Looking for honesty here...

[elgrad 0]

For those of you that have been banded:

Did you think that the weight would just fall off the minute the band was in place? Be honest now. Cuz I read so many posts on the list that go something like: I had my surgery 2 weeks ago and have only lost 15 pounds. What am I doing wrong?

I am not banded yet, so maybe I will feel the same way, but I think that I understand that this is not going to be the magic pill that will cause me to be the slim, size 6 I know I am inside. Certainly not in the first couple of years. But, I just seem to see a lot of folks that get a little whiney when they haven't lost the 100 lbs they want to lose in the first few months. I am wondering if some of us set our expectations really high and then can't understand why the weight isn't coming off. It isn't bypass surgery and yet, some seem to want the same rapid results with none of the side effects.

I may be asking for a beat down here, but I am curious.

Elgrad

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

Not only was informed by my surgeon that the weight would not fall off in an instant, but I knew it already. I know that I did not gain all this weight overnight so why should I expect it to fall off overnight? I knew it would take a while to come off and I knew it would be hard to get it off and even harder to keep it off.

On the 18th I will be 10 months post-op and so far i have lost 85 pounds. I believe everyone reading this will agree with me on saying that gaining weight is a lot easier and faster than losing weight.

Of course a lot of us set our expectations way to high, and that (in my opinion) causes depression if they are not met. In my first 2 weeks after post-op, I lost 15 pounds like a lot of others on this site. After that first 2 weeks until like my 4th fill, I lost very slowly. I have my good weeks where I can lose between 5 and 6 pounds, then I have my average weeks that I lose only a couple pounds, then I have those weeks (like 2 or 3 in a roll) where I don't lose anything at all, but I don't gain either. I look at those weeks as like my body is getting caught up with the weight loss.

I know I will eventually get to the weight and size I want to be, and if it takes me 3 yrs or just a year and a half, I don't care. I have tunnel vision when it comes to my band and weight loss. I will lose it at the pace I am suppose to lose it, no faster no slower.

Edited June 12, 2009 by SLIMCITYHEREICOME

[ReadyOrNot 0]

I knew it was going to be a slow process from the beginning, but that doesn't mean that I don't wish it would melt off faster, because I do for sure. Before I got my last fill, I didn't have much restriction at all, so it didn't feel like the band was working, which again I knew could happen, but I didn't think it would happen to me type thing. I thought I would be one of the rare people to get the band and restriction before their first fill and I was wrong. But having said all that I am very happy with the progress I've made so far, having lost 27 pounds in just under 3 months is something I couldn't have done without the band, fill or no fill!

[snereb27 0]

i knew in my head that the weight wouldn't fall off immediately, but i did kinda expect that when you go from eating 2500 or how ever many calories you eat when you're not dieting... to less than 600 a day, i did expect to lose more weight in the pre-op/post-op stage before i started adding solid food to my diet.

Some people do, i didn't. i'm still struggling... i was banded march 30, 2009 and only lost 7lbs pre-op and have only lost another 10 or so since then... it's very frustrating for me. I got on the scale last night at support group -- that I was a speaker at, and had actually gained 2lbs... this journey is very hard for me right now. it's hard for me to stay motivated when i'm not seeing any weight loss or in the case of last night, a weight gain.

i knew it was going to take a long time to lose the weight, i just wasn't prepared for the reality of the slowness.

i hope that soon, i will start losing consistently and i hope that when you have the surgery, you lose in a constant manner.

[thinneranniesoon 0]

i received my band on 6/9 and i knew that it was going to be a slow going process. However from everything I read/studied, this was also the safer of the methods, and hopefully i can tone while losing and not need plastics later. Where if you lose it to fast, it is pretty much inevitable.

[jetsy62 0]

Although I thought I was well informed, I wasn't. I expected to lose 10 pounds per month from the get go. It has been more like 5 pounds averaged out. And I did not count on that horrible time after you have healed but before the doctor gets you filled to the point that the band actually starts working. That in between time is hell. I finally got restriction about 8 weeks ago and am losing about 1 pound per week. I don't regret having the band because I am thankful for the 40 pounds I have off. But for me, I see my one year anniversary coming up in a few months and it will be about 1/2 of the weight loss I was expecting. Looks like SLOW but steady will be the way for me.

