Banded one year, no weight loss

[juliegeraci 7]

Suz,how much can you consume at once? With a good fill I typically can only eat 2 oz at a time and I lose 2 lb per week. I am never hungry. The first thing I would revisit is your consumption and then the exercise portion. If you can move a little more, lose your hunger and only eat small portions you should lose. I would start with consumption first.

[bandster_1007 1]

calories definately get you faster than fat grams, and Cereal adds up. i would watch your calories and see if that helps.

i felt the same way as you, recording my food made me feel obsessed, but the fact is, i lose when i record, and i was astounded at how many calories i actually eat (and am eating right now because of my unfill).

[wanabthin 0]

It doesn't sound to me like you are at restriction. Get back to the doctor and discuss this ASAP! My doctors office would never let me go a year w/o losing, they would be doing everything in their power to figure out the problem is and get it fixed. And as far as all the counting calories well if I could do that I wouldn't have needed the band in the first place. My band works for me, I don't work for it. But thats just my opinion. Good luck to you!

[shortgal 5]

I really don't count calories because it makes me focus on food too much and then I start eating too much. I know what's fattening and what's not and I know about portion size. I once worked with dieticians in a hospital writing special diets for special needs patients. So I have always cut the fat off of meat and controlled my intake of deep fried foods,etc. My main problem has always been sweets, uncontrolled amounts of chocolate. That's how I got this fat. Like my mother I have a slow metabolism and my resting heart rate is too fast. I am on medication for the heart (high blood pressure too). But the only thing to raise the metabolic rate is exercise, which has to be done gradually because of my heart. As for rewarding a job well done there's my gardening (I could get myself a new rose bush), I make jewelry (I could splurge on some fabulous crystals) and I have my cross stitch... After reading your replys I think my problem is too much carbs. I eat cereal frequently for all three meals. I have irritable bowel syndrome so I have to alternate the good stuff (Live Active, Cheerios) with the average stuff(Special K, Corn Chex). The good stuff aggravates my IBS if I eat it every day. You know the saying you are what you eat? If that's true then I'm a bowl of cereal. I get most of my Protein from Protein drinks and occasionally chicken which I cut up very tiny and chew to death. Beef (not ground beef) practically gives me a heart attack. I love shrimp but I just can't chew it up enough no matter how long I chew it. The reason for the carb overload is I'm so tired with all this extra weight and slow metabolism and diabetes I just don't want to cook or be bothered with food. For the first 7 months I followed the perfect Bandster diet, it was such a hassle cooking all the time but I wanted to lose the weight so bad I did it. But when nothing came off I began to eat less and less hoping to lose and because I was tired of the hassle for nothing. Now I still don't eat much during the day ( I pretty much sleep all day, I don't usually go to bed until 3:30-4:00am) but I eat too much after the sun goes down and it's mostly carbohydrate. I love most vegetables but only a few fruits, weird, I know. I'd rather eat veggies than meat any time. So it's hard to get all the Protein in. I know it's me that's gotta do the work using the band as a tool, but I expected the band to stave off hunger a lot better than it is. Soo...suggestions?

Suz, I eat cereal, once a day (bfast) a high Fiber, higher protein type and only 3/4 c with 1/2 c skim milk. What size serving are you having when you eat the cereal? And how many Protein Drinks a day? How many calories in each one?

Everything you are having all day long might be going through your band too quickly.

If you are eating the same food every day, cereal and Protein shakes, how hard can it be to write those calories down, just so you know.

If solid protein is that hard to get down then you might be too tight.

You don't have to cook every meal to get protein in. Supermarkets have whole roasted chickens, there are frozen Entrees like lean cuisines or WW meals, healthly choice brands, canned tuna, add a can of green Beans (that you warm in the micro) and you have a meal.

Many people can eat some carbs if the portion is controlled, but as a diabetic, you need to watch those more than others.

Good Luck, I hope you'll try a few new things to get on a losing track again.

[brandyII 9]

Suz,

I don't know if I read your second post earlier, sometimes my posting goes past the second ones. Anyway, you sound a lot like me except you had lost weight in the beginning. I know I already emailed after my surgeon appointment but I have a lot of those same issues as you.

