Have you had your band more than 6 months?

[ElfiePoo 109]

This whole thread has gone askew from the original questions in my OP, but that's ok.

As for all the rest, I don't disagree that an active lifestyle is healthier than sitting on our butts and just eating less. I also don't disagree that increased activity creates muscle which burns more calories when at rest than fat does. I also don't disagree that increased activity raises the metabolism allowing more calories to be burned rather than settle on our bellies and hips.

I merely disagree that exercise is the only way to do it. We can also just live an active lifestyle. Instead of spending 4-6 hours in a gym every week, we can take a brisk walk in the evening and enjoy some social time with our partner while doing so. Instead of sitting in front of the tv on weekends, we can do something that actually requires us to move...whether it's playing on a Wii Fit, chasing the kids around the yard, playing tennis, swim, etc.

My husband and I did the boxing game on the Wii and I have to tell you that after 2 hours, my arms were like rubber and there was no doubt the next morning that I did a serious upper body workout. Lots of fun...particularly when I got a good solid punch in. :thumbup:

[coloradobanding 5]

To be direct, you need to do much more research about all the different WLS's before you make a decision.

It sounds as if you have made up your mind that you can have any WLS and NOT exercise and be successful. While it seems as if you are seeking advice, the only advice you quote or are agreeing with are those that have anything to do with no exercise.

While these boards are a great resource for advice and opinions, it NEVER should replace the information given by your surgeon and/or surgery center.

To that end, I defy you to find a surgeon who will tell you that you will be successful with Lap-Band surgery WITHOUT exercising.

Irregardless of what you believe, have read, researched or any other persons experience, a HUGE part of this JOURNEY (not just surgery) is exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

It sounds to me that you want this to work without exercising at all. You probably will lose weight with the band and no exercise at all. Your "idea" that by eating less and not exercising you will lose weight does have merit. But you are trying to convince yourself that you have the answer and are looking for others to support this notion. There is SO much more to this journey and surgery than diet and exercise alone. The KINDS of foods you eat, the QUALITY of the foods you eat, the TIME of DAY you choose to eat them, HOW you eat them..I could go on and on. You are trying to justify eating less to losing weight without taking in all the other CRUCIAL factors necessary to be truly successful on this journey.

You do not need to spend 10 hours a week in the gym, or lift weights like Arnold Schwarzenegger to have it be considered exercise. Walking is GREAT, playing the WiiFit is GREAT!! But you can't sit on your butt 24/7 and expect to watch the weight fall off :scared2:)

YES you will lose weight if you are eating less..that is just common sense. HOWEVER, people who are stuck in hospital beds with illness also lose weight. People who are bulimic lose weight. Drug addicts lose weight..is it losing weight? YES! Is it healthy? NO!!!

In my opinion, you need to seriously re-evaluate this surgery (or any weight loss surgery) before going forward. There are many other factors to this journey apart from wanting to exercise or not. And trying to "alter" the rules before being fully educated about this "journey" is just not a good idea.

Not intending to sound mean, just direct. I hope whatever you choose and the reasons you choose it work for you!!

Edited October 15, 2009 by coloradobanding

[CASSIEME1 1]

I'm 10 months post band.6.2ccs according to the npn.i had some restriction until 2 weeks ago when supposedly increased .2ccs.still trying to reach my sweetspot.i do exercise 2 hrs/day 5 days a week.

[MizSandy 0]

I'm 7 months and 15 days post/op. I have lost 81 lbs. I'm 5 lbs from having a normal BMI. But my personal goal for myself is 145 lbs. I started out weighing 235 lbs. I 'm truly livin and Lovin Lapband. The Band was the Physical restraint I need in order to gain the mental control I did not have. The focus for me was the three C's Compliance, Commitment, and Consistency. Regardless if you decide upon the Lapband, sleeve, Gastric etc.. It is a lifestyle change. You have to wonta change more then you wont to stay the same. It is only a tool.

The worst thing you can do is allow yourself to be discouraged. That too often leads to giving up. This is not about giving up but staying the course today, tomorrow and for the rest of your life. No one said this would be smooth or easy.

