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Am I being overly optimistic?



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Hi everyone,

Got banded about nine weeks ago. I developed PCOS about four years ago and steadily gained seven pounds a year despite all frantic efforts - and finally lost my temper with my doctors and booked myself in for the band.

Since then, everything's gone well. I've lost 15 pounds, my periods have gone back to normal, and it's coming off at a rate of a pound a week. I've had no fills and never vomited (I have a strong emetophobia so chew everything to sludge). I don't feel hungry or deprived, I just eat less than I used to because I physically can't eat anymore. This seems to be enough.

I've been watching the weight just melt away with some pleasure. Reading about people's experiences though, this seems to be almost unusual. So I guess I just wanted to ask some of the more experienced banders - am I being overly optimistic that I'm going to make it to 160 pounds? Is this steady loss rate going to just stop at some point? What is the likelihood that I will continue this process until I hit a healthy BMI?

I've been looking up success rates in medical journals but everyone talks about average rate loss which includes people who have compulsive eating habits which I don't (I'm sitting writing this with a half cooked meal in the microwave that I've ignored for an hour now) - do people make it down to a regular healthy weight?

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Hi everyone,

Got banded about nine weeks ago. I developed PCOS about four years ago and steadily gained seven pounds a year despite all frantic efforts - and finally lost my temper with my doctors and booked myself in for the band.

Since then, everything's gone well. I've lost 15 pounds, my periods have gone back to normal, and it's coming off at a rate of a pound a week. I've had no fills and never vomited (I have a strong emetophobia so chew everything to sludge). I don't feel hungry or deprived, I just eat less than I used to because I physically can't eat anymore. This seems to be enough.

I've been watching the weight just melt away with some pleasure. Reading about people's experiences though, this seems to be almost unusual. So I guess I just wanted to ask some of the more experienced banders - am I being overly optimistic that I'm going to make it to 160 pounds? Is this steady loss rate going to just stop at some point? What is the likelihood that I will continue this process until I hit a healthy BMI?

I've been looking up success rates in medical journals but everyone talks about average rate loss which includes people who have compulsive eating habits which I don't (I'm sitting writing this with a half cooked meal in the microwave that I've ignored for an hour now) - do people make it down to a regular healthy weight?

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi Sarah A,

Although I've converted to a sleeve due to band complications, I did loose 150lbs. So it is possible. Mind you I am 6'0 tall and weighed 375 when I started. Keep up the great work!

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I got my band 2 years and one month ago. I've had a steady weight loss--some months better than others, but I've lost 93 lbs. I've had a few bumps along the way--I mean there have been times that I've thrown up--and I've had a struggle with reflux the past month or so, but I'm happy with my loss. I have a friend who got the gastric sleeve about 8 years ago and lost some weight, but she's put almost all of it back on. The band is a tool....not a miracle weight loss machine. It sounds like you're doing great. Losing slowly is the best way!

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Hi Sarah. It's more than possible as I too lost all my excess weight on a steady basis. It still took more than a year as I had an awful lot to lose. I never lost more than 3 lbs. in a week, but it was a fairly steady loss of 1-2 lbs. per week. and I also did not get any fills for a long time. Even now..almost four years after being banded, I have less than 5 ccs in the band.

Just know however, that this is NOT typical. Most banded folk...and most WLS folk, regardless of what surgery they got, do not lose weight in a steady fashion. It tends to be in fits and starts...and sometimes you can gain, or get off track. Just as a heads up, I used the myfitnesspal app to track my food. it was a great help to me so consider it as well.

good luck and glad t hear of your success!

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Just a tool. You must do the work. Banded July 2011. Lost 310 pounds. My doctors said I had lost too much and needed to gain a little weight.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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@@Sarah A I don't think your being overly optimistic at all.... I lost 100lbs and have kept it off. Nov 10 was my 7 year anniversary with the band. You are doing great....

I was a slow loser.... i lost a lot like you. I think it was to my benefit. I worked out 5 days a week... i started with zumba and then worked my way to body pump, combat, weights... I also did some thread mill and the elliptical. But if you really want to drop some weight.... start doing spin class... it is brutal... but omg it works. This, i think, was a huge part of my skin going back into it place... I needed no work on anything except my stomach. But i had also had 2 c-sections, gallbladder, hysterectomy, Lapband surgeries... so my stomach was shot. So Feb 2012 i had a Tummy Tuck.< /p>

I'm blessed that i have had zero complication and thank the Lord everyday that i still have my band.


@@kbarnett61 Holy smokes.... you look amazing...

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I have PCOS as well. I had tried everything to lose weight and keep it off. Finally, I found something to help me lose weight at a normal rate and keep it off. I was banded in March and have lost 65 pounds. I am in a strange position right now. My daughter is getting married on New Year's Eve. I have my dress and I'd like to stay at my current weight, so I don't have to get alterations to my dress. But I keep losing. Never had that problem before!!!

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Good job!

I've been banded since 2012 and at my goal weight. Like all who have posted before me, the band is a tool and should be treated as such. You have to change your eating habits to make weight loss a permanent thing.

Keep it up :)

Heather

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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