Hi Everyone! I'm not giving up on this surgery yet, but it really hasn't been good for me.

This is my journey...

The day of my surgery I was about 239. That was February 2009.

Over the next couple of months, I had 2 fills. I lost no weight.

Summer 2009 I went completely vegan and trained for an 8k marathon which I completed in December 2009 - ran the entire thing in a little over an hour! At that point I got down to 219. I feel it was completely because of eating vegan and running - not the surgery.

In January 2010, I had to have my gall bladder removed due to having complications. My doctor suggested I go back to eating lean meats, and due to the surgery I temporarily reduced my jogging. I went back up to 229.

In the last few months, I've had 2 more fills. I believe I'm at approximately 7.0 cc.

Now this is the kicker: If I eat fast, I throw up, but if I eat slow and chew, I CAN EAT ENDLESSLY AND WHATEVER I WANT AS IF I HAD NEVER EVEN HAD THE SURGERY! I don't understand how this surgery is supposed to work! Even though I watch what I eat and I am an avid jogger, if I can basically eat, get hungry, and never get full the way I did before the surgery, then what's the purpose? I've spent about $2500 out of pocket on this thing for what feels like nothing. Today I weigh 228.

What do I do????????

whoops--duplicate

I came across this article recently and it was very helpful to me. It talks about what the band can and cannot do. I hope you will find this info helpful.

http://www.drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

I needed well more than 7 cc to feel restriction. That said, even before I did, I acted as though I had restriction and followed my doctor's required eating regimen. Much of my loss occurred before I had restriction, but was due to ---yes!--eating less and exercising more.

I didn't say, "Why have a band, then?" I realized that in order to lose weight I had to eat less. Whether I was banded or not. Once restriction is achieved, it's easier to lose weight, because hunger is not as big a part of the equation. But I still had to eat less, and the band doesn't do that for me.If I choose the right foods, I am now limited in how much I require to not be hungry (note: I did not say "full.").

But "eat less" is not overly simplistic. It is simply the way it is. And if you don't accept that, you will not have the success you hope for.

4 fills, to 7 cc in 2 years---is not adequate. If your doctor is reluctant to fill, I'd look for another. Even small fractions of a cc of saline can have a huge difference. Work hard to get the benefit the band offers--it makes a huge, huge difference.

BetsyB, I hope you don't mind me mentioning you in my post. It's just that you have had amazing success while overcoming past problems of not losing even when you followed Weight Watchers, etc. to a "T". My point was that you were able to work the band YOUR way. If I were to attempt your same regimen, I am certain that I would have fallen off the wagon in about 2 weeks. I am though, continuing to lose and happy with my progress. I do admire your focus. I was hoping to convey to the original poster that we have to do what works for us individually, and your story (as well as Elfipoo's) I thought was a great example of making a commitment to working the band.

Happy Holidays.

~Fran