I am getting a Realize band on Feb. 3. I am doing well with the pre surgery diet. I have lost 5 pounds in 3 days by drinking slim fast for breakfast and lunch and a lean cuisine for dinner. What advice do you have for me and what do you wish you knew before you had surgery?? Thank you!

I wish that I could go backwards and re-think my choices. If I could re-do my choices i would have had the RNY. I am 10 months post op- its tough to be at a support meeting with a mixed group of both surgeries. the RNY group have the pounds melt off. being still new to all of these changes i need to be patient . the band requires allot more effort

There really isn't anything that I wish I knew before the surgery. Except that the surgery and weightloss is not as easy as it looks like on the TV commercials! My best advise is to weigh/measure and journal everything you eat! If it wasn't for that, I could go go way my calorie allotment for the day.

Linda,

In the beginning when the weight was coming off slower than others in my support group, I was disappointed too. But then I would tell myself, "If I wouldn't have had the surgery, I could be heavier than the 238 I started at!" Believe me, I had to tell myself that many times! Here I am, 11 months out and down 80 pounds.

I wish I would have known about Bandster Hell and the fact that the first fill may not give me the restriction I want to lose weight. I'm 6 weeks post op and I feel virtually no restriction. I'm still losing or maintaining my early loss of weight but only because I'm paying attention to what I eat. Still waiting on the band to be a tool.

C

The only restriction you have in the beginning is the swelling from the surgery itself. There's a period where regain your hunger and you're surprised to be hungry. Once you get your first fill (4-6 weeks post-op) you'll start to have more control over things and it will only get better from there.

I think if I could go back and tell myself one thing it would be that it takes time to find what works for me. After surgery I expected for weight to fall off just because I was eating less but the reality is, is that you have to find what works for you and your band. I wish I understood what a process weight loss really is. Also, after sugary I got really wrapped up in what every other person lost after their surgery and I was comparing my weight loss to other people's.

Good luck with your surgery... it's the beginning of a whole new life!

I'm one year out and have reached my goal of losing 60 lbs. The one thing I wish I had known was that my left shoulder would hurt everyday. While in the hospital they told me it was the gas from the surgery. I have since found out that left shoulder pain is a side effect. It went away for a few weeks about 2 months ago, but its back now. Reaching my goal weight was a victory clouded by the constant shoulder pain.

That it would be so successful...well, no, if I knew that, I may not have done all the work it took to get there.

So probably, how much head work it would take. A big part of success for me, meant making the mental changes needed along the way. Things like dealing with head hunger and dealing with the changes in the mirror take a lot of mental work to handle in a way that will make you successful.

Thank you for all of the input! I have 2 friends that have both been enormously successful with the lap band and that has inspired me to do this for myself. I do realize that there is work ahead of me. Does anyone else have shoulder pain?? I cannot find any research about that side effect. Thanks!

I wish I had done it sooner. There is a lot of mental regulation involved in this process. It also takes a while to find the "green zone". In addition, weight is not going to melt off. It is going to come off at a very healthy pace of 1-2 pounds a week. This was the best decision I ever made. Also realize it is not a cure all. It is a tool to help you. Certain foods will go down easy and slow your weight loss (Cookies, crackers, chips, etc...stay away).

As I look back over the last year and a half of this journey, I can tell you I am happy with my results. I deprive myself of NOTHING. I eat everything I did before just a lot less of it.

The one thing I do have a mental issue with is that I don't see myself as being thin. I am now a size 4 but I consider myself overweight. This isn't a good thing either. It is definitely a problem. This is something that can happen with significant weight loss so please keep this in mind. I have talked to a counselor about this and see her regularly to keep myself in check. I want to be healthy physically and mentally.

Thank you for all of the input! I have 2 friends that have both been enormously successful with the lap band and that has inspired me to do this for myself. I do realize that there is work ahead of me. Does anyone else have shoulder pain?? I cannot find any research about that side effect. Thanks!

I don't have shoulder pain. But i'm only 2 months out and down 30 pounds. Im still not at restriction so am pretty hungry. I only have 2ccs in a 10cc band because I was scared of being too tight to get a big fill. Now im ready for a good fill and go back Monday. Ive been stalled for 3wks almost on weight loss. My patient care was wonderful so I went into this knowing it would be hard work, slow weight loss, and could take months before I get restriction. The only thing I wish I could know at this point, is weather ill be, able to, tolerate a beer once, in a while once im at good restriction. :-P

Thank you for all of the replies. I have talked to many other people and done a lot more research. I am changing my surgery to gastric plication, similar to a gastric sleeve. Good luck to all of you lap banders! I hope to be a total success with the gastric plication!!

I wish I knew that the pain after surgery would only last a couple of days and then healing would begin. I wish I had taken Benefibre daily while on the pre-surgery and post surgery diet to avoid the constipation complications. I knew this would take effort on my part (modifying my diet and counting calories) but I also wish I knew that this was much easier to do with the band and I don't mind the time that it is taking to lose weight. No other wishes so far, but hopefully I am about 8 months away from reaching my goal.