Still hate my band

[Melissannde 41]

Please explain to me what has change for you food wise. What do you eat now that is different then before?

Hi Swirl,

I know this wasn't addressed to me, but to Lolly Moe, but I hope you won't mind if I respond.

What I ate before surgery were things like Fried catfish, plates (multiple) of nacho's, tortillas, fried chicken, baked potatoes, along with healthy things like broccoli and cauliflower. I also ate cheese on almost everything (except the fried foods.. lol). Anything in the house was fair game. Tortilla chips were ALWAYS in the pantry.

Now, I eat baked fish, baked chicken, thick Soups made with lean (at least 90/10) grnd beef or turkey, pot roast made with leaner cuts of beef. I almost never have a potato. I will sometimes cook green Beans with new potatoes, and I might have about 1/2 of a golf-ball sized portion of the red potato, but that's it. Tortilla chips are a rare treat now, mainly at a restaurant. I buy 2% cheese and limit my intake of it.

I do eat low fat, but that is a personal choice. I know lots of people who don't agree and eat full fat products and if that works for them.. great!! I go low fat for two reasons, 1) it has helped me with weight loss and 2) I have some very small GB stones that act up if I eat too much fat. I could have GB surgery, but I don't want it and am trying to avoid it by eating low fat. So far it's working.. last GB attack was July 4 when I ate two pork ribs in succession. I probably could've gotten by with eating 1.. but 2 was too many. :/

I rarely eat fried foods now. My husband and I go out to eat about once a week. Sometimes he'll order something like fried shrimp.. I'll order grilled fish .. and we share. He gets a bite of my fish and I get one of his shrimp. Of course I'd like more, but I like my smaller pants lots better. ::shrug:: I'm not perfect.. back in December I caved and had a full fried dinner. It was very good and I lucked out and didn't have a GB attack. whew.

I didn't have to do a pre-op diet other than 1 day of Clear liquids, so I was still eating carbs post-op (well, after getting back to solids). I gradually weaned myself off of breads, tortillas, rice, Pasta, etc. Took a while.

Hope this helps you some. I'll be glad to discuss this more if you're interested. Again, please excuse my jumping in to your discussion with LollyMoe.

[crecia1975 4]

OK.

Now I see why you are frustrated.

I don't know about you, but I don't have $15,000 to spare. That is a lot of money. I'm hoping I can gather enough money just in case I need a Tummy Tuck (hard to do with 2 kids)

Do you think you need to talk to your surgeon or a nutritionist? Maybe that will help. I don't know, but those are just suggestions.

Yes I did self pay so that is $15,000 just gone. :-(

[Melissannde 41]

**The sad truth is that the band does not work for everyone but why do you believe it hasn't worked for you?**

Excuse me but why would u think that she is so stupid that she doesn't know if her band is working or not???

I didn't see ElfiePoo use the word "stupid" anywhere in her post. Where do you get that from?

[Formerly Fluffy 5]

As you know...........she didn't come right out and say that. She insinuated it.

I didn't see ElfiePoo use the word "stupid" anywhere in her post. Where do you get that from?

[Melissannde 41]

As you know...........she didn't come right out and say that. She insinuated it.

No, you read it into it.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

Unfortunately there are a percentage that dont lose weight with the band and that is the sad part. You have done nothing wrong and if I were you I would either have it taken out and maybe consider the sleeve or just have it removed. You did all you can do and thats what counts. I would say just do what your heart tells you too. Some days Im surely not happy with my band but not about losng weight but eating has become a chore since my fill trying to find things and not eat the same thing every single day. Its not that it gets stuck but there are so many things I cant eat and Im really tired of just barely eating enough calories to live. I am happy with my weight loss but some days its hard to fathom that I really have to eat like this for whatever time I have left on earth. Yes I love being healthy but a darn piece of pizza would surely be nice once in a while but I in no way can eat any kind of bread. It is a big decision and no one should take it lightly. Hope you find peace girl.

[chansenrn 1]

I had my surgery on June 15, 2010. I posted soon after that it wasn't working. I seem to up set a few on here. Their replies pretty much turned me off of this site, so I have not posted. Well guess what I still hate this thing. It doesn't work for me. I will say it again...really think about this before you do this. it seem to work for some,but please understand it doesn't work for everyone. I see the Doctor Tuesday and I'm going to tell him do something or take it out. I'm done with it.

