I am going to be having my surgery in late July, early August. I know of 2 people who have had the surgery several months ago and they are kinda not losing. Reason is, I think, they are not following the instructions. One lost alot at first and now she is eating more. She should be going to the doctor and getting a fill but she says she "likes to eat" and prefers it the way it is.. but she stopped losing weight. It is almost like she lost quite a bit and is happy even though she has alot more to go to really be healthy.

My psychologist told me that you can fix the stomach but you still have to fix the head. It seems like there are many (not all!!) that think the lapband is going to be a quick fix and POOF you are going to lose weight. I am realistic about this and know that I have to get a handle on food and what I put in my mouth if I am going to succeed. I realize that if I seem like I am eating more, off to the Doc I go for a fill! One of my relatives is now concerned that I will not succeed because of these 2 that are ignoring the Doc's orders. BUT, they do not have access to support which I think is extremely important. I have you guys (YAY!) and I also have a support group thru the hospital which is awesome!

So to sum up my feelings, I feel that making the right choices are just as important as the surgery itself. Just because we have this band, doesn't mean we can eat whatever we want.. right choices is also the way to go!

Thanks for letting me ramble!

Donna Marie

I completely agree with you!! I went into this knowing that I had to fix me, and my willpower, not jsut my tummy. But we have people around us that have had all different forms of weight loss surgery, and only 3 of them have reached goal and are sticking there. the rest either lost and regained, or never lost much to begin with. Then they complain that they went through all that pain and suffering for nothing. family who sees that do not see that they are not following orders, and then try to discourage me from having the surgery.

I chose the band over GB or DS because I wanted to do it with a little help. Not just have something do it for me. I have seen that there are many DS and GB patients that are starting to gain back because they never relearn. I want the control to be in my hands. And I want to make it work for myself.

I so understand your doubt ladies, the decsion to be banded is a very personal one and I don't want to sway you either way. I was banded 3 months ago and have had 1 fill, I have lost 32 lbs. I feel as if that lost weigh was a gift from the band and now it's time for me to work at it, I scheduled another fill ( you have to take care of you band if you want it to take care of you ) and I went back to counting calories. At first I counted calories to make sure I ate enough, now it's to make sure I don't overeat.

Don't fool yourself this is NOT the easy way out, you will spend the rest of your life watching your weight if you choice to be banded. You will however have a little helper, it will teach you to eat small portions and act as your willpower when you have none. You have to take care of it: eat slowly, take small bites and chew every well, get it filled/unfilled on a regularly ( the band is in charge and will tell you when ). If you do your part the band is wonderful.

Good luck on your decisions.

tammy

IMHO the HEAD issues are just as important as the STOMACH issues! Our post-op lifestyle is key to the success of this band. Notice I said lifestyle and not diet. This is my life now...I will never ever be "on a diet" again. Stick to your proteins and lose the high carbs. It really works.

Everyone is different and everyone approaches this program in different ways. It sounds like you understand the issues and what must be done to succeed. You have your own plan, your own adjustments to make, and your own path to follow. Don't worry about what others are doing, or not doing. Learn from their mistakes and move on. Don't let others set you up to fail. I have told very few people of my plans, not because I'm ashamed. I only told those that I knew could handle it and would be a positive force in my life. The others, or are still friends, will find out when the changes in me become apparent. Good luck to you.

My head issues got me into the situation, not my stomach.

I have a friend considering GB because she wants to lose it the easy way. I don't think that there's anything I could say to make her realize that all WLS is a tool that you have to make changes in your life regardless of which one you choose. I love my lapband because I can maintain it my whole life, rather than having th 18 month window of weight loss.

You're dead on. The head issues are the biggest problem. Best of luck with your surgery!!

Kristin

I always have to laugh when people say "that was the easy way". We all know this is not easy. It is only a tool. You have to learn to use it to be successful. Anyone can sabatage their weight loss due to the fear of getting thin, lossing their identity, comfort level in life etc. It is very easy to say "well I have lost some now I can take it easy". It is so easy to slip back into that pattern of unhealthy eating. Last week it was 82 degrees here and the first thing I thought about was to go to the DQ for a malt!!! I am in this for the long haul.