I was wondering if you struggled to lose weight, pre-band, do you still struggle post-band? I'm not banded yet and do not, as a rule, lose weight fast when I'm being 100% good on a diet.

If any of you were like that before the band, do you lose at a slow pace after the band as well?

I know everyone loses at their own rate. My sister, when she follows a diet well, can lose quite quickly. I'm not one of the fortunate ones that loses fast.

I'm just curious.....

Thanks

Jack's right. It's not the speed of the weight loss, it's the continuity of it. It seems to me that the speed of weight loss largely depends on where one starts and how vigilantly one observes the regimen. So it's at least partly under your control.

What's really different about being banded is that after the first couple of weeks/months, when you have plateaued and are convinced it's all over and you might as well give up, YOU CAN'T. And that is what makes it different from all other diets.

Since our physiology is not altered by surgery, the rate at which we lose weight isn't anything unnatural. You eat less, you eat better, and you lose weight. But you don't gain it back when you take a breather, and your body truly adapts to being a lighter weight. This time, it's coming off and staying off.

I don't know about you, but for me 100% good on a diet usually lasted about 2-3 weeks, losing about 5 lbs the first week, then 2 the next and then tapering off. I'd get discouraged and begin thinking "Is this worth the daily struggle? Can I keep this up for as long as it will take to lose my excess weight?" Then I'd decide, no, it's not worth it and then go off the diet only to gain it back+, then decide a couple of months later that maybe it is worth it. Thus the cycle continued.....until lapband. Lapband is not a magic pill as you probably have read, but it has had a major impact on my weight loss. When you get to a good restriction level, you can't help but eat a lot less. So as long as you're making good food choices, you can't help but lose weight. There's no more yo-yo. Just eating regular, no diet. It really is amazing, but then again I'm feeling pretty good today. I woke up this New Year, 2 lbs lighter than yesterday and I wasn't even trying! That's never happened before. What an awesome contraption.

Excellent points! I think that is what I'm looking forward to.....a continuous downward trend. I did Atkins for 1 1/2 years, lost 45lbs in the 1st 6 months, then stopped dead on, hit a brick wall. No efforts would get me below a certain weight. I got so frustrated and mad at myself, thinking somehow I was doing something wrong. Now....I've gained back almost everything :cry .

I know I can make the right food choices, I know what choices to make, South Beach helped me see that. I hope that I can do this and that the band will help me. I think it's great that there are so many people having good luck with it. I think the point I have to keep fresh in my memory with every meal is to follow the rules and I will succeed.

Thank you!

I have always lost weight slowly. Even on phen-fen my best month was 6 pounds. I managed to take off 9 of the pounds pre-surgery so really since surgery (7 months) I have only lost 26 pounds. I have also been stuck for the last 10 weeks.

I had alot of stress during that time too but the cool part is, I didn't gain 20 pounds like I would have before. I am fluctuating up and down 3 pounds. But my goal this new year is to work on the rules. I will be content if I go back to my usual loss of .6 - .8 pounds a week or 3 pounds a month. That will be 3 pounds less than the month before!! And 12 pounds in 3 months. And hopefully by 18 months post-op, I will be at goal. Patience is my new motto.

Good luck on your decision.

I never had a problem with speed, more continuity like mentioned above - I never had any problem losing 2lb a week on quite a high calorie intake (1500 to 1800 a day) but I couldnt keep it going for longer than six or eight weeks. I'd lose 8kg or so, the urgent feeling would pass, I'd be feeling thinner and it would just peter out, then start the cycle of regaining.

Its coming off a bit faster now because I've never maintained such a low calorie intake for very long but I bet you I eat a lot more than a lot of other people on mushies. I do have a reasonably fast metabolism because I'm tall and pretty active. So I'm not finding being easily able to eat a cup of food at a time a problem in the least - but I am making good choices too.

I've really got it pretty easy I guess compared to a lot of people who have problems like PCOS and thyroid disorders etc. If I set my mind to it I'm sure the weight will just come off with the band over a reasonable period of time. I've never managed that before.

My losing trend started out pretty similarly between regular dieting and the band. At least now with the band I'm able to stay with it for longer -- or get back with it faster/easier when I get off track. I'm now averaging 1.5 lbs a week since banding (17 weeks ago).

