Hi everyone, I'm very interested in being banded, but my BMI is currently at 35. I did have a surgeon approve me for the procedure, but I'd like to hear from any of you who started out at a lower starting BMI.

I have fibromyalgia, and the drugs I take for that are not optional, however, they have resulted in a significant weight gain and a dramatic increase in my appetite. With the fibro, every extra pound means more pain, so I'm pretty desperate to at least stop this in its tracks.

Can anybody share? Thanks.

Hello,

I had a lower BMI I am 5'6 and I was 229 when I had my surgery on 12/15/08. I am currenty 184. I love my band and am so happy that I had it. I had to pay cash as my isurance denied me because my BMI was to low. I am currently about 20 lbs away from my goal. I am almost a year out and hope to reach my goal by February or March. So to answer you question the lower your BMI the slower the weight loss. But its so worth it. Good luck.

I was a BMI of 37 when I first called my surgeon, BMI of 35 on the day of surgery, and was at a BMI of 25 within 7 months of being banded.

It worked really well for me, being a low BMIer. I'm glad I did it when my BMI was still under 40, because the way I was headed, it wasn't going to be under 40 for long.

I started with a BMI of just under 32. I am 153cm and my heighest weight ever was 74kg in Jan this year. I was 72.5 at start of preop diet and 70kg on surgery day 2 June.

It is now 5 months later and I weigh 56.5kg. A total loss of 17.5kg. I am no longer obese, not even overweight. I still have approx another 4kg to go to my goal. the weight loss now is fairly slow - I can go for weeks without my scales moving at all but i am sure that this is because I am so close to goal.

I would do this again in an instant. I have lost weight many times before and always regained it. However for the past 4 years I have struggled to even lose it.I know that I could not have achieved this without the band.

I had a BMI of 36 and GREAT results. I lost quite slowly but very steadily and now have a BMI of 21. I did/do a lot of exercise to get there though, but it was easier for me than had I been much heavier.

I also didnt get a lot of loose skin. I could use some tightening up, dont get me wrong but I can also live without it not looking any worse than any other woman that's 42 and has had 3 babies.

I had a BMI of 35.3, I weighed 193 and I am 5'2" tall. I was banded in April of this year and now I am down to 146, which makes my BMI 26.7. My own personal goal weight is 135 which will make me a "healthy" BMI. Being banded is the best thing I have ever done, with the exception of my kiddos! My doctor told me that I was the perfect candidate for the band because I did not have any co-morbidities yet and I was not too overweight and still fairly young, ha, gotta love him for that one! I think if you have a doctor you like and he has approved you, GO FOR IT!

Deanna

I am four months out, started at 190 and now around 185. I dont have much restriction. I really hope that with more restriction the band will start working for me. But to answer your question, so far I have not been very successful with low BMI and the band.

I'm a little nervous about the low bmi thing. I am 5'4" and weight 185 pounds. I am actually trying to gain a little weight right now so that i don't get turned away on my surgery date which is in early December. Does anyone know why weight loss would be slower with low bmi patients?

Well normally the closer you are to goal the harder it is to lose. Haven't you every noticed that the lbs come off far quicker at the start of a diet than towards the end.

People who have lots of weight normally lose much quicker initially.

It also depends on what you are eating before you start dieting. Someone that eats 4000 cal a day prior to banding and then reduces that to 1200 is going to lose a lot quicker than someone eating 2000 cal prior to banding.

I started out with a lower BMI but I am taller and had more weight even though my BMI was low. I have had what I consider decent success so far. It does get more difficult to lose as you get closer to your goal. I would check about the meds you are taking. It is possible they will not band you. I was required to take oral steriods for a very bad skin condition and was on them for three years. They would not band me while I was on them.

I started with a low BMI and am now at about 27 and have more to go (66# down). I've heard that low BMI'ers generally lose a higher % of our excess weight. The weight loss slows for most people the closer you get to goal...usually around 30# from goal it will slow down dramatically during this period of Goal Limbo, and for us low BMIers we're in this period a higher % of our WL time simply because we didn't have as many pounds to lose so we get to Goal Limbo faster.

OT Sidenote: For those that need insurance approval and are close to the minimum BMI:

11/10/08 I peed my pants! - LAP-BAND

it is harder to lose weight with lower bmi's because you weigh less thus your 'maintenance' calories are lower THUS to lose a lb of fat you need to spend more time trying to get to that deficit (of 3500 cals). example someone who is 400 lbs has maintanane of roughly 4000 cals they can practicallyh lose a lb a day if eating 1000 cals. BUT if someone is 120 lbs and eating 1000 cals a day it will take them 2 weeks to lose that lb (1200 maintenance) - I did the math quick but you get the idea.

I'm a low BMI'er -- the weight loss has been slow...VERY slow. At this point I can't say that I would do it all over again. You'll see people on here who say that their weight just dropped off, I can definitely say that I have had to fight for every single ounce I've lost!

I was relatively low BMI being a hair under 40. I lost it all the first year to get into the normal BMI range of under 25 and am maintaining decently. I still fluctuate a little up and down but so far it has been manageable.

Just have to say that I love that someone posted this. I got banded 2 weeks ago, and had a bmi of around 35. I'm 5'2 1/2" (always thought I was 5"3' until my first consult), and started at 191. I decided to have the surgery becuase I know that with out it after marriage, kids, life, I know I would have gradually put on weight and I didn't want to wake up one morning and have a bmi of 45 instead of 35. I would have been far worse off than I am now if I would have waited. I felt I needed to take my life and weight into my own hands, and I did!!!

I have already lost 13lbs, and right now I'm around the weight that I couldn't get past on diets on my own. I would always get here, get stuck and gain the weight back. I'm excited to get past this point. I'm very optimistic about this surgery and I'm looking forward to reaching my goal of 135lbs, and a healthy bmi!!

I started with a BMI of about 36.5. I was about to turn 27 and weighed in at 199 lbs at 5'2.5". I'd been overweight my entire life. The band has always been about maintenance for me. I have lost weight before, but have never been able to keep it off. The band has been the best thing that ever happened to me. I maintain effortlessly and i have continued to slowly creep closer and closer to my goal weight.