NWgirl

sounds like maybe you need even more accountability than an online training program since you already need to exercise, but you are not doing it. Maybe a personal trainer you meet with once or twice a week or a gym buddy to hold you accountable?

Have you seen a gynecoligist or other medical professional that would have taken weight down? I know I have five years of weight history from just my gynecologist, but was able to also get my pediatric growth chart showing when I went off the chart in terms of weight gain in relation to height...

I still have to find out if my practice is doing the plication with band. Usually, this type with the band is only sutures, and not any actual cutting or re-routing like the other WLS. It is supposed to keep you from overeating because the stomach below the band is effectively made as small as 1 cup or so, but can be reversed by simply taking the sutures out. It also is supposed to require less maintenance on the band (fills) because it is also helping to restrict your intake.

I have been using the Fitbit for nearly a year and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a device to help with calorie expendature. The Fitbit tracks calories out based on movement and can also be used to log food, sleep, journal, etc. If you like numbers and really want to see what's going in vs out, it's a good buy at $100. It is also very discrete- you can clip it on your bra, pants pocket, etc. The Bodymedia or Bodybugg must be worn on the upper arm and cause a lot of people to ask about it.

what is the book called?

Google both "in the land of cheese and sunkist" and "Lap Band Gal"- these are both really good blogs.

Is it possible you aren't eating enough? I know that seems like knock on wood, but some people do not lose weight as well on a severely restricted diet. Maybe bump up your calories a little and see if it helps?

Muscle is something that takes a longer time to build, so I doubt you've gained two pounds of muscle in a week. I know the body does funny things when you start exercising because of the shock, and I hear a temporary weight gain is normal. Give your body a few weeks to get used to exercise.

non scale victory

It seems that from what I've read when people get the lapband removed, they also get another form of weight loss surgery at the same time (if there are no complications)- such as the sleeve. Is another WLS procedure an option?

Awesome !!!

Please do, that is why I changed Dr.'s as well... I was seeing someone at a clinic I visit off and on because I hadn't chosen a 'real' PC and each time I went in for weight loss appointments, the lady made me feel like crap. If she doesn't want the money my insurance will pay her with, so be it. Even though we are bigger people, we still deserve compassion and respect for our problems. Some people will never experience food addiction and so it is hard for them to wrap their mind around it. For example, A long time ago, I had a conversation with someone I love dearly about my food issues and they asked me why I didn't just "put the food down." I about went crazy when they said that, which is why I am also being very selective in who I will tell. I don't need to be insulted over my weight issues. You wouldn't belittle an alcoholic or a drug addict, so what makes us any different?

I am done trying to reason and am sorry to those who think I've been fueling the fire. @54Shirley: How exactly do you go about putting someone on that block list so you won't see their posts? Edit: Never mind, found the ignore preferences.

No, I believe band failure terminology is: 1) losing less than 25-30% of your excess weight or 2) having complications that require removal of the band. I think you never reached restriction, but you lost weight with your band and you're unhappy that you didn't get it "easy" like other people did. You never deny that you lost weight, just that the band didn't work as you expected it to and you had to diet and exercise. Don't you think that most of the people on here STILL diet and exercise even with the band???!!! So, please ask yourself the following questions: What is the point of getting the lapband? To lose weight. Did you lose weight? yes Looks like you did both, did you not? There are people who REALLY failed, who didn't lose more than 25-30% of their weight or did have to get the band removed. Why don't you end your pity party and actually provide support for those people and not go around moaning about how the Lapband never got you to restriction? Isn't that always the point of your posts, to complain that the people who failed need the most support? You are providing them no support whatsoever. In fact, you are deceiving these new people that don't bother to look at the blog you posted or the facebook group you're a part of into thinking you didn't lose weight. Frankly, that's extremely sad and I hope someday you find peace with whatever your problem seems to be.

Why are you so defensive? I asked you a question in regards to how you were so successful in losing weight and you jump to the conclusion I am accusing you of lying about your band? I think that your input and experience may be beneficial to some, but you never share your actual experience and the way you ended up being successful- you only say that the band did not work. I'm sure there are more people than just myself who are curious about how you overcame obesity on your own if you had started out with the mindset that WLS was the only way. This is why I said that even though you may have useful information for other bandsters or bandsters-to-be, you never actually talk about the HOW involved in your journey. You also only use negatives and say things in a way that many people will just role their eyes and move on. You do no credit to yourself and your own journey. This is the last time I ask you anything directly about your own journey, because I have posed the question on more than this thread and you never feel the need to respond. I don't know the motivation behind your silence, but it seems to me if you are trying to convince people that this is an ineffective WLS, you would explain why you believed that to be the case.

