tell me you love your band!

[amberakamom 13]

It's getting close and I'm getting cold feet. Having doubts. I've wanted this for 5 years and now its here. Kind of scary! Tell me how much you love your band so I know it will be worth it!

[Phranp 46]

It's getting close and I'm getting cold feet. Having doubts. I've wanted this for 5 years and now its here. Kind of scary! Tell me how much you love your band so I know it will be worth it!

I DO love my band! Probably not for the reasons you might think. Before I got my band I thought that it was much like GB only less invasive. Turns out .... not so much. I have never worked harder to lose weight in my life; I have never been more challenged to be patient; and I have never learned more about myself and my relationship with food. Oh, and I have never been more determined to exercise. I hate exercise ... or at least I did before my band. I won't say I am madly in love with it now, but I DO look forward to getting up at 5:30 a.m. M-F to walk 2 miles at the track before going to work. And, I am looking forward to adding a quarter mile this coming Monday, even though I have been struggling this week because I am exhausted (i.e., busy workday, busy evenings). I love my band because restriction means that when I feel overwhelmed about the process of losing weight (or anything else for that matter) I don't have to start from square one again because I messed up my diet -- for a month, or two. With the band I am unable to go overboard. I have time to think, write, and use the tools my therapist (an obesity specialist) taught be about dealing with emotional/head hunger. I don't know exactly how much weight I have lost because I stopped weighing myself after I had lost 50 lbs. I was becoming obsessed with the scale and it was ruling my life. But, I do know that when I started this journey on June 15, 2009 I was wearing a size 26 and today I wear a size 14/16 -- and still losing.

There are many who have had a much smoother journey, and still others with more difficult journeys. Remember this, each person has an individual journey that is is unique. I MUST add a disclaimer because lately there has been quite a bit of vitriolic discourse about the band: The band is not the right WLS for everyone, it does not work for everyone. As for myself, I think if I truly understood the band before I had the surgery, I would not have believed it was for me. But, once it was in, and the truth about the band was made clear to me (mostly through this forum), I decided to work with what I had and so far ... so good. I DO love my band!

All the best to you on your journey.

~Fran

[Carmen188 1]

Well said, that about says it all for me too. I was banded in Sept 2010 and have only lost 20 lbs due to my own lack of trying, however I am maintaining a weight of 257-259 which is somthing I never would have been able to accomplish without my band. The beauty of the band is the inability to REALLY overdo and say ok i'll eat as much as I want this week and start my strict diet on Monday..it doesn't happen that way, after you eat too much you feel it and you are ready to start your Monday diet that very day. Good luck!

I DO love my band! Probably not for the reasons you might think. Before I got my band I thought that it was much like GB only less invasive. Turns out .... not so much. I have never worked harder to lose weight in my life; I have never been more challenged to be patient; and I have never learned more about myself and my relationship with food. Oh, and I have never been more determined to exercise. I hate exercise ... or at least I did before my band. I won't say I am madly in love with it now, but I DO look forward to getting up at 5:30 a.m. M-F to walk 2 miles at the track before going to work. And, I am looking forward to adding a quarter mile this coming Monday, even though I have been struggling this week because I am exhausted (i.e., busy workday, busy evenings). I love my band because restriction means that when I feel overwhelmed about the process of losing weight (or anything else for that matter) I don't have to start from square one again because I messed up my diet -- for a month, or two. With the band I am unable to go overboard. I have time to think, write, and use the tools my therapist (an obesity specialist) taught be about dealing with emotional/head hunger. I don't know exactly how much weight I have lost because I stopped weighing myself after I had lost 50 lbs. I was becoming obsessed with the scale and it was ruling my life. But, I do know that when I started this journey on June 15, 2009 I was wearing a size 26 and today I wear a size 14/16 -- and still losing.

There are many who have had a much smoother journey, and still others with more difficult journeys. Remember this, each person has an individual journey that is is unique. I MUST add a disclaimer because lately there has been quite a bit of vitriolic discourse about the band: The band is not the right WLS for everyone, it does not work for everyone. As for myself, I think if I truly understood the band before I had the surgery, I would not have believed it was for me. But, once it was in, and the truth about the band was made clear to me (mostly through this forum), I decided to work with what I had and so far ... so good. I DO love my band!

All the best to you on your journey.

