What If I Can't Change After Getting A Lap Band?

[Fat_Librarian 21]

Hello, everyone! Thank you for your great input, it's been very helpful. But, I am still finding myself worried... Not about the cost, not about the pain, not about the approval... I am worried about whether or not I can keep up the lifestyle/habits necessary for success.

I've done all my pre-op, pre-approval appointments and have been told I am a good candidate, but I can't seem to change my eating habits. To be completely honest, I am just too lazy to make these big changes. I hate cooking, I work more hours than I'm home and I don't see myself spending hours at the gym or cooking. I'd rather eat chocolate than greek yogurt. This has been hard for me to admit, but I can't lie to myself any more...

In your honest opinion, should I go through with this or am I just setting myself up for failure?

Thanks.

[Humming Bird 275]

I think many of us have this same fear. What if I can't change? What if the band doesn't work for me?

I can only speak from my own experience. The band has given me no choice. I reached me green zone very early in the process and I simply can not over eat. I still have chocolate. I just had some yesterday. I just don't live on the stuff. In my experience, with proper restriction, if you have a significant amount of weight to lose the band works very well. My eating habits have changed with very little thought or effort on my part. There are quite a few foods I can no longer tolerate and that is a good thing because they are the foods that made me obese. I no longer even miss those foods.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

Are you even willing to change is the question not whether you can? I think that you dont have a choice to change your eating habits or it wont work. If your not willing to change your eating habits out of laziness then I would say no dont waste your time. I mean what is so hard to change. You dont have to cook to have success. My husband is out of town a lot and I dont cook except eggs for Breakfast. I take one day out of the weekend and prepare my meals for the week. Crock pot stuff mostly and its not that hard really and I eat a lot of salad almost every day. Its not hard to change you just have to be willing to do it.

[rosstheboss 21]

Wow, you have to be at least willing to try, the band itself is a tool and those of us who have been banded will tell you that what the say is true. The Band got me started again to really change my life style, going to the gym is fun and when I don't go I feel like I am missing out on something, The band process meant to put ME First and that is what it takes to be successful, you have to be ready to do this for yourself and it is a process. I have not been perfect and if I were to do it again I would due some things differently. But I am 60 lbs down from being banded, 100 from my high and I have a different relationship with food. I like Chocolate! (I don't keep it in the house) I will have cake for a special occasion and if that cake is in my house it is GONE! After the celebration either sent home with friends or in the trash! Greek Yogurt is a treat! In retrospect if I had done all this with out the band I would have lost weight but it took a big step like surgery to make this commitment and make the change. Good luck to you, you really have to be ready to work this and put yourself first.

[B-52 7,113]

Hello, everyone! Thank you for your great input, it's been very helpful. But, I am still finding myself worried... Not about the cost, not about the pain, not about the approval... I am worried about whether or not I can keep up the lifestyle/habits necessary for success. I've done all my pre-op, pre-approval appointments and have been told I am a good candidate, but I can't seem to change my eating habits. To be completely honest, I am just too lazy to make these big changes. I hate cooking, I work more hours than I'm home and I don't see myself spending hours at the gym or cooking. I'd rather eat chocolate than greek yogurt. This has been hard for me to admit, but I can't lie to myself any more... In your honest opinion, should I go through with this or am I just setting myself up for failure? Thanks.

In my case, the band is forcing me to change my eating habits. It has become 2nd nature because of lessons learned over and over again.

Example: Today, all I have eaten so far is a Protein shake for Breakfast, then went to the gym. After noon, as we are getting ready to sit down and watch some football on TV, my son says he is going out for Chinese take out, and do I want anything. I said sure, get me a small Lo-Mein, and some Spare Ribs.

Now before being banded, I could have gulped down the entire thing, along with a Coke. Well I had ONE RIB, and maybe 2 swallows of Lo-Mein. My band started screaming at me! I am finished with lunch.

dinner won't be so bad, as long as I choose the correct foods to eat.

I cannot over eat if I wanted to. It is physically impossible because of this thing wrapped around my stomach! I am not sure how I could fail.

I have tried dozens and dozens of diets and failed because I have no will power and discipline to see them through. With those I failed every one!

The band took care of that. Lets face it, surgical option is for people who cannot loose weight by standard diets alone. I believe everyone here is a failure when it comes to dieting with will power alone.

