Three (3) Months Out: No Weight Loss !

[TopTier 0]

Yup. Jenny is absolutely correct. You are defeating the function of the pouch if you drink while you eat or, basically, within an hour or two after eating.

That, I'm afraid, will be my toughest challenge.

The placement of the lap band is not arbitrary or random. The stomach receptors for "full" are in the upper portion of the stomach. That's why the lap band is placed where it is.

When you eat, you should only be consuming about a half-a-cup of food. That will stay in the "pouch" and tell your brain, "Hey STOP EATING! We're FULL" and it will then SLOWLY pass the food through the lap-band opening into the bottom of the stomach to be digested SLOWLY.

This will keep you feeling SATED between meals.

If you DRINK anything, including Water, or if you consumer Soup, or anything liquid with your meal, you will "wash" the food bits through the pouch too soon.

They will simply pass on into your lower portion of your stomach to be digested as normal, BUT you will be HUNGRY still, and possibly not know when to stop eating, because you are BYPASSING the pouch AND the stomach receptors that tell you to STOP so that you know you are full.

That is one of the very few hard and fast rules with our "new normal." NO liquids WHILE EATING.

Before meals and 1-2 hours AFTER meals you can chug all the liquid you want.

But during meals: nada.

[arellano8 0]

My doc. is new with the lapband..he normally does bypass gastric.. I thought drinking w/meals would help me lose weight quicker.. thanks

[PrincesaJenE 0]

So, I'm a very bad bandster! I agree with all the people here that say watch what you eat and exercise BUT, I have done neither - Yes, I know, I'm a very bad bandster! My weightloss was slow as well! I lost 20lbs in the first month and then suddenly NOTHING! I felt like I had restriction but lost nothing. I had my first fill about 2 months after surgery - still nothing. Then my second about 2 months after that and suddenly dropped five lbs in one week! The next week another 5! The next week another 3! Got my 3rd fill - and simliar results the next week.

I HOPE that I've found my sweet spot! I don't want to make it sound like you DON'T have to excercise and watch what you eat - but I think the band should work without those things. It limits the amount of food that you can eat and by that alone, in theory, you SHOULD lose weight. I think you just need to find your sweet spot. For me it seems like maybe it was 3, maybe 4, fills. I've heard many on here say it took 5 or 6. Just be patient.

Now for all of your who are shaking your heads and wagging your fingers at me - I'd just like to say I KNOW I should be exercising and am doing myself a disservice by not. I could have probably lost MUCH more weight by now if I had. I really wanted to see what the band can do on its on. The thought of getting the band, and then working out all the time and counting calories kinda of defeats the purpose - how much of the weight loss is the band and how much is all of your hardwork?

I wanna give it another couple of weeks to see what the band can do. Then I'm gonna incorporate the exercise and up what the band is doing if that makes any sense at all. If I'm losing 3-5lbs a week without exercise, maybe I can lose an additional 2-3 lbs by incorporating exercise.

Good luck!

[Big Momma is Shrinking 0]

So, I'm a very bad bandster! I agree with all the people here that say watch what you eat and exercise BUT, I have done neither - Yes, I know, I'm a very bad bandster! My weightloss was slow as well! I lost 20lbs in the first month and then suddenly NOTHING! I felt like I had restriction but lost nothing. I had my first fill about 2 months after surgery - still nothing. Then my second about 2 months after that and suddenly dropped five lbs in one week! The next week another 5! The next week another 3! Got my 3rd fill - and simliar results the next week.

I HOPE that I've found my sweet spot! I don't want to make it sound like you DON'T have to excercise and watch what you eat - but I think the band should work without those things. It limits the amount of food that you can eat and by that alone, in theory, you SHOULD lose weight. I think you just need to find your sweet spot. For me it seems like maybe it was 3, maybe 4, fills. I've heard many on here say it took 5 or 6. Just be patient.

Now for all of your who are shaking your heads and wagging your fingers at me - I'd just like to say I KNOW I should be exercising and am doing myself a disservice by not. I could have probably lost MUCH more weight by now if I had. I really wanted to see what the band can do on its on. The thought of getting the band, and then working out all the time and counting calories kinda of defeats the purpose - how much of the weight loss is the band and how much is all of your hardwork?

I wanna give it another couple of weeks to see what the band can do. Then I'm gonna incorporate the exercise and up what the band is doing if that makes any sense at all. If I'm losing 3-5lbs a week without exercise, maybe I can lose an additional 2-3 lbs by incorporating exercise.

Good luck!

I'm happy to see that your band is doing it's job even though you are still kinda in the "sitting on the bench" mode. I just hope that you are still happy with your results when you stand in front of the mirror buck naked.

From my own personal perspective my exercise has been more about trying to help my body keep up with my weightloss. The biggest piece of advice I was given from bandsters (that I know in the "real world" not from the forums) was to TONE TONE TONE....otherwise the weight will fall off and the skin will just sag there.

