Weight loss succes factors - our own study

[jenlaur1 0]

(263 when started program)256 day of surgery

10 months

none

varies, b/w none to 360

4

no

cauc.

22 (lost 8 before surgery for a total of 30)

Cathy

[puddin 7]

Woohoo, I finally reached the 6 month mark so now I can contribute to this study:

304 pounds, 6 months, 0%, 150 minutes, (rather than put how many fills here I think the fill amount is a bit more applicable. My doc (who also happens to be your doc) is slow about fills) 2.2cc fill as of last Wednesday, no diet drugs, caucasian, 53 pounds lost

[tilly 5]

I have to count the calories, if I dont I stop losing and when I do and keep a food diary (in a dictafone i carry round with me) I lose fine

147lbs 13 months

fills count, sucessful ones anyway, and if I drink with meals I get hungry fast so eat more than normal.

[Jane Garside 0]

Several great things have come out of participating in this study. I could see I wasn't excersising nearly enough so am not up to an hour and a half a day. I'm better at avoiding drinking with my meal but am drinking much more Water overall. I too count calories in a diary format when I'm being for real so I know I'm eating 11 to 1300 instead of the 1600 I was getting down some days before. After a 6 month stall where I was freaking myself out about how this wasn't working and look what I'd spent on it (never mind what I'd done to my body). Now I'm thinking well this is the time period - winter - when you've tipically gained back all you lost in the previous spring summer period. So....if that's what the band has done for me -I didn't gain any weight! Now back on the wagon so to speak. I'm pleased and down 4#'s - considering I'm only down 28#'s total - 4#'s is gold.

[CandySmooch 0]

Can I update my stats?

293/11 months/5%/120min/3 fills/no diet drugs/caucasion/WL total today is 25 lbs.

Oh and I truly believe the only reason why the scale started moving down was because I started the South Beach Diet after exhausting all of my other resources. Moderate Diet and Excercise wasn't cutting it. I've cut out basically all sugar, refined carbs, and highly processed foods and got my scale to move another 10lbs over the last month.

Thanks

[cadydid 0]

Carol checking in: I will use my first 9 months. banded 12/29/03

1. Weight when banded (in pounds, if you'd rather not disclose then reply via private email to me)

2. Study duration (between 6 and 12 months)

3. Percentage of meals where you drank during the meal or within 1 hour after the meal

4. Average minutes per week you exercised during the study period

5. Number of fills you received during the study period

6. Regularly used diet drugs during your study period (yes/no)?

7. Race (race showed as a significant success factor in the initial FDA trials for lap-band surgery, leave blank if you object to testing this factor)

8. Weight loss during the study period (in pounds)"

269 9 months 25% 120 4 no Caucasian 102

(from 12/29 to 4/2/04 lost 71 pounds in 3 months!)

[lookingout 0]

so, do you think the phentermine is safe with the band? I am curious to see how it would effect me. I have been banded a couple of weeks now, but used phentermine in the past and it was great!

[Angeleyes 1]

208/12 months/ 0%/ at least 2 hours per week/ 3 fills/ no diet drugs/ white/ 31 pounds lost.

Hope someone can give me some insight to help me lose this weight faster!

[Jachut 487]

1. Weight when banded 245

2. Study duration 5 months

3. Percentage of meals where you drank during the meal or within 2 hours after the meal 100%

4. Average minutes per week you exercised during the study period 200

5. Number of fills you received during the study period 2

6. Regularly used diet drugs during your study period (yes/no)? no

7. Race Caucasian

8. Weight loss during the study period (in pounds) 44

[PinkMary 3]

1. Weight when banded 265

2. Study duration 10 months

3. Percentage of meals where you drank during the meal or within 2 hours after the meal 40%

4. Average minutes per week you exercised during the study period 0

5. Number of fills you received during the study period 2

6. Regularly used diet drugs during your study period (yes/no)? no

7. Caucasian

8. Weight loss during the study period (in pounds) 85

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[derbygirl 0]

Scott, I'm curious as to why you are bad about getting fills regularly. Is it a cost factor...is it uncomfortable for you?

[Scott F 0]

Derbygirl, I'm a big believer in getting the fill right. I had my second fill three weeks ago and it seems just about right. My surgery package includes the fills for the first year.

I expected to see a correlation between the number of fills a person gets and the amount of weight lost, but this did not show up with the people who responded to this survey. Maybe the people who just get a couple of fills during the first year do not get more because they are just right after two?

[Jachut 487]

I suspect fills are personality dependent to a degree. Perhaps people who have less fills are just better "dieters". I hate to use the word better for fear of it sounding judgemental but some people have more discipline in that arena (eating less, exercising more) than do others. Some people need their bands tighter to work for them.

And if one of the main signs of needing a fill is a slowing or halting of weight loss, then it stands to reason that people who have more fills may not lose weight as efficiently or easily in the first place. They may be older, less mobile and therefore less active etc, have slower metabolisms therefore the entire process would be slower and more trying.

[Constance 0]

For what it's worth, my surgeon said his patients average 3 fills to get to the sweet spot. Some need more, some need less.

["Nita 0]

248 lbs. day of band, 11 months banded, 0-1% meals with drinks, 30-45 minutes per week excercise, 3 fills, no diet pills, white, 78 lbs. lost