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Welcome Julie! I'm very sorry you had to endure an abusive marriage. My heart goes out to you. The band works beautifully, I think the trick is understanding exactly what the band does and doesn't do. The band is meant to keep you satisfied on less food for longer periods of time- which is does great. However, the band isn't mean to physically stop you from eating. So, even with the band, you'll still have to make good food choices and monitor your portion sizes. The thing with any WLS surgery, the key is lifestyle change. It doesn't matter which surgery you choose, you can and will gain the weight back if you regress back to old bad habits. So when you ask "will the band work?" Yes, the band will work but only if you do the work to be successful with it. As far as goals, I know many who've lost 100 pounds in a year so I think that's a very reasonable goal. Best wishes to you.

I stated the 5%, and take it offensively if you must, but I don't know you or your story so obviously it wasn't aimed at you. And it is correct, by the way. There are numerous clinical studies that support that percentage. "Major complications requiring re-operation occurred in 106 (5.9%) patients."- http://www.obesitylapbandsurgery.com/statmain.html "About one in 20 patients had the band removed during the study period. (5%)"- http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/weight-stays-off-long-after-lap-band-surgery/ You can't argue statistics based on facts.

I agree with you totally. I see people come on here all the time that are seriously and totally clueless because their surgeons didn't educate them at all. Unfortunately, this is especially true of people going to Mexico for bands. I don't doubt Jackie's intentions, and I'm sorry for any misunderstandings, but unfortunately a lot of us are on the defensive because of band bashers and took her post the wrong way.

I do after every surgery. When I had surgery in August (not band related) I weighed 7 pounds more when I got home from the hospital. I almost had a heart attack lol. But, within a week after, the 7 pounds were gone again and took 2 more with them.

Wow...calm. I think the problem is the way you portrayed the information. It came across like another gloom and doom post against the Lap Band. If you really want to help people, they need to be aware of all the ways they can sabotage themselves with the band. Their greatest risk of severe complications isn't from their band it's from their own non-compliance and bad behavior.

I have, and I've also had an infection, and believe me there's a BIG difference.

I've had many incisions from numerous abdominal surgeries. Unless it's really foul smelling and/or the skin around the incision is newly red and hot to the touch, you'll be fine until Tuesday.

Ugh I remember those days, it was awful. I was on liquids for 4 weeks after surgery and thought I might eat my own foot I was so hungry! LOL You can have any Soup so long as you strain all the chunks out. V8 also makes some really good cream soups with no chunks. They have flavors like Tomato Garden, Potato Leek, and Butternut Squash. They're really good and have a full serving of veggies, too. Hang in there

I would definitely get into your doctor to have it checked. Not to worry you but you could have a slip. But the good part is, the sooner you catch it, the better chance of it being corrected without surgery. Plus, being on slider foods isn't good for your weight loss either, in fact it could lead to gaining. Best wishes to you. I'll be crossing my fingers everything is ok for you.

Small fluctuations in weight are totally normal. You can fluctuate even 3 or 4 pounds from day to day, even hour to hour. Sodium, hormones, even bowel function can all effect your weight. Plus, we have to remember our bodies aren't machines. It would be so easy if we just lost consistently based on our caloric intake but that's not the case. Our bodies don't want to give up the fat. They're programmed to hold onto it. So, sometimes we hit plateaus and even little increases that are just our body trying to hold onto that fat we're so desperately trying to get rid of. Give it a day or two and you'll see that pound gone. It'll probably take another with it, too.

Oh there's other like me on here, too! Floridays and Cazzy both lost over 200 pounds each and both are at their goal weights! There's a lot of people on here who've lost way over 100 or even 200 pounds. I'm still about 60 pounds from my goal weight but I know I'll get there eventually... and so will you!

You know, when I got my band 14 months ago, I had 2 friends getting Gastric Bypass within a month of me. For months I heard how stupid I was for not getting Bypass like them and how even the Sleeve would be better than the Band. I heard how I wouldn't lose as much as they would and I'd still be fat. Fast forward to today... one of the Bypass friends has only lost 60 pounds, and that was all in the first couple months and she's slowly gaining it back. The other Bypass friend only lost 30 pounds. I, with my Band that they bashed and told me I was stupid to get, have lost almost 200 pounds. Needless to say, no one tells me I was "stupid" to get the Band anymore

I'm so sorry for your loss You know, as awful as your current situation is, the silver lining is it's showing you how strong and committed you really are to getting healthy. You took responsibility for a little relapse into old habits but now you're right back in the game! You're going to great, I have no doubts.

Hello and welcome! When I deal with people speaking ignorance, I try to enlighten them with facts. For instance, only 5% of Lap Band complications resulting in removal are by no fault of the patient. The rest are the patient failure, not the band failure, because the patient wasn't doing what they were supposed to do. Unfortunately, the fact those that are howling loudest and most often are the ones that are having problems (usually self induced ones). What you don't see is all the happy, healthy people who've been successful with their band because they're too busy enjoying their lives to be bothered posting all over the internet. Hang in there and don't let the poorly informed naysayers get you down

Well when only 5% are having serious complications when following the rules, then yes the rest that don't follow the rules and have complications have no one to blame but themselves. It's called accountability. If you don't follow the rules and have complications because of it, the fault is your own.

