I'm looking for some feedback, particularly from those of you who have had your band for more than 6 months.

I'm seeing an awful lot of posts here and on another forum from people who, post band, are still hungry and not losing weight and are being told it's because they need to suck it up regarding the hunger, exercise and go on a diet (like Watchers), implying that unless they do, they won't lose the weight.

This is becoming a serious issue with me because I'm not going to go through surgery, put a foreign body into my stomach and deal with all of those issues, just to be told I still have to "go on a diet and exercise program and 'suck it up' re: the hunger." I can do all that without spending $20k or going through surgery.

I don't expect the band to do it all *but* I do expect to be able to eat smaller portions of good food choices without hunger. I do expect to lose weight on these smaller portions and without spending all of my spare time exercising. In fact, I expect to lose weight without exercising at all since (a) I will be eating a fraction of what I did to keep my body this size and ( recent reports show that while exercise is good for you, it's not necessary to lose weight...it really is all about the food. I'm not saying you might not lose more, faster...but that's not the same as just losing.

If these are unrealistic expectations, I'd like to know now and save myself the aggravation of the surgery and follow-up. Having serious doubts here...

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First off getting the lap band done is not the answer for everything. It is a tool, a tool that you must work with. You must "follow" a diet of protein rich foods and exercise to be truly successful. You will lose weight without exercise but not nearly as much as the person who chooses to exercise. As far as following a diet, there are things you need to do to be successful such as eating a lot of protein, staying away from high fat foods, and eating several small meals throughout the day. The wonderful thing about the band is it brings it all together, allowing you to be satisfied sooner and eat less. It is a journey to get to the place of a good amount of restriction, you must get fills and follow the rules of the band. For some people it takes 1 fill , for others it takes 10 fills, it really depends. Good luck to you, I know this was the best decision I have ever made, and I hope your decision either way is to.

You must "follow" a diet of Protein rich foods and exercise to be truly successful.

I followed Atkins for 5 months and lost 70 lbs...no exercise. In fact, when I exercised, I became ravenously hungry. It was nice to read in Time that it wasn't 'all in my head' as I had been told. So I expect to lose with the Lap Band without exercising since it ostensibly reduces my ability to chow down as I did before.

As far as following a diet, there are things you need to do to be successful such as eating a lot of protein, staying away from high fat foods, and eating several small meals throughout the day.

I do not disagree, but what I'm seeing is lots of people who are stomach growling hungry. Now, perhaps this is because they're making the wrong choices or perhaps they haven't reached restriction, but my question is...after restriction can I expect to not have to deal with hunger because that is what I have been given to expect.

The wonderful thing about the band is it brings it all together, allowing you to be satisfied sooner and eat less. It is a journey to get to the place of a good amount of restriction, you must get fills and follow the rules of the band. For some people it takes 1 fill , for others it takes 10 fills, it really depends.

Ok...so you're saying then that the reason these people are hungry is due to not having enough fill or not making the right 'good food' choices which means they're filling up on empty calories?

Thanks for helping me on this.

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I've had my lap band for 7.5 months and have lost 91 lbs. It has literally changed my life for the better. My cholesterol was over 300 and now is normal. I was taking three different blood pressure meds daily and now not needing any meds. Once adequate restriction was obtained, my appetite and amt. that I was eating drastically decreased. I feel soooooooo much better and my energy level has gone way up. I truly feel the lap band saved my life. I hope you have good results with it like I have. Just remember, it is a tool and you have to work with it...

I think that the first few weeks, maybe over a month is the toughest. We are use to consuming so much more before the band and when you take that away you always feel hungry. Even if you are not truely hungry your head makes you think you are. Your body goes from thousands of calories to hundreds basically overnight. The liquid and mushies is what most everyone on here are referring to as "starving". You do feel that way too, I won't lie. But like all things time passes and you will move out of that stage. Soups and things along those lines are probably one of the worst things you can eat and expect restriction. They are "slider" foods and there for don't give you that full feeling. After your first few months I would limit them. It is about what you eat, protein is the most important thing. I have had my band for over a year and it is the tool that I needed to help me. I still struggle with food and more than likely will for the rest of my life but I would never change having it. I am feeling the need for a fill now . Well blah blah blah I could talk forever. Oh and I think having support is a must!! I don't have a group so it sometimes is lonely. You need people that understand your feelings and emotions. Good luck in your adventures...what ever your choose.

