How is weight loss for people over 50? Can we still expect to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week with the band?

Hello everyone,

I have finished my research on the lapband and am planning on getting banded hopefully in November. I am so excited. I read your post all the time and I can't wait until I have my band and can join in on your conversations on weight loss amounts. I really enjoy your post. I am 55 years old and don't want to stay obese any longer. My health is not as good as it used to be and I imagine if I don't do something, its only going to get worse. I want to be able to play with the grandkids and work in my yard like I used to. Looking forward to being on the "band" wagon. Brenda :eyebrows:

Hello everyone,

I have finished my research on the lapband and am planning on getting banded hopefully in November. I am so excited. I read your post all the time and I can't wait until I have my band and can join in on your conversations on weight loss amounts. I really enjoy your post. I am 55 years old and don't want to stay obese any longer. My health is not as good as it used to be and I imagine if I don't do something, its only going to get worse. I want to be able to play with the grandkids and work in my yard like I used to. Looking forward to being on the "band" wagon. Brenda :eyebrows:

Congrats Brenda :clap2::clap2::clap2:

Well I can tell you the band works... I am down 36.5 - I feel so much better - in fact a girl friend remarked that i was walking faster.. I am getting tons of compliment - 90% of my clothes are too big - I have a few items i can were - but not much - infact tomorrow hope to go buy some new bras - was wearing 42 C and think now I'm a 38.. Great NSV. Even at lunch today when I was starving looking at the menu with old eye and old tummy - i ordered a taco, enchallda and beans - had a few chips while waiting for food - it came and I was only able to eat the taco :phanvan- I will have the echallda (sp) and beans for dinner - still not healthy choice - should have had chievac (sp) tosadas - but for the last 3 months I have been eating great 98% of the time so - dont think it will kill me - I also walked 3.5 mph for 50 mins - 3 miles...

southerngal

Hi. I'm a Brenda too. It is true that your health really statrts to go downhill after 55 if you are seriously overweight. Very smart of you to get the surgery now. Who are you going with? Will you be self-paY?

Welcome Brenda!

It's been 9 months for me now, and I have lost 52 lbs. It's easy to gain even with the band because junk food is still easy to eat. Having the band definitely cuts down on hunger though. I like being full on such small portions.

I am not happy either that the more I lose, the more the wrinkles and turkey neck show. I still need to lose about 20 more lbs. slowly but surely.

Ok Here I am. I have lost 100 pounds, have had foot surgry that got infected, had to have fluid taken out of my band, have had one refill, but can't seem to get back on track. I am really disgusted with myself. I want to continue as I still have about 40 pounds to lose. Has anyone else fallen off the wagon so to speak? What did it take to get back on? This is drving me to despair! Help!

Green I appreciate your comments and suggestions very much. Thursday I finally agreed to an unfill. OMG!!! Thank goodness I finally did! It's been months of unrelenting hunger, PB's, coughing and misery. I guess I was so caught up in the idea of "the more restriction, the better" that I didn't realize how bad it all was. I had finally gained a few lbs and that was the thing that made me take action. The dietician and nurse had both lectured me about too much restriction. Finally Thursday the doctor showed me photos of an enlarged esophogus and he told me about the complications. He took me from 3.2 to 2.6 and I am doing unbelievably better. Now I can actually eat protein and veggies and I am not hungry all the time. In fact, I am not really hungry at all. Man if I have finally broken the code, I will be the happiest chubby chick alive! (Soon to be slender-ella.)

It sounds like you are doing better and the drugs are holding out. You were great about keeping us posted... I just am still having computer problems. My machine is huge and has an enormous amount of memory - a better computer than the ones at our office. But I was getting a message telling me that it was short on memory and that Microsoft was beefing up the memory or something...nutz! Finally this morning I can type a word without it stopping and pausing for a couple of minutes. Is the discoloration fading yet?

leedorr: The only thing I can suggest is for you to check on the amount of restriction you have. If it is too much, you can have those symptoms just as strongly as if you have too little. I didn't believe it but if you read my above message, you know it was definitely true for me. One thing we all need to remember is that the band is supposed to work FOR us, not AGAINST us. We shouldn't be starving all the time and obsessing about what we can eat and keep down, like I was. We should not be PB'ing if we are eating small bites and chewing well!!! I didn't notice but one night my husband watched me chew a small bite of salad (spring mix) and he counted 50 chews before I swallowed and I still had a problem. Now that's just wrong! We have to be able to eat nutritious food or the hunger will grow and grow over the months and then you'll find yourself eating soft things, like ice cream (the cold felt good) because you can eat it and not PB.

Don't let it go on like I did. Make your band help you. I was definitely at the point where I was fighting the band instead of loving it. Take good care of yourself and don't think that PB'ing is the normal order of business when you have the band!

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thanks for the suggestion I will see the Dr soon and ask him . PD

I am so pleased that your band is behaving better now. I guess the next thing on the list is the computer, eh.

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I've been having computer problems too. My son wants to wipe out my hard drive an reinstall windows. I hate to do it but it needs it.

When he gets around to doing it, I would imagine I"ll be MIA for awhile.

Sharon, I put myself back on the liquid diet for a few days when I needed to. It got rid of all the sugar in my system and all the cravings were gone. I did it for about 3 days, then the rest of the week I had protein drinks for breakfast and lunch and then a small dinner. It got me losing again, and broke the cycle.

Hi,

After I came home the Doc gave me an large envelope with more papers to fill out that I have not looked at yet.

It was about 10-12 more page to fill out and mail back to him. It took me another 2 Hrs. to fill out those papers. This batch went into great detial on my passed eating habits, Family, on & on & on. Glad to have that over with. :faint:

Going to my Family Doc Monday (10-08-07) to update my Annual checkup so He can send a letter to Dr. Carrell saying that I'm healthy enough for the surgery. Still waiting for the Ins. Co. to "OK" everything.

Don

Hi, yes I will be self pay. My insurance won't even consider it. I am going with Dr. Clay Wellborn in Little Rock. I have been to one of his seminars and was impressed. He was the first surgeon to do the lapband in Arkansas.

Hi Denise, I dred the wrinkles once I start to lose weight .. ugh.... but if I can be healthier, then so be it.. maybe I can have some plastic surgery someday..

Indigo Girl, you write such encouraging post. I am really looking forward to getting my band and getting started with the rest of my life. Hopefully it will be a much healthier one.

I Notice That You Have 9.3 In A 10 Vg Band, Are You Concerned That Your Band Will Get Filled To 10 And You Are Still Not Done With Losing? I Have 9.2 In A 10 Vg And Have Just Now Gotten Restriction And Have 150 Lbs To Lose, I Am Worried.