it has been 8 months since my surgery and lets say I am no where near my goal weight. I started out at 253lbs got down to 218 then went back up to 229 today, after a hernia repair surgery that put me on my butt for a little over a month. I have maintained my drop from a size 20/22 to a 14/16 which is great!!!

Today I got what I think is my final fill for a while, I now have 6.5cc's in my band and I felt tight leaving the doctor's office and my shake went down pretty good.

I invested in some shape-ups and renewed my gym membership, and am using the above ground pool in the yard with my children instead of watching them. I have realized that this band is a tool, not a end all be all, I have to increase my workouts and eat the right foods 90% of the time. And trying not to get stuck eating the wrong thing...

Now at close to week since my fill, the swelling has gone down and I can eat, but no where near as much as I did before, and not all of the types of food I had been able to eat. I don't see the doctor for 8 weeks, but he did say come in sooner if I can still eat more than 6 ozs of food.

Hi there! I know its frustrating with the slowness of weight loss, I have not lost weight in a few months, and am feeling very disappointed in myself. Like you said, its the end all for our weight loss, we do have to put the work in too! You have lost alot of sizes, you should feel really proud of that and I'm sure you look great too! I have gone from an 18 to a 14, but have only lost 30 lbs since August. I have to feel happy though because I don't think I could have lost that weight on my own without the band. Hopefully more is to come off!

Hang in there. I am going for a fill Wed. for the first time in awhile...

Thanks for the support, you are right, I am really happy with the dress size loss, because to me that is more important than the numbers on the scale. My fills havn't been that frequent in the past, I looked at my dates and I had my first fill 3.5cc's two months later I was up to 5 ccs then 5.5ccs in february now finally at 6.5cc on the 8th. However at the doctors office I was at 229 now I am down to 221, feeling a little better I can only eat about a 1/2 cup of solid food at a time and I have to eat it very slowly. my shakes are at about 6-8 ozs at a time and very slow in the morning. so with that I expect to lose a few more dress sizes because my body is forced to use its own body fat for energy.

Don't be so down on yourself. I was banded the same month as you. My weightloss hass been slow but I am happy with the results. Since banded I have had some serious back problems. My exercise has been very hard to even try and do any. Finally after about 4 months of chiropractor visits I went to a pain specialist. Any victory is better than none and I have accepted that. My weight has come down 32 pounds and I feel better. We all lose at a different pace and we can not compare our weightloss with someone else. All I know is the weight will not come back. According to my doctor, I am doing well. There have been months with no weightloss but there was no gain. I average 4 to 5 pounds a month. It may not seem like much to you or someone else, but is a victory for me. At the present time I am half way there with only 44 more pounds to lose. Keep your chin up and it will all work itself out. If you would like to keep in contact for support send me a private message. I have found a couple of people but no one really keeps up with me.:devil_smile:

Thanks ladies :scared2: it is always nice to hear I am not the only one. It is very different having the band rather than by pass surgery, I know a lot of people who had by pass and very few with the band, and in a few months I will at my one year mark, and I havn't lost anywhere near the amount of weight they have lost at the one year mark. I am happy with losing the inches I have lost so far I have gotten rid of all of my XL clothes and 20's and I feel like I will never return to that.

I am definitly at my sweet spot:biggrin: I cannot eat that much as i did in the past, and although I still crave my sweets one bite is all I can tolerate. I have also noticed that some days I can eat more than others, and in the morning my band is tighter than the evening. and for some reason during my period it is tighter too..:thumbup: I also started using the Wii Active, it is rather cool to use. I am doing the 30 day challenge right now. :scared2:

Hi. I just wanted to say, don't feel discouraged. I was also banded in August, and I didn't start losing a single pound until Feb. of this year. You're right in that we are learning that it isn't magic, but eventually the weight will come off assuming there aren't any complications. Sometimes it just takes that perfect amount of saline. For me, in order to lose weight I have to have my band so tight that I can hardly eat solids for the first couple weeks after a fill. It's not fun, but it's all that works. And you have to say to yourself, do you think you would have lost the weight you have so far without the band? I know I couldn't have. Anyway, hope you're feeling better to know you're not alone.

