Got banded on November 7, 2011 lost more before band and am getting discouraged. Find myself returning to old eating habits. I am confused, don't want to lose quick yet want to lose more than I have. Motivation please!

hi! i feel the same way. I was banded 7/23/11 and have only lost a total of 30 pounds, that's from my very first appointment BEFORE my surgery. I can't say i really have lost a lot due to the surgery. I have had three or four fills I think. I need to go back but I havent had the time. I know we just have to be patient and visit the dr often and get more adjustments to find the "green zone" but it is SO frustrating. My brother and mother had bypass a month ago and have lost an immense amount of weight.

good luck in your journey!

I was banded on November 21st, and although my situation isn't the same as yours, I have heard that people may not lose at first. It takes a while to get into the zone, so to speak. It really is work...I have yet to feel restriction and the only reason I'm losing weight, is because I'm making better choices. You need to really WANT to be healthy...and WANT to stop eating badly. The band will help but you still have to work at it. Good luck!

Fat2flat: Take a breath ... you are relatively new to band life and still need to adjust. You say you don't want to lose quick, then the band is the right "tool" for you. You also say that you want to lose faster than you are currently losing ... but you don't say how much you've lost. It is likely that you have not yet reached your sweet spot, so more fills are needed along with diet and exercise. Are you consistently exercising? Have you made "lifestyle" changes where your food is concerned? The band is (for most, for a few the weight falls off like GB) a tool that works only as hard a you work. Please note that "hard" is a relative term, it doesn't have to be hard -- if you are willing and ready to change your life. The good news is that if you are not quite ready to jump into the deep end, but need to walk from the shallow to the deep -- you HAVE the band and it will be there when you get to the deep end.

I have always been a slow loser, but I am still very happy with my progress. I had been banded a little over a year before I started exercising consistently. I have a number of health problems that prevent me from doing strenuous exercise, but i do absolutely everything I can -- because I want to reach my goal and I am WILLING to do what it takes. I have been in physical therapy for months building muscle to strengthen my spine which is riddled with a degenerative disease. My ortho says that the only way around this issue is building muscle to take on the work that my spine can no longer do. This is a win, win because you lose more weight when you have more muscle.

I would first recommend that you let go of the frustration ... it will only distract you from achieving your goal (i.e., losing weight). As you are working your way to your sweet spot do little things to change your diet, things you can live with; so that when you get to your sweet spot you will have many lifestyle changes already in place. Pay attention to how foods effect you. Some people are very sensitive to carbs and have to stay away from them; others require a more balanced diet to lose weight. Find what works for you ... let this be your focus and before you know it you will be at your sweet spot with a great new lifestyle AND you will lose weight. YOU CAN DO THIS. Be kind to yourself and ... patient. This journey is individual and very personal. What works for one person may not work for another.

mamastwo; hate to say this, but fills are really necessary. It took 7 or 8 fills before I was got to my sweet spot. If you don't have time to get your fills, you can't really expect the band to do it's part. Again, the good news is that you have the band and when you have time to get enough fills to get to your sweet spot, your band will do it's part to assist you with weight loss. Don't give up. Try to make yourself a priority in your life so you can work this band. Find the time for fills, exercise and consciously making time to prepare your meals. Don't let frustration overtake you .... that will only put you on a cycle to nowhere ... we've already done that and all we got for our troubles was weight gain. Move as slowly as you need to, but KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Be kind to YOU!

All the best to you both on your journey. This is a great website, with great support. Make it happen in 2012!!!

~Fran

I was banded in April, 2011 and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have lost a total of 65 llbs, 11 lbs pre-band and 54 after band. There was a month that I did not lose anything and felt discouraged, but when losing weight we all have our ups and downs. Give yourself time to adjust to the band, because you will become in tune with it, trust me. It takes awhile, but you will. In the beginning you are healing and not losing so much, be patient with your body. The band is the best gift I have ever given myself. I wanted to lose slow and steady, and I am. I have difficulty exercising because of balance issues (I had 2 brainstem strokes, which affected my sight and balance). I do walk on my treadmill as much as I can. Do not give up, you will begin to lose on a steady basis, but you will never lose as fast as those who have had a by-pass. Don't compare. Also, as you know the band does not perform magic, you have to do your part too. Good luck on your journey!!!

