will lapband save me from myself?

[mbprn 0]

Yes-it helps alot. I feel your pain about exercise trauma. I've had a bad knee since I was 14 (like a bazillion yrs ago)and need it replaced soon.

I can't believe your family doesn't see losing 95 lbs as a huge sucess. That is amazing!!! My husband the engineer always says, it's not half-full, it's not half empty- it's twice as big as it needs to be. (Wait-did he call me fat?) I'll be back in a second...

[Judy M 0]

Dear Susan,

I started out at 220 lbs and had 90 to loose. I was banded on Jan. 9, 2006 and have lost 61 lbs so far. I too am a dieting veteran. I've dieted since age 11 and have done everthing from deit pill to Herbalife to of course Weight Watchers and many more. The only thing I never tried was Atkins because I love my carbs (Chocolate) too much.

So you asked about the sweets craving. For me, and it really is true that everyone is an individual, once I did the pre-op liquid diet portion, I couldn't believe how much energy I had without the sugar. It was amazing to me and also how much I didn't crave it. That part really helped in the begining. Now I'm 7 months out and the cravings are back but I'm able to control them better. Yes I do give in to an occasional chocolate chip cookie but I buy Weight Watchers Ice cream pops or the Popcicle brand no sugar added 40 calorie fudge pops to take care of the craving. It works pretty well but the thing that worked the best was when I got down to a size 14 and went shopping at Kohls. I stepped in the store and it hit me that I could now shop the WHOLE store not just the plus size department.

I find that if I fall off the wagon, so to speak, I can put on 4lbs from a weekend of BBQ's and then it will take me 3 weeks to get it off. Yes it is still work yet so much easier than any thing else I've ever done. I have never lost 61 lbs in 7 months with anything I have tried before. And Susan, with the band you pretty much know the weight almost, won't come back on. You may have a small set back but not like before.

Good Luck and keep me posted on your progress. Also, check out obesityhelp.com. That is another good web site. Go into the Lab band forum.

Judy

[TinaH 0]

Thanks for all of the input. I was banded July 8, 2006. The wt loss has been so very slow. Just lately, I have felt like a failure and have been eating sweets and too much.

There are hugh emotional issues to be dealt with in most of us. I never realized just how much i turned to food to deaden my feelings. Somehow, someway, I have got to get a hugh dose of willpower, or learn to use my "tool". Why? oh why, do some of us sabatoge ourself? I have had one fill and it was a very painful experience.

I am due another one on Tues. I never felt any resistance after this fill.

Please tell me the symptoms of slippage and if you have any kind words to encourage me to get with it, Please respond.

TinaH

[mousecrazy 2]

I don't really know the signs of a slipped band, but we are probably all more likely to experience a "slipped headband"! I have had periods of time where I had more difficulty with the emotional issues, and during those periods the loss was very slow, or nonexistent. Then, a breakthrough...and the loss would start again.

Stick with it...if today is a bad day, make tomorrow a better one. I think we get trapped in that all-or-nothing thinking. "Oh, I already blew it today, might as well keep going." That's not a good thing. Even one good decision a day can add up.

[Surby 1]

I have an issue that I haven't seen addressed here, and I would love to know if others have experienced this. I didn't become overweight until about 15 years ago (when I was 24 or so). Now I'm at 250, and I'm 5'5". The issue is that I don't really eat that much compared to other people!! My husband probably eats 3 times as much as me, but he does work for UPS and is very active. I drink LOADS of Diet Coke, but I eat pretty healthy other than that. I've had all kinds of tests, but no one has found an explanation for my weight gain. I'm so afraid that the band won't help me that much!! I'm scheduled for one week from today!!

[MsButterKup23 1]

I'm probably not the person to ask, but I have lost 122lbs in just over a year. I have not given up a lot of my bad habits. I do take a lot of high quality Vitamins and drink 50 grams of Protein each morning with a bowl of Cereal for Breakfast.

I have broken just about ever "band rule" I drink full blown fountain coke, eat what (only less because of restriction) and I continue to lose weight.

I think the main factor in my weightloss is the fact that I have an extremely active job and lifestyle now. I keep up with 4 surgeons each day at work and have a 2 year old at night.

Lap band surgery is not a cure in itself and you don't have to be good 100% of the time nor do you have to give every joy up in life in order to lose weight. I'm not saying that I eat ice cream every night, but if the mood hits I do. Lap Band surgery is not the end of the world, I had many last meals and have proven to myself I can handle a dinner menu without over doing it.

I eat where I want I just know what I can get away with and if I have a craving I eat a bite or two and move on because I know what made me 300lbs.

[HopeWorks 0]

SweetSue wanted to know "The hardest thing for me to understand is the banded feeling....." I'm going to be banded 9/12 and that is the only thing I want to know also - what does it feel like - every min of every day? When can you tell you have it on your stomach? Are you only aware when you eat or at other times too? I know that there are a variety of possible complications, but aside from those - what is it like to live with this band?

-Anxious.

[ereves 0]

Your lap-band will not work unless you get your head around eating lower calorie foods. The foods you crave to eat now are the foods you will crave to eat afterwards. The high calorie soft foods will still go down easily and cause you not to lose weight. I had to start hypnotherapy to to get a handle on my bad eating habits. You have to change your thinking, the therapy has helped but I am still dieting and only losing 3-4 pounds a week. Surgeon is happy I am not.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

Thanks for all of the input. I was banded July 8, 2006. The wt loss has been so very slow. Just lately, I have felt like a failure and have been eating sweets and too much.