Hi,

I am convinced that after 11 months, I have found the key! Exercise!!! Yes, i know, easier said than done...it is always difficult to develop a habit, especially this one. But, changing your whole outlook on life, which is what we are all striving to do on this journey with the lapband, is what we must do! THERE IS NO OPTION FOR FAILURE! I mean it. If you just keep that attitude when you wake up in the morning, it is gonna be tough to make up excuses as to why you cannot work out. start by getting a pedometer . I got one yesterday. Experts say at least 10,000 steps daily. Work up to it if you find you are short by the end of the night. I also dusted off the shape ropes that I bought last year and did a 10minute workout on my arms. I know it worked because the next day I was really sore. Then that accomplishment led to a trip to Walmart. I purchased kettlebells and let me tell you: AN 8lb or 10LB kettlebell will efficiently work out every major muscle group. If you don't know how check out Bodybuilding.com - Kettlebell Exercise Guides Database..

It is free so there is NO excuse for saying you cannot afford a gym membership. I personally have a YMCA membership and if I don't feel like going to the gym or it is closed when I want to go, I walk 20-30 minutes, always remembering to keep on my pedometer on all day long and work out with either the shape ropes or the kettlebells. I am currently down 50lbs and the more I lose the more motivated I become. This is what I mean by changing your life. And so far as a gym is concerned, I don't know about you but for me , the more activities available at the gym (swimming, aerobic classes, yoga, pilates,racquetball, track, treadmills,ellipticals, weights, bikes, etc) the more likely I am to go on a regular basis. It also affords you many opportunities to meet new people, who will give you additional motivation. And lastly, I cannot stand being bored, so I found a gym that had individual TV"S connected to treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals, so I could totally block out what I was doing. If I did my workout first thing in the morning, my whole day was great, I had much more energy, and I slept better at night.

Keep up the great work and please keep posting! I count on it for extra motivation and it is nice to know I am not alone!

OOPS,

I forgot about eating right! It is really hard to justify bad eating habits once you get this exercise routine. It took me about 16 days of exercise to develop this attitude.

Thanks so much it is good to hear that I am not in this alone. The pounds are coming off really slow for me but I am losing that stored fat in the form of inches off my A$$ I can tell because I don't fit the same size I did a year ago... Last year this time I was closer to a size 22 and today I am closing in a size 14... it is getting better. I am a teacher so during the school year I am busy with work, work and more work, but now I have a little more time to focus on me with summer here, and I have been working out with my Wii Active and Wii Fit, along with swiming with my children almost daily for at least an hour or so at a time.

My band is tight enough, I can only drink a protien shake in the morning, then it losens up enough to eat a salad with eggs, and broiled chicken in it for lunch but not too much, I get full really fast and for dinner I can have about the same and some fruit:drool:. It is really easy to get full off of things and that has helped me with my meal plans, because if I eat the wrong thing I have four hours till I feel hungry again and if I do that more than one day in a row I have no energy:cursing:... Learned that the hard way. It keeps me honest...:thumbup:

But for me it is more time manangement to eat less, move more and lose weight... I can't believe next month is a year...wow:eek:

No kidding about it almost being a year! I thought by a year after surgery I would have lost like 100 pounds, now I'm seeing that it's going to be about half that. I can't complain, though, I mean ANY weight loss over a year is better than gain if you ask me.

I can't believe you dropped from a size 22 to a size 14! Good job, I have lost 42 freakin' pounds and gone from a size 20/22 to a solid 18... wtf!!!! Sorry, just venting, but I am really am so happy for you. And good job on the exercise! I still haven't really adopted an active lifestyle, and that's probably one of the things holding me back.

Abby, don't fret, you are 42lbs lighter than you were a year ago. People's body shapes are different, I have a big butt and small waist, my pant size is a solid 16 my dresses and skirts are a 14. I am happy but it is interesting to me having only lost 30lbs that I would shrink that much. I too thought I would be at least 50-60lbs lighter by now, but I was gauging by my husband and sister who has RNY-GBP, he lost 150lbs first year and she lost 80, so I figured I should be at least 60% of what they lost but no, I think that now my fill is in the right spot I should be much smaller this time next year.

You are right about the working out part. I am just getting into exercising 3 days a week, since my last fill, and it really has made a difference, My food is in check now I have to work on body stuff. I still have 65lbs to get to my goal weight.