:confused2:I am really looking hard at having this surgery but I am afraid it will just be another waste of time and money......if I don't have the discipline to eat right and exercise now what makes me think that I will be able to do it after the surgery? But I also see how many people it has worked for, and they didn't all get fat like me unless they were binging and eating in excess before too....so what is the secret? How can I make it work for me this time?

There is no secret. Unfortunately it will take changes on your part. At least that is what I have gotten from everything I have been to. It is only a tool that may help you achieve your goal of weight loss. I went to a behavior modification class all day last week and one of the things they did was bring in people at different stages in their weight loss. One man had lost 400 lbs but he worked out 7 hours a day!!! WTF who has that kinda time to work out?? Most of the women admitted to walking on treadmills for 30 minutes to an hour a day. One who had only lost about half her desired weight admitted she had not worked out in the two years but had recently bought a treadmill and had worked out every evening the previous week and had lost 5 lbs! I think you will lose weight with the pre surgery diet and post surgery diet which encourages people to eat better and really jump into it. I think it is the long term changes that are harder to make. Maintaining will be the bigger issue for most of us. I think support and knowledge will go a long way to helping you to achieve your goal. Don't be afraid to ask for help because you aren't alone in this.

i am not yet banded, but i thought about the same issues..

first, my understanding is this is a "tool" it will help you eat right...it won't force you, or make you..but if you eat "wrong" it will tell you...

i am practicing my chewing, my drinking (and lack of it at meal time) and searching out recipes that will work not only for me, but for my family...i am also going to go to support meetings, and I will continue to meet with the nutritionist. I guess it is a mind set. If you are will to work at it, the band (tool) will be there to help you. My surgeon has told me that not everyone is successful. you can cheat (ice cream, milk shakes, ect) and you won't be successful doing that...

OHHH i am also working with my physc. regarding my eating issues...i know that i overeat for a reason, and we are working toward changing that..

good luck to you!!!!

Hello,

If you are having doubts now then i would seriously think about not getting it.I had many many doubts before surgery but just went along with it because i thought it would make me happier.Well it hasnt i am miserably depressed and feel like i have made the biggest mistake of my life and most likely am going to have the band removed. So before you make this life altering decision think of your life now and your life after.Can you commit to eating slowly and taking very tiny bites and being on an all LIQUID diet for three weeks? Spend the money on maybe a personal trainer or someone to help you figure out how to eat right, this is not a quick fix and i harder than dieting alone. Whatever your decision good luck!:biggrin2:

Brittly

Let me tell you something. Now that my band is tight, I realize what it means. this is great. You can binge, you can't physically do it. You eat your little teeny meal, you stay full for hours. My God, this is exactly what you need. You WANT to eat all that stuff, but you can't. You change because you have to. The you realize that food doesn't control your life anymore and you move on to something more constructive. After a while you forget about the food, because you no longer focus all your energy on eating. You move on, and I'll tell you, it is wonderful. It took me 6 months and 5 fills to get tight. WOW, ehat a difference. It is all worth it. Hang in there. Food will no longer rule your life.

If I can work for me I bet it will for you to. I was a food addict who hated to exercise more than anything. The thing is I hated to move because I was lazy which was a result of being so over weight. I have lost 45 lbs and now weigh 200 lbs. I can move so much easier than before. Also your sub-conconcious mind will know you have a band and you will find there will be energy and will where you never thought before. May sound strange but I got some of my will from the people who knew I had a band. At first I didnt want to tell anyone then I found the more people that knew the more I wanted to lose the weight. Yes it was for myself but I wanted them to be proud of me and I knew they were wanting to know my progess. When my parents tell me they are proud of me it boosts my will instantly. You deffinately have to make changes but the band has helped me to make some of the hardest ones. I cannot eat many carbs or I get stuck . It works for me beause I loved to eat that stuff. I can't over eat or I am uncomfortable so I get more of my will from not wanting to feel that way. Maybe its not from all the right reasons but it has worked for me and I am so happy that I did this. When your self esteem begins to grow and you feel better you will see that you will have so much power and you want to do it for one reason only and that is for yourself. In the beginning I was grabbing at straws to be strong enough to stick with it, now I dont have to because with each pound lost comes a burst of happiness that helps me. You can do it, you have to believe ! It was my last chance , I had tried everything in my power, I loved to eat so much I even got up in the night and had a meal. Not anymore the band has changed my life. Good luck to you ! You can do it !

brittly~

you really should expand on your statement of being so miserable now. that is a scary statement to make to some people considering this procedure and I think it is unfair to just leave them with your prior post. what is it that is so miserable to you? were you possibly thinking this was a "get banded and wake up thin?" anything good takes hard work.

Edited May 5, 200818 yr by helenpimp
forgot name

My 2 cents-

I am not very well disciplined - never have been, or I would not need this surgery.

I follow all of the rules- some of the time.

Most of the rules - most of the time.

And indulge myself- occasionally.

I am winning- I am feeling successful.

I used to lose 20 pounds- by starving/struggling.

Then right away gian 23 pounds.

I ended up at 367 pounds starting out- now 230 pounds. I feel great, and couldn't have done this with out my band.

For those who can, great--- but I never could.

It's been 13 months, and I feel so different!

Different like- great! Like- I could jog for a few minutes!

Not like -I could sit at the park, and watch others play with the kids- but I can get up and do it myself.

Good luck and great health to each of you!

