For those of you that have been banded:

Did you think that the weight would just fall off the minute the band was in place? Be honest now. Cuz I read so many posts on the list that go something like: I had my surgery 2 weeks ago and have only lost 15 pounds. What am I doing wrong?

I am not banded yet, so maybe I will feel the same way, but I think that I understand that this is not going to be the magic pill that will cause me to be the slim, size 6 I know I am inside. Certainly not in the first couple of years. But, I just seem to see a lot of folks that get a little whiney when they haven't lost the 100 lbs they want to lose in the first few months. I am wondering if some of us set our expectations really high and then can't understand why the weight isn't coming off. It isn't bypass surgery and yet, some seem to want the same rapid results with none of the side effects.

I may be asking for a beat down here, but I am curious.

Elgrad

OK You want honesty......You want to know what you are doing wrong because you have only lost 15 lbs in two week! ARE YOU SERIOUS! That is ALOT of weight in two weeks. If you read the "band" rules you are suppose to loose one to two pounds of week. You did not get big over night and you are not going to be a size 6 overnight! I was banded in November and have lost 60lbs total including preop diet. I was one of the one who thought it was going to fall off, but let me tell you I WAS SO VERY WRONG! I have had to bust my ass daily to get this weight off. I exercise almost everyday, doing p90x currently, was walking 3 miles a day and was watching everything that went into my mouth. I did not think i was eating "enough" caloires until I started a food jounel and wow was I suprise. So now on top of all of that I do a food Journal to keep my caloires around 1200 a day. I also strive to get in around 90 grams of protien a day with 64oz of Water a day. I dont want to sound discouraging, but It only gets harder to get the weight off. If you have lost 15lbs that is so WONDERFUL. Also remember the fills are going to help as well. Alot of people think the tighter the better, that is not true. You can be too tight were your body holds on to the food and you will not loose. Also it can cause your band to slip. All I am saying is be patient and get rid of the scales! They are the devil and will keep you totally stressed and obessed out! Stress will keep your body from loosing as well! I hope some of this makes since and has helped! Good luck to you!!!!!! You ARE dong GREAT!

Carrie

I think you might have misread the OP's post. You might want to go back and read it. The OP isn't whining about loosing weight too slow lolz!!!

Silly me!:tongue_smilie: I was actually trying to reply to Delivered who was. Sorry. I'm only new here. I actually liked the original post. It is very honest. I have talked a couple of people out of banding who thought you could just have it and lay around and lose all your weight. That's a fantasy. The idea the this is the easy way out annoys me a lot. This has never been easy!

I think you might have misread the OP's post. You might want to go back and read it. The OP isn't whining about loosing weight too slow lolz!!!

hmmmm....I think I did read it correctly. OP stated that they have ONLY lost 15 pounds in two weeks.....THAT IS AWESOME to loose 15 pounds in two weeks. That is what I was stating to OP......Not to get discourage.

hmmmm....I think I did read it correctly. OP stated that they have ONLY lost 15 pounds in two weeks.....THAT IS AWESOME to loose 15 pounds in two weeks. That is what I was stating to OP......Not to get discourage.

No, the original poster is stating that they read on here where people are 2 weeks out and only lost 15 pounds and are complaining about such a "small" amount of weight loss.

In the second paragraph she states that she's not banded yet

I'm ok with the slow weight loss - that's why I specifically chose the lap band. The other procedures sound scary to me. What I don't like and can't tolerate any more are the support groups at my hospital. I am the only one that has had the band, everyone else chose the other methods. It sounds like an AA meeting "hi, my name is ..... and i've lost ... pounds in 2 weeks". It gets a little overbearing to hear about the tons of weight they lose so quickly, so I'll stick to this website as my support group since we're all going through the same slow process.

For my health,I totally hear you.Where I work alot of people have done bypass and I'm the ONLY one who has done lapband and I constantly feel like I'm compared & have to explain why my weightloss is less.It is SOOOO frustrating!!:tongue_smilie:!! And why does sucess have to be measured in lbs & sizes anyway?? what about feeling so much better,being able to walk w/o getting out of breath,not constantly sweating,being off blood pressure meds & my cpap machine.tThat is how I'm measuring sucess when people make me feel bad!! Hang in there...it's not a race!!

I got banded and was stuck at -17 pounds for two months. Now it is starting to come off. Everytime i get a fill it seems to start coming off... keep up with your fills.

I was banded 10 months ago on the 19th; lost 35 lbs the first month, didn't lose another pound untill my last fill a month ago. I did not experience pbing, could pretty much eat anything I wanted, didn't have to change my eating habits (ie chewing and bite size) could almost each as much as I wanted, didn't exercise much more than before. And was boohooing and whining that I should have had the by-pass. I skipped quite a few fill appointments because I thought it was a waste of $16,000, my husband was not too happy with me either and we got in to many heated discussion with him saying, your not acting like your trying to lose weight and me shooting back defensively with I got this sugery so I wouldn't have to watch what I ate...... Until one fateful Easter Picnic in April 09. My surgeon just so happens to be one of my best friends cousins and he and my husband also know each other anyway he (my surgeon) attends this family pic nic and he an my husband gang up on me and tell me all about banster hell, and how it may take up to a year to find your sweet spot so skipping fills is a no no, and how this is not by-pass and if you do nothing the band will do nothing. Well now I have pre-made appts for fills out until October, I have finally reached my sweet spot, I know completely understand small bites, chew well, it used to take me under 10 minutes to eat a whole plate, now it takes me at least 30 minutes to eat 4 oz. and forget about bread or anything like it (ie cake, doughnuts ect). Well enough rambling.

