Kitt3000

Once I slowed down, I noticed how fast my spouse ate. I think part of my speed eating prior to banding, was to finish as quickly as he did. Since being banded, I actually bought a minute timer hour glass to keep turning over between bites. It's been fun and funny. We joke and laugh about it- but he is eating less now that his brain is making the time connection!

I was 54 when i got mine last sept and lost 70 lbs in 9 mos. have not lost anymore in past 3 mos, but i know why. Have 40 left to lose, and will get there! Hang in there! Everyone is different! Talk to your surgeon about your concerns . They are there for you! Good luck! Keep us posted !

Yep I was banded at 53 and I will be healthier on my 54th birthday than I was during my entire forties. Wow. So glad I got WLS.

Let's see does banding work if you are in your 50"s heck yes it does , as by seeing the pics you can tell the difference they may not be in order but yes if you work with the band & follow your doctor's orders then it works.

I just turned 54 when i had mine done. I lost over 70 lbs in 9 months! I have 40 lbs to go! I feel sooooo much better.

55 and just starting my journey. First fill won't be for a few weeks. Just recuperating, getting the body moving and starting the gym!

Hi
I host several coffee groups in my area and there are a few members that were banded that are 60 + (one was 72) and they have all done very well... 4 individuals have lost 100 + lbs.
if you treat the band like a "tool" and follow the guidelines as best you can given to you by your doctor and try and get support from other bandsters (from a live support group)... you will have the best success.
Tom, Toronto
Banded July 6 06
Wt. Loss: 160 lbs

I`m 55 and am being banned July 14, 2014 great weight loss, looking forward to changing my life.. thank you for all the stories GREAT JOB !!!!

I am 56 years old, lost close to 100 lbs in 2 years, and did a triathlon last September, so it is possible!!!

It sure is nice to have someone say such a nice thing to you about you...... Whether you're 30, 40, or 50!!!!! I'm about 28-30 pounds away from the weight I was when I got married. I mean I weighed a lot (190), but looking back on my wedding pictures, I think I looked just fine!!!! LOL
It will be interesting to see if I can get back to that weight.....I'm six months with the band. Dropped about 55-56 before surgery and 50 or so since surgery, so we'll see..... A day at a time, RIGHT????

I was banded Dec 2011 at age 53 weighing in at an unhealthy 225 lbs. Now im a healthy 160 lbs with a weight goal of 140. I seem to have plateaud at 160 for over a year now, and hey this may be my bodys way of saying 160 is fine for me, but its also because the extra 20 lbs I carry is all in my tummy. Umm, oh well !! I figure im healthy and strong , I ve had a child, ive gone through menopause, and so I may not ever get back to 140. But you know whats reaaaaaly nice ?? I have a better figure now than I did in my 20s at 125 lbs !! Why? Because the weight that I gained in my chest stayed after I lost 65 lbs and so now I have a very nice figure that im VERY happy with ! A male aquaintance that I ran into yesterday said " Dont lose another pound , you're perfect just the way you are! " Why, thankyouverymuch!!!!!

Agree...would like to be interacting with a +50 group as well. Not that there is anything wrong with the younger set, I just don't have the same challenges--pregnancy, for example--and would welcome dialogue with others doing the midlife thing.
You've done really well and are working hard! Well done! It's great your husband is on board as well. My boyfriend should be on board but isn't...at least not anymore...and that really is a major annoyance for me.
Anyway, I'm 54 and grateful for my band. Whoever says one can't lose weight at midlife is wrong, or just looking for an excuse not to put the work into it.

I wish this forum would reactivate, and all of us "late baby boomers" could socialize. I had my surgery done on Aug 22, 2013. At my highest weight that I know of (Jan of '12), I was 327. When I had surgery last August, I was 271. I'm now at about 219. I don't really know my actual weight bc I only get on the scale at the doctor's office (I have scale issues.... LOL). I'm 53 (going to be 54 at the end of next week). My husband is 54. We joined a gym in June of 2013, and we are there SIX DAYS A WEEK. He's lost 50+pounds by working out and making better food choices, we are both in better shape NOW than when we were in our 30's and 40's.... Seriously! Keep posting, LET'S TRY TO GET THIS "FIFTIES" THREAD GOING AGAIN!!!!

