Lapband failure

I had trouble at first.  I hardly lost any weight my first year.  I think maybe 40lbs.  I was 360lbs...I had a lot of weight to lose and 40lbs was not even close to enough. 

I am 6 years out now and have lost about 185lbs.  What changed.  I have to tell you I had a group of friends that started going to the gym and basically forced me to.  I started to workout 5 days a week....and that first month I lost 16lbs.  I don't know after you start losing like that and you put all that time into working out...you get very motivated.  I started to eat right and live right. 

As far as your eating habits.  I have to agree with Kate.  Liquid calories will go right through your band and leave you unsatisfied.  If your sweet tooth is nagging at you.  Try a healthy alternative.  This is still got some calories in it but much better for you than junk food.  Bananas or apples with peanut butter.  My favorite snack.  Of course you still have to limit your self because the peanut butter is high in calories...BUT the fruit is high in fiber and will fill you up.  Or take a some grapes and dip them in yogurt ( I use Yoplait's strawberry cheese cake) and freeze them.  Again the grapes will fill you up.  There are so many sweet treats that are good for you. 

As for meals eat lean protein and you should feel full fast.  I always eat a lean protein and a salad.  I always walk away from dinner feeling satisfied and good. 

The point I am trying to make is it's never to late to start over and make your band work for you.  I was over year out from surgery.  And I started over and made a success out it.  Stay positive. 

Don't feel too bad about yourself because of this because I am another one that the lap band failed and yes I do indeed blame the band not myself because I followed every rule and ate exactly the way I was supposed to and had been eating that way for over a year before I got the band. Like you I never had a feeling of being full or even satisfied. I would be just as hungry 2 hrs after eating as I did before eating. Even if I felt full right after eating I was hungry again by 2 hrs later, I mean actual stomach growling hunger so even at over 8cc in my band I was still hungry, the band never did work for me. I had mine removed a little over a year ago because of the pain it was causing even tho it was empty I was getting to where I could hardly eat I was so tight. So I had it removed and it caused permanent damage to my stomach that has made me lose down almost to goal weight now because I can barely eat without terrible stomach pains. Now all I can eat is usually protein and veggies but I have to eat the protein then wait an hour or so and then the veggies because I can't eat but a few bites at a time.

Anyway I agree with Kate for the most part liquids are useless because they go straight thru. Eat your protein and veggies first then if truly really hungry eat a fiberous carb like sweet potato or healthy grain like wild rice or quinoa something that isn't just empty calories, but I think if you eat several ounces of protein and some non starchy veggies and then wait a few minutes you will find you are pretty full. I follow the Atkins type diet because it severely limits carbs. carbs are horrible for me I am very sensitive to them, I swear all I have to do is look at them and they slither onto my hips!! You may be that way too.

We all tend to prefer sweet stuff but it is the sweet stuff that kills us and is usually full of carbs. If you go to Atkins.com they show you an induction diet that helps wean you off of carbs and like Kate said you will get the "carb flu" head ache, shakey and just feel like crud but to me it's worth it to dump the carbs. What I usually do when I need to get back on track with it is do one week of say 75 grams of carbs, then a week of 50, then a week of 25, THEN I drop down to the 20 grams they have you do for induction. That way you don't get so icky feeling. That is another thing to do weigh and measure your foods so you know how much you are getting and log it into myfitnesspal.com that way you know exactly what you are eating then you can see where any changes need to be made. Your kids might even like some of the newer foods you eat, don't use them as an excuse to eat cereal. When I was growing up I hated that all we ever had to eat for breakfast was cold cereal! It was a happy day when I was allowed to cook my very own scrambled eggs!! I would have lived on scrambled eggs and bacon. So who knows they might like something else. One thing I don't agree with is eating fruit because it is just straight sugar and therefore a carb. For me I may as well just sit down and eat a hand full of sugar cubes because it hits my body the same way. To me fruit=sugar and I can't eat it, it doesn't bother me to not eat it because I don't like fruit, never have liked it either. Seems I was born to be an Atkins eater!

You say you don't exercise much I say don't worry about it because the word out there currently is that you lose far more weight by watching your diet than by exercising. Now Exercise is good for you and taking a walk with the kiddos everyday might be a nice habit to get into for all of you. You don't have to go workout at a gym or anyplace like that and it doesn't have to be a big ol' cardio workout either just a walk will do as much good.

I don't think working at night and sleeping during the day is gonna be a problem, you can eat what ever kind of food you feel like. It doesn't matter what time of day it is. In fact it may work to your advantage because I don't imagine you want to eat real heavy food right before you sleep anyway so you can just have a light meal, maybe a salad with some protein in it before you go to sleep. That way you could have 2 light lunch type meals instead of a dinner right before bed. I would be more than happy to keep in touch with you too if you'd like. You can do this you just have to get yourself organized a bit and put your mind to it. If you do all these things and still have trouble losing then you can always see your doc and show him exactly what you've been doing and say look here, this is what I've been doing and this band isn't doing it, let's go for the sleeve? Hang in there kiddo we will help you as much as we can!

Hi,

I know that everyone's experience and story is different, but I just want to say that I do not think you have failed.  Please realize that the band is just a tool but that you are the one who took the steps to get approved for it, go through the surgery and the after care, and after all that, you certainly are deserving of all that the band has to offer, but it is simply a tool.  I remember in my early days, I wished that I could have had my brain banded instead, because emotional eating is literally something I have struggled with my whole life.  But after finally reaching a point where the stars have aligned for me, I want to just share with you that you are worth it for yourself and for your kids.  

