Not quite what I expected

[busyandblessed 2]

I got my lap band on December 17th 2014 and thought this was my final move to lose weight. Well here I am 4 months later and have not even lost 20 pounds! This has been a very slow and very frustrating process. I initially thought I was doing everything right and now realize that the band is simply a tool to help me lose my weight, no magic here.

I have limited my carbs and find that that has started me on my weight loss journey. My surgeon just smiles and says "lap band is a slow process"..... is this true for anyone else???

I need to find someone to come along side me and give me your experience so that all hope is not lost. This is a permanent way of life for me and I want to be happy with my decision.

I have changed my way of life which is good and I am thankful for that but will I ever lose all of my weight without not eating at all??

I would appreciate any and all comments or suggestions,

Thank you!!

[gowalking 10,790]

Welcome to the forum @busyandblessed. It can take time and several fills till you have the correct restriction. I know it's hard, but be patient and stay compliant. I promise you will lose the weight without starving. I eat around 1,200 calories a day and have done so since I was banded just over two years ago. I also limit my carbs and make sure to get in all my Protein. You can see by my ticker that I've lost all my excess weight. I'm sure you will as well. Good luck.

[B-52 7,113]

For me, the band is a "Magic" way to loose weight....but getting there was pure hell...sounds like that is where you are right now...trying to find that "Right" combination of band adjustments, choice of foods, and applying a few simple rules to until everything starts to fall into place....it can be frustrating, and from what I read, some people either give up (choosing to believe it does not work) or staying within "Their" comfort zones....(I don't want to say good-bye to some things)

Hang in there....IT DOES WORK!

BTW, the less weight you have to loose, the closer you get to your goal, the tougher it is.....and vice versa. Least that's my viewpoint...

[tiamis 0]

Hello, go walking is right. You may have to have many fill to get it right. But please don't do what I did, I was sent to a dr who was filling me almost weekly, I did not know any better, wasn't told that was not the right way and basically was a cash cow (super pun intended). All I wanted was to loose weight, and that is all I cared about. This was in 2005. The band was so tight, I couldn't even drink Water. I lost 100 lbs, but it made me sick constantly, even when saline was reduced. I lost because I couldn't eat anything and went back and forth with throwing up, et. It was starting to mess up my esophagus, so surgery dr recommended to take it out. (This was a different dr from who was going me fills, but he didn't care about me anyway either. As long as his personal plane was paid for.) Anyway, I went out with any saline for 6 months and tried it again, more slowly. Long story short, it has made me sick and pain no matter what I eat and sometimes drink.

I hope the band does not give you the problems I've had. I hope it works for you, because I know what you are going through. Take your time, make sure you stay healthy, cause no amount of weight loss is good when you are sick or malnourished behind it, believe me.

I just got back on here because now I have a sleeve. Took out band on 3/24/2014 ( self pay, that is why I had band in me so long, 2005 until now.) Please feel free to ask me any questions or email me.

[KateP 359]

Because the band does nothing except slow our eating and reduce our hunger, we don't lose any faster than someone following a programme like WeightWatchers. Averages are pretty meaningless, but a loss of between 1-2lbs a week is on track. So as low as 4lbs a month may be disappointing but is not unexpected.

Restriction does not in itself make us lose weight, it just makes it easier for us to eat less. So to lose before we get to the desirable level is as hard as it was without surgery but perfectly possible.

How long did it take you to gain the weight? Not just a few months! It isn't going to come off in a few months either. In terms of the rest of your life, the time since November is just a blip. Be patient!

[Sharpie 3,306]

when I went to my Dr he explained that the lapband is not a quick way to lose. It is slow. I also like you did not have a super high bmi, I needed to lose about 75 lbs. It has taken me 2 years of eating by the rules slow, chewing and Protein first however it was steady and I am healthier by taking it slowly. I do not feel deprived, don't have any dumping problems or hair loss. average loss 1-2 lbs a week is normal. My Dr. was also conservative with fills, you do not want to get too tight, that will defeat the purpose . The difference between having the band and just going on a diet such as weight watchers, etc. is in two years I Have not re-gained even a lb. Stay with it and focus on Protein and start walking or moving to get exercise . It will work but you have to be patient.

[Bandista 7,466]

Hi there, the links below in my signature have been helpful to me. It sounds like you are right on track and have a good doctor you're working with. My surgeon described a tennis-ball sized serving of food and not being hungry again for 4-5 hours. I'd have one but not the other and we kept going until I got to the green zone. For me it was several small fills. Even though it took some time, that turned out to be a good thing for me as I had to address behaviors like eating too fast, not chewing well, etc.

[busyandblessed 2]

Thanks for the encouragement. How much saline do each of you have? I'm currently at 7 ml and definitely have the restriction but am able to eat pretty much as much as I want?? Where is the happy medium? Just want to know what you all have been through and what to expect

Thanks for your help

[Bandista 7,466]

@@busyandblessed my surgeon does not share the amount of fill so I can't tell you that, but I have asked, "is there still room" and all those other crazy questions and he always says, "Oh yes, no worries there." So I think he is of the small, frequent fills school of thought. Just as every patient is different, so is every surgeon. Really I am glad for the time I had to get some basic habits changed. I even practiced eating by the clock, a bite a minute, chewing, etc. Not that that's how I eat now, but I needed to really slow down and focus in so that I could get the feeling of my band. Now we work together and I hardly think about it at all. Best wishes to you -- you are doing beautifully. Pat yourself on the back!

[gowalking 10,790]

I'm one of those rare birds who has restriction without fills. I'm not the only one, but it's very atypical. It's also a double edged sword in that I can eat anything but I have to be careful because I can eat anything.

[KateP 359]

Thanks for the encouragement. How much saline do each of you have? I'm currently at 7 ml and definitely have the restriction but am able to eat pretty much as much as I want?? Where is the happy medium? Just want to know what you all have been through and what to expect

Thanks for your help

If you can eat what you want but have some feeling of restriction, you are in the right place now, I can eat virtually all foods and, if I choose to do, can eat large quantities. The trick is to eat the "right" amount and then walk away. Then, if food not in front of you, you won't have physical hunger and so don't think of eating.

[JoJoNYC 69]

Well if you did your homework going into the lapband surgery, that's the first thing they tell you. It's not a magic do-all. It's a tool, just like any other tool. You couldn't drive a nail through wood without a hammer or tighten a nut without a wrench. The same is with our Weightloss. If we could have done it just by dieting we would have never had the surgery. But after all the failures of fad diets, liquid diets and packaged foods. It was time to make a change and that change for me was with my lapband. I got banded Jan 14 of this year a month after you and I must say its working fine.

I'm down 61 pounds lost 10 inches on my waist and only eat 1100-1200 calories per day and no more.

You can make this happen, be aware of what your eating and how much and remember your band is just a "tool" and nothing more.

You can make this happen!!!