I just signed up for this forum to read about other peoples experience with the band. I have been banded for about 4 years now and honestly haven't had a ton of success with it. I fluctuate with my weight and have tried everything from weight watchers, exercise, medifast, diet pills in addition to my band but the weight isn't coming off.

I honestly had different expectations for my post-op success when I was banded and while I live comfortably with the band I don't necessarily use it to my advantage which is why I have decided to dig a little deeper with these forums. I do have my band filled and when I went under for surgery I was pretty close to the insurance BMI cut off meaning that if I gained or lost weight I wouldn't be covered for the surgery by insurance. I am open to any and all feedback considering I do want to lose but haven't had much success with the band.

I just signed up for this forum to read about other peoples experience with the band. I have been banded for about 4 years now and honestly haven't had a ton of success with it. I fluctuate with my weight and have tried everything from weight watchers, exercise, medifast, diet pills in addition to my band but the weight isn't coming off.

I honestly had different expectations for my post-op success when I was banded and while I live comfortably with the band I don't necessarily use it to my advantage which is why I have decided to dig a little deeper with these forums. I do have my band filled and when I went under for surgery I was pretty close to the insurance BMI cut off meaning that if I gained or lost weight I wouldn't be covered for the surgery by insurance. I am open to any and all feedback considering I do want to lose but haven't had much success with the band.

Hi Adrian,

Welcome to the Forum! You're in the right place. There is a ton of successful stories here, and loads of advice from folks who have been right where you are.

If you've been banded four years, and have had only sketchy success, you need to step back, look at the big picture, and ask yourself a number of questions: How filled is your band? Do you have proper restriction? Are you eating right? Are you exercising right? Are you sleeping right? Are you sabotaging your eating plan by eating around the band? Do you track your daily food intake? Are you eating "bandster-sized portions?" What does your doctor have to say about your situation? If the answers to the above questions is Yes, then you need to figure out WHY you aren't losing. Having a band is a mechanical tool thet works in response to how you're dealing with it. If you're eating right, sleeping right, and exercising right, then you should be losing weight.

One trick I learned that may help you is to figure out how many calories you should take in daily to maintain your existing weight. Factor in your calories burned and calories eaten, and see if you have a deficit every day. If you burn 500 calories more per day than you need to sustain your current weight, then in seven days you will have a 3500 calories deficit. It takes 3500 calories burned to lose one pound, so a 3500 calorie deficit equals one pound lost. I have my life set up around a 1000 calorie deficit every day, which equals a 7000 calorie deficit every week. That 7000 calorie deficit translates to a two pound weight loss each week. Once you figure out how your body responds to your routine, weight loss is just that easy.

Good luck!

Dave