There are hugh emotional issues to be dealt with in most of us. I never realized just how much i turned to food to deaden my feelings. Somehow, someway, I have got to get a hugh dose of willpower, or learn to use my "tool". Why? oh why, do some of us sabatoge ourself? I have had one fill and it was a very painful experience.

I am due another one on Tues. I never felt any resistance after this fill.

Please tell me the symptoms of slippage and if you have any kind words to encourage me to get with it, Please respond.

TinaH

There are a myriad of reasons why we sabotage ourselves. One is our own emotional problems which lead us to get obese in the first place and the other is the way that we were lead to believe that the surgery was the fix. I know your doctor told you that the band was only a tool, but marketing talent was employed by the media, the manufacturer and by the doctor's staff. It may have been subtle, but they know how desperate people respond to "here it is, but..." No matter how big the "small print" is, it is still "small print".

Do not give up on yourself. Do not feel defeated and then let that feeling of defeat become a self fulfilling prophesy. Seek a support group and/or seek professional help. Your band is only one of the tools. You, I mean we, all, need more.

[TheGh0st 9]

OK Here's my two cents as well. I agree to varying levels with practically everything said so far. Even on both sides of the will power debate.

After all if I had such wonderful will power why would I need a band. And dear lord I do get tired of that term "TOOL" Anyone notice it has only 4 letters? But deep down I know that its true both that it is just a tool and that it will take some will power on my part.

The best thing about the band and it's "Tool" nature for me has been that in addition to the smaller meals it keeps me to it also helps keep me from moving to far up the scale if at all when I do lose that ever elusive will-power. It has turned my life from a 1 step forward 2 steps back to a 2 steps forward 1 step back. I can focus on losing weight when my will power is at its strongest and not stress about gaining it all back when my will power is at its weakest. This really has freed me from a lot of the guilt eating that usually followed after my first "cheat" when I was pre-banded.

I started at 254 and was banded Sep 2006. I'm down to 188 as of yesterday. I still give in to the occasional craving for pumpkin pie, cheesecake, chocolate ice cream, AND YES FROSTING with a spoon or on saltines (there's just something about that sweet/salty combo I like) Oh and many other cravings. BUT like I said the even though the band does allow me to eat these I still find that I'm not eating as much as before and I'm MUCH BETTER able to pick myself up and start over with out beating myself up so much that I grab another sweet out of depression for giving in to the first.

I'm sure I could lose faster if I didn't give in to these cravings or if I excersized more but there we go again if it were that easy then why did I bother to get banded? I take each day one at a time and hope that as time goes by I will make more mentally and physically healthy choices when it comes to food. Until then I just make sure the doc keeps me good and tight.

[sweetsue 1]

Thank you to all who replied and for all your great advice. I especially liked the tip from health1st who suggested I chew everything 30 times preop to get used to it and I have been doing this. I'm scheduled to be banded on 9/28. Now when I eat various foods I think to myself, this may be the last time I eat this (celery, pizza, soda, Pasta, etc). Now that I have surgery scheduled, I've been eating a bit recklessly because I know I'm heading for the BIG SHUT-DOWN and my long love affair with food will soon be over. Thanks again everyone.

Susan

[mbprn 0]

Susan-I felt like I was going off to prison the week before my surgery-I kept thinking-oh, I need to go to Olive Garden, no wait chinese, oh look I just passed an Arby's (which my 3yr old calls Barbie's) My husband even asked me what I wanted for my last meal!! I'm starting to feel better-I was really craving icecream tonight and but I could only eat about 4/5 bites and not only was I satisfied, but I couldn't eat anymore.

I lurked on this site for a while before I joined and I noticed that not everyone's journey is the same-some people swear by small portions low calorie, some by low carb, and many,like someone above stated, just ate what they wanted and but only ate a fraction of what they used to. I'm not sure which catagory I'm in yet but probably a little of all which I have read can be useful in keeping your metabolism in check but we'll see.

Hopeworks-I recommend you just read around in every forum here until you just can't stand us anymore-I learned more from that than from my doctor. When I was on the liquid phase and hungry I would come here and look at the before and after pictures for inspiration,especially while my family was eating. Good luck.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

I hate to burst anyone's dreams, but just like with all the other diets and schemes that each of us has tried in the past, Bariatric surgery is great for losing pounds, but it does not mean those pounds are gone forever.

We must learn proper eating and excercise habits while we are losing the weight and continue those habits (if and) after we reach our weight goal or the pounds will creep back on.

Then why Bariactric surgery? Because it is one more tool in the battle to repair our lives.

[TinaH 0]

Thanks to all who have replied with words of encourgement and support.

My wt loss has been really slow. I am almost 11 weeks post op.

I did use the tape measure and I am losing inches and I see that my clothing is fitting much better now and some things are just too big on me.

The exercise is really working as far as inches go.

I do enjoy each of your posts. It is a big encouragement to me.

Learning new habits and getting rid of bad habits is a daily challenge.

It does take a lot of discipline. But the pay off is better health and better self esteem is worth the effort.

Thanks for listening. or should I say, reading.

I go for my second fill tomorrow. The first one was real painful because my port had flipped.

If you are thinking about the lap band surgery, I encourage you to take all your measurements.

TinaH

[cathyRN 0]

I hope you have better luck than I have. I was banded two years ago come Sept and have not lost any more than the first 50# that I lost during the 1st weeks pre and post surgery. It still all boils down to willpower and keeping close with your surgeon for regular fills and check ups. Join a support group if you can, not just this one online. I still have hope that I will get there despite myself, someday. I have about 200# to lose and sometimes feel so alone and frustrated but am going to join a support group (the closest is 65 miles away) they meet once a month and hope that will help. I pray you will be strong and wish you all the luck. Cathy