mindwing

It took me a few months to start losing. I had to change doctors to get a fill. as the surgery doctor said I didn't need fills. He said most of his patients lost just fine without them. ???? Not me. But once I got my fills, I started losing. This is the time to train your body to eat right so when you are healed you can lose.

It took me a few months to start losing. I had to change doctors to get a fill. as the surgery doctor said I didn't need fills. He said most of his patients lost just fine without them. ???? Not me. But once I got my fills, I started losing. This is the time to train your body to eat right so when you are healed you can lose.

I find it interesting that those on this thread that are so confident that the lapband will work again and will continue to work are those that have had the band for the shortest amount of time.

I disagree. I've had my lapband for ten years, and it has worked great--that is to say, I have learned to work the band. I haven't made my healthy weight yet, but I am a lot smaller than I was. It took me a while to learn to work the band. Eating small amounts of food chopped into tiny bites took a while--unless I was foolish enough to eat too much and ended up tossing my meal. I went through several episodes where I went for days with a swollen, sensitive band. I cheated sometimes, but when I went through spells where I couldn't eat solids, I managed a Protein Powder drink instead of going for ice cream. Oooh, do I love crackers and Cookies. But working the band meant saying no to those treats most of the time. I've had my cheat months, and even cheat years when I went through cancer. But I always returned to proper eating--just like my first weeks with the band.
Now I am at the time in my band life where it is likely to cause trouble. I just had an MRI and endoscopy over the last several months, and my band is fine. Want to get some fill in it and start losing again. But in late spring I will have the band replaced with a sleeve. I think it is good I had the band first. It taught me what I need to know to lose weight.

I am one who disappeared. I lived on this site for several months in 2008 (when I got my band. I actually lived here for over several months before, learning what I had to do and getting new habits in place. Stopping soda was hard. Going completely sugar free was harder. By the time I had the surgery done, I was already eating like a bandster. I think I stayed active on the site for a year or so after that. I wasn't an ideal lapband candidate because I spent so much time in a wheelchair due to Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Weight loss was slow, but after the first year I found a doctor locally who gave me fills.
Did the lapband force me to lose weight?-- no. But it kept me from regaining much. That was fine with me. I'd dieted and lost weight hundreds of times, but it always came back with more. So I lived a low carbohydrate life-- green veggies, an occasional tiny slice of melon or bowl of berries, Protein Powder smoothies and meat and eggs. I could only lose weight if I went below 1000 calories, and I did that a few weeks at a time. I tried many exercise programs, but my health prevented most of them, so my weight loss was slow. Sometimes I cheated and ate normally, and gained a few pounds. But mostly, the weight loss held.
Fast forward to now. I have lost 160 pounds, and have 100 more I should lose. But my band has slipped and I can't have fills until it is checked. Tomorrow I go in for the endoscopy.
I've read a lot of stories about how problems can develop after 8-10 years. And I am there. So I have decided to opt for the sleeve. My doctor says I need to wait until spring because I had a stroke, and he wants my body to recover. I hear there isn't the problem of being stuck. I feel I will have to be careful not to make my stomach stretch, but that was a consideration with the band also. I'm already used to chew, chew, chew, and having my food cut into tiny pieces. I know that hobbling helps food go down (I can't walk right anymore) The band has been good to me and I've developed good habits. I think it might be easier to lose weight with the sleeve. My doctor actually wanted me to have a sleeve ten years ago, but insurance wouldn't cover it.
I hope they don't have to remove the band early and let my body heal before switching to the sleeve. But if they do, I hope my good habits will keep me from regaining much.
I can't encourage people enough, early in their band journey they need to follow the rules and make them habit. I was told by my doctor to cut everything the size of a pencil eraser. I still make mistakes and get stuck, but it always goes down. The only time the band swelled completely shut was during cancer treatment, the week before I started chemo. I had an appointment to get the band emptied, but it swelled shut 4 days before. Couldn't even swallow my saliva.
Something everyone should know--when you get sick, the band swells. be it the flu or cancer, the stress from your body will cause the band to swell. Sometimes, food getting stuck was the first symptom I'd notice. So if you get sick, eat more liquid food--smoothies, Soups, and drinks allowed on your diet plan. I make my smoothies with milk/cream, a carrot (not exactly okay on low carb, but I can get away with it) Protein powder, and maybe a leaf of chard. I never could stomach a green smoothie, but a dab of greens in the smoothies is not noticeable.
So I'll haunt the place for a bit and disappear again. For me, the lapband has been a good experience.