Once you can get on track with a healthy eating plan, and really listen to yourself when you are hungry, I believe you will see success.  Try picking up some Quest bars....they are super good and you can eat them as they are, or you can bake them into cookies and fool yourself ;)  They are loaded with protein.  I also think that fitting in the exercise has really kept me personally on track and one thing I have noticed lately is that if you Google at home workouts, there are a million short workouts that you can do right at home.  Some days, it is a minute by minute process for me to make it through the day and have a good day, but once I have succeeded, it sure does feel good.

If you need a buddy, please feel free to message me.  I just really felt the need to respond and tell you to hang in there :)

Hi Jackie thank you so much for the support where can I buy quest bars? I am trying to do better and it's because of people like u I want to love myself inside and out! I feel like I need to just talk to people who understand that this band is still hard work. I defiantly will keep n touch with u thank u

Hello, you can buy the Quest bars at GNC, or they have their own Website and I have even found them at King Soopers/City Market.  They also sell them at the gym I go to, so I think they are really becoming quite popular.

It is definitely hard work and it takes a LOT of motivation and determination to stick with it, so please feel free to contact me.  We all need support....

Take care!

Well Jackie thank you so much I am trying to do better an try to listen when I am full. It really does help me to have people like u to turn to since u go through the same things I have to.

I had to change my idea about 'being full'.

First -- I don't eat to be full anymore --- I eat to be 'not hungry' or 'satisfied' -- which is much different from the old days when I always ate until I was so full that I could not eat any more.

If I ate cereal, I would never feel 'full, or satisfied or not hungry' --- that food goes straight through me -- and because it is sweet and crunchy, my body just wants more and more of it.

I had to buckle down and eat

1.  protein first --- every meal and snack had to have protein. If I was really craving something salty/crunchy like chips, I would have a few low-fat wheat thins, broken into 1/4's with a piece of low-fat cheese --- and for about 100 calories, I was satisfied for a few hours

2.  no liquid calories -- except for low-fat milk.  I don't do protein shakes as they go straight through me, don't satisfy me and taste yucky to me

3.  eat every few hours -- breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack ---- I eat a small amount every few hours, so I am never more than about 2 hours away from my next 'meal' --- and I distract myself with work, activities or hobbies -- as well as drinking lots of water between

When I was losing weight, I kept my meals to under 300 calories and my snacks to about 100 calories each -- for not more than 1,200 calories a day -- -along with about an hour of aerobic exercise of some type (elliptical, treadmill or an exercise class).

I also fixed my portion in the kitchen (weighed and measured usually) and then sat down to eat --- I ate my portion and waited at least 20 minutes -- even if I thought I was still not satisfied --- and waited for satiety to 'kick in' ---- I never had to go back for more ---

The band is not for everyone ---- and honestly, removing fluid 'for a break' is something that I would NEVER consider --- too many people have trouble getting back to a good level once they start removing fluid.

But, as others have said --- every weight loss surgery is going to fail if you don't change the way you approach food and your choices about what, when and how to eat.

I also lost only 35 lbs with the lap band, and that was 11 years ago.  I think it's very important to really reflect on why the lap band failed.  Mine is for two reasons:  1) My initial weight loss momentum was thrown off by health issues and 2) I need the hormonal and metabolic changes from a different surgery.

I was the perfect post op patient - walked a lot, stuck to the post op diet perfectly, etc.  But then I had a series of random health issues that caused me to have to withdraw from my last semester of law school, and was also just a lot to deal with, and that momentum got derailed.

A number of times in the 10 years since then I've had periods where I did great with diet and exercise, but my body just holds onto the weight.  Every damn pound is a fight, and if I'm eating great but go just one day off plan for a birthday or whatever, even if I don't go nuts with eating, I gain weight.  I get frustrated by how freaking hard it is just to lose one pound, and then give up.  This is why I think the RNY is a better choice for me, and my surgeon agrees.

Being at your sweet spot doesn't help with boredom or stress eating.  I've been at my sweet spot for probably 8 years, and eating around the band is noooo problem at all.  

I suggest going to therapy to figure out why the band isn't working for you.  If the problem is just boredom and stress eating, then this is head work and no weight loss surgery is going to fix this.  I'm not a big fan of the band with what we know now as far as failure rates and long term complications, so considering a revision to a different surgery at some point isn't a bad idea.  BUT, you have to get yourself to where you know you can stick to a strict eating plan.  For me, if I see the pounds coming off, I'd stick to just about any eating plan that was working.  However, if your problem is comfort eating, then you have to get that under control first, or you will sabotage any weight loss surgery.

Thank you so much for everyone's response well to update everyone I went to doctor again Monday and she added 0.7 cc so I am at 9.2 cc in a 14 cc band. In the two weeks I lost 6 ibs and in one day I lost 3.5 ibs and I think that must have been water weight or something. So thank you for all the encouragement i am truly blessed and I am going to continue learning

I also agree that at not even a year out, I wouldn't consider your lap band a failure.  I think you need to work with a therapist and really change your eating, and this can be done.  Maybe the lap band will still work for you.