Is the band a sham????

[purple3797 5]

Hi everyone. I was banded in November of 2011 about 7 monhs ago and I have only lost about 35-40 pounds. I can og course eat all the bad foods and the good foods are as little harder to eat. I do occassioanlly get stuck and I also get shoulder pain when i eat a little too much or get stuck or sometimes even on the first bite. I think I have about 7.5 cc's in a 10 cc band. I think if i get more I will be stuck all of the time and if i get some out i will be hungry b/c I feel now like it does very little to help me. I am starting to feel like this band is a sham and part of me is regretting doing it. I I am still fat but now have scars on my stomache for when and if i do lose the weight and also now i always have to worry about this foreign object in my body. I wish I could have just done this on my own and had faith in myself to just do it! I dont mean to be so negative i dont want to be i want to believe that this was the right thing for me I just need a puch LOL. THANKS!

[LVGirl 4]

Perhaps you are too tight? I see that a lot on here and it usually affects the WL. I would discuss this with your doc and see if they take some of the Fluid out of your band.

[TKW 501]

The band is only 1/3 of the equation. You need to "choose" the right foods and make sure you are exercising. Without all three of these things, I, personally, don't think the band can be successful.

Yes, you should be able to eat "the good for you food" without getting stuck. If you get stuck a lot that pushes you to the "not so good for you foods" cuz they go down easy. I agree, if this is the case, you may be too tight.

Don't get discouraged. The band works... but it is up to you to make it work. I have discovered it is a very tempermental thing!

Best of Luck to you!

[Dave_NW 92]

I sure as heck hope the band isn't a sham. I'd hate to have to regain all this weight I've lost!!!

Seriously, it does work, but you need to figure out why it's not working so well for you. (Although 40 pounds since November isn't that bad. They say 1-2 pounds a week is normal, and that's about where you are.) It's not a magic bullet, as you know, but it does work very well once things are fine-tuned for your body. I'd say examine everything you're doing, (or not doing), go back to square one, and try doing something different. You have to manage the band, not let the band manage you.

Good luck!

Dave

[Rachel412 116]

Here's a very serious question: what do you expect the band to do for you? Like not just "help me" but how exactly do you want it to help?

[Cocoabean 430]

I don't think so. You're down 40 lbs in 7 months? That's close to 1.5 lbs per week. Us bandsters can expect an average of 1-2 lbs per week. If it were me, I'd call that a success!

I averaged 3/4 pound per week to a total of 70 pounds gone. I've been maintaining this weight easily for about a year and a half now. My blood pressure is normal without medication. My blood sugar is normal when I was pre-diabetic. My high cholesterol is now normal.

[sweetcalichic 6]

In the 1st meeting with my band doctor he told me, some people lose a lot of weight and some lose no more than 20 lbs. Its all about how your body reacts to the band and how you use it. My advice it to stay positive, negative thinking is what kept most of us fat. I think we all wish we could have done it on our own and vowed many times to do so but its not that easy. You have a tool that can help you, use it the way it was meant to be used. If you love your band it should love you back . Is there a support group near you that you join?

[kiwchick45 0]

I hope not!

[spoiltmom 44]

You have to work with it. Count calories and Protein. Exercise and get your Water in.

[purple3797 5]

thanks everyone I am trying so hard to keep positive! I appreciate that you guys all offered positive words and did not attack me! I will keep trying and if anyone is interested in a buddy I could use one also!

[Wheelchair 13]

Let's think of the opportunity cost of NOT having the band.

Would you honestly have been able to lose the 40 lbs that you have?

If you hadn't gotten the surgery and spent these last 7~8 months on willpower alone... how much do you think you would have lost?

It is so possible to cheat on the band. Perhaps it's easier to cheat... because many of us justify and indulge our cravings with "well...I didn't eat a lot today anyhow, a few Cookies wouldn't hurt... "

You have to be honest with yourself... is your current behavior and lifestyle conducive to weight loss?

[Jachut 487]

40lb in 7 months is over 5lb a month - well within the 1-2lb per week weight loss expected with the band, and from what you describe, its doing its job! OK, so you may not be enjoying the experience of having a band, and that's a shame, but its doing what its meant to do. YOu're always going to have to work to make good food choices, not eat too many calories and a good amount of vigorous exercise helps enormously - its work, that's for sure. Nothing is really automatic with the band,