I'm very sedentary due to physical problems and living in or near ketosis makes a big difference in my life. I feel better and have lots fewer food cravings. I've lost 160 pounds with the lapband, and have about 100 more to go.
Because of my physical weakness, I can't do much cooking. If I wasn't careful, I would buy Cookies, crackers, candy and ice cream to fill my belly. Ready made food is so much easier.
Here is my basic meal plan.Right now I am limiting my carb intake to about 50 carbs a day. For Breakfast I have a Protein Shake made with milk. (I have vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream and cinnamon bun flavored protein). lunch time is a hearty salad--lots of greens, cucumber, bell pepper, mushrooms, avocado, and occasionally artichoke hearts. I often add some cheese. I use a low carb dressing. For dinner, I have a source of protein--chicken, hamburger,eggs or something similar. I often mix it with veggies, like adding onion, celery, pickles and garlic to make a chicken salad, or cooking it with onions,garlic, mushrooms, peppers, squash, tomatoes or eggplant. With my Protein dish, I have a cooked vegetable--often cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, or artichoke hearts with cheese. If I get hungry later in the evening, I will have another protein shake or I will whip up 1/2 cup of cream, and when it gets soft peaks, I add a scoop of protein powder and mix it in. That sometimes puts me just over my limit, but not enough to cause a problem.
I lived this way for five years, and lost most of my weight in those years. I suddenly lost control, craving sweets like they would be removed from the planet tomorrow. I believe this is when my cancer was growing fast, but didn't realize I had it. Once the surgery removed my cancer, it took a while to get back to eating right, but I wasn't to lose weight because of the chemo.
Now I am once again living the low carb life, and I like how I feel

Hi Armartin,
I have had the lapband for ten years, and am having it switched to a sleeve. The lapband resolved my GERD-- I had a small hiatal hernia and they corrected that when they put in the lapband. I imagine they would also do that for the sleeve.
Sorry about the insurance issues. But I had to go through a 4 month prep and they almost flunked me on the psychology test. I had to lose 10% of my weight, to prove the weight would go down with calorie restriction. Not all people can lose weight well with diet and exercise. One reason I'm glad to get the sleeve is I can't manage travelling to see a specific doctor every two months. Lapband doctors and hospitals that deal with lapbands are few and far between here in N CA.

I am one who disappeared. I lived on this site for several months in 2008 (when I got my band. I actually lived here for over several months before, learning what I had to do and getting new habits in place. Stopping soda was hard. Going completely sugar free was harder. By the time I had the surgery done, I was already eating like a bandster. I think I stayed active on the site for a year or so after that. I wasn't an ideal lapband candidate because I spent so much time in a wheelchair due to Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Weight loss was slow, but after the first year I found a doctor locally who gave me fills.
Did the lapband force me to lose weight?-- no. But it kept me from regaining much. That was fine with me. I'd dieted and lost weight hundreds of times, but it always came back with more. So I lived a low carbohydrate life-- green veggies, an occasional tiny slice of melon or bowl of berries, Protein Powder smoothies and meat and eggs. I could only lose weight if I went below 1000 calories, and I did that a few weeks at a time. I tried many exercise programs, but my health prevented most of them, so my weight loss was slow. Sometimes I cheated and ate normally, and gained a few pounds. But mostly, the weight loss held.
Fast forward to now. I have lost 160 pounds, and have 100 more I should lose. But my band has slipped and I can't have fills until it is checked. Tomorrow I go in for the endoscopy.
I've read a lot of stories about how problems can develop after 8-10 years. And I am there. So I have decided to opt for the sleeve. My doctor says I need to wait until spring because I had a stroke, and he wants my body to recover. I hear there isn't the problem of being stuck. I feel I will have to be careful not to make my stomach stretch, but that was a consideration with the band also. I'm already used to chew, chew, chew, and having my food cut into tiny pieces. I know that hobbling helps food go down (I can't walk right anymore) The band has been good to me and I've developed good habits. I think it might be easier to lose weight with the sleeve. My doctor actually wanted me to have a sleeve ten years ago, but insurance wouldn't cover it.
I hope they don't have to remove the band early and let my body heal before switching to the sleeve. But if they do, I hope my good habits will keep me from regaining much.
I can't encourage people enough, early in their band journey they need to follow the rules and make them habit. I was told by my doctor to cut everything the size of a pencil eraser. I still make mistakes and get stuck, but it always goes down. The only time the band swelled completely shut was during cancer treatment, the week before I started chemo. I had an appointment to get the band emptied, but it swelled shut 4 days before. Couldn't even swallow my saliva.
Something everyone should know--when you get sick, the band swells. be it the flu or cancer, the stress from your body will cause the band to swell. Sometimes, food getting stuck was the first symptom I'd notice. So if you get sick, eat more liquid food--smoothies, Soups, and drinks allowed on your diet plan. I make my smoothies with milk/cream, a carrot (not exactly okay on low carb, but I can get away with it) Protein powder, and maybe a leaf of chard. I never could stomach a green smoothie, but a dab of greens in the smoothies is not noticeable.
So I'll haunt the place for a bit and disappear again. For me, the lapband has been a good experience.

