Its been a year and half and my lap band sucks

[mail mom]

I have been banded for a year and a half I have had 4 fills. I lost 23 pounds and have gained everything back. I am so jelous everytime I come on this forum and you are all do so wonderful. I have never even felt the band work I can eat anything any time. I thought it was suppose to help me but so far it has just hurt my pocket. I am not sure if I want to keep putting out money when nothing is happening. I am ready to give up

[AngelaAnn]

I have been banded for a year and a half I have had 4 fills. I lost 23 pounds and have gained everything back. I am so jelous everytime I come on this forum and you are all do so wonderful. I have never even felt the band work I can eat anything any time. I thought it was suppose to help me but so far it has just hurt my pocket. I am not sure if I want to keep putting out money when nothing is happening. I am ready to give up

I feel for you but it's not as though this band is a miracle worker. You really do have to work with it. It took me six months to figure that out and I still fight with the head hunger daily. I find that it mainly just helps with the binge eating for me. I still have to exercise and attempt to make the right food choices 'cause you find out very easily that crap food slides down really well. Also, did you get your band done at the OCC? How many cc's does your band hold? You might not have enough of a fill to have restriction. I only got really good restriction once my 4cc band was filled with 3cc's which is a lot. Have you had your band checked for leaks? Have you had your fill doctor actually take out the saline every time you have a fill so that you can see with your eyes how much he/she is taking out or putting in? I actually need another fill. So, I think for those who are successful to offer you any good advice, they need more information than just your band sucks.

[angelarias]

hi:

don't give up--treat this as a second chance. exercise and diet are the only things that gets the weight off.

i've only lost more than 50 percent of my weight and i am 5 years out. i don't like to be discouraged. 193 is the weight my body doesn't like to budge from.

don't rely too much on fills--you can be restricted for three days then poof! nothing.

put your hard earned fill money to healthier foods and a trainer once a month--someone you can weigh in front of, get measured and discuss your nutrition choices. someone to teach you how to exercise for your body type and someone to be accountable to.

you can do it!

[lesles]

Hi,

I have heard the book "Lap Band for Life", by Dr. Ortiz is the bible for bandsters. I own it and follow his instructions to the letter. You can often times get new and used copies on Amazon.com

Hope this is helpful.

Good Luck,

Leslie

[Smiley]

Can you provide us an example of what you are eating each day?

What does your exercise routine consist of?

I was banded locally and recieved a fill almost every month for the first year. Not to discourage you, but it was 9 fills later before I really felt restriction. However, I knew that I could not wait on restriction to happen, I had to make proper food choices and limit my amounts from the beginning. I was able to eat anything anytime as well, and pretty much still can, even bread. The thing to remember is that just because you "can" eat anything anytime, it doesn't mean you "should" eat anything anytime. Keep your head up, you will succeed!

[PAMMIE]

I have never even felt the band work I can eat anything any time. I thought it was suppose to help me but so far it has just hurt my pocket. I am not sure if I want to keep putting out money when nothing is happening. I am ready to give up

NO WONDER YOU THINK IT SUCKS, YOU HAVEN'T PUT THE BAND TO USE. GET ANOTHER FILL IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT RESTRICTION IS ALL ABOUT. DON'T GIVE UP WITHOUT GIVING IT A TRY FIRST

[BellCurveBabe]

How full is your band? I can see giving up if you are at full capacity but if there is room in there then fll it up!!!! Don't give up until you are at full capacity. I envy these ladies too, but they also work their butts (literally) off. Some of these ladies work out for 60-90 minutes 5-6 days per week AND limit their calories to 1,200!!! To quote Tim McGraw, "How bad do you want it?"