I stay up late and sleep late and am tired a lot. I crave sweets. I don't have any heart issues. Prior to my surgery they put me through many tests at the hospital and with follow ups with specialists if there was a prob. One thing they found was that I had a low oxygen level in my blood and went to the pulmonologist who then sent me for a sleep study and found I had sleep apnea and sleep problems can cause weight gain and make you crave sugar! I'm just bringing that up in case it could pertain to you too.

I do sleep with a CPAP machine and because I had such issues sleeping and was tired all the time prior I adapted pretty well to the machine. One thing I could do well. At this point I don't think I could sleep without it, that sounds crazy.

Also I had type 2 diabetes and an under active thyroid and one doctor said I had PCOS. I ended up being anemic a few years ago because my periods were so heavy. My obgyn told me to have a uterine ablation and so now they are light and I'm not anemic anymore but that really made me tired.

I think I told you before that maybe your band wasn't tight enough but now I realize you're like me and can eat the high fat high sugar foods like cakes candies Cookies ice cream because it's hard to eat the other stuff. That's exactly why I had the fill taken out today, well I'm down to 2 ccs in a 10 cc band so that I don't have to just eat cereal or foods that go down easily.

Anyway I hope I wasn't too rambly and let me know if this is what you think has been happening to you too. I know also that when I get up at 6:30 AM to let out the dogs and I've gone to bed at 3:00 AM that night I crave sugar and feel like I have to eat then. I'll go back to bed after I let them out. There are a lot of studies done with food and sleep deprivation etc... and there's some correlation. Something about needing energy.

Anyway if any of this rings a bell with you let me know. I know dieting prior was difficult and having the band is supposed to help but I didn't know it would be this hard! Talk to you later brandyII.

[Suz 1]

Do I ever have sleep issues! I've had chronic insomnia since puberty. I didn't start putting on weight till I was almost thirty but I've had chronic insomnia ever since I can remember, even when I was skinny. Going 2 or 3 days with no sleep at all is nothing to me, that happens all the time. Yes I do have sleep apnea but the CPAP machine drove me nuts. So I spend most of my life in a state of sleep deprivation and I eat carbs almost exclusively and I have type II diabetes, no wonder I'm such a mess. When I eat cereal I don't measure it, it's probably a cup or so and I might eat 3 or 4 bowls in about sixteen hours unless it's a day when I cook or just cannot stand to look at one more bowl of cereal, or my husband complains too much. I think I need to go back over all the info I collected when I was pre-op and just start over. During the pre-surgery diet I lost 15lbs, at least I haven't gained that back, but I still need to lose over 100lbs.

The Protein Drink I use is Unjury, chocolate of course. One scoop is 100 calories, add skim milk and it's 180 calories. I use these to tame my chocolate cravings. Some days I don't have any, some days I might have three.

Being diabetic before I was banded I just ate all day because if you've ever experienced hypoglycemia you'll do anything to avoid it. So my blood sugar was high all the time but I didn't know I was diabetic then, I just knew if I went very long without eating I'd suffer the hellish symptoms I later came to know was hypoglycemia, and my diabetes is not considered to be all that bad, my A1c tests are never much above normal.

Thanks for all the suggestions but canned green Beans and tuna fish, heated? I don't think so, I can barely stand tuna salad. lol

I used to live in a big city, hated it and moved to the country. One of the cool things about that is if I want to eat junk I have to drive an hour to get it. So I never go grocery shopping hungry, never buy sugary stuff and that's been a big help, but in recent depressing times I've just made homemade goodies. There are no support groups anywhere near me, my doctor is a 2 hour drive and not nearly as wonderful as what you all seem to have. In fact I have not seen my surgeon since the surgery, the fills are done at the Bariatric clinic by a Nurse Practioner. I have never been scoped or anything. But when I got the last fill she showed me when the needle was in before she pushed the plunger you could see liquid from my band slowly backing up into the needle. She said that meant I was tight enough, but she put another drop in at my insistance because I was so desperate to lose weight. Well I'm rambling. thanks for all the input.

Edited April 24, 2008 by Suz
correction

[nikki8735 0]

Had the surgery in October. Lost 20 pounds in first month, but nothing since. Have the worst belching problem in the world since surgery and don't know why. Very embarrassing. I wish I had never done the surgery.

[shortgal 5]

Had the surgery in October. Lost 20 pounds in first month, but nothing since. Have the worst belching problem in the world since surgery and don't know why. Very embarrassing. I wish I had never done the surgery.