I am one who disappeared. I lived on this site for several months in 2008 (when I got my band. I actually lived here for over several months before, learning what I had to do and getting new habits in place. Stopping soda was hard. Going completely sugar free was harder. By the time I had the surgery done, I was already eating like a bandster. I think I stayed active on the site for a year or so after that. I wasn't an ideal lapband candidate because I spent so much time in a wheelchair due to Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Weight loss was slow, but after the first year I found a doctor locally who gave me fills.
Did the lapband force me to lose weight?-- no. But it kept me from regaining much. That was fine with me. I'd dieted and lost weight hundreds of times, but it always came back with more. So I lived a low carbohydrate life-- green veggies, an occasional tiny slice of melon or bowl of berries, Protein Powder smoothies and meat and eggs. I could only lose weight if I went below 1000 calories, and I did that a few weeks at a time. I tried many exercise programs, but my health prevented most of them, so my weight loss was slow. Sometimes I cheated and ate normally, and gained a few pounds. But mostly, the weight loss held.
Fast forward to now. I have lost 160 pounds, and have 100 more I should lose. But my band has slipped and I can't have fills until it is checked. Tomorrow I go in for the endoscopy.
I've read a lot of stories about how problems can develop after 8-10 years. And I am there. So I have decided to opt for the sleeve. My doctor says I need to wait until spring because I had a stroke, and he wants my body to recover. I hear there isn't the problem of being stuck. I feel I will have to be careful not to make my stomach stretch, but that was a consideration with the band also. I'm already used to chew, chew, chew, and having my food cut into tiny pieces. I know that hobbling helps food go down (I can't walk right anymore) The band has been good to me and I've developed good habits. I think it might be easier to lose weight with the sleeve. My doctor actually wanted me to have a sleeve ten years ago, but insurance wouldn't cover it.
I hope they don't have to remove the band early and let my body heal before switching to the sleeve. But if they do, I hope my good habits will keep me from regaining much.
I can't encourage people enough, early in their band journey they need to follow the rules and make them habit. I was told by my doctor to cut everything the size of a pencil eraser. I still make mistakes and get stuck, but it always goes down. The only time the band swelled completely shut was during cancer treatment, the week before I started chemo. I had an appointment to get the band emptied, but it swelled shut 4 days before. Couldn't even swallow my saliva.
Something everyone should know--when you get sick, the band swells. be it the flu or cancer, the stress from your body will cause the band to swell. Sometimes, food getting stuck was the first symptom I'd notice. So if you get sick, eat more liquid food--smoothies, Soups, and drinks allowed on your diet plan. I make my smoothies with milk/cream, a carrot (not exactly okay on low carb, but I can get away with it) Protein powder, and maybe a leaf of chard. I never could stomach a green smoothie, but a dab of greens in the smoothies is not noticeable.
So I'll haunt the place for a bit and disappear again. For me, the lapband has been a good experience.

