Noturningback15

Omg!!! I am preop but have been dieting my ass off Im finally in the 2's!!!! 299.0 to be exact and I couldnt be prouder of myself!!! I started this journey at 336 and to know I will be having my surgery starting in the twos is THRILLING!!! I never thought I could do this......LOVING LIFE!!! Surgery JULY 18!

I Don't Want to Be Too Religious Today!! Must Must Share a Thought and Be Mindful of My Lap Band Group!!!
THANK YOU LORD FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE!!! I WILL CONTINUE TO WORSHIP YOU!!!! My weight is coming off and I feel and look more fabulous then I ever could have thought!!! Please Please Please Continue the negative inspiration!! I might be on the Sports Illustrated Magazine soon!! I will post a picture when it Does!!! My God is Good all the time!!! Oh LOVE ALL OF YOU FROM THE BOTTOM of MY SKINNY HEART!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so full of Love Today!!! Go Lap Bandsters!!!!!! When all else fails God Never Will!!!

I am starting over again too. I got married 6 months ago and have gained 4 pounds a month since then........I was a slow loser too like you said, but at least I was losing. I joined Curves yesterday. I plan on going to Curves 3 times a week and to my other gym 3 times a week. I didn't know how to adjust shopping for two people, going out to eat (honeymoon phase), and cooking for two people. Before I got married I only cooked for myself and I ate the same foods over and over again. My husband told me he was going to eat chicken breast and sweet potatoes everyday! LOL! Sorry to read about your mother. My mom passed in 2007 and I gained 25 pounds right after she passed in a few months. Some people stop eating when they get sad but I eat more....I wish you well on this journey.

Must Read!!
If something is for you! God will give it to you and you wont have to even fight for It!! Just Have Faith and Learn to Trust and Believe in God!! He knows whats Best For you!!! Trust Me!! I Promise!!! And Just Love God!! For God is Love!!
Know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to {His} purpose. Romans 8:28
If any of you need me, I am Here!! And Real About It!!!

Aha! I knew that title would get your attention! Are you thinking that Jean, a very vocal, longtime band fan, has finally lost her mind (on which she never did have a very firm grip)?


