Extremely Depressed

[chic28 0]

I was banded on July 30th and I initially lost 15 pounds but I have lost any since then. As a matter of fact I've gained back 5 of those pounds. I had my 4th adjustment last week and still nothing. I read on this site a lot about the things that people say that they can't eat and about how they have to take tiny bites and chew, chew, chew. That has never been the case with me. I can eat as much as any "normal person" and no matter how large the bites or what the food is it goes down perfectly fine. Last night I had a piece of roast beef and some new potatoes. I barely even chewed that meat and I had no problem. I guess my question is why is this not working for me? Everybody keeps saying you have to exercise and you have to eat right. If I could do that I wouldn't have ever had any reason to get the band. I got banded so that I could slowly train myself to do these things and have the band act as a tool to assist me by limited the amount of food intake at any given time and helping me stay full. I haven't experienced any of this at all. Now I feel 100x's more like a failure because even with weight loss surgery I still can't make it work.

[Lowbmier 0]

Has your doctor checked to make sure you don't have a leak in the band. It doesn't sound like you are getting the proper restriction. If you have had four fills already and are still able to eat like a normal person maybe the band isn't sustaining the Fluid. Ask him to take out what is in there when you have your next fill so you can see if the amount he originally put in is actually what comes out. I heard that some doctors do this everytime they do a fill. I hope it gets better for you. Hang in there.

[chic28 0]

I'll ask him when I go next week. I'm sure he did this after the first fill but I'm not sure if he has on the last few visits.

[scanlon21 0]

First of all -- Quit beating yourself up !!!

Talk to your Doctor !!! They are here to help us -- You do need to move and move often -- so if you are not doing that get moving !

And exercise control most of all -- As you said the band is a tool and you do know what you need to do so do it !

[chic28 0]

I talk to my doctor about this in detail everytime I go in. I also exercise more than I ever did before. And no offense but I would be much more likely to take advise from you if you had actually experienced this.

[karen_karen 0]

not trying to be mean or rude but you got this band for the wrong reason you wanted the band to do the work for you and truthfully seems like you should have done the gastric bypass. only part you got right is YES THE BAND IS A TOOL nothing more. you are looking to blame this band because you eat to much and you are not using it for what it is meant to. im not surprised you gained 5 lbs because your idea of this band is wrong. when you got the band you did the easiest thing (got it put in) now this is the hardest part the next year is the hardest part and its a struggle daily. you HAVE to excerise and eat right. you are wanting to change your lifestyle and get healthy but your not willing to take responsiblity for it. you cant sit here dwelling on the past and think it will change over nite or even change slowly if your not willing to put the effort in it. think about it you got this band to change your life but your not willing to change because your waiting for the band to do it for you. well your going to have to wait forever if that is the mind set you have. lapband is a life changing procedure and you have to take it that way. you didnt get overweight over nite and you are not going to lose over nite. the band is there to remind you what you are doing and helps you to say no thank you to that extra food. its not going to burn the extra calories its not going to stop your eating habits its there to remind you and keep you on track. sad truth is YOU and only you can make success for yourself. you are going to have to excerise you are going to have to eat right. every success story you hear on this forum notice they had an excerise routine and a eating routine. i hope you understand where im coming from and please dont dwell on your faults or you not losing weight just learn to accept them and afterwards ask yourself what can i do to change this? how can i make this work for me? and make a plan for yourself that you can stick with and work from that and better it each month. this is not a contest you dont have to lose fast you just have to change your life and the weight will come off.

[scanlon21 0]

I talk to my doctor about this in detail everytime I go in. I also exercise more than I ever did before. And no offense but I would be much more likely to take advise from you if you had actually experienced this.

I did and do take offense to your comment.

I may not have had the procedure yet, however I have been researching this for quite sometime-- three years in fact ! Was going to have this done last year and found out I had cancer and had to put EVERYTHING on hold until that is resolved. Six months of chemo and losing every piece of hair on my body. And when all was better I picked up right where I left off.

If you know anything about losing weight you know if you have been working out that muscle weighs more than fat. You could be building muscle and therefore not losing weight but inches -- Have you check on that ????

