Will someone please help a fellow bandster?

[beachgirl 2]

Okay, everyone probably knows me unless your new and knows I've done fairly well with my band. I was banded 7 months ago and lost 60 pounds the first 6 months now I've ran into trouble. I had a slight unfill 2 months ago and then 3 weeks ago went back up to 1.9cc's in my 4cc's band. I haven't lost one pound in 2 months. I am soooo discouraged. I was the one always giving good advice and doing so well and now feel like one huge failure. I'm wondering if I need another fill. Dr. C told me last week if things weren't better by today that I could have another fill but I constantly worry about getting overfilled. I can eat anything but the main thing is I'm constantly hungry and just want to eat all of the time. This is so weird for me since I had such good luck at first. Just hoping someone that has experienced this can help because I was self pay and have over 15,000.00 invested and my hubby is already mad at me for not losing the past 2 months. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you guys,

[Kat817 19]

Was your fill done under fluoro? Have you had it "looked" at to make sure all is well? I understand not wanting to be overfilled, that is not safe.

I have noticed, the lower I get weight wise, the slower the weight comes off, but even tho I am not losing much weight, I am still losing some inches---and my body is readjusting. I have gone down another pant size, but the measurements in my arms, and calves have gone up---likely due to exercise, and weight lifting---but I LOOK better, regardless what the scale says.

I also lost very quickly the first 6 months, and slower now, but do not feel like a failure----I have lost over 80 pounds----even if the last 10 have been slower than molasses---I have lost them---and will continue to work at it!

What kind of exercise are you doing? Maybe it is time to pump it up a bit?

Kat

[cinward2001 0]

Oooh, I have lots to say about your post.

First, stop the negative attitude. You've lost 60 lbs in 7 months. That is GREAT! Nothing to feel like a failure about. In fact, it's well above the average weight loss. So try to cut yourself some "slack" that you've hit a plateau for a while.

Second, why are you worried about being overfilled? Unless you're intentionally stuffing yourself, PBing a lot, etc., you're not abusing your band. Being too tight is accompanied (usually) by reflux issues, excessive vomiting, etc., so you'd know if you were too tight. Instead, you have classic signs of not being tight enough.

Third, it sounds to me like you're not letting your band help you. Get the fill! That's why we have the band. You've paid $15,000 for the car and you're not wanting to put gas in it because you're afraid of over using it?

I've been banded a bit over a year now. For the last 2 months, I've lost nothing. I'm at 4ccs in a 4cc band, so I understand your worry about being over tight. I sometimes feel like a failure because I feel like I "should" be able to do this without having my band so tight. But no matter how much saline is in the band, the band is LOOSE. I'm hungry, I have no restrictions on what I eat, and most of the time, I'm back to feeling like I don't even HAVE a band. So I'm going later this week for a fill. I recognize that feeling like a failure is counter-productive, so I try to NOT think that way. I've lost 80 lbs and I need to lose 20 lbs to be at goal...and I'm hoping that one more fill will get me there!

Cindy

[puddin 7]

I've probably beaten this horse dead in other threads, but this is a new one and you may not have heard it: I lost only 60 pounds in my first 8 months or so. A few of those months had plateaus. I can relate to the discouragement, for sure! I was self-pay as well, and heck, why the heck did I go with this band thing if I was only going to lose 60 of the 150 I had to lose???

Long story short: I changed my attitude one day. Not sure how, but one day it just changed. I realized the amazingly primitive discovery of calories in-calories out... oh my I just wrote this long post but the less-than symbol screwed it up and half of it got deleted. I'll do my best to remember what I typed:

Ahem. So I started counting calories. Made sure I had at least a 1,000 calorie/day deficit. I monitor my calorie burn by using the BodyBugg (my saving grace gadget, costs about $400 but it's well worth it). I pre-made food and then portioned them out into suck-n-seal baggies, wrote the calorie & Protein content on the bags, and stuck them in the freezer. That way I always had something on hand to just boil right in the bag when I got hungry. I also got very hooked on physical activity. I learned to love jogging and biking, and then I learned to love swimming and hiking and kayaking and skiing. The world got so much bigger!

I eventually got so hooked on physical activity that I had my band loosened a tad. I can eat about 1,800 calories a day now, but I still burn about 2,300 on a fairly lazy day. So I'm typically still losing between 1-2 pounds per week. I just make SURE I get that deficit in every day. If it's 10:30 at night and I have 300 calories left to burn for the day, I get my tail out the door and go jogging! I know calorie counting can be a pain in the butt in the beginning, but it gets a lot easier over time and becomes no big deal after awhile. The beauty of this system is that it allows you to cheat when you want to. You realize pretty quick it's not worth the extra calories, but if I'm at a birthday part and want a little ice cream, I know I can simply work out a little harder that day or the next, or cut down a little on other calories.