It is the EASIEST way to loose weight!

[Jess55 97]

In my opinion, if you don't feel 100% ready, I'd hold off on getting the surgery. It is only going to work if you put yourself into it. If you are not ready to change it won't work. Though on the other hand, though I do work at it, I don't cook that much. That is not to say I eat frozen meals, I gave those up at surgery. When I do cook, I cook up a whole bunch of chicken at a time and freeze them separately in tupperware, so when I'm making dinner for work, I pull out one of those and just add to it. Same things with turkey. I buy 93% ground beef and portion it out in the freezer so I just cook that up. I used to say, I wish I had had the surgery earlier, but honestly I don't think I would've been ready. Though now 95% of me just says I wish I didn't have the surgery and I would've just changes my ways.

[FLHgal 68]

I think you just have to get a new "mindset" about life. Some things we do are out of habit.

Example: I have a 2 hour appt. twice a week. It is over at around lunch time. ALWAYS stopped at McDonalds.

Yesterday I finsished the appt. and drove straight to McDonalds. Sitting in line I realized: You dope..you are on liquids. Pulled out of line and had abottle of Water. Good Luck in whatever you decide.

[bromo 17]

After raising a family of four children and cooking every night for nearly 30 years I became widowed and all my children grown. I moved into an apt by myself and stopped cooking for over a year. I ate out, mainly fast food, everyday. I gained probably 40 pounds in that year. Realizing that I could no longer do that and making the choice to eat more healthy foods, I started finding ways to cook for myself that required a minimal amount of time and energy including very little cleanup. I bought myself a little George Foreman grill which I probably use 4 nights a week, a toaster oven is used for the other 3. I use "pans" made from aluminum foil for the toaster oven so there is no cleanup on those nights. I prepare a veggie once every 2 or three nights and store it in the fridge for easy heat up or buy the individual size frozen ones to microwave. I no longer dread preparing dinner as it is quick and easy. It was not a hard habit to get into now that I think about it, although before I got the surgery I was dreading it a little.

[54Shirley 105]

Once your band is adjusted, you will change ! Because It won't allow you to do what you did before.

Once that happens, and you see that you have cut down whether you like it or not. You will adjust to the new life style, because you will be satisfied, and it works. So you will see weight loss, and be content with what you had to eat for the day.

You have to be willing to give it a chance though. I know what your talking about, I been there, and done it to. But it all works out, with adjustments, and patience.

So yes it does work !

[Jachut 487]

You will be able to change some. But you dont have to be perfect!

I've been banded six years and every day is still down to making good decisions - and some days I dont do that well at all. I would much much rather live on coffee and Cookies than eat anything nourishing, its a real problem for me. I'm coming to realise this may have a phsyiolgical basis that is correctable, but that's another story. The point is, I make a deal with myself to eat something healthy, much as I dont fancy it, FIRST and then I can have x, y or z, and with the band, once I've done that, I cant eat much of whatever it is I really wanted.

Look, we all have our issues and they dont go away overnight. We all think about weight loss in terms of failure, or we wouldnt have gotten to the point of banding. But dont discredit what the effect of actually having sustained success will do for you. Your habits and perceptions gradually change over time, until you wont recognise yourself a year or two down the track. Its important to start the journey and realise that it will be a bit winding and have a few wrong turns, but if you dont take the plunge, you'll never get there, will you?

And losing weight and being healthy does NOT depend on being perfect, exercising like a robot, never eating carbs again and never enjoying thanksgiving, christmas or whatever. Its just about consistently eating less and moving more over a sustained period of time and even a small change in the balance yields huge results over a year or more.

[shrinkAdink_05/10 4]

JACHUT, I agree with everything you said....and B-52 well said... "I believe everyone here is a failure when it comes to dieting with will power alone."

So, here I am only 1 & 1/2 years out of surgery. I met my goal right at one year. I went from 220 down to 126 pounds. Size 20 to a ZERO...WOW. I am now under my goal and trying to gain a few pounds back.

At 9 months I had reached my goal of 135 so I had my Tummy Tuck and breast lift done. I look and feel amazing. I never thought I would ever look in the mirror and feel anything but disgust...I was wrong

How did I do it? I wish I could say from diligently sticking to a Protein packed diet and hours a day of exercise. NOPE, none of that. I eat what I want, when I want. When everyone says it is physically impossible to overeat, they are correct...so long as you keep your band well adjusted.

