Discouraged

[Yetta2u 3]

I am so discouraged. I cant believe that by eating less a person is still not able to loose weight..

I am strongly feeling that I should have had the Gastric bypass surgery instead.

[CincyUdy 35]

Wow just based on your ticker you are fairly small to begin with for weightless surgery. When were you banded? I thought the exact same thing when I was banded but now after my first fill I'm feeling better and looking forward to my second fill so it is defiantly a slower process than gastric bypass but it is a process you work at and takes time to change your habits and your life. That is what I keep telling myself anyway...hope it helps!

[punk.sauce 0]

I am so discouraged. I cant believe that by eating less a person is still not able to loose weight..

I am strongly feeling that I should have had the Gastric bypass surgery instead.

I am sorry to see that you feel this way. I just came out of a huge depression about my lapband. I am 8 weeks out and have not lost much and have had a huge 3 week pleatue. I thought the same thing.I am eating SO much less and SO much healthier than before! Why am I not losing weight?! But then I started to do research and found that esp early out a persons body will try and retain any food that it takes in if it is less than we used to eat. So I threw myself into exercising and keeping my calories at 1000 (the healthy kind cuz 1000 cals of crap food and healthy food make a huge difference!) I hope you can find something to help you on your journey. Keep your head up! It is only a small tool in a big process!

[L12 13]

I only lost about 20-25 lbs. in the first six months; I did eat less, but as it took several fills to get to my sweet spot, I was still frequently hungry until I reached it. Once I got good restriction, I was much less hungry, could comfortably eat smaller portions, and the weight started to fall off. I noticed you were banded in December--so was I (2008), and finally got to my sweet spot after around my sixth or seventh fill in June (2009). If you look at my ticker, you will see that waiting around for a while didn't hurt my overall weight loss. Just be patient and remind yourself of how all of this works--you HAVE lost weight, which means you ARE seeing results from your efforts.

[Yetta2u 3]

Thank you very much, this is the kind of encouragement I need to keep focus.

Thanks for sharing Patience is the key...

I only lost about 20-25 lbs. in the first six months; I did eat less, but as it took several fills to get to my sweet spot, I was still frequently hungry until I reached it. Once I got good restriction, I was much less hungry, could comfortably eat smaller portions, and the weight started to fall off. I noticed you were banded in December--so was I (2008), and finally got to my sweet spot after around my sixth or seventh fill in June (2009). If you look at my ticker, you will see that waiting around for a while didn't hurt my overall weight loss. Just be patient and remind yourself of how all of this works--you HAVE lost weight, which means you ARE seeing results from your efforts.

[barbie1978 22]

Yetta2u- don't get discouraged! It will come off...were you just banded this past december (2010)? It definately takes awhile...and you will be suprised at how you will KNOW what your band needs....let me explain...

here's my journey so far.....

.i was banded in july 2009 and i lost about 25 right away...then stayed there until my 6th fill! I started having good restriction around April 2010 which put me at 9.5cc's in a 14cc band...my sweet spot...and didn't need another fill until september and went up to 10.5cc;'s...then i actually needed an unfill due to a stomach bug..went all the way back down to 7.5cc, and let me tell you, you remember VERY QUICKLY why you have the band. I was so hungry instantly after the unfill, could drink WHILE eating..it was not good...so after taking tests to make sure everything was ok and my stomach lining was not inflamed anymore, i went back up to 10cc's and at my last visit, i CHOSE to take more out...and now i'm back at 9.5cc's, still losing VERY easily. I'm FINALLY in ONEderland, i'm coming to terms with how i REALLY look and what size clothing i'm REALLY in (cant' shop in the "womans" department anymore..wooo!)....i'm actually thinking about having my doc take another .25cc's out...i think i'll still be good and more comfortable. And if you had told me that i'd EVER want to take Fluid out, i would have told you that you were crazy. But as you are further post op, you WILL LEARN what you need

And another idea is for you to watch your INCHES! Inches will come off faster than pounds...you'll notice your clothes getting looser, things like that...it was discouraging for awhile, but the BIGGEST benefit of having the band INSTEAD of bypass? IT"S ADJUSTABLE! If you had chosed bypass and were fully healed and gaining, you'd be S.O.L....but with a band you can go get an adjustment and help yourself more...

Ok i've rabmled on quite a bit...my point is that although it's slower at first, you WILL see results...i didn't want to hear about being patient, but it's the truth. Just try to be grateful for what you've already lost, how much healthier you've already become, and know that it is a process and it IS happening! Find an exercise routine you love and you'll see results faster...goodluck!

