Regrets

[ElfiePoo 109]

I have to be honest. I guess I'm in the minority.

I slipped once and I haven't lost anything since getting refilled after the slip. I've gone back to the original "good bandster rules" and continue to gain.

Krista,

Read the boards long enough and you'll find you are not in the minority. There are a lot of people who never lose the hunger even when their band is so full they can't eat the food they need to <raising hand>. For the most part they tend to lurk, though, because they get tired of being told they failed the band...when the reality is that the band failed them.

If you're following all the rules, and depending on what those rules were, you should have been losing even with the hunger. Since you aren't, and since you're still hungry, it might be that you're more sensitive to certain carbs than others are. You might try a very low carb diet that eliminates all grains, starches and fruit. It's worth a try. I discovered that once I eliminated these things from my diet, my hunger vanished. It took about a week or so after I stopped eating them but my hunger has not come back for close to 2 months...and I dropped about 15 pounds in 6 weeks. Phenomenal since I'd been losing barely a pound a week on a 1200 calorie, low carb (30-60gm per day) diet. Not being hungry has allowed me to drop my calories to around 900 easily. The bonus is that I also feel so much better! Mentally and physically, I have so much energy!

I'm getting my band out tomorrow due to phrenic nerve pain and I'm doing it without regrets because I know that as long as I avoid the grains, starches and fruit, my obsession and hunger with food is gone. Some people might think they can't live without these foods and, yes, I'm going to miss them...but it's worth the tradeoff.

.

[Jack 855]

"more sensitive to certain carbs than others"; this is a good point....

I can tell a critical threshold on my own carb intake, that most assuredly will increase my craving to eat more. Non soluble Fiber (the Holy Shredded Wheat) is essential for me, both for colon motility as well as the 'satiety switch' whatever that may really be.

If I eat such as granola or rice Cereal, my desire to eat more increases. If I eat corn flakes I can guarantee myself at least 3-4 days of that hollow ain't=been=fed=enough sensation. Probably not rising to the status of 'allergy' I believe some carbs are triggering a cascade of anomalous physiologic responses in some people.

Having survived 15 years injecting insulin twice a day preOp, direct observation of blood sugar levels and the endless cycle of eating ever more despite having eaten ever more, led in part to my own Morbid Obesity. How we handle our individual circumstances requires a lot of attention, research, and willingness to continue searching for an answer for ourselves.

cheers to you ElfiePoo on your coming surgery.

[ElfiePoo 109]

cheers to you ElfiePoo on your coming surgery.

Thanks, Jack.

[MamaJava 1]

Krista,

Read the boards long enough and you'll find you are not in the minority. There are a lot of people who never lose the hunger even when their band is so full they can't eat the food they need to <raising hand>. For the most part they tend to lurk, though, because they get tired of being told they failed the band...when the reality is that the band failed them.

If you're following all the rules, and depending on what those rules were, you should have been losing even with the hunger. Since you aren't, and since you're still hungry, it might be that you're more sensitive to certain carbs than others are. You might try a very low carb diet that eliminates all grains, starches and fruit. It's worth a try. I discovered that once I eliminated these things from my diet, my hunger vanished. It took about a week or so after I stopped eating them but my hunger has not come back for close to 2 months...and I dropped about 15 pounds in 6 weeks. Phenomenal since I'd been losing barely a pound a week on a 1200 calorie, low carb (30-60gm per day) diet. Not being hungry has allowed me to drop my calories to around 900 easily. The bonus is that I also feel so much better! Mentally and physically, I have so much energy!

I'm getting my band out tomorrow due to phrenic nerve pain and I'm doing it without regrets because I know that as long as I avoid the grains, starches and fruit, my obsession and hunger with food is gone. Some people might think they can't live without these foods and, yes, I'm going to miss them...but it's worth the tradeoff.

.

I know one of the major issues that made this lapband process so disheartening for me, is that I can't eat most "good" foods. I never realized that could happen...until it happened to me. The healthy, beautiful foods that I love are rejected by this band. I have a 9cc band and couldn't eat chicken (not even pureed) after a 2cc fill...but needed 6 cc or more to get proper restriction. So not only has chicken been eliminated, but so have eggs, whole grains (anything, doesn't matter), some cheeses, most veggies (lettuce, Beans, peas, celery...almost everything). I slime, I get chest pressure/pain, and OUT they come in some of the most violent PB episodes ever known to mankind.

My doc seems to think it's ME.

Even in puree form way back at 2cc's, I had to completely eliminate most of them. Some days I can get fish down, some days I can't.

What CAN I eat? Well...let's see:

pudding

Frozen yogurt

oatmeal (rolled oats only, steel cut=PB every time)

Skim milk

fruit (almost all are well-tolerated)

Yogurt

smoothies

Soup (puree only/no chunks of anything)

Yep...that's about it. Now you tell me how someone is supposed to live like that for life? My doc won't remove my band...he's says it's too invasive and he keeps sending me to nutrition classes. But they keep telling me junk that I already know! I would LOVE to eat how they tell me I'm supposed to be eating. I would LOVE IT. In fact, my problem to begin with was never the quality of foods I ate to reach obesity (I don't like sweets very much, avoid sugar at all costs, salt makes me swell like Goodyear on parade, I've never fried foods EVER...baked or broiled only in EVOO only)...it was the QUANTITY. The above list of what I CAN eat are all slider foods. Notice that? The fullness isn't there. Ever.

Well the quantity has been eliminated by the band. But it doesn't matter because they are all slider foods anyway. So, therein follows the horrific feeling of walking around 24/7 with loud growling eminating from my gut.

I take Vitamins. I still have black circles under my eyes if I don't cover it with makeup. I exercise. I exercise well. In fact I LOVE my elliptical machine. I LOVE taking long speed walks. I LOVE swimming. I even LOVE my Richard Simmons videos. Resorted to P90X for awhile because I thought killing myself through grueling, impossibly horrific exercise was the way to lose the weight. Honestly, I wanted to set my own face on fire after 2 months of the scale not moving with P90X.

My surgeon doesn't care. He thinks I must be doing this band thing all wrong. If he suggests even one more time that I go to a Nutritionist, I'm going to pull this band out myself through my throat. I've cried to him...he tells me I'm not chewing enough. I'm not even able to eat foods I have to chew!!! (except for the oatmeal and fruit but I'm OBVIOUSLY chewing those correctly because they are going down).

Yes I get enough calories to lose weight. I've had my trainer and my nutritionist help me with that as well. I gained back 20 pounds and I've been holding steady and not gaining anymore back...but I'm not worried about gaining. I just want to LOSE.

I'm not angry with anybody here. I'm angry with myself and with my surgeon. I'm angry that I don't know what to do and I feel so stuck...and alone.

So why have I only lost 24 pounds in 3 years??? Why does my band reject all of those beautiful, filling, protein-filled, high Fiber, HEALTHY foods? He doesn't seem to think it's an issue. "So just replace 2 meals a day with high-Protein shakes,

[lovelyaskanbe 1]

To be honest I get frustrated at times when I can only eat a very, very small portion and think I can't possibly be full....but I do. I have to get rid of years of overeating out of my mind and know that when the band says that's enough STOP. I have my good and bad days, but I don't regret getting the band. I love hearing people tell me I look good and skinny minnie (BTW...I nowhere near skinny). LOL

[Jack 855]

re: "I can only eat a very, very small portion and think I can't possibly be full."

It was odd at first for me too with that sensation....however once I discovered that I wasn't *hungry* it became a lot more satisfying that thinking in the old habit of 'full'.

Even now it is a pleasant surprise sometimes to find one or 2 bites actually are 'enough' to satisfy.