Exercise is great and walking is a good start,I workout6 days a week twice a day. Also adding weight resistance exercise help boost your metabolism and provide good balance to the walking. It's also been shown that using walking sticks (and using htem properly) during your walks can increase calorie usage by as much as 20%. I got my aluminum nordic sticks from Gander Mountain for less than $30/pr. I love them. And I suspect they'd be great for fighting off dogs, should the need arise!

Again, doing all the right things is required for the rest of our lives, but once in a while we need to check carefully to make sure we are doing the right things. You can do this! I wish you the best! The Band has changed my life. And I'm livin and Lovin Lapband!

P.S I have only had 2 fills. My first 4cc and my second was 6 cc's in my 8cc band

Edited October 15, 2009 by MizSandy

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

Elfiepoo, I'm not quite 9 months out. Do I experience hunger? Yeah, if I wait more than 6 hours to eat -- which is my gap between lunch and dinner during the week. My doc told me to eat a small snack, about 60 calories, of Protein or fruit around 5:00 PM. If I do that, I'm good to go. As I was instructed, I eat 1,000-1,200 calories per day. I walk a minimum of 3 miles every day. That means I get up at 5:00 AM to walk. Yeah, I'd love to stay in bed until 6:00 but I love losing weight more. I don't get home until 7:00, have to prepare dinner for my family, clean up after dinner and by then I have no interest in heading out to walk. 5:00 AM works for me.

You said: "This is becoming a serious issue with me because I'm not going to go through surgery, put a foreign body into my stomach and deal with all of those issues, just to be told I still have to "go on a diet and exercise program and 'suck it up' re: the hunger." I can do all that without spending $20k or going through surgery."

Well, yeah, you do have to diet and you do have to set an exercise program. The band isn't a magic trick after all. But I can tell you absolutely 100% that if I didn't have this band, about 3 months ago, I would have fallen off the wagon completely and I'd be gaining right now instead of continuing to lose. The band stops me short. I can't go face down in a pizza or a sack of fast food. I do not snack, except for the 60 cal maximum late in the afternoons Monday - Friday because even with the band you could eat (graze) all day long an effectively defeat the band.

It's normal to have misgivings before taking such a serious step. But think it through.

Remember this, too. In a community as large as LBT, the squeaky wheel still gets the grease. The people with problems and complaints stand out. Why? Because a huge number of people who are quietly succeeding simply have never gone looking for anything like LBT. A lot of people do better with fairly constant supervision....they failed at Weight Watchers before but the combination of Weight Watchers and the band makes them feel secure and that's what they've chosen to do. I personally hate Weight Watchers and the canned explanations that simply don't apply to everybody. I do better on my own.

Lastly, pay attention to what Brockbabe says: Until you get enough fill in your band to have decent restriction, you will experience some amount of hunger. Certainly less that just going on a diet but it's there. It lessens as you get closer to and finally in the Green Zone. My first fill put me at 3.6cc. Some other doctors are less aggressive and give 1cc at a time and as many as 8 weeks between fills. My first fill was at exactly 4 weeks and then every 4 weeks until I hit the Green Zone.

[KartMan 58]

I'm looking for some feedback, particularly from those of you who have had your band for more than 6 months.

I'm seeing an awful lot of posts here and on another forum from people who, post band, are still hungry and not losing weight and are being told it's because they need to suck it up regarding the hunger, exercise and go on a diet (like Watchers), implying that unless they do, they won't lose the weight.

This is becoming a serious issue with me because I'm not going to go through surgery, put a foreign body into my stomach and deal with all of those issues, just to be told I still have to "go on a diet and exercise program and 'suck it up' re: the hunger." I can do all that without spending $20k or going through surgery.

I don't expect the band to do it all *but* I do expect to be able to eat smaller portions of good food choices without hunger. I do expect to lose weight on these smaller portions and without spending all of my spare time exercising. In fact, I expect to lose weight without exercising at all since (a) I will be eating a fraction of what I did to keep my body this size and (:scared2: recent reports show that while exercise is good for you, it's not necessary to lose weight...it really is all about the food. I'm not saying you might not lose more, faster...but that's not the same as just losing.

If these are unrealistic expectations, I'd like to know now and save myself the aggravation of the surgery and follow-up. Having serious doubts here...