[Rachael 4]

The bypass is quicker at weight lost but I was looking at maintaining for life. I have known four people who have had the gastric bypass. My dad, my aunt, my uncle, and a good friend. My aunt died last year (not from complications from the bypass) but from co-morbidity and a rare disease she picked up in the hospital. She had infections and lots of problems with her bypass. My uncle lost all his weight and turned to heroin. He past away two years ago....it was drug related. My dad and friend have gained back all the weight they lost from the bypass.

There is no easy answers for weight lost. It is a tough road. Changing behaviors are hard. I have a friend who got the band last year and she told me not to worry about losing weight for a little while. Your body changes. Then, the weight starts to come off. Try increasing your calories to 1200...sometimes that helps. It sucks but I know that I couldn't maintain a one pound lost on my own. I have regretted getting the band and have moments when I am scared something bad will happen but I know that I needed to do this not only for myself but for my two little boys!

[Yetta2u 3]

Very inspirational. Thank you for sharing!

Yetta2u- don't get discouraged! It will come off...were you just banded this past december (2010)? It definately takes awhile...and you will be suprised at how you will KNOW what your band needs....let me explain...

here's my journey so far.....

.i was banded in july 2009 and i lost about 25 right away...then stayed there until my 6th fill! I started having good restriction around April 2010 which put me at 9.5cc's in a 14cc band...my sweet spot...and didn't need another fill until september and went up to 10.5cc;'s...then i actually needed an unfill due to a stomach bug..went all the way back down to 7.5cc, and let me tell you, you remember VERY QUICKLY why you have the band. I was so hungry instantly after the unfill, could drink WHILE eating..it was not good...so after taking tests to make sure everything was ok and my stomach lining was not inflamed anymore, i went back up to 10cc's and at my last visit, i CHOSE to take more out...and now i'm back at 9.5cc's, still losing VERY easily. I'm FINALLY in ONEderland, i'm coming to terms with how i REALLY look and what size clothing i'm REALLY in (cant' shop in the "womans" department anymore..wooo!)....i'm actually thinking about having my doc take another .25cc's out...i think i'll still be good and more comfortable. And if you had told me that i'd EVER want to take Fluid out, i would have told you that you were crazy. But as you are further post op, you WILL LEARN what you need

And another idea is for you to watch your INCHES! Inches will come off faster than pounds...you'll notice your clothes getting looser, things like that...it was discouraging for awhile, but the BIGGEST benefit of having the band INSTEAD of bypass? IT"S ADJUSTABLE! If you had chosed bypass and were fully healed and gaining, you'd be S.O.L....but with a band you can go get an adjustment and help yourself more...

Ok i've rabmled on quite a bit...my point is that although it's slower at first, you WILL see results...i didn't want to hear about being patient, but it's the truth. Just try to be grateful for what you've already lost, how much healthier you've already become, and know that it is a process and it IS happening! Find an exercise routine you love and you'll see results faster...goodluck!

[Yetta2u 3]

Wow! I will continue to be patient. Thank you for sharing!

The bypass is quicker at weight lost but I was looking at maintaining for life. I have known four people who have had the gastric bypass. My dad, my aunt, my uncle, and a good friend. My aunt died last year (not from complications from the bypass) but from co-morbidity and a rare disease she picked up in the hospital. She had infections and lots of problems with her bypass. My uncle lost all his weight and turned to heroin. He past away two years ago....it was drug related. My dad and friend have gained back all the weight they lost from the bypass.

There is no easy answers for weight lost. It is a tough road. Changing behaviors are hard. I have a friend who got the band last year and she told me not to worry about losing weight for a little while. Your body changes. Then, the weight starts to come off. Try increasing your calories to 1200...sometimes that helps. It sucks but I know that I couldn't maintain a one pound lost on my own. I have regretted getting the band and have moments when I am scared something bad will happen but I know that I needed to do this not only for myself but for my two little boys!

[JourneyGirl 10]

I know that it can get discouraging. Hang in there and try to be patient, even though I know that can be hard. I had gone a few weeks where the scale didn't move. I am not to my sweet spot yet, but this fill gave me some restriction, and am trying to eat less and really pay attention to what my body (stomach) is telling me.

I have noticed that if my Protein intake isn't where it should be and my Fluid isn't then I don't loose, even 1 pound. Make sure those two things are where they should be and exercise and it will start to happen.

Hang in there. You CAN do this!!