kelly111

When people say "it's a tool" you need to really understand what that means. My band contributes to my weight loss about 15%. The rest of it is extreme diet and nutrition and very intense workouts. With that, I still only lose half of a pound a week. If you have a lot to lose, the weight will come off very quickly. But if you are like me and only have 50-60 lbs to lose....boy, is this process ever slow! Im glad I paid 14K and had the surgery. Its an easy surgery. Lots of learning to do afterwards. Lots of throwing up, eating the wrong foods and sticking to diets. THAT part is a lot harder than you realize. Wish you the best

Nothing worked for me either and it lasted 4 days. I cant say it was horrible, but it was uncomfortable. It will pass.

I eat normal bites but I chew a lot and only swallow a little at a time. You will see, its not as bad as you think. And the others are right. Ive gotten so many things stuck and threw up if I didnt chew enough or ate too fast. I know they say you arent suppose to drink when you eat, but for me, I need the liquid to help push the food down. Maybe defeating the purpose, but I need to do that in order to eat.

After a year with my band that I paid 15K for, I think I have an excellent perspective. My doc told me that I would lose about 70 lbs. We went over details of what that would entail. I was right on board. I have always been an fitness and nutrition nut, although I use to overeat a lot! So I thought this was perfect for me. I eat 1000 cals a day and work out 1.5 hours a day very intensely. I seldom eat sugar or carbs. My doc says he doesnt really understand what is happening. I have lost 40 lbs in this year. It has taken a lot of work and a lot of dieting. At this point, after fills and unfills, the band is doing very little. So yes, I complain about it. Is is very frustrating to know that you are doing things right and the body just isnt following. Please understand that everyone is different and when we use this forum to display our situations it is only done in hopes of support. After all, no one else understands what we go thru other than other bandsters

I like what you have written and for most people you are absolutly right. I can tell you, however that I am a fitness freak. I work out 2 hours a day doing very intense workouts. I eat 1000 cals a day and it is mostly all protein. In a years time I have only lost 40 lbs. I paid for this myself and have many fills and unfills. Ive eaten more calories and less calories. I stay at 1000 because I MIGHT be able to lose half of a pound by the end of the week. This is quite a struggle! I still weigh 192 lbs and Im a size 10 pants. I have 30 more to go. It will take me over a year to do that. People need to understand that unless you are extremely overweight, the pounds wont just melt off because you have a band in your belly. But also know that if you dont have a lot to lose, the process my be VERY slow and the band actually doesnt play too much of a part in that.

I have had the exact same experience. Im almost at my 1 year bandiversary and I have lost 45 lbs. I was throwing up a lot, feeling uncomfortable, hardly able to eat and felt tired because I was working out and couldnt get enough calories in. Sometimes my protein shakes in the morning wouldnt even go down. So I went to the doc and said I wanted fluid taken out. If I were losing a bunch of weight I would have endured it until I got to my goal. But that clearly WASNT the case. He took a good bit of fluid out and now Im able to eat anything I want. Now, I must do a lot more "dieting" but now Im the one in control instead of my very expensive band. If I were you, I would get fluid taken out so you can eat. We NEED to be able to eat; that is our fuel. Without that, we have nothing.

Is there anyone else out there who has been banded 6 months or longer and is finding that their weight loss is extremely slow? Its been 6 months for me and I went from 230 to 205. size 16/18 to 12/14. I have had 3 fills and 1 unfill. I lost most of the weight before the unfill... I was just too tight and I could barely get food down. Now, Im eating almost anything I want because a small amount of fluid was taken out. I wish I could find a place where Im not hungry all the time but where I can also get enough protein and good food in. Just curious to see if anyone else can relate to this.

LOVE P90X. Ive been doing it for a year now in addition to bootcamps and INSANITY. I dont eat any carbs at all anymore. I just dont crave them. Ideally you should have a protein shake before your workout and that shake should include carbs! You need half of your weight in protein grams every day if you are working out with weights. For instance, I weigh 190 today, so I need about 95 grams of protein a day. A lot of days that is hard to get in so I have 2 shakes a day. They should have NO sugar. You need Whey protein before a workout and soy or Casein when you arent working out. I hope this helps

Yep, Ive been there too... many times!!!! I prefer just to thow it up. Ive had 2 unfills now and I think I may go for another. If I were losing a ton of wieght I would just stick-it-out until the weight came off. But thats not happening. I would rather be able to eat and not have to worry so much about these stuck episodes.

I totally disagree with the statement above. It is not a simple math as was stated. I eat very little and still manage to get 70 grams of protein. I do very intense workouts and yet I only lose maybe .5 lbs a week... maybe! It has a lot to do with your stress level and your chemistry. Be VERY careful with fills. I have had fills and un-fills and still I end up throwing up a lot. I would never recommend a fill over exercising more.

Please know that the pre-op diet is soley for the inurance companies and your doc needs to document that he put you on a diet. For those of us that paid ourselves , most of us didnt have to do a pre-op diet. The reason I am telling you this is so that you are informed. Dont get down on yourself about this.

I love P90X. I have been doing that program for a year now. Its the best cardio/ strength training you can do. I dont find it difficult anymore. I cant say I've lost any more weight on it but most people do. Best to you.

Im TOTALLY with you!!!! Very well said. I have all the same issues as you do. Having the band is the hardest and the best choice I have made. Im uncomfortable a lot, have to eat so slowly that friends get frustrated with me and still throw up a few times a week. Its been about 9 months for me. I have only lost 40 pounds even though I do most things right. The band DOES have a mind of its own and I never know what its thinking. Even my hormones play a huge part in this thing. Some days I can eat and some days I cant. Thank you for your post!