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This is such a broad topic and I could take it in so many directions - let me just take a chunk of it from my perspective. Do you have to be hungry all the time? Well, no – I never was and never am now. Why? It’s the allusive thing we call restriction - some get it, some don’t. I had it right from the beginning and have rarely lost it. When I did start to lose a bit of restriction I topped off with a little fill and was good to go again.

Pre band, I was not a snacker or a sweet eater, but when I ate a meal - it was supersized (massively). I have no idea what may calorie count was back then, but I would not be surprised if it was 4000-6000 a day. With good restriction, I am easily able to maintain less than 1500 a day now and almost never feel deprived or hungry. When you are very overweight as I was, and dramatically drop your caloric intake you will lose weight – it’s the old adage calories in calories out. For me, the weight flew off – about 2-4 lbs per week with no exercise. So can you do it without exercise? Yes, I did and as I said the weight was flying off. However, Protein and exercise are critical though. I found out through hydrostatic dunk testing that about half of my weight loss was Lean Mass and not just Fat. This knowledge motivated me to hit the gym and I have since turned that around. Follow-on dunk tests have shown that now I am gaining lean mass (muscle) and still losing fat. Mind you, I wasn’t very motivated to exercise at first, but now I absolutely LOVE it – it is the highlight of my day (kinda freaky huh?).

Do I diet? Well, not in the traditional sense no. I have really good restriction, so I know my portions will be small. I try to pick things that I like, that won’t get stuck, and that will give me the Protein I need. I stay satisfied between meals, so that takes away any urge to graze.

I honestly don’t think that much about food at all. I eat my little portions because it’s the fuel my body needs, but food is no longer a fixture of my life. I do from time to time give myself little treats which haven’t slowed down my overall progress. Last Friday I went to the movies and had candy and a tub of popcorn (popcorn goes right past my band). Last night I treated myself to a pretty high calorie dinner followed by key lime pie (yummy). When I do these things though, they are the exception rather than the rule and I try to cut calories some the next day and hit the gym a little harder.

I know not everyone has the luck with restriction that I have had, I know that some people’s bodies don’t shed weight as fast as mine did, and that some people have a real hard time with exercising – but my experience shows that these are all possible outcomes of banding.

[untfluter 3]

I disagree. If exercise was the answer to losing weight, then why are those who are exercising 3-4+ times a week still having trouble losing weight? As I said before, I lost 70 pounds...and have kept it off...with nothing more than diet.

I have *never* exercised with any diet I was on and I still lost weight. Some 'experts' are now saying that exercise is not the key to losing weight and, in fact, may actually be the cause of weight gain because hunger increases.

Logically, the LAP-BAND® creates a situation where we should not be able to eat the calories we were prior to the band. The decrease in calories alone should cause weight loss. If not, then there's something wrong with the whole idea of how the LAP-BAND® works.

I've received a number of private e-mails from people who have shared with me that they eat just as they did prior to the lab band...but less. They eat like people who are not overweight. They don't count calories. They don't exercise. Their lives no longer revolve around food...either by overeating or by obsessing about calories and exercise. They've lost weight and they are happy. Sounds good to me.

Please read my posts again. I don't care if I ever see 130 pounds again. I just want to be at a weight where I can Live! Live! Live! as Auntie Mame says...and that doesn't involve being a gym rat several times a week. I also don't care how long it takes. I'm changing my life...not 'dieting'.

The point of this thread though was to find out whether the LAP-BAND® did what it promised...or whether it was nothing more than a mental placebo where diet, exercise and hunger was still the rule of the day for losing the weight. Only a few have answered that question. :scared2:

.

Something that you need to keep in mind....yes.. you can lose weight w/out exercising... BUT... you MUST burn more calories then you take in in order to lose the weight... that's not to say that you have to be a maniac and work out for 5 hours 7 days a week.. also, by exercising... you give your skin a better chance of bouncing back by toning up your muscles....I didn't start working out until I was about 6 wks post op... I am not 6 months post op.. but I am right at 5 months.. I have lost 43.5lbs since my surgery... I started working out in the pool, going to Water aerobics.... then I joined Curves... it's a 35 min work out... and I got 2-3 times a week.. in my first month, I lost 4 inches all over... not bad I would say... but that being said... exercise is still a part of this journey.... I do get hungry... it's nature... BUT... I go hours now before I get hungry where as before, I would be hungry, at least think I was, an hour after I ate a big meal.... good luck in whatever decision you make.. but I know for ME... getting banded was the BEST thing I could have done for my LIFE....

