Red Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 :lb14: I have been wondering if people around my age (51) that have been banded are as successful with their weight loss as younger people. We middle aged women in particular face other things in our lives (menopause and slower metabolisms for example) that normally make it weight loss more difficult than when we were younger. Is anyone out there that can relate? I'm getting banded next Tuesday, by the way. I think my husband is starting to question if I will be able to adapt to the changes I will have to make. He keeps saying "are you SURE you are going to be able to eat so little"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbear Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 If you are committed to obtaining a better life with less physical problems then you will succeed. Lap Band surgery is not the magic fix we all hoped would be developed. It is however a very good tool to assist you if your goal is to lose weight. It works for me as long as my head does not defeat it. There are ways of eating around the band. Since being banded in March I have lost 60 pounds and my energy levels are up 100 per cent. I can on occasion eat almost like before but it's now my choice. Not every day is a good decision day for me. When my head gets right the band works and works well. By the way I am 63 years old but growing much younger in the way I feel since I'm not carrying around 60 pounds of deadening weight now. 40 to go to my goal weight and just doing it one day at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flaggirl Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 I'm 50 years old, and have lost 63lbs since being banded in November. I am 7lbs from goal. You can do it! Age and working with your band are all a state of mind. Sometimes it is difficult to be mentally satisfied with the small amount of food that your stomach can hold. But in reality the 2nd bite of something doesn't taste any better than the 1st. So be happpy and loose the weight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Thanks guys, You know, I am so tired of the negative impact of this excess weight: the aching knees, the depression, the shying away from cameras, the fear of seeing people I haven't seen in a long time, knowing they are thinking "wow, she has really put on weight", taking my showers at a time when I know my husband won't be around so he won't see my fat body, to buy clothes that camoflage my body rather than the stylish clothes I wish I could buy....this is not a good way to go through life. I think the challenges of living with this band will be easier than the challenges of living with obesity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roblynn Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 I know several people in there 60's and 70's who are getting the band. There is no age limit for people who want to live longer! Aren't they saying 50 is the new 40, etc? I think we are healthier at this age (I am 54) than our parents were at this age. We eat better, less fats in our diets, exercise more and generally live an easier life than those before us. We don't have to work from sun up to sun down to scratch out a living. We are having smaller families instead of the 12 in my family. (They saved the best for last, me! LOL There is no reason anyone should be turned away from surgery if they are healthy enough to withstand surgery. Just my opinion. Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meerkat Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Red, I'm 56 and was banded in April along with two other women and I was the youngest one. No problems so far, 98% of the time I don't even think about being banded. I just think about drinking more water, making good food choices and being more active which are all the things we should be doing banded or not. The band just makes it easier for me to do all those things. I just wish I was banded years ago. Good Luck on your journey, Dianne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandNewDawn Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 I am 50 and I have lost 47 pounds with my band. I have more to lose but I need to exercise more and give up some of my personal splurges which I realize are holding me back. The lighter you get, the harder it gets but we all knew that already. We do have to contend with slower metabolisms and less energy than 20, 30 and even 40 year olds but so much of our success with lapband surgery is our own personal motivations and desires to change our unhealthy lifestyles. Changing the way we eat, what we eat, the role food plays in our lives, how much and how often we exercise, even how we look at ourselves and view our successes along the way. I think anyone willing to work at making those changes will see some degree of success but I believe the degree of success (and I cannot stress enought that this is my personal opinion) is up to each of us individually as we learn to work with the lapband (as the tool it is meant to be) in the fight against obesity. For me, getting a lapband was never about being model thin or wearing a certain size or seeing a certain number on the scale, it is about getting healthy and ending what I consider to be my lifelong bondage to food. I'm getting there but without my band, I would be right back where I started. Good luck with your surgery. Dawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiley Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 