Littlefoot

The issue w/ meat can be potentially resolved by dipping it in a light ranch dressing 1st. What you'll find in the months after, when you're not as restricted as the wks after surgery, is that your band will tell you what works for you. They say avoid broccoli, but if steamed soft enough it can be ok. Depends on the person. Everyone is different. They say no drinking at meals, some do (successful ppl), but it can fill you up & you need "nutritional calories". Its up to you. The fail rate, I believe, is folks not wrapping their minds around how "mental" this process is. So much is in our heads, why we eat, how much, what we choose, under what circumstances... If you don't face that stuff, you may lose, but you'll gain it back. What I love about my band is it gives me consequences when I don't chew well enough. It tells me when I've eaten too much and provides consequences for that as well. Sure, if I don't adapt my stomach could stretch, but I do make the change. I love my band. It is helping me a lot. Good luck to those of you preparing!

The issue w/ meat can be potentially resolved by dipping it in a light ranch dressing 1st. What you'll find in the months after, when you're not as restricted as the wks after surgery, is that your band will tell you what works for you. They say avoid broccoli, but if steamed soft enough it can be ok. Depends on the person. Everyone is different. They say no drinking at meals, some do (successful ppl), but it can fill you up & you need "nutritional calories". Its up to you. The fail rate, I believe, is folks not wrapping their minds around how "mental" this process is. So much is in our heads, why we eat, how much, what we choose, under what circumstances... If you don't face that stuff, you may lose, but you'll gain it back. What I love about my band is it gives me consequences when I don't chew well enough. It tells me when I've eaten too much and provides consequences for that as well. Sure, if I don't adapt my stomach could stretch, but I do make the change. I love my band. It is helping me a lot. Good luck to those of you preparing!

The issue w/ meat can be potentially resolved by dipping it in a light ranch dressing 1st. What you'll find in the months after, when you're not as restricted as the wks after surgery, is that your band will tell you what works for you. They say avoid broccoli, but if steamed soft enough it can be ok. Depends on the person. Everyone is different. They say no drinking at meals, some do (successful ppl), but it can fill you up & you need "nutritional calories". Its up to you. The fail rate, I believe, is folks not wrapping their minds around how "mental" this process is. So much is in our heads, why we eat, how much, what we choose, under what circumstances... If you don't face that stuff, you may lose, but you'll gain it back. What I love about my band is it gives me consequences when I don't chew well enough. It tells me when I've eaten too much and provides consequences for that as well. Sure, if I don't adapt my stomach could stretch, but I do make the change. I love my band. It is helping me a lot. Good luck to those of you preparing!

The issue w/ meat can be potentially resolved by dipping it in a light ranch dressing 1st. What you'll find in the months after, when you're not as restricted as the wks after surgery, is that your band will tell you what works for you. They say avoid broccoli, but if steamed soft enough it can be ok. Depends on the person. Everyone is different. They say no drinking at meals, some do (successful ppl), but it can fill you up & you need "nutritional calories". Its up to you. The fail rate, I believe, is folks not wrapping their minds around how "mental" this process is. So much is in our heads, why we eat, how much, what we choose, under what circumstances... If you don't face that stuff, you may lose, but you'll gain it back. What I love about my band is it gives me consequences when I don't chew well enough. It tells me when I've eaten too much and provides consequences for that as well. Sure, if I don't adapt my stomach could stretch, but I do make the change. I love my band. It is helping me a lot. Good luck to those of you preparing!

Got my 1st fill. I WAS wide open with mostly ease in eating before it. Now there is some restriction, it helped, I do see a difference, but I think we can do better. Can't wait for fill 2!

I about busted a gut laughing at this comment...