[ElfiePoo 109]

To be direct, you need to do much more research about all the different WLS's before you make a decision.

I've been researching for 14 years.

It sounds as if you have made up your mind that you can have any WLS and NOT exercise and be successful.

It sounds as if you haven't read a word I've said. Please feel free to reread my posts and then we'll discuss what I actually said.

Edited October 15, 2009 by ElfiePoo

[ElfiePoo 109]

Thanks, Cathy. I was given my date today (Nov 3rd) and I'm ready to go forward with this. I've taken all of these posts into account and am not hearing anything new.

My main difficulty in controlling my weight has always been that I never feel full and I've used the carbs (potatoes, bread, Pasta, etc.) to fill that 'void'. I'm not a sweet eater so the pounds were put on by too much food and an ever increasingly sedentary lifestyle. When I stopped backpacking, playing tennis, swimming, etc. (right after the birth of my youngest), I didn't stop eating the carbs, so the pounds packed on which led to an even more sedentary lifestyle.

When I lost the 70 lbs, I became more active as I lose the weight and that's how I've maintained for 6 years. That's the plan for this next 120 pounds. To regain my previously active lifestyle (now that my youngest is grown), but also to get rid of those excess carbs so instead of weighing 200, I'll get closer to my goal weight.

.

[KartMan 58]

I disagree. If exercise was the answer to losing weight, then why are those who are exercising 3-4+ times a week still having trouble losing weight? As I said before, I lost 70 pounds...and have kept it off...with nothing more than diet.

I have *never* exercised with any diet I was on and I still lost weight. Some 'experts' are now saying that exercise is not the key to losing weight and, in fact, may actually be the cause of weight gain because hunger increases.

Logically, the LAP-BAND® creates a situation where we should not be able to eat the calories we were prior to the band. The decrease in calories alone should cause weight loss. If not, then there's something wrong with the whole idea of how the LAP-BAND® works.

I've received a number of private e-mails from people who have shared with me that they eat just as they did prior to the lab band...but less. They eat like people who are not overweight. They don't count calories. They don't exercise. Their lives no longer revolve around food...either by overeating or by obsessing about calories and exercise. They've lost weight and they are happy. Sounds good to me.

Please read my posts again. I don't care if I ever see 130 pounds again. I just want to be at a weight where I can Live! Live! Live! as Auntie Mame says...and that doesn't involve being a gym rat several times a week. I also don't care how long it takes. I'm changing my life...not 'dieting'.

The point of this thread though was to find out whether the LAP-BAND® did what it promised...or whether it was nothing more than a mental placebo where diet, exercise and hunger was still the rule of the day for losing the weight. Only a few have answered that question. :scared2:

.

I sort of agree with your premise, but totally disagree with your decision not to exercise. I do believe that you can and will lose weight just by cutting calories (thru smaller portion size). It only makes sense (I did it myself). Here is the simple math. 3500 calories equals a pound of weight. If you consume 5000 calories in a day (don’t be so shocked, many of us fatties consume that or more) and your body burns say 3000 in its normal activity, you have a net gain of2000 calories or about half a pound. If you live like that, you will gain weight. Now, if through Portion Control, you cut your calorie count down to 1500 per day and still burn 3000, you will have a daily caloric deficit of 1500 calories and will lose weight.

The important thing though is that it’s not enough just to lose weight, you want to lose fat. The body is funny, it doesn’t just burn your fat. If left alone in a deficit situation, it will burn some of your fat and some of your lean mass out of self preservation. It is holding onto that fat as a reserve. You need to consume in grams the equivalent to your lean mass in pounds of Protein (I have 153lbs of lean mass, so I try to get in 150g of Protein every day) and exercise, your body will burn more of the fat than the lean. How do I know this? I looked into it, did a lot of reading, talked to a nutritionist, talked to my trainer, but most importantly saw the real results of it in my own body.

