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Have you lost 70 to 100 pounds ? Cause I have and my doc says it a side effect from the weight loss she checks me out every 3 months I actually have am apt tomorrow

some information: I'm 24 73kg/160,9lbs 179cm/5'10. So I had my surgery around August of 2019. I lost around 50Kg from than till now but I don't wanne lose any more. I started going to the gym last week but before that I also did 3-4 month at home training because I didn't wanne go to the gym before i could at least do something. (stupid to think like that but yeah...) My arms looked like twigs and still do but at least there is a some muscle to see compared to 4 months ago. All the information I find online regarding gaining muscle is all about "eat big to get big" but that's the thing i can't eat big, like probably most of you guys. I have been drinking protein shakes 2X a day protein bars... and other food that contain protein to at least get as much as I can let's say around 80g of protein But I don't see much progress (counting the 4 month workouts at home) and I don't know if I should just trust what I’m doing now or change something... Sorry about my writing, I would say sorry about my English but even in my langue I write with many spelling mistakes.

Sounds like you are doing everything right. My husband is a thin man. He has tried to gain muscle but his body will only gain so much, which he thinks is too small. I think he is perfect. If you are in a position to get a personal trainer, that might help you be better able to reach specific goals. Otherwise, I think you are doing a good job.

What's scary? My advice? If so, sorry but it's true. For example, if someone knows how to do it but chooses not to then there is no reason the band should work. Losing weight IS easier with the band but it's not a magic cure. It won't make someone never feel hungry and it will do nothing for head hunger or emotional eating...but it will help someone feel satisfied with less food when the person is following the "bandster lifestyle" (when they are adjusted properly and have restriction). That's all the band can do...its a piece of plastic. The success that many have had with the band ultimately came from within themselves.

Hello Bama Folks.... I need help with answers to some questions! I have on more month to go with my BC/BS PPO six month doctor visits. I have my other requirements scheduled... (psych, sleep study, misc. test). I am getting excited and also nervous at the same time... I have actually started thinking that I don't need the surgery and I can do it on my on... Yes, I know- that is crazy!!! I guess it's presurgery nerves. At any rate, I hope some of you can answer the following questions for me: 1. I know I pay my insurance co-pay upfront, but... do I also pay the percent not covered by BC/BS or do they bill me? 2. If I have a terrible case of sleep apnea, will they not do my surgery? 3. I have an enlarged liver and the nurse at Dr. Scmitt's office said I needed to lose 40 pounds before the surgery. I have not.. will they not do the surgery until I lose the weight? 4. All I read about is Dr. Miles doing your banding surgeries... has anyone used Dr. Schmitt? Is there something with him I don't know about? I know I can contact the office on several of these questions, but,I wanted to ask "one of us" first. Thanks so much and I hoping for my first summer, in a very long time, of wearing shorts! Thanks so much and God Bless!

I am concerned I may have ruined everything over the holidays. I don't know? Weight is not coming off and I don't seem to stay full the 4 hours after a meal. I am not scheduled for a fill until March. Any one with some ideas?

Ash not to be nosey but is it that time of the month. I know for me I use to gain about 8 lbs with the water retention from it. Watch your sugar intake really closely and avoid any carbs that you can. Protein first everything else second. You should also be getting ready for your first fill to that should help too.

I did'nt necesarily gain when I went to mushies but I've been a slow looser. During the hearing phase I tried to space out my food consumption like tomato soup and then an hour later shredded chicken made with low fat laughing cow (during mushies). Other than that I bought a digital scale and weighed my protein. When the food was gone I stopped eating. My doctor does'nt approve of snacking so his opinion was that you should grit it out. Took me 5 plus months to get restriction.

Congrats on your weight loss Erica. Keep up the good work. & Elizabeth hope all went well at Dr. Lopez today. Take Care

Remember that losing the weight quickly is not as important as being well .. .take care of yourself.

I either reduced or increased my calories by a 100 and upped the exercise, several days a week might need increasing to 5 to 7 days, or at least change the routine include more strength training building muscle will eventually help burn those extra calories .. Nearly everyone experiences some form of a plateau in their weight loss, sometimes its a few weeks or can be several months, as u get lighter and lose more weight most of us had to step it all up execise wise and eat less to make the weight come off again .. good luck ! Sometimes just a plain old pig out day can shock your body into behaving its self if all else fails u can try that and enjoy it !

bamboobabe, 50 pounds in 6 months is great! You should be very proud of that accomplishment, but I completely understand your feelings. Dear Lord, thank you giving bamboobabe the courage and strength over the past 6 months. Please give her a renewed commitment to her band. Remind her of the gift that you have given her in the band. Help her to jumpstart her continued weight loss so that she feels empowered and motivated as she enters her 7th month.