Good luck to you. This discouragement will pass. You'll lose again if you keep up the good work. I promise.

[kebsa 1]

I agree with all the other comments. Even with eating well and excercising etc we are going to hit plateaus where the scale dose not move- are you checking other measurements such as waist hips chest etc- I am finding that at the time my weight loss slows the measurements still drop- i think I bodies just need to catch up!! It seems like it is human nature to instinctively see our "deficiences" instead of our achievements!

[GayleTX 1]

Since you are a lightweight, your weight loss is going to be slower than some of us....that's just the way it is. You've done extremely well for someone in your weight range.

Plateau's are a part of any weight loss program. The scale should not be your only guage of success!! Are you using a tape measure? Are you checking to see how a pair of pants fits today as compared to a month ago....I'll bet they are loser than they were!

And...speaking of pants - your husband needs a kick in his!!! His negative attitude is not helping anything, is it.

Make sure you are getting enough calories....going into starvation mode is a sure way to get stuck - you scare your body into holding on to every ounce of fat for future use in case you don't feed it again!

Also, from what I have read, our bodies tend to get stuck at a weight that we used to weigh for a long time in the past....our 'set point.' Is that a possibility at this time?

You've done a great job so far and you will continue to lose....just be proud of what you've accomplished and enjoy each step of this journey.

[beachgirl 2]

Thanks for all of your help and I will try eveyone's remedies and Gayle, that's so odd that you said that. I have been at 220 pounds for years and then gained up to the 270 and now I'm staying around the 215-220 mark. That's really weird. I guess I read all of the posts about losing they're bands and my husband would most deifinitely kill me if I got to much fill and lost mine. I do believe I need one though. I called Dr. Curry today and I have only 1.9cc's in the 4cc's band and he too said if I'm hungry all the time and there is nothing I can't eat and I just am looking for food that I probably need another fill. I hope it is just a temporary thing because 2 months and no weightloss is a long time.

Thanks for all of your help, I knew I could count on my bandster buddies.

[giveyouthemoon 4]

My .02? Along with the great advice listed here....talk to me about your head? Because for me...I lost a ton of weight (100 lbs in a year) and now I'm eating so poorly and while not gaining, I'm also not losing.

For me...I am going through a bit of "shock and fear". I haven't been this small in a long time. I guess I'm having to lose my mind a little bit? Eating poorly....maybe a skosh of self sabotage?

I dunno...I agree that if you are hungry all the time, get a fill.

But are you really hungry? Physically hungry? Or mind hungry?

It's ok to tell me "no, girl, my body is DAMN HUNGRY!" then the answer, you know, is get a fill.

I'm just chiming in with this other thought as it's one I'm struggling with right now......

big bandster hugs to you!

[juliegeraci 7]

Sounds like you are ready for another fill. a)if you are hungry a lot b)aren't losing. Those are just 2 signs of needing a fill. Good luck.

[beachgirl 2]

Thanks everyone,

Yes, Karen it's a horrible thing to go through and I hope your doing great. I do believe it's hunger, hunger because in 6 months I've not had this at all. Not in the least bit. Losing had been so easy and now is not happening at all.

I agree Julie, I scheduled a fill for Thursday, Dr. Curry will know how to get it just right. Am I the only one that has a huge fear of being to filled? I worry about it constantly and I believe if I would quit dwelling on it that I would do better.

Everyone have a great week and I'll let you know how it goes.

[Jachut 487]

Well firstly I agree absolutely with Puddin, there just comes a time when if you're going to lose more, and reasonably quickly, then this is what you have to do. Its calories in/calories out, nothing more and most people that get right down to goal weight do LOADS of physical activity. There's no way to sugar coat it, get moving and you'll lose. Really moving.

That said, I've gotten to where you are now. I need to lose another 10kg max but I just cannot get it to move. I've been stalled pretty much for 4 months. I know I have to eat less, but my current level of fill means that do do so I have to ignore hunger, eat less than what I want to eat and I"ve never ever been good at that. So I am going for another fill.

Like you, I"m phobic about it. I've gotten this far without ever being overfilled and have only ever PB'd once. I can still eat bread etc. I even think I'll be having fill removed once I hit goal because I think the level of activity I do will allow me to maintain well on 1800 to 2000 calories a day. But I cannot lose on that any longer.

You havent failed, you havent done anythign wrong, its just that we all get to a point where the band needs to be tweaked to continue working unless you are superhuman and can continue to diet without the band working at its optimum level!

[DrewsLou 3]

I understand EXACTLY what you are saying about being afraid of being too tight sherry! I have the same fear. For that reason I only have 2.5cc's in my band currently and I am VERY conservative with my fills. I have reached a level of restriction now that I am very happy with. I can eat a little less than a cup of food at a time and no bread what so ever (which is good for me since I am an addict!). I think if I was any tighter at this point I might panic that I'm not able to eat enough.

Hang in there girl!