It is REALLY Hard it seems that the last few lbs don't want to fall off unless I put my body in starvation mode and I am choosing not to just eating healthy , but I also have my issues & thyroid that fluctuates so that means my weight does also , still clothes get smaller so I will wait & when it comes off I know it will.

I'm ruled by this...

YES PLEASE keep us informed as I just got another fill because I was feeling a little loose again and now I have 10cc's in my 14cc band , this was getting me worried also , because I still eat healthy but I do get my cravings , but my cravings I still get are like grilled cheese, peanutbutter sandwiches or Salads with nuts, of course I am not able to do most starchy, carbohydrate foods because they give me the slime , stuck swell feeling but the other day my kids had fries & for desert they had doughnuts , I thought well let me try a fry and I chewed it slow but that's all I could eat for about a hour then I could have my meal but I am not feeling that restriction I had a couple months ago that fry would have came right back up so I was also getting worried I just had everything check also & everything seems to be fine , so I know but I will wait & see if this fill helps because the Doctor & I don't want to be filled to much where He & I are not cable , so I am only 4 n 1/2 centimeters from being at full capacity in the band also and I a not trying to get there either, so this hit me also, I am sorry you have to have surgery again but hopefully they just have to buckle it a little tighter and that's all it is , also I just thought I would ask you and you can let me know but ought they can go back through our scars laprascopy again to tighten & buckle it back, good luck and let us know what happens .

Update: After taking another x-ray and nothing has changed with the band, we're going back into surgery next month. I appreciate all the input, and 2muchfun mentioned the band coming unbuckled. I feel like that is all that is left, as we have checked everything else. My doctor says he's never had that happen before. Dr. Kureshi has been very supportive, and open about this. He is over the bariatric unit at TMC in Denison, TX, and they've just received awards for their efforts that rank them above others in north Texas. I have confidence them.
I have read enough forums to know that when I made this post, that I would get the usual, "Control your eating" responses. Because, that's why I shelled out 15 grand in cash, to get a surgery that I didn't need, because all I had to do was watch what I ate! <sarcasm> I have tried it all. Atkins, juice diet, Zeal, Plexus, etc, etc. Even after the band, I walked 3-5 miles every night. At the end of the week, I had gained 2 lbs. "It's muscle!" everyone said. I could care less! Weight gain is weight gain to me!
I had an episode Jan. 4. The wife made a meal of red Beans and cornbread. All I can figure is that after I ate, it expanded in my stomach, possibly forcing the band to unbuckle. I had intense fever that night, and then again 2 days later. For the next few days, I had to go back to liquids, broths and Soups. Before the event, I had normal restriction, and just a cup of food would keep me full for hours. A cup of coffee, and about 3 of the Peanut Butter toast crackers is all that I could get in for Breakfast, and that would keep me full until lunch. I was losing weight steadily. After the event, when I could start eating, I noticed that I could eat foods that before I couldn't. Rice, potatoes, heavy beef, etc.
So, back under the knife I go. If the band has simply come unbuckled, then the doctor will re-buckle, and stitch it so that it can't come undone. I will keep everyone posted. Thanks again for all the support!

I think some of you are clearly missing the point. His band is not working at all...period. Telling him consume less and follow a band plan is great advice but if the band is doing absolutely nothing then he is on a diet.
I implore you to show him a little compassion.
So he can consume two steaks with 14cc in a band. First thing that jumps out at me is a serious band function problem not a 'band compliance' problem. You have to fix the band and get the restriction then you can modify the consumption. Otherwise....it's a diet.
I can't even eat steak at all because of my band. I've gotten stuck every time after only consuming a very little and that is with a partially filled band.
For once we have someone posting a real band issue where it is clearly NOT working BUT he has not given up on it and he WANTS it to work. He is not eating around this band...it is just not working.
Is it possible some of us have been banded so long that we forgot what it was like with out it?