Toss the scale and just focus on working out. Start working on building muscle. The more muscle you have to more calories your burn. Muscle takes up less space than fat so you will get leaner. Work on building muscle every other day on the days you don't weight lift do cardio. It will take about a month for your body to adjust so be patient (your weight wil fluctuate because of Water may even gain but it is muscle). Make sure you drink more water and get your Protein in. Protein is essential for building muscle. I went to 24 hour fitness and got a trainer to show me how to use the equipment properly. Pricy but worth it. I hope this is helpful to you. Don't let this stall derail your hard work. Take care.

what did you weigh when you started? and what is your weight now? what does your day consist of? are you active?

I would venture to guess the weight gain is due to re-hydration. It should level out and you should start losing again.

I think the NHS really need to take a long hard look at their policies, there are not many who have this op done on the NHS but there are plenty of people being treated for obesity related illnesses they could probably save so much money every year. I went to my GP who is actually a member of a group lobbying for more banding to be done, however, he does not think I am a good candidate as I have lost weight with the help of slimming pills in the past, he asked the dumb question of how did I manage to put the weight back on and that I should do it again and when I get to a realistic weight join a gym if only it was that simple! I have decided that I am going to have an easyband fitted with Healthierweight in Manchester, the only disappointment is that I think it will take me a while to save the fee. Good luck in whatever you decide to do x

I never went through hell. I doubt most people will. I think that some bandsters *do* have real trouble with the restrictions the band places on them, and have even more trouble with the exercise that they must do in order to lose weight on healthy food. This is no warning.

I will admit I had ONE moment of hell. True hell. I had been on post-op liquids for a VERY long time (my doctor is very conservative in the healing phases of the band), and I still wasn't able to lift my babies who were about 17 months old at the time. I was missing them (I held them on the couch, but I couldn't carry them around like before), and I was SO freaking sick of liquids. But after recovery? GOD I LOVE MY BAND! Not a SINGLE moment of hell. Not EVER. I don't miss stuffing my face with food. I don't miss the 71 pounds I've lost. I don't miss being the biggest person in the room. And I LOVE my new jeans much more than I love food. I also love that I've never felt deprived of anything -- I eat what I want. Well, I kind of miss chicken -- that doesn't go down so easily. But, if I lather it in enough marinara sauce, it goes down okay. But yeah, I had some candy at Halloween. I lost 3 pounds. I ate pie at Thanksgiving. I lost 2 pounds. The weight is falling off of me like mad and getting my band was the BEST thing I ever did for myself. I will admit, though, I was never one to eat a whole pizza. I did, however, have a massive carb addiction and was a "grazer." I felt hungry ALL the time. Now, I have to remind myself to eat. If it wasn't for my husband, my poor kids would probably starve because I forget that "normal" people are hungrier than I am! haha! No hell here. Plenty of energy, too. I am so very, very sorry that some people have hell with the band, though. That SUCKS. :biggrin:

Yes, the hell did last a year and was during the weight loss phase. Once I stopped losing weight, the hell subsided. I still work at maintaining, but it's sure nice being able to drink when eating. It's nice not having to diet, and it's so nice to have energy!

1. As far as pills- I was on Zoloft myself along with prescription stomach meds (much larger) and it was not a problem at all. The good news is that I am no longer on anything! Feels so great!!! 2. soda- both myself and my husband have tried soda. It isn't a problem; however, since the pre-op diet and surgery, it tastes TERRIBLE!! I never thought I would give up my Dr Pepper, but once you are away from it for awhile, your tastes changes. they taste like medicine to me. So, soda cravings are no longer a problem. 3.surgeon's experience- the main thing I wanted to know was how many procedures, any deaths due to complications and how accessible would he be after surgery 4. sugar free- not sure about the reason, however, it does help in kicking the sugar addiction. For me, it is like the soda, it just doesn't have the same appeal anymore. Instead of ice cream, I crave frozen grapes now. LOL! 5. yogurt- I won't be much help here. I guess you could dilute it with skim milk to make it more drinkable. However, you will be able to eat yogurt, so I don't see why you would have to make it drinkable. 6. Insurance- For my insurance I had to maintain above a 40 BMI since I had no comorbidities ( insurance accepted ones). They went back three years for BMI. I actually had to redo my 6 month supervised diet. In 2009, my BMI had dropped to 39. My doctor was great about the 6 month diet. I could not drop below the 40 or else the insurance would deny my claim for the reason " you are successful without WLS". AS IF!!!! Anyways, I would lose a couple of pounds, then have a "set back' and gain a pound. I know it sounds awful, but it showed that I was "trying" to lose but not being particularly successful. It is like a game of jumping through hoops. From my experience, don't let your BMI fall below the required min for your insurance.

