i was band Oct 08. my experience has been a learn as i go process; i did not attend an extensive educational class prior to surgery. Since Oct i've lost 25 pounds. i am proud of this accomplishment (started at 200 pounds) but as i read many of your stories, i think this is nothing and prehaps i should be farther along. The fact is, my journey has not been all peaches and cream. maybe this is the result of not having gone through an extensive education process, maybe not. this is what i want to know from you. i love my lap band, but it is not the quick fix i'd imagined it to be. i have to work at losing every pound and inch! i have 5 cc's. daily exercise and good nutrition are at the top of my daily to do list. some days i'm on it and other days i'm not! anyone relate? recently i realized i am most successful at weight loss and getting on with my daily life (i'm 57, female, type A working professional) if i consume a diet consisting primarily of vitiman and protein rich liquids for two meals a day and a balanced third meal. doing so seems so much less complicated. i would appreciate hearing from those of you that have been band for several months, have very busy schedules and consider your weight loss journey successful, but not w/o its challenges. how so? whats working for you?

I was a slow and steady loser. No really spectacular fast loss for me.

What worked? Steady, consistent exercise and good nutrition, not panicking through plateaus, consistently pushing myself further and further with my exercise, instead of thinking I was working hard enough. And patience.

and you know, I really believe you have to look at it in terms of percentage body weight, rather than pounds lost, like on Biggest Loser. 25 lbs is the same percentage of 200 as 50 is of 400! You've already lost enough weight that you've done your health a really big favour and cut your risks. Give it another six or seven months and see how great you feel then!

First, consider that you may need another fill.

Second, while liquids are EASY, they do not stave off hunger the way solid food does. You need to plan ahead and EAT your meals. solid Proteins digest more slowly than anything else you could eat (good or bad for you) and thus keep you satisfied longer. The goal is to be able to go 4 hours between meals before you feel hunger. I doubt the liquids are giving you that.

The band most definitely isn't a quick fix and I hate it that you expected it to be so. But if you can get to your sweet spot, I think you'll find that eating properly will enable you to lose steadily.

I was a slow and steady loser. No really spectacular fast loss for me.

What worked? Steady, consistent exercise and good nutrition, not panicking through plateaus, consistently pushing myself further and further with my exercise, instead of thinking I was working hard enough. And patience.

and you know, I really believe you have to look at it in terms of percentage body weight, rather than pounds lost, like on Biggest Loser. 25 lbs is the same percentage of 200 as 50 is of 400! You've already lost enough weight that you've done your health a really big favour and cut your risks. Give it another six or seven months and see how great you feel then!

Very good way of looking at it!!!:mad2:

My wife and I both put great value in the nutrition classes we took (4 weeks) Besides what we learned in class, being with others going through the same process was helpful. The lap band is definitely a tool, not a quick fix. I lost 40 very fast and have worked hard for the next 20 so I am imagining the last 20 will be equally hard. The 5k this weekend will help. :mad2:

I was a slow and steady loser. No really spectacular fast loss for me.

What worked? Steady, consistent exercise and good nutrition, not panicking through plateaus, consistently pushing myself further and further with my exercise, instead of thinking I was working hard enough. And patience.

and you know, I really believe you have to look at it in terms of percentage body weight, rather than pounds lost, like on Biggest Loser. 25 lbs is the same percentage of 200 as 50 is of 400! You've already lost enough weight that you've done your health a really big favour and cut your risks. Give it another six or seven months and see how great you feel then!

Jachut, what a great job, I wonder if I might get to the situation you are in. I originally set my goal to be a BMI of 24, which is the top end of healthy according to my Doc. I started at the same 35 as you. I since revised that to what I remember as my last weight where I felt good. Once I get there, I'll keep trying

to get to 24, but 21, Wow.

Jachut is our "poster child" for Lap band success when combined with hard-core exercise....she's an inspiration, and you should listen to her when she talks WORKOUT!:mad2:

Also, consider going BACK and taking the education class that you skipped during your pre-band days. I'm sure that your Surgeon wouldn't mind you sitting in on someone elses session....If you feel you are not doing this correctly, then start over. Make an appt with a Band-specific nutrionist/Dietician, and find out the CORRECT way to go about this.

Also, don't discount your success thus far. 25 pounds is a GREAT start, even if it has been slower than you want. You have to WORK with the band, and find your "sweet spot", and find the right combination of diet and exercise that will make it work for YOU.

HH

I never really thought of the percentage thing - I only needed to lose 50 in the first place and am down 20 after 10 1/2 months so I guess I shouldn't complain - that is almost half of my goal and I think that is what they told me is that after a year I may only be down 1/2 of what my goal is - thanks!