No, I haven’t lost my mind. I still think the band is grand and I still wish I still had mine, but because I want everybody to succeed at weight loss, I feel duty-bound to tell you some reasons not to have adjustable gastric band surgery.
So here goes, in no particular order.
Don’t have band surgery if…
You’re phobic about needles. Right now, a needle is the only way to get Fluid into the band. The fill needle is not a big, scary one, and you don’t have to look at it at all if you prefer, but it’s still a needle.
You believe that band surgery cures obesity. Obesity is an incurable, chronic disease with the very real potential for recurrence. Weight regain can happen to anyone.
You think that once you get to your goal weight, your weight loss journey stops. Nope. It’s only just begun. Next you’ll have to maintain that weight loss for the rest of your life, and that takes vigilance and hard work.
You’re a self-pay planning on having surgery in Mexico or elsewhere out of country. What are you going to do if you have a problem or complication or just need another fill or unfill? Travel back to the Mexican clinic? Try to get help locally? Finding a US-based bariatric clinic that will accept patients who had surgery overseas is not easy, and once you do find one, you’re probably going to have to pay a non-refundable program fee, from $200 to $2000.
You can’t afford the time and expense for frequent follow up visits for fills, unfills, and other medical care. Even if your insurance covers those visits, you’ll have to take time off work, arrange for child care or pet care, fill your car’s gas tank, and shell out a co-pay.
You're a self-pay and don't have money or plans for dealing with fills, unfills, and possible complications. See above.
You hope to lose weight without getting any fills. Sorry, but it probably won’t work that way. See above.
You expect to lose a pound+ a day. Average weight loss with the band is 1-2 pounds/week. That average includes people who lost weight faster as well as people who lost no weight at all. Rapid initial weight loss is usually related to fluid retention, not fat loss.
You believe that slow weight loss with the band will prevent sagging skin. According to several plastic surgeons I’ve asked about this, your age and genetics have the most influence on how your skin will respond to massive weight loss. The rate of weight loss has little or anything to do with it.
You expect to experience restriction and lose weight steadily from the moment you wake up after surgery. Most band patients need several fills to achieve optimal restriction, plus more fills and unfills (or adjustments) to maintain that restriction, and virtually no one loses weight at a steady rate. My weight loss was extremely uneven – down 1#, down .5#, up .75#, down 1.75#, down 0/up 0, down .25#, and so on.
You believe in the sweet spot or perfect restriction. Restriction is constantly changing, just like our bodies, because of dozens of quite ordinary factors (food choices, eating and drinking habits, weight loss, time of day or month, illness, medications, stress, etc.). If you think you’ll lose weight only at the mythical sweet spot, you’re going to spend energy on frustration that could be better applied to changing your eating behavior.
You’re not willing to follow pre- and post-op liquid and puree diets. No, liquid and puree diets are not fun, but they’re short-term. When I was banded, I had 36 years ahead of me, assuming that I live as long as my mother did. That’s 12,672 days. My pre- and post-op liquid diets used up a whopping 17 days. Do the math. Even if you add in post-fill liquids and purees, those liquid and puree days represent a teeny, tiny fraction of my life.
You believe you’ll never be hungry again. Maybe, maybe not. The fact that you feel hungry 5 hours after a meal doesn’t mean your band isn’t working. It just means that your body needs fuel. And part of your ongoing work as a bandster is going to be figuring out whether you’re feeling physical hunger or “head” hunger.
You think the band is going to do all the work for you. The band has no magic ingredient that triggers weight loss once it’s wrapped around your stomach. All it does is affect your hunger and appetite. The band is not going to make good food choices, practice Portion Control or banish the demons who make you eat when you’re stressed or bored. Nor is it going to exercise for you. Success with the band is the result of a joint effort between you, your band, your surgeon and dietitian.
Have a don't-have-band-surgery reason to add to this list? Post it in the comment section!

We I have officially been banded one year!!!!!:-) and what a year it has been. I guess I consider myself a lap band success story. I have lost a proximately 40 pounds since last year. my clothing size has gone from 20 to a size 12. my shoe size has gone from a 9 and a half to a size 8. is journey has not been easy but well worth it. I am proud that I made my goal in 1 year. my next and final goal is a size 10. which I hope to accomplish by august. as soon as I get my laptop back I will load my before and after pictures I think god for this website because it's really help me go through my journey. thanks lbt fam