~Fran

[HeatherinCA 10]

I like mine!! I'll be a voice of encouragement here. I have had ZERO problems so far. I've lost 26 pounds in 5 weeks. I know it can be scary reading everything people have to say. Everything is actually pretty easy, yes you have to work, it takes a while to learn everything you need to know but it becomes easy after a while. I don't feel it nearly as limiting as a regular diet

[soon2bethin 0]

I think everybody goes into panic mode right before the surgery.....it's a life changing event. And I know it has been said over and over on this forum, but, it is the truth.....it was the best thing I have ever done for myself and I wish I had done it years ago. I was banded on 11/8/10 and have lost 38lbs since then and 48lbs total. I am actually excited to get on the scale.....that has never happened before. I wish you all the best on your journey.

[sandy472 0]

I was just banded last week on the 14th. I kept thinking, maybe I could still lose the weight without this great tool. I just had to look back over the last 13 years to realize I couldn't and this was going to be a great thing. I am still getting used to some of the aches and pains, but I had surgery on a Friday and was back at work on Tuesday. Stay strong and remember the reasons why it will be so worth it! Do I love it - not yet. Will it be the best investment in my health and wellness - you bet!

Good Luck

Sandy

It's getting close and I'm getting cold feet. Having doubts. I've wanted this for 5 years and now its here. Kind of scary! Tell me how much you love your band so I know it will be worth it!

[Melissannde 41]

I don't love my band, but I really really really like it.

I've had a wonderful journey with just a few learning episodes (getting stuck, etc.). About 100lbs gone in my first 7 months.. 180 lbs at 22 months out. It would be cool if I could be at minus 200 by my 2 year anni, but that might be pushing things a bit too hard.

Very normal to be nervous and have cold feet. You might enjoy/appreciate this list.

SUBJECT: Stages of Banding by Jessie H. Ahroni, RN, PhD

Discovering the Band

Wondering if this is for me

Investigation

Doing serious research

Joining a support group

Getting hopeful

Finding a doctor

Shock at the price

Deciding to do it

Making the arrangements

Wondering if you made the right decision

Getting nervous

Going ahead with it

Waking up and wondering what the hell you did to yourself

Post-op discomfort

Month of liquids- not being able to strictly adhere

Wondering if you've been scammed again

Seeing a little success

Getting your first fill

Changing your eating habits

Seeing more success

Getting second fill

Really losing

Seriously changing your eating habits

Being totally euphoric about your weight loss

Changing your thinking about eating

Wanting to tell every fat person you meet about the band

Realizing you really can't eat

Worrying about nutrition

Learning to eat healthy and wise

Finding other ways to meet your emotional needs

Realizing it takes a long time to lose 100lbs

Trudging along

My clothes are too big

Buying new clothes

Oops, I bought too much too soon...now these are too big

Buying more clothes

Getting near goal

Enjoying all the compliments

Feeling successful

Getting aggressive

Not taking crap from anybody

Realizing you can be assertive without steam rolling everybody

Finding balance

Wondering what comes next

**There are other stages and everybody does not go through them in

the same order or even go through all the stages. Some people might have

stages to add....and there is some looping back and forth. But these are

common stages that most Bandsters go through.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Fran said it well. I don't love my band, but I'm glad I did it despite the long learning curve. I also don't know whether or not I would've gone for the band if I knew that it wasn't going to physically control how much I could eat. However, it has gotten rid of the hunger so now I just need to relearn new eating habits...like keeping my hands busy even when watching tv or riding in a car.

In the past, when I didn't do a diet perfectly, I'd give up for a month or two or 12. Now, I feel like I can't give up because the band is there and it's almost an obligation to keep on trying. So the weight comes off slowly...but it comes off.

.

[Humming Bird 275]

I do love my band and it has worked very well for me.

So many factors come in to play with this thing. You never really know all the details that will come in until you get the band. As you read through all the posts here at LBT you see just how different it is for everyone. You don't know how hard you may have to work at it or how easy it may be for you. You just have to have your mind set on doing whatever you need to do no matter what.

For me it's been easier than I thought it would be, but a big part of that might be mental. If you find yourself with emotional stuff after you get banded, go talk to someone about it just like one of the above posters does.

After I got banded I had a very strong feeling of wanting every pound gone right now! Today! All of it! It's tough to have to accept the weightloss may seem slow and it may be a long road ahead, but at least you are doing something to get that weight off. I keep remembering the old saying, "how do you eat an elephant?" ........."one bite at a time." With weightloss, how do you lose 80, 90,100, 150 pounds? One pound at a time. The first year I lost 100 pounds and then it slowed down to about a pound per month. Today I have lost 109 pounds ...... gone forever! I lost it all one pound at a time.

