Hi, I am wondering if anyone has had a hard time losing weight before surgery? I have been dieting and excering for 8 weeks now and have not lost a pound. My concern is this: If I can't lose weight before on diet and excerise can I lose it after with the band? I am really concerned about this. The weight lose program I do is through a doctor and he also leads the excerise class, twice a week and I walk in between them times. What am I doing wrong and will the band actually help me.

Guess I am a little scared.

Do you know approximately how many calories you're taking in right now? What exercise is being done as well?

There's not a person here who didn't have that thought in the back of their minds: "What if I'm the one it doesn't work for?" As long as you remember that the band is a tool to help you do the right thing AND you make the right choices, it works. You obviously can eat around the help the band provides and even gain weight. But if you don't try to live on junk food, the band will help you to control how much you eat. Unlike gastric bypass, you won't have some terrible case of dumping syndrome if you eat something sweet. You have to pick the healthy foods. Good luck, and keep us posted!

Well it depends on your eating habits. At least that is what my doctor told me. The band will make you feel content with smaller portions. So if it took two cheeseburgers for you to feel okay then it will only take one. It will definitely help with portion control. As far as your exercising is concerned, are you seeing a personal trainer? I just started seeing one three weeks ago and she is a big help. I learned that we burn fat according to our heart rate. Meaning your target heart rate depends on your age and weight. My target rate is between 125-160. I burn more calories when I am at that rate. If you are asking about your weight then I definitely recommend the lap band..But your doctor will be more help.

I eat about 1000-1200 calories a day and the excerise that we do are stretches, and low impact cardio work out. Plus I walk about a mile to mile and half a day around 5 days a week.

I just got my call I was approved by my insurance company, surgery in May but will know the date in a day or two.

I lost about almost no weight on my 6 month supervised diet required for insurance. I was exercising like you, mostly walking. But I started losing with the pre-op liquids. Things have slowed down quite a bit, but as long as I follow the rules my doctor gave me, the band is working. Remeber, it is only a tool and not a magic bullet. My nutritionist says it is all about the math, if you take in fewer calories than you expend, you'll lose weight, about a pound per 3,000 calories. It is easy to cheat the band and not lose weight too. Lots of things go through easy and have empty calories. Follow the plan and it will work. Good luck.