[chic28 0]

When did I say anything that sounded like I wanted it to do it for me?! What I said was that I understood that I wasn't having any luck by dieting and excersing on my own so I chose to try the band to help me out. Hence...using it as a tool to success. What I also said is that the band is so far not doing any of the things it was intended for. I still eat small well balanced meals just like I did for the past 2 years but I just feel like it's no different from before. The band does have a purpose as I'm sure you know. This tool is supposed to work by slowing down the time it takes for food to pass through your stomach, which keeps you from getting hungry between meals and also help by making you full faster and that is not what's happening. These are the questions my surgeon asks me everytime I go in because he knows that's what's supposed to be happening. The result is that I'm always hungry and can eat more than I should at any given time. So before you start regurgitating the same montra that people on this site always tend to do why don't you take another minute and read what I actually wrote. I know the band is a tool...I stated that and I live by that. What I would like to happen is for this tool to help me out just a little by actually working.

[strikeuptheband 16]

Chic,

Hang in there. It took me 7 fills to get to proper restriction. I lost very little after surgery for the first 4 months. Now its starting to come off. It is frustrating but like others have said, you have to take smaller portions as often as you can and exercise daily. Most folks seem to get restriction faster than I did, so keep talking to your doc and get fills as often as they allow. Good luck!

[chic28 0]

I can hardly believe that you're serious. I researched this procedure for an extremely long time and participated on sites just like these and still it doesn't mean anything until you see how it will effect you personally. When I was preop I restrained from doing anything but giving words of encouragement to those that were struggling. Now I can see exactly how they were feeling and I understand better. If I had made comments to them to try harder or to suggested that maybe they weren't doing the right thing I would feel terrible now.

[Guene 0]

Hello, I'm Bobbie and I was really depressed at first too, but after awhile it went away. I'm so sorry your having some troubles, I hope you and your Doctor can find some answers, Hugs Bobbie:smile2::sad_smile::smile2::rolleyes2:

[chic28 0]

Thanks for those words. I try to make it a point to tell him every detail when I go in. I even started keeping a daily journal describing how my restriction and eating ability is each day. He also told me that it may take several fills and that some patients have less than others. Overall he has been very supportive and doesn't seem concerned about my weight loss at this point. He has stated that his main concern is for me to reach the right point where my efforts will actually start to pay off.

[jetsy62 0]

Karen Karen, I beg to disagree. I have not had my band very long but I did a lot of research before deciding to have it done. My understanding is that the band is a tool to help with weight loss. The way the tool is supposed to work is varied (limit the amount of food, limit the kind of food, teach you to chew and chew some more, and on and on). It seems from the op's comments that the band is not in fact acting as the tool it was designed to be. I would think that there may be a problem. What that problem is I have no clue. I would guess a leak but that is only a guess. After 4 fills there should be some level of restriction. If the band was not intended to help us learn Portion Control, etc. why have it done? And if "something doesn't happen" if you don't follow the band rules so to speak, why have it done? I am lost on this one if others feel that after 4 fills it is perfectly normal to be able to eat anything and everything and feel no restriction. Please explain since mine is still so new.

[scanlon21 0]

I can hardly believe that you're serious. I researched this procedure for an extremely long time and participated on sites just like these and still it doesn't mean anything until you see how it will effect you personally. When I was preop I restrained from doing anything but giving words of encouragement to those that were struggling. Now I can see exactly how they were feeling and I understand better. If I had made comments to them to try harder or to suggested that maybe they weren't doing the right thing I would feel terrible now.

Wow -- maybe you should go back and read what you wrote and others have written to you. Words of encouragment was given to you by me and others. This has now turned this into an attack of those who have not been banded yet.

I hope you do well and get the fills you need and lose the weight you desire.

I have a nice life!

[TQUAD64 9]

Hi Chic:

I think you are being to hard on yourself. I am not banded yet, but I have been doing the required 6-month supervised diet with my nutrionist. I have been meeting with her since January 2008. I continue to see her for the support and will after I am banded.

Anyway, I actually was gaining weight while under the supervised diet. I dreaded going into the nutrionist office, because I knew the scale was going to show an increase. I kept crying to my nutrionist that my exercise has increased and my calories have been cut back, but yet the scale keeps going higher. Yet, my clothes were falling off. I really don't understand it, but I was gaining weight but losing lots of inches.

I bet you have lost lots of inches. Keep up the good work. You can do this. You probably just have not hit the sweet spot that everyone talks about. Best wishes!:sad_smile: