I have avoided coming back to this site b/c I am frustrated and, frankly, a little depressed! I am hoping that I can get some words of wisdom or just a little support... I was banded last July and have lost 50 pounds. That may not sound too badly but I've been on a plateau for about 5 months. I have a 10cc band and am at 6.4. I can't keep most foods down and pb at least once every day. I have resorted to eating lots of pudding and yogurt which I know isn't good b/c it goes right down. I had gone to get my band loosened in January (from 6.8 to 6.4) and was made to feel like I was doing something wrong by the doctor. I walked away feeling like my lack of weight loss was me and not that the band was too tight. I want to go back and get more taken out because I know this isn't supposed to be the way it is. I had wonderful visions of eating pizza but only eating 1 slice b/c I'd be so stuffed from the restriction of the band. I've tried to eat pizza... one bite, and it gets stuck (even a small bite chewed REALLY well). I can't keep this up and am hating that I feel like a failure...

Holly: I share some of your experiences, and have had to decrease my own fill from definitely too tight at 1.7/4cc band, and gained much relief at 1.4cc. And unless I'm careful I can have episodic PBing on hard proteins.

Fortunately I still don't care for the likes of pizza or pasta.
I *can* and *have* eaten as much as "almost 2" small slices from a small pizza if I leave the outer crust alone. That gives me swallowing troubles, plus it seems to pass some kind of thresh hold where the next several days I have markedly increased hunger.

Still, I find periodic return to my old FF yogurt and deli meat whizzed up, for at least one meal a day for a week, and periodic return to the dreaded protein shake for breakfast for a few days, serves to keep me at least in a non-gaining mode.

My sizes have gone down despite my 18 month plateau, and I have a more pleasing fit in my clothing. Yet I do NOT feel like a failure at all.

Perhaps a good chat with your surgeon or nutritionist would help reevaluate your present status. It sounds to me like you are in fact too tight.

What level of exercise are you getting, and what does your tracking program say about your intake? What else is on your menu?

Do you have other recreational activities, etc.

This is a tough league to play in. In spite of these little annoyances, I'd far rather be here than where I was preBand.

You are, in my opinion, most DEFINETLY too tight. I know what you mean though about your doc (or in my case fill nurse) not being supportive of you having it taken out, but this is your body and you need to take control of it. I found that I didn't lose at all when I was on crap mushie foods. I have lost almost all of my weight being on the loose side. It forced me to make good food choices (dense proteins and meats) because I could. I didn't worry about choking, pbing. I had a fill the end of March and it was WAY too tight. All I could eat was popcorn (yes I know..weird!) and crystal light. I had a few protein shakes but I really can't stand them and would rather cut my tongue out than drink them. However when I went in the nurse didn't really take anything out. In fact when I went in the other day because I was still dealing with being too tight, I found out that she actually put .2ccs in. Fortunately I had a different nurse and she removed the entire thing. Now I am on maintenance and have to be unfilled for my upcoming TT, but you can risk serious complications being too tight. It doesn't sound like you are opposed to getting a slight unfill, so I would force your doc to do it. Again this is your body and you are paying for it whether through insurance premiums or self pay.

I honestly believe your lack of weight loss is because your body has gotten so far into starvation mode because of the lack of nutrition. Maybe not calories, but just lack of nutrition.

Hope this helps and don't feel like you are alone! Join us any time on the main Lucky #7's board. As you can see from my sig, I was banded in August, but this is my home! They are wonderful people here and we are all very supportive. Each and every one of them would be on your side.

HollySue
You are not a failure - you are just in a rough spot.

If you can not eat regular food (I'm not talking about pizza) but meats/hard proteins (cut up to the size of an erase tip), chicken, fish, veggies and some carbs you are too tight and should have some taken out.

What is a typical day's food for you - are you tracking your calories are you exercise - are you eating low fat & sugar free.

I think you have resorted to eating slider foods (foods that slide right through your band) and that you may be eating more calories than you think.

I know that people say they didn't get the band to weight & measure foods - to track calories and protein grams - but as fat chick we don't know what a real serving size is - we think a serving is 16 oz steak - large loaded baked potato - soup & salad then dessert - when in fact 4 oz of meat - 1/4 of a large baked potato without the extra and 1/2 cup veggies is a real serving size.. I use my scale and food diary as a learning tool - it helps me know what calories I have eaten for the day - It's easy to forget that string cheese and few crackers - those 200 calories adds up.

We are suppose to get min 60 grms of protein - if you aren't reading labels and tracking you don't know what you are getting or not getting - did you know that for every ounce of meat you have 7 grams pt..

I think that you need to quit the pity party about being a failure you aren't you have lost 50lbs and that's a considerable amount to be proud of

Now just pull yourself up by your boot straps - make the commitment to yourself right this second that you are going to get the rest of your weight off.

This commitment will include exercising min 3 x week for min 30 minutes and build from there - Track your calories - 900 -1200 a day - Eat healthily low fat - low sugar - get your 64 oz of water - 60 grams of pt & vitamins.
If you need some take out to achieve this (remember tiny tiny bites eat slowly and chew chew chew) if this doesn't work then you do need some taken out - don't drink with meals and up to 1/2 hr after.

Holly Sue

You have lost 50 pounds!!! That is an amazing accomplishment. You have lost an entire small child. My 3 year old weighs less that that. Can you imagine carrying a 3 year old around on your back all day every day....in the shower, in the car, walking up the steps??? You have made a giant improvement in your health and well being.

Now if you had told us you GAINED 50 pounds we might have a different opinion, but we would still welcome you with open arms and ask you to join us so we could help you succeed at this monumental task! This board has welcomed me with open arms and I was banded 6 months after them. They have been encouraging. They have been inspirational....and when I needed them to, they have been the reason I didn't binge on that hot fudge sundae. (Honestly, I didn't want to have to come here and report myself.) But last Saturday I had a horrible food day....and they all said, "what is done is done, today is a new day and we need to recommit to living this healthy life."

Think about all the reasons you had this band put in place. Remember why you went through major surgery (with risk of death attached) to improve your life. Those must have been some pretty powerful motivators. They aren't gone. Sometimes we just lose sight of them. When I get discouraged (and it happens to the best of us they tell me) I try to focus on that list of reasons....and ask myself if I have achieved my goals. If I can say those reasons are met and my goals are a reality, I'm finished with this fight and can begin to maintain. Until that time, I'm fighting the good fight. You can do that too.

Join us on the main Lucky 7 thread. It is a powerful place. We will help you through this amazingly difficult time....and when we stumble and need a hand up, yours will be there among the others to help us to get back on our feet. You will be proud of yourself. We will help.