What does my band do for me? That is what I have been asking myself lately. Everyone at work, everywhere I go, asks me how much weight I have lost. Oh it was great at first to have people notice, but now it is all the time and of course the question follows.

I tell them I am doing what I am supposed to. I am eating healthy, watching my portions and exercising. That is absolutely true. That is not a lie at all. So that has made me ask myself what the band is doing for me. I know it is doing a lot. I don’t mean to say that it isn’t. I just need to know how the band is working for me.

1. The band reminds me to take smaller bites. If I don’t take small bites things get stuck and I start to slime. That isn’t fun. Today I had roast beef and I started to slime. If I mix textures I don’t really have a lot of trouble. I mixed cottage cheese with my roast beef. I know it sounds gross, but I really like it. After I mixed the two I didn’t have ANY problems, even with a little bigger bites. Not too big though.

2. The band helps me to get full faster. Since my second fill I eat about 1 cup of food before I get full.

3. If I eat too much the band reminds me that I can’t do that! That means chest pain and feeling crappy!

4. The band curbs hunger almost to the point that I can ignore it if I get busy. I don’t starve myself. I eat three meals a day, but if I am busy and don’t eat for an hour after I start to get hungry it really doesn’t bother me. I am more susceptible to eating poorly if I wait too long and don’t plan ahead.

That’s it. That is what the band does for me. What I mean is that there are things that the band doesn’t do for me.

1. It doesn’t buy healthy food and throw out all the crappy food.

2. It doesn’t keep track of what I eat.

3. It doesn’t keep me from stopping and getting ice cream or a milkshake or other high calorie food that would slip right through the band.

4. It doesn’t drive me to the gym.

5. It doesn’t make me step on the scale and be accountable.

I work hard for what is happening. I am thankful for the band. I am thankful that I did this now instead of later. I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. I guess that is what I will keep telling everyone when they ask.

This is my journey, my decision to keep it secret and when I succeed it will be MY SUCCESS!

congratulations i was just banded jan 7 i am keeping mine a secret too between my husband and my best friend that is it. i am on liquids and soups and juices for one more week....our dr says no steak for a year please email me too i need support although i am not hungry i am sure that will come in time seabeepat@aol.com

I think you hit the nail on the head, and really describe what the band is all about. It is just a TOOL and we need to be conscious of what we put in our mouth. The band helps 'remind' us that we can't just shovel food in, or eat too much. I LOVE MY BAND! I don't keep my band a secret. I am very proud of the band and want everyone to know how it has helped me stay on track and be successful. Although the band is just a TOOL, I could not have lost the weight without it.

I agree with you about being asked how much weight you have lost being 'fun' in the beginning...it really makes you feel good. But after awhile it gets to be an old topic...and your thinking to yourself, was I that disgusting before that people have to rant and rave now????? I have also found that people I know who haven't seen me in awhile tend to just sit and stare at me. I think it is because they can't believe how different I look. But it can be kind of embarassing...it can also be hard on your spouse, friends, or family who are around you all the time and get sick of people asking you about your weight loss when they have heard the story a million times and may even be struggling with losing weight themselves.... You will be glad to know that it slows down over time. People ask less and less, because they forget what you looked like before. :tounge_smile: Congrats on your band and all your hard work....KEEP IT UP! :thumbup:

Amber (luv2teach)

Thanks for the reminder. I needed to hear it. Yes the band is working for me, but I still have to put in the effort. Plus sometimes I forget just how hard I have been working.

Good luck on your journey and keep working that band!!

Thanks,

Amanda

I also have not told anyone other than the doc and my husband. There is no need for anyone else to know. I have lost 60 pounds so far and will continue to lose more. I also tell people I am doing the right things to accompolish this. I do eat properly and go to the gym and drink lots of water. I believe this is the biggest key!

I do have my days when I eat the wrong foods and then I start a new day and get back on track. I also find if I mix the textures I can tolerate the food better. I can eat a 1/4 of a hamburger lets say on a bun (breads are killers for me) but if I put a tomato on it with the mustard it will go down and stay down. I had some huge issues with vomiting and it was out of control until I went back for a defill. It was too tight and I could not keep anything down. That was a challenge because of course everyone around you suddenly notices how many times you head for the bathroom when you are supposed to be eating. Anyways I love this opportunity I have been given even though it has cost me 16 grand, it is still worth it since it is my life. And come to think of it I have probably paid more over the years with diet fads, diet pills. food aids, diet drinks, prepackaged food fads, clothes to fit every size from a 4 - 20 and of course all of the gym memberships. So I am ahead of the game for sure as I am geting back my health and my enjoyment of doing things in life.

Thank you so very much for sharing this...

I have been wondering if I too could just keep it private from alot of people. As I have to deal with a few very opinionated people. Currently I work as a caregiver and my boss tends to get a bit too involved in my personal business and I have been wondering how I might deal with her as Im certain she would react very negatively to my decision.

Your post lets me know that I can hopefully keep it a private matter.

Best wishes on your continuing success..

Mifive,

I should have mentioned I work with a bunch of women and we all know women can be catty somewhat so this was the main reason I wanted them not to know. Besides they a e my coworkers not anyone I truly care enough about to have them offer opinions on my life. But as for the others in my life who I do care about they too would not necessarily see why I would choose to do this. When I was vomiting alot I simply said the food is stuck adn fortunately for me it was my dad who said awww she probably has a hietal hernia as he has and has had for years. I never really agreed or disagreed with the ailment but if I am in a predicament where the food is not staying I will say something like oh for petes sake it is stuck i ahve this ledge like thing and I point to mt port area and say right about here and say food sometimes gets stuck so again not a lie,.....where are you at for your banding and how are you doing

Thanks for all the encouragement guys. This place is a life saver....so is this band come to think of it.

Great post. Thank you!

Julie.ann, I hope you don't mind, I copied and pasted your post to send to 2 friends of mine. I want to get the band and a co-worker and I talked about it but she's young and not sure--she has time. And my best friend considered it a few years ago after emergency back surger but says she likes to eat too much to do it. I am so worried of losing her too young as she is in her early 40's and has diabetes.

Anyway, thanks for your post, it helped answer my question of why do the band if the diet and excersise is the same as w/o the band.

This is a great post. It also help keep things in perspective.

Cingulus

Julie Ann - This is a wonderful post! I have had some food issues these past 2 weeks and wasn't sure what I was doing right or wrong. Just yesterday self-discovered all the things you mentioned in your post. I was banded 2/13/09 with a 1.5 cc fill on 3/19/09 and 2nd fill scheduled for 4/16/09. I have from the beginning thought of my lap-band as my "permanent monitor". It has helped me greatly. I have lost 33 pounds since December 2008 and have worked hard at it. I feel much healthier now and will keep on working on it until I reach my goal and beyond. Thank you for your words of encouragement! Laura