As I'm researching, I'm definitely realizing that they the lap band does "diet" for you. Which leads me to some new questions! If I were good at dieting and/or sticking to a diet, I wouldn't need the lap band to begin with! Dieting WOULD be easier, if I didn't feel hungry a lot (hoping the lap band will help with that), and it helped me to not need to count calories, or points, or diabetic exchanges, etc. It would be great if I could just live my life, eating based on real, reasonable hunger and then I could stop when I'm full.

I think part of the reason I'm not bigger (not that I'm little by any means!) is I generally stop when I'm "full". This is why I thought this would work for me. I thought it'd help me feel "full" sooner, thereby reducing my caloric intake. I have NO will power when it comes to dieting when I'm hungry, and even less when I have dieted without losing weight. It just seems pointless to restrict myself if I'm not losing weight.

Now, I'm not so sure. Apparently a lot of people don't lose much.

I guess what I'm wondering is how much of the hunger does the lap band take care of? How hard is it to stick to a diet (which I'm clearly not good at) with the lap band?

Michelle

Some days i think this band is just another expensive gimmicky diet. I am nearly 6 months out and have only just reached some restriction. My weight loss is slow. This is the point where i would usually give up and return to my old habits but to my surprise the band has stopped me. I can not eat the volume i used to eat eat and if i eat fatty, stodgy food i feel like crap. My main concern is i tend to graze and the band does allow that so i have to make a conscious effort not to eat between meals. Mostly this is head hunger, not real hunger - the biggest hurdle of all. Since my last fill i am no where near as hungry as i was and not as frequently. For me the secret is to keep busy and not get too tired.

But i am still loosing weight even though it is very slow, i am not putting it back on and i feel so much better than before i started all this. I exercise regularly which is important.

Good luck with your decision.

Some days i think this band is just another expensive gimmicky diet. I am nearly 6 months out and have only just reached some restriction. My weight loss is slow. This is the point where i would usually give up and return to my old habits but to my surprise the band has stopped me. I can not eat the volume i used to eat eat and if i eat fatty, stodgy food i feel like crap. My main concern is i tend to graze and the band does allow that so i have to make a conscious effort not to eat between meals. Mostly this is head hunger, not real hunger - the biggest hurdle of all. Since my last fill i am no where near as hungry as i was and not as frequently. For me the secret is to keep busy and not get too tired.

But i am still loosing weight even though it is very slow, i am not putting it back on and i feel so much better than before i started all this. I exercise regularly which is important.

Good luck with your decision.

Thank you Jan for your honesty! It would be pretty devastating to have this procedure only to feel like it wasn't working and in essence was an expensive gimmick!

When you say your weight loss is slow, how slow? Why don't fill the band up more, quicker to help facilitate that?

Once you get to a good fill whatever that may be physical hunger is never a problem. I rarely get hungry but it doesn't help with wanting to eat just because I like to eat. I stopped getting hungry at 7.3 ccs but some people its 3 or 4cc's. So, if you don't have any issues with head hunger you will do great at this!

Oh yea, I don't get full like I use too. If you are eating the required portions of food you will never get that old "full" sensation again. If you do that means you are eating way too much and will eventually stretch your pouch out. Sad to say but I miss that feeling sometimes!

Thank you Jan for your honesty! It would be pretty devastating to have this procedure only to feel like it wasn't working and in essence was an expensive gimmick!

When you say your weight loss is slow, how slow? Why don't fill the band up more, quicker to help facilitate that?

Slow weight loss is OK. I have had my band for nearly 6 months and i need to remember that we are looking at a 2 year period to loose the weight (on average, i believe). I lost 11 Kg pre op and have lost 14kg post op so a total of 25kg - 50 something pounds. I do get a little impatient at times. I have also had issues with my port and it has been hard to access it so i am not getting fills too often as they have to be done under xray and an emergency unfill would be a problem so we are proceeding with caution. And it is also about food choices and i dont always make the best choices, i am sure you have heard it before and you will hear it again, the band is a tool and you need to use it correctly and follow the "rules" to get the most out of it.

Overall i am happy with how things are going, as i said before i do have my days though as i am sure everybody does. Would i do it again - in a heart beat. I feel this great after loosing 25kg, cant wait till i double that figure, i will feel like a teenager again - well maybe.