MrsShannonDennis

Sounds to me like something is up....not to scare you but that doesnt seem normal. I have a 10cc band and my doc said most people find their sweet spot at 5-6.5 cc. Im at 5.75CC AND super tight. Have they check the band? leakage? slippage? etc.? That is sooooo not normal to be able to eat that much with that much restriction. at 6 cc I could not swallow my own spit. I know everyone is different but thats a lot of fill amount in your band. Are your docs listening to you? Have you told them how much you can eat? If you are dropping consistantly, I wouldnt worry about it, but if there is no change, something is up. Hang in there...its a tough road sometimes.

EAT MORE CALORIES! I was in your situation for a long time. I found out i was not eating enough!! I was under 1000 cals and worked out a lot. Once I upped my cals to at least 1300, I'm dropping like crazy now!

Ive been told my my doc that after 2-3 weeks of a fill, you will loosen up. A fill causes minor swelling of the stomach, reason why we are to go on liquids. 2 weeks to the DAY of a fill, i loosen up every time. And as you lose weight, your band will slowly losen. This is what I have been told and it has rang true during m 9 month journey!

Well I am the opposite. Before surgery I had a sensitive stomach, but not acid reflux probs. I am now 9 months post op and for the last 3 months I have had the WORST heartburn ever!!! The RX they gave me dont really help. They tried taking out fluid thinking i was too tight, but ddint work. Who knows...I just keep my meds close by and use them alot. The reflux gets worse if I lay down within an hour of eating or drinking a lot so dont do that. Good luck!

I hit 198.8 lbs this morning!! YEAH!!! It took longer than expected (54 lbs in 9 months) due to some medical issues. I had no restriction (took fluid out) for 3 months. It feels soooo good to not see a 2 in front of my weight! Only 47 lbs to go!!!!!! Thanks for all your support. Could not have done with without this website!

So I got what I think to be my "sweet spot" fill about 12 days ago. I stayed on liquids for a good 4-5 days cause I was extra tight. I have been able to slowly being in solid foods again but seem to only be able to get liquids down before 10am. Today its been the weirdest thing. ALL day I have not been able to get anything down. Everything gets stuck. Even egg drop soup got stuck. I'm not PBing or throwing up, but Im having to stop eating and get a protein shake just to fill me up. I have neevr had a random day like this where nothing goes down. Does anyone know of any factors that can cause your band to tighten up? Ive heard of being on your period will do it. Is this right? I'm just confused, need help!

Thats very interesting. Very strange seeinf that you dont have much fill in you. That happens to me a lot but I am super tight with 6 cc in my 10 cc band. For example: today for some CRAZY reason, I cannot get anything solid down without it getting stuck. Ive had to do liquids all day! That happens every so often. My surgeon said there will be some days your body reacts differently and your band will be super tight. Its just weird. I wish I has answers for you. I cant imagine the problem being youre too tight. There is nooo way. interesting....

Good Luck! Its the bestnthing I have EVER done! I agree with EVERYTHING everyone has said. Here are my top: 1. Dont get obsessed with weighing. You will fluctuate EVERY DAY and through out each day. I got to weighing a few times a ay and would get very discouraged. My friend took my scale away! Dont worry about the number on the scale, take your inches and pay attention to how your clothes are fitting you. That i the true test, not the number on the scale. 2. Dont give up foods you love. You have to treat yourself and not grow to hate the band. The band is not a punishment. If you dont eat those things here and there, you will grow a massive craving for them and go crazy! 3. WORK OUT!! Its the hardest thing you will learn to lovee. Always switch it up and trick your body. I suggest a trainer at least for a while to teach you the ropes and give you ideas. This is helped me a lot. Take fun classes at your gym, enjoy working out. Recruit your friends and make goals together. I go to a boot camp 3 days a week and have made wonderful friends who push me. 4. You are soon going to enter Bandsters Hell period. HANG IN THERE. EVERYONE must go through it. You will have NO restriction and can eat a horse and you might not see weight loss. Some see gain. Be patient and know this is normal. It will prob take several fills till you feel a difference. ITS A PROCESS not a fast fix. 5. Always check this website. It got me through everything and answered questions my doctor couldnt. Everyone on here has great advice and insight. You will always find at least one person who has gone through something you have on this journey. They will be of great support and will ease any worries you have. I checked on here for every symptom I had or anything I was worried about and ALWAYS got an answer. Hang in there. Its a process and a journey that may take some time to pay off. You will have your ups and downs, but it gets easier I promise. Just be patient and know there are 1000s of us going through the same thing who can help!

Hey girl! As far as I know and have been told by my surgeon, it the latter idea. The liquid you drink pushed your food through the stomach faster and not allowing it to sit and make you full. Obviously the fasted the food passes, the sooner you will be hungry. Now that I have MAJOR restriction I cant physically drink. It hurts bad!

I thought this was the HARDEST rule to abide by...that is...until I got major restriction. Now I cant physically do it. This last fill did it for me and I swore to abide by the no drinking thing and now its easy cause I can't! It also put things into perspective for me when I realized by drinking with meals I am LITERALLY negating the whole band's job. It is WORTHLESS if I drink with meals.

Good Luck! I work out 5-6 days a week. 2 days a week I do an intense boot camp thats a mix of cardio, weights, yoga, pilates, you name it! 2 day a week I do a Zumba class with is Latin/salsa aerobics dance class at my gym. The other days I work out with my friend doing just cardio. My trainer gave us tips on different cardio ciruits. We use 4 cardio machines (elliptical, treadmill, spin bike, and stairs). We rotate and do 5 minutes on each 2 times through the circuit. The most important thing I have learned frommy trainer is to ALWAYS switch it up! Your body will get used to the same old thing over and over and you wont see results. Dont just do cardio. You need to be toning also as you go. Good luck and hang in there. Working out is the toughest part but the MOST rewarding! It will become 2nd nature to you in no time!

