4 months after surgery and feeling derailed

[NicoC 6]

I had my lap band surgery on June 3rd 2014 my weight was 312 lbs by September 21st my weight went down to 243 lbs i had lost a total of 69 lbs never exercised only eating right, then i started going off my regular diet and by today October 27th I'm back at 257 lbs so i gained 14 lbs and i am getting worried.

What should i do? Should i go get another adjustment?

I know i have to start eating right again and exercising but is not ease i am feeling hungry again.

I had a 15cc band with 4cc on it on the surgery, my surgeon added 1cc on 08/07/14, 1cc on 09/05/14, 1cc on 09/24/14 now I'm at 7cc

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

you know what you need to do

eating (making better choices and exercising)

certainly a fill can help but you can still eat crappy with a fill..

so dont...you have the tool to help you get well...use it...

and i am not talking/referring to the lap band...

[gowalking 10,790]

It must be so much easier to play with that little guy in the picture with you since the weight loss. Use him as your motivation. It's not just the band...but as CG says, it's how you use it.

I see you live in Florida so go out after dinner tonight with your boy and ride bikes, or walk, or join the Y and go lap swimming with him. He'll love that he's with dad and you'll feel better for getting off the couch and moving around.

Good luck!

[Bandista 7,466]

Way to go catching yourself. There is so much followup in our first year banded. If it were me, I'd discuss it with my surgeon -- that's what they are there for. You dropped a lot of weight and if there is a change in your satiety levels then that's why the band is adjustable. No sliders. Real food, chewed really well. Keep us posted! And that's a wonderful picture -- what a cutie-pie. Lucky to have a Dad who will be healthy for him.

[NicoC 6]

Thank you all for your answers, today i have called my surgeon to make an appointment to do an adjustment and i'm working on making better food choices, it has been very hard but reading the posts on this site it has been of much help, making me more confident that there is more people like me struggling to get a healthier life. i will keep you all posted on how it goes in the next few days!

[Jim1967 3,569]

Hi Nico,

I agree with what the girls are saying and of course the wrong choices regardless of restriction is going to do you in but let me add this. As you lose weight your stomach will shrink. As your stomach shrinks the band can become loose or less restrictive. I found early in my journey as I lost weight I had to keep getting constant adjustments because as I was taking off weight the band was loosening hence my fatty walled stomach was shrinking. This went on for a while.

So while the band will not help you make good food choices it will help you feel full on less food thus giving you a better chance of success of avoiding the crap foods. Just as long as the good food choices always come first that is.

Hope that makes sense cause is it did in my head and that could be scary :-)

Good Luck, Jim

[Jim1967 3,569]

BTW Nico, You've done amazing. You lost a lot in a short amount of time. So you know how to do this. So what you had a set back. It happens. Use it as a motivator, use it as a lesson. You can do this.

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

@@Jim1967, you're saying something I think about a lot. I got to a green zone recently but as I lose weight that might not stay green. I won't rule out future adjustments. My next fill or checkup is in December. We'll see.

[NewLife'sGr8 241]

If you're feeling ravenous again, go get a fill (as long as it's not 'head-hunger', i.e.: all in your head)

I lost weight. Looks great now, but it literally took me 4yrs to lose the 100lb you see on my ticker here. That's ~25lbs a YEAR! Doesn't really sound like that much when you do the math; less-than a 1/2 pound a week.

It's MY doing. I asked for a loose fill so I could have enough nutrients to heal from ortho surgery. One surgery led to another, to another to another... 8 in total during those 4 years. I was in so much pain, either on crutches waining for the next surgery or laying around post-surgeries. No exercise other than rounds of PT. Pain made me not so hungry, so I think I would've lost the weight without the band- a lot of it anyway.

After the last ortho surgery, I was literally good as new. No contraptions just to walk- walking freely, with a bounce in my step again even. Hunger hit me hard. I gained 15 fast. Went in for a fill, then the acid tummy kicked in with a truckload of stress dumped on me. had to un-fill a little. Lost the 15 but am not at that sweet spot yet. Not sure I was ever at that sweet spot even though I lost fairly steadily.

I'm now trying to work out the band fill -vs- tummy acid + weight loss. I'm back at square one with re-learning all the do's and don't's again. This site is a God-send for me. Learning so much here.

Be patient. Don't jump into the band weightloss like another yo-yo fad diet. Take it slow. Communicate with your doc good and bad habits and keep coming here for support. You'll get there. Be patient. The band isn't like the sleeve or bypass. Not a quick drop like that. Make good choices. Read up on nutrition and satiety. Forgive yourself when you stumble. Most of all, LOVE yourself, which includes making healthy choices & daily activity (something I need to work harder at), and trying on new clothes to ramp yourself up occasionally. Maybe even an occasional pedicure = self love.

Best wishes for your success.