Am I normal??

I had surgery 6 weeks ago yesterday and I'm starting to get a little discouraged.  First of all, I haven't lost any weight in the past two weeks.  My band is empty and I am starving.  (no appts available to have a fill until May 5th )  I'm trying to control what I eat and how much.  Being sure to make healthy choices.  And to top it all off I started exercising.  Went for a walk on Sunday (3 miles) and my shin splints hurt so bad that I was limping back to the car.  But I decided to go ahead and walk again on Monday (2 miles) in pain the entire way.  All the research I did online said to quit walking until the pain is gone.  Well, pain is almost gone so I will walk again tomorrow.  Did anyone else have these difficulties?  How did you get over the hump of no weight loss?

Its sad to say, but I never got over the "hump of no weight loss"

And... I have been hungry for 4 years. I've had TONS of fills and un-fills.

I hope you have a different journey and you can start seeing some results. GOOD LUCK!!!!

When I complained to my surgeon's PA about being so hungry before my first fill, she said something that shocked me.

She said, "If you're hungry, eat!"

And that's the best advice I can give you. I know you didn't have WLS expecting to have to wait a few months for the weight loss to start, but that's the way it often works with the band. Very few people are able to lose weight with no fill in their band. So don't starve yourself, eat a reasonable amount of healthy food, and hang in there.

I don't have any experience with shin splints but in general I think it's a bad idea to do an exercise that causes you several miles worth of pain. If you think you're ready to try walking again, why don't you start doing it gradually instead of doing the weekend warrior routine? Walk for 15 minutes the first day, 20 minutes the second day, and so on. I'm afraid if you jump right back into a 3 mile walk tomorrow, you will irritate your shin splints again, suffer needless pain, and have to wait a week or however long for it to improve enough for you to start all over again.

Jean

I'm sorry your doc's office is so busy they can't get you in any sooner.  I'd be calling every single day to check for cancellations. 

It's not unusual to have a stall in weight loss at this point in time, espescially if you lost a good amount during the time you were on liquids.  Your body may be reshaping, even though you're not seeing loss on the scale.

KUDOS to you for trying to make healthy choices and not eat too much while waiting on your fill.  Drink lots of water, that will help a little.  My doctor says I can always have extra low carb veggies if still hungry after a meal.  Things like green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.  Of course, this means without butter or cheese or some other high calorie sauce. 

Regards the exercise.. I'm glad your doing it, but do you think perhaps you're pushing too far too fast?  I don't know your level of activity before banding, but if you went from sitting all the time to walking 3 miles.. that maybe too much of a change.  

I had to get inserts for my shoes when I first started walking.  Softsoles brand is the one that worked for me, the "athelete" version.  Yeah, I was no where near an athlete, but I needed the extra cushioning they provided.  Zappos.com has lots of inserts and they are excellent at accepting returns.

And sometimes even when you do get fluid in your band, it can take more than one adjustment for the appetite suppression to kick in.  Keep the faith, the band does work for many people.  There's no reason to think you won't be successful.

With shin splints it's all about the shoes.  You may need to spring for a good pair of gym shoes.   If it keeps happening you may need to get some orthotics. 

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I really appreciate you taking the time to respond.  I'm going to check into the inserts for the shoes.  I have a really good pair of sneakers (Asics) so I don't think they are the problem.  If the inserts don't work, I'll look into getting another pair of sneakers. 

The surgeon's office does the first fill with a the fluoroscopy so that's the hold up on the appt.  I think I'm going to call again tomorrow and see if they have had a cancelation. 

You guys have made me feel so much bettter.  Again, thank you for "listening".

I've tried Asics.. ended up taking them back.  Tried Nikes, Reboks, Sacony, Avias, Rykas... and many others.

When I was first banded only thing that I could get on my feet were Easy Spirits (not so good for distance walking.. but had to have something on my feet) and Addidas.

Now that I've lost some, New Balances are my favorite.  And NB's come in many different widths!!

Friends who run love the Vibram Five Fingers. 

Hope the inserts work.  But if they don't, try some other shoes.  I really wish Asics worked for me.. they have some cool shoes.

~Its sad to say, but I never got over the "hump of no weight loss"

And... I have been hungry for 4 years. I've had TONS of fills and un-fills.

I hope you have a different journey and you can start seeing some results. GOOD LUCK!!!!~

Sadly Ann's story is true for many of us! Hopefully you will be one of the LUCKY ones that the band actually will work for?

Good luck!