[mom2amwt 3]

Best of luck to you at your Dr. this week. I am new to the banding - so can't give any advice, but I wish you the best - as I am sure we have many of the same goals .

[ElfiePoo 109]

**The sad truth is that the band does not work for everyone but why do you believe it hasn't worked for you?**

Excuse me but why would u think that she is so stupid that she doesn't know if her band is working or not???

Fluffy,

Your bitterness is overwhelmingly apparent to any who read your posts and if you don't want the advice and help here and you're convinced your band is useless, one has to wonder why you stay. I *ask* because not everyone does know whether they're working their band right and it's not because they're stupid. It's because they might have been misled as to what to expect or look for.

.

[ElfiePoo 109]

As you know...........she didn't come right out and say that. She insinuated it.

No...your bitterness read that into it. All one has to do is read the posts on the LBT to know that many people have the wrong expectations of the band. They *expect* the band to stop them from overeating or choosing the wrong foods and that is not what the band does.

The band, with the addition of the food sitting in our pouch, puts pressure on the vagus nerves, which tell the stomach to stop producing ghrelin, the hunger hormone so that we can go 4 hours or so without being hungry. We still have to *choose* to put the fork down and not overeat just because we can. We still have to *choose* not to eat the wrong foods. We still have to *choose* not to graze. Yes, we still have to use self-control *BUT* if the band is doing its job in removing the constant hunger, our self-control stands a chance.

Yes, there are people who never get that cessation of hunger...maybe even when they are overfilled...but I also think that a lot of people who claim the band is a failure really don't understand what the band's role...and what their role...is in the whole process. If someone truly believes the band has failed them, then I would suggest they get a *complete* unfill. They'll either find no difference in their eating...or discover that the band really was working...just not according to their previous expectations.

.

[Humming Bird 275]

I had my surgery on June 15, 2010. I posted soon after that it wasn't working. I seem to up set a few on here. Their replies pretty much turned me off of this site, so I have not posted. Well guess what I still hate this thing. It doesn't work for me. I will say it again...really think about this before you do this. it seem to work for some,but please understand it doesn't work for everyone. I see the Doctor Tuesday and I'm going to tell him do something or take it out. I'm done with it.

I am sorry it's not working for you. I know it's a big let down. I hope your surgeon can figure out the reason things are not going as planned. I wish you could find a couple of band buddies you could hang out with in person and see how they do it. It is so hard to see the reality of details with people online.

I'm not sure about the details of what you can and can not eat, but in my case I can not eat baked chicken at all. There are plenty of other things I can eat and at this point I don't miss the stuff I can't. I hope you get it figured out because the emotional stuff can cause you even more problems. The let down, the disappointment.......

[ElfiePoo 109]

Something to consider when thinking about getting a revision to a vertical sleeve or a bypass. In both of these surgeries, the stomach continues to produce ghrelin (bypass) or learns how to start producing it again after the stomach is removed (vertical sleeve). They are beginning to see a number of bypass and sleeve patients come back for a band in order to control this hunger.

In the case of bypass and sleeve, you still have to control what you put in your mouth and how much. Neither surgery absolves the patient of responsibility. If the posts on a few other forums (mainly bypass and sleeve people) are any indication, many of these people only lose the weight they would have as a result of surgery but never lose the rest. Quite a few end up gaining the weight back. Yes there are some successful people, but if you read their posts it's because they understand that they still have to use self-control and put in the hard work.

WLS...whether band, bypass or sleeve...is not a magic bullet. At some point *we* have to put in the hard work and if we don't/won't, well then we'll just have to get used to being fat for the rest of our lives.

.

[sparkplug 106]

No, you read it into it.

Believe me after being a yo yo dieter for 40 years I am not going to sit here and judge anybody whether it was for choosing the wrong surgery or wrong diet. I was banded 12/20/08 and down 90 pds, still fighting the 3 pds gained at Christmas from overindulging.