That was my secret to my weight loss. Plain and simple...eating less. I am fortunate to have a doc who did fills in a way that most don't and if I had a fill and was not satisfied with the restriction I could go in the next week for another one, where other doc's will say, "you get what I give you and that is that and you can't see me again until 6 weeks, regardless". These people, (and I know some) have had pretty slow weight loss which they find to be frustrating and feel like they will never get to goal. As soon as I feel like I am able to eat too much or I am not feeling full or satisfied soon enough, I know it's time for a fill.

The best thing ever is that when I eat what I want, whenever I want...(since I keep my band well adjusted), I feel full and VERY SATISFIED, very quickly.

I went to the gym for the first 2 months after surgery and even worked w/ a personal trainer, but then my step-children came to live my husband and I, so I went from 3 full time chidren in the house to 5. I just didn't have time anymore, or energy.

Protein shakes....yuck! Tried every flavor in every brand. After wasting tons of money, literally hundreds of dollars, I gave up. So, other than a few sips, I didn't do Protein Shakes. Instead I just drink a lot of skim milk. (I will say though that my hair fell out by the hands full as a result. My long beautiful hair is now cut up to my earlobes. It got very thin and then with the new growth sticking out everywhere it looked ridiclous, so I loped it off. The good news is that it only fell out for the first few months. It IS growing back thank God!)

My doc calls me A POSTER CHILD FOR LAP BAND. He remarked that he wished he could stand me at his door so that I could greet all of his new patients.

Through everything after Lap Band, I have remained very healthly. Every few months I have had Vitamin and Protein levels checked amongst other thing. Everything has always been normal. Even when I was losing so much hair, my protein levels remained in the normal range.

Look at my picture, I call myself skinny now and it didn't happen by being perfect or a health fanatic....FAR from it. Don't keep yourself waiting....DO IT!! I still have habits that I haven 't broken, but my habits have been nipped in the bud. My biggest bad habit is I havn't given up Coke. I hate diet anything. I will at most to low fat, but refuse to do fat free or "diet" foods or drinks. The cool thing is that now, it takes me hours to drink (sip) one can of coke, where used to I would have 3+ 12oz Cokes a day! That one Coke is all I need to feel happy and satisfied, I never feel deprived. I don't do coffee or Starbucks drinks, so I think of my one Coke as my daily coffee.< /p>

Seriously....LOOK AT ME. I am so far from perfect. I had such HUGE self doubt and thought I would never be what I could call tiny ever again. It is so easy for you to be in my same skinny jeans...a size Zero that is!

[B-52 7,113]

Very well said. Voices from real life experiences is what we need more of around here.

Not repeating things they were "book learned" or "think" what is correct.

People have to realize that there are people from all over the world reading these posts to learn for their life's sake. The best advice (and most accurate) we can give is what "We actually experienced"

I'm 10 months out and 15lbs to my goal. I should get there for 12 months.

Mr Dr is very aggressive also. It really helps.

I really like it when I walk into my surgeon's waiting room and all eyes are on me as if to say "why is he here ?". The girl's behind the desk always joke with me saying I should come around more often and tease all the overweight ladies.

[honk 780]

Does your doctor have classes on mindful eating? If not find a psychologist that specializes in eating disorders. My surgery had to be postponed for 5 months and that gave me time to learn and live a new lifestyle. Do I like chocolate sure.

I just don't keep it in my house anymore. Do I like crackers and cake? Yep. And I do eat it just very very rarely and again don't keep it in my house. I think trying to cut out all "fun" foods forever is setting yourself up for failure.

I don't cook. I buy a large roasted chicken at costco every week and use it for lunch and dinner. For lunch I measure out 3 oz of chicken, bring a single serving hummus, low fat laughing cow; and baby carrots, suger snap peas. For dinner I have 3oz chicken, salsa, low fat cheese; and more raw veggies. For Breakfast I have non fat Greek yoghurt (with fruit); flavorless benefiber, 1/2 scoop vanilla whey Isolate powder, Splendra (greek yoghurt is sour so it needs some help).

[insanejane 9]

Loved what you said I now feel like I m doing it right