I have not been banded yet but I am anticipating getting it done soon hopefully. I'd love your open and honest opinions about whether you find that following the new lifestyle is easier or harder than expected. Do you still have cravings? How often are you hungry. Do you feel that you have more control with the band than you did without it? Anything and everything you would like to offer to future bandsters would be great!

Thanks- Jennifer

Hi Jennifer

Yes.. I still have cravings and I do still have my treats now and then but in smaller portions.

I find living with the band VERY easy.

Here's some advice that I've talked about here before specifically for new bandsters... please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

Try and take it one day at a time. Don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t go into this journey saying “I’ll never be able to eat this or that ever again.” I can eat ANYTHING except rice and apple skins and no carbonated beverages. Follow the guidelines given to you by your doctor.

Remember… take tiny bites (the size of your pinky fingernail) and remember to finish what you have in your mouth before you take your next bite.

When I was losing weight I checked in every month with my family doctor to get weighed and measured. (I don’t own scales) I also attended two coffee groups for people that were banded.

These things really kept me motivated and on track. I still check in every month with my family doctor to get weighed-in and I host two coffee groups. For me support from fellow bandsters plays a big part in this journey.

Back when I was banded my doctor suggested something called the “Egg Timer Distraction”. It’s kind of difficult to explain here but I’d be happy to email you the .pdf document. It REALLY helped me with “head hunger. I can’t tell you the number of people in my lapband coffee groups over the years that have said how helpful this “trick” has been in dealing with their head hunger.

Also, I’m not really a “diet” book type person but I recommend you pick up two books.

Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle – by Dr. Michelle May

I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. May speak at a conference when she came to Toronto and her book and guidelines really work well with the lapband journey.

The second book is:

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite – by David L. Kessler

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions and also if you would like a copy of the “Egg Timer Distraction Document”.

Tom, Toronto

Banded July 6 06

Wt. Loss: 156 lbs

tomander@bell.net

Yeah, its a little tough especially in the beginning when your'e figuring out what foods you can tolerate but the rewards FAR outweigh the nuisances (getting stuck sometimes)

I am down 30 lbs in around 3 months. I have NEVER lost weight like this before the band and i'm LOVING it!!

Today I ate bread too fast and felt sickly for 10 mins following. Sure it sucked but now I know better!

So far no regrets

It was the hardest thing I have ever done and I didnt stay on track very long. Now I am back on track it is much eaiser now that I am tracking, chewing, and eating very slow. Saw a nutrionist, See a therapist. Its important to have support. You can do it if this is really what you want. You can pracitce some of the tools we use like no drinking water before or after meals. Chewing really well, eating your meal over abougt a 30 minute period and making good healthy choices.

it was harder being nearly 350 pounds who couldnt walk far....knees hurt....and was getting concerned that if i got bigger where would i buy clothes...living as i do now with the band is far easier......it gave me my life back..

I still have cravings but nothing like what I used to. Truth is, if a craving nags me for awhile, I will give into it but in moderation. I can have just one Peanut Butter cup, I realize I don't need a pound bag of miniature ones to appease a craving. Because of this, I don't feel deprived either.

I honestly don't think it's hard at all. It's much harder to be 400 pounds and miserable, trust me.

I'm happier and healthier than I've ever been in my adult life.

I am 4 years out and I love my band I lost all the weight and have kept it off . I did what I was told and I ate what I was told and no one ever told me I would be hungry so I guess I really wasn't.

I believe with all my heart that is your attitude that determines your weight loss. Being a rebel myself I decided to give it all over and after that it was easy for me.Anything that was hard was so much easier than being FAT..

In the begining I think my first response was OMG what have I done , In the begining you grieve food I call it the party in your mouth because once you swallow the party is over as it settles on your butt.

Now I eat pretty much whatever I want and the difference is the size of the portion a little dab really will do you...Eating is something I have to do to live I do not live to eat, I don't plan lunch at breakfast I never eat to be nice, I stop when its gone not when I am stuffed. I do not clean my plate...

My band has helped me it is a tool I love it because it helped me achieve something that was unreachable for me..

I am fairly new to this and I can honestly say I dont find it hard. I am on solid foods now and find I can eat just about anything. The only thing I have trouble with is my blood pressure pill in the morning. I break it up and take it with a hot cup of tea but it still tends to get stuck for a bit . I wait for it to dissolve and then take another piece with tea. Takes me forever to get it down...lol

I dont eat as soon as I get up because my band is tight in the morning and tends to loosen after about an hour and the hot tea helps.

I do have cravings but nothing like they were pre band. I can walk by a display of chocolate bars or cakes etc and not feel like I absolutely need to have it. When I feel I really need chocolate I put some cocoa powder in my vanilla Protein shake, or my cottage cheese with some sweetener or I have a sf hot chocolate.

I am having trouble getting my calories in. I seem to get 750 calories a day but cant get any higher. I find I really cant eat much at one time. Usually 1/2 cup of food. I have to really concentrate on getting my protein.

Would I do this again? Absolutely , in a heartbeat! It is the best thing I have ever done for myself.

I am two years banded this December. One word of advice...it's okay to take it slow and in stride. For me it was the best way to get used to the band as the restriction became more evident. I don't tolerate bread but occasionally u can eat 1/4 of a French dip...crazy! I can't eat corn or rice but I can have popcorn if I'm careful. I eat filet mignon but fish and dark meat chicken go down better than dry white meat. I will not drink carbonated beverages but I have had a frozen coke on a tablespoon just to try it. Wasn't that great. I have had some stuck episodes but they are not that scarry, you just have to learn what works. I do not regret my band, I went from a size 24 to now almost a size 10...I am thrilled. I feel healthy and better about myself. I will admit, I love to shop in normal size clothing stores ( but thrift stores work beat while you are dropping). Carefully listen to your body as you begin to get fills. You will know if you might need one or are too restricted. Follow those golden rules because they become so much more important as you get fills. I love my decision it was right for me. I am a quantity eater and that was soon curtailed!!!!! I still have things I enjoy including sweets but so much less amount. You will go through plateaus and you will learn so much as you live with your band. I am getting close to goal and happy.