I have a lapband, but I understand your pain. I want to tell you, failing to lose has many causes--I know, I lived on less than 1000 calories a day for years and never lost an ounce. My lapband didn't help me lose much and my first doctor wouldn't give me a fill. So I found another who did. I am practically wheelchair bound (can only hobble around the house). So I started to lose--slowly. the big help was I didn't regain what I lost.
One thing I've never heard a doctor explain to me is that excessive hunger can be giving you a message. So many diets I went on ended with me lying in bed, weak and starving within weeks. What I didn't realize was that my body was telling me those diets weren't nutritionally what I needed. I've tried low fat-high Fiber, low calorie, vegetarian, all raw salads, lot's of nuts, praying the weight away, self-hypnosis, bodybuilding, lots of exercise...you get the idea. All of them failed because I wasn't listening to my body. When I got so hungry I would eat nails if there was ketchup to put on them, my body was telling me I was on the wrong diet. This isn't a normal,"Gee, that looks tasty." But was more like a weak pathetic cry from my bed that I was dying and had to eat.
I kept experimenting and discovered a ketogenic diet helped, but I gained everything back quickly. As I worked with the Keto diet, I learned I wasn't drinking enough Water, and I wasn't sleeping enough. But the high Protein with lots of greens was definitely a better choice than the others. Then I got the lapband, and the slow weight loss with no restriction was discouraging. But it was a tool. And once I got restriction, I used that tool. I mostly stayed on the ketogenic diet. Lots of protein was just a necessity for me. The fat I ate made the diet more enjoyable.
The lapband made me eat small bites, or I spent days puking. If I got sick, I had to reduce what I ate because sickness caused my stomach to swell, and I puked. Over the last ten years I've lived on the ketogenic diet, except for two years when I lost control, (I gained 50 pounds and found I had cancer. I believe the sugar cravings after being in control so long were a result of the cancer.) Back in control, and the 50 pounds went away. I've managed to lose 160 pounds. Not a large amount, and I still have over 100 pounds to go. But I am happy not to be the woman I was.
I don't know if the ketogenic diet will help you, but I'm sharing my experience to show you have to experiment to find the right diet. And you have to sleep enough to lose weight.
So, get the junk out of your house--the chips, crackers, cake mixes, candy, soda, snack food, juices (fruit juice is just liquid sugar water with a few minerals, eat whole fruit instead), and the alcohol (You can go back to 1 drink a day after you've lost weight). And start the eating pattern you feel best on. Just practice eating a healthy diet for a bit. Don't eat much at a time and keep any easy to snack on food (like grapes or nuts) in the refrigerator. Then start working your tool. go longer between small meals, see what happens when you delete starches, or what foods change how you feel. I had to stop vegetarian because Beans make me uncontrollably hungry(love those beans, yumm, yumm). Your body is unique, and just because you haven't found what works for you doesn't mean you're a failure. It just means you haven't found the balance of diet, sleep and exercise that works for you. The important thing is NEVER GIVE UP.
After 10 years with the band, I'm revising to a sleeve this spring. I love my band, but there is evidence it doesn't do well after 10 years or so. I feel I will do even better on the sleeve.

I have a lapband, but I understand your pain. I want to tell you, failing to lose has many causes--I know, I lived on less than 1000 calories a day for years and never lost an ounce. My lapband didn't help me lose much and my first doctor wouldn't give me a fill. So I found another who did. I am practically wheelchair bound (can only hobble around the house). So I started to lose--slowly. the big help was I didn't regain what I lost.
One thing I've never heard a doctor explain to me is that excessive hunger can be giving you a message. So many diets I went on ended with me lying in bed, weak and starving within weeks. What I didn't realize was that my body was telling me those diets weren't nutritionally what I needed. I've tried low fat-high Fiber, low calorie, vegetarian, all raw salads, lot's of nuts, praying the weight away, self-hypnosis, bodybuilding, lots of exercise...you get the idea. All of them failed because I wasn't listening to my body. When I got so hungry I would eat nails if there was ketchup to put on them, my body was telling me I was on the wrong diet. This isn't a normal,"Gee, that looks tasty." But was more like a weak pathetic cry from my bed that I was dying and had to eat.
I kept experimenting and discovered a ketogenic diet helped, but I gained everything back quickly. As I worked with the Keto diet, I learned I wasn't drinking enough Water, and I wasn't sleeping enough. But the high Protein with lots of greens was definitely a better choice than the others. Then I got the lapband, and the slow weight loss with no restriction was discouraging. But it was a tool. And once I got restriction, I used that tool. I mostly stayed on the ketogenic diet. Lots of protein was just a necessity for me. The fat I ate made the diet more enjoyable.
The lapband made me eat small bites, or I spent days puking. If I got sick, I had to reduce what I ate because sickness caused my stomach to swell, and I puked. Over the last ten years I've lived on the ketogenic diet, except for two years when I lost control, (I gained 50 pounds and found I had cancer. I believe the sugar cravings after being in control so long were a result of the cancer.) Back in control, and the 50 pounds went away. I've managed to lose 160 pounds. Not a large amount, and I still have over 100 pounds to go. But I am happy not to be the woman I was.
I don't know if the ketogenic diet will help you, but I'm sharing my experience to show you have to experiment to find the right diet. And you have to sleep enough to lose weight.
So, get the junk out of your house--the chips, crackers, cake mixes, candy, soda, snack food, juices (fruit juice is just liquid sugar water with a few minerals, eat whole fruit instead), and the alcohol (You can go back to 1 drink a day after you've lost weight). And start the eating pattern you feel best on. Just practice eating a healthy diet for a bit. Don't eat much at a time and keep any easy to snack on food (like grapes or nuts) in the refrigerator. Then start working your tool. go longer between small meals, see what happens when you delete starches, or what foods change how you feel. I had to stop vegetarian because Beans make me uncontrollably hungry(love those beans, yumm, yumm). Your body is unique, and just because you haven't found what works for you doesn't mean you're a failure. It just means you haven't found the balance of diet, sleep and exercise that works for you. The important thing is NEVER GIVE UP.
After 10 years with the band, I'm revising to a sleeve this spring. I love my band, but there is evidence it doesn't do well after 10 years or so. I feel I will do even better on the sleeve.

