Lap-Band, the easy way out.

[luluc 6]

So my opinion is this is definitely not the easy way out.

it's not!!!

the band does not go food shopping / drive you to the gym / make decent choices when out dinning...it's an aide & i give it no more credit than that. being banded in oct, i didn't get a drop of restriction till march - by then my husband who was banded with me had just about reached goal. i had only lost 25lbs.

don't get me wrong - i am thrilled with the band & the results; but she does not get all the credit because i've had to put a lot of effort in for my results vs looking at DH who sees the inside of the gym once a wk. nope not bitter:wink_smile:

[TQUAD64 9]

It felt really easy losing the first 30 pounds in two months. Plus my energy has gone through the roof. I am hoping the next 30-pounds are easy to drop too! :grouphug:

[BethFromVA 5]

I went through 20 years of starving to lose 40 lbs only to gain back 60, god knows how many times. I'm not one who craves large amounts of junk food and it's now impossible for me to sit down and eat a side of ribs or 2 dozen tamales. By the way I had a major "for me anyway" NSV, well it did involve a scale so anyway? We had our annual YMCA meltdown weigh in today I GOT TO WEIGH IN ON THE REGULAR scale WITH EVERYONE ELSE!!! Now I'm psyched. For the last 5 years I've had to use the packing scale in the warehouse with the other fat people. Down side is I'm entering a weight loss competition having just lost 43 lbs in 5 weeks but what the heck it's better than the alternative.

That is an absolutely fantastic victory!!! A HUGE CONGRATS!!

[BethFromVA 5]

It's not the easy way out for me. I lost 31 pounds from Dec 1 to Dec 22nd (preop to mushy phase) then stopped. I walk. I don't drink with food. I was eating 500-700 calories a day.

I'm always hungry. I have no restriction. I moved my calories up to about 900-1000 a day now. I am a newbie but I'm following the food choices my nutrionist recommended (bland and unexciting for sure). It's by willpower alone. I'm proud of myself for what I'm doing but I did expect the band to be a more useful tool. Right now it's not doing anything. (I hope/expect it to change with fills!)

So my opinion is this is definitely not the easy way out.

Okay, good. I'm not the only one who felt it was sheer willpower after about a couple weeks post-op. :grouphug: And since my first fill, it is more willpower than before. I am hungry two hours after eating now. The nurse warned me this might happen, though the fill doc said it wouldn't. I have to go with the nurse on this one. That is why I scheduled my second fill two weeks after the first one.

[gingerbug 3]

For me, it is easy cause I am not hungry. On the same note, it was the hunger that killed me every single time I tried to lose weight before so by removing that element of insane hunger, yes, it is easy. The effort and work Iput into my new lifestyle is not easy, nor is having to face somewhat traumatic issues of how I got to be a heffer in the first place.

[HeatherO 7]

Sounds like you worked out before being banded. You had a semi healthy lifestyle to begin with. You just ate to much. For many bandsters, they are exercising for the first time in their lives. It's hard to get into that mindset if you've never done it before. Others have issues with head hunger, emotional issues, determining portions, craving carbs, living with getting stuck and PBing. You're lucky it's been easy for you. I haven't had a real hard time either, but I do have bad days. Everyone is different and deals with it in their own unique way. That's why we need to support all those that are having difficulties. It sure helps to have a sympathetic ear.

For me this is correct. I have kept an active gym membership for the past 4-5 years - and I used it. Although this did not prevent me from having a BMI of 40 when I wasn't banded . . . even with an active lifestyle and healthy food choices (albeit too much food, obviously).

My sister has a BMI of over 55, she doesn't exercise or make healthy food choices and is a severe diabetic. What is the primary difference between my sister and I ??? . . . other than lifestyle, not much. I am sure that if I would not have maintained a healthy lifestyle - I would have carried an extra 50-100 pounds plus.

I think starting from a healthy lifestyle and then being banded on top of it made this an easy choice for me. Perhaps I am not the average bandster although I know there are some others like me. Without being constantly hungry it is relatively easy to maintain the weight as long as I maintain what I have been doing previously.