When I choose lapband I wasn't looking for some "majic pill" that would make me lose weight. I KNOW I CAN LOSE WEIGHT....what I CAN'T DO is maintain my weightloss for any significant period of time. I commited to a LIFESTYLE CHANGE when I decided to be banded. It's my belief that that is the attitude needed for longterm success.

Arellano8 - since it seems your doctor is new to the lapband my advice to you is educate yourself as much as possible. I have to say pretty much one of the BIGGEST BAND RULES is you DO NOT DRINK WHEN YOU EAT.

If this comes across as a little bitchy then please accept my apology now.

For those struggling and losing slowly....just keep following the rules and you will get there!!!

~Monica

[TopTier 0]

So, I'm a very bad bandster! I agree with all the people here that say watch what you eat and exercise BUT, I have done neither -

*snip*

I don't want to make it sound like you DON'T have to excercise and watch what you eat - but I think the band should work without those things.

*snip*

Now for all of your who are shaking your heads and wagging your fingers at me - I'd just like to say I KNOW I should be exercising and am doing myself a disservice by not. I could have probably lost MUCH more weight by now if I had. I really wanted to see what the band can do on its on. The thought of getting the band, and then working out all the time and counting calories kinda of defeats the purpose - how much of the weight loss is the band and how much is all of your hardwork?

*snip*

Good luck!

Consider this my finger wag! :bored:

PrincesaJenE, the point of exercise with the lap band, believe it or not, is NOT strictly "weight loss," so it's not fair to position it that way.

Something (huge) that you seem to be missing in those statements is the metabolic function and its affect on body tissue.

The reason we exercise while losing weight is not "just" for weight loss, it's for the appropriate tissue weight loss.

In other words, people should not only be doing aerobic exercise, but anaerobic exercise as well, in other words, weight-bearing and weight-lifting (strength) training as well, including and especially women.

When your body starts "consuming" tissue as you cut calorie intake, it will first seek the easiest tissue to consume in order to protect itself in the long term.

Unfortunately, our bodies aren't computers. Our bodies don't know we are "dieting" for a healthier us. It thinks we are denying needed calories, and it wants to help us survive.

So it will first consume tissue that (1) takes more energy to maintain and (2) is easier to consume.

Guess which tissue that is? Yup. Muscle tissue. It then "preserves" the fat tissue stores as a last resort.

Bummer, that, but it's one reason we have (for the most part) "dieted ourselves into obesity."

By not exercising you are encouraging your body to consumer the wrong tissue and will develop a more difficult time maintaining that tissue loss.

In addition, exercise will also help preserve your bone density, as well. VERY important, especially if you diet and are female.

For your body's sake, and your long-term success, please consider adding some exercise!

Yes, technically the band will "work" without exercise, but it works more efficiently, consuming the right tissue and preserving and promoting needed tissue, if you work out on your weight-loss journey.

**end of finger wag** :thumbup:

[Kimmy6319 0]

Hello from England!

May I just say bravo PrincesJenE, you are definately my kind of girl :-) After all, if I I had the discipline to diet and exercise consistantly I wouldn't have paid all this money for a band. I paid for it to STOP me eating, for it to halt me in my tracks mid mouthful.

I'm due to fill number 6 on Sunday which I am hoping will be "the one" that does this for me.

Like you say, diet and exercise would probably make the journey quicker but I want to be able to enjoy life whilst I'm doing it. Believe me I've done the whole bit, from excessive exercise and excessive diet and I'm done with it. Life is for living and food is a big part of it, I want to enjoy what I eat and eat what I enjoy......... just much, much less of it!

Kim

xx

[PrincesaJenE 0]

Thank you Kimmy! And - thank you to all of you finger waggers!

Kimmy - I couldn't have said it better myself. I don't want to be on a diet! I want to eat what I want - the band helps me to do that but helps me to do it in moderation. THAT'S how I want to use my tool!

As for the exercise - as I stated in my original post - you guys are right. Exercise would leave me better off! I did learn something new - I didn't know that it would affect the way my body would look afterwards. I just figured that I've been lugging around 200 extra lbs for the last 1O years - I've had plenty of weight training and there's at least a 6 pack under all this.

I really wanted to see how effective the band itself is. In the last month - I've seen how effective it can be. So, I'm thrilled! Now that I'm all pysched - I think incorporating exercise will add additional intrigue and excitement to this journey! And even better, I now know, for sure, that my exercise it accentuating what the tool I paid $17,000 (through insurance) for is doing - and is not the reason for the weight loss on its on.

I have a theory that in the end my plan will be very beneficial. You know how they say your body gets accustomed to dieting. Well, my body has spent the last 4 months getting accustomed to this band. Every fill, jumpstarts my body into losing weight again. When I incorporate exercise, another jump start, and when, and IF, I decide to modify my eating habits - another jump start!