[comtemplating 0]

It is funny there are almost some very clear phases that everyone seems to go through. THe longer you stay on the forum and read the different posts the more you will notice. And especially as you transition from one phase to another as you pass your surgery date and move on and come across some of the new people's posts. It is strange to read some of the posts and think how odd they sound and then you find yourself in their very same shoes a few weeks/months/stages later. That is the best thing about this forum- you can always find someone that feels the same way you do and that makes things a bit easier. Right now I am in the phase you speak about- I thought this weight would come off faster ( I lost alot preop and within the first two weeks) and now I am in the filling stage and it is slow and I don't feel like I was banded at all. To be honest (which is what you asked for) the reason I am frustrated with the itty bitty fills that I am getting is because I am not eating like am supposed to and rather than take ownership I am blaming the little fills and that lack of restriction. So I am whining and feeling sorry for myself and working on getting my head back in the right place!!!! Good luck to you.

[saffy255 0]

I always knew it would be a slow process... what I can't get over is a couple of visitors have said - "well you don't look any thinner - was it worth it?"

They honestly thought I'd wake up from the anaesthetic thin!!!!

[simone 0]

I actually put my banding off for a couple of months longer than I needed to in order to research every little thing I could about it. I think anyone who is honest with him/herself and has done his homework knows that it will be work and take time. We all wish it would just fall off, and for me it did for about the 1st 5 months, then it got harder. Am I bummed that I've been plateaued for 3 months? Of course, I am! I never expected this long of a time of no loss but I'm willing to stick the course of eating less and exercising because it's all worth it. I admit to not always being on target with my eating, especially the last couple of months when it's not "dropping off" but I am sooooo much better than this time last year. I just keep on letting the band do it's work and believing I will succeed no matter how long it takes.

[johnp 0]

I saw it as a tool not a mracle. I agree there are some that bmc that they are not losing weight. Problem is most of those are eating the wrong foods and are kidding themselves.

You need to go on a diet and stick to it if you want to lose, simple, less in, less on the body!

You need to burn more calories than you take in.

[For My Health 0]

I'm ok with the slow weight loss - that's why I specifically chose the lap band. The other procedures sound scary to me. What I don't like and can't tolerate any more are the support groups at my hospital. I am the only one that has had the band, everyone else chose the other methods. It sounds like an AA meeting "hi, my name is ..... and i've lost ... pounds in 2 weeks". It gets a little overbearing to hear about the tons of weight they lose so quickly, so I'll stick to this website as my support group since we're all going through the same slow process.

[sweetbean70 2]

Hello! I was just banded on 6/8/09 and I am feeling pretty good. I have a little soreness in my rib cage and slight bruising where the port is. I am in the mushy stage for another 10 days. I, too, have felt the pangs of hunger that come w/ healing. I, too, would have loved to awaken from surgery at least 50 pounds lighter. I knew this would be a slow process, but I do feel the benefits of the weight loss pace is worth it. My surgeon told me that the first month after surgery is all about healing and adjusting to the changes the band brings to one's life. I am proud to say that (knock on wood) I have stuck to my "mushies" and have had no issues. I am sure that I will probably put on a few pounds once I start adding solids back into my diet. I am NOT going to fret about it! I will focus on more exercise. I have been eating about every 2.5-3 hours because of my blood sugar dropping too quickly if I wait too long between food. To make a long story (sorry) short, I want to lose a total of 150 pounds over the next three years. This is a lifestyle commitment that will not be reversed by years of bad habits overnight. Good luck to you all on your journey!:confused:

[carbgrl 0]

This has been a SLOOOOOOWWW process. I've lost 25 lbs since 04/01/09, including my pre-op liquid diet. I'm averaging about 3-5 lbs a month!!! Yes, I did think I would be losing faster. I did think I'd be under 200 a month ago. I'm trying to concentrate on the progress I have made. As they sayl, the slower you lose it the more likely it is to stay off. Hopefully, once I get to my "sweet spot" I'll start losing faster. I'm just looking to lose the 1-2 lbs per week I was expecting.

May the weightloss fairy be good to all of us!!!

[sil 0]

its just like comtemplating said the phases we all go through, an i think its natural for us all.we are excited about the surgery,thats what motivated me to lose the 40 pounds before surgery. then as the day aproches we cannot wait to have the surgery.then the post-op phase, and then reality sets in when we hit a plateau.i stayed at 265 for months until my fourth fill then wham. lost 17 pounds within that week.may went for my fourth fill that monday by thursday went from 265 to 251. the next day from 251 to 248.we will get their it just takes time.i am not losing anything by the week.so i stay off the scale.i only weigh in on the day i go for my fills.

[Donnainva 0]

I certainly wished that the weight would fall off like Water off a duck--However I really don't have enough money as it is to keep buying new clothes--and I'm not losing at marathon pace or anything.

elgrad--it's like the stock market according to Warren Buffett, in it for the long haul

I think you have a healthy attitude :confused: