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Hi all, I was banded 10/24/08. I lost 16lbs the first week and a half and now i am at a stand still. I wonder if anyone has experienced a slow weight loss because of the birth control pills. I will not have my first fill til Dec 4. But i am eating 3 4oz meals, sometimes a snack lots of water and lots of protein????? Any ideas:tounge_smile:

Congratulations! You will feel better and better each day and yes, in couple of weeks or so you will discover that you have indeed lost weight. But remember not to agonize over the weight loss when it stops, which it will when you start eating soft and solid foods again. Be good to yourself, you've got a lot of healing to do! Welcome to bandland!! :D

I'm so new all I've done is fax in my paperwork to be reviewed by the doc's office! But I had to get the paperwork out of the garbage to do that. I've thought about weight loss surgery before, but got so scared by the idea that I left it in the dust. I'm an RN, and I have been fat all my life. The only time I was a normal weight was when no one had fed me yet when I was born, because forever after that, BAM...I was big. I have never known anything but a very short time of being smaller, and that was during a health scare after my third daughter was born. I was too scared to eat, and lost about 67 pounds, but as soon as they told me I was okay I slowly gained it all back again. I had been so hungry all the time and miserable with never eating. Now here I am, 43, have three girls and my hubby to live for, and I feel terrible. I ache, I'm tired. I have plans for all kinds of things I'd love to accomplish but no energy to do them. I have past cardiac issues that I healed from, but my doctor said, "Don't get diabetes, it's just going to set your care backwards two steps"...and I am prediabetic with metabolic syndrome. I look into the future and see someone who may lose 20 pounds here or there but gains it right back again plus some, and will never do the things she dreams of as time slides away. And will I get to see grandchildren, or help with their care? I don't know. I admit I'm scared of this surgery, of the possibility of blood clots (because I have a hypercoagulabilty issue) or something going wrong. I'm scared of the idea of part of my stomach being taken away. But I'm scared to stay the way I have been for my whole life. I weigh 270 and I don't want to be a fat nurse anymore. My self esteem is in the toilet and I hate how I look. I want to crawl out of this and enjoy life again, but I no longer have any faith in diets because I've failed at them so many times. I can't even stand to start one because I just see it as a farce. My husband supports me in this, but I am keeping it from my mother who is of the opinion that this kind of thing is butchery and if I'd just stop eating everything would be fine. I'm the nurse, but she always thinks she knows everything about human health. Everything for her boils down to "just make yourself do it!" I wish life were that simple, really. There is nothing simple or easy about making this choice, and from what I've read there is nothing simple about the changes that need to be made to make this surgery work. So I thought I would take one more step and sign on to this support list to begin my path. I'm going to need phenergan and xanax to be able to get to the hospital to have the surgery, that's how scared I get about things like that! I've been reading many stories on here and I see a lot of great people, including more nurses than I expected! Can't wait to get to know you. I live in Indiana, but will be going to Cincinnati, OH to Dr. Brad Watkins. I hear wonderful things about him, and look forward to my meeting with him. Cara

I don't believe any advertisements for stuff that says it burns fat. But I also watched this Dr Oz show a couple of weeka go and went ahead and bought some from Amazon. If I remember to take it I'm doing ok. Don't know if it's working or not. Haven't gained anything in the past week since my band has been emptied due to a slip. I was so afraid I'd gain a couple of lbs this next 2 weeks till it's filled again. Like I sai I don't usually believe anything that states that it burns fat, but I trust Dr Oz. So I thought I'd give it a shot. My husband is taking them too. I'll keep you updated on his progress. Marci

Hello everyone!:smile2: I just wanted to share that I am waiting for a surgery date, and going out of my mind... It seems like everyone else gets their date so much earlier in the game? Maybe it's just me being antsy..:biggrin: After the psych eval, 3 nutritionist appts, and 3 support groups you then have to give the $500 non-refundable program fee.. THEN, you see the fitness guy twice, then the nurse, have final consult with the surgeon, THEN they submit for a date.. Then, you wait a week for that date which is STILL 3-5 weeks out.. Wouldn't they think that after you give them the $500 that you were serious about this and they could submit for a date then?! GGAAAAHHHHHHHH!! I have been sooo patient with this (almost) 8 month process.. I just can't take it anymore.. I just want to scream! Thanks for hearing me out.. tee hee hee.. I feel a bit better now..:biggrin2: ~Kerri

I went to my pre-op education class on the 14th. I had been on a liquid diet (self imposed) for two weeks and had only lost 5 lbs since my last visit two weeks earlier! Some of us are just very slow losers, and I'm finally at an age (54) that I realize this and am willing to be patient this time. Don't give up! It will eventually come off!!!!!