I got banded on 3/12/09. It has been a very slow weight loss for me and at times frustrating as h3LL. But at the same time it has been the single best thing I have ever done for myself. If I am not at my sweet spot I am pretty darn close. It has taken a long time to get here and yes there were times that I struggled with hunger. But that was an indication that I wasn't restricted enough. It is a journey and a learning process -- not only learning about how to eat and what to eat, but also about yourself and what triggers you to eat. I'm learning to really question whether I'm truly hungry or if it is head hunger. Honestly, for years I ate based on head hunger. I hadn't felt hunger pangs in years, but now I know when I'm truly hungry. Do I slide sometimes and fall back into my head hunger? Sure, sometimes. But I am so much more aware of it now. My surgeon was also very clear that the band is not a magic bullet to lose weight but a tool to help you. If I wanted to not exercise and still eat ice cream, cookies, mashed potatoes, chips, etc. I could because those things go down really easy. It's still up to me to decide if I want to exercise and eat healthier choices. That's why it's a tool. Unfortunately, there is no dumping to make you sick when you eat bad things so it is still something you have to work at. I would like to be farther along than I am -- my home scale says 45 lbs down -- but I am committed to making lifestyle changes and that's what you need to realize. You won't "diet" no more, but you will need to make a commitment to eat differently in so many ways and if you add exercise to the plan you will help it along. Good luck to you. It's not for everyone but for me it has been life changing. If you decide to go this route you'll need to continually remind yourself that it is a slow journey but with time you will get there.

Elfie,

If you are not planning to exercise then I don't think the band is going to give you very good results.

I exercise daily for the results that I have obtained and I still feel the weight is coming off very slowly. The average with the lapband is 1-2 pounds per week. This is the result I am getting with exercise and I am right at 6 months post-op.

If I were you and not wanting to exercise I would look into a different WLS such as the gastric bypass where you will lose the weight faster whether you exercise or not.

Sorry if you don't like my answer but this really is my honest opinion. Hope I have helped you.

Just one more thing........you do not have to go on a diet. You should be able to eat a normal high Protein, low fat, low carb diet and still lose.

Whoever told you that you had to do weight watchers is incorrect. I'm sure it would be of some benefit but hardly necessary.

If fact, I don't think of what I am doing as a diet at all. I went into this knowing I needed to make a lifestyle change which is what I have done. I just make healthy food choices and eat 3 meals per day. I rarely snack.

I no longer live as a couch potato. I am active and enjoy life so much more then I ever dreamed possible. Getting into shape (exercise) has helped me to achieve this.

Note: I am only half way to my goal.

Edited October 14, 200916 yr by happy2lose
add another sentence

I got banded on 3/12/09. It has been a very slow weight loss for me and at times frustrating as h3LL. But at the same time it has been the single best thing I have ever done for myself. If I am not at my sweet spot I am pretty darn close. It has taken a long time to get here and yes there were times that I struggled with hunger. But that was an indication that I wasn't restricted enough. It is a journey and a learning process -- not only learning about how to eat and what to eat, but also about yourself and what triggers you to eat. I'm learning to really question whether I'm truly hungry or if it is head hunger. Honestly, for years I ate based on head hunger. I hadn't felt hunger pangs in years, but now I know when I'm truly hungry. Do I slide sometimes and fall back into my head hunger? Sure, sometimes. But I am so much more aware of it now. My surgeon was also very clear that the band is not a magic bullet to lose weight but a tool to help you. If I wanted to not exercise and still eat ice cream, Cookies, mashed potatoes, chips, etc. I could because those things go down really easy. It's still up to me to decide if I want to exercise and eat healthier choices. That's why it's a tool. Unfortunately, there is no dumping to make you sick when you eat bad things so it is still something you have to work at. I would like to be farther along than I am -- my home scale says 45 lbs down -- but I am committed to making lifestyle changes and that's what you need to realize. You won't "diet" no more, but you will need to make a commitment to eat differently in so many ways and if you add exercise to the plan you will help it along. Good luck to you. It's not for everyone but for me it has been life changing. If you decide to go this route you'll need to continually remind yourself that it is a slow journey but with time you will get there.

The puppy in this avatar is the cutest I have ever seen. What breed is it?

Elfie,

If you are not planning to exercise then I don't think the band is going to give you very good results.

I exercise daily for the results that I have obtained and I still feel the weight is coming off very slowly. The average with the LAP-BAND® is 1-2 pounds per week. This is the result I am getting with exercise and I am right at 6 months post-op.

If I were you and not wanting to exercise I would look into a different WLS such as the gastric bypass where you will lose the weight faster whether you exercise or not.

I disagree. If exercise was the answer to losing weight, then why are those who are exercising 3-4+ times a week still having trouble losing weight? As I said before, I lost 70 pounds...and have kept it off...with nothing more than diet.

I have *never* exercised with any diet I was on and I still lost weight. Some 'experts' are now saying that exercise is not the key to losing weight and, in fact, may actually be the cause of weight gain because hunger increases.