I was banded on 5/21. I did a 10 day "liquid" diet prior, but actually it allowed fruit and cottage cheese, so I didn't suffer too much.
Between my 10 day prior diet and the week after, I lost 16lbs. It seems like I've leveled out, but I'm struggling with a lot of mental battles.
For context, I lost 25 lbs before surgery on my own across 4 months. I needed to know I could do it and I made a lot of small lifestyle changes. The dietician visits helped more than I expected to show me what I was doing wrong (I was mostlyl on track, but my portion sizes were out of control.) Visiting with the counselor for the psych eval helped a lot too. I plan to keep visiting her to help me reprogram my internal "voices" and messages that I choose to believe. My intent for the band was to help me to slow down my eating, to be a reinforcement to help me continue to take off more weight and to help me keep it off.
I am finding that post surgery I am struggling with a lot of mental battles and being aware of that is half the battle. It seems that before surgery everything was my choice. Now I have a ton of restrictions on me and it "feels" like I have no choice. I'm a little rebellious and struggle with being told I can't do something. I find myself struggling with desires and cravings that I didn't have for over 6 months prior to surgery. I'm trying to figure out where all of this is coming from. I will overcome it, but it's just frustrating right now. It doesn't help that I feel like I could use a fill RIGHT NOW and I have two more weeks to go.
From the day I first had my consult with my doctor I am down 40 lbs (started at 230lbs at 5'1"). I was on a pattern of gaining 30lbs every 10 years. It was creeping up and I was going to be at 300 by the time I was 50. I am glad to have this forum. It helps so much to find others feeling or experiencing similar questions or frustrations. It's just nice to know I'm not alone in what I'm dealing with. There doesn't seem to be a normal experience...everyone is unique in how they heal, how they adjust, and how long it takes. And that is very freeing to know.
I do need to get plugged in to a support group, just to talk to others in person who are also going through "stuff". Sometimes it just helps to hear others' problems or struggles. They bring my own into perspective.
Regarding the surgery, I've had a lot of surgeries on my knees, feet, ankle, carpal tunnel, etc...so surgery wasn't a big deal to me. The anesthesiologist is my favorite doctor (next to my lapband doc). It took an hour to hour and a half. I had 5 incisions on my stomach, 4 that were maybe 1/4 inch, those are the laproscopic incisions and one that was 2 inches about mid mass. It would have all been healed by about the 10 day mark if I hadn't had an allergic reaction to the adhesive. They put tape over each wound. The portion of skin covered by tape reacted and looked as if I had poison ivy. So the 2nd week of healing I was "overcoming" the itching from THAT.
I didn't need any pain killers. I went home and slept the day of surgery. The day after (that would be Day 2) I felt like I had done 1300 situps and could barely roll out of bed. I had to have help getting up. Day 3, I could roll out of bed, but when my skin shifted and moved my wounds, it kind of hurt, but just the area around the wounds. By Day 4, I could roll out of bed fine and by Day 5, I felt fairly normal. Internally, I can kind of feel where the port is if I rub around. You can't feel where the band is. The first two weeks, my insides were sore/tender... I kept thinking it's not normal to feel my guts. They were just sore and if I moved wrong, it would be tender. But now over 3 weeks out, I'm back to normal. No tenderness. My scars itch some, but I'm dealing.
It did take a good 2 1/2 weeks for the swelling in my stomach to go down.
I really expected to have the restricted-I-can-hardly-get-500calories-a-day-down-feeling my friends had. But I don't. So I can't wait for my first fill. I loved the weight loss prior to and right after surgery - it's major incentive to get down to my goal weight. If I feel this good at 190 lbs, then I'm going to feel AWESOME in another 30lbs and another 30 after that, I I don't think I'm going to be one of those that drops tons fast like so many I've heard do. I expect it will be around 1-2 lbs a week of weight loss. But that's ok. The longer it takes, the longer it will stay off. I just want consistency and to keep it off. I'm not going down this road again. Fat is not who I am. I refuse to keep filling that role. (Pun intended )
Two friends who I speak of, a husband and wife, it has taken her 2 years to lose 120 lbs, but for a long time was wasn't taking in the minimum required calories so I think her body has fought her on the weight loss, although there is nothing wrong with her timeline. I think she wants to lose another 20-30 lbs. Her husband reached his goal weight of 130 lbs lost afer surgery within 11 months.
Ladies, men typically lose weight faster. FYI. Don't bother being jealous. We're just different.
For those researching this, I wish you luck in your search. It is a lifetime commitment and a major lifestyle change. But don't do it because you want the band to do it for you. It is not a "crutch" as many like to call it. It is a reinforcement mechanism that you CAN ignore and bypass by stretching out your "new stomach"... Many do fail because they aren't committed. Know your weaknesses and don't rationalize. You have to want it and to want to do the changes required to get it done and keep it "done". And most of all, being overweight is symptom and not just of a lack of discipline, there are internal messages or voices that you likely listen to that you need to address, deal with and reprogram if you're going to make lasting change. People do what they do because they rationalize or justify it.
And I think I just pep-talked myself into a better place. LOL! Hey take care and feel free to drop me a line if you have questions or comments!!!
Here's to being a skinny fat person on my way to being a healthy, fit and balanced slimmer person. I'm unzipping this fat suit and letting my inner skinny OUT!
PS: I forgot to mention the gas. Meaning they pump you full of air in the surgery and that air or gas has to escape slowly over time. I had pretty bad shoulder/trapezius area pain the first week or so. Laying flat made it stop, sitting up made it worse. Also some back/rib pain. It was gone by the 2nd week. I've known others who dealt with it for over 3 weeks. You just have to move and work it out. It's "normal".
PSS: and the burping... It was worse the 1st 2wks. Now I find it's associated with what I eat or what my body position is. I find a few burps will slip out if I lean over... I think they're escaping via the body angle... LOL!