I had my surgery day the same day, Have the same diet plan, not really hungry and not sure when I am full, I ate a whole snack pack of pudding with no problems. I am drinking soups and shakes, I am looking forward to my soft protein diet in 2 more weeks.

Really sorry to tell you this...cause all the presurgical hype contradicts it... BUT... I was so hungry after surgery, I could have gnawed my leg off. Freaking bone-deep desperate hunger. It was horrible. The good news,..is that by the time I was eating about 1000 calories a day (at three weeks out)...I didn't feel much hunger at all, and have not had much problem sticking to lower calories than I ever have in my life (1200 during loss, 1400 now for maintenance) But those first few weeks were tough. Won't like. Starving Children in Africa kinda hunger. I know what they told you about Ghrelin, etc... And I promise your hunger will improve quite a lot and that it'll take less to satisfy you eventually.....but I feel your pain. Your hunger is real. Some people draw the hunger card. Some get the nausea card. Some get the "everythign tastes like cardboard" card....it varies a lot.

The doctor wants to do another fill today. I am debating because since the 3cc I am loosing weight. I do get hungry but it is usually my fault. I have lost appx 5lbs since my last visit. I just can't see getting a fill, I would like to give it two more weeks. What would you do? I have been going to the gym faithfully five days a week. I take Saturday and Sunday off. I do weights on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I think that is enough, I do want to go Saturdays and Sundays too but I think at some point the gym becomes another unhealthy obsession so I am reminding myself that it is okay to rest my body. Yesterday my daughter had friends over and we had all kinds of snacks out. I didn't eat one thing, I was soooo proud of myself. I am working hard at loosing this weight. No snacks right now for me. I feel good and think I will be moving down to a size 18 soon. That means I am not too far off from a size 16 and that thrills me to no end. I haven't been a sixteen in probably 8-9 years. I am working hard at this, this isn't, "band in, miracle cure" sort of thing, I am literally working my butt off. At the gym I work off between 270-450 in calories depending on how long I stay and going about two miles a day at the gym. I hope to keep myself in this mind set. I know sometimes it can be hard, there are days that the personality kicks in and I think, "One day off is okay." However, it is that exact thought that leads to the next day off and the next day off. I did one of my out loud moments that I am known for and I growled at the weights. The guy next to me laughed and I looked at him and was like, "was that out loud?" He nodded and I kind of shrugged. He looked at me and said, "I think that some days too." I looked at him and he was fit, tone and muscular and I said, "Does it get easier once you are fit?" He shook his head, "No, it's the same thing. You have to remind yourself that in order to maintain this, you have to keep at it." I growled again and he laughed.

@athena3127 good for you for taking the step for exercise!! Careful I find when I am going regularly I crave it more!! LOL I'm just back to the gym this week since not going for two weeks and I can feel it in my shins, but I ended up doing more miles in less time so I was happy.

Well things are moving right along!!! I was supposed to attend a 6 week nutrition course 1 hr. 15min away that was only available on Thursday mornings and started the 2nd week in October, but I don't have a babysitter and was really starting to worry - WELL, I actually found a nutritionist 5 minutes away that specializes in Bariatic pre and post-op nutrition and my surgeon ok'd this as acceptable!! WHOO-HOO! Since this class is 1 on 1, it should only take 2 sessions which would make my surgery alot sooner. I meet with her MONDAY at 10! I am really starting to feel I am getting somewhere!! Just had to share my joy!

Hi all, On tuesday I'll be 5 weeks post op. I was doing really great and lost about 17 pounds from my surgery on 12/16 till New Years. Since the 1st, I have gained two pounds. I'm still not eating that much, and I'm walking around, taking my Vitamins, and trying to drink as much Water as I can. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Could I be eating too little? Any suggestions to help me get out from this stall will be appreciated. I'm feeling pretty unmotivated - this was such a big decision to do this surgery, and I'm worried that I made a mistake by choosing to do it.

Hey all- new here. Looking for some advice. I have been having stomach issues off and on for about 6 weeks I would say. My band has been randomly getting tight, but will loosen up with extra fluids and taking it easy on eating. Around noon yesterday I started having some really bad tightness and started pushing fluids and didn't eat any solids the rest of the day. I still had reflux until about 4am. If I dozed off at all I would wake up gagging on reflux. I've been on clear liquids all day today, but have had waves of nausea and thought I was going to vomit twice. My band still feels much tighter than normal. I'm able to drink fine, but something just feels off. I still feel like my throat is burning from acid. I'm going to get in with my surgeon on Monday, but this is miserable and I'm not sure what triggered it! Any thoughts?