@@4everyoung
Sorry you're going through this but do not give up. Press your Doctor to work with you to find a solution. Like others have said after 14cc you should have some form of restriction if even only a little.
One thing is certain you should not be able to consume that much food in one sitting and in regards to "band rules" it's not a matter of what you should or shouldn't be consuming at this point it's about your band not doing its part to aid you.
Band rules can be followed but if the tool is not doing it's share of the work for you then your just on a diet and guess what....we all fail at diets long term.
A solution must be found for this problem. Maybe it came undone like it did for Catfish? Maybe there is a blockage in the tubing which is why Fluid is being pushed back out?
At this point does your Doctor have a plan moving forward? I know he's stumped but there has to be answer and if he cannot come to a conclusion then he should be collaborating with peers to find you one and if he's not doing that then a new Doctor needs to be sought out.
Perhaps you just have a defective band, port or tubing or the whole thing? It is not unheard of after all they're human made products.
I wish you well and I hope you find answers and please let us know how you're doing.

Somethings not right...
You say "Everything appears to be as it should be. My doctor is scratching his head, and I am very frustrated." And you say you have "no restriction". NONE????
I'd be interested in seeing the copy of the fluoroscopy. Does it show ANY restriction....is your band "buckled" correctly still?
I hope you get some answers. Its frustrating when you do your part, and the band isn't doing it's part.

I was banded in March of 13, and now, over a year and a half later, my band is filled to capacity, and I can eat whatever I want. I've been through all the tests, upper g.i., floro. I figured my pouch had stretched out, it hasn't. I thought maybe the band slipped. It hasn't. Maybe I've had an erosion. I haven't. Maybe there was a problem with the band, like burst pillows, or ruptured tubing. They're ok. Everything appears to be as it should be. My doctor is scratching his head, and I am very frustrated. I lost 55 lbs. at my lowest, and now I've gained back 20. I'm hungry just like I was before the surgery. I had stopped drinking sodas years before my surgery, and have never been a junk food eater, Cookies, cakes, ice cream, chips, etc. My problem was over eating of southern cooking. I'd skip dessert, and have another plate of steak, potatoes, and whatever else the meal consisted of.
Basically, there seems to be a lot of pressure on the band. When my doctor goes to inject saline for a fill, the pressure of the band actually pushes the syringe out 6cc's. He said that's not normal. Thinking there may be blockage in the fill tube, or the check valve, he completely emptied the band, and refilled it several times. Nothing has worked.
At this time, my band is filled with contrast, as my last fill was done in x-ray, so that we could see if there was any kind of leak or blockage. I now have to go get another x-ray to see if the lap band has pushed the Fluid from the band back into the fill tube, or port.
I had asked my doctor at the 8cc range what happened when we got to 14cc, and he said, "You go to the hospital, and we feed you through a tube, because nothing gets through." Well, at 14cc, I just had two small steaks with all the trimmings, and 2 hours later I'm looking real hard at a sandwich. Not good.
SO......Anyone else had similar experiences?

The most important thing is you have been approved! Let them connect & flush out the details -- so much goes on behind the scenes & it's better to let them sort through the minutia. You focus on getting centered & preparing for your journey! I know how easily we can become impatient, but you've made it this far & I promise it's worth the wait. You're nearing the finish line -- very happy for you!

Most offices have to have written approval prior to scheduling. It can take up to 2 weeks to receive...be patient! You are approved, it is happening, relax and enjoy this moment before jumping to the next! This is going to be a huge change for you!

Agree with tmf. As your date gets closer you'll want to follow up on critical details but I too learned things before some of my team did. It's hard for us to relax but just keep an eye on things and call them when you need to. Good luck.

Relax! Most clinics have an insurance person and they may have particular days they follow up with patients or insurance carriers. Or, they may get their approvals via snail mail. People who answer the phone may not be privy to patient referrals.
A few days here or there won't make a difference in the long run. Understandable why you're impatient but this is how many if not most doctors operate.