I have the same pain every blue moon. I think it's my band choking my stomach!

Hey KRussell, first of all, CONGRATS!!! That is fantastic what you've done.
I have a feeling there are many out there who started where you are.
In college, I had a girlfriend who kept claiming to be fat, but only needed to lose 10 lbs. it frustrated me when by comparison I knew I was 110 lbs overweight. I think I judged her feeling she had lost persective... Yet to her, it was a big deal because the weight gain was enough to make her clothes not fit. I couldn't relate because I wear a lot of elastic... But also realized she had an eating disorder and challenges I couldn't relate to. Everyone has their own battles and it's important and a big deal to them.
Keep your head up and do TRY not to compare. Your journey is YOURS and it's important and valid and NOTHING should minimize your commitment and effort. You're awesome! Keep the faith!
Be so proud of yourself!!!! You're rockin' it!

My band has a mind of it's own. Soon you'll see what I mean. I can eat chicken, salmon and even steak but there are days that my band says, "uh, no, not today pal" and I'm at the sink or toilet sliming my guts out. BTW-You'll lose any modesty you once had over table manners once you find yourself "stuck".
Our journeys are similar, only I didn't know what you seem to know at this stage. Took me 4 months to get it.
tmf

nicely written ... I'm not much with keyboard , just liked what you said. when were you banded may21/ mine was oct 19-2012 I've had tons of problems and only lost 8 lbs I'm still full of hope and take responsibility for thinking it was a magic band not,, prudence

Even though I've only lost about half of what I need to, I already am having the same feelings. I was making a scrapbook last week for my honey and aside from not having too many "event" photos for the last two years, the ones I was in were terrible. I saw my photos from my birthday last year and couldn't believe I was so BIG. Even though I am ashamed of how big I got, I put those photos in there as a reminder of who I was then. I also didn't want to discount that the events themselves were wonderful, but I was ultimately embarrassed looking at myself. Like you, I wondered how the heck my honey could love me at that weight and how nobody said anything to me. Also, I can't believe that I thought I looked good in those pictures???!
A couple weeks before my surgery, my mom had me sort through some things she still had at her house. I ended up coming across a bin of clothing from when I was probably 15/16 and could not believe I was wearing 12's and 14's. I look back now and wonder why I hated my body so much. I now have a real appreciation for my size and the work it takes to get back going in the right direction.

Littlefoot... Thanks for the pep talk. Sorry you are struggling right now too. Hang in there!! It honestly does get easier the further out from surgery you get.

