Banded 6/12/09 and dont' think its working!!

[suthern_gurl83 0]

I had surgery on 6/12/09 and I have lost 20lbs including the 10 prior to surgery. I'm about to get pissed. Was this all for nothing or have I just reached a plateau?

[sharnut 0]

This is a long journey!!!! Way too early to get upset, you have to give body time to adjust and heal. I was banded in June 08 (24th) but it wasn't until fall that I finally found good restriction. The pounds come off very slow...and yes I want faster weight loss.....but I choose this surgery over bypass - I've lost about 60 lbs in a year & by next June hope to be @ my goal.

Good luck, give the band the time it needs & work with it, not against it. Getting upset over the scale will not help, can even hinder your success.

[losing4life 0]

What do they tell you at the surgeon's office? Have you been receiving your fills? I'm still only a few days out from surgery, so I imagine I will have a little gain when I start mushies and solids, but so far I have consistently lost.

My advice is to consult your physician.

[thereitgoes 0]

Have you had a fill yet? I was banded on 6/30/09. I lost 7 lbs before and 11 pounds after surgery. Of those 11, 10 of them were the first week after surgery and it took me 4 weeks to lose ONE pound. I just had my first fill yesterday and when I told my surgeon and his nurse that I was disappointed by my weight loss they said that the slowing of wt loss was normal until after the fill. I hope this helps a bit, but I understand your frustration. If you can't overcome this plateau, I would suggest giving your surgeon's office a call and expressing your frustration.

[Mim 0]

I know it's really hard to be patient, but you have to persevere. Except for the rapid weight loss just after surgery, my progress has been slow. I hit a plateau about 2-3 months out and I hovered at that weight for months.

BUT, like you, I had not reached good restriction yet. I kept up with my Dr. appointments, went in for regular fills.......and finally reached good restriction. When that happened, I didn't feel like I was "dieting" anymore, my constant hunger went away and the weight started to come off again!

The band will work, but you have to get through this tough part first. Please don't get discouraged......

Here is my weight loss chart to see exactly what I went through:

Good Luck!

[nurse09 0]

Your surgeon should have explained to you before he surgery that the weight will come off slowly. the lap band is not anything like the bypass. with the lap band the key to it is the fills you recieve. once you are at your "sweet spot" you should feel the proper restriction. the lap band is just like a "tool" it is a built in Portion Control device. YOU still must do the rest of the work by eating right and exercising. i am sorry if you were misimformed, but that is how it works. you will not just drop the weight off if you don't follow the entire plan. Yes it is a slow process, but you will keep the weight off for life and your body will feel much better in the end. Remember you did not put the weight on over night, so why would you think it would come off in that same fashion. Good Luck to all ( including myself) We will need it since this is a lifetime battle.

[andjhd 0]

I had the same problem 4 month of no weight loss... i was so up set with my self that i call my dr and said i need to come in. LOW AND BEHOLD i had air in my band. so we thought i had it at 8.4 when actually it was at 6.3 so i had no restriction, we took all out and started back at 8.4 now i feel tight you can tell the difference. You might be as restricted as they think.

[suthern_gurl83 0]

Thanks guys. I know that I am not being patient. I had my first fill on 7/13 and I have an appt on 8/4 for another fill. I have limited my caloric intake and my best friend had the bypass and she has lost 70 pnds in 3 mths so I guess thats why its frustrating me a little. I chose the band because I can control my weight loss more than with the bypass and I know it won't come off as fast. I will have patience.

[Catherine55 43]

Totally don't worry -- you're just not at good restriction yet! Hopefully they will get you there on the 4th. Once that happens, you'll start losing and will be out of "Bandster Hell" for good!

Best,

Catherine

[Catherine55 43]

P.S. If it makes you feel any better, I actually gained 5 pounds during the period you are in right now. But it's long gone now!

Catherine

[lindsayb 0]

I'm in the same boat - feeling frustrated that I haven't lost more weight. It will be 2 months next Wednesday since I was banded and I've only lost 10-12 pounds. I was self-pay, so I didn't have to lose any weight before the surgery. My goal is to lose 85 pounds in total, and knowing that I have 75 more pounds to go is so frustrating, it feels like it's going to take forever!

I know healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week, but I just don't have enough restriction. I've had one fill, and feel amost desperate for another one.

I will admit, I eat some of the foods on the "do not eat" list, but in moderation, usually.

I sure hope that once I finally get to the fill that finds the "sweet spot", I'll stop being hungry every 2 hours and finally see some better results.

Everyone I talk to thinks my weightloss is great in "such a short time", but I can't seem to get over the frustration. A friend of mine has been on an "energy cocktail" injection weekly and at one time prescription diet pills for over a year now - and she's lost all of her post-baby weight and looks amazing! It's so frustrating that I got so fat (without even having a kid) and all she has to do is some "speed" and mysterious injections, and suddenly she's 1/4 my size, it seems.

Grumble!

[FailureIsntAnOption 0]

It seems like everyone here has given you good advice so there really isn't much for me to add except that once I got my band I was very anxious to start exercising. I began walking the day I had surgery and as soon as I was 4 weeks post-op I joined a gym. I'm a ALL or NOTHING kind of gal. I work out everyday for a couple of hours and I think I am loosing pretty quickly. I've lost 57 pounds in a little over 3 months. You will see the weight falling off in no time so hang in there.

Edited July 30, 2009 by FailureIsntAnOption