For the last week prior to surgery I was waffling about going through with it. Lots of 'reasons' popped into my head...risk of surgery, band failure. At some point I realized they were not reasons. They were excuses. Excuses to keep me from getting the surgery and thus being able to continue to eat the way I had in the past. You know...to excess. I'm 3 weeks past surgery and eating normally for one meal each day (I do Protein shakes the rest of the day), although eating much less because the band itself provides some restriction even with no fill which slows down how fast I eat so my stomach and brain say 'full' at the same time. .

Hi all, I'm about three weeks post op, and I lost 14lbs the first week post op... but not a single pound more since! I feel like I'm basically eating nothing and the scale won't budge! It is just getting frustrating. I don't get a fill until 12/17.

one of my friends that i met on this forum did her 2 week pre op (muscle milk light) ....and she ended up losing 33 lbs. Doc thought she could lose the rest on her own so she ended up not getting the surgery. I'll be happy with 20!

Hey all :Banane20: Just wondering.....the title says it all really. When you break the 50 pounds to goal mark (currently if I was to have the goal of what the BMI calculator says I should weigh which is 119 I'd be 43 lbs away from that). In general, I recall the doctor's office looking at 6-10 lbs a month as being your 'sweet spot' for your band. I wonder though, at our stage, is that really our goal still. I find it is super hard to peel off 5 lbs a month at this point and I work out religiously, seven days a week. So, basically, I was wondering what the average weight loss per month is for someone at this stage of the game. Thanks for the advice :Banane20: and best of luck to all of you!

It gets better, just make sure you get your vitamins and as much liquid as you can. I still have trouble eating and I'm almost 6 weeks out. Food just has no appeal to me whether its the texture or taste.

Well. I hope it works for you! I should be having my surgery in about two weeks.

Interval training. Its horrid. You'll feel like your literally sweating blood. You'll want to puke. But it WORKS. Basically, take your regular cardio, and inject intervals of 150% effort (you know, heart about to explode through your chest stuff) - over time increase the length of them, you may only be able to do 30 seconds at first, then recover a few minutes, then another 30 seconds. Your current fitness level doesnt matter, as long as its 150% for YOU effort. A 40 minute session built around intervals 3 times a week and 3 hour long sessions of steady state cardio (I like running myself) works for me. It works with walking, cycling, running, the elliptical, swimming.

After weeks of liquids, the most amazing thing I ate was a pintos and cheese from Taco Bell with a scoop of ground beef. Their ground beef is ground really fine and I figured it would add more Protein. I would add a little light sour cream when I got home and could eat like 1/3 or 1/2 of it. It wasn't low fat but they put very little cheese on there and even with full fat Beans, it was pretty low calorie. I could make one of those last like 3 meals all for around a dollar. I also made chili when I was on puree. I used very lean ground beef and I boil mine in the tomato juice which makes it very tender. Then I chopped up the beans in a food processor. High protein, high Fiber and so good. I ate it for like 2 days straight and then froze the rest.

How long does the stalls usually last. 10 days ago I started puree food and so far have not lost any since.

Im big into working out, and i started 2 weeks post op. Until i got to maintenance i didnt really mess with my calories. I kept the same intake everyday. Now that im in maintenance its completely different. Just make sure youre getting your protein and drinking a lot of water.

Agree w/ @JakeH, and that its different when you are in weight loss mode vs. Maintenance. I started exercising for reals at 3 months post op and kept my calories under 600 no matter if it was an exercise day or not (at 5-6 months post op I was staying under 800). Stayed ultra-low carbs (>25g NET carbs). Now, as I’m not actively trying to lose weight, I try to stay within 1800-2000 calories (but I also do some moderate to heavy exercise almost every day). My bad though, as I will admit the quality of these calories may not always be of the best kind (i.e., sugar). I try to stay under 100g NET carbs, but I don’t always succeed (i.e., sugar!) Further, I prefer to do my running/strength training in the morning, in a fasted state. It may just be me, but I feel more energetic and nimble when my stomach is empty. Food makes me feel lazy and sluggish for some reason. Also, like @ChubRub, I do not feel particularly hungry after exercising, but I will eventually in a couple hours or so, and I’ll eat if I’m hungry. Long story short, at 6 weeks out, maybe just eat if u are hungry, while sticking to your prescribed calorie range (and don’t forget to get your protein and water in!) Good Luck! P.S. I am NOT a medical professional and am providing anecdotal comments based on my own experiences. It’s advisable to check with your doc when starting a new workout and nutritional regimen ❤️

I used low fat both and put a little salsa on top. However, that is the one thing I have trouble with. Haven't tried it in weeks though