lellow

I was 209lbs when I was banded and that was after my pre-op diet where I lost about 6 lbs. I'm 5'4" and got to 154lb in 7 months, to 118lbs after another year (which my dr thought was too thin, and I think he was right even though I didn't think so at the time), then forced myself up to 130lbs and stayed there for about 2 years when I sprung a leak. My leak's been fixed, I'm 144lbs now but most importantly I have BFP of 19%, so I actually think I'm almost at my perfect size.

I ate Protein first mostly but didn't do low carb. I didn't count calories, I didn't do low fat. I just let the band help manage my portions (and tell me what it didn't like on occasion), I exercised and I ate a balanced diet. And I got fills til I was in the green zone. With that I lost 130% of my excess weight. That's how I did it, but it doesn't mean everyone should do it that way, of course.

I have had 1cc put in, was too tight, then had half of that removed (and she could hear my saliva gurgling through the band as she withdrew it too). That was more than enough to have removed. I am going back today to have 0.25cc replaced.

It's true. On average there is less weight loss with the lapband. I suspect this is for various reasons, one big of which is you CAN reverse the effects of the lapband by getting unfilled, or NOT getting the right level of fill in the first place. Also getting the right level of fill can be tricky sometimes, especially with a clinic that is not committed to aftercare. But to say that you cannot lose more than X percentage on the lapband is a complete and utter falsehood. Or I wouldn't be standing here with 100% of my excess weight lost. I don't have plication, I don't have anything but a lapband and my resolve. And my resolve is what kept me from gaining all the weight back when my band was leaking for 15 months. So go into it knowing it's probably going to be 30% the band helping you, and 70% you changing your mentality about food and fullness, and you go in with a good chance that you can lose all your excess weight. I chose to replace my leaking band with another band instead of the sleeve so I completely understand why the band would feel like the only choice for you right now. Don't let anyone dissuade you from a choice you're making for yourself.

I definitely enjoy food more now. I eat less so I don't want to waste the little I can eat on junk. I want beautifully made, fresh foods that give me texture and taste. I don't think what we did pre-band was enjoying food. What we did was enjoy the 'fullness' that food gave us. What I feel now is different, I feel like I actually enjoy food and not the fullness. There is nearly nothing you eat today in small portions that you can't eat more of tomorrow if you really feel like it. Fear of loss (of food) is one of the biggest emotional hurdles most of us have to get through, but we're not losing anything really, because it'll be there, tomorrow, next week, next month, so you can always have more of a taste of it if you ever feel like it. Thinking like that helped me stop over-eating, and stopped me from seeking 'fullness' and instead seeking 'satisfaction'.

At my lowest I'd lost 130% of my excess weight, but worked to gain some back (to a BMI of 23) and maintained for 3 years. I also experienced a persistent 15 month leak recently and gained a little more on top of that. But even so I'm still sitting on 100% of my excess weight lost.

I actually remove my ticker whenever I'm no longer trying to lose because it doesn't seem to make sense to me to have it there when I'm not tracking against it, but you make a good point that visually it's an easy way for people to see where you are at. So just as a result of this post, I've added mine again.

Your response to your FB 'friend' was great! And far nicer than I would have been. Disease, disorder, whatever it may be, there are interesting physiological studies that are starting to show how people who are overweight react differently to 'fullness' than thin people, and one documentary on it is the BBC produced "The Truth about Fat". Watching it helped my boyfriend understand why, when my band wasn't working, I constantly felt hungry. Yes, I could control what I put in my mouth, yes I could exercise to keep my weight down, but hunger was almost a demon for me to fight whereas for him it was just a function of making sure he ate to live. And suddenly it all made sense to him. If you can get to watch it, I think it'll suddenly make a lot of sense why we struggle with food like we do.

Everyone on FB knows that if you say something stupid like that in my newsfeed, you're going to get my opinion on the matter, and you may not like it anymore than I liked yours. But if that's not you, I agree you should unfriend at the very least. I am not shy about telling people that I relate to being an addict. food was my addiction. Except where heroin addicts get treatment and abstain to remain clean, I had to seek out my drug of choice 3 times a day, and I was supposed to be strong enough to stop at just 3 bites (like I do with the lapband?). How about 'get bent'? Having the willpower to stop at 3 bites when hungry 3 times a day for the rest of your life is something I sure as hell didn't have. Let's see a show of hands as to who actually has that sort of willpower, coz bully for you, you're a better person than me! I just needed that help to curb the hunger, and I lost weight. I'm proof that if you control hunger, you can control the addiction. How more logical and easy to understand could it be yet for some it seems so hard to figure out.

I gained weight after springing a leak in my band. I would say that I haven't had any restriction to speak of in the last 15 months until very recently. In the first 10 months of the leak I gained close to 35lbs. But then I started tracking what I was eating and exercising and I lost 15lbs of that. What I'm trying to say is you can control your weight gain until you get restriction back. I *know* how easy it is to gain weight back when you're struggling with hunger but don't let the good work you've done be undone. The funny thing is that now my band is working again and I've lost 5 more lbs, I actually don't want to lose anymore! 15lbs from my stable weight and I'm actually pretty happy!

With my first band it took me 8.5cc in a 10cc band to get good restriction. Like you, I didn't even feel it until I got to about 7cc. Like you, I'd feel it for a few days then the swelling from the fill would settle and it would disappear. All it means is you're not yet at your green zone. Get more fills. Now to add to what Missy said, when I'm in the green zone, I actually FEEL like I can't eat anymore once I've eaten a little bit of food. I'm right now sitting in front of a plate of food and I've had 3 bites and feel no desire to eat anymore because I feel like I can't take another bite. That's what you're striving for when getting the right restriction, imo. Satiety. Satisfaction. But you can push past that feeling and keep going if you really wanted to, risking stretching your pouch and over-eating. That's where your band stops and where YOU kick in, to ensure you keep to band-sized meals. But with the right restriction, you shouldn't be hungry for a long while even after eating that little.

My surgeon has said before that when people are tight he does sometimes get what he calls a 'bounce back' from the Fluid when he hits the port with the needle, and that may have been what your new dr took as therefore needing to take that much out. But obviously he didn't do the right thing, because you're hungry. I'd be assertive and ask for more fill. He may not put all 2cc back in one go but at least start you back to having restriction. I too at one stage wanted to gain a little, but rather than get an unfill I just ate higher calorie foods, more frequently for a while.

To me it was embracing the new lifestyle. Yes there were things I couldn't eat, but there were LOTS of lovely things I could. And lo and behold, I could run and climb and cycle and dance! So I thought of all the good things the band gave me so I didn't pine for anything I lost. When I developed a leak I truly, really missed that feeling of being restricted. Of not being a slave to my hunger. Life is better when you're healthy and strong, so keep your eye on the prize and know that now you have something with you helping you out, and I think that's your very best chance of achieving success.

I did lose hunger when in the green zone. I enjoyed food when I ate it but didn't feel hungry and often forgot to eat. Food became very much like having a nice massage. Nice at the time, but if it didn't happen, I didn't really think about it at all.

One of the things the band did to me was it stopped me from being able to burp. Ever. In that I mean I didn't burp for 4 years. That's how I knew my band was leaking - I started being able to burp again. I don't think it's hugely common but I'm proof it's possible that you just can't burp again sometimes after lapband surgery. It's odd to start with but your body learns to live with it. Since my band replacement and first fill I've stopped being able to burp again!