I've only lost 10 pounds so far. 8 pounds of that in the first week and a half, 5 pounds Christmas day but I already put 3 pounds of that back on again. Not sure what's wrong but it's totally frustrating and agonizing and makes me wonder if I did the right thing in having the surgery. Hit a plateau after a week and a half and still haven't really broken it. Hugs, Ellie

Hi there. I just found this message board. I was banded on November 2, 2007 and have lost 30lbs so far. I've been struggling these past two weeks because my appetite has grown, but luckily I go in for my second fill on Jan 3rd. It's nice to meet all of you.... Cristina Mukilteo, WA

Veronica: I'm so sorry you're having a hard time. I had RNY, so I'm not much help with band questions .... but I've never heard of the port moving around, so maybe call your doctor and find out if that's normal or not. As for feeling hungry all the time. I've heard that for banders, increasing your protein will help subside that extreme hunger. You might also want to post this question on the Lap-Band forum where there are many more experts to help out with questions like these. Hope you feel better soon, Pam

hi jennifer,try spiru-tein,it comes in great flavors and tastes good!! good luck

Lynn - It's very unusual for post-op folks to NOT have shakes after surgery. Your new pouch is so small that there's no way you can possibly eat enough food to be getting in your required 60-80 grams of protein per day. So to boost your protein intake you need to supplement with shakes or some other type of protein snack. I was instructed to drink 3 shakes per day - but right now I'm doing just 1 or 2 depending on what else I eat. What's your typical protein intake per day right now? Did your surgeon or nutritionist give you a target range of grams of protein to get in everyday? Did your surgeon's office give you any kind of information about food choices, menues, approved foods at certain stages? Is there an after-care program at your surgeon's office at all? If you didn't get any information and they don't have any to offer or don't bother educating you --- I'd be happy to share the info I received from my surgeon with you. When did you have surgery and what type? As for the hot cocoa. I generally make Protein Hot Coco (recipe in my profile), but at work I have a stash of Swiss Miss Diet Hot Chocolate that has 2g protein, 2g sugar and 25 calories. Not sure about caffine, but if there's any in there I'm sure its minimal. I was told no raw fruit (like oranges and tangerines and pineapple) for at least the first 6 weeks. I can have canned peaches and pears and applesauce and bananas - but otherwise most fruit is off limits for me right now. I should get clearance to add fruit at my 6-week check up next week though. Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. I'm always amazed when surgeon's don't give their patients any clear direction on their eating plans. I'm happy to help in whatever way I can. Pam