I am not yet banded but have been reading alot of the posts on the site and I have been asking myself - " Self, what are your expectations of the band?". Don't get me wrong, I know intellectually that this is just a tool and that I will have to really work hard at this, but I am wondering if many of us have this expectation that the band will save us and will make the pounds just fall off our bodies? I ask this because I see a lot of folks that will be upset because they "only" lost 25 pounds in 2 months and now it just doesn't seem to be working. Or, they see a lot come off at the beginning and then, it just seems to be creeping off. Are we being honest with ourselves when we say that we understand that this is not a magic pill or do we still wish, in our deepest hearts, that this will be a quick answer to our weight loss problem and we will be thin in 6 months? Come on folks, I know I do. I understand that it won't work like that, but don't we just wish it could? Any thoughts?

Elgrad

hi elgrad,

i think you are making some very important observations and asking some really good questions....

when i was researching the band i noticed there were 2 "camps" of bandsters (of course there are varying degrees but in my limited knowledge at the time it boiled down to these)

the first camp were people that complained all the time "the band wasnt working". they talked alot about having taco bell, blizzards, etc. they had the band for awhile and hadnt lost much weight. they never talked about exercise, journalling, etc.

this group scared me and i almost didnt get banded. the thought of getting an operation and not losing weight was too much to bear.

then i saw another group. they had similar time to the first group. they talked about their struggles with food and their solutions. they asked for help when they needed it. they also exercised, journalled what they ate, and looked at the band as 1 of many tools they could use to finally lose weight.

this group made sense to me so i proceeded to get my band. this was one of the best decisions i've ever made.

dont get me wrong...it truly is a process. i "fell off the wagon" "fell on the wagon" etc. but i used the tools i learned from the second group.

your questions/observations make me believe you are heading in the right direction should you decide to get banded.

one other thing (from my experience)..... re: this website.... i use it and have gotten some GREAT information from it. but i find some members do not allow others to have differing opinions nor have i found alot of support here. this is just my experience and i footnote this as others' i'm sure have different feelings on this subject.

good luck

josie

I think everyones goal is different, and it should be a personal choice. When I first got banded my only goal was to get under 300lbs, and I am sure for many here that would be an unthinkable goal. But being as overweight as I was and being 6ft tall, 300lbs sounded skinny to me. But as my success has surpassed my expectations I have set new goals and I am sure I will amend them again through my journey.

When I first made the choice to get the band, I knew I was going to have to change more then my food portions. I knew I had to change the foods I did eat, the way I cook, and most importantly I knew I had to exercise. Going to the gym was scary for me, but I found a wonderful personal trainer and my success is half hers. When I kept saying I can't do it, she said yes I can...and when I really couldn't she made modifications so I could!

So what I guess I am saying, is make goals that are realistic and remember they can and will change as you lose weight and become healthier. Good luck!

i think this is an excellent thread!!!!!!!!! i post threads about not whinnig...not using excuses...not blaming the surgeon...and of course members come down hard on me all the time...i could really careless...but ur right for those that have this surgery and look at as a magic bullet...well be the ones that fail...i have friend who is failing miserabely 4 weeks out of having bypass surgery because she thought she was going to sit back eat whatever she wants and watch the weight just fall off...and guess what?????? its not!!!!!!!! not even with the bypass!!!!!!!!! u have to work at it...period point blank...there is no easy way out...ur either going to use this tool or ur not...its that simple....

Your expectation of the band should be what it is promoted as doing: Helping you to reach the proper restriction (sweet spot) that will allow you to eat less healthy food and stay satisfied longer. It is promoted as helping you to lose 50% of your excess weight. If you want to lose 100% of your excess weight - great, but understand that the band doesn't promise that. Your part of the deal is to eat healthy, exercise, avoid problem foods and not drink with meals.

What should not be part of the band experience: heartburn, reflux, pain, vomiting. These can be indicators that the band is too tight or the band has slipped. These symptoms should not be regarded as the price to pay for reaching some magical number on the scale. The band is for getting healthy and eliminating or improving those co-morbidities - like sleep apnea, high blood pressure, elevated cholesteral or glucose, joint pain, etc.. Every bit of written literature I received about WLS said (in bold letters) : WLS IS NOT ABOUT APPEARANCE, IT IS ABOUT BETTER HEALTH.

Put me squarely in the camp of those who do NOT think it is whining to post your problems on here and expect respectful replies and helpful suggestions as opposed to a lecture or a smack down.

Good luck on your journey. I think you will do well.

Funny you ask this. See ... in the beginning, I decided to have the band because it was not too invasive and it was a slower loss than GB, so odds were good that I would not need excess skin removed. I told myself if I lost 100 pounds in 2 years, that would be fantastic.

