Hello,

I am scheduled to have my lap band surgery this upcoming Tuesday and am feeling a bit anxious. I was wondering if anyone could give me any words of wisdom about what to expect after the surgery, particulary the first few weeks when diet seems to be very limited.

I would like to drop 75 lbs. but my doctor tells me 50 is more realistic, can anyone comment on this? It's always been my feeling that dieting, like anything else in life, gives you what you put into it. If all guidelines are followed I'm assuming greater weight loss is possible, for those of you living with the band, any feedback would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Raenee

Hello kitten123

I will be banded on the 22, but if you oput your m,ind to it you can do it. If you want to lose 75 pounds you will. You should go to the main forums page and find the April 2009 Bandster thread and join in with us. They will be able to help you along as well since we will be having the surgery in the same month :confused:

I'll do that, thank you- I'm new to this site and am still learning how to navigate a bit! Thanks for the words of encouragement.

Raenee

I was banded on March 3. I can't believe it's been a month already. My advice to you is to go in the a positive attitude. Do what your doctor says of course and make sure you walk as soon as you can after the procedure. I went to the bathroom myself soon after recovery. I walked around quite a bit to get the air out of my stomach. Within a week, I was almost back to myself. Don't exercise too soon. You want to heal. You will do fine. Be optimistic.

A lot of factors go into how much weight you will lose and how fast. Not the least of which is how you body adjusts to the band. Some bandsters start off quick and never slow down until they reach goal (those are usually the ones who feel restriction right away and don't require too many adjustments). Others lose a lot at first then settle to a slower pace (these are probably people who follow the post surgery rules very well but when the swelling goes down they experience bandsters hell and get real hungry, they test the boundaries of what they can eat, they feel no real restriction until after a few adjustments). Then there are the few who see no or little loss of weight, even after several adjustments (these are those who feel no restriction, it really is difficult for them to lose weight). Then there are all the other people who don't fall into any mold at all -- those are probably the majority of us.

I have a graphic by my desk depicting the story about the tortoise and the hare. I've always considered myself the tortoise. It will take me longer to lose the weight but I will get there and enjoy my journey. My sister was always the hare. She could lose weight so fast it made my head spin. Well, the hare is now over 400 lbs and will finally be getting the lap-band. She'll still probably lose weight faster than me but hopefully this time it will stay off.

Your personal lap-band journey will be your own story. How fast or slow you lose weight is up to you and your band. Never compare yourself to anyone else because your body is different and your mind is different. Where you are in your life journey is also different than anyone here. The important thing is that you've chosen to take this journey. Your bags are packed and you are about ready to fire up the car. What you'll see and experience and how long it takes is a mystery, but your destination is not. You will get to where you are going.