I find brushing my teeth helps me too. Same for at work and snacking at work.
But I also find that the later I stay up, the more I eat or am tempted to eat. My goal (obviously not tonight) is to be in bed asleep by 9-9:30pm. Even if i have to take a benadryl to make me drowsy and force sleep... Just to get out of the habit of getting a second wind and staying up. My eating is worse after 8pm.
Keep your head up. They say all things in moderation. I think the key is not to do that 5x a day everyday for the next 3 weeks. THAT would suck.
I say this because I'm struggling too. I have found that I am wanting things I didn't even want before surgery. And I'm only 3 weeks out. I have had a few bad choices and got frustrated with myself over it... BUT I also realized that it's all things in moderation. I tell myself that I have to keep track, for accountability and if I see a pattern, I'll have to do an intervention on myself. LOL.
Before the surgery, before the liquid diet, I had found a balance in my eating where I had NO cravings. I didn't watn caffeine, or sugar, or carbs or Protein... I Just ate so balanced that all was well. I didn't even want to snack. I so want to get back to that because I'm all outta whack. And I have found that when I have a craving it's because I'm out of balance. It is possible to deal with those. I truly believe that.
However, I'd also like to say that I don't believe denial solves anything. I don't mean bingeing, but if I want a cookie, when I am able, I'll have one. ONE cookie a week is not going to kill me. Now if I am an addictive type of person who can't eat just one...yeah, not a good move to go down that road, but I'm not. At least not with Cookies. LOL.
Keep your head up. Know you're not alone. And one more thing... One thing I learned in during my weight loss is that it's all about numbers.
If I burn 2000 calories a day and I eat 1500 a day and there are 3500 calories in a lb, then every 7 days I'm going to lose 1 lb. If I eat 1000 calories a day, I'll lose 2lbs a week. If I eat 1800 calories a day I'll lose a lb every 17 days. The point is, it is an average. If I want to lose 1 lb a week, as long as my calorie deficit equals 3500 less every 7 days, I'll lose it. If one day I eat more but over the next two days eat less, as long as it balances out, it still works.
So don't beat yourself up over a slip. Just start anew tomorrow. If you hadn't given in, you might have done worse. Don't lose sleep over it. Just keep pressing on tomorrow!

Sounds like u are bored or inactive of an evening and that is when your mind starts playing tricks on you, i know if i sit around after my evening meal just watching tv i get head hungry so i dont do it, i set my exercise bike up in front of the tv get a few sugar free sweets/candy to suck on and i cycle ,, go for a walk, get to the gym or just do something to take your mind off food. Drink plenty of fluids and dont have temptation food in the house. Do you need a fill ?

Also, see if the pain reduces when you lie flat. That helped me.

I had shoulder & back pain. I know it sounds weird but it passes. The air or gas that gets in your body cavity in surgery needs to escape. Keep moving. If it gets bad, you might try a masseuse, sometimes they can help work it out. Mine faded by the 2wk mark. Everyone is different. I had a friend who suffered 3 wks. If you have a concern just call & ask your doc. I hope they encouraged you to call if you had probs!

I like his technique. I had to endure 6 fills and 3 months of not losing. The only thing that would concern me is I think the docs like to sneak up on restriction because they're afraid filling too fast could cause some irritation in our band area which would result in some inflammation. But if I had to do it again, I'd do it your way.
tmf