I too have decades of 'clean your plate'...'here--finish just this little bit'.....'are you FULL'...when that's the wrong question....

and learning to eat in restaurants takes a while to get the basic changes down.

I had to learn new behaviors of "put it in take-home box'; order the small size, or the appetizer, don't get the big bready things no matter how good you think they look. And I've learned to just put down my fork and say "Enough".

Most of the time.

cheers on OUR journeys!!!!

[ElfiePoo 109]

So why have I only lost 24 pounds in 3 years??? Why does my band reject all of those beautiful, filling, protein-filled, high fiber, HEALTHY foods? He doesn't seem to think it's an issue. "So just replace 2 meals a day with high-Protein shakes,

My surgeon said that if I can't eat the Protein and vegies, it means I have too much fill in my band. The band never really controlled my hunger. It was only when I went to straight protein and low carb vegies (no fruits, grains or starches) that the hunger disappeared. Perhaps you could try that (after getting unfilled to the point where you can eat the foods you need to) and see if that helps with the hunger? If you do, give it a week since it takes that long to get the carbs out of your system.

For Breakfast I eat 2 scrambled eggs...sometimes with cheese and mushrooms in them...cooked in .2 oz butter for Breakfast and then lunch and dinner work out to 3 oz of protein and 1 cup of vegies (broccoli, asparagus, salads, etc.) with butter, olive oil or full fat salad dressing. My calories come in at around 900 and I am never hungry. I used to struggle with 1200 when I was still even occasionally including 1/4 c. brown rice or half a slice of whole grain bread or even a bite of fruit.< /p>

[sparkplug 106]

Anyone have any regrets that they did the Lapband. The closer the date the more I am freaking out. Getting ready to start my 2 week pre op diet and am having my last few sodas before I start. Having no more diet sodas for the rest of my life will be hard, but I am sure I can do it. Does everyone go through this before their surgery. I am so tired of being overweight and definitely want to change...but does it have to be so drastic...so permanent. I am so mad at myself for getting into this predicament, but if I don't do something I am afraid that I will be at the point of no return. Any thoughts or suggestions??

Never regretted getting the band. I am thrilled to be at goal with 90 pds off and maintained for the last 2 1/2 years. I would gladly do this in a heartbeat again over and over. This has been a life saver and made me feel new and young again.

[jennifer1 180]

Wow Meekie

I love this post. I'm almost in tears over here reading all the things you dont regret! Those are exactly the things I want on my dont regret list. I havent been banded yet, but just got approved for the finance(i'm a self pay), so now just gotta do my pre-op testing. I am sooooooooooooo excited and cant wait to be banded. Thanks for the inspiration!

Jennifer

I've been banded for two and a half years now. I have NO REGRETS! I don't regret being able to bend over and tie my shoes without suffocating. I don't regret being able to buy normal size clothes and cute shoes. I don't regret being able to fit in a chair without feeling like I'm the stuffing for a turkey. I don't regret being able to run 4-5 miles. I don't regret being able to sit in the floor with my children and play a game. I don't regret being able to cross my legs. I don't regret being able to look in the mirror and smile. I don't regret having my children hug me and their arms fit around me. I don't regret being able to leave the aisle in an auditorium or movie and not have people cringe because they see the big, fat lady coming. And so on and so on. I love my band even when I have something stuck and it feels too tight or if I overeat and feel like I'm choking. It just reminds me that I need to slow down and eat properly. It helps me not let food control me. This band forces me to deal with my life's issue in another manner besides with food. I'm down 115 pounds and about 35 pounds from my goal. My only regret is not doing this sooner! I feel free now.

[Lady Lap Band 71]

Not one regret, not 1. Best thing I have ever done for myself. =)

[Lady Lap Band 71]

Not one regret, not 1. Best thing I have ever done for myself. =)

[vickyd 24]

Absolutely NO regrets...it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I am healthier, more confident and more comfortable in my own skin