I Now Know Why I Needed A Lap Band!

[size10again 11]

Hello,

This is my personal experience so please don't attack me, lol.

I am now about 24# from my ideal weight. I must have the metabolisim of a snail. I am eating about 1000 cal a day, some days more, some days less. I exercise most days of the week. I always get my required 60 gm of Protein in each day. I don't know if it's my age, 50, my hypoactive thyroid, my genetics or my many years of yo yo dieting, but I could not consistently eat this little if I didn't have my band. I was always able to diet for awhile, sometimes quite successfully, but the weight always came right back on. Even with all the work I am putting into this I am losing about 1# a week.

I am not complaining about my band, quite the opposite, I love and need my band! Even with it currently slipped, a hiatal hernia and surgery scheduled for December 8th, I know my band as well as my efforts are what have gotten me so far.

Joan

[size10again 11]

There haven't been any "views" or "posts" to my post.

I am posting a reply to see if it really posted.

Joan

[Jachut 487]

Well, I would agree with you. I dont think I quite have the metabolism of a snail, but something sure doesnt add up and I'm glad I have my band.

I weigh 140lb at 5ft 10, quite slim, yeah, but a healthy weight, near the bottom of my range. I eat about 1800 calories a day to maintain that weight - so I'm not complaining,that's an OK deal. But I need a lapband to stay within that calorie range. I also run an hour some days or do a spin class and a body pump class the other days. I'm very active. All the charts say I shoudl be eating 2,500 to 2800 calories a day! At the very least, you'd think I coudl eat the 2000 to 2200 recommended for the average woman. But there's no way I can eat that much and not gain. I'm not sure where the weight gain would stop, whether I'd be heavier but still in the healthy range or whether I'd become overweight again, but I dont care to find out either. I certainly know I got obese on somethign like 2,500 a day - I wasnt a binge eater, didnt eat amounts that seemed huge compared to other peple by any stretch of the imagination.

What I wonder though is which came first? Did I get fat because my metabolism was slower than it shoudl be or am do I now need to stick to a fairly limited, low calorie diet to maintain my weight precisely BECAUSE I have lost a lot of weight through long standing calorie deprivation? I suspect it is the latter. Once you've cut calories as low as we tend to do for a long time, you cant eat like a normal person ever again. Your body is just conditioned to run on much less. I certainly eat less and do more than my 120lb sister.

[BaileyRose 13]

That's awesome for both of you! I'm currently at a plateau and have been for almost two months now. And I've had three surgeries in three months because of port Infections and so on, but I still love my band! I've loaf allay 50 lbs since my my pre-op diet. I've gone from a size tiiiiight 24(probably should have been a 26) to an 18. I'm feeling better. I know I still have a ways to go, and would certainly like my port back because I definitely need a fill... But I'm happy with my success thus far. Sometimes I wish it would come off faster but I also know during this time... Especially without my port and needed a fill... I need to be putting in a lot more effort. But you two are inspiring! I can't wait to lose this extra 80 more lbs!!!!

[kll724 3,055]

Oh, I do agree. I knew I needed lapband to keep me honest. i bore easily with diets. I am at the top of my normal BMI. But, due to slippage, I have 3 1/2 cc in my port. I have been using will power over the holiday to stop eating. My next apt, I am asking for another 1/2 cc. Good luck to all in maintenance and folks still loosing. Karen

[54Shirley 105]

I starting getting Fat at the age of 4 months !

So my Mother new something was wrong, she was rite.

I suffer from a Disease that has no name yet, they just call it pockets. For the pockets of Water that can form all over the body, and the Water gets between the skin, and your flesh, and they have not figured out how, or why. They only know that Bariatric Surgery is the only cure for it. I also take water pills.

At 356 I was drowning in my own bodily fluids, so I wanted to live. I went to a seminar at Henry Fords, the University of Michigan told me where to go. They said they had the Monopoly on this. So I went, and at the seminar we were all put on 1200 calorie a day diets.

When I saw him in a month, "Chief Surgeon" I already lost 30 lbs. of water, so that tells you where I spent part of my life.

He agreed, with the Plastic Surgeons finding, and told me I would die if I didn't do something about this. He new that I new, and he said fine we will work together.

My Husbands Ins. covered the surgery, but it required a pre op diet of 12 months ! I told them by then I could be dead...

He told me to just stick to the Diet. I did, and lost over 120Lbs. in those 12 months. I was even asked by the Nurses in the Hallway If you lost that much ? Why have this done ? So I explained part of it, and was told we see that every now, and then. So don't worry you will be fine

.

Well 6 years later, and I'm doing fine. Still a battle with the Water, some times were neck, and neck, but basically! I am winning this battle 1Lb. at a time.

That's why I got Banded.

[lorena st 33]

Congrats on your weight loss. It must be frustrating to eat so few calories and not be losing weight faster. I am also in my 50's and I expect the weight loss to be slower than it would be if I had done this in my 30's or 40's....but so be it! Stay with the program and in 24 weeks or so, you should be at your goal weight. And then it's maintenance time and hooray to more calories per day! Keep up the good work.