[karensermons]

I have been banded for a year and a half I have had 4 fills. I lost 23 pounds and have gained everything back. I am so jelous everytime I come on this forum and you are all do so wonderful. I have never even felt the band work I can eat anything any time. I thought it was suppose to help me but so far it has just hurt my pocket. I am not sure if I want to keep putting out money when nothing is happening. I am ready to give up

[karensermons]

I know what you mean. I was banded in may 2008 and have lost 25lbs. I have 3.2cc in my band. I really don't eat much and most of the foods I need to eat I can't tolerate. Some day I can eat chicken others it comes right back up. I do stay hungry, and I drink alot of protein water that does help some. The only thing that I don't do is exercise. I have a spinal fusion which limits me in exercise. I could walk, but hate to walk alone. I have alot of excuses but I am very disappointed in my band. When I read the forum it only makes me more discouraged because most of the time you only read about what great weight loss they have. I want to read more about people struggling and how they are dealing with their journey.

[chapman]

I know what your going through I've had the band 2 years now lost only 32 pounds and gained it back everytime I would go for fills it was either not enough or to much I had'nt gone back in over a year finally went back 3 weeks ago started overs and I lost 7 pounds took me 3 months though I stopped drinking sodas and eating junk food 3 months ago I started excersicing first 30min. a day this month im now doing 1 hr. a day I have arthritis on both knees and back so Im sore as hell the next day but if you really want to make this band work for you you have to work with it. I wish it was a magic band but to bad it's not. :lb12: Debbie

[1papaya]

I was banded in June of 08, and have lost 31lbs. I too feel discouraged. I know that I am following the guidlines to bieng banded, so I can't put the blame on myself. I was doing so much on the treadmill that my knees started to hurt. Now it's been about a month without going on the treadmill. My knees hurt just from sitting down.

Anyway this past month I got a very tight fill, and I lost 14 lbs in three weeks. I've come to realize that my body needs very little calories to lose weight. I tried 1200 calories, but didn't lose weight, and then I tried 1000 that didn't work, and then I tried 800 calories, and that too didn't work. Now with this fill I take a couple of bites of something and feel full. I know I don't come close to even 600 calories a day.

What keeps me going and not give up is that I havn't gained the weight back. I do wish my weight loss was more significant, but unfortunartely for some of us the road to weight loss is slow. So anyone reading this don't give up!

[SandraMinnesota]

Okay, your band sucks. Now tell me

1. What's the inventory of your refrigerator?

2. What's the inventory of your pantry?

3. What was shown on your last receipt from the grocery store?

4. When did you last eat at McDonald's and what did you have?

5. What is on your food journal?

6. When did you last go to the gym?

7. When did you last contact your doctor with your band concerns?

Your band doesn't do the work. You work your band. Many many people would like to have a band, just like you do. This journey is all about DOING. Lots of what you have to do requires a huge amount of effort.

[sawdawg]

very well said sandra, how are you doing? janet

Okay, your band sucks. Now tell me

1. What's the inventory of your refrigerator?

2. What's the inventory of your pantry?

3. What was shown on your last receipt from the grocery store?

4. When did you last eat at McDonald's and what did you have?

5. What is on your food journal?

6. When did you last go to the gym?

7. When did you last contact your doctor with your band concerns?

Your band doesn't do the work. You work your band. Many many people would like to have a band, just like you do. This journey is all about DOING. Lots of what you have to do requires a huge amount of effort.

[my_friend_amber]

I know some of this sounds harsh, but sometimes truth is hard to hear. If you honestly, literally are eating only 600 calories a day and cannot lose weight, you are a medical anomoly and in all seriousness, you need to find expert medical assistance as soon as you can because something is very, very wrong with your body. If you are eating 1200 calories a day and not losing - asking yourself brutally honestly "what do those calories consist of?" is what you need to do - 1200 calories worth of Ben & Jerrys will not do the same for you as 1200 calories worth of proper, nutritious, band-friendly foods.

I feel for you and with you because there have been periods over my last year of being banded when I wasn't losing and thought, "Damn...this thing itsn't working." But then every time when I've gotten honest with myself I am not working out either at all or like I should - and yes, even if we hate it we have to do it...it's part of being an adult to do things we know we don't alwasy like but doing them anyway - and I wasn't eating like I should.

