Banded and Frustrated

[orea15 0]

i recently had lapband surgery aug22,2008 i have only lost 33lbs, and my husband had surgery sept 5,2008 he has lost

50lbs. i am very upset and frustrated. i have had 2 adjustments for a total of 6cc my husband has had none. i don't know what to do to jump start my losing. he eats anything he wants cakes, chips etc. i do not. what should i do

33 pounds is really great! The expected weight loss is 1-2 pounds a week. You are well above that. Men lose faster. That is a sad fact of life. Don't compare yourself to him and make your self miserable. You have accomplished a lot! Way more than I have since my banding 7/30.

[Redhead1 0]

Bless your heart. I know you are very frustrated. What does your doctor say? Where did you have your band done. I heard a crazy story that a patient had her band somewhere in Mexico and came back to states for fills. She was having problems and found out they put the port in, but no band. I was banded in July and have lost 39, I feel kinda frustrated,I have 6cc and don't feel much restriction at all, I am getting another fill this week. Good luck. Keep reading this site, because there are great ideas.

[PATCHELTON 0]

It is great to read words of encouragement and also to hear of others' frustrations. I was banded almost 2 years ago and have only lost about 40 pounds. I eat sugar and don't exercise. I have been so successful in other areas of my life and am embarrassed that I have not been able to succeed with my weight loss. I know WHAT to do, I just can't seem to stay on track and do the right thing!

Thanks to everyone for sharing your stories and for the words of encouragement!

You have, at least partly, answered your own question. While we all lose differently, you pointed out two key things that you do or don't do that could be making the difference. You eat sugar--bad idea. One of the first rules I was given post-op was no concentrated sweets. The other was that exercise is critical to the success of the band. My surgeon won't even do anyone who is not mobile. I don't do anything fancy. Mostly walking. There is a lovely park near my home with a 2 mile nature trail. Until I lost daylight recently with the end of daylight savings, I went there almost daily, doing the 2 miles at least twice. I am not out to set speed records; I carry peanuts to feel the squirrels, so I stop every time I see a few to toss peanuts. I go for the distance. Prior to surgery I went to Curves, and frequently picked up a pizza for dinner (ate the whole thing, too). Now that it is dark when I leave work, I alternate Curves with Water aerobics during the week, and on weekends I am back at the park. Even though it is technically closed they don't lock the gate and people walk, bike and walk their dogs all year round. And when I get home I have a chicken caesar salad, or if I want pizza, I make a crustless pizza that is almost completely fat free. PM me if you would like the recipe.

I would suggest replacing the sugar with sugar free as much as possible. I was banded in March and have eaten maybe 2 Cookies and last weekend at an early Thanksgiving dinner, a small piece of pumpkin pie. I read labels for sugar and fat content, trying to get as low as possible. You don't have to spend money on a fancy gym membership, unless you want to. My walking is free, Curves costs me $29 a month, and Water aerobics is $110 for 20 classes. Not a big financial outlay. Both the park and aquatic center are on my way home from work.

My weakness is salty Snacks. Instead of potato chips I get Kay's Natural Protein chips (kind of like Fritos) and pretzels. And when I want something sweet (I have to confess I don't have a sweet tooth, and that is a major advanage with the band) I have sugar fee popsicles or sugar free/fat free pudding (with the pudding I sometimes add some unflavored Protein powder to bump up the protein)

I am not a big Breakfast eater so I drink a Protein shake, and sometimes eat a fat free yogurt, and maybe drink a small V8.

I carry Kashi TLC bars in my purse, in case I am stuck somewhere and can't get a healthy meal. I will eat one as a snack to take the edge off until I get home. The Protein Bars that are mostly chocolate or Peanut Butter are too sweet for me.

I hope some of this info helps. Good luck with your journey.

Edited November 13, 2008 by PATCHELTON

[cpendlet 0]

I had my surgery 3/9/08, and had only lost about 20 lbs. until my last two fills, I have a 10cc band and it is filled to 6cc's. I can defenitely see a difference now. Also, if you think you can have ice cream or something sweet that goes down instead of Protein that can cause a problem, I was doing that for awhile. You need to make good choices for the small amount of food that you can eat, don't pick things that are high in sugar or fat. I currently have lost 37 lbs., but am also exercising. Doing cardio and weight training four times a week. Get another fill, that should make a difference.:thumbup:

[Hazeleyes 0]

Bless your heart. I know you are very frustrated. What does your doctor say? Where did you have your band done. I heard a crazy story that a patient had her band somewhere in Mexico and came back to states for fills. She was having problems and found out they put the port in, but no band. I was banded in July and have lost 39, I feel kinda frustrated,I have 6cc and don't feel much restriction at all, I am getting another fill this week. Good luck. Keep reading this site, because there are great ideas.

Hey Redhead1 that's a scary story about the patient going to Mexico thinking she is set to go and to find out she has been shorted the equipment:mad: Well I just received my 4th fill on Monday I have a 10cc band and i am at 6.25 he feels we are getting close to the ultimate "sweet spot" I can only hope. My band feel tight right now and i haven't eaten since 1:00 this afternoon I am not hungry:thumbup: congrats on your 39 weight loss I will soon catch up with ya:tongue2:I will keep reading this site it is a great resource.

[MADE IT 2 MY GOAL..OH YEAH 0]

You may need to make an appointment with your surgeon, also ask if maybe the band wan't placed high enough on your stomach. Everyone loses at a differnt weight but if you were band in 07 you should have lost alot more than that. I was band in august of this year and have only lost 25 pounds, but due to my back problems, I'm not able to exercise like I should so I figure that is the reason I am not losing as fast as most people do. I know from experience that you can't compare your weight loss to others cause you will only depress yourself.

Eight right, exercise as much as you can and get yourself to the Doctor ASAP.

[mstrina27 0]

U know I was feeling the same exact way. I was able to eat pretty much anything i wanted and finish all of my food, and that is a sign that u need a fill. I did go in to get a fill this past thursday and I can truly say that I feel totally diffrent. I have 7.5cc's in my 10cc band. I know my dr. told me to drink liquids the first day, the next day soft foods, then reg. foods.. I can truly say that I was getting frustrated and thought i had made a mistake but i am thinking totally diffrent now. Excercise is a huge part, but one thing i know is excercise had nothing to do with my eating less and still being hungry the band had everything to do with that.

Now if u don't do anything but walk for 30-minutes a day do that any form of excercise will work. Just like one of the other post said if i dont move i wont loose, but the main goal for me was to see if the band was going to work for me and now that i believe I have reached that sweet spot I know the scale is going to drop it like its hotttt lol.. Just hold on and see yr dr. on a reg. basis and be honest with him/her and they will adjust u as needed...

[TQUAD64 9]

Whatever you do don't give up. There is plenty of support here on this board and you are never alone.

I would ask the same questions as the other people have posted.

1. How much exercie are you doing?
   
2. Are you losing inches and maybe gained muscle?
   
3. How is your Protein intake?
   
4. Are you sticking to a fill schedule when you need it?
   

[healthysue 0]

I just have to say that reading everyones experience and advise has helped me. I am at a point where i keep going up and down the same 3lbs. I have had two fills but i think i am going to need more to get to the sweet spot. I think I am in what ive heard called bandster hell. My next fill is Nov 25th and i hope that does it for me.