Well let me stat by giving you some personal Information. I am 5'5 weighed in @ the Dr's Wednesday @ 260 lbs. My BMI is 43.26 About a month ago I had to b put on hydrochlorothiazide for my blood pressure. For Months now I have been doing a lot of researching on the LAP-BAND®®. On September the 19 Th I signed up for my free Educational Seminar. This is a big step for me. I go to my seminar on the 21 St Of October. I guess after this seminar they hand out the main package to get everything started. I talked to my Doctor about it & he said after I attended the seminar If that is what I choice to do he will help me get it started. I have did things in advance to help thing go faster for me. for instance, I have contacted my Insurance & the after I pay a $150 deductible it they cove it 90% . So it should be affordable. I have got letters fro the Gym where I have had my membership @ for Years, Also From Physician weight Lost where I did there program for 2 yrs. So Here I am 2 days (October St 2009) till the seminar & Hoping for the best! Thanks Becky

keep us posted. i always find "fill stories" funny congrats on all the weight :thumbup:loss to date!!!

I feel the same way! I'm so ready to get this weight off. Thanks!

I am almost 8 weeks post op, started walking immediately. It took a while to walk a mild but now I walk a mile ever other day. I was cleared for all exercise at 6 weeks but so far other that some toning using bands not taking to it. We have a gym membership ( I actually walk by the gym on some of my walks!) but I just don't like it... I just got a gold gym home gym. Lots of exercise putting it together. Paid $75.00 for it on Facebook, still in the box! Going to start alternating a toning day with a walking day. Hop my weight loss will sky rocket!

Haven't been here in a while...today out of the blue I get an e-mail from a member asking me questions (?) How (or why) they found me I don't have a clue. For you newbies, I was banded Jan 2011. Met my goal weight (100lbs down) in one year. Band did everything I had hoped it would. Suppressed appetite, cravings, limited portion sizes. blah blah blah. Because of this I was forced to develop a new lifestyle, new foods, new eating methods, throw in some exercise and presto...a new me. Got my life back. Now, every day is just like any other day...I don't worry all that much about what I eat or how much (thanks to the band) it all comes natural now. I'm not worried, or have been since a few months after surgery about gaining any weight back...how can I? Over eating is impossible....and certain foods are just as impossible....It all comes very natural and effortless. I know, I probably already pushed a few buttons but I am only speaking for myself and my experiences. Prior to surgery I was a insulin diabetic, plus I had all the other ailments you read on this forum associated with obesity...could not get anything under control no matter how Dr. s regulated all the drugs they were prescribing. I also had coronary artery disease resulting in heart surgery. While they were in there they noticed I had had a Heart Attack, although I never knew it which is common for diabetics ( and women) but I am fortunate to be here. All that is behind me, and at age 65 my Dr.'s still are amazed...My cardiologist said I am getting younger, not older. I am going to make an appointment with my surgeon.....I am contemplating having the band removed...not because I am having issues..I have never had problems with the band. It's just after years of forming new habits, perhaps I can continue without the aid of something foreign in my body. Besides, one of the selling points was that it is reversible. At the least I will ask him to take out all the fluid and see how that goes for a while. Ok, so where have all the veterans gone? Are they still out there? Successful? The answer is yes..we are out here. No Offense, but there is not much happening here for us. When I logged in today, which hasn't been in a while, I looked down the list of trending topics and they are all the same as they were 6 years ago. The same hot topics also. And after a while, after you're thru the early stages, you start to realize things. I used to get roasted for saying some of the things I did from someone who just went thru the surgery whereas I after years, had a different take on things. The majority of people here are new to this, and sorry, just don't have that much in common with veterans. Ok, that should make up for years of not posting. But to all my fellow banders out there, remember this...THIS THING DOES WORK !! Don't sweat the small stuff...give it chance, it is adjustable and takes a little time to get it just right. After that it is all easy-peasy. See ya!