Okay..so here is my latest strange question...in my search for answers! In addition to seeing so many wonderful stories here, I've read about people gaining weight, wanting to take diet pills, doing 2 hours of exercise each day....

I understand that the band will just be a tool and you still have lots of hard work to do, but given what the band is suppose to provide for you, like getting fuller faster, digesting slower...it seems like you wouldn't have to kill yourself at the gym or that you could eat enough to gain weight??? Does that make sense? I'm trying not to be offensive, just trying to understand.

Do the people who struggle eat more often? Do they eat liquid calories? Are they not following the *rules* of the band? I just want to have a clear understanding of what I'm potentially getting into!! I want to understand what has happened that the band is helping you achieve the weight loss. :confused2:

Just my $.02 chickie....I think that many people struggle with the band, or lose more slowly than they could, because they have never learned the difference between physiological hunger and head hunger.

The band works great for helping with physiological hunger, but doesn't do anything for head hunger. Example: An emotional eater might crave Snacks during times of stress. Is he eating because he is hungry? Nope. Therefore the band would do very little to stop him from eating when he shouldn't.

There is restriction....but counting solely on the band to prevent you from overeating instead of using common sense is akin to counting on your seatbelt instead of using your brakes.

wow, I'm a newbie but exercise will not make you lose weight. I'm trying to replace muscle with fat. I've found most are cheating on diet & grazing to gain weight. A lot of people drink excess calories. I think 95% of weight loss is in my own head. I'm fixing the main frame of my brain. hasta Pronto, George

I think Plain is right on. Head hunger is by far the largest issue I have had to face.

You also need to consider that in order to lose weight you have to eat less calories than you take in. Science says that in order to lose just 1 pound a week, you need to cut your daily calorie intake by 500 (1 pound = 3500 calories).

Some people who get banded just eat less of what they always ate. This may work for people who were maintaining their weight pre-surgery, but for those that were gaining weight every year, they would need to really cut back on quantity to effect weight loss.

Also, when you first get banded, in all likelihood you will not experience much (if any) restriction. Some people take 6 months or more after surgery before they reach the restriction they are comfortable with. During that time, they need to carefully monitor what they eat and change their eating habits or they will not lose weight. This is often referred to as bandster hell.

I have also read on many many many occasions where people talk about being so restricted that they can't eat solid food, but who are afraid to get a defill. It seems that many of those people stop losing weight, for whatever reason.

I know for me personally, I don't seem to have any restriction when it comes to the foods that got me morbidly obese in the first place. As far as I can tell, chocolate melts through the band and potato chips get chewed into oblivion and also pass right on thru :confused_smile: so I can't rely on the band to control my portions.

In my experience, what the band does for me is help me to not be ravenously hungry between meals. In fact I sometimes say that I am starving, but I don't really have the same insatiable hunger that I had continuously before. That does not stop the head hunger or the automatic stuffing my face if food is around. I am the only one who can make the choice of what I eat (or don't).

One of the things I always suggest is that people journal what they are eating and how much, because I don't think we are often aware of how much we are really eating, because so much of it is unconscious.

I exercise a lot, but I believe that exercise helps me get fit, feel good, and look better, but I am not convinced that it really helps me lose lots of weight. However, I am hoping that it will help me maintain my weight once I get to goal.

I'd also go so far as to say that for many who get fat, their bodies work way too efficiently. You'd think a 150lb woman who ran an hour a day and ate 1800 calories would lose weight (albeit quite slowly) wouldnt you? Not so, that's maintenance for me. All the calculators say I should be eating 2,500 or so.

Many with bands dont lose unless they drop below 1000 calories a day. Technically, nobody should have to do that.

Genetics is virtually never the sole reason for being fat. There's nearly always overeating and underexercising involved. But I can tell you that for a 6ft 3 260lb guy, my DH doesnt eat a lot. Three meals a day. Largish, but not huge. Healthy foods. He's gotten to a BMI of 35 and been banded 2 weeks ago. Down to 600 calories a day on fluids, he's lost 13lb. 13lb in 2 weeks is not to be sneezed at but sheesh. On 600 calories a day? You'd think he'd be disappearing before my very eyes.

Hmm, what else? I agree with plain, eating ONLY when you're hungry and following the rules 100% will work for almost anyone. People by and large dont do it. And you get slacker with time too. The old habits do begin to creep back in.

I cant gain weight, I'd have to binge on ice cream and chocolate and stop running to do it. My band works pretty well. But I'm lucky. I get good, even restriction from my fills, without issues. I'm not tight in the morning, loose at night, there's not many foods I cant eat, I'm just a text book case I guess.

But I'm not about to test it out, I keep my behaviours in check and do what I know I should.

And I think you'll find in any obese community, you'll find a larger than average contingent of people who dont want to face reality. They wont accept reponsibility for thier weight, they're motivated to fix it, they get banded, but dont really want to face the reality of it being their own choices that got them into this mess and their own choices that will get them out of it. They get banded and .... wait for a miracle. Those personality traits seem to go hand in hand with obesity.