Hopefully what you'll get from all this is not the thought that everyone's being hard and cruel, but that these people care enough about you to give you the cold hard truth and to invite you to do the work that needs to be done - check with your band doctor, get more fills (4 is not many for a lot of people!) and make yourself eat right and exercise. We all wish you the best and hope there will be people around to kick us in the derrierre when we are making excuses and letting ourselves feel badly instead of doing what needs to be done.

Warmly,

Amber

[1papaya]

I take your response is for me. I know you probably don't mean it in a bad way, but it certainly made my stomache ache.

For starters all the calories that I consume are good calories. Gone are the days when eating out five days a week was a normal thing for me to do. I began tracking my daily caloric intac on livestrong.com. At 1200 calories I felt like I was forcing my self to get in the proposed calories needed. So yes I know that I have beeen brutaly honest with myself, and everybody else that knows I was banded, including all of the members on this site.

I am so lucky to have a caring and understanding husband. He sees how I have struggled this past year. I was hyped about all the weight that I was going to lose, and so was he. He always tells me to be patient that eventually it will happen for me. So I think that if i wasn't doing my part, he would definately open my eyes about it.

So yes I do feel bad about your comment. I do have a thyroid problem. It had to be removed about five years ago. My endo doctor says I shouldn't blame my medical condition for not losing weight. I was pretty upset at her, because she said I should of have gastric bypass instead, and she said some bad stuff about the lapband procedure.

I have been vigouresly working out since before bieng banded. Had to stop treadmill do to pain in my knees, but went out and bought a recumbent bike, as I don't want to stop excersising . All of my foods are home cooked meals, and I don't have the pleasure of personaly knowing Ben & Jerrys.

And I said that I am losing weight on 600 calories a day. I think that I may really be a medical anomoly!

[SimSim]

I've had the band for a year and a half also. Lost a little, gained back more. Didn't follow up on fills - couldn't excercise because of my ankle...

Then realized: this is in my control.

This is in your control.

It's not supposed to be easy.

Nothing worth working for is easy. But I'm worth working for - and you are too. Walk one block for one week. Then walk two. Then walk three.

You can do this. So can I.

[my_friend_amber]

I take your response is for me. I know you probably don't mean it in a bad way, but it certainly made my stomache ache.

For starters all the calories that I consume are good calories. Gone are the days when eating out five days a week was a normal thing for me to do. I began tracking my daily caloric intac on livestrong.com. At 1200 calories I felt like I was forcing my self to get in the proposed calories needed. So yes I know that I have beeen brutaly honest with myself, and everybody else that knows I was banded, including all of the members on this site.

I am so lucky to have a caring and understanding husband. He sees how I have struggled this past year. I was hyped about all the weight that I was going to lose, and so was he. He always tells me to be patient that eventually it will happen for me. So I think that if i wasn't doing my part, he would definately open my eyes about it.

So yes I do feel bad about your comment. I do have a thyroid problem. It had to be removed about five years ago. My endo doctor says I shouldn't blame my medical condition for not losing weight. I was pretty upset at her, because she said I should of have gastric bypass instead, and she said some bad stuff about the lapband procedure.

I have been vigouresly working out since before bieng banded. Had to stop treadmill do to pain in my knees, but went out and bought a recumbent bike, as I don't want to stop excersising . All of my foods are home cooked meals, and I don't have the pleasure of personaly knowing Ben & Jerrys.

And I said that I am losing weight on 600 calories a day. I think that I may really be a medical anomoly!