I have two questions, how old are you girls that are having such trouble with the band and were not aware of the work involved in getting the band. I was set on getting gastric bypass because I thought the only surgery that would help me would be something that made everything go through me without me having to work so hard on this new life. The Dr. said "NO", you are the best candidate for lap band and that is what they did against my insistence of the gastric bypass. I ABSOLUTELY HATED THIS BAND THE FIRST FEW Months that I had it and the friend that recommended it felt horrible that he suggested this surgery for me also. Well, after paying close to $3,000 out of pocket, I thought I may as well give this the best try I could and you know what, IT WORKED and it is working with NO FILLS whatsoever!!!!!! I know I am rare, but I come on this site every day to re-enforce my mental attitude and the blogs from Elfie Poo have given me a new and different outlook on the low carb diet that I need to get these few last pds back off after the holiday fiasco I made for myself.

I know this is very frustrating, but please don't blame people on here that have succeeded as being judgemental, we are just stating that the lap band DOES WORK most of the time. Nothing is perfect for everybody and that is just life. I hope you girls find something that does work for you because there is a whole new world out there waiting for the "skinny" you. Good luck on your search.

[Humming Bird 275]

A few on here seem to have gotten upset with me about voicing my opinion of the band also.

I hate mine too. It has been a COMPLETE waste of money and time! I have had it 14 months and had 14 fills. It's almost completely useless!!!!!!!!!!

It sounds like your band/port/tubing has a leak or they miss the port when they do your fills. How much are they putting in at each fill? The reason I am thinking this is because I reached my sweet spot at fill number 2 and was very tight at that point. 14 just seems very strange to me. What are they doing putting in a drop at a time? I really think you should ask to be checked for a leak.

[swirl 1]

Hi Swirl,

I know this wasn't addressed to me, but to Lolly Moe, but I hope you won't mind if I respond.

What I ate before surgery were things like Fried catfish, plates (multiple) of nacho's, tortillas, fried chicken, baked potatoes, along with healthy things like broccoli and cauliflower. I also ate cheese on almost everything (except the fried foods.. lol). Anything in the house was fair game. Tortilla chips were ALWAYS in the pantry.

Now, I eat baked fish, baked chicken, thick Soups made with lean (at least 90/10) grnd beef or turkey, pot roast made with leaner cuts of beef. I almost never have a potato. I will sometimes cook green Beans with new potatoes, and I might have about 1/2 of a golf-ball sized portion of the red potato, but that's it. Tortilla chips are a rare treat now, mainly at a restaurant. I buy 2% cheese and limit my intake of it.

I do eat low fat, but that is a personal choice. I know lots of people who don't agree and eat full fat products and if that works for them.. great!! I go low fat for two reasons, 1) it has helped me with weight loss and 2) I have some very small GB stones that act up if I eat too much fat. I could have GB surgery, but I don't want it and am trying to avoid it by eating low fat. So far it's working.. last GB attack was July 4 when I ate two pork ribs in succession. I probably could've gotten by with eating 1.. but 2 was too many. :/

I rarely eat fried foods now. My husband and I go out to eat about once a week. Sometimes he'll order something like fried shrimp.. I'll order grilled fish .. and we share. He gets a bite of my fish and I get one of his shrimp. Of course I'd like more, but I like my smaller pants lots better. ::shrug:: I'm not perfect.. back in December I caved and had a full fried dinner. It was very good and I lucked out and didn't have a GB attack. whew.

I didn't have to do a pre-op diet other than 1 day of Clear liquids, so I was still eating carbs post-op (well, after getting back to solids). I gradually weaned myself off of breads, tortillas, rice, Pasta, etc. Took a while.

Hope this helps you some. I'll be glad to discuss this more if you're interested. Again, please excuse my jumping in to your discussion with LollyMoe.

That right here is my point. In the past for whatever reason I would eat like you do now and loss weight. But over time I would go back to my old habits and the weight came right back. So it was my understanding that with the lapband you still could eat pretty much what you did before, but within reason. You could eat a hambuger,but just eat half. By cutting half of what you eat means less calories, so you will loss weight. It should also help you eat less because the food stayed in the pouch longer,

If I have to eat baked fish and baked chicken, what is the reason for the Lap Band??? Please do take this as a knock to you or anyone else here.but I am really trying to understand if you eat like you do now of course you will loss weight. I know I have done it more times then I care to remember. I don't have it in me any more to eat like that. If I did then I would of just did it and not have gone through the pain of getting the Lap Band put in. I would be better off just taking diet pills.