Freaking Out Over "I'm Not Losing" Posts

[devotion 41]

I'm pre-op; surgery is May 16. I've been on this board trying to learn about how people are dealing with being banded. Then I started reading several posts about how people are not losing weight, or they or only losing very little, or have plateaued. What is going on with that? I just do not understand how you can have the band, ear less, work out and still NOT lose weight. Is this a real problem with the band? I really need some advice. Thanks in advance.

[Luscious 1]

Hi Devotion... I'm sure you have read many posts also that talk about the band just being a tool to help keep you honest. I think there are a lot of people who learn to eat around the band - or simply eat the wrong things or inadvertantly consume more calories than they realise (liquid calories for example).

Having said that - there are a few peoples who fall into the slow loser category for multiple reasons - I used to be one of those people due to my insulin resistance, but since I was banded I've lost weight faster than ever before (and my blood sugar is normal).

I think there is also the issue of expectations.... I personally get frustrated when I read posts where people are unhappy they have gained "3 pounds since yesterday". Its really not possible for this to be weight due to fat cells, but many don't understand the body's physiology. There are many factors that impact weight loss - and often inches are lost even when the scale stays the same.

I think the success stories far outweigh the other. I wouldn't let this influence your decision if I were you.

[phowell 0]

I agree with Luscious. This is just a tool to help you lose weight. In the beginning (right after being banded) most people don't lose a lot of weight. You are supposed to focus on healing, not losing weight, but people want to see that scale move. Also, a lot of people (myself included) weigh themselves at least once a day--I am on the scale probably 3 times a day. I just use Mondays as the day of my "official" weigh in. If I go up or down during that (which I do by 3-5 pounds) I don't worry about it. It eventually goes down.

You really can eat around your band by using hi calorie liquids, not eating your Protein, and eating things very high in calories/fats. You also need to make sure that you keep up on your fills. If you feel that you are eating too much, you need to talk to your doctor about getting a fill. That is how you become successful. Listen to your own body and keep in touch with your doctor. My doctor told me that the more they see me the first year (not necessarily for fills, just to keep up) the more successfuly I would be.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing. This has been the best thing I have ever done to lose weight and get healthy.

Trish

[plain 12]

Agreed. The band is one of those tools where you get out what you put in. Now, plateaus may occur after significant weight loss, and weight loss gets slower and slower the closer you get to goal. Sometimes the band is an exercise in patience (but slower weight loss is generally more healthy, and generally stays off longer).

[katwest 0]

I was banded January 21st. I have only lost 30 pounds . I cannot afford an adjustment as my surgeon told me he had a link where I could get them for $150. yah right. Try $450 plus fees for the flouroscopy of $200. I wish I had gotten the gastric sleeve. I feel cheated and that Iwasted $8,000 of my own money.

[salsa1877 10]

They are all correct...this is a TOOL and if you don't use a tool correctly then it WON'T work. As you can see from my ticker this absolutely worked for me...but I did 98% of the work. The band will NOT tell you what foods to eat (in fact the unhealthy food usually go down easier), it will NOT drive you to the gym to workout, it will NOT tell your brain to stop thinking about food, but it WILL help you feel fuller faster and longer IF you eat the proper foods. I could eat 12 bags of microwaved popcorn and never feel full or stay full, but if I ate 2 chicken tenderloins (the small kind) and 1/4 cup of cauliflower I might stay full for hours.

You can do this, but you must realize this is about you...not the band. It will provided some gentle (and some not so gentle) reminders of how and when to eat, but most of this is up to you.

Good luck! You can do this...It has totally changed my life!

[mediummike 0]

There will be exceptions to everything but I think you will find most people have had a positive experience with the band. As noted, just realize there is no "miracle pill" - you have to work with the band and you will see results.

[TulipStar 2]

In general, most people will seek out advice when they are having a negative experience, so sometimes it might seem like there are more complaints vs. good experiences.

However, this is not true. Most do have success with the band and while there are people who are "slow losers" it often takes some extra effort to get those pounds started. I had a slow response intially, but decided that THIS was going to be IT. I started working out everyday and logging all of my food. This was what I needed to do to see results. Not everyone is the same. Some people lose it quickly, without exercise or food logging.

When you see people saying they are not losing, they know inside what they might be doing wrong. You can work around the band by eating liquids/ice cream/chocolate and other things that are easy to go down. Stay true to yourself and it will be successful!

[TracyinKS 7]

Tool-Schmool........ I know you get sick of hearing it....... but it is TRUE...... no matter what you will need to get your head in "diet mode" it does help with hunger (after you acheive restriction).. the band will keep you from flopping around on the floor like a fish from hunger but it won't make you eat solid protien or keep you away from the ice cream........ YOU HAVE TO DO THAT

Some exercise, I don't (I need to ) but its not something I love ... now that I'm in the 180's and closer to goal.. the weight is not coming off like it did when I was 272 and simply eating less...... now is the home stretch where I MUST move my ass AND eat wisely to get to my next level.... band goals are anywhere from 1-3 lbs a week.......... so that means some who lose 50 lbs in the first year are still in the normal range... and the ones who are sitting pretty at -150 are the super achievers............ like the other poster said...... fills on self pay can be expensive so plan on it........... in year one I've needed 4 fills to get to my current maintaining level........ some who get the RNY don't have much doctore followup but they must be adament about blood work and b-12 shots.........

