Justme9786

Elcee hit it dead on. We were all heavy, still heavy, still trying to lose weight, etc. It's a battle that we will struggle with for a lifetime - the band doesn't take that away.
However.....the band helps us through our struggle. My way of looking at it is this..... I tried every stupid diet out there when i needed to lose 75lbs! I would try it, not like it, stop it, go back to eating like crap...or I'd try it, it would work for a bit, then i'd hit a plateau and get discouraged...and I ALWAYS gained all the weight back.
With the band.....I have not gained all of it back. Ya, I'm +/- 10 or so lbs now and then, but since my initial weight loss (230 to 175) I've only gained 10 of the 55lbs that I lost back (due to LIFE)
Hang in there and take it each day at a time and look at the BIG picture rather than your current weight loss.
I also have swayed away from the scale so much, because I get discouraged when I look at the NUMBERS too much. Now, I rely on my body and how I feel and look to determine if I am being successful in my weightloss.
Good luck!!

I believe regardless which WLS you choose, the work is yours to do. You are in complete control over how much you lose or don't lose. How much you lose is all directly relevant to how much you are willing to change your eating habits for a lifetime and work for it.
As far as the band not working for higher BMIs- I am living proof that's not true. Granted I am still losing, but I started with a BMI of 72. So far, I've lost 133 pounds and my BMI is now 49. My weight and BMI both continue to fall daily.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

I love my band.
I know several people that have had GB and have put the weight back on and have had many side effects.
Two people in my coffee group have now gone with the band.
I have no regrets at all... I can eat anything except rice, apple skins and no carbonated beverages. Best part besides weight loss is that my acid reflux went away 3 days after I got my band.
I started with a 54" waist...now 32".
Tom, Toronto
Banded July 6 06
Wt. Loss: 156 lbs

I don't understand why your doctor is against the band. I lost all of my weight plus some (115 pounds) in 11 months. I am almost 2 1/2 years out and stabilized with 10 pounds back on. It is definitely work, but I would do this again.

I honestly don't know why anyone wouldn't at least try the band first. Really consider the alteration of your body. This is just my opinion. Good luck!

clarks4willie - I think as you said, 2 days clear and 2 days full is pretty standard recommendation for fills. That's what my doctor says. ESPECIALLY in the beginning when you are familiarizing yourself with the band and how it works and how your body reacts to fills.

Did she tell you WHY she didn't think it was the right choice for you? Did she say that the LAP BAND wasn't the right choice and suggested other WLS? This is coming from the psych evaluation, not medical....so in most cases, the psych eval is used to make sure that the patient is mentally ready for weight loss surgery, in general....not just the lap band. So, if she is saying it's not right for you, TO ME it sounds like she is saying you are not mentally prepared for whats to come with weight loss surgery. However, I don't know exactly what she said.
You have to be mentally prepared for any WLS - gastric bypass & sleeve included.

Many patients go into this with the assumption that the band will do all the work? If you gave her this impression I can understand. The band takes a lot of work. But so do the other methods.
tmf

Dr. Dicicco did my lap band on Friday July 31st 2009 at the Pasco Regional Medical Center. The staff there were great and I am so glad that I picked Dr. Dicicco!!

Did she tell you WHY she didn't think it was the right choice for you? Did she say that the LAP BAND wasn't the right choice and suggested other WLS? This is coming from the psych evaluation, not medical....so in most cases, the psych eval is used to make sure that the patient is mentally ready for weight loss surgery, in general....not just the lap band. So, if she is saying it's not right for you, TO ME it sounds like she is saying you are not mentally prepared for whats to come with weight loss surgery. However, I don't know exactly what she said.
You have to be mentally prepared for any WLS - gastric bypass & sleeve included.

I was banded today by Dr. Lee Grossbard at North Tampa Outpatient center. Dr. Grossbard is wonderful, and his practice Florida Obesity Surgical Associates is just as wonderful! the nurses there are mostly banded themselves and have their before and after pictures around the office. You can call anytime and they are so great with answering questions. Also, they do a support group monthly which was such a great time. They passed out recipe's and gave me lots of tips and were so supportive of my getting banded. I hope others can benefit from them!!
http://www.floridaobesitysurgical.com
:success1:

why do you feel its not enough? who said? did the diet fairy come visit you and say that is just not good enough???
crazy woman... 21 pounds is super fantastic. oh my gosh. that is 21 pounds that is GONE. why stop now? you wont and you will keep adding those numbers until they get higher and higher. What you done is make yourself well. do not compare yourself to other losses. you are you and what you have done so far is wonderful. good going and you are a success right now.

You don't , you just keep going.
Congrats on doing so well you should be pleased withyourself.

Good Morning Everyone
I am 3 days into my liquid diet after surgery and have been drinking all my fluids but been feelin a little drained but I was told by my nurse there will be a few days my energy level will be a little down. But i do still get up and walk as told. Today as i stated yesterday i will walk to the mailbox which I DID and i am very proud of my self. I also when i get done drinking Water i make my self get up and walk to through away the bottle. So i am feeling good. I actually cant wait until i am able to go back to the gym so i can really get fit.
Have a great day and God Bless All.