I'm 3.5 years post-op with 90# down, 90# to go. I just had a baby 3 weeks ago. I kept my band fill at 2.5cc but just had 1cc removed because I've been losing weight too fast (4# a week) mainly because I'm struggling to find room for food and drink the fluids I need to keep up my milk supply. I'm also worried that losing weight too quickly will reduce the milk supply as well.
Anyway... I've got PCOS, which makes losing weight very challenging, even when I'm eating right and exercising. I also had an emotional eating / boredom eating problem that I've developed the tools to address, and a foodie's craving problem that I've also developed tools to address. I'll share them below:
I'm not a perfect eater, but I've developed some coping mechanisms and strategies to help me stay on track. I've learned how to handle cravings, for example. I know when to re-direct and when to relent. I know when to stop indulging (most of the time) and I know when to get rid of something tasty because I can't resist the temptation to keep indulging.
Redirect: This strategy starts with a question: Am I really hungry, or am I bored/nervous/upset? If the answer is yes, I really am hungry, then I try to redirect focus from the death-by-chocolate cake I am craving to a Protein or granola bar or a piece of fresh fruit--ie, to something healthier that tastes good, too. If the answer is no, I'm not hungry, I'm bored/anxious/whatever, then I redirect to an activity that gets my mind and/or body off the comfort-food focus. Depending on the craving and the reason, I may meditate to calm myself, or take a 5-minute yoga break, or go for a walk, do some weeding/chores, take a bath, masturbate, or take a time-out to touch base with what is really going on inside me (ie administer some emotional first aid).
Relent: Relent, for me, comes after multiple attempts to redirect. If I've eaten my healthy mandarin and I've done my chores and I've finished writing an email or whatever other tasks I've put to myself to in order to get my mind off the craving and I still want that cake (especially if I've craved it for a few days), I'll go buy a single-serving cupcake or something, both as acceptance of the craving, and as reward for the work I've done to earn it. If I absolutely have to have a slice of that $20 death-by-chocolate cake and they don't sell it by the slice, I'll buy it at the bakery, ask them to slice me a piece, and then give the rest away to the people working there, or as samples for their customers. (Yes, it raises eyebrows, but no one has refused me yet.) Then I relish my $20 piece of cake, eating it slowly, savoring every bite. I don't bring home more than one serving of a craved food anymore. It's too easy to say to myself, "Oh, I'll bring this whole cake home and share it with my family" and then end up eating more than one serving because I don't want it to go to waste or because it is just that good.
I suppose I should have the self-discipline to be able to eat just one serving of something I crave and leave the rest alone for others or for another time, but I don't. And I am self-aware enough to accept that. I'm also self-loving enough to get over the whole self-sabotage / self-punishing thing for my supposed lack of will-power, no longer hating myself even as I am rewarding myself with a tasty treat. Today, I allow myself to eat that thing I really want, but just one small serving. And I give away or toss away the rest. I may feel a little foolish for eating what amounts to a $20 slice of cake -but- I figure that it's $18 worth of extra calories I'm not adding to my waistline, and given the work I have to do to take off just one pound, it's f-ing worth it.
So--this is how I've learned to deal with food cravings over the years, and how I managed not to gain weight during my pregnancy. I practice self-awareness and self-acceptance, a bit of self-discipline, and a lot of self-love. I'm as flawed, outrageous, and complex as the next person, and what works for me may not work for others. Still, it's worth sharing if even just one person benefits from it.

I about busted a gut laughing at this comment...

Today is a New Day and a Fresh Start to do maybe what you failed at yesterday!! If you wanted to make changes in your life today is the day to do it!! If you ate too much, if you ate the wrong things, if you didn't get a chance to workout, even if you forgot to Thank God for all he has done for you with this new life!! Well Today is a New Day a Fresh Start!! Lets do this for after 12pm tonight you wont get to do today anymore!! The bible says don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself!!Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34

Once the band honeymoon is over, usually about 6 months to 1 year after surgery, it becomes will power more than band power to lose weight. The hype on the boards of this forum from band honeymooners probably misinformed me more than any of the ads from Allergan.

I think you can do it! I have a goal to lose 40 to 48 pounds before the year is over so I'm with you! I lost 5 last week from replacing one meal with a shake and I stopped eating honey nut cherrios (I thought it was healthy) I guess not! We can do this!

Makin sure im not drinkin pointless calories stickin to Water n crystal light ... I got a Protein mix called just right smoothies its vanilla you mix it with 8 oz of milk or juice n i drink two a day as Meal Replacements and them i have what i want for dinner just make sure its one serving! And im walkin daily

I had severe acid reflux for 12 years prior to being banded. OTC meds had quit working for me, so I was on a very expensive prescription medication for it. That medication was one of the first I was able to eliminate after being banded. I haven't had any reflux at all between the pre-surgery diet and my last fill. I'm a little bit too tight now and I've had a couple of nights where I've had to take OTC meds for heartburn/reflux. From everything I've read, if you're having reflux with the band, you're probably just too tight.

I have lost over 110 pounds in less than 6 months, so yes, I would do it again in a heartbeat. It's the best decision I've ever made for myself.
You hit on a major point- it's not a magic bullet. Too many people go into this seriously uneducated to the facts and expect the band to "fix" them. It doesn't work that way. It's a tool, not a sprinkle of magic fairy dust. You have to change your eating habits for a lifetime no matter what type of WLS surgery you decide to have.

