8 Weeks Post Op and Still No Fill.

[GoCubbies79 31]

I was banded on March 1, 2011 which was 8 weeks ago. I have lost a total of 71 pounds during the 8 weeks. I went to the doctor yestarday to do my first fill and was told that I was not ready for a fill yet. I am curious if anyone else has not had a fill yet and has had their lap band atleast 8 weeks. I am consuming around 600 calories each day. I am only able to eat about 4oz of food per meal, 3 times a day.

I am happy with the results but am worried about any malnutrition from only 600 calories per day. How many calories is everyone else consuming?

[Jess55 97]

600 seems awfully low. I think even more so since you are a male. I think men need to eat more than woman. I eat anywhere from 1200-1400 per day.

As for no fill you've list 71lb in 8 weeks, my dOc believes of you are losing no fill is needed. I'm 4 months post op and still losing last time was like 1.5 lb per week so they felt I still didn't need a fill and I've been comfortable where I am. Except for every so often. Yesterday I was hungry shortly after lunch, but that isn't usual for me.

[TKW 501]

Wow!!! You have lost a lot of weight. I would think your doctor would check and make sure there was no fill in your band, and he certainly would not do a fill with the weight loss you have experienced. Are they concerned with your rapid weight loss? 600 calories is not much to live on. I eat 1200 - 1400 a day. Congrats on your success, personally I think you need to eat more.

[GoCubbies79 31]

I did mention to the doctor how many calories per day I am eating and what my daily diet consists of. The doctor did say that normally people eat around 900 calories a day but he said he didn't want to tell me to eat more. He was shocked and very happy with my weight loss.

I am happy with my weight loss and do not want to increase my calories if I can not naturally fit them in during meal time. My whole reason for doing the lap band was to stop myself from eating just to eat. I am scared that increasing my calories just to hit a number, 900, will put my mind back into the bad habits of eating just to eat.

[vickyd 24]

I was banded in December 2010 and didn't have my first (and only) fill until March. The way it works with my surgeon is they not only look at how much you lost since your last appointment but also how much you are able to eat in a sitting and how long you can go before you get hungry again. When I got my fill, I had lost 12 lbs the month before and my portion sizes were good but I was getting hungry every 2 hours. The fill was just enough to help me be able to go 4-5 hours between meals without being hungry (which is perfect for me).

As far as your calories go, I agree with the others that 600 per day is very low but as long as you take your Multivitamins and get in enough Protein you should be ok from a nutrient point of view. You may find as you go on that your weight loss stalls or slows way down and that in order to kick it back into gear you need to increase your calories - at least that's what happened to me. I have to eat between 1,000-1,100 calories a day or I don't lose at all...it doesn't matter if I'm on the higher side or the lower side, I just don't lose. I understand you not wanting to eat just to eat but I do find that sometimes I have to make myself have a snack in order to get my calories in and since I don't lose if my calories drop below 1,000 then I can justify it but I always make sure it is a high Protein snack that I portion out and eat deliberately so that I don't get back in the habit of mindless snacking.

Good luck to you...you are doing great!

[Melissannde 41]

Cubbies,

Way to go on your weight loss!! You've done spectacularly well.

I see your starting BMI is even higher than mine was.. and mine was pretty high. You're on your way to beating my rate.. and I thought I lost pretty fast at getting 100lbs off in 7 months. Goes to prove what the fact that larger people lose faster. But still, you deserve the credit.. YOU are the one doing the work.

Just a couple of things you might want to consider.

Right now, you have plenty of energy in the form of fat stored in your body, so for the short term, 600 calories/day is probably not going to be a problem. But as you lose, the fat will become less available for use and your body will start using some of your muscle for energy. You don't want to lose muscle because muscle is a fat burning engine.

There are two main ways to combat this.. one is to up your calorie intake slightly.. you can do it 50 to 100/day until you are used to eating around 900 - 1000 and it won't feel like "eating just to be eating". Another thing you should be considering doing is some sort of exercise to maintain and/or build muscle. I didn't do muscle building exercises from the beginning, but wish I had. I wasn't knowledgeable about what I was doing by not using some weights.. even little ones.

I average around 1100 to 1200 calories a day, but I also work out quite a bit. Working out makes me hungrier, so I probably consume more than 1200.. but I work off at the very least 250 a day, and that's a very low energy day. Most days my exercise burns 500 or more ( I use a polar HRM.. not using charts or machine totals).

Again, congratulations on your FANTASTIC loss. As to your question if there's anyone else who has lost so much w/o a fill.. I know of a few who've lost some, but not as much as you have.

Just out of curiosity, does your doctor put in a fill during surgery? Not that it matters at all, I'm just curious.