I was banded on 5/21. I did a 10 day "liquid" diet prior, but actually it allowed fruit and cottage cheese, so I didn't suffer too much.
Between my 10 day prior diet and the week after, I lost 16lbs. It seems like I've leveled out, but I'm struggling with a lot of mental battles.
For context, I lost 25 lbs before surgery on my own across 4 months. I needed to know I could do it and I made a lot of small lifestyle changes. The dietician visits helped more than I expected to show me what I was doing wrong (I was mostlyl on track, but my portion sizes were out of control.) Visiting with the counselor for the psych eval helped a lot too. I plan to keep visiting her to help me reprogram my internal "voices" and messages that I choose to believe. My intent for the band was to help me to slow down my eating, to be a reinforcement to help me continue to take off more weight and to help me keep it off.
I am finding that post surgery I am struggling with a lot of mental battles and being aware of that is half the battle. It seems that before surgery everything was my choice. Now I have a ton of restrictions on me and it "feels" like I have no choice. I'm a little rebellious and struggle with being told I can't do something. I find myself struggling with desires and cravings that I didn't have for over 6 months prior to surgery. I'm trying to figure out where all of this is coming from. I will overcome it, but it's just frustrating right now. It doesn't help that I feel like I could use a fill RIGHT NOW and I have two more weeks to go.
From the day I first had my consult with my doctor I am down 40 lbs (started at 230lbs at 5'1"). I was on a pattern of gaining 30lbs every 10 years. It was creeping up and I was going to be at 300 by the time I was 50. I am glad to have this forum. It helps so much to find others feeling or experiencing similar questions or frustrations. It's just nice to know I'm not alone in what I'm dealing with. There doesn't seem to be a normal experience...everyone is unique in how they heal, how they adjust, and how long it takes. And that is very freeing to know.
I do need to get plugged in to a support group, just to talk to others in person who are also going through "stuff". Sometimes it just helps to hear others' problems or struggles. They bring my own into perspective.
Regarding the surgery, I've had a lot of surgeries on my knees, feet, ankle, carpal tunnel, etc...so surgery wasn't a big deal to me. The anesthesiologist is my favorite doctor (next to my lapband doc). It took an hour to hour and a half. I had 5 incisions on my stomach, 4 that were maybe 1/4 inch, those are the laproscopic incisions and one that was 2 inches about mid mass. It would have all been healed by about the 10 day mark if I hadn't had an allergic reaction to the adhesive. They put tape over each wound. The portion of skin covered by tape reacted and looked as if I had poison ivy. So the 2nd week of healing I was "overcoming" the itching from THAT.
I didn't need any pain killers. I went home and slept the day of surgery. The day after (that would be Day 2) I felt like I had done 1300 situps and could barely roll out of bed. I had to have help getting up. Day 3, I could roll out of bed, but when my skin shifted and moved my wounds, it kind of hurt, but just the area around the wounds. By Day 4, I could roll out of bed fine and by Day 5, I felt fairly normal. Internally, I can kind of feel where the port is if I rub around. You can't feel where the band is. The first two weeks, my insides were sore/tender... I kept thinking it's not normal to feel my guts. They were just sore and if I moved wrong, it would be tender. But now over 3 weeks out, I'm back to normal. No tenderness. My scars itch some, but I'm dealing.
It did take a good 2 1/2 weeks for the swelling in my stomach to go down.
I really expected to have the restricted-I-can-hardly-get-500calories-a-day-down-feeling my friends had. But I don't. So I can't wait for my first fill. I loved the weight loss prior to and right after surgery - it's major incentive to get down to my goal weight. If I feel this good at 190 lbs, then I'm going to feel AWESOME in another 30lbs and another 30 after that, I I don't think I'm going to be one of those that drops tons fast like so many I've heard do. I expect it will be around 1-2 lbs a week of weight loss. But that's ok. The longer it takes, the longer it will stay off. I just want consistency and to keep it off. I'm not going down this road again. Fat is not who I am. I refuse to keep filling that role. (Pun intended )
Two friends who I speak of, a husband and wife, it has taken her 2 years to lose 120 lbs, but for a long time was wasn't taking in the minimum required calories so I think her body has fought her on the weight loss, although there is nothing wrong with her timeline. I think she wants to lose another 20-30 lbs. Her husband reached his goal weight of 130 lbs lost afer surgery within 11 months.
Ladies, men typically lose weight faster. FYI. Don't bother being jealous. We're just different.
For those researching this, I wish you luck in your search. It is a lifetime commitment and a major lifestyle change. But don't do it because you want the band to do it for you. It is not a "crutch" as many like to call it. It is a reinforcement mechanism that you CAN ignore and bypass by stretching out your "new stomach"... Many do fail because they aren't committed. Know your weaknesses and don't rationalize. You have to want it and to want to do the changes required to get it done and keep it "done". And most of all, being overweight is symptom and not just of a lack of discipline, there are internal messages or voices that you likely listen to that you need to address, deal with and reprogram if you're going to make lasting change. People do what they do because they rationalize or justify it.
And I think I just pep-talked myself into a better place. LOL! Hey take care and feel free to drop me a line if you have questions or comments!!!
Here's to being a skinny fat person on my way to being a healthy, fit and balanced slimmer person. I'm unzipping this fat suit and letting my inner skinny OUT!
PS: I forgot to mention the gas. Meaning they pump you full of air in the surgery and that air or gas has to escape slowly over time. I had pretty bad shoulder/trapezius area pain the first week or so. Laying flat made it stop, sitting up made it worse. Also some back/rib pain. It was gone by the 2nd week. I've known others who dealt with it for over 3 weeks. You just have to move and work it out. It's "normal".
PSS: and the burping... It was worse the 1st 2wks. Now I find it's associated with what I eat or what my body position is. I find a few burps will slip out if I lean over... I think they're escaping via the body angle... LOL!