I have a policy--eat food as close to what it is found in nature as possible. So meat, veggies, fruit and most dairy is fine. Processed food of any kind is a big caution flag--or maybe a red one. I eat Protein first, of course, then veggies, then maybe fruit. That said, our garden has been producing lots of fruit and I have heartily enjoyed it all summer. I have practically no fill because of health issues, and the fruits trigger my other carb cravings and I have been inhaling chocolate like there is no tomorrow. I have gained 30 lbs. So the sooner I get the fruit and grains out of my diet, the better for me. I don't know so many people think low carb means no veggies. I eat my meat first, then veggies. Or I make eggs with veggies or meat and veggie stir frys. I probable eat more veggies than the average American--not than vegans , of course.

I just had a pannelectomy last month. My pannus kept me from walking. It hung to an inch below my knees and had a large ball of fat at the bottom. The more weight I lost, the longer it grew. It had already stretched the skin so my scar was over an inch below my port--and the port was above the incision when I had surgery. I lost 130 lbs before the pannelectomy, and it was two years past my surgery date. I have read that they don't like to do it until at least one year past the original surgery, no matter how much weight you lose because there are serious problems. The doctor removed 27 lbs. I developed a serious kidney infection after because I had such severe diarrhea that by the time I got it cleaned up, the germs were already to my bladder. The antibiotics hid the symptoms, but didn't kill the infection. My advice to anyone who gets any symptom of a bladder infection is to go to their GP. The surgeon is a wonderful man, but the GP is more familiar with you and deals with bladder infections all the time. I wish I had done it. :ph34r: I have lost twenty pounds in the month since the surgery, mostly because I couldn't eat. My doctor unfilled my band, he said for at least two months. I will decide then if I want more liquid in it. I've eaten a few things I shouldn't, but am mostly eating like I did before. I am really pushing the Protein. The doctor in the hospital says I need to eat 134 gms a day to properly heal the surgery. By the time I get that much down with a few veggies, I am stuffed. I can walk a bit more, and expect to walk more as time goes by. It is great to get out of the wheelchair part of the day. Being able to move around will make it easier to lose the next 75 lbs. I will be at 180 lbs then, which is my first goal. Mindwing

I just had a pannelectomy last month. My pannus kept me from walking. It hung to an inch below my knees and had a large ball of fat at the bottom. The more weight I lost, the longer it grew. It had already stretched the skin so my scar was over an inch below my port--and the port was above the incision when I had surgery. I lost 130 lbs before the pannelectomy, and it was two years past my surgery date. I have read that they don't like to do it until at least one year past the original surgery, no matter how much weight you lose because there are serious problems. The doctor removed 27 lbs. I developed a serious kidney infection after because I had such severe diarrhea that by the time I got it cleaned up, the germs were already to my bladder. The antibiotics hid the symptoms, but didn't kill the infection. My advice to anyone who gets any symptom of a bladder infection is to go to their GP. The surgeon is a wonderful man, but the GP is more familiar with you and deals with bladder infections all the time. I wish I had done it. :ph34r: I have lost twenty pounds in the month since the surgery, mostly because I couldn't eat. My doctor unfilled my band, he said for at least two months. I will decide then if I want more liquid in it. I've eaten a few things I shouldn't, but am mostly eating like I did before. I am really pushing the Protein. The doctor in the hospital says I need to eat 134 gms a day to properly heal the surgery. By the time I get that much down with a few veggies, I am stuffed. I can walk a bit more, and expect to walk more as time goes by. It is great to get out of the wheelchair part of the day. Being able to move around will make it easier to lose the next 75 lbs. I will be at 180 lbs then, which is my first goal. Mindwing

Finding what works for you is important. Being happy with your eating plan is good. It makes it easier to stick to it during those inevitable plateaus we run into. Sounds like you have found a winning solution.

I mix the shots with water--one shot with three tubes of Water and pour over ice. not the greatest, but it helps.
Watch out on the sugar free candies. Some people get diarrhea from them-ick!! Foul smelling gas, too.
I add Davinci sugar free syrups to my shakes, and it helps. Also, buying Atkins shakes or EAS advantage helps.
Mindwing