Scared to be a failure lap band statistic. How can I prevent this? Surgery not scheduled yet.

-Kim

In my opinion the answer is to follow your doctors orders whatever they may be.

Following your doctors instructions is important, unfortunately doctors don't always tell you everything you need to know to succeed AND, because we are individuals, one size does NOT fit all. It is so important to EDUCATE YOURSELF. This forum is full of information -- try not to let it intimidate you. Use the information that best fits your situation. Learn how the band works and how to work the band. Once you get your band, there will be nothing like the "on the job training" you will get once you start the ride. LOL

Go into this with your eyes open, knowing that this is a "tool" not a "magic wand". In the time before you are approved, learn more about yourself and your relationship with food. So much of this journey is about the head, and not the stomach. It's about what you are willing to do for yourself to reach your goal, about habits you are willing to give up to reach your goal, about being honest with yourself.

You will learn that you have not taken the "easy way out", not by a long shot! Some people lose fast, some people lose slower. You might do well to read about each type here on this forum.

There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people on this forum that are willing to answer your questions no matter what you ask -- or how many times they have answered the question. Do your homework, keep an open mind and be prepared to do what it takes to reach your goal.

I hope some of this information is helpful. Good luck to you!

~Fran

Please remember to BE PATIENT after surgery. Like Phranp said, it is not a magic wand, and weight will not begin falling off just because the band was inserted. It will likely take at least a few fills, and could even be several months for you to reach a good level of restriction and for the weight loss to really kick in. I read about many newbies on here that start back on a cycle of frustration and impatience right after surgery, resorting to binging and/or other emotional eating habits due to their perceived "failure." Don't even START down that path! Keep your expectations in check for the short term--it is not a race, there is no deadline, you are not and will never be perfect, but as long as you are honest and put in reasonable effort, you will not be a loser in any other way than the pounds.

I only lost about 20-25 pounds in the six months between surgery and hitting my sweet spot; that was still about a pound a week, but many others were making much faster progress. But I was mentally and emotionally prepared for a long process to achieve the end result, and I think the journey was MUCH more pleasant and stress-free because of that.

Following your doctors orders is super important.

Until you get restriction this will be a diet. You will need to rely on will power. It took me 5 fills before I started to get restriction. I'm not trying to discourage you just want to be brutally honest. One thing that helped me make it through my presurgery diet was that this was going to be the last time I had to lose the weight. It was'nt a fruitless attempt.

Exercise is important. Do you need to be a gym body from day one? No. Clearly none of us are or we would'nt need surgery. But you need to find a form of exercise that you can and will do 5 plus days a week. Again my opinion; some people on this site would say you don't need to work out that often.