My response was mostly for mail mom who originally asked the question, but I did take information given from others (yourself included) into my response. I am genuinely sorry if anything I said was taken to be offensive it was never my intention to offend, but to point out areas that people (myself included!) sometimes fall down on. I assume that when people come here and post questions, they expect 100% honest answers and sometimes, like I said, truth can be hard to hear and make us feel defensive. It seems that you are, in fact, a medical anomoly, which is what I wanted to point out to the original poster (mail mom) to watch out for. Some people aren't lucky enough to have been diagnosed with thyroid problems (or whatever else the problem may be) and therefore can't understand when weight loss hasn't happened. You know the problems you are having and if that is the reason you can only eat so few calories a day, then that is what is working for you and that's great. My point was that unless there is something that is "wrong" with you (as in a thyroid) then 600 calories a day is not what our nutritionalist (Dr. Miranda) has/would recommend.

Again, I am sorry that you believed all my comments to be pointed toward you when in fact they were mostly in response to the original question and intended for bandsters in general. I think I was clear about the fact that I myself have had times when I wasn't doing what I should and had thoughts that the band wasn't working, but then I had to get real with myself and realize that I was the one who wasn't working the band. If you will re-read this entire post you will see that I responded to many things posted by many people and that this isn't just about your post. I honestly think you jumped the gun to believe it was all about you and that I was personally trying to attack you. I hope this clarifies some things and I hope that you know that I honestly hope the very best for yourself and all of the bandsters out there. I am a blunt person and things can seem "flat" in type only and without the benefit of facial expression and tone of voice.

Best wishes,

Amber

[2fat4me]

I am so glad to here other people who are struggling like me. I have had my band filled and unfilled so many times I am about to lose count (3 times). This is much harder than I ever expected it to be. I have made a lot of changes in the quantity of food I eat and I have been lifting weights at least 4 times a week since Jan 09. And yet no more weight lose. My food choices are not real good, but you all know after a long time of struggling with this, you really lose your focus. A year and 2 months after being banded and only 40 lbs. It is truely a downer to continue to read all the awesome stories of weight lose, so I hardly ever get on this forum anymore. So I am happy to hear from every one like me.

I will continue to read more especially those topics that are like this one.

Thanks

[nothereanymore]

I am so glad to here other people who are struggling like me. I have had my band filled and unfilled so many times I am about to lose count (3 times). This is much harder than I ever expected it to be. I have made a lot of changes in the quantity of food I eat and I have been lifting weights at least 4 times a week since Jan 09. And yet no more weight lose. My food choices are not real good, but you all know after a long time of struggling with this, you really lose your focus. A year and 2 months after being banded and only 40 lbs. It is truely a downer to continue to read all the awesome stories of weight lose, so I hardly ever get on this forum anymore. So I am happy to hear from every one like me.

I will continue to read more especially those topics that are like this one.

Thanks

You're actually doing fine, most people with low BMI's do lose slower. You have to think in percentages; you've lost 60% of your weight in just over a year. (That beats what I did) Not bad, and think of how you changed your body with eating better and exercise. Even though your choices aren’t real good, I bet they are way better than they were over a year ago.

I believe that a lot of how well we do is based on our mental attitude. So keep up the hard work and keep believing in yourself and in your band, if you didn’t get it would you have gained another 20 pounds, or would you have over 100 pounds to lose by now? You really don’t know where you would be, but most likely not 40 pounds lighter, with a more toned body and over halfway to your goal.

Take care, keep working it, it will come together and don’t focus on the negative, I know it’s hard when you’re not where you want to be, but it really doesn’t do any good. Focus on the positive and think about how much you’ve accomplished. I know that part of my weight problem was due to all of my negative thinking and thoughts. When I realized that that was a big reason for my obesity I made a decision to “kick” it out of my life and really try to focus on the positive. I truly believe that was a big part of my success, realizing that thinking negative thoughts about myself (and others) was really harmful and finally taking control over it was a huge mile stone for me.

Take care; I think you’re doing awesome!