At about 6 months post op I had lost about 80lbs. I went in for hydrostatic dunk test and found that my Body fat was 22.3% (which is good BTW). This is when I learned how important protein and resistance exercise is. I went back a month later and found that my Body Fat had dropped to 19.1% but that my weight loss was 55% fat vs. 45% lean Now by adding in exercise and getting enough protein, I actually gain lean mass and lose fat mass (yes, gaining weight in this way is a good thing). My last dunk test was on 10/2, I am down to 17.3% Body Fat (almost an athletic standard), but more importantly I had lost 4.1lbs of fat while gaining 0.9lbs of muscle.

Why is muscle important? Well, if for no other reason it actually helps you in your weight loss. Muscle at rest burns more calories than fat does. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn - even when you are doing nothing. You have you own little fat burning furnace in your body, but you have to kindle the fire through exercise.

Look, nobody was more of a fat a$$ lazy bones than I was, but I flat out love working out now. Why? I get a high from it, it feels great. And I see tremendous progress. Now that almost all of my fat is gone, I can see muscles on my arms, chest, legs and even abs. Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t look like a body builder – but I actually look very physically fit – not such a bad thing.

[KartMan 58]

I *hate* exercising. Fortunately I'm not averse to activity...or wasn't before I gained this last bit of weight (cuz now my back hurts) and am looking forward to just getting off 30 pounds so I can go walking with my husband again!

.

Find something you like, and do that. Exercise is a broad thing and can mean many different things to different people. I positively hate running and won’t do it. But I love bike riding and sort of like swimming, so those are my cardio choices. I don’t love free weights, but I like most of the machines in the gym, so those are my resistance devices. The point is that exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. Find something you like and do it. I suggest forking out a little cash to a trainer, they can help a lot. Many people don’t like exercising because they have no idea what they are doing. The gym is full of equipment for all shapes and sizes and all experience levels, but it can be a little daunting. Enlist the help of an expert, you may surprise yourself – I did.

[elcee 3,341]

Just read this thread and it seems to be going around in circles re " exercise".

Exercise = Activity

Activity = Exercise

Exercise does not mean you have to sweat it out in the gym it means that you need to be active and burn more energy than you take in.

As kart and some of the others have said there are lots of choices. Find the activity that suits you and stick with that. If you like hiking, walking that is fine. If you prefer to sweat it out in the gym then that is also fine.

Also look at how you can increase your incidental activity level. Things like parking further away from the shops and walking the last part, getting off the bus one stop earlier, doing your own housework, hang your washing on the line instead of using the drier all this kind of stuff helps too.

The point is that exercise is broad it does not only mean going to the gym.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Also look at how you can increase your incidental activity level. Things like parking further away from the shop.

My husband loves to do this to me. We'll go to the store and he parks *allll* the way back in the back. I swear I have to walk a quarter mile just to walk both ways across the parking lot.

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[elcee 3,341]

That's good. I can never understand the people that drive around for ages looking for a space right next to the entrance. Once they get inside they are going to be walking so surely it won't hurt to find a space a bit further away. trying to get too close means you waste valuable shopping time!

[cnr1983 0]

I wasn't a massive over-eater prior to surgery, but I was eating too much for my body type - when you have tendencies towards obesity, you have to eat less and move more than 'normal' people.

After lap-band, I don't actually feel hungry like I used to - it's more 'mouth' hungry but I deal with that easily - I have a tea or a drink and I feel full again. I no longer think about food like I used to and when I do, I think about the healthiest thing I can eat, rather than the tastiest (and fattiest). Some people have different experiences and it's important to note that everyone is different - some have bigger appetites, others have addiction to food which the lap-band can't help with because it's a physical device, it won't address emotional issues.

I am also aware of the foreign item in my body and that alone keeps me away from bad food choices - getting a band is a huge step and knowledge of that keeps me in check - I didn't go through all this just to revert back to old habits - I went through a fair amount of pain and like all surgery, it comes with risks - I won't let myself fail because getting surgery is different to buying a few diet shakes - you invest more and you expect more from yourself. The band helps a lot - but it's not a miracle but from where I'm standing - feeling ravenously hungry is a thing of the past.