Well, I had surgery just over a year ago and I must say I'm grateful for the band. It is a tool that really makes you reflect on your habits. I'm not the best with exercise, but....I do know that I really reflect on my food choices. I began my journey 6 mos. before I even had surgery. I went to my local support group meetings, I read all I could here on the message boards, and went to a Dr. prescribed nutritionist. During those months prior to surgery, I did everything I could to begin changing some of the habits I had to those necessary to make my choice of surgery a success. That time was beneficial so when I had surgery, there were not so many BIG changes to make...because I'd already made some small ones. Yes it's hard sometimes, my hubby asks me if it was worth it when I have those PB, sliming, or stuck moments. I say yes, yes, YES!! I'm 60lbs. less than I was at my heaviest. I still have more to go, but it is a reachable goal now IMHO.

Hope this helps,

Annette :wink2:

:confused2:I am really looking hard at having this surgery but I am afraid it will just be another waste of time and money......if I don't have the discipline to eat right and exercise now what makes me think that I will be able to do it after the surgery? But I also see how many people it has worked for, and they didn't all get fat like me unless they were binging and eating in excess before too....so what is the secret? How can I make it work for me this time?

This is your decision so make it wisely. Just don't be in the dark as I was and know that there are a lot of foods that will go down easily. They are called "slider" foods and those are foods that are usually high in fat and sugar. Ice cream is usually a no-brainer but chocolate bars, Cookies, cakes, chips things like that will still go down. So although you are told not to eat them or to avoid them if you're really tempted it's hard not too.

I found it difficult in the beginning because the Protein had to be chewed really well and slowly and in small bites and sometimes it's easy to say forget that and eat the "slider foods". So basically it does work if you follow the plan but if you don't there's a possibility of not losing the weight you want to lose. I only tell you this as a warning if you do tend to crave and eat those foods a lot. Not everyone is a big sweet eater and eat basically all foods in bulk. I'm still struggling but not giving up yet. Good luck to you but the more you learn prior the better.

I'm at the point now where I'm not filled to tightly and I try to follow a food plan as an example Weight Watchers and find it easier to follow with the band than without it. So good luck, brandyII.:wink2:

Unfortunately you do have to make changes. I am 2 weeks banded. I started out at 222 pounds, 5'5. The first 10 pounds fell off fast. But in the last few days my weight loss stalled, probably because of starting regular foods and chewing things up like crazy to get it down. Yes I eat sooooooo much less than I used too but I think from now on I have to watch the calorie intake and definitely start exercising. It is not a quick fix. You do have to work at this one. I thought I would lose quite a bit more than I have. It is disheartening because I hear of people losing 20+ pounds in the first 2 weeks....Not me. My BMI was barely able to get the band. I notice people with higher BMIs lose more instantly. The band will be a good tool in restricting you and for maintaining when you WORK to your goal weight. But the key is that you do have to Work at it. The bad foods can sometimes be the easiest to go down. Chocolate melts, and sweets can go right through that band which will hinder your weight loss. So really think whether you are willing to make some lifestyle changes to optimize the benefits of the band. It is not as easy as you may think. But just think how sad you will feel years later when you look back and see all the things you didn't do because of your weight now holding you back. Age 30(ish) is awesome. Now is the best time to start living your best life. That band is a good constant reminder. Good Luck.

Thanks for all the replies! Everyone on here makes a lot of sense. Giving me more to think about....but definetly leaning more and more towards banding, and doing it sooner...like ASAP! Nice to find people to identify with. Keywest girl....we are about the same age and weight so hang in there and show me how to do it!!!

:confused2:I am really looking hard at having this surgery but I am afraid it will just be another waste of time and money......if I don't have the discipline to eat right and exercise now what makes me think that I will be able to do it after the surgery? But I also see how many people it has worked for, and they didn't all get fat like me unless they were binging and eating in excess before too....so what is the secret? How can I make it work for me this time?

Hi, I was like you, thinking how could it work since I can't diet. Haven't dieted and still don't diet nor do I exercise (but you should)

Let the band do it's job and you'll lose the weight.

I think all of us can relate to the doubts you are having. We have all struggled with diets and failure and all of us knew deep inside that our eating was out of control and our willpower not strong enough to keep us committed to the diet and exercise routine for the long haul. WLS is not the first option anyone reaches for when trying to lose weight, it is usually the last and only reached after years of trying and failing with other methods.

For me, the biggest difference has been the change in headspace. In the past, I had started a diet with great enthusiasm and tried hard, but I was never able to sustain that commitment. Restricting my food intake was HARD when I was HUNGRY all the time and the thought of having to sustain that willpower for the 18 months needed to lose 140lb was daunting. Every time I hit a plateau in a diet, all those thoughts of failure would loom up and overwhelm me and I would quit, thinking "damn it, I'm just going to be happy being fat and EAT!!"

Now, the hunger daemon is tamed. It took a while but now I am not hungry all the time. Because I am not "using up" all of my willpower just to try to restrict my portions, I have much more willpower "left over" to devote to making good choices and keeping up the exercise. I don't find the idea of an 18mth journey to be horrifying because I know I won't be fighting hunger every step of the way. I have confidence in my ability to do this, because I know that a little slip up here and there doesn't mean I will quit and go back to my old bad habits. I don't freak out at a plateau any more, I just remind myself that this time I'm in it for the long haul and I WILL get to goal.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.