I have had the band for 9 months with only losing 40lbs. I started this journey at 340. Now I bounce around 300.

I have followed the diet, exercised and consumed more than my share of Water. I am a loss.I have counted every morsel that enters my body but still minimal success. The only thing that may be an issue is that I take anti-psychotics for Bipolar disorder. I can not stop these to see if this would make a positive change.

I am going to give it another 3 months, but at that point if I havent had success I am seriously considering getting the Bypass.

Am I crazy?

Hi there...a few questions....

1. How many fills have you had?
2. Do you live in a warm, cold or seasonal climate?
3. What's a typical day of food like?
4. Have you talked to any of your band docs yet to see what they say?

Maybe the diet they have you on does not work for your body. Have you tried alternatives? Switching to all natural foods can make a GIGANTIC difference.

I ask and am interested because I had asked the same question recently until it finally, out of the blue just started kicking in and working....

:crazy:

I am on bipolar meds too. My Doc said a realistic weight loss for me is 5lbs a month. It seems you are in that ballpark. It is agonizingly slow. I know you will make the right decision whatever that may be. Good luck.

In all honesty, you are doing what your suppose to do. I recommend increasing your exercise to 5 days a week for 45 min. The lapband weight loss is 4-12lbs a month and you are falling in this catagory. Don't give up! Change some of the foods you eat and your exercise routine and get a fill if needed. I have PCOS and my weightloss is slower than others. I have lost 22lbs in 7 weeks and a lady that I know has lost 37lbs and had the surgery on the same day as myself. Talk about frustrated! But I can't lose focus. I am gonna fight for every pound that I loose. Its a slow process but I knew that coming in. I didn't know I would have to work so hard to get it off but I like challenges. My whole life has been a challenge and so far I have been victorious.Whatever you do, DO NOT GIVE UP! You can do it!

I only averaged the 4 pounds a month my first year with the band too so I understand your concern. Some people lose it faster but what matters is if comes off:) I think I am only doing 3 pounds average now so I gotta pick it up! I wish you well! We will do well as long as we don't give up and keep up with our lifestyle changes. I have accepted the fact that it will take me 3 years or longer to lose all of my excess weight. Hopefully, during that time I learned a new lifestyle and will keep it off!

Well, I think only you can decide when you're ready to look into a different surgery. The weight does come off faster with a VSG, or a bypass, or the other types of surgery. However, there are downsides to those as well... there's still no perfect weight loss surgery.

Just giving you some support. I'm sorry you're so frustrated.

Definitely talk to your doctor about it. I feel your pain. I have a friend who had gastric bypass and looks absolutely amazing and has kept it off-BUT she has had problems alochol (she gets drunk really fast and often), depression,etc.. If you are leaning toward GB do your research. Good luck with your decision!

You're losing more than 1 lbs a week so you're completely on track for healthy and normal weight loss.

While that's not comforting - you are losing. And if you've stopped losing then you need to review what you're doing.

Getting another surgery may not help if you're over eating or eating horrible food.

A lot of people who get more invasive stomach altering surgeries end up gaining all the weight back - and more - and stretch their new stomach to a larger size.

Just keep at what you're doing, monitor your calories closely using something like The Daily Plate and your activity using something like the FitBit ($99 / free website with tracking, tracks your sleep, your activity level, your steps, mileage, and food) and see where the discrepancy is.

Since you're doing this for 3 more months make the best of those three months and write down every single thing you eat and the amount (measure it). And invest $99 in a FitBit and track your activity effortlessly so you can see how much you're really moving every day (you may be shocked).

You need a caloric deficiency of 500 calories per day (either by less food than your height/weight needs) or by burning via activity to lose 1 lbs / week. Chances are, at your weight, you need around 2,400 calories to maintain your weight (with no increase in activity). So drop your calories to 1,400 / day (a comfortable amount) and walk at least 5,000 steps a day (it's an achievable goal for most people - whereas 10,000 steps can put some people off initially) and you'll see movement.

You do know that statistically, the overall EWL is comparable among WLS.

I say hang in there 40 lbs is 40 lbs gone forever. You might have gain during this time period if you did not have the Band. I take a lot of meds too that effect my weightloss but I did manage to finally lose 84 lbs and you will too just give it some time. I still need to lose another 15 or 20 but It is taking forever but we are more healthy minus what we have lost so far. I'm cheering for you from afar. If you are a prayer ask God to show you what you need to change up, He will show you, He wants you healthy too and He loves you and wants to give your the desirse of your heart.. Chin up and give it some more time before going through surgery again and putting you life at risk.

Cheri

Personally, I feel that although the lapband is slower, it's actually safer. And wheelchair is right, the total weight loss that you will get with the band and with the gastric bypass is probably going to be the same it just might take you longer with the band.

For me, the bypass freaks me out because a) I don't want parts cut out of me, and b ) the malabsorption makes me concerned because I have problems with vitamin absorption to begin with, and making that worse just sounds like a big NO; so I would NEVER consider it.

What I suggest you do, is weigh the pros and the cons of both, really do some research, talk to your doctor.

Personally, I don't think that you're a failure at all, I think you're within the boundaries of normal for the lapband, especially since you are dealing with the meds screwing with your weight loss. You are doing super in my opinion! Congrats on your loss thus far.