He keeps saying "are you SURE you are going to be able to eat so little"? I was banded almost 17 months ago and you will be surprised when you measure out a cup of food and then think - oh my goodness, there is no way I can eat all of that. I typically don't measure out a cup of food (I am a bad example), but occasionally I do. Tonight was one of those nights and I seriously don't think I will be able to finish it. I have been eating for 35 minutes now and still have about 1/4 of a cup to go, but I am already full so I am stopoping. Just know that it will take a while to get to this point and determine now that you will stay the course regardless of what comes your way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothereanymore Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Yep you can, I'm not yet 50, but getting close and already started menopause. Its been a breeze so far – hate to think of what it would have been like if I didn’t have my band – yuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJude Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Hi Sweetie ~ I just turned 54 and I've loss 66 lbs so far. Yes, like everyone says...it can be slower but you've got to have the mindset and goals to achieve in YOUR pace. Every person's body is difference, so concentrate on you. I am over the hump, the downslope of the mountain and I FEEL GREAT! I've more energy than I've ever had in years! Truth be told, I'd do the band surgery again...knowing what I know now. You really work at your own pace and be realistic with your food and fitness tracking. Try to balance out your calorie intake and calories burned. I started up with the breathing exercise Lisa had mentioned from Dr. Weil and it helps get my day started in a positive way. Good luck and don't worry about how you are doing comparing to the others...just focus on you, keep the faith, be determine and motivate yourself to achieve those goals of yours. Have a dream to keep you positive too... Best to you! Jazzy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Hi Sweetie ~ I just turned 54 and I've loss 66 lbs so far. Yes, like everyone says...it can be slower but you've got to have the mindset and goals to achieve in YOUR pace. Every person's body is difference, so concentrate on you. I am over the hump, the downslope of the mountain and I FEEL GREAT! I've more energy than I've ever had in years! Truth be told, I'd do the band surgery again...knowing what I know now. You really work at your own pace and be realistic with your food and fitness tracking. Try to balance out your calorie intake and calories burned. I started up with the breathing exercise Lisa had mentioned from Dr. Weil and it helps get my day started in a positive way. Good luck and don't worry about how you are doing comparing to the others...just focus on you, keep the faith, be determine and motivate yourself to achieve those goals of yours. Have a dream to keep you positive too... Best to you! Jazzy!! Thanks so much to all of you who responded. This forum has been such a God-send to me as I mentally prepare for surgery on Tuesday. Last night I went to the Gallery section of the forum and it was such an inspiration to me. Having this resource, being able to communicate with people that have gone through it all, this is going to be what makes me and others successful. I soooooo appreciate all of you regulars that take the time to share. It means the world to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
determination Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 I have to tell you. I was feeling sorry for myself because I waited so long to do something so wonderful for myself. I read the posts from the younger women and wish that I had been so savvy to have done something when I was younger. I am 55 and soon to be 56. Losing wait has made me feel younger. I have more energy to play with the grandkids. I don't mind being around people. I have never been to a class reunion, I was too ashamed of myself. My 40th class reunion will be in 2011 and I sure hope they have one. Once we get to this point of wanting to lose that fat, I feel that nothing is going to stop us. Just a few days ago my doctor asked me if I had any kind of a support group. I told her about this forum and how much it has helped me to see that we all go through a lot of the same experiences. Good luck with your band. It is so worth it. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieB Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 I'm 50 years old, and have lost 63lbs since being banded in November. I am 7lbs from goal. You can do it! Age and working with your band are all a state of mind. Sometimes it is difficult to be mentally satisfied with the small amount of food that your stomach can hold. But in reality the 2nd bite of something doesn't taste any better than the 1st. So be happpy and loose the weight! I was talking to my mom today, and telling her about my band. I am a beginner. Had my second fill earlier this month. I know I am not at my "sweet spot" but I am allowing myself to adjust. It is an adjustment to wrap your mind around the smaller portions. That is why I have not scheduled my 3rd fill. Plus, with this fill I am able to notice restriction. So I am very pleased. Congradulations on your weight loss and being so close to your goal!!! That is awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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