Worried it won't work.. help?

rumpusparable · May 9, 2007

Hi all,

I've just made my first doctors appointment with PCP to try and start steps to getting banded and have some fears... I'm sure many of you have had this particular situation and concern, so I wanted to run it by you.

I'm 30, 5'3", 211lbs today. Gained weight during surgeries and illness years ago (still have illness and meds, but nothing that *should* interfere with banding approval) and NOTHING has got it to come off and stay off since. At best, I lose 10-15lbs and then my body adjusts back to the weight it was despite stepping up my workouts, reducing my eating, etc. In the past couple of years, the only thing that has made my weight drop at all is eating such a low amount (well below what is considered healthy normally) that there is simply no way I can keep it up long-term... eventually hunger wins.

So my fear is that I'll: 1) Have to FIGHT to get the surgery (am a disabled vet, 80%, would be using the VA) and then 2) not lose and/or keep weight off even with it... (especially if the VA really refuses approval and my spouse, as he's hinting at, pays for it)

I'm terrified to go through it and find my weight still won't shift... this is a last-resort, and what if it doesn't work? Anyone else that can share on this? Similar problems, where your eating and exercise habits pre-band were what is considered ideal but still not losing weight?

Did getting banded work for you, does the restriction actually keep you from getting too hungry when you cut back enough to lose?

Thanks so very much all and I look forward to seeing you around here. I've already been reading and learning; it's so helpful to read real people's experiences in addition to the dry fact sheets.

Nice to meet you!

Rumpus

violeteyes37 · May 10, 2007

Im waiting to see what repsonse you get from the post because I have the same exact fear. What if this doesnt work. Just like you I have tried the cutting back and workiing out thing to only lose a small amount of weight. I keep telling myself that the difference is going to be the fact that instead of getting discouraged and giving up that this time the band is going to allow me to stay on track and that my body will give up its fight to keep the weight on before I give up my fight to take it off. I guess thats the difference. This time it is truely for life and not just for a couple of months until I give up.

Big As Life · May 10, 2007

Okay, I did have some fears....not that the ban would not work, but that I wouldn't be able to have it done....trust me...the ban will work, but you need to work with it....it is a tool... You will still need to work...You will have to make good choices, but it is easier after you have been banded...I only eat 1/2 cup of food per meal...no snacking between meals, no eating food with empty calories, i.e. Cookies, ice-cream, etc....I am not saying that I will never eat another cookie, or ice-cream, but I have to make good choices...to eat healthy and to exercise...all I do for exercise is walk on treadmill, one mile a day...and I use light weights for my arms....

I think everyone has the idea that once you are banded you will never be able to eat again...you can eat....you just can't eat large portions...you will learn portion control...I have never thrown up from the band, but I have seen others post that some have thrown up... from over-eating or the band being to tight....I just know that for me, the band is working great....I have not had my first fill, so it might be different after that..I may get sick....but I know that I am going to do everything I can to succeed...

I wish you both all the luck in the world...I hope you will see that the band is something that will help you lose the weight and keep it off...

Chickie · May 10, 2007

The band does it's job. But you have to work too. That's the thing. People underestimate the amount of work, and what a huge lifestyle change is required to make this work, to make it happen.

That said, it can be done. No. Not 100% of bandsters lose 100% of their excess weight, but a lot come close. And the impact that has of their overall health is amazing.

Pre banding I *thought* that I exercised and ate well. I soon found out that what I was doing was not even close to good enough to get me where I wanted to be. I am not saying this is the case with you, but often a very honest assessment of your lifestyle is required as the first step in changing bad habits that have been with us for most of our lives.

Best of luck.

rumpusparable · May 10, 2007

And the pictures look great, Chickie!

rumpusparable · May 10, 2007

This was meant to go above my last reply, but the edit got it all wonky!

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Thanks so much for replying, everyone!! But I'm now more nervous lol!

You see, that's exactly my worry: I've never had an issue with Portion Control, eating right, exercising every day... I've worked with nutritionists, dietitians, and personal trainers, had to log my normal eating & exercise habits, had to log my dieting eating & exercise habits, etc. All agree that I should have long been back to my original weight.

I have to drop to about 500 calories a day to lose weight + my workouts, hence my questions about whether the band will cause me to be able to comfortably maintain that.

To give an idea of where I'm coming from so you can understand my worries better:

I've found by logging my normal food intake when not dieting is between 1200-1500 calories a day, 20-30% fat intake, 52-70grams of Protein, no meat, no dairy, refined sugar products only about one soda a week (until I started school this past 2 months, now that's terrible at 1 a day! I definitely have to fix that!), Multivitamin most days (I do forget at times!) + Calcium supp, and 7-12 glasses of Water (depending on how much I drink during workouts). I'm a non-junk-food-vegetarian, so my diet is mostly greens, whole grains, brown rices, and legumes. The one exception to my pattern of eating is that once a month my spouse and I order takeout and have a little livingroom picnic

My workouts have ranged anywhere from a normal amount of 1hr of aerobics + weight lifting to the extreme of 17 months of training for an event that involved 5-7 hours of cardio a day (15-22 miles of speed-walking and jogging woodland trails), pilates/yoga and weight lifting.

During dieting, they have had me raise my calories to various levels to see if I was eating too little to lose, aiming for a specific fat or Protein intake, number of meals a day, setting a rigid pattern of exercise, etc. None of this has caused any lasting change in my weight, fat%, shape, nothing.

Like I mentioned before, if I started dieting hard enough (500cal/day) at best I would drop 10-15lbs at first and then regain it. I can't eat as little as I need to to drop and keep off weight on my own, eventually I return to that 1200-1500 area out of sheer hunger.

I've had a lot of checkups and they can find nothing physically wrong with me that should be causing the weight to stay on (such as hypothyroidism). My medications *are* considered a possible cause of holding on the weight.

So, ultimately, will having the band really be able to keep my from feeling too hungry? I know this may seem like a foolish question, but I've only seen dry data info and people discussing how it helped them get to a healthy habit of eating for themselves.

Is anyone out there needing to drop to a caloric intake as low as I need and not starving during it with the help of the band?

I truly appreciate your responses all! Very very much!

Chickie · May 10, 2007

Can the band stop you from feeling hungry on 500 calories a day? In theory, yes. But in reality, no one can live on 500 calories a day, long term, and not suffer ill effects.

There are a few people around these parts who live on as little as that, but from what I can see from the photo's and posts, they never got out of the overweight range, and I question if that sort of "diet" can be maintained, even with a band, for life. Another point to remember is, that long term dieting can damage the metabolism to a point where it cannot recover (if a person ate only 5 or 6 hundred calories a day for a year, when they started eating any more than that they would gain weight)

Starving the body is actually worse than being overweight. A human can be overweight, but suffering from malnutrition.

Sorry, I don't mean to scare you, but the facts are, for long term, healthy weight loss, starving is not going to work. Maybe in the short term, but not forever.

Big As Life · May 10, 2007

After reading your post, I don't understand how you are overweight....You work out and you eat no junk food...maybe your calorie intake is high, but if you are burning it off, looks like you would be thin....you mentioned taking meds, could your meds be making you gain weight?