I'm really confused! I hear and read over and over that lapband patients can expect to lose 50% - 75% of their excess weight. Why isn't it 100%? What factors is that including? Is that "given no lifestyle changes other than those caused by the band directly?"

I'm sure there's a simple answer, but I'm just not getting it. As long as you're burning more calories than you're consuming, you will lose weight... so why are the lapband stats so relatively low? In other words -- help me see the factors that play into those numbers. It takes an equal amount of 0s and 100s to equal 50%, so what "pulls down" the average?

Sorry - I'm way too analytical for my own good, and I must understand completely how everything works.

The band isn't a "magic fix". You don't get the band and the weight automatically falls off. Some people stay very dedicated the whole way, eat correctly, don't fall into mushy syndrome and they lose everything they need to. Others lose some along the way, get lax about what they eat, are happy to have something off and end up not going the distance.

Every band patient begins with the POTENTIAL to lose 100% of their weight. But it is up to each person to decide how they are going to go.

Good luck with your decisions!

Thanks, that's what common sense was telling me, but the statistics I saw were surprisingly low. If I do this I will be 110% committed. There's NO WAY I would *volunteer* for the only surgery I've ever had, and live with the consequences, and not take full advantage of it.

I suspected it was a behavioral issue, but didn't want to assume. I know sometimes the body can be very resistant to losing weight, and thought maybe that had a bigger influence than I was thinking.

BTW - I went to an information seminar lastnight. At the end the doc had some bandsters & RNYers in to talk with the group about their experiences. There were 2 bandsters, and both were talking about how glad they were that they could still eat Cookies, ice cream, and have their chocolate shakes w/o PBing. Great example, huh?

They were probably trying to discreetly point out that bandsters can still have sweets (as opposed to RNY'ers who have trouble with sugar).

If I lose 75% of my excess body weight, that would put me at around 176. I hope to reach 150, but in all honesty I'd be walking on sunshine if I reach 176. We'll just have to see...

It's good to get geared up to be 100% compliant, but don't forget to be proud of any changes you're able to make. The band will help, but it's not going to change all of the behaviors that helped you get heavy in the first place.

I'd be interested to know what percentage of people are able to lose 90 - 100% of their excess body weight. Has anyone seen the stats on this?

It's hard to lose wieght after the plateau and frankly my personal opinion is that people quit trying b/c the weight they've lost is "good enough" for them. I think everyone has the potential to lsoe all the weight but when they speak statistics they have to factor in everyone with the band - which means they will factor in people who have to get the band taken out due to a complication and they don't lose all the weight, and people who never get a fill b/c they have refulx so they never lose all the weight, and people like some people I've seen at my docs office who just don't try! For example, one woman I saw in the waiting room sais she didn't do the pre-op diet b/c she "didn't feel like it" and ate fajitas and margaritas the night before surgery - I'm sorry but if you have no self control the friggin' night before surgery you probably won't be as sucessful. Then also take the 2 other women who had surgery tha same day as me. One said she refused to give up oreos and chocolate milk, and the other said the only protein shakes she would drink was Boost b/c she liked the taste (HELLO FULL OF SUGAR!!!!) and she said that losing 1/2 the weight was "good enough" for her. May I also mention that I had to pay for my own band yet these people had Medicaid pay for it! Tax dollars hard at work right??? Anyways, when you look at statistics they factor in EVERYONE - and I don't worry b/c I know I don't need chocolate milk and oreos, I do exersize, I can follow my docs instructions, I will get fills, etc so I believe in my heart I can lose 100% and all I need is that faith in myself - not statistics!

As the Turtle Spokes-Model, I have to point out that some of us are model bandsters--following the rules obsessively and still lose next to nothing, certianly not the 1-2 pounds a week. Hell, I'm losing an average of 1 pound a month. But I'm still plugging along.

I don't know where or how they determin the inital amount of "excessive weight." We have some people who put on muscle mass to the point where the amount of weight they need to lose changes. They don't need to lose as much weight because they have changed their metabolic rate, as well as their physiologies. This could partially account for the statistic that folks only lose 50-70% of their excess weight.

It could also be that many of us start out with higher FFM (fat free mass) than folks who've never had a weight issue, especially if we are active. It takes more muscle to move us around than some 98 pound weakling.

Also, this statistic is going to include people who've lost weight but could not deal with the consequences of being thin. Many of us are running for something and find that being fat is a wonderful shield and armor. Or we think it is anyway. I know the last time I lost weight I was freaked out by all the sudden attention of men. Freaked Out.