Totally agree with your doctor, no one here will ever get near starvation mode
i was on a pre-op diet of 600 calories for 10 weeks lost nearly 40 lbs and never got anywhere near starvation mode .. your doctor is absolutely right !!

I actually spoke to my nutritionist about this a couple months back after a ton of debates about this on here. What we call "starvation mode" in terms of dieting isn't starvation at all. When you eat far less calories than your body needs to sustain itself, you create a sort of self-induced metabolic syndrome. When you dip below a certain point (everyone is different, btw, there is no magic number) your metabolism will slow considerably. This very often results in a plateau that wouldn't have happened if you were eating more. However, self induced metabolic syndrome or not, it is inevitable you will start losing again eventually just by basic math. Burning more calories than you are consuming and the pounds come off.
Some people truly do need more calories to successfully lose weight. I hit a plateau a couple months ago eating 1000 calories a day, increased my calories by only 100-200, and the weight started falling off again. Currently, I am only eating 800-900 calories a day not because I'm restricting myself to that amount but because I have really good restriction and I'm simply never hungry enough to eat more.
So "Starvation Mode" is a bad name for it because you're not starving. But, everyone's body is different and needs a different amount to successfully and consistently lose weight.

Delete:)

I was banded sept 2011 starting at 295 my current weight today is 174!

I have the same pain every blue moon. I think it's my band choking my stomach!

I feel as If my Doctor was the Land Lord, and I am the Tenant, And My Body is the Building!! Because This Lap Band Has Given Me a New Lease on Life!!! Everyday I amaze myself on how Good Im Looking and Feeling.. Never Give in or Give up Go collect your Lease Agreement and show off my new apartment (your body) like never before!!! You Owe It To Yourself!! The Struggle is OVER!!!

I can't imagine any Dr doing this. Changing his mind before he put the needle in yes maybe, afterwards - no way!

Is it true that weight loss with the band is basically the same as weight loss with a diet? And if it is, why have surgery at all?