Are you eating very slowly? That might help. You're not having carbonated drinks, right?

[brandyII 9]

Suz,

I'm laughing now because I read what you wrote about the Beans and the tuna. You sound a lot like me. I tried canned chicken and it tastes just like tuna so I won't eat it even though I know it's really chicken!

Listen, I don't want to be one of those "preachy" types of people and as you know I am no where near where I should be with this band but right now I'm more concerned because of two of your major conditions.

First I know you live in the country, I do too but I'm lucky that it's just a 45 to one hour drive to my surgeon's office which is associated with a hospital. My surgeon will actually do my fills if I ask him and schedule an appointment even though they've grown quite a bit and he's the head honcho now of the practice.

I'm worried about your sleep issues and the part they play with your carb intake and your diabetes. I know sleep apnea is the new baby of the medical world and everyone has a sleep clinic opening up but I was the same way as you. I was taking sleep meds until they stopped being effective on me. If I hadn't gone through all this pre-op business I wouldn't have known that I had sleep apnea.

You don't have to be overweight to have it. The man my brother runs with has it and trust me, no fat on either of them! And he sleeps with the machine too.

I had headaches plus the uncontrolled eating which was much worse prior to using the machine. I was sent to a pulmonologist after they found my oxygen level was too low in my blood. Then did the sleep clinic which is difficult for everyone! I think because I really wanted to sleep and I was tired of being tired all the time that maybe I adjusted to my mask better than some others. I don't know. But there are so many types of masks out there to try if one is difficult for you. I don't know how long ago you tried this. But I just feel with the connections between the carb overloading and sleep deprivation besides it can have an affect on your heart which I remember you said you had heart problems too right? You should probably focus on that aspect of your health first before worrying about the band.

Also I don't know if depression and anxiety play a part in your sleep issues. I'm on clonapen for anxiety and that helps when I take one prior to sleep also. And I'm on an antidepressant too. Those aren't always helpful when comes to weight loss but trust me I'm a much better person on them fat than off of them and thin, lol!

I feel so much better now that I've gotten the fill taken out of my band so that I can eat normally again, but have a bit of restriction. Just a bit. I still have cravings during my PMS times and I still suffer with PCOS and that's the other thing I was thinking that maybe you should get together with an endocrinologist if you haven't been seeing one already. We're both at the age when we're either pre or meno or post meno and that doesn't help our case either.

So anyway you have the band but you also have so many other issues that you're dealing with that can totally sabbotage the band and if they're taken care of I don't know if the band situation will work. I hope I didn't sound too preachy, I try not to be but I'm worried about you and I know that a can of beans ain't gonna do it, lol!

Anyway think about it, I know making so many appointments with so many different doctors is a real pain in the ass, but if one of these issues is keeping you from losing weight on the band it's worth it, and you are too! Good luck and let me know what you think.

Also someone here directed me to a wwwCPAPTALK.com when I have had issues with my CPAP machine, it's a great group of people if you'd like to check out their forum.

Good luck and let me know how things are going, Nancy.

[shortgal 5]

Just to clarify, the green Beans are supposed to be heated NOT the tuna!

I meant it's easy to add veggies to any Protein you are having at a meal, by opening a frozen bag or a can and heating them. I said this b/c Suz doesn't want to cook!

Remember if the band is too tight, many people have said on the forum that they did NOT lose weight until they got a SLIGHT unfill. If you cannot eat solid protein fairly regularly then you should consider that your band might be too tight.

Suz, you don't have to eat tuna if you don't like tuna, you just have to find other solid protein that you do like.

It can't be hard to grill a piece of chicken. buy a bunch of chicken pieces, separate and freeze them and then take one out. You shouldn't have to live on cereal and shakes everyday.

[Peachie 0]

I had Lap Band on Dec. 11, 2007. I lost 42 pounds and then got hungry and gradually started to eat more and more. I have now gained back the 42 pounds plus. I had a fill in March, I thought that would fix the problem but it did not help at all. I can still eat anything and do. I know what I need to eat and how much but I can't seem to get started. I though the lap band would help but I am just like I was before the surgery. Anybody have any ideas on how to jump start or get back on the wagon? I am desperate. I paid for the surgery myself and the fill. I hate myself for wasting all that money.

