Hi everyone, I'm really sorry if this has been brought up many times before. I am being banded on May 20th. I met with my surgeon for the final consultation yesterday. I want to lose 155 pounds, and my surgeon said that most lap band patiens will only lose 50% of their desired amount within 5 years. However, I've seen such incredible progress from people on here. What have you been told? What's the truth? I know it's hard to say because everyone is different, but I was a little discouraged. I can't live my life still above 200 pounds, I can't imagine that being that way forever. Thanks again guys!:thumbdown:

Hi everyone, I'm really sorry if this has been brought up many times before. I am being banded on May 20th. I met with my surgeon for the final consultation yesterday. I want to lose 155 pounds, and my surgeon said that most lap band patiens will only lose 50% of their desired amount within 5 years. However, I've seen such incredible progress from people on here. What have you been told? What's the truth? I know it's hard to say because everyone is different, but I was a little discouraged. I can't live my life still above 200 pounds, I can't imagine that being that way forever. Thanks again guys!:thumbup:

Your surgeon is correct, per Inamed people are keeping about half their excess weight off at the five year point. Complications are on the rise, not the decline. Banding provides the slowest and least weight loss of all bariatric surgeries.

I think a band is okay for a 30BMI person. Higher than that and people just don't KEEP the weight off.

Remember..... We are talking about people with food addictions here. For many, this addiction is more than they bargained for. Many will never get past that psychologically. They won't put in the effort and hard work required to be successful. That 50% weight loss is probably including a lot of those who couldn't cut the mustard and gave up. The committment lessened. For those who have the determination, and self discipline, it works beautifully. So you can't compare apples and oranges. I'm past the 50% mark, and I even had to have my band completely unfilled for two gallbladders surgeries and start all over again. It set me back several months. I didn't give up. I'm not where I would like to be at this point, but I'm well past the 50% mark. It depends on YOU. I'm a person, with quirks, strengths and weaknesses. I'm not a statistic. Neither are you. You make your band experience what it is.

Remember..... We are talking about people with food addictions here. For many, this addiction is more than they bargained for. Many will never get past that psychologically. They won't put in the effort and hard work required to be successful. That 50% weight loss is probably including a lot of those who couldn't cut the mustard and gave up. The committment lessened. For those who have the determination, and self discipline, it works beautifully. So you can't compare apples and oranges. I'm past the 50% mark, and I even had to have my band completely unfilled for two gallbladders surgeries and start all over again. It set me back several months. I didn't give up. I'm not where I would like to be at this point, but I'm well past the 50% mark. It depends on YOU. I'm a person, with quirks, strengths and weaknesses. I'm not a statistic. Neither are you. You make your band experience what it is.

I didn't make my band experience what it was.

While I agree with you in most aspects on this topic there are an awful lot of people that do everything right and just can't hack the band. Slips, erosion, band intolerance, etc.

I think those are the people that are forgotten. I recall a post just a couple of weeks ago, a person was really struggling with reflux, etc. One of the people responding said that obviously the person was doing something wrong so what was it?

We are quick to blame the person when in reality, many times it is the band and not the person. So for the most part I agree with what you are saying by... make the best of the band and do your job. I did it and lost well, and quickly. But then band problems kicked in after hitting goal and I was beyond miserable. Sometimes scar tissue forms under the band and with no saline there is still too much restriction. That's not the person, it's the band.

I am right at the 50% mark for me, and I have no plans to give up now! If anything, it has motivated me more to get to goal.

What's the quote? There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics?

Yeah . . . statistics are lame. While they can tell a bit about generalities, they are never going to tell the whole story. Plus, statistics are so miserably skewed because the three people out of 100 who eat ice cream every day instead of following the band rules (crap, I ate ice cream today, LOL), are going to bring the stats down.

I wouldn't worry too much about the stats and I'd worry more about how you're going to get to goal. It's still a lot of exercise and a lot of work. Good luck!

My surgeon keeps telling me 60-70% over 2-3 years, explaining that some lose a lot more, some a lot less. It's all up to us! I plan on doing more than the average!

My doctor told me 60% and one of the doctors in my group worked with the very first bands in the very beginning stages, so they know their stuff.

He also told me that the good thing about the band versus surgery is that even after the 60% loss with the band if we keep on track his patients are STILL LOSING weight as opposed to the surgical bypass, whereas they can become stretched out.

I like the fact that after years his patients are still losing with the band. That is good to know.

On the other hand, my husband would not last ONE day with the band, you have to be made of STRONG stuff! Like it states on the bottom, LAP Bands are not for sissies!

So true!!!!!!!!

I started my program at 315 in July of 2008. Today I can safely say I am permanently under 200! I feel confident that the scale will start with a 1 from now on!! That's 118 pounds lost as of today. And, I am not done. In fact, this last two weeks I have been more motivated than I have been the previous three months. I agree with some others, view this as a tool, and you are the operator. Its all up to how you use the tool. I was reluctant to set a goal at first, and finally settled on 165, but being about 32 pounds away from that I know that I will not be satisfied there. I will celebrate it though, and then push on. Its more about the mental change than anything else, and that takes time. Be patient and kind to yourself in this journey. The changes you make within yourself will ultimately show on the exterior. Love yourself, and love the choice you have made to care for yourself. I love my band, and will NEVER have it loosened or removed. It has saved my life!

Edited May 8, 200917 yr by kirafiki
mis-calculated my pounds til goal!!! 32 not 37!

There are people who abuse themselves and their band and that is why they have trouble. You must follow the rules.

BUT, there are those who have trouble that is beyond their control. They may do everything right and still end up in the band failure category through no fault of their own. Sometimes things just go wrong and our body decides it does not want to play well with the band. Those people cannot be blamed for the need to revise.

We cannot ever become so narrow minded that we begin to assume everyone does something wrong that has to have their band removed. Complications DO happen. That is why they are called complications.