Fluffy, why do you believe your band failed? What types of food did you eat, what types of exercise did you do? if the band failed, how did you lose the weight? I saw your blog and can see that you are skinnier. You always seem to use scare mongering tactics when someone asks anything, which frankly discredits anything of value you may have to say. PLEASE tell us your story and what you believe went wrong with your band.

Please get your facts straight about band complications fluffy- just because the band didnt work for you for whatever reason, does not mean it is not a valid and safe procedure. http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/lap-band-problems-lap-band-complications.html#Potential_Lap_Band_Problems Band problems (1.1% - 18% of gastric banding patients) Band erosion (2.1% - 9.5%) – (also called “band migration”) occurs when the band actually grows into the stomach. The only treatment is permanent removal of the band. See our Lap Band Erosion page for more information. Band intolerance – some patients’ bodies just can’t handle the band. After all, the band is a foreign object in your body. Band intolerance includes vomiting excessively or feeling uncomfortable all of the time. Permanent removal of the band is required in these cases. Band leak (1.1% - 4.9%) – patients can usually tell if their gastric banding system has a leak if their feelings of restriction decrease over time (thus increasing hunger) without the doctor unfilling the port. To determine whether you have a leak, your doctor may inject colored Fluid and take an X-Ray to see if any of the colored fluid is present (from a leak) outside of the gastric banding system. Surgery is usually required to repair it. Band slippage (2% - 18%) – occurs when the lower part of the stomach “slips” through the band, creating a bigger pouch above the band. Either removing fluid (from the lap band) or surgical repositioning is required to repair band slippage. Symptoms include vomiting and reflux, and it is diagnosed by drinking a dye and using X-Ray to observe it. The band placement technique used by the surgeon also makes a difference - between the perigastric technique (PGT) and the pars flaccida technique (PFT), the pars flaccida technique appears to have a much lower rate of slippage (up to 16% less often).7,8,9

Hi there! Just wanted to know who lives in the Portland metro area... Seems like the Oregon specific thread has been dead since last year. Where are you/did you get banded?

I had to get all the blood work too. I actually started seeing a new PC Dr., and he wanted to make sure I didn't have anything else wrong. I did find out I have hypothyroidism, low Vit D and low Iron... I am still going forward with the surgery because I have tried on my own and failed miserably each time. If you need to, find a new primary care Dr. I actually found my new Dr. through the folks at the weight loss institute. Maybe you can call the place you are looking to have surgery and tell them you don't have a PC and ask for a recommendation?

I just can't believe that a Dr would let you go through with a procedure without making sure that you understood how it worked. It takes people AT LEAST a month to get to the point where you actually complete all requirements to get the band. Even a self pay patient must undergo the four or five meetings with the psychologist, the dietician, the physical therapist, and the nurse practitioner. At this point they are told appropriate foods, etc and what to expect from the band and how to use it as a tool. I do not believe that the person who brings so much negativity was not given the same treatment and rules as everyone else. I have noticed that each time someone asks her what she was eating (to try and find why the band didn't work) she never responds. She also always blames the manufacturer's advertising from misleading her, but how many of us have seen a commercial and taken its claims at face value? if that were the case, I would have been skinny long ago with a diet pill...

I read exactly what was said throughout the whole thread. You are the one that followed up her posts with a few posts that made it seem that having a mental illness would be horrific, verifiable by the way you made such statements. It was obvious her post was a quip at you, but meant to be taken without real regard.

I am not yet banded, but is there a local band support group you can go to? Or post in the by state special forums to find a buddy near you?

I suggest that if you actually want someone to take you seriously, you stop throwing around the phrase of mental illness with such venom! Some of us are or have people we love dearly with a mental illness and have sufferred through the bigoted and stereotypical views of people such as yourself in regards to said illness. Please grow up and find some compassion for people along the way and realize that you only discredit your own argument when your biased and disgustingly vile nature in regards to mental illness come out.

I saw something about papaya enzyme working....

Wouldn't you be unhappy if you paid $15k and thought you were buying a get thin quick machine??? I think that's the real reason why I've seen a few on here come out against the band in the way they have. Maybe they expected to buy the band and get thin without the effort it takes. I know I've researched and researched and read so many posts that to think the band would make your decisions for you is not a good mindset. When I get my band, you bet me I will be counting my calories, eating better foods, and exercising. Otherwise, why waste the money and time??!