No weight loss. So discouraged.

I had lap band surgery a while ago. I plateaued at 30 pounds lost. Then I went back up, then down. YO YO-ing stinks.   We're talking, 4 pounds in a week and a half..up and up...

  That is it. I can't seem to lose more.  I am at 6 cc in a 10 cc band. (any more gave me horrible heartburn)  The worst part:  I feel I am eating more. I can finish foods I couldn't before.
  If I have stretched my pouch, how do I get it back to "normal" and restricted?
  If I haven't stretched my pouch, I am so lost and confused. Why am I not losing any more? Over the holidays, I actually GAINED.  I feel like I am simply losing to go back to my starting "plateau" weight.

Has anyone had this problem? How do you pick yourself up and go on, without feeling like a huge disappointment?  I have let myself down, and I'm worried I have let others down too.  

((((((Scooby))))))

I'm sorry you are feeling so discouraged.  99% of us understand that yo-yoing.  I don't know if you have truly stretched your pouch or not or if you have, will it go back.   Maybe asking your dr that question would be a good idea.
It is said on here all the time...."Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."   Sounds like you need to go back to basics and give it an ernest try.  Start weighing and measuring your food, write everything down that you eat.  Do all the things that made you lose weight before.  Are you exercising?   I hate that word myself but I know it's needed.  Everyone loses at a different rate.
If you're a slow loser even when you're doing what you're suppose to, it is very discouraging, I know.  Also, if you can, stay away from your scale.  Take a starting weight and then stay away from it.   You will know from your clothes whether or not you are losing.  Don't let that scale dictate to you how you feel about yourself.  For me, whatever weight I lose, it never is enough in my mind.  For now I am getting weighed ONLY at my doctors.  The weight on my ticker is as of the end of January!  I will find out what I have lost next month.  Not everyone can do this I know, but for me it works.  I wish you the best.

Lyn.

Hi Scooby1980 - I feel for you truly - I had the band on 12-30-10 and am down 30 pounds and am yo-yoing between the 30 & around 32 and can't seem to get beyond that - luckily I stay with the -30 range so far, but darn it if I don't want to get past that AND stay past that!  I know I need to make some better choices as the past few days I've been a bit off, but even on a "good" day/s I seem to be yo-yoing.  I need to exercise more, I know that...but I do keep my calorie content down below 1,000 most days.  Ugh the battle of the bulge!  Hang in there and let me know how you are doing - maybe we can yo-yo out of this together?!?

This did happen to me last year.  I hadn't lost much weight and I was plateaued for months.  I can't tell you what changed...maybe it was my friends wanting me to work out with them.  It was the best thing that happened to me.  Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself and cursing the Band...I did something about it.  I started to exercise ALOT.  It's easy to find the motivation when I lost 16 lbs the first month!!!  I now exercise 6 days a week, 90 minutes a day.
I am two years out and I am losing steadily 1-3 lbs each week...sometimes more.  I have lost a total of 140 lbs so far.  All it took is some motivation on my part.  I make the right food choices...I stay around 1000-1200 calories and no more than 30-40 carbs a day.  As time has gone by I have gotten more strict and healthier with my foods.  I now eat very little simple processed carbs.  I don't eat pre-made, frozen, convenience foods.  The reason is - they are loaded with carbs and sodium (even the so-called healthy foods).  I make my foods now because I can control the ingredients.  This seems like a lot but I work 10-11 hours a day, then work out for an hour 1 1/2, and go home and prepare dinner.  I don't eat out very often.  I will relax my restrictions once I reach my goal weight.  I have to tell you I was very easily motivated to work out after my weight started to melt off of me...

Good luck...just stick with it.  It is possible to have a rocky start with the band and turn your self around...I did it.

Wow you work 10-11 hours a day, exercise 90 min a day and still cook from scratch?  God love you for sure!  I am in a highly stressful situation in my life and just barely make living day to day - I don't eat a lot of frozen meals but I do eat what is easiest (I know, not always healthy) - obviously this is working for you since you are continually losing...very awesome and awe-inspiring indeed...I'm hoping April will be a new month and a new start in my life from the stress I am under and can then focus more on healthier eating choices AND that "E" word so many of us dread (and that I can live without - I will never love to exercise...)! :)

I do a lot of cooking in the crock pot.  so quite often it's done when i get home.  But cooking from scratch doesn't have to be fancy.  Like fajitas or meatloaf...I almost never spend more than 20-30 minutes cooking.  sometimes I just make recipies up...like taco bake...basically meat, beans, cheese, and salsa. 

Oh and my kid is grown up and moved out.  So I don't have that to worry about.

Hi,
We had surgery around the same time.  I feel for you and would love to give you some suggestions but I'd need to know about your routine before I comment. 

Your goal is to lose 70 lbs and you were almost at the half-way mark.  What changed?  Can you think of anything that you did or stopped doing at that point that may have made a difference and stopped your losing?