Good luck!

Edited June 17, 2009 by PrincesaJenE

[xxlaneyxx 0]

Hang in there! It will start to work when you have the right restriction,I was in the same boat as you(and I was also gaining weight as well!) I thought I would be the person that the band wasnt going to work for-I felt like a failure. Check back if you can for my older posts as I was feeling really low.

Good news is,after my 4th fill I began to feel a difference,and now I am losing slowly but surely,usually 1lb per week. I eat most things now-just a lot less of it!

Hope you start to feel restriction soon,and have positive results. :wink2:

[jms462001 9]

Yup. Jenny is absolutely correct. You are defeating the function of the pouch if you drink while you eat or, basically, within an hour or two after eating.

That, I'm afraid, will be my toughest challenge.

The placement of the lap band is not arbitrary or random. The stomach receptors for "full" are in the upper portion of the stomach. That's why the lap band is placed where it is.

When you eat, you should only be consuming about a half-a-cup of food. That will stay in the "pouch" and tell your brain, "Hey STOP EATING! We're FULL" and it will then SLOWLY pass the food through the lap-band opening into the bottom of the stomach to be digested SLOWLY.

This will keep you feeling SATED between meals.

If you DRINK anything, including Water, or if you consumer Soup, or anything liquid with your meal, you will "wash" the food bits through the pouch too soon.

They will simply pass on into your lower portion of your stomach to be digested as normal, BUT you will be HUNGRY still, and possibly not know when to stop eating, because you are BYPASSING the pouch AND the stomach receptors that tell you to STOP so that you know you are full.

That is one of the very few hard and fast rules with our "new normal." NO liquids WHILE EATING.

Before meals and 1-2 hours AFTER meals you can chug all the liquid you want.

But during meals: nada.

30 minutes after meals is fine for me.

[jms462001 9]

I'm happy to see that your band is doing it's job even though you are still kinda in the "sitting on the bench" mode. I just hope that you are still happy with your results when you stand in front of the mirror buck naked.

From my own personal perspective my exercise has been more about trying to help my body keep up with my weightloss. The biggest piece of advice I was given from bandsters (that I know in the "real world" not from the forums) was to TONE TONE TONE....otherwise the weight will fall off and the skin will just sag there.

When I choose lapband I wasn't looking for some "majic pill" that would make me lose weight. I KNOW I CAN LOSE WEIGHT....what I CAN'T DO is maintain my weightloss for any significant period of time. I commited to a LIFESTYLE CHANGE when I decided to be banded. It's my belief that that is the attitude needed for longterm success.

Arellano8 - since it seems your doctor is new to the lapband my advice to you is educate yourself as much as possible. I have to say pretty much one of the BIGGEST BAND RULES is you DO NOT DRINK WHEN YOU EAT.

If this comes across as a little bitchy then please accept my apology now.

For those struggling and losing slowly....just keep following the rules and you will get there!!!

~Monica

Doesn't matter how much we exercise, if we lose much more than 50 pounds and have been carrying it for awhile, we will be left with excess skin. No amount of exercise will cure that unfortunately.........only plastic surgery.

[cindie74 0]

Hi,Im 4 months out and have lost a fair bit of weight (over 30kgs) ,but i have also had 5 fills.Im sitting on 6.2 mls in my band .Maybe you need more fills?,im very tight and cant get much down but can eat my three meals per day but only little portions.

All the best

Cindie

[Swisskaese 7]

I am almost 3 months out and am only having my first fill on Monday. I have lost 5kg so far. I too am a bit frustrated, but I hope I will lose more weight once I have my first fill.

[HolliJ 24]

I always find these threads interesting. Someone complains about not having any weight loss and asks for advice.

Then the other posters ask what they've been eating and if they've been exercising, etc...

But then I rarely see the thread starter post in the thread again. That kind of makes it obvious why no weight loss is happening.

[Iris_L 0]

I always find these threads interesting. Someone complains about not having any weight loss and asks for advice.

Then the other posters ask what they've been eating and if they've been exercising, etc...

But then I rarely see the thread starter post in the thread again. That kind of makes it obvious why no weight loss is happening.

:biggrin: Holly I came to the same conclusion. The band obviously is what you make it!

[xxlaneyxx 0]

Well,....the band is what you make it and by reading the last couple of posts,they were from people not yet banded. Im sure when THEY finally get their band they too will discover that having a band is NOT a clear cut solution.It takes a long time to adjust to they new way of life,and old habits die hard.If we were all so full of will power then we wouldnt need the band in the 1st place. It can be one hell of a struggle,and until you get the right restriction,you are still fighting the old cravings.

Lets try to help people out with positive words of encouragement,not its your own fault blah blah blah...