I didn't come to that conclusion, Dr. Obrien who did the study on over 3000 Lap Band patients over a 15 year time period did. It's not my opinion, it's fact that's based on an actual clinical study. Only 5% of Lap Band patients have complications resulting in band removal by no fault of their own.

Cream soups with cottage cheese blended into them. It gives it more flavor and more Protein. Tuna salad, chicken salad, or egg salad put through the blender.

It really does

The only thing you can do- tough it out and stick to your calories. It sucks but we can't give into our hormones every month or we'd never lose. We'd probably even gain.

Ohhh sorry, I misunderstood! Learning to eat with your band is a learning experience. This is one of the reasons it's important to pause between bites, not only to give food time to pass through the band but for you to pause and evaluate "am I still hungry?" If you're not hungry before your 1 cup serving is gone, that's perfectly fine! One thing my doctor told me was to get over my hang up of "wasting food" because if I'm listening to my body and my band, I AM going to inevitably waste food sometimes. So, if you're good after 3/4 cup? Then just don't eat the 1/4 cup left. You don't have to eat a whole cup of food, you just shouldn't eat more than a cup. Btw, there are some foods that are just really filling and I know I can't eat a whole cup. Chili is one. I make a concoction with chili and low fat cream cheese and after wasting a lot of it numerous times, I know now not to bother serving myself more than 2/3 cup because I can't eat more than that. I hope that helps

Everyone here gave you great advice. I started about the same size you did, btw. I was 421. I know first hand how overwhelming it is to see the long journey ahead of you. But believe me, if I can do it so can you If you haven't seen a nutritionist yet, I would strongly suggest doing so. They can help you set up calorie and food guidelines specifically for you. I know I'd be totally lost if I didn't have all the information I got from mine at the beginning. Best wishes!

Then you should be fair and also add that the majority of complications with the band are due to patient failure, not band failure. And, that long term studies show success with the band. They also prove that when the patient follows the rules and does what they're supposed to, only 5% have to have their bands removed: "The study, the longest and most comprehensive yet reported, appears in the Annals of Surgery, and finds a significant number of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (lap banding) patients maintained an average weight loss of 26 kilograms for more than a decade after their procedure. Researchers analyzed the results in 3,227 patients who had gastric banding surgery in Australia between 1994, when the procedure was first introduced, and 2011. The patients in the study were averaged at 47 years-of-age and 78 percent were women. Of those patients, 714 had surgery at least 10 years ago and, on average, had maintained a weight loss of 26 kilograms, or almost half of their excess weight. The weight loss results were similar for the 54 patients in the study who had undergone treatment at least 15 years ago. “These results show that when you have a significant problem with obesity, a long-term solution is available,” says Professor Paul O’Brien of the Centre for Obesity Research and Education at Monash University in Melbourne. “This surgery is safe and effective, and it has lasting benefits. Substantial weight loss can change the lives of people who are obese—they can be healthier and live longer.” O’Brien says there are also important ramifications for the control of type 2 diabetes, which was strongly associated with being overweight. “In obese patients with type 2 diabetes, weight loss after gastric banding can lead to effective control of blood sugar levels without the need for medication in about three-quarters of cases,” O’Brien says. The patients included in the study had followed the rules of their treating team regarding eating, exercise, and activity and committed to returning permanently to the aftercare program. All the surgery was performed by O’Brien, an international pioneer of the technique, and Associate Professor Wendy Brown, President of the Obesity Surgery Society of Australia and New Zealand. There were no deaths associated with the surgery or with any later operations that were needed in about half of the patients. About one in 20 patients had the band removed during the study period. (5%) “In treating a chronic disease such as obesity over a lifetime, it is likely that something will need to be corrected at some time in some patients,” says O’Brien. “The study shows a marked reduction of revisional procedures with the introduction of the new version of the Lap-Band 6 years ago. Importantly, those who had revisional surgery lost as much weight in the long term as those who did not need it.” The report also included a comparison of gastric banding—which can be done as a day-surgery procedure—and more invasive types of weight-loss surgery such as gastric bypass that are high risk and require longer hospital stay. The weight loss with gastric banding, and the need for future revisional surgery, was similar to that with gastric bypass. “Access to weight-loss surgery in Australia remains severely limited for many obese patients as relatively few cases are treated within the public health system. We are working hard to improve access,” says O’Brien. “We have ample evidence that weight-loss surgery is effective, and it is unfair that half of eligible patients cannot be treated, particularly as it has been shown that gastric banding is a highly cost-effective health care measure. The stigma of obesity, and the assumption that it is the person’s fault, entrenches discrimination against people who could benefit.”

According to your profile, you're 5'2 which means your BMI is only 27. That is below the BMI requirements set by both Realize and Allergan, the makers of the most widely used gastric bands. If any doctor would perform Lap Band surgery on someone with a BMI of 27, they're obviously only in it for the money and not someone I would trust with my laundry let alone my life. Just my opinion.

I was told to measure food in cups whenever possible because they were concerned with volume rather than weight. A good example: Popcorn. It would take A LOT of popcorn to weigh 3oz, much more than fits in a cup. Likewise, something like baked Beans, is going to weigh more for a cup worth because it's heavier. Of course, I have to weigh Protein because it can't fit in a cup. But what I'll eat is 3oz of chicken, 1/2 cup green beans and a 1/4 cup mashed potatoes