Was today. I was absolutely nervous! I can't explain how much I hate those things so I knew going into this whole thing that I'd dread the days when I got fills.
So he calls me in asks if I have been eating big enough meals, I repeat him, big enough??
Then he asks if I can eat more than a piece of chicken, and I tell him yes. He goes welp then you're getting your first fill today!
I lay back and he located my port ultra fast, then a little prick and done!
He then had me gulp down a cup of Water which was absolutely horrible! The water was stuck. He made me stuck on purpose! I appreciate it though so now I know not to screw around. Anyway I forgot to mention my band was empty, it holds 11 cc's and he had put in 5. He had me lie back again to take some out but didn't say how much was left in. I'll guess around three or so. On liquids for today...was. And back to solids tomorrow.
All in about 10 minutes

I was banded on 5/21. I did a 10 day "liquid" diet prior, but actually it allowed fruit and cottage cheese, so I didn't suffer too much.
Between my 10 day prior diet and the week after, I lost 16lbs. It seems like I've leveled out, but I'm struggling with a lot of mental battles.
For context, I lost 25 lbs before surgery on my own across 4 months. I needed to know I could do it and I made a lot of small lifestyle changes. The dietician visits helped more than I expected to show me what I was doing wrong (I was mostlyl on track, but my portion sizes were out of control.) Visiting with the counselor for the psych eval helped a lot too. I plan to keep visiting her to help me reprogram my internal "voices" and messages that I choose to believe. My intent for the band was to help me to slow down my eating, to be a reinforcement to help me continue to take off more weight and to help me keep it off.
I am finding that post surgery I am struggling with a lot of mental battles and being aware of that is half the battle. It seems that before surgery everything was my choice. Now I have a ton of restrictions on me and it "feels" like I have no choice. I'm a little rebellious and struggle with being told I can't do something. I find myself struggling with desires and cravings that I didn't have for over 6 months prior to surgery. I'm trying to figure out where all of this is coming from. I will overcome it, but it's just frustrating right now. It doesn't help that I feel like I could use a fill RIGHT NOW and I have two more weeks to go.
From the day I first had my consult with my doctor I am down 40 lbs (started at 230lbs at 5'1"). I was on a pattern of gaining 30lbs every 10 years. It was creeping up and I was going to be at 300 by the time I was 50. I am glad to have this forum. It helps so much to find others feeling or experiencing similar questions or frustrations. It's just nice to know I'm not alone in what I'm dealing with. There doesn't seem to be a normal experience...everyone is unique in how they heal, how they adjust, and how long it takes. And that is very freeing to know.
I do need to get plugged in to a support group, just to talk to others in person who are also going through "stuff". Sometimes it just helps to hear others' problems or struggles. They bring my own into perspective.
Regarding the surgery, I've had a lot of surgeries on my knees, feet, ankle, carpal tunnel, etc...so surgery wasn't a big deal to me. The anesthesiologist is my favorite doctor (next to my lapband doc). It took an hour to hour and a half. I had 5 incisions on my stomach, 4 that were maybe 1/4 inch, those are the laproscopic incisions and one that was 2 inches about mid mass. It would have all been healed by about the 10 day mark if I hadn't had an allergic reaction to the adhesive. They put tape over each wound. The portion of skin covered by tape reacted and looked as if I had poison ivy. So the 2nd week of healing I was "overcoming" the itching from THAT.