Logically, the Lap Band creates a situation where we should not be able to eat the calories we were prior to the band. The decrease in calories alone should cause weight loss. If not, then there's something wrong with the whole idea of how the Lap Band works.

I've received a number of private e-mails from people who have shared with me that they eat just as they did prior to the lab band...but less. They eat like people who are not overweight. They don't count calories. They don't exercise. Their lives no longer revolve around food...either by overeating or by obsessing about calories and exercise. They've lost weight and they are happy. Sounds good to me.

Please read my posts again. I don't care if I ever see 130 pounds again. I just want to be at a weight where I can Live! Live! Live! as Auntie Mame says...and that doesn't involve being a gym rat several times a week. I also don't care how long it takes. I'm changing my life...not 'dieting'.

The point of this thread though was to find out whether the Lap Band did what it promised...or whether it was nothing more than a mental placebo where diet, exercise and hunger was still the rule of the day for losing the weight. Only a few have answered that question.

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Just one more thing........you do not have to go on a diet. You should be able to eat a normal high Protein, low fat, low carb diet and still lose.

Whoever told you that you had to do weight watchers is incorrect. I'm sure it would be of some benefit but hardly necessary.

If fact, I don't think of what I am doing as a diet at all. I went into this knowing I needed to make a lifestyle change which is what I have done. I just make healthy food choices and eat 3 meals per day. I rarely snack.

I no longer live as a couch potato. I am active and enjoy life so much more then I ever dreamed possible. Getting into shape (exercise) has helped me to achieve this.

Note: I am only half way to my goal.

Thank you. This post answered my question.

I don't plan on exercising though. I plan on living and I can't wait to get to the point where I can back pack and cross country ski again!!

My apologies if any of my posts seem a bit 'irritated'. I'm not...just in sort of a hurry as I'm heading out the door. Thanks!

With all do respect Elfie, studies old and new show that diet and exercise together contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

There is no way I could have hiked up the Big Sur River and climbed over huge boulders as big as an average sedan last month if I didn't have the upper body strength or stamina I earned through hard exercise. Not to mention how much worse my body would look with all the hanging excess skin if I didn't exercise.

Exercise is the only way to maintain lean muscle through weight loss.

You are in denial if you don't see the health benefits of exercise. I don't care if you exercise or not, it's your choice. I just hate to hear you misinforming other bandsters.

With all do respect Elfie, studies old and new show that diet and exercise together contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

I never said they didn't contribute to a healthy 'lifestyle'. My remarks had to do with those who say you can't lose weight without exercising. That's just not true and recent research backs it up.

There is no way I could have hiked up the Big Sur River and climbed over huge boulders as big as an average sedan last month if I didn't have the upper body strength or stamina I earned through hard exercise.

Perhaps you live a more sedentary life the rest of the time and needed the exercise? I've never 'exercised' but at 200 pounds I was hiking in much the same terrain in the Rocky Mountains a mile plus above sea level. Then again I had a fairly active lifestyle which included backpacking and cross country skiing. I'd much rather stay in shape through fun activities. Working out at a gym? Not going to happen.

Not to mention how much worse my body would look with all the hanging excess skin if I didn't exercise.

The hanging skin isn't affected by exercise...just the muscles underneath. Hanging skin is more directly affected by hydration, skin elasticity and age.

You are in denial if you don't see the health benefits of exercise. I don't care if you exercise or not, it's your choice. I just hate to hear you misinforming other bandsters.

I see the healthy benefits of an active lifestyle. One does not need to exercise if they have an active lifestyle. If someone's lifestyle is sedentary, then 'exercise' may be the way to go.

Also, please do not put words in my mouth. My comments were related to exercise being necessary to lose weight and had nothing to do with contributing to a healthy lifestyle.

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I guess I see things from the perspective of wanting to be healthy not just to lose weight.

I hope everything works out for you ElfiePoo

Elfie,

Have you done any research on the gastric sleeve?

I've heard that people that have the sleeve no longer experience hunger.

Just a thought!

I guess I see things from the perspective of wanting to be healthy not just to lose weight.

I hope everything works out for you ElfiePoo

But isn't that what I've been saying?

If my goal was to 'lose weight', I'd sign up at the local gym and work out as many nights as I needed to get to goal.

My goal is not to 'lose weight'. It's to be healthy...and I can do that without 'exercising'. We (used to) love to camp and would hike miles, cross country ski, backpack, kayak and swim. I used to go to the local high school and swim laps for an hour 3 times a week. I don't see this as 'exercise' but as living a healthy lifestyle. My doctor told me I was healthier and more in shape at 200 pounds than most women are at their goal (read: insurance chart) weight.

Unfortunately, the birth of my youngest and starting a new business 2 years later led to a more sedentary lifestyle which caused an ever increasing spiral downward.

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