Cazzy

You obviously still need more fills, not everyone feels restriction at the same time or with the same amount of fill, believe me you will know when u start getting close to your green zone, so give it a chance and be patient, if u can go for another fill then make an appointment. most people need around half their band filled to start feeling it

Gastric noises are all part of being banded .. its nothing sinister just normal for banders

I suggest u read the nutritional nformation of a MacDonalds it might help u crave them less. They are designed to be addictive and it certainly has worked ... cut them out and look at them as the enemy !

I have the same problem my band surgeon says dont lose any more weight my plastic surgeon says see if u can drop a few more lbs before the op .. i have a few lbs to go till my goal but my band surgeon says i will loose too much weight if i have all the skin removed, my family see my thin face and say u have lost enough but i am not convinced yet, i will see after i recover from my marathon plastic surgery.. At the end of the day it is you that has to live with yourself and be happy in your own skin, so the decision is yours, just dont go below the normal bmi range, if u still want to lose weight aftrer u hit normal bmi then u know u got a problem with self perception

i would suggest that you have a complete unfill and see if you can cope without the help of a band, if you can then u are better deciding to remove it or not .. good luck to you .. at least by unfilling u will get a reminder of what it was like pre-band

Do not beat yourself up over it. Instead, think of what may have caused you to slip up. We all have triggers, and if yours is sweets, it's not wise to have those foods in the house, period. Or can you have a healthier option in the house that is individually packaged so you're not tempted to keep on eating?

My dr. was great! He sat me down went over all the different kinds of procedures and discussed the pros and cons of each. He never lead me to one over the other.. He told me after 5 yrs the all come out to average the same wt loss, so losing wasn't really the issue because they all come out to about the same.. He and my P.A said the biggest mistake ppl make with the band is they rely to much on it, think they get the band and the wt will fall off. It doesn't work that way, not even with the other surguries either. You have to work with it. The band will not make you excercise, it will not make you eat the rt foods, it won't even make you use Portion Control ( because some ppl with eat even when they are full ) you have to do those things and if you are not committed to it, it's not going to work.. It truly is a life change

you will find a lot of us here experienced the same things with our surgeons (trying to talk us out of the band). My mind was made up before my first surgeon appt. the ONLY surgery i was getting was the band - period. I have lost almost 120 pounds in 10 months. I am seeing the same results as if i had gotten gastric and my surgery was so much safer than gastric. I think i have quite a bit of discipline on eating though - my problem before was Portion Control and the band has cured that problem. Best of luck with whatever you decide!!!

Being in the green zone is different for everyone so hard to really pinpoint any specifics. Try searching the forum here for threads, as there are many, that can give u some idea more. For me the green zone is about not feeling hungry inbetween meals, i can only eat a small plate of food and feel satisfied, i also look at things like Snacks, is a small snack satisfying, like i rely on tea and coffee for my snacks in between meals and if they stave off the hunger pains i know my band is in the right fill ..but as i stated it is diofferent for everyone so your green zone may be entirely different to mine

I totally agree with Honk, most of the time the success of the lapband is based on the individual, their support network and their ability to make the changes necessary. I do see the benefits of sleeve and bypass if u are willing to take more risks both surgically and post op complications .. if u arent the band is there chugging away like a slow but faithful car, it will still get you there if u drive carefully but if u want speed then choose another surgery if u are willing to take the higher risks

Is the band more work then some other surgeries? Yes. My experience is that I have to put a lot of effort into this process. Some people get the band and then don't want to put forth any effort. I would do some soul searching and decide whether you are willing to make significant changes to your eating habits: baked chicken instead of fried, low fat veggies instead of fries; and setting exercise goals (I work out 7 days a week). I don't mind eating healty and after 4 years of exercising daily (I had started before banding) I actually LIKE exercising. I'm not trying to be a downer. Some bandsters loose weight much faster than I; and some of them even eat unhealthy food and don't exercise. I am very happy with my decision to be banded.

Thank you all for your kind and encouraging words... it's good to know that I'm not alone in our road to success.

So on April 16th was my 2 year anniversary with the Lap Band. I lost a total of 100 pounds. Felt awesome, but did nothing. It just fell off. Then had a major life move and stopped doing all I used to and slowly gained weight back. Found out I had a slip and had that corrected. Still gaining. I've gained a total of 36 pounds back. Depressed, hated my self and the band. The Band was a waste of money... blah blah blah......
Went to my doctor to whine and complain what a waste of money it was. Well he spent over an hour with me and we talked. I finally realized 3 things.
I DIDN'T EAT THE CORRECT FOODS.
I DIDN'T DO ANY EXERCISE TO HELP ME.
I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY SUCCESS OR FAILURE.
The doctor gave me a small fill to bring me up to 7.5 and I changed my attitude. Week later following a 1000 calorie diet, drinking my protien shakes, NOT drinking while I eat and only eating about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food, I've lost 9 pounds. Funny thing is, I am NOT hungry!!!!!!!!!
I feel different. Not bloated, more energy. Funny when you do the right things, good things happen.
Exercise? Well, still working on that. Walking a bit and doing some small weights but it's more than I used to.
So the moral of my story, when you start blaming the band look hard at yourself and say; "Am I doing everything I am required to do?"
Dr Myers in Greenville, PA is an outstanding Doctor that took the time to help me understand that my weight loss and future is in my hands. That small piece of plastic is not in charge, I AM!!!~!

