Hello to Everyone, I am really a beginner, my lap-band surgery is scheduled for March 25, yes I'm excited but at the same time scared, not due to what is going to be done etc, my concern is the weight loss not happening, it is very VERY hard for me to lose weight now, I just don't eat, I had my psch evaluation last Friday and she even ask me, if you don't eat now, how do you expect to lose weight with the lap band surgery, I usually eat just one meal a day and that is it, I suppose my question is to all of you, have any of you out there that has had the surgery been in my shoes and after the surgery did you lose weight etc??? I will be a cash pay, and that is a lot of cash out if it doesn't work. Thanks.

Hi:

I suggest that you go and join Weight Watchers so that you can learn to eat right. If you practice portion control and smarter eating practices maybe you can lose weight without being banded. I would try that first because you may not need to be banded if you could eat better. Sometimes our body tries to hold onto calories if it thinks it's in starvation mode. It goes into starvation mode if you eat only once per day.

The lap band won't work if you're going to eat only once per day.

I hope it works out for you.

Sue

There are a lot of us who thought those exact things before surgery--wondering if it would really work for us.

I worked out (and still do) four days a week, avoided fat at all cost, ate no beef, and could not lose a pound to save my life--but gain? Sure, I could gain all I wanted!

I was very shocked when the weight started coming off and I still am--even when I hit a plateau, I am just amazed that the scales are actually NOT GOING UP, which is what I would expect with this body!!

The biggest thing is to follow your surgeon and Bariatric Center's rules and all should go well for you!

Thank you both so much for answering, and, yes you are both correct, yes I have tried Weight Watchers, and of course failed at it, when I followed the Quick Weight Loss program, yes I lost, and yes I followed their program, lost 15 pounds, (took me almost 6 months to get that off) but my reason was that nice black dress that I wanted to get into for a Christmas party, and right after that, yummy the big fat juicy hamburgers won me over and I lost again, I truly understand about your body going into starvation mode when it is deprived of food, so, this is why I'm praying so much that the lap band will succeed for me, smaller portions of food and a strict program to follow, I'm sure that once I see the weight pouring off that the encouragement to myself will be overwhelming, my post op is March 10th, and I'm sure that being two weeks before the "big" day, I will be following their rules from that point on. Thank you again

Honestly the struggle doesn't end with the surgery, but it becomes manageable in a way that it never was before.

My doctor used to tell me that his biggest patients were one meal a dayers so you may want to change that asap. My doctor currently requires 3 meals a day. I was so happy to hear it wasn't 6 meals a day because I just can't manage that, but I see others on here that do eat 6 times a day.

Best of luck to you!

Most likely the meal you do eat is a big one.I used to only eat one or two meals a day, but when I ate, I ate. Since I was banded in July, I have lost 83 pounds. The weight loss came naturally because I could eat so little at a time. I am sure you will be the same. Remember though you must exercise not just for the weight to come off, but also for your skin to tighten up. Good luck.

Your past experience sounds so much like what I am experiencing right now, thank you so much for giving me the hope, if I lost 83 lbs I would be one happy camper. It shows that you got banded in June of 07, and you said that the weight came off naturally, do you think it is because of you eating the mini multiple meals, and another question, do you think that it might of came off faster if you had not put your body into starvation mode before you became banded.