Many work against the band or do unnecessry things.

Exercise isn't required for weightloss...but it will make for a better life as in being more active, the brain stimulation, etc. Again, anyone can lose weight and not exercise.

Dieting isn't required for weightloss. Didn't everyone who got the band already try numerous diets and they all failed? The lapband is to decrease quantity of food someone eats...that causes weightloss. And during the time someone is restricted, that's the time to relearn how to eat, move to more nutritous foods, etc.

However, if someone only ate 1000 calories a day and a tiny amount of food pre-band...this may not work for them. Their quantity is already low.

Just my 2 cents worth and another viewpoint. Don't flame me...I said it's another viewpoint.

I agree that you need to accept responsibility for your eating habits. Until we own our behaviors, we'll never change them.

With that said, I was working my a$$ off, both in the gym and following the strict guidelines from my doctor. I had two things happen. 1) I wasn't losing weight. 2) I was exhausted. I was working out for about an hour and a half a day and eating 700-900 calories a day. With simple math, burning far more than I was using, it should have worked. Even with my body's natural proclivity to gain muscle fast, I still should have lost weight. I went to my surgeon and my nutritionist for assistance and they were great. I guess I expected immediate gratification. It took nearly 2 months before I really started to lose weight at a rate that made me happy. I also was told to eat more and workout less. WHY? I wasn't eating enough to fuel my body. It wasn't working the most efficient way possible because I wasn't eating enough. My doctor also was concerned that I was setting myself up to fail if I continued with working out that much every day. He cut me down to 45-60 minutes 5-7 days a week--for a lifestyle change, not a diet and quick fix. SO many of us want the quick fix and this simply isn't it.

I'm not losing weight fast, but I never really expected to. I'm down just about 50 pounds in 6 months (Lost it far faster on WW but didn't keep that off!) but I'm down to a size 16. I am the heaviest 16 I know...I still weigh around 255 on any given day, so it seems strange that I am a 16. I guess that's why my PCP told me not to expect to get below 220-230 before I had surgery. She didn't think my body would do that. I don't agree with her. I'm now down to my lowest since 1993. This is my competition weight, though I don't lift the heavy weights like I used to--I just look like I do!

End of it all--I can't eat whatever I want, I can't skip workouts and I do have to work at this....but I must have worked pretty hard at getting fat, too!

Most important things I've learned--journal, journal, journal. Keep track of what you eat and when and how much you workout. You can re-trace your steps to figure out how your body responds to certain things. For some of us it isn't simple Math. Learn how your body reacts and work with it.

I'm working hard but wouldn't trade this experience for the world. I will get below 220, despite what my doctor said---even if it takes several years to get there! :smile:

Vegas Grace.

You have done super. I only hope to suceed like you. I am just 4 weeks out and now face the reality of real food and my ability to chose wisely. I would love some hints on what you ate early on. I find it odd that my doctors office doesn't really set down a set of guidelines or actual plan to follow. I just kept hearing was drink your fluids and your in your heaing stage don't worry. Okay I'm starting to worry.

Tips...sure.

Let the band do what you paid for it to do.

During the first 6/10/14 weeks ...up until you get restriction.... take this time and DON'T diet. Heal, get used to the band, learn about nutrition, start dabbling in the kitchen to find out what you like/don't like. And family, too. Find out if they like sauteed peppers/onions ....

Once you get restriction, that's when the weightloss will come. Instead of eating an entire 12" sub, you'll eat 2-3 bites and be done. Instead of eating a 2 porkchops, 3 servings of stuffing, and 2 rolls...you'll eat 2 bites of the porkchop, 2 or 3 forkfulls of the stuffing, and probably only 1 bite of the roll.

Everyone knows that I didn't diet, but I did STOP going thru drive thru multiple times a day. I did stop pizza delivery 2x a week. But, I still don't diet. I just had a snack pac size Doritos and I made the family chocolate milkshakes in the blender today. yum!

But, I only had 1/2 a cup....that's the trick. Reduce the quantity of food you eat and learn your body.

Hope this helps. Many find exercise, dieting, shakes, pills, etc. beneficial. I'm sure they are more healthy than me and can definitely run faster than me {I'm disabled and lost my mobility years back} I can do some things now on my own.

Hang in there and the weightloss will come if you let it!

Thank you for the tips. I was beginning to worry about the amount of food I was eating. I try and keep calories at 1200 and try and keep portions at 1/2cup to 1 cup. Haven't really lost much compared to the first two weeks but feel really good. Again thanks for the tips.

I think the whole point when choosing to get the band is that you're making the choice to change your lifestyle. You want to be healthy and being healthy includes exercise. I can honestly say that I feel so much better when I exercise. It's also a great motivator so be able to physically do things I couldn't do a year ago.

I wanted to change my life for the better. I want to show my child that a healthy diet and exercise go hand in hand.