First things first, when's the last time you had an upper GI?  My surgeon does them once a year to check band placement and pouch size.  That's the only way you'll truly know if you stretched your pouch.  If you haven't had it done in over a year, make an appointment.  You can't fix something until you know there's truly a problem. 

IF your pouch has stretched they will likely unfill you completely for a few months to see if it will correct itself. 

How is your level of restriction?  Do you have any?  Things change and just because you were too tight with more fill before doesn't mean that will happen again.  I know people with their 10 cc bands at 9cc's.  Personally, I keep my around 5.5-5.8 and thankfully have great restriction but it has changed, (up and down), over time depending on whatever!

Only you know if you've continually followed the band rules.  Are you actually hungry or and over eating?  Do you track your food?  Do you measure your portions and eat the appropriate portion or are you trying to listen to your body to determine if you're hungry or not.  (Personally, I have to measure or I will over eat).  My head ALWAYS thinks it needs more and I don't depend on the band to tell me when to stop. That doesn't always work.  Are you eating too many carbs, sugar, slider foods, etc.? 

IMO there are 2 ways that people approach the band.  1.  Eat whatever you want, (and can tolerate),but eat less of it.  2.  Change the quality of foods you eat as well as the portion size.

I chose #2.  I wanted to become healthier all around and chose to not eat simple carbs for the first 9 months post op.  Once I started testing the waters and added back some sugars and other white carbs, I stopped losing weight.  I'm an "all or nothing" personality.  I can't just have a little sugar and let it go.  I can't control sugar, I'm an addict.  Once I identified this and if I can stay away from simple carbs for a week, I'm good.  But one little taste...the cravings are back.

You might need to think about what your triggers are and eliminate them for a while to see if it makes a difference to your WL. 

Other than that,  drink plenty of no calorie beverage, (60 oz min.).  It will make a huge difference in your WL.

Protein, protein, protein.  You know the drill...

If you want to share more specifics regarding what your diet and exercise routines are we can give more input.

I wish you the best! 

Lisa O.

You say that you are at 6 cc and any more gave you horrible heartburn...did you try ittle bit?  I have notice a lot of a time at a certain amount folks are sensitive and instead of getting 1 cc...they sometimes need .50 cc or even as little as .25 cc...get use to that and then get a little bit more..in other words..have you tried to sneak up on it???

I would recommend trying this if you have not already.

I can honestly say that I understand what you are going through.  We had surgery at the same time that you did and during the past two years, I had come to HATE the band.  I was self paid and I regretted getting it because I like you was not losing.  First, it was hard for me to get to the fills to get to restriction.  I got really scared when I was overfilled one time and couldn't even swallow my saliva.  I got fluid taken out and then was too lose but I was scared of being too tight so I didn't go bac****il 8 months later.  I maintained my weight loss but plateaud (sp?).  I FELT LIKE A TOTAL FAILURE.  The sad thing is that i told everyone I knew that I had gotten the band so everyone was waiting to see what would happen.  I felt like I let everyone down.  During the past two years, I have always exercised but it was hard not to lose.  However, I had a long talk with my doctor where we examined what I was doing.  I was very honest, which was a little hard for me.  This is what we found out I was doing wrong:

1. I was eating way too many carbs.  I am "carb sensitive"  I will not lose if I eat too many carbs.  Even healthy carbs.  I always kept to below 1200 calories but my food contained too many carbs.

2.  I was not eating enough.  We figured out that I need 1100 calories  a day but on the days I exercise, I need to eat a NET of 1100 calories.  The Daily Plate helps me figure this out.

3.  Because the band was doing its job of suppresing my appetite, I would eat one  or one and a half meals a day.  I was just not hungry and sometimes only ate one meal a day.  BAD!  one meal even a small one was overwhelming my system.  Now I force myself to eat every 3 hours wether I am hungry or not. 
4.  During the summer, I drank too much alcohol.  I thought it was okay since I wasn't cheating on eating and I was drinking vodka with crystal light.  WRONG!  alcohol stops all weight loss.

5.  I still picked and grazed throughout the day.  A chocolate kiss here, an M&M there.  CARBS! bad habits to graze!

So, after all this soul searching, my weight has started to come down.  Thank GOD!  I have been miserable for the past 2 years seeing so many people succeed on this board and not ME!  I even stopped checking in but that was a mistake because checking into this site keeps me accountable.

Sorry this is too long but I hope it helps you.  I once thought that the band was going to be my quick fix to my weight problem.  I now know that I have to fight the bad behaviors that have kept me prisoner in this weight for the past 20 years.

Olga.

Unfortunately that kind of is "normal" with the band. :-(

20 lbs. in over 2 yrs. doesn't surprise me at all! I've heard it here before. I have even heard a lot WORSE!

THE BAND DOES NOT WORK FOR MOST PPL! :-(

Have you considered revising to a more effective WLS?