[brandyII 9]

Peachie,

You're not alone here. I had the same problem but never got to lose as much as you. I don't know what other issues you may have that contribute to it. Are you a sweet craver like I am, do you have other physical problems like diabetes etc... It's definitely harder if you have to self pay everything on top of it.

I started at 253 lost about 25 after doing the medifast liquid diet a month prior to surgery and now am up to 250 again and never lost after the band. The sweets just went down too easily and chose them over the healthier stuff.

Do you have specific info you can give us like hard time eating Protein etc..., think your fill is too tight?

There are a lot of people here who are great with helping people so don't get so down on yourself you found the right place to come to and start chatting with people so that we can help you figure out what to do, brandyII.

[shortgal 5]

I had Lap Band on Dec. 11, 2007. I lost 42 pounds and then got hungry and gradually started to eat more and more. I have now gained back the 42 pounds plus. I had a fill in March, I thought that would fix the problem but it did not help at all. I can still eat anything and do. I know what I need to eat and how much but I can't seem to get started. I though the lap band would help but I am just like I was before the surgery. Anybody have any ideas on how to jump start or get back on the wagon? I am desperate. I paid for the surgery myself and the fill. I hate myself for wasting all that money.

ONE fill? For most people one is not enough. There is no one right amount of fill for everybody, we each need our own "right" amount to fit our stomach. Maybe you just need more fill?

when i go to the Dr's office, we chat about what foods I am eating and the quantity of food I can eat and how long a meal keeps me satisfied. Then we decide if more fill is needed.

I've had EIGHT! and I still need more, maybe you do, too.

[IndioGirl55 32]

The Band in it's self isn't going to make you lose the weight. The only thing the band does is restrict the amount of food that you can consume at one time (once you get to your sweet spot)

If you are eating around the band (slider foods - that slide right thru and dont cause problems) is that the bands fault - There is an article in the new Magazine section - "Is the band failing you or are you failing your band" by Coach Cher.. It's worth the read...

I am going to be very unpopular here - but I just gotta say this

IMHO The Band does take work/will power ie going to the doctor to get fills - cooking - planing - counting calorie/keeping a food diary (as a learning tool until we are aware of what kind of calories we eat a day - heck we don't count that 8 oz glass of o.j. that has 100+ calories and truly we drink a 16 oz glass)- eating low fat and low sugar and you have to exercise.

I had to take a little test when I met w/my surgeon - as to the kinds of food that I ate - that is what he used to determine what kind of surgery you should have (Brandy likes sweets - well with the band she is able to eat them and still absorbs all the calories - where as if she does get a bypass - the minute she eats sugar she is going to get physically ill - have the dumping syndrome as her intestine don't absorb the calories)

Since my problem was Portion Control - he felt the band would be my best choice had it been sweets & fats - he would have suggested bypass.

You should be able to eat hard Proteins ( bander rules -tiny bites (eraser size) eat slowly and chew) - if you aren't able to eat regular foods then you need to see your doctor - it's simple as that cuz if you can't eat regular foods you are going to resort to eating unhealthy slider foods -

You need to add exercise into your life in some form - slowly at first and increase as you get healthier..

If you are eating slider food cuz it's easier and you aren't losing weight - then you have to ask yourself some hard questions. Are you using your tool or expecting your tool to do all the work.

Good Luck Ladies - I wish you all the success in the world - but think you need to really look deep inside to figure out why you are sabotaging yourselves cuz no matter what form of WLS you chose it's going to take work and effort on your part - WLS surgery doesn't equate to simple and easy - it requires alot of work and will power - determination to make a lifetime lifestyle change in your eating and becoming more active thru exercising

Weight loss is quite simple - calories in vs calories out.. They have banded our tummies but not our brains - IMHO the majority of our food issues are in our brains and not our stomachs..

Edited April 24, 2008 by IndioGirl55
wording

[shortgal 5]

I agree with Janet. The only thing I would add is after getting the band my stomach shut up long enough to listen to my brain. Before that I couldn't hear waht my brain was saying, what with all the screaming my stomach was doing! LOL

With mild restriction, my band only whispers to my brain and I have to listen really hard. With better restriction I'm hoping my brain can hear my band better telling me when I'm full.

It's a fine line between good restriction and being too tight.

Like Janet, I track my calories every day. I weigh and measure unless I'm using a meal that's already figured out for me ( like a lean cuisine). And since being banded, I've had to use willpower a LOT!

Portion Control and eating when bored (were) are my problems.