I have lost 60 pounds in 8 months and have no regrets. I will say though that it is not as easy as I thought it was going to be. I heard my doctor tell me time and time again that the band is a tool and not a quick fix. You stil have to work at it. Granted you can't eat as much as one time, but you can graze all day and not lose weight or even gain. Sliders foods always go down and therefore you can have the band and not lose. It is all in how you use your band. I am really struggling with finding my green zone but I will get there! The best part of the band is being able to eat what you want for the most part just not as much. If I could cut out the slider foods and snacking I would be in much better shape. SO worth it though!

I agree with most everything here! The hardest part was eating slow and chewing it all up. It is now easy to look at a full plate from the restaurant and only eat my cup worth! Most meals from a restaurant last me several days. When eating at home, I use a kid size plate. It really makes a difference in your head! The smaller plate is full!

I too had a hard time walking at 330, now I am off the BP meds, do all of my exercise non weight bearing still because I finally figured out that most of the pain in my hip is from 3 pinched nerves in my back. I have been dealing with it for over two years now! Hopefully we can get it all fixed now that we think we know what it is. I always just thought it was from my weight.

I also strongly agree with eating what you love, but in tiny portions. My NUT highly recommends it to help you feel satisfied and cut the cravings. I now eat sweets again, but a bite only and it is perfect! I track everything and weigh myself all of the time. If you do this, you just have to realize that your weight will fluctuate, you will have stalls, you will have gains, and everyone loses St a different rate. Just follow your plan!

I have never been stuck. I think a lot of the process is head games that have been imbedded in your brain as you grew up. Ou will have to work through them (the head hunger and cleaning your plate, dessert all the time, bread all the time, etc.). Whatever your issues are! Once you eat healthier foods that you enjoy, that goes away.

I am 51 yo, down 130 pounds, have had one fill and am never hungry. I eat two meals a day and a snack and exercise everyday.

I would do it again in a heartbeat. I just wish I did it 10 years ago!

I'm almost 4 wks out and so far it has been easy. I have no cravings. Matter of fact, I used to only drink Water with Propel in it and now it is way to sweet and I prefer plain water.

The best thing you are doing is asking questions and researching everything you need to know before being banded. Continue to do that because I believe knowledge is power. I spent 7mths learning before being banded and so far nothing has surprised me. I practiced the banded way of eating, small plate,small bites,chew 20-30 times, put your fork down between bites and wait one minute before next bite, healthier choices ,more Protein,less carbs. Drink lots of water and try out some Protein shakes and see what you like. I lost 35lbs before banding and I really believe it made it easier after banding.

Keep asking questions and reading post.

Best wishes on your journey!

i believe it is hard work to lose weight, regardless of the method. I think the lap band has been a great help to me and enabled me to finally achieve my goals.

honestly...dietiing with out the band is wayyy harder, because you COULD eat anything and everything, now, I just know that I cant, and its ok...alot of my cravings have gone, alot of the struggles have gone, and I just feel new so happy...soo friggen happy!!!!!! :wub:

It's a great question. Truth be told only one aspect of it was really harder than I imagined... The 2 week liquid diet. But I stuck to it, didn't cheat and ultimately had a successful surgery.

After that I cannot say its been hard. I was very strict with myself because I knew if I didn't see results in a reasonable period of time I would get frustrated. So I measured portions, counted calories, got fills when I needed them and went to my dr every month. It was frustrating at times of course. Eating out with friends watching them chow down on pizza and wings while I was having something less exciting is hard. But that isn't the band's fault.

I do think you have to be completed committed to making it work. The band will do 70% of the work when you are in the green zone. sometimes it takes a while to get there. You must do the rest by making proper food choices. If you want to be successful ..being banded and in the losing stage means you will have to drink Water when your friends are drinking alcohol, skip the cake at birthday parties, forgo the ice cream on a hot summer day. And plan what you will eat when you are out and about. But once you have lost your weight you can have a few bites of most anything you want... The band will prevent you from wanting must more than that.

I have craving every once in a while but i put my mind over matter and either ignore it, drink some water or eat one bite. I can tolerate most anything except carbonation, rice and skinned fruit. But during the 23 months of losing I didn't eat anything i didnt account for in my calorie tracker. I even would write down the cocktail sauce i dipped my low cal shrimp in. I was obsessed...admittedly

In fact I can tell you the number of times I cheated...that's how focused I was. That doesn't work for everyone but it did for me.

That said I am maintaining now. I have 2 lbs more to lose to get to my goal. And 12 more to get to my stretch goal. But I am not worried about it. If I don't lose another lb I am completely happy with my success.

Was it hard? Sometimes. But 377lbs at 50 yrs old I was a heart attack waiting to happen. I think dealing with that would have been harder.

2 years post op and at goal weight. Is it hard, not hard but reality and sometimes reality sucks. It is change and you must embrace the change and remember always why you wanted this surgery. The band does not fix your mental hunger (aka, head hunger0 but it does stop you from over eatiing if you listen to your band. It does not prevent you from making poor choices and it will allow you all the junk food you can eat. I don't eat sandwiches and I will tell you I still miss sinking my teeth into a big juicy burger but the results for me are worth all the burgers in the world. The best part of the band, I have achieved my goal and have been able to maintain now for 3 months. it is hard work and it is not a quik fix. good luck