OMG I just posted the exact same thoughts. I'm so nervous and anxious! I know I get my self worked up for nothing but that's me. I read a saying once, that I keep repeating over and over for some comfort, "If you aren't scared of what's ahead of your dreams, then you aren't dreaming big enough"

honey, ill be 54 this summer and while i didnt have any weight probs until i turned 30, l know that being overweight and frustrated is difficult at ANY age ! Instead of venting about what you HAVE"NT done, how about venting on what you HAVE done ?? do you feel better, look better, less meds , etc ? Got any good nsv's to tell, or a nice compliment or two that came your way ?? Any advice for the newbies that might be reading this ? You've made alot of progress so far , just think where you'll be 3 months from today !! Keep up the hard work and you'll get there ! Good luck !

Good luck with sorting out the band .. you may even be lucky and be able to reduce the psych meds after u lose weight, getting the body in balance and working right always helps the mind .. i wish you every success..

The main reason they fit larger bands is to do with the size of your stomach, although sometimes it is just a doctors preference, there is no difference between the 2 bands working other than capacity and the overall length of the band, i have a 14 cc band and was told the reasons why i had this size fitted, ask your doctor if u are curious. I am at 7.5 cc fill now and get good restriction the same as others who have a 10cc band .. u dont mention how much fill you have..

I started with mashed potatoes, Soups, fish. I'm still eating soft foods and was banded 4/2. I don't feel restriction but I sure don't want to mess up my band either. Only time I find I have a hard time is if I eat too fast. Gotta slow myself down.
I'm taking baby steps,

If she thinks you are too tight and you feel no restriction, request an upper GI to check how open the stoma is. I had mine done and it showed that she was able to give me another fill. I was happy because she thought I was tight enough and I don't have much restriction and can still eat alot at one sitting. I def eat more than 1/2 cup that's for sure. But I do count my calories to keep myself on track. though I am first to admit it has been a struggle lately!

Just stop eating around the band. Do it now before it becomes just another bad eating behavior. I mean it. Just stop.
I spent too much of my banded time eating around my band. It is REALLY hard to follow the rules once you know how to cheat them.
Start over now. Back to basics. Dont beat yourself up for past bad decisions. Just do it. Remind yourself of the reasons why you had this surgery. Don't self sabatage.
You can do this.

Yes, i was made fully aware that there was a possibility of band failure - most likely the balloon part, at some point in time but that I would hopefully get 20 years out of it. Ive been banded six and a half so far.
Im honestly not phased by the possibility of revision surgery, its minor surgery compared to the major lifesaving ones Ive had.

Of course not, you are healing and will have a good appetite now till u get some fills under your belt. I am sure you must have been told this isnt a fast weight loss surgery so be patient and follow the rules things will start happeneing with a few fills

The few weeks after banding is about healing that is why you need to adhere to what the diet is you have been told to follow. The stomach cannot heal if it has to cope with eating solid food too early. If you dont follow the rules you risk all that you have been through for a moment of pleasure.. is it really worth it ? the simple way to get through this time is to not have such foods in the house .. unless you have enough willpower to ignore the junk food then remove the temptation.
Many people dont feel restriction till their 3rd or 4th fill u may have some time to go yet to start really feeling the band so u need to work out some strategies for getting through this time till then so you dont end up putting on a lot of weight ... you should discuss with your doctor the way you are feeling and any deviation from the rules he/she gave you ...

There is no way at 1300 calories you are any where near 'starvation mode' that is where the body starts using muscle to maintain its nutrients and given that we are all over weight we just dont get anywhere near that unless u are burning over 1300 calories a day too...
If you arent losing at 1300 then u need to reduce it, following pre-set guidelines and rules works for some but not all, i would put on weight if i followed my RMR of 1750 so i dont .. you need to become your own expert about you, know what foods u can eat and cant, you didnt mention exercise, for many its essential to burn off some calories otherwise the scales remain static. so get moving eat a few less carbs and sugar and try that, make sure u try to do 1200 a day for a few days then reduce again to 1100 if necessary.
I have eaten 1000 calories and burned at least 500 every day for over a year now and look how much weight i have managed to lose... foreget being and 'average' and start finding out what u have to do for yourself

Congrats on your decision and welcome to the site. The best thing you can do is to look over the site and read as much as you can. Use the search feature to get specific answers to any questions you have.