Will anyone share their story and (hopefully) happy ending....

I was banded on 4/3...haven't lost a pound.

1st fill was 5/4-4cc- i feel no restriction. I have a 10cc VG band

I was told that the first 4cc of saline fill up mostly the tubing and band.

I know this can work...I've seen it work but I am really having trouble putting this tool to good use.

Is there anyone else out there who struggled with losing weight with the band?

:help:

Thanks,

Val

When my scales started sticking, I started counting calories. I stuck to around 1100 . It was hard for a few weeks.

Good luck,

edie

thanks edieparks.... I think I am waiting for this band to magically start making me lose weight ...

Val

Val,

I'm having the same issues. I have only lost 13 lbs. I mean it's a start but I seem to be able to eat "normally". (Not the large amounts I ate before, but normal portions.) I am wondering too! I have not had a fill yet so I am hoping after my fill I will have more restriction.

Hey Meltini,

I know what you mean...I thought I would only be able to eat as much as a gastric bypass person...but that's not the case so far. It seems as if I don't have the control to stop. I was hoping this band would do that for me.

Good Luck,

Val

Val,

Hang in there! Hopefully it will just take some breaking in time. I feel you! For example I just ate three small pieces of pizza with NO problem. Before I would have eaten 4-5. I wonder what's going on? Will I get a big surprize when I get a fill?

Shoregirl - What are you eating?? Ice Cream - I have read that you can eat around the band. Like candy & ice cream. Are you able to eat the same amount of food as you did before the band? I am not banded yet but am looking into it.. This sort of scares me - the diff between banding and bypass is that in bypass you don't absorb the calories as your intestitnal track is shorten. the lapband is just supose to help you feel full faster. Meltini says she can eat pizza - all that i have been reading is that bread (dough) gets stuck. I am just more confused - please an experienced bander please reply. Janet

I think it's because I have not had a fill yet, that I can eat pizza. I think after my fill I will get a BIG surprise and will not be able to do that. But I sure would like to hear from an experienced bandster too!

So far nothing I have encountered has been that bad before during and after surgery, but I'm not that far post op. So far so good Indigo! I wish you well in whatever you choose!! :-)

I'm not that far into the journey and I don't have a fill so I don't know how that changes things, but I know there's a difference in how I approach food now to how I did before.

But it started in January before I was actually banded, when I started tracking the food I was eating. I had seen the nutritionist and gave her the real deal about what I ate. Easily I was consuming between 3500-4000 calories a day. She also measured my metabolism which was super healthy, I burn about 2600 daily just breathing. It was clear to me how at those numbers I was gaining.

So I paused and wrote down what I was eating in fitday.com I started reducing the calories a bit every couple of weeks and to my delight I lost 23 pounds before surgery. It got my head in the right place. You need to know what's going in your body to work with the band. You need to take control instead of giving it over to the band. The band is just a piece of plastic that will only work if you work with it.

I'm not saying I'm know all there is to know about being banded. I'm just saying you've got all the power in the world to make this work, you just need to choose to use it.

Good Lucky.

OH Juli

Wow Juli!

Your weight loss is impressive and you could not be more right about what you said. We must get our heads in the right place first. I too keep a food diary-just a small pocket notebook, that I write everything down in. I do not deny my self, but keep small portions. This way I do not feel like I am missing out. I do NOT hower use that as an excuse to eat bad all day. I use the 80/ 20 rule along with smaller portions and keeping track of my calories. I eat no less than 80% healthy food and NO more than 20%. Like tonight I snuck in the pizza- but I was able to because I ate good all day and was well under my calorie intake for the day. The pizza was the only questionable thing I ate all day. The rest was a bannana, yogurt, salad, Water, coffe-no cream or sugar, apple sauce, crystal light drink mix.

So you are totally right Juli! Good luck with your continued weight loss. Fells good to be a looser doesn't it?!

Meltini

I like your 80/20 rule.

I too also don't deny myself. But I do try to keep the calories at a certain point. I've eaten a bit of pizza, had some wine, a cookie here or there...it feels normal.

Instead of feeling like I must eat the entire pizza or 6 Cookies...it's rather nice to enjoy a piece of something and beat myself up over eating too much of it.

Thanks for the props too. I'm liking this process.

Even for experienced bandsters it's difficult and you'll soon notice that if you do some research here at LBT.

Everybody reacts differently to the band and each one of us probably will tell you a different story.

I have my band for 2 years, I've had 6 fills (I've got a 10cc band and I'm currently with 8cc) and I can still eat too much in each portion. I've been loosing at a very slow pace (not even 20 pounds...) and i still got a long way to go. haven't reached my «sweet spot» yet, I can eat everything, nothing gets stuck: bread, pizza, Pasta, chicken breast - you name it!

This has been a long, hard fight for me. It's quite frustrating when you see so many people saying that the band is working wonderfully for them, that's not my case, I have to do a tremendous effort in doing the right food choices, I go to the gym 4 or 5 times/week, I drink lots of Water between meals, etc. It's just the way my body and my band work by themselves, it takes time, it takes effort, but at least I'm loosing (even if at turple pace) and not getting it back, and that's already a victory. I'll get there, I know I will, even if it takes longer than most other bandsters.

Hang in there.

niki

You will definately see a difference once you start getting fills. Might not be with your first or second fill, but it will come. I have had 3 fills and my 1st and 2nd didn't really do a whole lot for me. Now with my 3rd, I really feel it. I have a very hard time even doing liquids in the morning and I could eat pizza, bread, steak, anything before this fill. I have done rather well even with no restriction up until this point mainly due to my own willpower. Yes it is hard, but i refuse to fail at this too. You will get your mind in the right place and it will all start working for you. It would be very hard to get to that point with not having lost yet, but I promise you, you will get there. Just keep on believing in yourself and work WITH the band. Good luck!!!