Question about Weight Loss
I understand that the band will allow you *theoretically* to lose around 2 pounds/week. If you follow the plan after you have the band then how can a person *not* lose at least that much? The mechanics of the band itself make me think that because you're not physically capable of eating too much (like I say, if you're following the plan and not drinking away your calories) you'd naturally lose at least that much on a regular basis...
Obviously I'm not saying that people aren't following the plan - I'm sure they are. Which is why I'm confused...?
I’m going to be honest with you.
A person I know was banded last summer by Dr. B.
Her first fill was in late October. Since then, she has barely lost any weight and it seems each time I see her, she is eating something inappropriate and not following the band rules at all.
It’s pretty scary to see someone fail the band in front of your eyes when you are going to have the band. It is also a wake up call that it does not work by itself and that effort is required.
My best friend, who has been banded since 2005 by Dr. B and who has been very successful (reached her ideal weight last year) and she always tells me her recipe for success:
1. Never drink and eat at the same time
2. Never drink carbonated drinks
3. If you are not finished eating after a half hour – throw it out.
4. Get your fills regularly – never wait for them to call you. When you begin to feel lose, call them. Only now since 2005 is she in maintenance mode, which means she only, has 1 fill a year. I think she’s had at least 10-15 fills in her entire journey. She is very pro-active in her fills and claims this is why she is successful. She always keeps herself very tight. To be frank, she doesn’t eat big amounts at all and she has a system, meaning she eats the same things for breakfast, lunch and supper everyday – except for weekends.
My best friend did and does not exercise at all. She hates to exercise. She told me that if you have good restriction, and you follow the rules, it will work without exercise. Some people seem to think otherwise but I mean it depends on the person. Everyone’s metabolism is different and everyone’s weight loss is different.
She has told me time and time again, she never exercised but she NEVER broke the rules. The minute she could eat a six inch at subway without problems, she would call to get a fill straight away because she knew she was too lose.
Maybe some people will disagree with her and her rules, but she is a band success story. She was overweight her whole life and now she has control.
She talks to Lise and Rinette constantly to ensure her menu is well balanced and she sees Dr. B constantly for blood work, etc.
She does take vitamins also.
I am definitely following her after I’m banded, she is my support system. To answer your questions, the band does not work by itself. Without fills, it’s pretty useless.
Yeah, of course you need your fills (10-15...can you explain this? Doesn't the band only hold so much saline?...), but I read a lot on the band on the web, and read blogs by people who SWEAR they are doing what they need to be doing, following the rules, etc, but are hardly losing. That doesn't even make a little bit of sense to me. The less you're taking in, the more you'll lose weight (barring the metabolism hanging on for dear life for the first little bit).
It kind of worries me - I mean, every fraction of a pound lost is a win-win situation, but I can do that without the band (keeping it off is a different story). I think I'd become really frustrated unless I saw steady weight coming off after going through all of that (I plan on completely following the rules - you're lucky to have a friend who's been so successful and dedicated!)
Yeah well my friend says frustration is to be expected. She lost 80 pounds the first year. She says that everyone expects when they come out of surgery to melt and when it doesn’t happen, you get discouraged. She told me there were times in her first year where she was getting really discouraged because it is slow weight loss and it takes awhile to reach your goal. It took my friend about 2 years to reach her goal (she had to lose 130 pounds)
Concerning the fills, she currently has a 14cc band and has about 12 cc in hers right now. Keep in mind that in the beginning, they put like 2- 4 cc’s but after awhile they just put like 0.5 cc’s at a time and such so it equals to a lot of fills.
I don’t know, I agree with you that the mechanics don’t make sense. If you eat less and follow the rules – how can you not lose weight? It’s the basics of science. The fewer calories you eat, the more you lose weight.
When I follow a strict diet of 1200 calories a day, I lose weight.
I’ve lost lots of weight before and the 1200 calorie a day and following the Nutrition guide has always worked.
I know why I’m fat, trust me. I don’t have any excuses for it; it’s my calorie intake, food choices, and portion sizes. I remember my family doctor telling me some people go see her and say that no matter how hard they try, they can’t lose weight. I assume these people have a hard time losing for medical reasons such as thyroid problems and genetics.
