9 weeks out, no weight loss for 6, getting scared....

My story was very similar to yours early out.  It's not uncommon to experience what you are before you have "effective" restriction.  There is a difference between restriction and effective restriction. I lost about 18lbs in the first 2.5 weeks.  Then over the next few weeks I floated a few pounds up and down.  At 4 weeks when I got my first fill I had *some* restriction.  I couldn't eat as much as I wanted, but I still felt hungry after eating and my weight was not moving at all.  After 4 more weeks of this I had my second fill (only lost one pound inbetween those two fills).  After my second fill I felt pretty much the same, I couldn't eat alot, but I was still hungry.  At this point certain foods that had been okay before started giving me trouble and I stopped eating them (rice and doughy breads in particular).  Now mind you all this time I was doing what I was supposed to...eating healthy foods, proteins first, lots of water (but not at mealtimes), and after my second fill I added in good exercise.  Still with all that I still didn't lose much and when I went for my 3rd fill I had lost a grand total of 25lbs at 4.5 months post-op.  Up until that 3rd fill I had restriction, just not effective restriction. Once you get effective restriction, it ALL changes.  I eat small meals (it still amazes me how small.)  I don't even THINK about food in between my meals and I used to plan healthy snacks but now I don't need them.  And the weight is finally starting to come off.  I've lost about 2lbs a week since my 3rd fill.  I finally feel like I'm at the place I expected to be in those first few weeks and months after surgery.  I just wasn't well informed about how LONG it can take to get effective restriction and that basically until that happens...you're on your own. You just have to have faith that it will happen for you as long as you keep eating healthy, following the guidelines and going in for fills.  It makes a world of difference. Thankfully I have a fabulous doctor who supported me every step of the way and even when I didn't lose, he was encouraging and reminding me the whole time it's about "effective" restriction. So just focus your goal on continuing your healthy habits and not worry about the numbers just yet.   I promise, I had doubts before just like you and now I'm a believer.  I have faith you'll get there, just like I did. 

Wow, thank you for sharing and putting my thoughts into perspective! I have felt lost for a while now and although I have posted here, nothing really made me feel any better until these posts today. Patience is a funny thing. I have it with my clients, I have it with co-workers, but I dont' have an ounce of it when it comes to my life outside of that! And I tend to neglect myself at the earliest convenience. If something else comes up with someone I know that I know I can help with, I do, so that I can forget my own issues and what I'm trying to improve on. It's time to stop that and look out for myself and be conscious of the decisions I'm making on a daily and hourly basis. I did not take this big step so that I could fail, so that others could say I told ya so. I'm going to take what you've all said to heart and work harder to understand what's happening and why, before I jump the gun and blame it on myself in a negative way.

I'm just replying to let you know you're not alone. I had surgery shortly after you, and Im in the same position. I lost 12 pounds the first 2 weeks after surgery, and have lost 2 pounds since then. Even after having my first fill, I have little if any restriction. Sometimes I feel down when I see how much other people have lost during this time frame, but I just remind myself that I probably wouldn't have lost 14 pounds without surgery, and once I have restriction, things will be somewhat different. I'm still working on exercising everyday whether or not I feel like it. Don't give up! This is only the begining!

Thank you for the support, I have to learn to be patient. I am sipping my protein drink as we speak! I am working out firs thing this evening. I have to be thankful for the 25 pounds I have lost so far and remember this is a marathon and not a sprint. Good luck to you also and keep in touch!

You had surgery 2 days after I had mine and I've only lost 15 so far! So you're ahead of me!!   I'm trying to be patient but I'm getting frustrated too! Hang in there!

Any weight loss prior to proper restriction (which typically takes 3-5 fills) is a bonus and not to be expected. Your surgeon, to be honest, should be seeing you about once a month for at least the first several months to check how things are going and to add fill. I don't understand the idea of giving a patient one fill and not wanting to see them again until their loss stalls...a banding surgeon familiar with how the band works would understand that one fill is extremely unlikely to do the trick. You do, however, need to give each fill a fair tryout which is 3-4 weeks, making sure you're focusing on solid foods, and making sure you're putting portions on your plate and not having the expectation that the band will force you to stop eating midway through a pre-op portioned plate. So, put 3-4 oz solid protein, a serving of nonstarchy veggies (1/2 cup) and a serving of starch (1/4-1/2 cup, emphasis on complex carbs) on the plate, take small bites, chew to mush, put the fork down between bites so you don't rush, don't eat for longer than 30 minutes and evaluate how you feel. You're not looking for any sort of discomfort/pressure/stuck feeling...you're looking for the moment physical hunger is turned off (we call this the Soft Stop and it'll be something like a runny nose, sneeze, hiccup, burp, a little sigh) and stop eating at that point. It's highly likely with only one fill that you won't get a clear soft stop and very likely that a sensibly portioned meal isn't going to shut off hunger...so right now, when you're done, get up and go do something else instead of looking for more to eat. If you're lucky and get satiety on a proper bandster meal, check how long it takes for physical hunger to return...when properly restricted, it'll stay away for 3-4 hours after a meal. We need a fill when: 1. we're not losing and we know we're doing our part; and/or 2. our sensibly portioned meals aren't turning off hunger; and/or 3. hunger is returning too quickly after a meal. In terms of weight loss, the target is 1-2 lbs/week ON AVERAGE OVER TIME so you're already very far ahead of that and it's not uncommon after a rapid drop for the body to stall. Nancy