Chele- I have an APP on my iphone called Lose It that does the same thing. I never use it, but started this morning. I think I am under eating big time. I am going to up my cals to 1000 a day and see if that makes a difference. If not, Ill go a bit higher. Thanks for advice guys! Keep it coming!

Ok so I was super loose for 3 months due to some medical stuff. I got a good size fill on Thursday morning (4th). I have been on liquids ever since with one mushy meal a day. It is now tuesday (9th) and I have not dropped ONE pound. Usually after a fill I drop 4-5 lbs. Am I under eating? I'm prob eating arounf 700-800 cals a day. Only carbs Im eating are from daily and fruit. Im so nervous about calories. How many calories should I be eating a day? I'm going to start slowing getting back into food and I'm nervous. I work out 5 days a week pretty hardcore with a trainer. I have my last 50 lbs to go and that was my last fill, which i think did the trick. I need to jump start this thing. I would appreciate some advice on calorie intake please!!!

Mgirl- I was banded 8 months ago and have only lost 7 pounds in the last 3.5 months. I work out HARDCORE 6 days a week and eat right, but I am not at the right fill amount. They have had to take too much out right now due to some heartburn problems that they arr testing for my gallbladder or possible band slippage. Dont be discouraged. Once you have great restriction, you will lose consistantly. Once they find out my problem and fix it, they will fille back up to my good amount I used to be at and Ill lose again. Its NOT a fast fix...be patient. I promise its all worth it!

Hey guys! So I'm in limbo right now between fills. I have been getting hungry often and can eat way to much. I have a fill scheduled but until then I am going to start using Full Bars. I bought a big box from Costco. Anyone try these? Good results? Love your feedback

Is the 1 cup of food filling you up or leaving you satified when you eat it? If a cup of food fills you then thats what its supposed to do. My surgeon says you should stay full for 4-6 hours in between meals. Also, your slow weight loss could be a sign you need a fill. I have a 10 cc band and I am good at 5.5 cc. I would get a small fill and see if it helps you lose faster and keep you full longer Good luck!

Ok so I was banded in June 09. The band has been amazing. I lost 50 lbs at a consistant good pase. I have now been at a standstill for about 2 months. I work out 6 days a week and do everything right. I called my surgeon about 2 months ago because I was having extreme heartburn non-stop all day, no matter what I ate or drank. He said I was too tight and he unfilled me .5cc. The heartburn let up a little, but not much. I finally called last week and they prescribed Nexium. It has helped a ton. I still get heartburn but not bad. So I called my surgeon because I need a fill bad b/c that last unfill they did for the heartburn took out too much and was not needed. I was at a good place. So I explained all this to them about the unfill not helping. Now they think I have a hernia. Pre-op tests didnt show one and they didnt see one while doing surgery. So....Has anyone experienced getting one post-op? If so, could this be a reason for the standstill in weigh-loss? It would make sense. I go in Feb. 11 to get a fill again and talk to my Dr. about all this. I could really use some advice!

Hey! Well every body is different an loses differently. I work out pretty intensley 6 days a week. I eat less that 1000 cals a day, 40-50 carbs, and I need to be driinking more water. My surgeon said to stick to low carb, low sugar, high protein. What your doing looks good nutritionally. I would say up your workout, I know thats not what you want to hear. Sorry

Ok so...Ive had 2 fills. First one not enough, the 2nd too much and then 2 unfills after that. My surgeon warned me about the band loosening about 2 weeks after a fill and thats why its important to wait it out. Well I didnt after my 1st unfill so after I got my 2nd unfill, I felt perfect. Well now 3 weeks after it, I think I have totally loosened up. I can eat now in the AM which I wasnt able to prior and I have to eat bigger portions to be full and seem to snack more. I NEED HELP! Anyone go throught this? Im cash patient so I have only 1 fills left of my free ones and then its 300$ a pop. I need to use it wisely!

Well the issue is that i'm loose not tight. The first unfill I only waited a day because I couldnt even keep down water or even my own spit. The 2nd unfill I think I jumped the gun. WHICH I COULD KICK MYSELF FOR! I only waited a week! I should have held out for that one cause I think it would have been perfect if I gave it time! My doc likes u to go on liquids for 2 weeks after a fill (i know crazy but I now I know why). If i would have waited 2 weeks before the 2nd unfill, I would have loosened up a bit and would prob be perfect now!

For any of you who have thick raised scars: My scars have been healign wonderfully (surgery June 16th), but the one right above my belly button is thick and really raised. I went to my dematologists about a mole and asked him about that scar while I was there. He said oh ya that can happen and he injected the scar with something and TA-DA is has totally become flat! I have sooooo excited. So I dont know if others of you have thought of going to the dematologists to help with your scars, but I am so glad I did!

I am in central CA in Bakersfield (2 hrs north of LA). I paid $13,250. $3250 of that was just for all the tests I had to get done beforehand. This included: hospital stay, drugs, surgeon bill, and 3 fills.

Im self pay and fills are $350, but I got the first three 3. I've had 2 fills and 3 unfills and havent paid a dime. I know that seems high, But my surgeon portion of the surgery was low. So all you who have included fills or pay low, I am curious to know how much surgery was. If it was higher then I can see why fills are free.