Do I get discouraged? Of course I do. Losing weight and maintaining the weight loss is hard work, and it's going to last a lifetime.

Do I regret my band? Never.

hi! i feel the same way. I was banded 7/23/11 and have only lost a total of 30 pounds, that's from my very first appointment BEFORE my surgery. I can't say i really have lost a lot due to the surgery. I have had three or four fills I think. I need to go back but I havent had the time. I know we just have to be patient and visit the dr often and get more adjustments to find the "green zone" but it is SO frustrating. My brother and mother had bypass a month ago and have lost an immense amount of weight.

good luck in your journey!

You're doing yourself no favor by comparing your weight loss to your brother's and mother's. Bypass patients usually lose much faster than band patients. Average weight loss with the is 1-2 lbs/week. I've lost weight at the rate when dieting before my band, but I was never able to lose more than 40 lbs. and I always gained it back...plus more.

Unfortunately, band surgery happens in your abdomen, not your head. Your band can't do its job alone. You have to be in charge of making good food choices, monitoring portions, exercising, dealing with emotional/stress/boredom eating, and so on. It's very hard work, but if you somehow managed to lose 100% of your excess weight without breaking bad habits and making lifestyle changes, your chances of weight regain would be very high.

Can you think of just one good thing that's happened because of your band surgery? For example: your appetite has decreased, you're hungry less often, you're satisfied with smaller food portions, your mobility is better, you have more energy, or whatever? Even if nothing springs to mind immediately, spend the next few days considering the question, and when you find that one good thing, Celebrate it. If you keep up the hard work, more good things will follow. In the meantime, keep on keeping on!

Jean

Discouraged yes regret no.

Banded 5/10/11 down 50lbs but stuck with no weight loss since Oct and it SUCKS!

Crystal

Until you get the right level of restriction, which can seriously take 6 months, you are in Bandster Hell...its horrible but once you get enough fills you WILL lose weight consistently. The only way you can fail this band is to quit...

Hey i feel the same.. I have been banded since 12 November and lost 14 pounds before surgery and only 8 pounds since my old habits of eating are creeping back and im only allowed a fill every 4 weeks so I have yet to feel any restrictions. I still havent felt hunger or fullness. I gettin disheartened that im going to be that few percent it doesnt work for and Im destined to be overweight but when i read peoples stories on this it makes me a little more positive. Knowing that others struggle as well makes me feel less disheartened. We will be a success story!

Regret no discouraged at times yes. I lost 80 pounds from diet and exercise preband. I am a year and 5 months out and have lost 55 pounds. Which is a lot less then some people. My food choices are very healthy and I go to the gym 7 days a week. I did not get restriction for 6 months and about 6 weeks ago I went back for another fill because my restriction was not as good as before. However I will say the band does help me maintain lower food intake where as in the past I would have gotten tired of dieting and given up. When I started my lifestyle change I weighted 362 pounds and took size 30/32. Today I weight 227 and take size 18 bottoms and XL tops so no I don't regret it.

Absolutely.

I found the best remedy for that was getting unfilled and having to come to terms with the reality that I need this and will be a bariatric person for the rest of my life. Too bad I had to gain 80 pounds before I had my "ah-ha" moment..

Absolutely.

I found the best remedy for that was getting unfilled and having to come to terms with the reality that I need this and will be a bariatric person for the rest of my life. Too bad I had to gain 80 pounds before I had my "ah-ha" moment..

will be a bariatric person for the rest of my life.

You are so right. Understanding that fact of bariatric life is crucial for long term success.

How often do people weigh themselves? I was banded on 12/2/11 and only lost 8 lbs pre and post surgery so I am crazy about writing myself every day and then getting discouraged what do other people do, I feel like I am not lloosing as much weight as others and I had one fill and I am not eating alot.

I was banded 4/23/10. I started at 273 and got down to 223. I've been in the 233-238 range now for about a year and can't seem to lose what I've gained. I exercise at least 5 days a week. I have no regrets and I want to thank the posters for reminding me of the positives. I'm currently very frustrated but know that I'm not doing everything I could be doing foodwise. However, I'm still trying. Any helpful hints out there to help get me back on the "band"wagon? My problem is "grazing". I'm working on cutting out my drug of choice-sugar- and eating better.