THEN...I was on here reading about people losing 20-30 pounds in the first month or two, and 10 pounds every month after that, and I got jealous. I was comparing my results too much to others' results and was becoming disappointed with myself--doubting myself...even though my results were still on track with my initial expectations. I had to stop reading the site for awhile. If I had read the POST-Operation posts PRE-Operation, maybe I would have been prepared for the aftermath of the actual surgery. I finally realized that my "new" expectations were too high and only based on what some others were experiencing.

Eventually my fills started working and I started losing weight. I actually don't even think I'll be getting a fill at my appointment on Friday since I've lost 16 of my 34 pounds since April (yes...I only lost 18 pounds my first 4-5 months...). My 34 pounds (lost since surgery) is not alot, but where would I be without the Band? 10 pounds heavier? On another diet, only to gain 20 more over the next year?

Now, I'm on my way to being 1/2 way to goal in my first year and AT goal in 2.

My point here---don't let what you read here, and other people's successes make your expectations UNREALISTIC. Everyone is an individual so keep that in mind. This is NOT a fast and easy way to go. Exercise, eat right, and it'll work for you. I'm just happy that I can still eat most of what I like (it's harder, and I eat less of it, but can still enjoy most things except bread...). And -- I don't have to worry about how much heavier I'll be in the next year, or five years....

Good luck to you.

Oh, I think I had pretty unrealistic expectations, I certainly expected weight to fall off me.

Lucky for me, in the beginning it did.

I dont think I ever got despondent, and I dont think I ever found it truly hard, but then, my eating habits were such that all I really required was portion control, there wasnt THAT much else to change. Apart from my need to be drip fed muffins on a daily basis and they became excruciatingly painful to eat very quickly so I didnt struggle with that.

The momentum took me through about 18 months, these days I struggle a lot more to stay away from the chocolate, the ice cream and other slider foods and find my band a much harder tool to use than I did. But then your perspective changes too, what I eat now to maintain is less than what I ate at first to lose, so what I think of as bad eating or overeating makes others roll their eyes. I look at my friends' dinner plates when we eat out and I"m amazed anyone can stuff so much in!

Funny you ask this. See ... in the beginning, I decided to have the band because it was not too invasive and it was a slower loss than GB, so odds were good that I would not need excess skin removed. I told myself if I lost 100 pounds in 2 years, that would be fantastic.

THEN...I was on here reading about people losing 20-30 pounds in the first month or two, and 10 pounds every month after that, and I got jealous. I was comparing my results too much to others' results and was becoming disappointed with myself--doubting myself...even though my results were still on track with my initial expectations. I had to stop reading the site for awhile. If I had read the POST-Operation posts PRE-Operation, maybe I would have been prepared for the aftermath of the actual surgery. I finally realized that my "new" expectations were too high and only based on what some others were experiencing.

Eventually my fills started working and I started losing weight. I actually don't even think I'll be getting a fill at my appointment on Friday since I've lost 16 of my 34 pounds since April (yes...I only lost 18 pounds my first 4-5 months...). My 34 pounds (lost since surgery) is not alot, but where would I be without the Band? 10 pounds heavier? On another diet, only to gain 20 more over the next year?

Now, I'm on my way to being 1/2 way to goal in my first year and AT goal in 2.

My point here---don't let what you read here, and other people's successes make your expectations UNREALISTIC. Everyone is an individual so keep that in mind. This is NOT a fast and easy way to go. Exercise, eat right, and it'll work for you. I'm just happy that I can still eat most of what I like (it's harder, and I eat less of it, but can still enjoy most things except bread...). And -- I don't have to worry about how much heavier I'll be in the next year, or five years....

Good luck to you.

I had the same situation. I had reasonable expectations going in (I think). I didn't even know that there were forums devoted to the surgery until after I had started the process for approval. I started reading about the weight other people were losing and got so excited! I think I got into the hype of thinking I could lose that fast too. Of course, reality hit after surgery. I am proud of my weight loss, but I did go through the doubting stage when my weight loss wasn't on par with what I was reading. I had to come to my own realization that this isn't a race. We are all trying to reach the same goal (healthier/smaller bodies). It just may take me longer than others. I don't mind that. I am healthier now than I have been in years. I no longer have problems with high blood sugar. My blood pressure is normal. I don't regret my decision to get my band at all.

This third was so helpful. I am banded Monday and the nerves and anxious is getting to me. I don't want lose to fast I dont' know what to expect about feeling hungery afterwards. I read alot about others and there experience this the one big reason I decided to get the band. This third everyone was so truthful, honest and that helped calm my nerves and release this my journey I will make it happen. Thanks