Yes I thought the weight would just fall off like my friends who have had the by-pass, I thank my surgeon for not babying me and telling me clearly the mistakes I was making although I seriously doubt I would have told him everyting I was doing, my hubby ratted me out 100%. But I have lost 9lbs since my last fill 4 weeks ago.

Interesting thread! I was prepared for the weight loss to be slow, I did lots of research before going shead and asked my surgeon and dietician lots of questions.

The reality has been that my weight loss has by far exceeded my and my sugeons expectations. Since starting my pre op diet on 22 August 08 and being banded on 6 November 2009 I have lost 100lbs and am only 16 lbs away from my target weight.

I think some people are not fully prepared for surgery, some don't get much information from their bariatric team and others ignore what they have been told and don't work with thier bands.

although I have lost a really good amount of weight, it hasn't been all plain sailing, it has taken a lot of hard work but I have been one of those really lucky people who has achieved good restriction easily. I don't like my band too tight as I prefer to be able to eat a reasonable amount.

I have seen a lot of bandsters here that have thier bands so tight they can barely eat apart from Protein shakes, I like to eat solid food so have mine looser.

Exercise has also played a big part and although my band is responsible for my weight loss, the exercise has helped boost this and tighten everything up.

My advice to anyone considering a band is research really well and this is for the long term so if it take a few months to get proper restriction, don't become disheartened. Be prepared to work with your band which sometimes means you can't eat your favourite foods and take plenty of exercise.

Sue

I've just had a fill three weeks ago and have lost 15lb. When I first had it done years ago, I lost 15lb in my first week!

To all who responded, thank you! I love a good discussion and you all certainly have provided one.

After reading them all, I think that we all are looking for the one thing that will make this journey to weight loss more successful. We hope to finally reach the weight we know is good for us yet we still bring with us some heavy (no pun intended) baggage. It is hard to forget the many times we have lost and then gained, watching all our good intentions fall to the wayside, and then look at something new with any degree of confidence. We have beaten ourselves down so often that we have a hard time getting ourselves emotionally positive. I understand this only too well. That is why I asked for honesty and you all replied.

So here is what I am taking away from this discussion -

I am looking at this as personal challenge and a do-over. I will try not to expect fast weight loss and will work to make this tool a success. Yes, I have failed in the past but those days are gone. I have proven I have the skill set to lose weight, now I will have the tool set to accomplish it. It may take me years, but hey, I wanted more years of life anyways, right? What better way to use those years than to better my life?! You folks are great support and a good sounding board to find my path. Thank you all!

Elgrad

I knew it would be slow and in the beginning I was saying I should have had the bypass. At the same time who want the hanging skin??? So right now I'm happy seeing the weight trickle rather than not at all. I try to make my goals ten pounds at a time so that it don't seem so big. Eventually, hopefully in a year I'll have another 70 off reaching my goal. It's slow but I didn't gain all off this over night.

I have not been banded yet, just finished my final appointment. But I wanted to say THANK YOU for this topic and thank you for all the honest posts. I very much enjoyed reading your reply's and will refer back to these if and when I get approved by my insurance and go through all the phases that you spoke about.

I knew going in it would take some time, but rejoiced in a slow consistent loss. I didn't weigh at home, so when I got to the office a 5 lb loss seemed monumental. I'm 5"7" tall and I started at 232 lbs and am now about 145. Lost it over a year......looking back that seems really fast......and actually it was fun for me thru the whole journey.....shopping all along the way, new sizes, lots of compliments, etc......

My story is so similiar to others it is uncanny. I do judge myself by others success because I honestly have no idea what my body is going to do. i look at the you tubers that have lost 88 lbs in 5 months and I get frustrated that I cant do what they do.

The mind hunger is my down fall but i know that since I am aware of it... it is just a matter of time before I am able to overcome it. I was 278 lbs in february 2009 this was three months before I had my surgery. On surgery day I was 264.5 and today I am 254 with clothes... But last friday with clothes off I was 249. I went out had and had several drinks... some taco cabana... and I believe a half a bag ( family sized )of hot cheetos puffs. On saturday morning I weighed 258. i had a 9 lbs weight gain overnight. I TOTALLY WANTED TO CRY. But I just picked myself back up and I have lost roughly 4 lbs in 3days. i go for a fill today and at my last fill 3 weeks ago I was 257 so ...

THE BAND WORKS. I will never say it doesnt BUT it is just a tool. We still have to do the work. We still have to make the effort and until I do this my weight will NOT come off like those You tubers with 88 in 5 months.

They were committed. They wanted it BAD. I mean I want it but I tend to reward myself when I loose a pound and in this case I gained 9 ouch ....

So the question is how do we do it... there is no secret pill... no magic way... but there is an answer ... .

Be committed, remember even when you f-up get back up, and remember you are not alone. We are banders and this is a journey that we decided we wanted to take.

We are not a lone and we can help each other!

Edited June 16, 200917 yr by therylme

I don't always make the mark. Chocolate is my absolute weakness. So, I eat chocolate. I don't want to live life deprived. I do make sure I walk two miles at least 3 times a week; in addition, I weight train. It's slow but we have to make the best of the tool we chose.