You're doing great! I wouldnt get another fill if I were you.... and I was you a few months ago. I went in for a fill and it was horrible. I kept getting stuck, throwing up and unable to get enough calories in. It was horrible. I ended up going back to where I was - about where you are now. Stay there! Believe me, being over filled does not mean weight will come off faster. Im in a 12 now and I would still like to loose another 20 lbs. I only loose about .5 pounds a week....so it takes a long time!

Well after 10 months of fills and unfills and only losing 30 lbs I have decided to just have some fluid taken out for good. I work out very hard 5 days a week and I cant get enough calories in for my workout. I am unable to eat anything before 3pm and end up throwing up most of my dinner. Im sick of it. I had a fill expecting to lose more weight but that just isnt the case. Im very conscious about fitness and nutrition and at this rate Im only doing myself harm. Ive been so jealout about the people around me lately. My family and friends are doing the 17 day diet and losing crazy amounts of weight!!! Meanwhile, I work out, eat right and have a band around my stomach and still nothing happens. On the 17 day diet, they dont workout either - mainly because the calories are so low. It is only recommended to walk for 17 minutes. Please!!! Im so disappointed.

If I may offer some advise... dont get over filled. I just tried that approach and it didnt work. I barely lost any weight and I was throwing up and not being able to eat enough. I just had a lot taken out yesterday and I feel much better. I dont eat perfectly at all, but thats ok. This is life...not a diet! Keep yourself hydrated, sleep well and workout and the weight will come off. I have only lost 37 lbs in 9 months but VERY slowly its coming off. You will get there. Just remember, trust me, dont think that having more restriction will help you... it does NOT. Good luck to you!!

I dont even weigh myself anymore because its so disappointing. Going for an unfill today so I can eat again. I will continue to eat well and exercise anbd watch others revel in their weight loss success.

Im going for an unfill today. This darn band is so finicky. Im so sick of not being able to keep food down. I had a time where I went 3 days without being able to eat, drink or even keep saliva down. Doc took fluid out and I was better. Ended up getting more fills a few weeks later . UGH..... this band!

Thank you. I appreciate that. I still weigh 197 and Im 5'4. Still "obese". Really wanted to get down to 170.

My band is filled almost all the way and Im still able to eat whatever I want. I must be careful though. I end up eating more than I should. I work out very hard 4-5 days a week and still Im not losing weight. I cant say Im totally disappointed in the band because it's preventing me from gaining weight but for 15K I would really like it to help me lose weight. Ive only lost 30 lbs in 9 months and that was due to me changing my eating habits. This is so tough. It is certainly not a guarantee to lose weight. YOU have to do almost all the work. UGH....so hard!

I use to worry because I was throwing up every day. Doc says it takes A LOT to have band slip -especially with the newer bands and how they are secured to the stomach. He said less than 3% of them slip. So stop worrying and do all that you can to NOT throw up.

I paid 13K in Pennsylvania and fills are NOT included. You are on the smaller side already. Is it worth it....? Im not so sure. It seems like the people who have a lot of weight to lose end up losing weight quickly and are satisfied. The people who are on the smaller side to begin with have a very difficult and S L O W process. Its been 9 months for me and I still only lose 1 lb a week - if that. I love the band because it keeps me from gaining weight.... but really, the weight loss now is mostly because of me dieting and working out - not really the band. Talk to all kinds of people before you persue this. Many people do not end up satisfied if they are on the smaller side to begin with. Its MUCH harder than you think.

Ive been banded 9 months now and even though my band is almost totally filled...Im still able to eat what I want - slowly. I also work out very hard 5 days a week. I only lose about 1 lb a week - if that. My total weight loss is only 30 lbs. My doc said that it is only beneficial to stay on mushies for 10 days, after that its important to move forward to a regular diet. I didnt really feel restriction until I was about 4 cc's. It takes months to get there, so be patient. I would encourage you to eat balanced, healthy meals at this point. You will feel full longer. Mushies are just sliding right through and you will feel hungry. Make sure to get 100 grams of protein, even if they come from liquids.

Its normal to feel restricted after your fill because it inflames a little...then it will settle. My band is close to being tightened the whole way and Im still able to eat whatever I want with no problems. I end up eating very slowly and "grazing" and drinking while Im eating. I still only eat a fraction of what I use to eat and I steadily lose 1 lb a week. VERY slow....but I'll take it

Stephanie. You've lost a lot of weight! Thats awesome. Just like the person above, its been 9 months for me and I have only lost 32 lbs also so Im envious of your success. I have been exactly where you are. I had to have all my fluid removed due to throwing up all the time and not being able to get anything down. I just went in for the last fill that my doc will give me. Im at about 7 cc in 10 cc band and he said that is it. At this point my stomach is only open about the size of a dime. I was afraid to get the last fill ( which was only .3) because I didnt want to be sick. I think Im where I should be and I am losing about 1 lb a week now. I drink a protein shake with 25 grams of protein after 11 am, then make sure that everything I eat after that has protein in it. Im still able to eat whatever I want, even bread. Im just very careful and only eat a small amount.....very.....slowly! I havent had a problem since. I make sure to get 100 grams of protein a day. I also drink 1 gram of liquid L Carnitine 2x a day. That has really helped. It metabolises sugar and fat. I have 30 more pounds to go, but I know I will get there. I needed to lose 60 lbs from the beginning... and I knew it would take me about 2 years to do. I work out very hard but still this process for me is crazy slow. You will get there!!!!!! Hope this has helped