I really think genetics have a say in things. My grandma, my mom and her sisters have been yo-yo’ing their wholes lives and so have I. I’ve been fat, skinny, fat, skinny and fat again. This is the main reason my family doctor is pushing this surgery on me, because yo-yo’ing is bad for your system. I need a tool to keep me stabilized.
Some people can lose weight easier than others..
It’s a good question though and one that I’ve been asking myself as well. Some people melt with the band and some don’t. I know a girl who was banded on February 24th by Dr. B and she’s already lost 58 pounds.
That’s a significant amount of weight to lose since February. You see it on the forums too; people who were banded the same day have different results. I truly think it has to do with food choices, medical history, following the rules, restriction and genetics.
I am lucky to have my best friend. She is the best. She’s the type of girl who would kick my butt if I didn’t follow the rules. Since I’ve been on the wait list (3 years now), she’s been answering my questions like every day and she plans on spending loads of time with me in the beginning after my surgery to make sure I adjust well.
She is very good at explaining things.
2-Filling the band too fast by putting a lot in at once, can cause the stomach to over react and essentially swell too much and forces removal of the band.
3- Each fill causes the stomach to swell- I am not sure if this reaction decreases after several fills or not. I think it must......As the swelling goes down, some (or all) restriction is lost.
4-The internal organs lose weight too, so the band will get lose just like your clothes.
I lost 100 lbs in exactly a year. Like the friend above, I ate alot of the same foods day in and day out. It was boring sometimes but it worked like clockwork.
My fills have been few and far between. First fill at 5 weeks out, second fill at 10 weeks out. Nothing then for over a YEAR when I had a little removed and then my 4th appt was to have some added back in. I think I am at 6CC now and great restriction.
I want to mention also that I eat 1500-1600 calories / day and have never starved myself. I just can't buy into that. I'd rather exercise more.
Ok I just re-read your questions and I didn’t understand it correctly. I have no clue why some people don’t lose if they are following the plan.
It doesn’t make sense in my mind either. I mean if you are drastically changing your eating habits after you are banded, wouldn’t you lose weight? Even if you do not have any restriction? It would just be a regular diet at that point, no?
All I know is that I know one person who is failing the band and they are NOT following the plan.
I still crave heaps of chinese food washed down with a cold Pepsi too. That doesn't change. What changes is what ypou do about the cravings. I would not dare drink a large cold Pepsi because I would dump like there's no tomorrow. I know that so it helps keep me honest. But I still want it and sometimes can almost taste it. It is still a daily struggle for me and I cannot eat the stuff. My problem was not sweets it was the amounts of food I ate. I could easily eat 6 pork chops, 4 potatoes, carrots and peas for supper then go back 2 hours later and have dessert. That's how I got fat. All that is stopping me now is my puch won't hold that much food. I follow the plan because I have no choice but to.
Day of surgery Feb 12 /09 / 251 pounds
Current weight / 206 pounds
First Goal 199 (onederland)
Second Goal / 180 (I'd be happy here if I never lost another pound)
Final Goal / 140 (final goal, more of a wish)
LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE. NOBODY'S GETTING OUT ALIVE
That's the key, right there - keeping honest. Unfortunately we all know that having WLS doesn't mean that we're going to either change how we view food (which is why I push counseling so hard), or that we won't find ways around our particular form of restriction. If we don't change the way we view food, regardless of what form of surgery we choose we will ultimately fail by finding ways to get that food into us. There have been all kinds of stories about people who have had surgery and managed to get fat again.
Just thinking, really. The whole WLS thing is very heavy - no pun intended - and there's so much to consider about our emotions - and not just whether or not the surgery alone will restrict us - or stop us from doing what we've done for so long.
In any event, my initial question was about consistent weight loss after getting the band. I'm okay with losing 1-2 pounds a week - that isn't the issue. My "what the...?" confusion is in respect to people not losing anything, or very little. I don't understand how that can possible BE if they're following the band rules to the letter.
