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[CANatalie 4]

Hi everyone. I have joined this forum because I have decided to have lap band surgery. I was hoping to hear from you about the challenges that you encountered and how you managed through the things that you weren't expecting. I have an appt with my doctor to begin the process and I'm just trying to get my head around the change I am about to encounter. Thank you for your insight.

[HealthyNewMe 1,935]

I think it's great that you are reading, researching, asking, and becoming informed before having the surgery. I will be 6 months banded on the 22nd of this month. I think the one thing that I wasn't prepared for was the way I must now eat..... Slow, tiny bites, and lots of chewing. I mean, how do you break the habit of WOLFING DOWN massive amounts of food? I've been a FAST eater my whole life. So, that's where I struggle the most. But I have learned that an old dog CAN LEARN new tricks, I'm getting better with the slowing down and smaller bites. I'm getting GREAT with getting daily cardio exercise in, I now go to the gym SIX days a week and I do an hour a day on the elliptical, burning over 600+ calories a day. My husband and I joined a gym 8 months ago, even before my surgery. I'm definitely more fit and have even learned to LOVE EXERCISE...

Hope all goes well with you and your weight loss journey!

[2muchfun 8,927]

People have written 500+ page books on this subject. Explore the lap-band pages as much as you can. You'll encounter several horror stories and more success stories.

My one piece of advice is this: My doctor and nutritionist never told me what to expect after surgery. I really thought I'd immediately start losing weight by the pounds. I thought I'd come out of surgery and I'd immediately be less hungry and eat less.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. None of this happens till your band is properly adjusted and for me that was 4-7 months after surgery. The 4 months after surgery were "Bandster Hell" for me and you'll read here that this is normal.

You may not lose any weight post surgery till your band is adjusted(filled). Your band may not have any saline in it so you might be starving for months after surgery. This is the part where you're still on a diet if you want to maintain or lose lbs.

Just remember I told you

You may also drop 50 lbs in a few months, let's hope so eh?

Edited February 9, 2014 by 2muchfun

[terrydumont46 1,954]

i have had to learn patience. patience with eating. and patience in getting to the green zone or sweet spot. that is the place bandsters are striving for. where we are satisfied with less food and stay satisfied for a longer period of time. good luck on your surgery.

[Bandista 7,466]

Hi there and welcome! I have learned so much from the people on this forum -- much more than any material from the hospital, etc. I'd say it is important to have excellent after-care -- an aggressive schedule post-op to check in for possible fills, etc. As far as what I didn't expect, I don't think I realized how much this would change how I feel about myself. It's not just the weight loss -- though I am happy with that -- but it turns out the dimming if my appetite has freed me from a kind of despair I was carrying around with me. I used to try so hard to diet, eat well, exercise, etc. but I wasn't getting anywhere. That was wearing me down and now I feel a sort of lightness inside. I like myself so much better now. Good luck to you! Choosing yourself and your healthy future is powerful and exciting -- I am so happy for you!

[cheryl2586 3,053]

Patience is the biggest thing you need to learn. You did not gain weight over night and it will not come off over night. I am 4 years out and it took me three to get to goal.

[CANatalie 4]

Thank you for all of your wisdom. I will look forward to learning more from this forum as my journey continues.

[Lady VS 1,147]

My greatest challenge was and sometimes still is is taking small bites and remembering to chew, chew, chew. Not so much now that I'm three yrs out but definitely in the beginning of the journey. It can be quite challenging. Good luck.