From time to time, a bandster will comment (sometimes in the context of a complaint, sometimes just in surprise or confusion) that weight loss with the band is basically the same as weight loss with a diet. They’re disappointed by this. They expected WLS to make weight loss easier than it is with dieting, and while that's true, it's only part of weight loss success. They may hold the mistaken belief that the band itself is what causes weight loss, but that’s not true either. The band is just a piece of plastic. Although it’s inside the patient’s body, it does not directly affect the way nutrients from food are ingested or metabolized. It releases no weight loss instructions into the patient’s bloodstream, nervous system, or endocrine system. It doesn’t directly affect the patient’s eating behavior or exercise habits. It doesn’t compel the patient to make good food choices, limit portion sizes, eat slowly, or resist the urge to graze or binge because of boredom, stress, cravings, etc.
After reading that long list of what the band doesn’t do, you may be thinking that it’s a mighty expensive and not very helpful weight loss tool. Why go through the risk, trouble and expense of WLS when you could achieve the same results with plain old dieting?
HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?
Here’s some news that may shock you: I lost 100% of my excess weight by dieting after my band surgery. My dietitian gave me a food plan to follow, and I followed it. It never occurred to me to do otherwise or to complain about that because my bariatric team had made it clear that I, not my band, was going to have to make some significant lifestyle changes in order to succeed. It wasn’t until after the excess weight was gone, after a big unfill to treat an irritated esophagus and stoma (after swallowing a large, corrosive antibiotic capsule), that I realized how much my band had been helping me by reducing my appetite and giving me early (if not always prolonged) satiety. I had been taking my band for granted – out of sight, out of mind.
I suppose it’s possible that I had been experiencing a placebo effect; that my band worked for me simply because I believed it would. If so, it was a remarkable and long-lived placebo effect. It wasn’t until my band was being refilled after a complete unfill (to treat a band slip) when I was 3 years post-op that I experienced a stunning, “Oh, so this is what it’s all about!” aha moment. My experience of restriction then was quite different than it had been the first time around, because I understood more about my band’s effects and how to optimize those effects, and because my body had changed so drastically since my surgery.
Whether your 8-ounce Water glass is half empty or half full, it still contains 4 ounces. Getting the most out of those 4 ounces is largely a matter of attitude adjustment. You can accept that you have 4 ounces, then make the best of it, or you can give up all together and spend your life in wistful regret. You can find another way to fill your WLS glass – complain to your surgeon, or the band manufacturer, revise to a different WLS procedure – or give up altogether and spend your life in angry regret.
Taking the “half full” viewpoint may be easier for me than for others because I’m an opportunist who actually enjoys making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Webster defines “opportunist” as one who uses the art, policy, or practice of taking advantage of opportunities or circumstances, often with little regard for principles or consequences. Since I do have immense regard for principles and consequences, perhaps I’m not a classic opportunist. But I see nothing wrong with taking advantage of opportunities and circumstances when my own careful plans aren’t working or have led me into unknown territory. Resourcefulness has been a handy life skill for me.
BUT I WANT IT TO BE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
I do know what it’s like to be disappointed with a purchase, though, be it a band, a blouse, or a bicycle. I want the item I purchase to be suitable, if not perfect, for its intended use. During a shift at my retail “day job” the other day, I helped a customer whose garment size wasn’t in stock. She didn’t want to order that garment – she wanted it now, so much so that she considered buying the wrong size and having it altered to fit her. Before I could volunteer an opinion, this woman uttered the very words I was thinking: “I hate to pay good money for something new and have to alter it. I just want to buy it and wear it.”
If I were a better (or pushier) salesperson, she might have bought that garment, but I’m not and she didn’t. If your adjustable gastric band hasn’t (yet) lived up to your expectations, you do have my sympathy. It’s not easy – if even possible – to return a disappointing medical implant, and it’s maddening to have to “alter” it (by dieting, for example) to make it work for you.
I could tell you (unhelpfully) that your expectations were not realistic, but it’s also possible that your surgeon educated you well, you’re a “compliant” patient, and yet your band just isn’t up to snuff. According to Doctors Jerome Groopman and Pamela Hartzband, authors of Your Medical Mind, “Medicine is an uncertain science.” No one, not even your doctor, can say with certainty what impact a condition “will have on an individual’s life or how someone will experience the side effects from a particular treatment. Each of us is unique in the interplay of genetic makeup and environment. The path to maintaining or regaining health is not the same for everyone.”
Doctors Groopman and Hartzband go on to describe what they call the ‘focusing illusion’. “In trying to forecast the future, all of us tend to focus on a particular aspect of our lives that would be negatively affected by a proposed treatment. This then becomes the overriding element in decision making. The focusing illusion neglects our extraordinary capacity to adapt, to enjoy life with less than ‘perfect’ health. Imagining life with a colostomy, after a mastectomy, or following prostate surgery can all be skewed by the focusing illusion. We cannot see how the remaining parts of our lives expand to fill the gaps created by the illness and its treatment.”
Despite carefully-devised formulas and scoring systems (intended to direct resources and money to those most likely to survive) for calculating a patient’s chances of surviving a treatment or illness, doctors are lousy at predicting outcomes. A study in England found that one out of 20 ICU patients who doctors predicted would die actually lived, and most of those who survived had a good quality of life. I don’t think that’s a sign of medical incompetence. I think it’s a sign of the unquenchable human spirit and its enduring will to survive and even thrive against all odds.
One of my life goals is to survive and thrive, no matter what. That’s an ambition you can’t get from a medical device or bottle of medicine. It comes from within you, and if you think you don’t have it, or not enough of it, I suggest that you look again. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Congrats!!!! I hope you have a healthy journey and baby!

Going to Home depot in the morning!

Going to Home depot in the morning!