Have I failed the band or has the band failed me? I had my surgery on December 15,2010 and lost only 24lbs. I know that is 24 lbs I could not have lost with out the band but I am so discouraged. I go in for my 3rd fill at the end of the month. Please pray that this will do it for me. I am in bandster hell, I am still able to eat anything I want just in smaller portions. I was hoping I would have lost much more by now.

It is just wonderful reading about everyone success, I pray that I will be able to post a success story soon.

Please help!

I'm sorry I definitely think it's too early to consider this a failure- I'm where you are, about to get fill #3, and I'm not feeling restriction either, so anything I've lost has been due to controlling what i put in my mouth. You just need to hang in there! And I'd ask your doctor if you can get fills closer together- my doctor allows fills every 2 weeks until you get to a good point.

You say that you are able to put anything in your mouth just eat in smaller portions. Are you making healthy decisions? Maybe it is not how much/little you are eating but what you are eating. My Dr requires a very strict diet plan following surgery but I know not all Dr do. I definitely would not give up and consider this a failure just yet. Hang in there and Keep up the good work!!!

Have I failed the band or has the band failed me? I had my surgery on December 15,2010 and lost only 24lbs. I know that is 24 lbs I could not have lost with out the band but I am so discouraged. I go in for my 3rd fill at the end of the month. Please pray that this will do it for me. I am in bandster hell, I am still able to eat anything I want just in smaller portions. I was hoping I would have lost much more by now.

It is just wonderful reading about everyone success, I pray that I will be able to post a success story soon.

Please help!

Yetta, can I ask what you think you will experience when the band is working that is different from what you are experiencing now? I'm just curious about expectations-- I think that a lot of people expect the band to do things it might not ever do which leads to feelings of failure and frustration, and I'm wondering if that might be part of your experience.If the band is controlling your portion sizes-- then maybe it is working? What you describe-- capability of eating whatever you want but in smaller portions is EXACTLY how my band works. Unfortunately, that means I have to choose what I eat and don't eat carefully. If I make good choices 80% of the time, then I lose weight.

I know other people seem to use the band in other ways, so I'm not suggesting that my way is the only way. However, it might be how the band works for you and if you adjust your expectations, it might take away some of the frustration and help you make choices in food that will help you towards your goal.

I too, eat anything I want but in much smaller portions. After being banded I felt a sense of freedom. I did not have to pass up anything (short of things that my band just didn't tolerate). I still eat chocolate, I still eat yummy food, I just eat much less of it. Maybe I would have lost faster if I had followed a strict diet but I had food issues to deal with and 'dieting' just didn't fit into my plan. I needed freedom from regimented eating and I got that from my band.

Everyone seems to experience this band thing differently. It took me a good year of fills and unfills to understand how my body worked in conjunction with a band. I still have times of the month when I'm almost on liquids and times when I can eat bread. I just do a little 'check in' with m band each day to see where I'm at and go from there. It just takes time to get to know your new little friend.

I too, would say that it's to early to tell. I didn't monitor my progress so I can't tell you how much I lost and how soon. My doc did though. I know I was low and slow. 4 to 6 pounds a month. I was banded in August 2009 and I've lost 87 pounds. I call that low and slow, but good.

Lap-Band journey is as much an emotional/psychological journey as a physical one. Just read, find support, and do what you know is right. Everyone has to find their own way of doing things with a Lap-Band. A way that keeps them balanced.

I know some who have a Protein shake each and every morning. I don't eat until I'm hungry which can be noon or later. I'm not sure if I'd lose weight faster if I followed a 'metabolism boost' kind of diet but with my food issues eating only when I'm hungry suits my emotional healing process.

So take it easy, we are all rooting for you. You CAN do this and hopefully soon you'll get that band in tip-top working order for you. And you ARE doing great. I couldn't lose 24 pounds without my band. I know, I've tried and failed at that dozens of time. So to me, you are already a winner.

Big hugs!

I agree with the others...if your band does restrict your portion sizes and you are not hungry 4 hours after eating (you didn't say if this is the case) then it sounds to me like you need to work with the band and make better choices regarding what you eat. My band doesn't prevent me from eating anything...it is up to me to control that part of things. Maybe you should try tracking what you are eating for a while...you may be surprised at how many (or few) calories you are actually eating...

Also remember...YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE...you've lost 24 lbs and that's terrific!! You can't really compare your loss to the loss of others because everyone's journey is different...just evaluate what you are doing and see if your can find things that can be "tweaked" to shake things up.

Good Luck!

Let me ask you this...

Are you struggling to make those smaller portions satisfying? Do you still want more food? Or are you full on those smaller portions?

Everyone has different expectations. I saw people losing 100 pounds in 6 months. I don't think I quite hit even the 50 pound mark in 6 months. I talked to my doc and he reminded me that low and slow was fine. 4 to 6 pounds a month was perfect he said. So I didn't feel discouraged anymore.

I personally, love the fact that I can eat whatever I want but the band helps me eat less. I am actually a member of the Godvia Gold Club. Prior to my band I would have denied myself a decadent treat like that. Now I have the control to eat what I want but in smaller quantities.

I was all up in the stuff I had to deny myself when I first got banded. I was happy to be able to eat cheesecake, chocolates and all the stuff I always had to say no to because of calories. Of course, I ate much less of it and was satisfied on a couple of bites but over time even the novelty of being able to eat whatever I wanted wore off. After denying myself all this stuff for so long, then being able to have it again, I finally rolled around to not craving it anymore. The forbidden food no longer had it's appeal for me. So I now eat even less of those naughty foods because I know I can have them whenever I want. Yes, the novelty of cheesecake does wear off after a while. I can't believe I'm even saying that! But it's true, at least for me.

Just give it time. You'll get this.

Thank you all for your support and encouraging words. I could definetly do better with my choices of foods. I am in love with popcorn and I eat that for dinner just about every night. That is my weakness...

I go in for another fill soon, hopefully I will be at the restriction I need to start loosing again.

Thanks

Popcorn is delicious, no doubt, but I'm not sure it's very filling, and depending on what you're putting ON the popcorn it's not necessarily low cal... also I haven't had it since i was banded because I read a horror story about someone getting a kernel lodged in their stoma or something like that.

You really need some lean, dense Protein for dinner! How about starting with 4 oz. of chicken and then eating a cup of popcorn? You can still have it, you just need other food too.

I drink my Protein shake every day, and it kills the Hunger Beast that lives in me. That's a Plus !

I drink MUSCLE MILK LIGHT (NO chocolate THOUGH. IT'S LOUSEY)

@ Rachel412 Thank you for the suggestion, i will try to do that...

Popcorn is delicious, no doubt, but I'm not sure it's very filling, and depending on what you're putting ON the popcorn it's not necessarily low cal... also I haven't had it since i was banded because I read a horror story about someone getting a kernel lodged in their stoma or something like that.

You really need some lean, dense Protein for dinner! How about starting with 4 oz. of chicken and then eating a cup of popcorn? You can still have it, you just need other food too.

I will try to add a Protein shake daily.. Please keep the suggestions coming....

I drink my Protein Shake every day, and it kills the Hunger Beast that lives in me. That's a Plus !

I drink MUSCLE MILK LIGHT (NO chocolate THOUGH. IT'S LOUSEY)