I soo need help

I've had the band for about 4 years or 5,anyway I lost a good 30 lbs the first year but its been a pain in the A$$ getting filled,unfilled ,filled unfilled and all in just 1 month,I dont have the money to be paying ,and I dont remember ever having the band adjusted just right,ever,I had surgery last year and had whatever fluid removed for surgery,and even though I had my pain specialist & orthopedic dr tell me no excercise because of my athritis,bad knees and bad back,I excercised anyway messing up my knees & back worse along the way but I lost 80 lbs in 9 months,the band is not a magic tool ,so I had to work with it and excercised,but I'm stuck at the same weight for 2 1/2 months, plus I'm in the middle of having to move so house hunting ,packing & all is really stressing me out,I've been eating everything in sight I only have about 18-20 lbs to get to my goal and I really dont wanna bother with starting all overs with fills & unfills especially since I have to save every penny for moving,has anyone tried appetite suppressants? and is it safe with the band??

 If appetite suppressants worked, none of us would ever have gotten obese. If they work at ALL, it is very short term. IMHO, you're better off saving the money you'd spend on the pills and put it into getting a fill, if you need one. But the first step is to put a stop to your emotional/stress eating. Not an easy task, I know.

My suggestion would be to do what it took me 5 years to get through my thick skull:

Log your calories, drink your water, exercise, limit the sugar, and quit the liquid calories.

I agree that appetite suppressants only work for a shortwhile. I remember taking them as a teenager and they worked for about 2 weeks. I feel your frustration in not getting the band into that "sweet spot". I have gone through the same thing. I was banded in Nov. 09. I had a month here and there where I was in a good spot. However, I spent a lot of time either hungry or getting sick. The good news is I managed to loose all my weight. I now have my band pretty loose, I had a large unfill after maintaining my weight for a few months. I wanted to be able to eat breakfast and some rice, pasta, bread. I have pretty much kept my weight within about 5 pounds of my goal.

Debbie,

Sounds like you've got a lot on your plate right now. Is there anything you can do (besides eat everything in sight) to help you deal with the stress? Are you getting enough sleep? When I'm stressed out and/or over-tired, I feel lousy and can't deal with even the simplest tasks or problems.

I don't think that taking diet drugs is a problem for bandsters unless you already have another medical condition (like hypertension) that could make it unsafe.

I think your pain specialist and othopedic doc were doing you a disservice by telling you not to exercise, because the right kind of exercise could actually help you rather than harm you, but if your workouts have made your arthritis, knees and back feel worse, and you're no longer losing weight, maybe it's time to try a different form of exercise. I've heard that aquatic exercise can be a good way to burn calories without putting a lot of stress on your joints.

Jean

I'll add to Jean's suggestion of water exercises.. to consider trying beginner Yoga.  It's not a huge calorie burner, but it will build strength and flexibility.  I know some people who say they no longer take ibuprofen because Yoga keeps them stretched out and limber enough that they no longer hurt.  Now, I don't know if that will be the case for you since you've got some arthritis going on, but it might help.

Ask your ortho & pain specialists about some non weight bearing exercises..   Ask for referral to physical therapy.. they can teach you how to exercise without damaging yourself.  I had to go to PT last year because I overdid it and hurt my knees.. I learned alot.

Hope this helps some.

Debbie:

Ask you pain therapist about Physical Therapy in a wave pool. After my back surgery that it what they had me do to teach me how to strengthen my core to help my back. I have arthritis and spondylolithesis in my back and walking and water aerobics will do you good for it. The first step is seeing a PT so they can instruct you proper exercise for your needs.

You seem to have lots of stress right now. That can tighten your band and send you looking for slider foods. Be careful of all the liquid calories you take in. Keep a log of what you eat and what you are feeling when you eat certain things. You may find what set you off. And sleep is a HUGE part of things. If you aren't getting at least 7 hrs of sleep, your body will secrete a hormone called Gherlin that makes you crave carbs and sugar. Just be careful with that! I took this week to make sure I got 7-8 hrs of sleep a night and it made a HUGE difference on the scale!

Good Luck!