My insurance paid......... but my mom and step dad are going to be self pay next year....... they are both going to take advantage of their company offer Flex Spending Accounts to cover some of the costs...

I think you are mainly suffering from pre op jitters which is completely normal. You will be fine.. just know that going in..... you WILL have to get your head on straight.

[Guest Leslie2Lose]

Everyone else has given you great advice, the band really is a tool. Results are going to be dependent on that individual persons makeup and what they do with the band. Every person is different.

You also must keep in mind the time the person is banded. I'm a "newbie" and have been banded for three weeks. I lost a lot during my pre-diet and liquid phase, post-op. Right now I'm eating mushy foods and am in the healing phase (between surgery and my first fill). Therefore, I am not losing a lot since I don't have a restriction. There are many posters that have recently been banded that fall into the "I'm not losing weight right now" threads - I've read them as well. So don't freak out too much.

[VegasGrace 1]

Hey! I've read those posts too. I even read this one where she got banded and 1 adjustment and a year later concerned she hasn't lost weight. But she admitted to not ever getting restriction, etc.

It happens. And how wonderful for the band as she is now able to just simply pick up where she left off.

And one thing about it....cut off the pipes and you will definetly loose weight. (cut off as in restriction...not literally)

Congrats and keep us posted on your progress.

[Wheetsin 714]

Lots of possibilities here. For one, having a band doesn't mean you eat less, or eat better. We all know it's entirely possible to have the band and gain weight. Sometimes people are aware that what they're doing can cause this, and sometimes they are not - and can be attributing their own unrecognized bad behaviors to "stall" or "nothing I do works".

The band is kind of like a lawnmower. With effort, dedication, and comittment your lawnmower can help you have a beautiful lawn, BUT not unless you're doing your part to keep it watered, fertilized, etc. You can't put a lawnmower in the garage, and then wonder why your lawn isn't fantastic. The band is the same way. It can help you (I call it artificial willpower) achieve your weightloss goals, but without you doing your share, it will not do anything but sit there.

Another - most of us will find along our journey a period of time where the weightloss does stop, or at least slow. This should be expected. Sometimes the body just needs to re-adjust, sometimes we will be able to lose fat mass without a significant yield on the scale, etc. (Ask how many have lost sizes without losing pounds and you'll get a large number of hands going up). This is not a "band" problem. EVERY weightloss effort I gave an honest try to, regardless of the gimmick behind it, came with significant plateaus.

Another suggestion - realize that this is a support board. It's not a "generic day to day life" board. Most people come here because they have problems and want help. What you see posted here should not be taken as an anecdote of the average band experience. Maybe 2/50 people experience some kind of extra challenge or hardship. You're only seeing those 2, you aren't seeing the 48 behind them.

Another possibility, there's a lot of unspoken story on messageboards. In our case, let's say someone posts that they've been banded, lost weight initially, but it has been a year since they lost anything. They can't, for the life of them, figure out why, can we help? And maybe 20 posts into trying to help them, they suddenly share that they had all their fill removed, or that they have a thyroid disorder, or that they didn't like yakking food up so they've switched their diet to ice cream and orange juice. You always have to take things with a chunky grain of salt, especially mystery situations. The best you can get to is possibilities, and that means that reality can be changing minute by minute. In other words, you will rarely know the full story behind what's going on, so -- how much sense does it make to invest it in emotionally?

Good luck. :smile:

[MacMadame 81]

I have found you have to take a lot of those posts with a grain of salt. Don't look at "I'm not losing" but look at the details.

Many of the people who post this have lost TONS of weight. But they are down near their goal and the weight loss has slowed down. They are rightly frustrated and looking for some ideas of how to lose the last bit now that weight isn't just falling off. It's good to know that happens, but if someone loses 100 lb. is the band a failure because they didn't lose 125? Not in my book.

Others have unrealistic expectations. Like the poster above who "only" lost 30 lb. in 3 months ... that is about 2 lb. a week! And she only has one fill. I'd love to have a "failure" like that when I get my band.

The rest of the people really haven't lost anything or much of anything. But most of the time if you look at their full story, they have had personal crises that have caused them not to work on themselves, they haven't had a fill in a while (maybe they don't have a fill doctor handy or money is an issue), they are eating around the band, they aren't exercising, etc. We can learn from their experiences. It's really important to me to know what can happen and how to prevent it. It's also good to know upfront if what the band requires is something I am not willing to give.

[donnabarney 0]

If people don't loose they say "the band is not stoping me from junk food". again the band is a tool.

check the excersie link, most of these people my self including excercise daily, and work out a couple time a week. I'm most on that link as I find this link too

full of poor me. Its my Meds, (my meds make me crave suger, I eat the diet jellow 40C or puddingc)

and chart what you eat, there are programs. most people don't realize how much they are really eating, chart daily, excercise daily and you will loose 1-3 pounds per week.

good luck

[IndioGirl55 32]

I'm just echoing what everyone else has said.

This is a Lifetime - Lifestyle change - As long as you work your tool - by eating healthy & exercising you will lose the weight.

Just today on another thread about not losing - the op posted that she revisited her eating and exercise and found that she was under estimating her food intake and the amount of exercise she was doing - She now is tracking her calorie and bumped up her exercise and the scale is moving.

Good Luck - This journey is a learning experience and when you fall down - just pick yourself up and start over - but please know it is so doable..