Hi all - So....we all know that the lapband is not PERFECT and is merely a tool in our weight loss journey. I initially lost a good amount of weight and am happy with my overall experience with the band. It does what I need it to do....restrict me from overeating. However, I've reached a plateau. Blah. First let me explain a little....I do not want to go in for a fill to make me tighter. I've never used the band like that, and my doctor doesn't recommend that. Adjusting eating habits is always my first option. I have "ok" restriction which is OK with me! I am able to eat "portioned" meals (i'd say a 4oz piece of meat w/a 4oz veggie side). But if i were any tighter, I wouldn't be able to eat a portioned meal.
So anyways..... I am trying to lose 30lbs and I've done the whole eating right, exercising, etc. and I still seem to be at a plateau so I figured I'd give the ketogenic/low carb diet a try. My hopes are that I drop a good amount in the beginning since it is such a shock to my system and then I can gradually bring carbs back in and go to a normal healthy eating lifestyle that I usually do anyways.
Anybody who has done the ketogenic diet or is low carb friendly and has some good food choices, please feel free to chime in! So far it hasn't been too bad - yesterday i had 2 eggs, 2 bacon and cup of black coffee with 2 equal for bfast, for lunch I had two beef hot dogs cut up with spicy mustard, snack I had string cheese, and for dinner I had filet mignon (med rare is the only way I can eat it) with spinach sauteed w/garlic and parm cheese. My total carb count was less than 10g yesterday and I am trying to keep it low so I remain in ketosis and burn fat. I am drinking tons of Water as well all day long. I do have 5-hour energy on hand due to the decrease in energy that comes along with low carb. But it is 0carbs.

The only way I've been able to induce 'ketosis' in myself, is to get my digestive system to switch from 'glyconeogensis' to 'glycolytic' status. And that has taken 3-4 day fast to obtain.
My data is very old but has worked well at least in my own instance. The marker I've used for 'ketotic state' is foul breath and coated tongue, as the change from sugar break down of simple carbs is replaced by metabolic extraction of stored glycogen (fat).
In retirement I've been too lazy to re-enter the discipline it took to obtain that state. Given the 8 pounds I've actually gained over the last 6 months the need to do such has reestablished itself yet again.
I do note for myself the high protein/low carb does help move me in the direction I want to go, as food craving and sport eating nonsense are decreased.

Glad someone was able to chime in on the other side of the band. Yes, there are people who, the band just doesn't work for. Definitely look into all options and other surgeries out there. I haven't researched any others because when i got the band they were really only talking about the band and bypass...and me being young with only 75lbs to lose, the bypass didn't feel like the right fit for me which is why i chose the band. But everyone is different

Little did you know that a perfectly innocent question asked on a "support" site forum could stir up a hornet's nest of controversy that has nothing to do with you personally. I'm a veteran of the online support forum wars and first want to tell you that on the whole, the members of LBT are very kind and helpful people.

And that is a great thing, to ask ask and ask more questions. Like a previous poster said, educate yourself so you don't end up as a statistic. Youll have ups and downs, but my thought was that in the end, I'm healthier, I'm happier, I look dang good (if I do say so myslef haha!) and I can still do everything I enjoy!! Best of luck to you in whatever decision you make!

Hey there! It is completely normal to have fears and concerns! I did as well! But let me give you a little bit of my story. I am 25 years old and got the band when I was 21. It has not prevented me from doing the things I enjoy! I still go out with friends, eat, drink, etc. You start to learn what you can and can't eat once you start bringing foods back in the mix after the surgery. I'd say the beginning may be the hardest, but we've all gotten through it and i wouldn't change it at all. I am very happy with my band and glad i have this tool to help me in losing weight and keeping it off. This site is a great forum so ask as many questions as you want! As far as the port - its never been an issue for me and i am a stomach sleeper as well. If I am on a hard surface, sometimes I can feel it, but other than that, never a problem.

Hey there! It is completely normal to have fears and concerns! I did as well! But let me give you a little bit of my story. I am 25 years old and got the band when I was 21. It has not prevented me from doing the things I enjoy! I still go out with friends, eat, drink, etc. You start to learn what you can and can't eat once you start bringing foods back in the mix after the surgery. I'd say the beginning may be the hardest, but we've all gotten through it and i wouldn't change it at all. I am very happy with my band and glad i have this tool to help me in losing weight and keeping it off. This site is a great forum so ask as many questions as you want! As far as the port - its never been an issue for me and i am a stomach sleeper as well. If I am on a hard surface, sometimes I can feel it, but other than that, never a problem.

Hey there! It is completely normal to have fears and concerns! I did as well! But let me give you a little bit of my story. I am 25 years old and got the band when I was 21. It has not prevented me from doing the things I enjoy! I still go out with friends, eat, drink, etc. You start to learn what you can and can't eat once you start bringing foods back in the mix after the surgery. I'd say the beginning may be the hardest, but we've all gotten through it and i wouldn't change it at all. I am very happy with my band and glad i have this tool to help me in losing weight and keeping it off. This site is a great forum so ask as many questions as you want! As far as the port - its never been an issue for me and i am a stomach sleeper as well. If I am on a hard surface, sometimes I can feel it, but other than that, never a problem.

Do it girl!!!! No one can do it for you. You CAN do it!!!!!
You don't need high-impact to get results. You just need to start moving, walking, strolling, whatever you can do will help. You can use weights for upper body strength, ab exercises, leg lifts.....all strength training options.
Make a goal to accomplish something by Sunday night. Then make another goal for the following week.....you'll feel do much better once you take action!
You Can Do It!!!!

I am sorry to hear about your ankle, I hope PT helps. And..... GET UP AND EXERCISE!!!! You have proved that you can do this, so do it! Set some goals, google low impact exercises, and do it! You will do awesome when you commit!

That moment when someone u haven't seen in 5 months sees u but walks past u bcuz they don't recognize you.
That's what I encountered today at work. That was one of my best NSV's so far. I'm 8 months post op and 35 away from goal. This NSV just motivated me more than ever. To hit my goal by November. My Bandiversary.