Can this really be done?

[Grammy]

I am a 45 yr old female. I am 5' 9'' and I weigh 290 lbs. I have been up and down with my weight for over 20 years. I have tried every diet known to man. I will lose weight and do great for a while and then I gain it back plus more.

What makes this diet better than all the rest? How is this diet going to work for me?

I am desperate?

[julieburns]

Hi Grammy:

I feel your desperation, i too felt that way. I'll try to answer your questions from my standpoint.

I think this band is a radical lifestyle change. I believe very firmly this will work. I believe that's the attitude you must have in any "diet" for it to work well. What makes this different? I can only speak for myself but having had the band surgery 5 weeks ago I think what I've found most helpful is this forum. I also think the reality of the restriction, once you reach your "sweet" spot will absolutely decrease the amount of food you eat to 1/3 or so of what we used to take in. Mind you it's no miracle. You still have to make good food choices, exercise, drink water and follow a healthy plan. I believe for me this is my last effort to lose this 80-100 pounds forever. It does not happen overnight. I look at this as a 1-2 year process. I think the more informed you are and stay informed the more ift will work. I come to this forum DAILY to keep encouraged and on the right track. It works if you work it, not magically by itself.

So I hope that helps. I am sure others will add much more insightful stuff but this is what is working for me!!

:lb11:

[murphy2]

Hi Grammy:

I am a 47 yr old grammy and I too am 5'9" and struggled with my weight for years. I too could lose only to gain back. So three months ago I had the surgery and I have lost 32 lbs and I know they are gone for good! You do change your lifestyle and you will need to be commited to this tool. It is effective if you want it to be. However this being said and why it will work for me is this is a tool I will have in my body, I like to think of it as my savings plan, for the rest of my life. It will not come and go with the next fad diet, it is here to stay. It saves on food, medication that I no longer need and may have saved my life by preventing the complications that being obese were bringing my way. I feel great, look better and cannot wait to reach my goal in 40 more pounds!

Good Luck with your decision

Amy

[snowbird]

This isn't a diet. This is a device that physically stops you from eating indiscriminately. However, do you have to watch what you eat to make it work.

I can eat just about anything at this point, but I still can't eat that much and whatever I eat, I must eat very slowly. SOMETIMES I can finish a hamburger, but not often. Eating steak is possible, but often it is more work than it is worth. The thought of a donut is a reaction of potential pain, not pleasure.

I am 53 and I have lost weight with Redux, Atkins, weight watchers, and just plain old dieting. I have gained it all back and more each time. I don't have the fear this time that I will regain my lost weight. I truly wish I could have done this 30 or 40 years ago, but I'm still happy to get a new life now in my fifties.

[nothereanymore]

I'm 46, 5'6" and also have tried every diet and failed for about 20 years - my weight has been everywhere. My highest weight at the doctors was 275, my highest at home was more...... I'm around 140 pounds now, about to be a grammy (as soon as I finally don't look like one)

It’s a tool and I manage it, it forces me to think about what I eat and gives me time to think about why I'm eating. Its a different lifestyle, you eat less but I know I'm now healthy, my primary doctor is very impressed with the changes - and I feel like a million bucks (my husband thinks I look like a million bucks now).

I didn't want to go into my 50's as an obese woman, the health risks and loss of mobility scared the bajeezes out of me. I thought of this as my last chance to cure my disease, obesity.

Good luck with your decision, I hope the best for you.

Lisa

[Kittycat]

Listen to the ladies before me, they are absolutely right.

I am 45 years old, my highest weight was 285. I have been banded for one month and weigh 252.

It's a tool you work with, it's not a magic wand that will suddenly make you skinny. You make healthy food choices and the key is to get the band to the sweet spot, so that you are full on very little food until your next meal. That is the difference between dieting and eating healthy with the band. Diets fail because you are hungry and feeling deprived. The band is successful because when it works right, you are not hungry between meals and eat less of both healthy foods and the foods you love. It's all moderation.

Best of luck with your decision!!

Cathy

[Dontondan]

First off this is not a Diet! It is a lifestyle change that wlll help you with your food intake. There are rules and they have to be followed for the rest of your life in order for it to work. It is not for everybody, but for most it is a Godsend! I am 49 and have lost over 50 pounds since December. I am realistic and know that it will take me approx. 2 years to lose my weight. I am happy with my progress and think that this is the first time that I don't think that I will gain the weight back as I have changed what and how I eat dramatically. I have never lost this amount of weight before and I feel so good physically now that I feel that I can keep on losing. I am healthy now, as with the weight loss I have "lost" my diabetes, hypertension, GERD, and high cholestrol! There are so many benefits to having the band. I have also met a lot of other bandsters on this forum that are a wealth of information and support. I don't view this as "another diet", but a change in my physical and mental health.

[bubs]

I am a 45 yr old female. I am 5' 9'' and I weigh 290 lbs. I have been up and down with my weight for over 20 years. I have tried every diet known to man. I will lose weight and do great for a while and then I gain it back plus more.

What makes this diet better than all the rest? How is this diet going to work for me?

I am desperate?

Hi Grammy,

I am 5' 7" and highest weight was 297. I think you should listen to the people on this forum. I did and will be banded in 11 days. I'm 63 so you are never to old to make things better. I was just on WW for 2 years and only lost 37 pounds and gained back 20 when I stopped 6 months ago. At the rate I was losing I figured it would take another 8 years and it depressed me so much I started eating and gaining again. That is what made my decision for me. I can deal with 2 years to lose the weight...not ten. My knees weren't going to hold out that long, either. Contact the center and they will send you all the info you need. The forum will be here to support you. You are not alone.

Pam :

[banded4life]

I agree with everyone else. I have tried so many "diets". I can loose the weight on these "diets" but once I am in the maintance stage so to speak, I gain all the weight back plus more. That is what makes the band different. It is a tool, not a diet. I just got to the point where I was fed up, and now I am embracing this new lifestyle change!