Anyone on their 2nd LapBand?

Well, guess I was on the right track with exercising 2x a day because I was and am still eating over 1800 calories a day. I don't know how anyone can eat 1200 calories a day WITHOUT restriction or WITHOUT the band. There is a reason I got this band because I couldn't do it.
I do weight training maybe 2x a week. I do it very slow (20 sec reps), so I don't have to do as many or as often.  I don't swing around the weights, but make my muscles move the weights. That is the correct way of strength training. I cannot stand classes at the gym where you fling around the weights. Anyone can swing a weight fast and get the momentum going, but it takes a lot of work to move it slowly. I truly believe in this way of strength training. 

I'm contemplating going to 24 Hour Fitness just for the cardio classes (as I hate to do treadmills, ellipticals, etc.) I like to use my whole body. I can get a membership thru Costco for a 2 year contract for $300 total (which breaks down to $12.50 a month). So, that I can swing. I'd only use the pool or some high impact class.  I took a variety of cardio classes at the Y and they were such a joke.  I just hope 24 Hour pushes people, because that's the only way things change.

If you like slower weight training.. look for a gym that offers Body Pump or Group Power. 

I do BP 3 or 4x's a week and Cardio (RPM, Zumba, Step, Kickboxing.. not all the same day..LOL)  almost daily.  

It's the combination that works for me.   Keep trying different exercise options, you'll find what works for you.

I lose very slowly.. and when I'm ready to kick the loss up, I add an extra exercise class .. right now I just added a month of bootcamp.  I can't do bootcamp all the time, my knees get too sore, but do one every 2 or 3 months.

Hang in there.

Thanks for the advise. I really am perfectly content doing the strength training at home. I have a lot of equipment (, Bosu Ball, Big Exercise Ball, weights, resistance bands and lots of videos (including P90X) to follow for getting the best workout. I would only join a gym for cardio classes and water aerobics.

When I was losing weight consistently, I was eating what I wanted and incorporating weight training on a daily basis (not as slow as I do them now, but it was effective) and exercising my entire body.  Treadmills, ellipticals and such didn't do me any good. It's when I have to work against my entire body that I had results.

Oh, I hate joining a new gym because they just assume a heavy-set woman is a couch potato and they take things easier.  I used to take high impact kickboxing (not the weak stuff) holding 5 lb dumbbels the whole time. I went to the Y and took a "kickboxing" class (that was a joke) and the lady didn't want me to use dumbbels. Eventually I talked her into it and I got to do 2 lbs.  Oh, yeah, that's going to do a whole lot.  :)

You are definitely between a rock and a hard place...
You can find another dietician. I went through three before I found one I liked. She has me on 1000 cals a day, and I feel the difference even though my clothes feel better.
It's a lot of work band or not, and I've resigned myself to a strict diet and lots of exercise (within reason so I don't get injured, but that is another story).
Good luck!
Mary

 Sorry but after my first band I would never subject myself to another.

Good Luck to you but you might want to research the revision board.

I had my band repaired in Jan '10 and haven't lost a pound yet. Considering having it taken out this winter. I have put on about 25 pounds since my repair. I have been through the fill and complete unfill process three times since the repair.
Steph

You've only had 3 fills in 1.5 years?? Either your doctor was super aggressive with those and didn't allow you to adjust or you did not have enough follow-ups.  I don't mean to make assumptions, so sorry if I have. I just cannot understand why only 3 fills. I'm on my 4th fill 6 months post-op and mine are 6 weeks apart. Also, I figured out my fills were too early in the day and thus esophagus/pouch are not as open as they are later in the day after a couple meals.  So, now I'm switching my fills to the later afternoons. 

I have been through the fill/unfill process over the last 1.5 years many, many times. We would attempt to fill very slowly over several fills and an occassional unfill. We eventually would get to a point where we could find that spot, so would completely empty it and start over the next month. We went through this process three complete times.    Since getting my original band 2.5 years ago, I have been to my band doctor at least once per month if not 2-3 times in a month at times, plus had a port replaced and a slipped band repaired. So yes, I do know what I'm doing.   

I was banded with my first band on June 19Th 2006. This band slipped.

My daughter who was banded the same day as myself had to have her first band removed for the same exact reasons I had to have mine removed.


I was banded with my second band in December of 2008. This was an unplanned emergency surgery, so I was not prepared to revise to another surgery without being fully informed. I regretfully chose to have a second band placed, as well as my daughter.

Both our bands had slipped again, and I was revised to the VSG, she is waiting for her revision to the VSG.

I had left shoulder pain every single day the entire time I was banded.There is so much damage to my diaphragm that it may be permanent, unfortunately only time will tell. It's a very real concern with gastric banding and more people need to know that this is a consequence of having a foreign object that close to your diaphragm and the Vagus nerves.

I suffered on and off for years with esophageal spasms, chest pain, ear aches, and neck pain that was wrongly diagnosed as anxiety attacks/panic attacks, which was so severe that I lost quality of life and spent many years in and barely out of bed.

What is esophageal spasm?

Esophageal spasms are irregular, uncoordinated, and sometimes powerful contractions of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Normally, contractions of the esophagus are coordinated, moving the food through the esophagus and into the stomach.

There are two main types of esophageal spasm:

• Diffuse esophageal spasm. This type of spasm is an irregular, uncoordinated squeezing of the muscles of the esophagus. This can prevent food from reaching the stomach, leaving it stuck in the esophagus.
• THIS IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND because many banded people think that their food is stuck due to not chewing well or they think they ate too fast.
•  
• Nutcracker esophagus. This type of spasm squeezes the esophagus in a coordinated way, the same way food is moved down the esophagus normally. But the squeezing is very strong. These contractions move food through the esophagus but can cause severe pain.
• Again, this is often explained away by band surgeons and banded patients as eating to fast and/or not chewing well enough.

You can have both types of esophageal spasm.

After many ER visits, doctor visits, specialists, procedures and hospital admissions still being wrongly diagnosed. I was finally diagnosed with dysphagia ( difficulty in swallowing ), and esophageal motility disorder ( difficulty in swallowing,regurgitation of food and esophageal spasms ), and erosion of the esophagus.

Many lap band patients will have a secondary surgery done to fix a flipped port, a slipped band , eroded band and/or esophagus, and any other number of complications within the first 5 years of their original band surgery. There are lap band vets here who will tell you that they have had secondary surgeries done.

There is nothing " Minimally invasive " about being banded. Between my daughter and myself we have now had 6 minimally invasive surgeries due to the band.

Im sorry you have that experience with Dr. Wagner.  I didn't see him for well over a year and he remembered everything about me.  Either that, or he reviewed my chart thoroughly before he walked into the room. LOL

As far as the dietician, I will agree... she's a bit of a flake.

As far as runners not lifting... honey I run 3 miles at least 4 days a week, I strive for 5, and after those 3 miles I go straight into my lifting routine.  Arms/back/shoulders 3 days a week, for 40 minutes.   SO, yes, CARDIO burns the calories, LIFTING feeds the muscle.

You just need to find what works for YOU and go with it.   Play around with numbers, etc.  I wish you the best of luck because I know how frustrating it can be.

Good luck!