I didn't need any pain killers. I went home and slept the day of surgery. The day after (that would be Day 2) I felt like I had done 1300 situps and could barely roll out of bed. I had to have help getting up. Day 3, I could roll out of bed, but when my skin shifted and moved my wounds, it kind of hurt, but just the area around the wounds. By Day 4, I could roll out of bed fine and by Day 5, I felt fairly normal. Internally, I can kind of feel where the port is if I rub around. You can't feel where the band is. The first two weeks, my insides were sore/tender... I kept thinking it's not normal to feel my guts. They were just sore and if I moved wrong, it would be tender. But now over 3 weeks out, I'm back to normal. No tenderness. My scars itch some, but I'm dealing.
It did take a good 2 1/2 weeks for the swelling in my stomach to go down.
I really expected to have the restricted-I-can-hardly-get-500calories-a-day-down-feeling my friends had. But I don't. So I can't wait for my first fill. I loved the weight loss prior to and right after surgery - it's major incentive to get down to my goal weight. If I feel this good at 190 lbs, then I'm going to feel AWESOME in another 30lbs and another 30 after that, I I don't think I'm going to be one of those that drops tons fast like so many I've heard do. I expect it will be around 1-2 lbs a week of weight loss. But that's ok. The longer it takes, the longer it will stay off. I just want consistency and to keep it off. I'm not going down this road again. Fat is not who I am. I refuse to keep filling that role. (Pun intended )
Two friends who I speak of, a husband and wife, it has taken her 2 years to lose 120 lbs, but for a long time was wasn't taking in the minimum required calories so I think her body has fought her on the weight loss, although there is nothing wrong with her timeline. I think she wants to lose another 20-30 lbs. Her husband reached his goal weight of 130 lbs lost afer surgery within 11 months.
Ladies, men typically lose weight faster. FYI. Don't bother being jealous. We're just different.
For those researching this, I wish you luck in your search. It is a lifetime commitment and a major lifestyle change. But don't do it because you want the band to do it for you. It is not a "crutch" as many like to call it. It is a reinforcement mechanism that you CAN ignore and bypass by stretching out your "new stomach"... Many do fail because they aren't committed. Know your weaknesses and don't rationalize. You have to want it and to want to do the changes required to get it done and keep it "done". And most of all, being overweight is symptom and not just of a lack of discipline, there are internal messages or voices that you likely listen to that you need to address, deal with and reprogram if you're going to make lasting change. People do what they do because they rationalize or justify it.
And I think I just pep-talked myself into a better place. LOL! Hey take care and feel free to drop me a line if you have questions or comments!!!
Here's to being a skinny fat person on my way to being a healthy, fit and balanced slimmer person. I'm unzipping this fat suit and letting my inner skinny OUT!
PS: I forgot to mention the gas. Meaning they pump you full of air in the surgery and that air or gas has to escape slowly over time. I had pretty bad shoulder/trapezius area pain the first week or so. Laying flat made it stop, sitting up made it worse. Also some back/rib pain. It was gone by the 2nd week. I've known others who dealt with it for over 3 weeks. You just have to move and work it out. It's "normal".
PSS: and the burping... It was worse the 1st 2wks. Now I find it's associated with what I eat or what my body position is. I find a few burps will slip out if I lean over... I think they're escaping via the body angle... LOL!