Lisa

[leahwebster]

I know what you mean. I was banded in may 2008 and have lost 25lbs. I have 3.2cc in my band. I really don't eat much and most of the foods I need to eat I can't tolerate. Some day I can eat chicken others it comes right back up. I do stay hungry, and I drink alot of protein water that does help some. The only thing that I don't do is exercise. I have a spinal fusion which limits me in exercise. I could walk, but hate to walk alone. I have alot of excuses but I am very disappointed in my band. When I read the forum it only makes me more discouraged because most of the time you only read about what great weight loss they have. I want to read more about people struggling and how they are dealing with their journey.

As others have said we cant blame the band, it is a tool. If you dont look where you are driving and drive into the ditch it isnt the cars fault. It is not the easy way out it takes focus and time. The band when properly adjusted helps us with portion size but it cant pict the foods for us or tell us to eat properly. We have to work with it. I have found I can eat pretty much what ever I want if I just take SMALL BITES and chew, chew, chew, chew,chew... well you get the point.

With the portion sizes being smaller after a few short weeks our bodies go into sarvation mode which is where it slows down its metabolism (like a bear in the winter, to survive) that is why it gets so tough! three things that really, REALLY help with the bear thing....

1) drink Lots of water- 64 oz/day- This is a challenge for me but I know it really helps with my snacking

2) Protien- Protien shakes, canned tuna, salmon ect.

3) EXERCISE- I know it STINKS to walk alone- find a nighbor, or family member- or get a pass tp CURVES, thay have toes of people in our shoes battling Obesity. If we are willing to spend the money on the surgery we have to be willing to EXERCISE!

If we dont do these things our bodies will save every ounce we put into our mouths and store it as fat trying to survive thru the famine it feels.

Good luck and stay strong, YOU CAN DO IT!

[2fat4me]

thanks Lisa...You are AWESOME! I really did need to hear that. Somebody needs to kick me off my pitty pot every now and then.

[ESPINOZA4609]

I know what your going through I've had the band 2 years now lost only 32 pounds and gained it back everytime I would go for fills it was either not enough or to much I had'nt gone back in over a year finally went back 3 weeks ago started overs and I lost 7 pounds took me 3 months though I stopped drinking sodas and eating junk food 3 months ago I started excersicing first 30min. a day this month im now doing 1 hr. a day I have arthritis on both knees and back so Im sore as hell the next day but if you really want to make this band work for you you have to work with it. I wish it was a magic band but to bad it's not. :lb12: Debbie

[ESPINOZA4609]

Hello Its been a 1yr. & a half- I had the lapband on 4/6/09 and was downhearted because in 1mo. I lose ONLY 2lbs. but now as I read others lapbander situations

I am happy to know that I am not alone in this journey to be healthy and lose weight. Tonight I registered for this forum & I am writing in for the 1st time and I

am confident that with patience,exercise,watching what we eat and helping & encouraging each other along with a dose of the honest truth we can achieve

our goals.My beginning wt. was 238 lbs. and the first 2wks. I lost 12 lbs. then when I went back for my next fill 4 wks. later I lost 2 lbs. My goal wt. 150 lbs. :

[tootsie_lou]

Hello Its been a 1yr. & a half- I had the lapband on 4/6/09 and was downhearted because in 1mo. I lose ONLY 2lbs. but now as I read others lapbander situations

I am happy to know that I am not alone in this journey to be healthy and lose weight. Tonight I registered for this forum & I am writing in for the 1st time and I

am confident that with patience,exercise,watching what we eat and helping & encouraging each other along with a dose of the honest truth we can achieve

our goals.My beginning wt. was 238 lbs. and the first 2wks. I lost 12 lbs. then when I went back for my next fill 4 wks. later I lost 2 lbs. My goal wt. 150 lbs. :

Hello and welcome!! You will find many smart and super-nice people here--as well as many friends!!

[pndjackson1]

I have been banded for a year and a half I have had 4 fills. I lost 23 pounds and have gained everything back. I am so jelous everytime I come on this forum and you are all do so wonderful. I have never even felt the band work I can eat anything any time. I thought it was suppose to help me but so far it has just hurt my pocket. I am not sure if I want to keep putting out money when nothing is happening. I am ready to give up