure starts. tmf

Took me 3 fills to feel restriction and 6 to get to the green zone. tmf

Size.

Have a visit with your bariatric nutritionist. Even if you have to pay out of pocket it's worth it. A nutritionist can nail down the cause in no time and make recommendations to help you get back on track. We can make shotgun suggestions but can't delve into what you are eating and not eating? He/She will ask you what you eat, calories in and calories burned. It should be simple math. You need to burn more calories than you consume. But a nutritionist can help you. RE: other reasons for not losing. There are so many reasons for this. Other health issues such as reflux, diabetes, kidney stones, gall bladder removal, pregnanacy and the list goes on, can cause some patients to not follow the rules. And of course, the biggest reason some lose very little or none at all, is, so many people just cannot change their eating habits. They go into this thinking the band will do it all, and of course that's far from the truth. It takes hard work and a change in what and how you eat. tmf

Have a visit with your bariatric nutritionist. Even if you have to pay out of pocket it's worth it. A nutritionist can nail down the cause in no time and make recommendations to help you get back on track. We can make shotgun suggestions but can't delve into what you are eating and not eating? tmf

Amazing pictures Ashley. Thanks for the inspiration. tmf

Could have been. I never experienced headaches or loss of energy though. Going into ketosis means that you're body is turning on it's stored fat for energy because you stopped giving it carbohydrates. Starches, sugars, carbs are all used and stored by the body for energy. Energy like running, exercising, simple body movements. If you deprive the body of carbs it will begin to consume stored fat in our body. Atkins no-carb diet was a huge success for me in the 70s and 80s. I still have keto sticks in the bathroom to check my ketosis levels when I go no carb. tmf

Learning how and what to eat after a fill is part of the process. This is how you find out what foods your band is going to like or dislike. Getting stuck is no big deal 99% of the time. It just means that you ate too fast, ate too much, didn't chew and so on. It usually passes through the band in 5-20 minutes and then you just don't eat that way again for a while. It's usually not painful, maybe a little discomfort, and some icky slime may come up. For some of us, it's a good sign that we're getting close to our green zone. It usually means that we're getting some restriction but that we also need to eat the band way. It's a constant reminder that we need to slow down and eat small. So don't stop eating, it's the only way you're going to learn how to live alongside your band. And if you do have a stuck episode, do a happy dance because you're getting some restriction. tmf

Lucky you! You were a hottie in 2006 and still a hottie today? Good genes they say? No one would look at my old pictures and think, hey, that guy was hot tmf

I wouldn't assume you're all slow losers? If you're new to this journey there are many reasons why you aren't losing and 90% of the time it can be traced back to your eating and exercise routines? I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and then no loss the next 3.5 months. Then I sat down with my nutritionist after my 4th fill. The 4th fill gave me some restriction and some great advice from my nutritionist got me kick started and now I'm down 45 lbs in 8 months. Baparett, you didn't give us much information, like what do you eat, how many fills, calories/day, exercise etc? You might want to fill in your profile so we can advise you better? tmf

Family dynamics can be tricky. I have a friend who is not obese and his wife had gastric bypass. She lost a lot of weight and now they're struggling with their marriage. I haven't pushed him for information but I can see it between them. Your relationship with your wife is so subjective it would be impossible to say how she will react. My wife was about 30 lbs heavy and has jumped on the healthy eating bandwagon with me and is down 18 lbs and loving it. It's been great for us. We bike, hike, travel, eat similar foods together much more now than before surgery. One more advantage no one will tell you about? Your willy will look like it's bigger. It's awesome!! Had I known that would have been the only benefit I would have done it. tmf

That's called an "NSV". None scale victory and aint it great? tmf

You should give it a week or more to see if your fill has caused some edema. Most all of us eat very small bites. Never drink Water if you're stuck and you shouldn't be drinking water with your meals anyway. This is a good time to get acquainted with your band. Try eating slowly, small bites and chew, chew chew for a few days. You'll lose weight and maybe find the green zone? Look for satiatity and not trying to feel full. Take 20-30 minutes to eat your meal. If you still get stuck with the smaller bites try eating other foods. Your band may not like some foods you will find. If after a few days you still get stuck, PB'ing, sliming etc. get a small unfill. Not much, maybe .25 cc's? And try to fill out your profile so we know you better? tmf

Relax, you're very normal. I only lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and then nothing for the next 3.5 months. Until you get a fill that gives you some restriction you're just on another diet. Until then eat like your in the green zone or you may gain weight. For me, my band kept me from overeating so I didn't gain. tmf