[LowPSI 0]

Love is such a strong word. LOL My Band is like a personal eating instructor; constantly watching over my eating. Most of the time, I pay attention, but since I have free will, I can choose to ignore it. There are always consequences to ignoring the band (either gaining or not losing or PBing or and/or sliming) just as there are benefits to paying attention. Its a love/hate relationship.

When my Band and I are in sync, it works exactly as designed. For me, it does control; how much I eat - at least it does when I have good restriction. However, finding that elusive sweet spot can be trying. Some of us have a harder time than others. In the words of the Beatles..."The love you get is equal to the love you give".

[MaggieB 6]

I love my band! This was one of the best decisions of my life. I have not had any complications and this whole process has been alot easier than I thought it would be. I am really pleased with my weight loss. The emotional/mental part of overeating is the hardest to beat - 7 months out and I still struggle with it.

[nursenancy 0]

I love my band. I know if I did not have it I would not have lost a pound. It has make me think about what I am eating and it reminds me not to over do it, but if you think it will be magic, its not. It is always gouing to be hard to loose weight, but it really helps. It is still a struggle, but I think that when I am discouraged I remember what I have been through the past year and I do not want to go back there. I was on 3 blood pressure meds and had shortness of breath when walking. I no longer take any of the meds and I can get around so good now.Wish I had done it sooner.

[dk4k 15]

The list of "stages" is pretty accurate so far! Getting cold feet is definitely part of it. I am 2 months post op and very happy with where I am. I have had 2 fills but don't feel a lot of restriction yet. However I eat a LOT less than I did pre-Band. I have learned that if I choose to eat the goodies I like (hello, chocolate!), I will be losing slower than if I didn't. So you have choices to make. Some days I walk right by the goodies, some days I don't. Today was a good day: my son gave me a big hug, stepped back in shock and said, "ohmygod, you have disappeared!" His arms go all the way around me with ease now. You have a lot of moments like that to look forward to!

[Cocoabean 430]

For me, it is a love/hate relationship. It is also just a part of me. Feb 15 will mark 3 years since my surgery.

I love that 70 pounds are gone and that I maintain with ease. I love that I move easier now. I love that I am off blood pressure meds and cholesterol meds. I love that I have not moved into diabetes as my doctor predicted I would without this surgery.

I hate my band when I get stuck, but that is almost always the fault of pilot error. I hated the times when my mouth still wanted more food, but my band told me I was done eating. My hunger feels the same as before surgery. To this day based on how my hunger feels, I'd swear to you that I could eat the same amount as before surgery. My brain knows on one level that I will be full sooner, but on another level? Nah, gimme the same amount!! That is part of the learning process. I thought that I would not feel hunger after banding. What I experience is that when I eat I feel full with less food and I don't feel the gnawing hunger in between meals, so I am less likely to graze or snack on less-than-healthy things.

I cannot say I am hooked on exercise. I hate it. I try to be more active than I was before. But exercise will always be a struggle for me.

I will say though, I do not regret getting a band at all!

[CheckYes 46]

I feel like it is a bit too early for me to post on this thread but I do love my band. I have lost 30 pounds since my surgery which was six weeks ago. Not only do I feel good about the weight loss - following my surgeon's orders has given me a sense of control over my eating that I haven't had in a very long time. I was one of those people who did a starve/binge cycle every day. I wouldn't eat until about 4:00 pm and then I would binge for most of the evening. Well now, I eat a healthy Breakfast, lunch and dinner. I do kind of LIVE for my Jello sugar free pudding snack in the evening but I can control it - just eat one - and know that it is enough of a treat for one day. I don't do any other snacking and I am totally mindful of what I put in my body. Apart from the Jello, everything I eat is organic (I'm sure the Jello kind of equalizes the organic eating I do but for now, I am enjoying it).

I just feel hope now where I didn't feel it before. I think that is the biggest thing the band has done for me.

Cold feet is normal. I was teary the morning of my surgery because of nerves - I was teary at intake, teary with the nurses, teary with the anesthesiologist and my surgeon. It's ok to have some feelings about what you are doing. Just try to remember the why part of this journey.

Best wishes and good luck!