The difference that I'm starting to see is that post-banding it's more of a stair-step. I won't lose every week, but then I catch up with a bigger loss the next week or so down the line.

I lost extremely slow before the band, I'm still losing slow with the band. The difference is, as mentioned before, the band prevents you from "giving up" and heading out to an all you can eat buffet!

As far as the Atkins thing goes, my mom had the same problem. Were you exercising? My mom lost 100 lbs., but alot of it was muscle and she killed her metabolism. If you don't exercise your body will preferentially burn muscle instead of fat for fuel. That is not what we are going for at all.

I'm also a turtle. I am almost 1 year out & I have lost 55 lbs. I may be losing slow, but at least I am losing. Right?! Slow but steady. I had some problems at first with my fills & my port flipping . But once all of that was worked out & I finally got proper restriction, my weight loss has been steady. Plus I am trying not to approach this as a "diet", I'm trying to make lifestyle changes. If that makes sense. Hopefully I'm gonna have this band forever. I don't want to lose all my weight the first 3 months after surgery by starving myself & exercising like the energizer bunny, only to return to bad habits & bad choices, gaining it back again. So far it's working for me.

I know someone will want to slap me for this..

I have been overweight since I can remember. I was a size 20 in the 8th grade. I've tried a diet here and there, but nothing for long periods of time as I had NO willpower.

I have lost weight quickly with the band. The last month has been slow, but I knew I needed another fill but waited until after the holidays were over so that I can enjoy some good holiday foods.

I have lost almost 60lbs since August, 2005. I'm happy with my progress. I think because I really didn't diet that much (if any) in the past 5 years my metabolism wasn't shot and that's why I am losing. Yo-yo dieters eventually screw up their metabolism.

Best of luck to everyone!

This topic, speed of weight loss, is one that I find very interesting. My opinion on it is that numbers are not relevant and if you focus on numbers you will get discouraged. I would also be foolish to pretend that I actually follow this advice. I wish I could focus solely on improvements in my health but alas I still weigh myself every morning.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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This forum has introduced me to the NSV, and I hope to make NSV's my focus going forward. Eating better foods, making sure to exercise, doing more work around the house, these are the things I am going to focus on. If I am going to be a rabbit I want to be a rabbit that is quick to clean the house or walk the dog. I want to be the rabbit that hops of to the treadmill without any pushing or eats good food in the blink of an eye.<o:p></o:p>

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If I loose weight quickly or slowly it won't matter because I will be a much healthier me. <o:p></o:p>

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I will probably weigh myself every morning but I plan to make sure I put a check mark beside the boxes of the other accomplishments first.

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I think if you pay attention to the words of wisdom in the previous posts and focus on all of your wins especially NSV’s you will be much more successful

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Cheers

I am so greatful for this thread. I have been struggling with no weight loss for a month. As a matter of fact, I lost 18 lbs the first 2 weeks and gained 2-3 back and the scale hasn't moved since then. I thought for sure after I had my first fill that I would see the difference on the scale but I have not. I definately feel the restriction and my food intake is really down but still no loss. The only thing that I am not doing is walking every day, but I plan on changing that today. What makes me feel better is listening to all of you tell your stories. I just have to be patient....augh. Thanks for the thread, it really did help me a lot. I think I'll just sign off and go for a walk!

Pre band..I never lost 100lbs+ like I did post band. Had I been able to, I would not of needed the band I guess

"I think because I really didn't diet that much (if any) in the past 5 years my metabolism wasn't shot and that's why I am losing. Yo-yo dieters eventually screw up their metabolism"

Hehe, I like that. I'm glad I also was such a rotten dieter and that my idea of dieting was indeed 1800 calories a day. I havent done years of Atkins or any other extreme form of dieting and despite being fat, I have always exercised, so I have a pretty good metabolism now. My husband lost 30kg at the age of 17, from just virtually starving himself for 9 months, kept it off till married life started, lol. But he now is moderately overweight on half the intake of most men AND he finds it very slow and difficult to lose weight. I think that's why the band must be a forever thing - like it or not, you do adjust to the lower intake of food and will probably always need to eat less, say to remain at 150lb than another 150lb person who has never dieted.

But I do notice its much harder (and slower) at 38 than it was at 25 before I'd had any babies.